GUILTY FL - Joni Gunter, 30, found dismembered, Jacksonville, 11 Feb 2016 *Arrest*

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Ray_of_hope said:
I'm sorry, it is very confusing. The body was found on Tillis' property and the Polaroid was found about the same time, so LE thought they may be the same person. It turns out they are not according to the Jax4News article. So I guess this thread is about the body which has now been identified via DNA to be Joni Gunter. So I guess it would be a good idea to make another thread in order to ID the woman in the Polaroid. LE wants to ID to see if she's alive and well or missing. MOO, but I think LE has just touched the tip of the iceberg with Russell Tillis.
RIP Joni. :rose:
Does anyone know how to start a new thread with 'unidentified woman in Polaroid from Russell Tillis property' or something like that? Thanks.
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I know how to start new threads but I think I will wait for a mod to do it for this case. I think there are a lot of posts here that should be moved to the thread for the girl in the Polaroid--if that is the new thread that needs to be started. JMO. I never realized there were two different girls we were trying to ID.
 
Just throwing in my 2 cents, for whatever it's worth. Will be happy to defer to CarlK or bessie if their opinions differ.

Now that it's known that the victim in the shallow grave (Joni) & the woman in the Polaroid are NOT one in the same, I believe the UID woman in the polaroid pic should be given a thread of her own & Joni's thread should remain dedicated to her alone. If it's determined that Tillis has more victims/is a serial killer, than a thread could be opened in the SK forum for him (which would then be open to discussion of all known and/or possible victims).
 
Thank you for starting a new thread for her!
 
So according to the News4Jax segment at 10 pm tonight, Russell Tillis confessed to killing Joni to his cellmate while incarcerated for another crime (but I don't know if he used her name or if he just indicated that his victim was female). Apparently, that's what got the ball rolling and LE searching his yard. LE got him on a wire recording also admitting to other murders. Looks like we've only just begun... :(
 
What year do we think this photo was taken? It looks like the 90's to me. Did they say anywhere it is a recent photo that is just really dirty/scratched up?
 
Gardener1850 said:
What year do we think this photo was taken? It looks like the 90's to me. Did they say anywhere it is a recent photo that is just really dirty/scratched up?
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Original thread has some info about the photo.

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...8-30-in-shallow-grave-Feb-16-Joni-Lynn-Gunter

"During the investigation, police released a faded Polaroid photo of an unidentified woman, asking for the public's help to identify her. That woman was not Gunter, and police are still working to find out who she is."

This thread was started for the woman in the photo because the dismembered body found was identified as Joni Lynn Gunter (not the woman in the photo).

They may both be victims of Russell Tillis but that is unknown.
 
I'm not American and I do not live in America so I would not know where to start to analyze well the photos; if you read the comments on facebook, some peoples think that the refrigerator container or vending machine can be of Busch or Coors or Pepsi; the girl seems to have a bracelet on his left arm (maybe of the 90s or also 80s) and his shirt was perhaps a tiger drawn in black, perhaps a shirt of some college; the chair looks like one of those in Viniyl strap pool furniture; anyway I submitted this case in Doe Network, and also write email at sheriff for enter this case in Namus; I hope that soon will enter in databases. ;)
 
Romulus said:
I'm not American and I do not live in America so I would not know where to start to analyze well the photos; if you read the comments on facebook, some peoples think that the refrigerator container or vending machine can be of Busch or Coors or Pepsi; the girl seems to have a bracelet on his left arm (maybe of the 90s or also 80s) and his shirt was perhaps a tiger drawn in black, perhaps a shirt of some college; the chair looks like one of those in Viniyl strap pool furniture; anyway I submitted this case in Doe Network, and also write email at sheriff for enter this case in Namus; I hope that soon will enter in databases. ;)
Click to expand...

Thank you Romulus! I hope we soon have more info. Yes the clothes, hair and type of photo all say 1980's or 1990's to me. I have seen the speculation about it being a school mascot on her shirt but personally I think if it was for a University or high school there would be lettering as well. Graphic animal T-shirts were a common style in the 1980's and 1990's in the US. The length of the sleeves (or lack of sleeves) on the shirt could also be a clue. Back in the 80's and 90's I would have called this sleeveless tee-shirt a "tank top". Today I think of a tank top as having slim straps or even spaghetti straps, not a sleeveless tee.
 
I know we have very little info but I went looking for girls missing in the 1990's as a start. Here are 3 I found that somewhat resemble the girl in the photo:

Andrea Durham (went missing from her Florida home in 1990 and was wearing a white t-shirt): <defunct link>

Michelle Otter (Went missing from school in 1998): <defunct link>

Teresa Dean (went missing from her family's trailer park in 1999): <defunct link>

I will search more if we get more info.
 
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please no need for any apology! I was not sure either. my thoughts just came out all at once in a state! lol

Gardener1850 said:
I assumed it was her since this thread has been updated with "identified" and her name. Sorry if I misunderstood...
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I think at the time they didn't know whether the UID found was the girl in the photo but it was since concluded she isn't. a new thread is a good idea!

Gardener1850 said:
I'm so confused. Sorry, I thought this thread was about the girl in the Polaroid. That's the first two links in this thread--about her picture they are trying to ID. Is there another thread for that girl or another thread for Joni? I'm not sure which one this thread is for now. :confused: :facepalm:
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it is astounding how many SK we have found this year.

Ray_of_hope said:
I'm sorry, it is very confusing. The body was found on Tillis' property and the Polaroid was found about the same time, so LE thought they may be the same person. It turns out they are not according to the Jax4News article. So I guess this thread is about the body which has now been identified via DNA to be Joni Gunter. So I guess it would be a good idea to make another thread in order to ID the woman in the Polaroid. LE wants to ID to see if she's alive and well or missing. MOO, but I think LE has just touched the tip of the iceberg with Russell Tillis.
RIP Joni. :rose:
Does anyone know how to start a new thread with 'unidentified woman in Polaroid from Russell Tillis property' or something like that? Thanks.
Click to expand...
 
From February after body (now identified as Joni) was found.

Russell Tillis's ex-wife: "Just say a prayer for him"

<defunct link>

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Russell Tillis's ex wife's hands can tell her story: constantly shaking as she talked about the marriage she was in for 9 years.
"It was a lot of beatings and pushing and shoving. Put a gun to my head," said "Jennifer."
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She said she's been through too much.
"Rape, mental abuse, physical abuse, psychological abuse," Jennifer recalled.
Click to expand...
 
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Jax49 said:
...police released a faded Polaroid photo of an unidentified woman, asking for the public's help to identify her. That woman was not Gunter, and police are still working to find out who she is."

This thread was started for the woman in the photo because the dismembered body found was identified as Joni Lynn Gunter (not the woman in the photo).

They may both be victims of Russell Tillis but that is unknown.
Click to expand...

So the UID here is based on the photograph and not any actual additional human remains being discovered?

I'm asking that because I've read about his past and how his neighbors had been ready for him to leave for a while even before Gunter's remains were found. He's done everything from exposing his junk to neighbors to trying to flatten tires to chaining a prostitute to a fence.

Whenever I saw "victim" mentioned, I'd assumed that it meant "murder victim" since the main reason he's in the news is due to Gunter's death. But now I realize that anyone that's ever come across Tillis could be considered a victim of some sort. Glad I don't live in his neighborhood.
 
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