DEC 7, 2021
Kathleen Moore case: Body found in New Port Richey ID’d as missing Pinellas woman, Pasco sheriff says (tampabay.com)
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The man told Pasco detectives he was living in a small camp behind Walgreens, and he found the phone in the trash around 11 a.m. Nov. 30. The man said he turned on the phone and its mobile data, and later got a phone call from a woman — Moore’s friend — saying the phone belonged to a missing person.
The man then gave the phone to a member of management at the Walgreens location. Detectives later learned there were no surveillance cameras facing the Walgreens dumpsters.
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The detectives noticed a strong smell of cleaning chemicals in Knapp’s home, the complaint said. Knapp allowed the investigators to walk through the house, except for two rooms he said belonged to a roommate.
Detectives found no evidence of a struggle and didn’t see any cleaning supplies, the complaint said. One detective mentioned how clean Knapp’s house smelled, and he replied that it was his day off and he spent it cleaning.
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Surveillance footage from Knapp’s neighbors shows a black Cadillac driving west on Carmel Avenue around 12:15 a.m. Nov. 29. The Cadillac was seen again at 12:21 a.m., like it had circled the block, the complaint said. The car was seen for the third time traveling east on Carmel Avenue around 1:20 a.m.
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Detectives found inconsistencies in Knapp’s story, according to the complaint. Knapp previously told detectives he was too drunk to drive Moore to McDonald’s before she left on foot. But, they said, he could drive to his place of work at 1:15 a.m. He also made statements that an unknown person picked up Moore, not that she left on foot, as he initially told them.
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... Knapp is seen going inside the restaurant and staying there until 1:53 a.m.
Detectives searched the dumpster, which is only used by the restaurant, and found black bags that were different from the mostly clear trash bags inside the dumpster. In the black bags, investigators found a black-and-gray bed comforter, a red bedsheet and a white mattress cover, all stained with what looked to be a significant amount of blood, according to the report.
Several other items believed to belong to Moore were found in the trash bags, including a debit card, car keys and a “Rugrats” sweatshirt, detectives said. Investigators also found a pair of brown work boots, a gray shirt and men’s gray cargo pants with blood on them, the complaint said.
Three different pillowcases that matched pillowcases photographed while searching Knapp’s house also were found.
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... Detectives followed Knapp’s movements using a court-allowed tracker that was placed on his car, the complaint said. Detectives followed as Knapp drove north, out of the state.
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Body found in New Port Richey identified as Kathleen Moore | wtsp.com
The area where Moore was discovered was searched with K-9s, air surveillance, drones and line searches. Nocco says factors like wind, weather and decomposition could have been behind why her body was not discovered sooner.