ID ID - Lonnie Jones, 13, Orofino, September 1951

[scriptgirl]

AA, did you ever talk to Rose?

 

[Clearwater]

About 7 years ago an 80 year old pervert was discovered living in Kamiah that had bins full of child *advertiser censored* of teen boys. I heard rumors there were photos of local area people from decades before and none of them had ever told on the guy. If a local did kill Lonnie somebody knows. People around here keep secrets.

 

[MelmothTheLost]

Then on the Thursday after the murder, he left his home in Weippe in his car (ausnote: not his truck) at 4am. About 5am he was four miles east of Orofino on the Lewis & Clark Hwy (ausnote: what took him an hour to get there?) when, he said, he suddenly got "stomach cramps" and made the emergency roadside stop which led him straight to the site of Lonnie's body.

What strikes me as strange about this account is that at 5am in September it would have still been dark. This was at the bottom of a deep valley, and the spot where Lonnie was found was along a stretch running north/south. Would, indeed, could the driver have seen a body there unless he knew it was there?

It reminds me of endless discussions around the murder of Annie Chapman by Jack the Ripper, and whether John Richardson could have seen the body had it been there when he said he was, given that the spot where the body lay was in profound shadow at a time when only the very barest signs of morning twilight had occurred at the time.

 

[scriptgirl]

Okay, how far is Kamiah from Orofino? What happened to the pervert?

 

[MelmothTheLost]

After I checked the moon phase (on the previous page) I don't think the unsub could see to pose the body that night. IMO Lonnie lay where he fell until the next evening when I think the unsub returned to remove the restraints (when he could see better) leaving rigamortis to keep Lonnie's hands in place.

Actually, given the circumstances of Lonnie's death, I suspect this is more likely to be cadaveric spasm.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadaveric_spasm

 

[scriptgirl]

New article on Lonnie's case:
http://www.idahostatesman.com/news/state/idaho/article116399943.html

 

[katydid23]

I think Peter Brendt, a brilliant sleuther, figured this case out back in 2012:

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...ack-Days-September-1951&p=8624585#post8624585

He found out about a child rapist, who liked young boys, who had been arrested right after this crime, for a similar assault. Walter Cunningham.

from the link:

A few weeks after Lonnie was murdered, police arrested a man, who had raped another boy. The boy was still alive, he had been threatened to stay silent and tell nobody. Only the boy told and thus, the perpetrator was apprehended. Same area, same MO, same victimology. WC (not sure whether I'm allowed to write the full name) got for that crime a back then mandatory life sentence. He died decades later in prison.
WC was a carpenter. At the night of the fair, he had earned some money there, helping to break down stuff. He was last seen at the fair at ab. 12:10-12:15. That places him, by time and location about 150 yards from Lonnie minutes before Lonnie spoke to the Kamiah teenagers at the bridge. Remember, Lonnie was upset about something or someone he had seen minutes before, but calmed down, when he got the ride with those teenagers.
Well, WC was a carpenter, and he had tools in his vehicle. His business was to make cabinets and closets using a softer wood used back in the days as a prevention against moths (I'm no carpenter and no expert for wood, so I would have to look the details up). But he used typical carpenter tools, also vices. The injuries on Lonnie's fingertips could be from such a vice (unfortunately local LE isn't willing to give out those photos not willing to take a real look at them or send them to expert labs). The interesting detail is, that a carpenter wouldn't have need to have rope in his vehicle. We know, the perpetrator had no rope, he used other means of restraint.
WC knew Lonnie by sight! He bought wood from a lumber mill just cross the street from where Lonnie lived (another a bit shady operation. His wife's family would be later pretty known for committing the biggest string of thefts in the area too). Unfortunately, LE denies any cooperation into even asking for old bills or IRS records.
.....
But we have a man there, we can place inside 150 yards to Lonnie at exactly the same time, the perpetrator had to start to follow him, a perpetrator that is, who would have driven back direction Orofino after snatching Lonnie. And Lonnie was found nearer to Orofino, near to the creek, so that is exactly, what Lonnie's killer did. And that man was caught some weeks later for the same kind of crime against a victim in the same age bracket, same gender with the same MO.

 

[Clearwater]

Kamiah is about 20 miles from Orofino and the Greer Bridge (where Lonnie was dropped off) is the half way point between the two. The pervert went to prison and I don't know if he's still there or if he's even still alive.

 

[Clearwater]

I think Peter Brendt, a brilliant sleuther, figured this case out back in 2012:

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...ack-Days-September-1951&p=8624585#post8624585

He found out about a child rapist, who liked young boys, who had been arrested right after this crime, for a similar assault. Walter Cunningham.

That's very interesting. One of the old news articles said a boning knife with blood on it was found hidden in the concrete forms of the construction site for the Masonic Lodge being built in Grangeville, ID (about an hour away) at the time. I wonder if payroll or tax records could tie Cunningham to that construction project? Where is that knife now?

 

[kline]

Okay, how far is Kamiah from Orofino? What happened to the pervert?

HiScriptgirl!
Kamiah is about 18 miles east up the river from Orofino.
Somebody else mentioned the light at 5am in September.
It would be light but still a little dusky(that's about the time I go for my daily 7 mile power walk along the Clearwater in the summer and early fall.
A little gloomy but you would definitely see a body lying on the ground in front of you.
I always take sunglasses because by about 5:20 am when your heading east the rising sun is right in your eyes.
I wanted to say as well that I am grateful and humbled the thread on this case is still going.
To my knowledge this forum is the only place on the planet people are still concerned with looking for answers and have not forgotten this murdered child.
A fitting memorial if ever there was one.
Thank you all.

 

[Tulessa]

I think Peter Brendt, a brilliant sleuther, figured this case out back in 2012:

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...ack-Days-September-1951&p=8624585#post8624585

He found out about a child rapist, who liked young boys, who had been arrested right after this crime, for a similar assault. Walter Cunningham.

from the link:

A few weeks after Lonnie was murdered, police arrested a man, who had raped another boy. The boy was still alive, he had been threatened to stay silent and tell nobody. Only the boy told and thus, the perpetrator was apprehended. Same area, same MO, same victimology. WC (not sure whether I'm allowed to write the full name) got for that crime a back then mandatory life sentence. He died decades later in prison.
WC was a carpenter. At the night of the fair, he had earned some money there, helping to break down stuff. He was last seen at the fair at ab. 12:10-12:15. That places him, by time and location about 150 yards from Lonnie minutes before Lonnie spoke to the Kamiah teenagers at the bridge. Remember, Lonnie was upset about something or someone he had seen minutes before, but calmed down, when he got the ride with those teenagers.
Well, WC was a carpenter, and he had tools in his vehicle. His business was to make cabinets and closets using a softer wood used back in the days as a prevention against moths (I'm no carpenter and no expert for wood, so I would have to look the details up). But he used typical carpenter tools, also vices. The injuries on Lonnie's fingertips could be from such a vice (unfortunately local LE isn't willing to give out those photos not willing to take a real look at them or send them to expert labs). The interesting detail is, that a carpenter wouldn't have need to have rope in his vehicle. We know, the perpetrator had no rope, he used other means of restraint.
WC knew Lonnie by sight! He bought wood from a lumber mill just cross the street from where Lonnie lived (another a bit shady operation. His wife's family would be later pretty known for committing the biggest string of thefts in the area too). Unfortunately, LE denies any cooperation into even asking for old bills or IRS records.
.....
But we have a man there, we can place inside 150 yards to Lonnie at exactly the same time, the perpetrator had to start to follow him, a perpetrator that is, who would have driven back direction Orofino after snatching Lonnie. And Lonnie was found nearer to Orofino, near to the creek, so that is exactly, what Lonnie's killer did. And that man was caught some weeks later for the same kind of crime against a victim in the same age bracket, same gender with the same MO.

I agree Katy. I wish he would return. I really enjoyed reading his posts. He has a way of making his points understandable.

 

[scriptgirl]

Hi Kline! Wish I saw you around these parts more. Why won't LE send those photos out?

 

[Squeachie]

Hi Kline! Wish I saw you around these parts more. Why won't LE send those photos out?

In the article, it says:
Photographs of the crime scene show that when Jones was found, he was wearing clothes. An autopsy revealed he had a full stomach at the time of his death. But Jared said he has uncovered no evidence to support the claim the boy had been molested.

Documentation from the 65-year-old case, however, is sparse. A large binder containing transcripts of interviews with the suspects and others that are kept in a small cardboard box are the only remaining clues.

There may be other records somewhere, Jared said, "but I don't have access to them. They're not here.

Read more here: http://www.idahostatesman.com/news/state/idaho/article116399943.html#storylink=cpy

My grandfather was the coroner in the case, W.E. Gilbert. My dad grew up in Orofino and he said the case scared people for a long time. I love through Greer grade. I'm glad I live so close to our wild western outdoors.

 

[kline]

In the article, it says:
Photographs of the crime scene show that when Jones was found, he was wearing clothes. An autopsy revealed he had a full stomach at the time of his death. But Jared said he has uncovered no evidence to support the claim the boy had been molested.

Documentation from the 65-year-old case, however, is sparse. A large binder containing transcripts of interviews with the suspects and others that are kept in a small cardboard box are the only remaining clues.

There may be other records somewhere, Jared said, "but I don't have access to them. They're not here.

Read more here: http://www.idahostatesman.com/news/state/idaho/article116399943.html#storylink=cpy

My grandfather was the coroner in the case, W.E. Gilbert. My dad grew up in Orofino and he said the case scared people for a long time. I love through Greer grade. I'm glad I live so close to our wild western outdoors.

Thanks for the link I hadn't seen that article.
And yes the grade is a beautiful drive.

 

[Psac]

It's 25.6 miles from Orofino to Weippe-35 minutes, And from Weippe to Greer is 8.1 miles-10 minutes. Definitely do-able within the timeline. And yes, it would have been nothing for Lonnie to have been standing there for an hour; In fact it's possible he could have walked all the way to Weippe without encountering a passing motorist at that time of night on the Greer Grade. To put it in perspective: A woman died of hypothermia between Weippe and Pierce a few years ago when her car broke down, and the the first car to come by was a schoolbus the next morning.
I'm not trying to discredit you, Peter; I have enjoyed your posts immensely, and I agreed with your insight for the most part. There's always the chance in any investigation, when you become too familiar, though - too closely involved- to remain objective.
Anyway, I'm hoping we get this thread back on track.
Per the police report, Lonnie wasn't sexually assaulted during this abduction. If Cunningham was the perpetrator, I doubt he could have resisted that kind of temptation. And if he was molested weeks earlier, then who could be a suspect? Could they have seen this as an opportunity to do it again, but Lonnie was going to be anything but the submissive victim this time? Or did they pick him up only with the intent to murder him?
The position of the wrists does suggest he was bound. When it talks about the grotesque positioning though, I wonder if it means not only the hands/wrists, but maybe the arms also. I wonder if the murderer went down to check if he was dead: trying to avoid lifting the head to check for vitals he might lift the entire body by grasping the bound wrists and raise him straight upward. I don't think it was caused by a cadaverick spasm- that relaxes when rigor mortis resolves- around 36 hours post mortem. Another thought though- if the restraints were removed the next day, as someone previously suggested, rigor mortis would have set in and the arms would have remained in that position; But once rigor mortis resolved and the muscles relaxed, wouldn't the arms have gradually dropped, particularly over the next three days? Try it- crouch down and bend over and put your hands together behind your back (and I truly HOPE some pervert doesn't get his jollies by reading this site); Now relax. My arms gradually fall down to my sides. Is it possible that someone went back and removed the wrist bindings (could've been the evidence to identify the perp?) just hours before Lonnie was found?
I looked up Orrin Woods obituary http://lmtribune.com/obituaries/orr...cle_897f8389-6123-5757-bb0a-66601b14e9d0.html I'm not seeing the millionaire that was portrayed.

 

[scriptgirl]

Lonnie was molested weeks before he was killed? Where does that info come from?

 

[Psac]

Hi,

second part ...

Another detail is, that, according to a family member, but one, that didn't know Lonnie (born to late), Lonnie was sexually assaulted already weeks before the fair. The injuries were serious enough, according to that family member, that Lonnie's grandma went with him to the hospital. I have of course no access to the old files and I doubt, they still exist after that time, but what we do know is, that someone was actually treated in this time in a hospital under the name of the grandma. So, this explains, why the MEs weren't sure whether Lonnie was sexually abused the night of the murder. Older injuries, no semen (it had rained before Lonnie was found).

 

[Psac]

I was going on information supplied by Peter, but in review I see the source is someone who did not know Lonnie.

 

[scriptgirl]

Why was Lonnie's granny's name used at the hospital instead of Lonnie's name?

 

[Psac]

Why was Lonnie's granny's name used at the hospital instead of Lonnie's name?

Doesn't make sense, does it? If Lonnie was seen, his name would be listed.