ID ID - Tyler Thoroman, 21, Twin Falls County, 17 April 2010

[Cosmictadpole]

Hi, Cosmictadpole, thanks for the information about the classifieds. Your idea to place the message in such a popular feature makes great sense. I live faraway in New York City, so I really benefit from the expertise of people like you who know the region.

Thank you for paying attention to this case even though it's so far away from you! :clap:

 

[pyrite123]

I play Lunia and I was once in his guild MMOkami. He was a nice player. I was shocked when I read the news on the ijji forums (the site that hosts Lunia) about his death and someone posted a link to this thread and I figured I would at least say something. I read his brother or someone was posting in this forum? I wanted to say that several players were talking about having an in-game funeral for him. Someone in the ijji forums also said they were close friends online with him and wanted a video tape of the funeral if his family didn't mind. As for me, I would be willing to question some people in-game that knew Tyler for information if that will help. I really am sad to hear about this tragedy. 21 is way to early for a life to end, especially if he really had a future to look forward to. I know a lot of players are going to miss him since he did so much for us (example, online item database for Lunia, guides, etc). I hope his family overcomes this tragedy.

 

[Mjolnir]

I'm Tyler's oldest brother. We haven't had a funeral yet, because we still don't have the body. The autopsy is still in progress, as baffling as that may be. We did hold a memorial service for him, however, and that's helped us to cope. I would appreciate it if someone who plays Lunia could ask around a bit, see if Tyler was on the night he disappeared, and if he said anything that might be helpful in solving the case. I don't think there's that much hope, either that he said anything useful to someone on Lunia, or that anyone would remember, but anything, even the slightest indication of what he was going to do that evening, whether he got a phone call, or was going to go somewhere or see someone, would be incredibly helpful.

I hadn't thought to check the ijji forums, because nothing had come up in my searches for information about the case. Thanks for bringing that up, though the threads I found weren't particularly uplifting. I do appreciate the supportive comments I did see. I'm glad to know that he did have a positive impact, with so many people, around the world.

 

[pyrite123]

Yeah most of the negative comments posted on the ijji forums were just trolls that hate for no other reason than self-satisfaction. Don't let that bother you. That or they just hated MMOKami because it was way more popular than their guild could ever be. Anyways, I'll ask around a little to see what I can find out. Who knows, it may help, though the odds are probably against us. I hope the best for this case and, if it was a homicide, the killer to be caught. Good luck everyone.

 

[ChasingMoxie]

I have somewhat disappointing news with regard to the local news stations: not a single person or station responded to me beyond the automated vacation response that I received initially. I suppose I didn't necessarily ask a question, but rather just let them know that I was interested in seeing an update on the case and would appreciate them drawing some attention to it. It's possible that they responded by airing footage and I just didn't see it because I'm not local, I don't know. Usually I would expect something, even if it were just a canned response.

 

[Cosmictadpole]

That is very disappointing! Maybe a more public request for information would get a better response? Like a letter to the editor, or more comments on the original articles... and possibly emails to the authors of the original articles. I'll go back and see if their email address are listed.

Maybe this lack of media coverage is because, as Mjolnir reported, the autopsy is still in progress and they have nothing to report. It would be nice, though, for there to at least be an article saying they are waiting for results to show the public that they haven't dropped the ball.

 

[Cosmictadpole]

I guess I'd like to find out how Mjolnir feels about us encouraging the media to give this story more coverage before I contact anyone, but here is what I could find:

Andrea Jackson, who wrote this article - http://www.magicvalley.com/news/local/article_761cfed5-33d1-519c-9128-12bd58fbb232.html, has her email address and phone number listed at the bottom of the article: ajackson@magicvalley.com / 208-735-3380.

Nate Poppino is the author of this article - http://magicvalley.com/news/local/article_c3721508-08ce-5129-a2b4-2cebd1805967.html. His contact information wasn't listed in the story, but it was listed in other stories he's written. Here it is: npoppino@magicvalley.com / 208-735-3237.

Jay Michaels wrote this article - http://www.kmvt.com/news/local/91776184.html. His contact information wasn't listed in the story either, but it was listed in the directory for KMVT: jmichaels@kmvt.com / 208-733-6407 X3039.

 

[Chanler]

Hi, everyone. I'm relieved that people are meeting here. A couple of points:

1. To me, the information about an ongoing autopsy is actually heartening, though I'm certain it is frustrating for the family. I think it probably indicates that authorities want to establish it as a murder by finding evidence, for instance, that the car and Tyler's body had been intentionally torched and/or that Tyler had been killed before the fire (either by internal injury or by evidence that he was not breathing during the fire.)

2. As for the news silence, I think we just have to keep plugging. As someone here suggested, newsmen frequently want to hang a story on some news event or announcement. The completion of the autopsy and the funeral both might qualify. Perhaps at some point, several of us could coordinate communications.

3. I think that we're all following this case, whether or not we knew Tyler, because he seems to have been such a vital young man.

 

[nmr]

Hi all,

I don't really have anything too add but just wanted to say how grateful I am that people are still looking into this. I feel like I'm kind of at a dead end as far as collecting information, but I'm still checking these pages almost every day to see if anyone's heard anything.

As Mjolnir said, there was a memorial over Memorial Day weekend, and it was a really beautiful service. There was a time when anyone who knew Tyler could go up and share some memories of him, and that I think has eased my pain more than anything. As the memorial speaker said, everyone knew the same Tyler. We all knew the guy who was extremely interested in other people and always wanted to know more about their lives and their stories; the guy who always knew what was wrong and how to fix it and if he didn't, he'd figure it out; the guy who would go out of his way for anyone for any reason. One particularly poignant story someone told was when Tyler was in college, and he some sort of project where he went to the mall and handed out flyers to people simply saying something like, "You are loved." Many people avoided him because they assumed he was trying to sell something, but one woman took the flyer after Tyler insisted that she looked like she needed it, started to walk off, read it, came straight back, and asked Tyler, "Are you an angel?" The story was told much better in the memorial, but the point is still the same. Tyler touched so many people while he was alive. I realized a couple things during the memorial. First, the only times I ever got mad at Tyler were when he was right and I either didn't want to admit it or was too immature to see it at the time. He really was one of the smartest people I've ever met, both with books and with understanding people. Second, we should all use Tyler as an example and try to be more like him, whether we knew him or not.

I was too emotional to speak during this time but was asked to sing after with a couple friends from high school. This was really special to me since a) Tyler was always singing and b) singing was the reason I was able to see to Tyler just the day before he died. I consider that one of greatest blessings God has ever given me. I was also able to meet Mjolnir and speak to him briefly after the service which was really nice. Good to put a face to a name.

Thanks again everyone for all your support these last couple months.

 

[Cosmictadpole]

Thank you so much nmr for sharing about the memorial. It's really nice to hear the stories that were told about Tyler and your memories of him. I love the idea of him handing those flyers out at the mall! I'm glad you got an opportunity to sing with your friends afterward. It sounds like it was a wonderful tribute to a very special person.

It makes me really sad that you can't come back here and find more information. I can only hope that more information will come out when those who have it (if they even have it) are ready to put it out there. It does give me some hope to see that even though there aren't a lot of people posting on this thread, it is getting a lot of hits, so people are looking at it.

 

[Mjolnir]

I guess I'd like to find out how Mjolnir feels about us encouraging the media to give this story more coverage before I contact anyone, but here is what I could find:

I would personally appreciate it if people would contact the media asking for more information or investigation. I've met Nate Poppino before, and thought about getting in touch with him to ask him about the article he wrote. I just feel pretty lost, in limbo, waiting for news from either the coroner or the police.

1. To me, the information about an ongoing autopsy is actually heartening, though I'm certain it is frustrating for the family.

Frustrating doesn't even begin to describe it. I'm torn between hope and despair, and it's hard to keep from going crazy. I keep hoping they'll find something, but I can't imagine why it's taking so long. I wish I knew what they had to work with, but from what I have heard, it isn't much, which makes it even more perplexing why they're still not done. But yes, the hope is that they'll determine whether he was alive or dead when the car was ignited, and what killed him. Even more hopeful would be if they could find something traceable, but I can't imagine what.

2. As for the news silence, I think we just have to keep plugging. As someone here suggested, newsmen frequently want to hang a story on some news event or announcement. The completion of the autopsy and the funeral both might qualify. Perhaps at some point, several of us could coordinate communications.

I was a little surprised that they had articles asking for information that weren't related to new information, though I wish there were more. I just don't know how to give this any better visibility, how to make people care, or how to notify the people who might care that I don't know about. Our family is dealing with a lot right now already.

 

[Cosmictadpole]

Mjolnir, it sounds like your family could really use an ally! I have learned from reading so much on this site and from personal experiences that the police don't always have the victim or his/her family's best interests at heart. I am pretty certain that there are people/groups dedicated to protecting the rights of victims and their families, and to helping families get whatever assistance and information they need. I have only done a brief online search so far, but I found this organization: The National Center for Victims of Crime, which looks like it could provide your family with some resources. Here is a snip from their website:

Contact us for help, information about your options, and referrals to local services anywhere in the country. You can:

• call us Monday - Friday, 8:30 am - 8:30 pm ET at
1-800-FYI-CALL (1-800-394-2255) or our TTY line, 1-800-211-7996

• e-mail us (Due to the large volume of e-mails we receive, we recommend calling our toll-free Helpline for immediate assistance Monday-Friday from 8:30 a.m. - 8:30 p.m., ET, at 1-800-FYI-CALL) or

• write us at: Victim Services
National Center for Victims of Crime
2000 M Street, NW
Suite 480
Washington, DC 20036

I bolded the option that looks like it might be the most effective. I'll continue to search for any other resources that might be helpful to your family.

 

[Cosmictadpole]

The possible connection to the other burned car death might provide a reason for the media leverage that you are suggesting.

Unfortunately, there has been absolutely no follow-up in the news on this story, so we may never have enough details to make a connection. Not that I believe there is one, necessarily, but it would be nice to be able to rule it out.

2. As for the news silence, I think we just have to keep plugging. As someone here suggested, newsmen frequently want to hang a story on some news event or announcement. The completion of the autopsy and the funeral both might qualify. Perhaps at some point, several of us could coordinate communications.

Chanler, your advice is very much appreciated, and you seem to be fairly well-versed in the "workings" of the police and the media. Forgive me if it is a personal question, but do you have some "inside" knowledge of either of these fields? Please don't feel obligated to answer. I only ask because I was wondering if you might have some insight as to how to approach each of them. Actually, IIRC, you've already provided some helpful info on how the family can handle the police. Anyway, as you said, maybe we should wait and coordinate our efforts to contact the media at a time when new information comes out about the case (the funeral and/or the autopsy). But I was wondering if the media might also be motivated by a new angle to the story. We haven't seen or heard anything of the family in the media, and if they (the family) were willing, I think the media might jump at the opportunity to present that angle of the story. Another angle might even be: "Why haven't we gotten any more information from law enforcement?" What do you think the media would be most likely to respond positively to?

I would personally appreciate it if people would contact the media asking for more information or investigation. I've met Nate Poppino before, and thought about getting in touch with him to ask him about the article he wrote. I just feel pretty lost, in limbo, waiting for news from either the coroner or the police.

As you can see from my above comments, I am working on this. I think it's a very good idea. I just want to figure out the best way to go about it. Also, does your family want to stay completely out of the picture, or would you or any of them be willing to talk to the media? I understand that you don't have the time or energy to contact reporters and arrange meetings, but if an advocate were to do that for you, would you be willing to talk to one (a reporter)? If not, I completely respect your wishes to stay out of the public eye; not to mention that I understand if you have continued to be asked by the police to remain silent about the case. I just imagine that that would be one of the first things a reporter would ask if one of us contacted them to give the case more coverage. I guess you could even have a family representative, as I've seen in many cases, who is designated to give statements to the media on behalf of the family. This could be a less-involved family member, a friend, your bishop, or a volunteer of some sort.

 

[Chanler]

Unfortunately, there has been absolutely no follow-up in the news on this story, so we may never have enough details to make a connection. Not that I believe there is one, necessarily, but it would be nice to be able to rule it out.



Chanler, your advice is very much appreciated, and you seem to be fairly well-versed in the "workings" of the police and the media. Forgive me if it is a personal question, but do you have some "inside" knowledge of either of these fields? Please don't feel obligated to answer. I only ask because I was wondering if you might have some insight as to how to approach each of them. Actually, IIRC, you've already provided some helpful info on how the family can handle the police. Anyway, as you said, maybe we should wait and coordinate our efforts to contact the media at a time when new information comes out about the case (the funeral and/or the autopsy). But I was wondering if the media might also be motivated by a new angle to the story. We haven't seen or heard anything of the family in the media, and if they (the family) were willing, I think the media might jump at the opportunity to present that angle of the story. Another angle might even be: "Why haven't we gotten any more information from law enforcement?" What do you think the media would be most likely to respond positively to?



As you can see from my above comments, I am working on this. I think it's a very good idea. I just want to figure out the best way to go about it. Also, does your family want to stay completely out of the picture, or would you or any of them be willing to talk to the media? I understand that you don't have the time or energy to contact reporters and arrange meetings, but if an advocate were to do that for you, would you be willing to talk to one (a reporter)? If not, I completely respect your wishes to stay out of the public eye; not to mention that I understand if you have continued to be asked by the police to remain silent about the case. I just imagine that that would be one of the first things a reporter would ask if one of us contacted them to give the case more coverage. I guess you could even have a family representative, as I've seen in many cases, who is designated to give statements to the media on behalf of the family. This could be a less-involved family member, a friend, your bishop, or a volunteer of some sort.

These are great notes. I am deadlining here today, but I will try to respond properly when it's a bit quieter.

 

[Chanler]

Unfortunately, there has been absolutely no follow-up in the news on this story, so we may never have enough details to make a connection. Not that I believe there is one, necessarily, but it would be nice to be able to rule it out.

---------------------------------------------
Chanler, your advice is very much appreciated, and you seem to be fairly well-versed in the "workings" of the police and the media. Forgive me if it is a personal question, but do you have some "inside" knowledge of either of these fields? Please don't feel obligated to answer. I only ask because I was wondering if you might have some insight as to how to approach each of them. Actually, IIRC, you've already provided some helpful info on how the family can handle the police. Anyway, as you said, maybe we should wait and coordinate our efforts to contact the media at a time when new information comes out about the case (the funeral and/or the autopsy). But I was wondering if the media might also be motivated by a new angle to the story. We haven't seen or heard anything of the family in the media, and if they (the family) were willing, I think the media might jump at the opportunity to present that angle of the story. Another angle might even be: "Why haven't we gotten any more information from law enforcement?" What do you think the media would be most likely to respond positively to?

------------------------------------------------------

As you can see from my above comments, I am working on this. I think it's a very good idea. I just want to figure out the best way to go about it. Also, does your family want to stay completely out of the picture, or would you or any of them be willing to talk to the media? I understand that you don't have the time or energy to contact reporters and arrange meetings, but if an advocate were to do that for you, would you be willing to talk to one (a reporter)? If not, I completely respect your wishes to stay out of the public eye; not to mention that I understand if you have continued to be asked by the police to remain silent about the case. I just imagine that that would be one of the first things a reporter would ask if one of us contacted them to give the case more coverage. I guess you could even have a family representative, as I've seen in many cases, who is designated to give statements to the media on behalf of the family. This could be a less-involved family member, a friend, your bishop, or a volunteer of some sort.

Hi, Cosmictadpole. As I said, thanks for your note. As I said in my private note to you, I have no law enforcement background, although I have known several police officers. I write, but not for news media, and although I have known newsmen, I haven't written for a newspaper since I was an undergraduate a century and a half ago.

I just sent the assistant city editor of the Times-News an email of several paragraphs, mentioning the near absence of media interest in this tragic event. I noted that much less severe events receive coverage even in huge cities like New York. (I sent it to him rather than the city editor because I think that sometimes assistants are actually the best people to contact.)

I think that the release of the autopsy should signal a good time to contact the media. As some point, an interview with even one family member might help. If a video of the memorial service was made, that might help arouse interest.

I should go now (I'm still at work), but please feel free to stay in touch.

 

[Cosmictadpole]

Hey folks, sorry I've been absent for awhile. This case has never been far from my mind, though. In reading about the case of Patrick Rust, I came across this website: http://www.crimewiresite.com/. The "slogan" at the top of the page is, “When there is nowhere else for families to find answers and seek justice, the Crime Wire team is there.” I read a little further on the page, and it seems like it could be a possible source to get information or help with finding justice for Tyler. I posted a message for one of the "team members," for lack of a better title, who is also a member here at Websleuths, asking him if he could offer any help or advice in Tyler's case. His name is Dennis Griffin. I just posted it, so I haven't gotten a response, but I'll update you all if I hear anything. In the meantime, Mjolnir, if you're interested, you might want to get in touch with him yourself. He may be more interested in helping you directly since you're Tyler's brother. I hope that we can make some kind of progress, or that progress is being made behind the scenes that we haven't heard about yet. It seems like we should wait and let law enforcement do their job, but I just hope that doesn't mean waiting until the case is cold and any pertinent information is long gone.

 

[Chanler]

Hey folks, sorry I've been absent for awhile. This case has never been far from my mind, though. In reading about the case of Patrick Rust, I came across this website: http://www.crimewiresite.com/. The "slogan" at the top of the page is, “When there is nowhere else for families to find answers and seek justice, the Crime Wire team is there.” I read a little further on the page, and it seems like it could be a possible source to get information or help with finding justice for Tyler. I posted a message for one of the "team members," for lack of a better title, who is also a member here at Websleuths, asking him if he could offer any help or advice in Tyler's case. His name is Dennis Griffin. I just posted it, so I haven't gotten a response, but I'll update you all if I hear anything. In the meantime, Mjolnir, if you're interested, you might want to get in touch with him yourself. He may be more interested in helping you directly since you're Tyler's brother. I hope that we can make some kind of progress, or that progress is being made behind the scenes that we haven't heard about yet. It seems like we should wait and let law enforcement do their job, but I just hope that doesn't mean waiting until the case is cold and any pertinent information is long gone.

Hi, Cosmictadpole, and thanks. If Mjolnir is reading this, I sent you a private mail you can get at the top of the page.

 

[mayelf]

Most of KD's phone numbers are listed on his facebook, and he publicly said he was the last one to speak with Tyler on a memorial invitation :

I wonder if one of these 'google' phone numbers was the disconnected phone number in question? Maybe Tyler had a 'google' number as well and was speaking on the phone through his computer that his mom may have heard?

 

[wanttohelp]

bringing over from another thread

Tyler was definitely not a wild and crazy kid. Hilarious and fun to be around, always up for an adventure, but never anything stupid. He and his family were LDS but not very active in the church, though from what I heard, he'd been going to more church functions recently with a friend. He didn't drink, do drugs, smoke, etc. Most of his close friends that I know other than myself and one of my friends were also LDS. He worked full-time for a company that sells industrial equipment, I believe doing computer stuff. He was really tech-savvy and good with computers. He was home schooled most of his life, graduated around 16 IIRC, and did community college for a few years but didn't graduate. I don't think I ever saw him in a bad mood. He was always really happy. We dated briefly when we were...16 or 17, I think. Just the day before he died, he drove to Boise (close to two hours from where he lived) to see my senior voice recital at Boise State. We went out for dinner after with my family, friends, and boyfriend, and then he drove back home. I know he got home around 7:30 PM because he posted on Facebook that he was back home (ironically, his last Facebook status ever). I thanked him for driving so far just for my recital, and he responded shortly before 10 PM. I heard from a friend that his mom heard him on the phone around midnight, and as far as I know, that's the last time he was seen or heard. The same friend talked to him around 10:30, and they made plans for the next morning. I have NO idea why he would have been out near the Nevada border, but I don't think he went out there willingly. The only thing I can think of is something happened to him near his house and someone drove him out there in his car.

I'm not sure how much that helps, but maybe someone can get something out of this. I've been racking my brain trying to think of anything he said that day that may shed some light on the case, but I'm coming up empty. If you have any specific questions let me know - I knew Tyler extremely well, though we hadn't kept in touch as much after I moved away to college in August 2006. We were together pretty much 24/7 when I was living in Twin. Can't believe he's gone.
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I'm baffled by the lack of information as well. I was pretty close with his family when we were good friends, and I've been in touch with his dad a couple times since all this happened. They haven't been able to provide any additional information other than that there is an ongoing investigation. I'm not sure if they and/or the detectives working on the case may have additional information that they are not ready to disclose yet. That is my hope. By my reasoning, SOMEONE saw SOMETHING. This isn't something that just happened and nobody knows anything about it. Yes, it likely happened late at night, but it was only a mile and a half from a pretty major interstate. People go back and forth from Twin to Nevada all the time. A car fire would, I assume, produce quite a bit of smoke that could easily be seen from the interstate, and I sincerely doubt no one at all drove on the interstate that night. Also, if no one saw anything, they would not be searching for a person of interest. Unfortunately, the vague description fits tons of people (though no one I know of that Tyler knew - I actually searched through all of his Facebook friends to see if anyone matched that description and came up with nothing). Next time I'm in Twin, I'm planning to try to locate the exact place it happened if I can and see if I can figure anything out. It's unlikely but worth a shot.

My boyfriend offered weeks ago to go with me, and we'll both be packing heat so anyone who tries to mess with us will be sorry! I've driven the interstate hundreds of times but never even knew there was a dam back there. I have no idea if he'd ever been there before - I don't know anything about the area, nor do I know of anyone who's been there. He wasn't big into the outdoors or hunting or fishing or anything, so I doubt he was familiar with it.

NMR quote above

answered most of my questions lol.

was he an eagle scout?

 

[wanttohelp]

BUMP....there is something going on here, lets try to keep this thread active.

was tyler an Eagle scout?

Mayelf, did you see the announcement somewhere or did you recieve it?

NMR, is the friend you speak about kdodds? are you close to him? do you find it odd he does not say anything on his blog about tyler, not even a prayer?

Would he join us?

If not could you share more about him and his relationship with Tyler.