GUILTY IL - Megan Nichols, 15, found deceased, Fairfield, 3 July 2014 *ARREST in 2020*

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who knew? said:
http://www.wfiwradio.com/2016/02/08/headlines-for-monday-february-8-2016/

Acting on a tip from the public, Emergency Management and local law enforcement officials searched a wooded area south of Fairfield on Saturday for evidence related to the disappearance of Megan Nichols.
Assistant Police Chief Silas Eckelberry said authorities received a tip that evidence regarding Megan’s disappearance could be located in a thickly wooded area off the Burnt Prairie blacktop south of Fairfield. For over two hours, EMA officials, along with Fairfield City Police, Wayne County Sheriff’s Deputies and auxiliary police combed the area, finding no evidence of the missing teen.
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Found the discussion about the previously searched area based on some tip. This was back in February 2016.
Something is really off about the way this previous search was handled or reported on.

No way a wooded area can be thoroughly searched in 2 hours. The article talks about lots of participation and the organizing of multiple groups would take time to even get started. Something is really off about this early tip and searched area. And why no cadaver dogs were attempted to be brought in. No mention about using dogs which would have been helpful. They make it sound like 2 hours is a long time searching.

"authorities received a tip that evidence regarding Megan’s disappearance could be located in a thickly wooded area off the Burnt Prairie blacktop south of Fairfield. For over two hours, EMA officials, along with Fairfield City Police, Wayne County Sheriff’s Deputies and auxiliary police combed the area, finding no evidence of the missing teen. The search started a little after 8 Saturday morning and lasted over 2 ½ hours – again, with no results."

http://www.wfiwradio.com/2016/02/08/headlines-for-monday-february-8-2016/
 
Hatfield said:
Found the discussion about the previously searched area based on some tip. This was back in February 2016.
Something is really off about the way this previous search was handled or reported on.

No way a wooded area can be thoroughly searched in 2 hours. The article talks about lots of participation and the organizing of multiple groups would take time to even get started. Something is really off about this early tip and searched area. And why no cadaver dogs were attempted to be brought in. No mention about using dogs which would have been helpful. They make it sound like 2 hours is a long time searching.

"authorities received a tip that evidence regarding Megan’s disappearance could be located in a thickly wooded area off the Burnt Prairie blacktop south of Fairfield. For over two hours, EMA officials, along with Fairfield City Police, Wayne County Sheriff’s Deputies and auxiliary police combed the area, finding no evidence of the missing teen. The search started a little after 8 Saturday morning and lasted over 2 ½ hours – again, with no results."

http://www.wfiwradio.com/2016/02/08/headlines-for-monday-february-8-2016/
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Exactly! Which takes us back to the reason I believe they have a good idea who was involved, and why I don't think he will be charged.

I believe Megan withdrew money from her account because she thought she would need it. I think she thought she was running away with her boyfriend. She was a good girl, but she was naive. I believe the older dude took advantage of her, and she hung onto every word. When I try to figure out why she would have been murdered, the only explanation I can come up with is that she had gotten pregnant. Why else would he kill her? She was underage - so there would have been charges brought against him for that - and a lifetime of being a registered sex offender. There would have been 18 years of child support payments. And, I think he was just playing with her - he certainly moved on quickly after Megan disappeared.

As for the note, I have a hard time believing she wrote that. I don't know if a handwriting expert ever examined it, but I wondered if the note was left along with the phone by the guy at the time of her disappearance. This is all JMO. I have spent a lot of time thinking about this - especially when I heard who the guy was. This would be the 2nd mysterious incident in a short amount of time with connections to him. I have no inside information. I just have had Megan on my mind a lot since she disappeared.
 
I agree that it doesn't sound like a 15 year old girl's words in that note nor does it sound like an 18 year old boy's words. Sounds more like an adult. Didn't put these two things together until after reading your post, but I noticed the mom using the phrase "lifetime" in an interview on the radio. That specific word struck me as odd for some reason and was something that stuck out to me in the interview. Maybe "lifetime" is just a coincidence the mom uses that same word in this interview when referring to seeing her daughter again and lifetime was used in the note. Or It's possible lifetime wasn't actually in the note, but the mom was paraphrasing what the note said in her own words. I wish the note was public because I am curious. If you want to listen, the mom mentions lifetime at the 14:30 mark.
https://youtu.be/cPpNTQNIirI
 
I find it odd that the FB pages were archived/taken down. Prayer Circle for Megan Nichols was taken down in October. Her mom, Kathy Jo Hutchcraft, took her original FB page down, and started a new one in 2017. And Megan isn't mentioned on her new FB page. Is this just her way of handling Megan being gone so long? Or had she accepted that Megan was most likely dead? Had she given up? Or something else? This is confusing to me because she religiously posted on both FB pages messages to Megan or the "missing" flyer. Just trying to make sense of it.
 
who knew? said:
I find it odd that the FB pages were archived/taken down. Prayer Circle for Megan Nichols was taken down in October. Her mom, Kathy Jo Hutchcraft, took her original FB page down, and started a new one in 2017. And Megan isn't mentioned on her new FB page. Is this just her way of handling Megan being gone so long? Or had she accepted that Megan was most likely dead? Had she given up? Or something else? This is confusing to me because she religiously posted on both FB pages messages to Megan or the "missing" flyer. Just trying to make sense of it.
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Imo, if mom thought Megan was deceased, she would have maybe announced or had someone announce it, because she knows she had a lot of support on the FB page.
Maybe some information came out that pointed to Megan leaving on her own and really was unhappy there.
I'm not sure either way, just trying to look at it a different way.

Unfortunately, I still think the body they found a couple days ago will be Megan though.

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who knew? said:
Exactly! Which takes us back to the reason I believe they have a good idea who was involved, and why I don't think he will be charged.

I believe Megan withdrew money from her account because she thought she would need it. I think she thought she was running away with her boyfriend. She was a good girl, but she was naive. I believe the older dude took advantage of her, and she hung onto every word. When I try to figure out why she would have been murdered, the only explanation I can come up with is that she had gotten pregnant. Why else would he kill her? She was underage - so there would have been charges brought against him for that - and a lifetime of being a registered sex offender. There would have been 18 years of child support payments. And, I think he was just playing with her - he certainly moved on quickly after Megan disappeared.

As for the note, I have a hard time believing she wrote that. I don't know if a handwriting expert ever examined it, but I wondered if the note was left along with the phone by the guy at the time of her disappearance. This is all JMO. I have spent a lot of time thinking about this - especially when I heard who the guy was. This would be the 2nd mysterious incident in a short amount of time with connections to him. I have no inside information. I just have had Megan on my mind a lot since she disappeared.
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I agree that the guy you're talking about murdered Megan, but why do you believe that he won't be charged? I think that he will eventually be charged with premeditated murder.
 
Ozoner said:
I agree that the guy you're talking about murdered Megan, but why do you believe that he won't be charged? I think that he will eventually be charged with premeditated murder.
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Because of his connections. Otherwise, I think they would have called him a POI and questioned him more thoroughly. I realize that, in the beginning, we were dealing with a small city LE, but with a body and the FBI involved, you may be right. I certainly hope so.
 
dm92 said:
I saw this report yesterday, and what caught my eye was the FBI showing up, and some of the news reports mention the presence being "massive." Earlier this summer, Yingying Zhang was abducted from the UI campus, about 2.5 hours directly north. It made national and international news. A suspect is being held and has been charged with kidnapping resulting in death, but her body has yet to be found. I think it is most likely Megan, but I am wondering if they have any indication it might be Yingying, thus leading the FBI to show up to check it out...
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FBI presence so quickly is what caught my eye too. Not just that they are there necessarily. Local LE are actually quite capable of securing the scene, having a coroner come out, calling in state crime investigators....these are usually the first steps in these cases right? It appears the the FBI was there from day 1 or 2.


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I know we are not really in the business of gut feelings here, but there was something about the facts of the case as it originally went down in the first few weeks that's giving me a feeling that this is not her. It feels too close an area.


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ylime11 said:
FBI presence so quickly is what caught my eye too. Not just that they are there necessarily. Local LE are actually quite capable of securing the scene, having a coroner come out, calling in state crime investigators....these are usually the first steps in these cases right? It appears the the FBI was there from day 1 or 2.


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Yingying's case was and still is a top priority for the FBI. I'm sure local LE throughout Illinois and western Indiana have been asked to contact the Feds immediately when they find remains, and may have even been told about things to look for with the remains. Perhaps local LE did a quick walk-around of the area and found something of interest that got the FBI down there so fast. I'm not sure of the exact timing, but it seems they got down there within a day of the find, and they took over immediately. Whatever the case may be, if it's not Yingying, it's pretty clear that they think it is someone they are looking for.

I don't want to diminish Megan's case in any way, but from what I have read, my sense is that their response wouldn't be this rapid and involved if authorities thought this was her; local authorities and the ISP would be taking care of it.
 
who knew? said:
http://www.wfiwradio.com/2018/01/02/headlines-for-tuesday-january-2-2018/
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Snipped from link:

Crime scene specialists from the Illinois State Police and the FBI gathered evidence from the scene for four days before clearing the scene. “The remains have been taken to an FBI facility in Springfield, Ill.,” said Wayne County Coroner Jimmy Taylor.

“An autopsy will be conducted later this week, then the remains will be transferred to a forensic anthropologist at FBI headquarters in Quantico, Virginia. Coroner Taylor added that it could be weeks before a positive identification can be made – even longer if DNA testing is needed.
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Did they ever do a search of her computer? It seems as if she was leaving with intent to go somewhere else, almost like she planned it...


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amoreau25 said:
Did they ever do a search of her computer? It seems as if she was leaving with intent to go somewhere else, almost like she planned it...
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Or (more likely) someone staged things or manipulated her into doing things to make it look that way.
 
If it's Megan and the FBI is taking over, the case will be fairly investigated. I get a feeling the boyfriend isn't responsible. Hopefully we know the identification and autopsy results soon.
 
Lovehearts said:
If it's Megan and the FBI is taking over, the case will be fairly investigated. I get a feeling the boyfriend isn't responsible. Hopefully we know the identification and autopsy results soon.
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I am SO torn on this body being found!
I want Megan to still be alive. I really want to find out that she just ran away.
But, if it's her, at least her parents have closure.
I know we all always feel this way

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