IN - New Albany: Mother, two children found dead in creek

[mysteriew]

I've read that the Mother and Father came in daily to worship in the sanctuary. I am wondering if they always did that or if it was a new thing? Like maybe since the baby came.

With a baby 6 months old, post natal psychosis would have to be a consideration. In a religious family I would expect them to go to the church with this type of issue. And likely any counseling they received through the church would include to pray, then pray more.

This could also explain why the Dad called the preacher first. Preacher would know his concerns.

The death scene as described has some religious overtones. Bible nearby. Water as in a baptism. The fact that they were unclothed kinda throws me, but we enter the world unclothed and clothing is a device of mankind. So in her vision (if this is what happened) it could just be that she wanted to return the way she came.

The water as described was pretty shallow for drowning an adult in, and there were no signs of a struggle on any of them. The kids died from drowning, but it is too early for them to have a tox screen back yet. So they could have been partially sedated before going to the park.

 

[BeginnersLuck]

This article has one piece of info I have not seen before, and might indicate an outside person involved. The family's car, I believe, was still at the home.

http://www.theindychannel.com/web/w...-woman-2-children-found-dead-in-park-revealed

I hadn't seen anything about the car either. That article also says that the bible was found in a car seat:

The prosecutor said a child's car seat was in a nearby tree and there was a Bible in the car seat, WHAS-TV reported.

All the other articles say it was a baby harness. Strange.....

 

[BeginnersLuck]

Ok, this might explain the maroon car being towed. This is the first I've seen this stated:

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20130315/NEWS01/303150079

The Rev. J. Todd Nichols, pastor of Greater Faith, who is serving as a family spokesman, said Michael Clutter told him he returned home from working a 12-hour shift about 5 p.m. Wednesday to find his family missing.

Clutter told him that his wife’s car was in the parking lot and her keys and a diaper bag were inside the apartment, Nichols said. After searching near the apartment, Clutter went to the police station to file a missing-persons report, Nichols said.

But Henderson said no missing-persons report was filed, nor had he heard that Clutter went to the police station. He said Clutter went to the park as police were investigating.

Michael Clutter’s car was towed from the park and his wife’s car was towed from the apartment parking lot so they could be examined, Henderson said.

Henderson said authorities are confident from interviews they’ve conducted that Jamie Clutter and the children were last seen between 7 and 7:30 a.m. Wednesday.

 

[katydid23]

Ok, this might explain the maroon car being towed. This is the first I've seen this stated:

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20130315/NEWS01/303150079

WAIT...what? :what:

He never went and reported his family missing? How did the early articles get that wrong? Did he say he did and it never happened?

And his car was at the park?

I am getting confused and changing my initial theories as we sit here now...

 

[LaborDayRN]

WAIT...what? :what:

He never went and reported his family missing? How did the early articles get that wrong? Did he say he did and it never happened?

And his car was at the park?

I am getting confused and changing my initial theories as we sit here now...

And his wife's car was towed from the apartment parking lot? Her car wasn't at the park??

 

[BeginnersLuck]

WAIT...what? :what:

He never went and reported his family missing? How did the early articles get that wrong? Did he say he did and it never happened?

And his car was at the park?

I am getting confused and changing my initial theories as we sit here now...

That's the way I'm reading it. The article was dated the 16th. So, it looks like the detective checked out the statements the pastor made and found out the father never went to the police station. It sounds like he drove straight to the park.

 

[BeginnersLuck]

And his wife's car was towed from the apartment parking lot? Her car wasn't at the park??

That's correct.

 

[katydid23]

That's the way I'm reading it. The article was dated the 16th. So, it looks like the detective checked out the statements the pastor made and found out the father never went to the police station. It sounds like he drove straight to the park.

I'd like to get clarification on all of that. Did the pastor get it wrong, or did the father explain it wrong, or did the reporter get it mixed up?

 

[katydid23]

And it is weird that she didn't take the diaper bag on the walk to the park. With a 6 month old, you pretty much need something from the diaper bag every 5 minutes. Diapers, bottles, wet wipes, toys, teethers, binkies, extra pants, a hoodie, whatever. I cannot imagine walking the older child to the park w/out taking a diaper bag along for the baby.

So I don't believe she just took a planned stroll to the park. JMO

 

[BeginnersLuck]

I'd like to get clarification on all of that. Did the pastor get it wrong, or did the father explain it wrong, or did the reporter get it mixed up?

Maybe the father said he was going to the police station or the pastor told him to and he saw the commotion in the park and headed over there. Or, something like that.

One thing I did notice in the video at that link, was that the bible was found in a baby harness not a car seat as was misreported in the other article.

Henderson in the video also stated that they received more information from a neighbor that morning but wouldn't comment on it. He said over the next couple weeks while they were waiting on tox reports they would be continuing to do interviews.

 

[BeginnersLuck]

And it is weird that she didn't take the diaper bag on the walk to the park. With a 6 month old, you pretty much need something from the diaper bag every 5 minutes. Diapers, bottles, wet wipes, toys, teethers, binkies, extra pants, a hoodie, whatever. I cannot imagine walking the older child to the park w/out taking a diaper bag along for the baby.

So I don't believe she just took a planned stroll to the park. JMO

If it was a murder suicide, I can see how she could kill the children, but I'm really curious how she killed herself. All I can think of is some type of poison.

 

[Snoopster]

If LE is confident that the victims were seen between 7:00 and 7:30 that morning, and IF the father was in fact at work all day (i.e. a 12 hour shift) then he would have an alibi.

I do worry that the 10 year old was being too 'indoctrinated' and there was too much emphasis placed on religion to the exclusion of a more normal childhood. JMO.

 

[FragileSugar]

Ok, this might explain the maroon car being towed. This is the first I've seen this stated:

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20130315/NEWS01/303150079

Also from the article:

Henderson said authorities are confident from interviews they’ve conducted that Jamie Clutter and the children were last seen between 7 and 7:30 a.m. Wednesday.

About 5:15 p.m. Wednesday, authorities found the bodies of Jamie and Katelyn Clutter partially under a bridge near the park playground, while Brandon’s body was slightly farther downstream, he said.
...

Any idea where this bridge was? Was it heavily traveled? I was assuming they found the bodies in a secluded area of in the woods near the park.

 

[michmi]

That's the way I'm reading it. The article was dated the 16th. So, it looks like the detective checked out the statements the pastor made and found out the father never went to the police station. It sounds like he drove straight to the park.

Boy oh boy, if that turns out to be true....

 

[marycarney]

I thought somewhere in one of the earlier reports that LE said they had an independent person who saw the mother and children outside the apartment complex/ park area that morning? Am I imagining this detail? (Its early and I am out of coffee.... )

 

[FragileSugar]

Husband speaks after wife, 2 kids found in New Albany creek

“Absolutely nothing is going to be the same and there is absolutely nothing I could ever do to get them back,” Clutter said. “I cannot think of any enemies whatsoever that anyone of us could have ever had to let a tragedy like this happen.”
...
“I do not have a clue as to what happened,” Clutter said. “The only way I could have known for sure is if I stayed home [from work] that day.”
...

Husband speaks out, Pastor also in the video. I also noticed a bridge in the video - it looks like a pretty clear area, not hidden by trees like I had imagined.

 

[wfgodot]

Typo in the text from FragileSugar's link above captures what some may feel about the pastor J. Todd Nichols:

“Obviously the situation is very grave and painful for our church,” he said. “We have no idea how things turned out the way they did or why they did and we just ask the community to prey with us to find the truth.”

 

[BeginnersLuck]

Typo in the text from FragileSugar's link above captures what some may feel about the pastor J. Todd Nichols:

:what: That's got to be the creepiest typo of the year.

 

[mysteriew]

http://www.wishtv.com/dpp/news/indiana/ind-man-struggling-with-deaths-of-wife-2-kids

Not much new info

 

[CALIORBUST]

All I have to say is I was at this parK days before all of this happened, with my own kids. This creek/park/bridge is not an area that is considered "hidden" and given the fact that her building is a stones throw away from me, this has me really messed up in the head. I found myself sleeping with a hammer, knife, pepper spray and little air horn I have, next to my bed for the last few nights since this all happened on Wednesday. Sounds excessive, I'm sure but not knowing the whole story at this point...well this is eerie & heartbreaking. After watching the husband's first words to the public today, something feels off. I have my thoughts...but out of respect for the kids who were innocent in this whole thing and even the mom (hopefully!!??) I will refrain until they release toxicology report. As a mother with kids close to Jamie, living in this neighborhood, the cops had not been called out to this park in 9 years...I can not fathom how she herself could/would undress self and take something (drug/poison) that would allow some sort of sedation in order to "kill herself" and still slip her body into the water as if the kids were meant to be first and she would be second...not, in the broad daylight, not being modest & religious, not without anyone seeing something and not without ANY signs of foul play. Then again, for someone to transport their bodies there, unclothed and "put" them in the creek...in daylight, etc.. that seems unfathomable also. I guess we all shall see...but until then all I can do is pray for justice if someone did so something so horrible and/or pray for peace for her family/husband if totally un-involved and use caution when out and about our area...given it "could" be some random serial killer. This is the sort of stuff you see on TV...not in your own neighborhood and park where you take your kids to play. UGH.