Lloyd Welch is Person of Interest

[Motherof5]

I agree that it sounds like the police are calling out someone specific without giving their name. This could be an ex-wife or old girlfriend?

However, I still can't figure out why the police would say other family members are involved unless 1) they had very good proof and 2) EVERY family member was involved. Suppose Richard and I (Steve) were Welch's two uncles. If I was the one who helped Welch, Richard would have a good case of slander against the police. If we were both innocent, we both would have a good case of slander against the police. Being accused of involvement in a double child murder is not an accusation one should make lightly because it could ruin someone's life.

I am not an expert in police procedure, but don't they usually say something vague like, "We know who did it and are gathering more evidence." I can't recall hearing the police say to the press, "Steve did it, but we just don't have enough evidence yet." Saying, "We know either Steve and/or Richard was the murder," seems damaging to the innocent party and an invitation to a lawsuit. Perhaps the police just misspoke and he should have said a vague, "We know Welch had help and we know who helped him."

I don't think they misspoke because it wasn't just one officer saying it. MCPD said Welch and family members and the VA cop said we know who is responsible...each and every one of them. They are being very careful not to name any of Welch's family members...yet. They are also sending the family members a very clear message when they do give updates....We're coming for you!! I agree 100% that those are very strong words and they have never used words like that in this case..... ever. They also haven't spent over a week searching one area with all the equipment and specialists that they are using now. They are all in and I pray they find the girls.


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[Motherof5]

Montgomery County Police - Major Crimes Division
September 22 at 1:00pm


To the good people of Taylor Mountain, We wanted to take a minute to express our appreciation for your patience and kindness over the past few weeks as we continue our investigation of the disappearance of Katherine and Sheila Lyon. We are very sorry for any inconvenience and disruption the police activity has caused your peaceful lives. Katherine and Sheila were just 10 and 12 years old when they disappeared some 39 years ago. We have worked tirelessly to bring closure and justice to this cause. It is impossible to comprehend the anguish the Lyon family has endured for so many years not knowing what happened to these children. It is our sincere hope to recover the remains and allow the family to have a proper burial and bring some measure of peace to them for the remaining chapter of their lives. It is with considerable evidence and persuasive circumstances that our investigation led us to Taylor Mountain. Rest assured we would not be there otherwise. As you may know, Lloyd Welch is a suspect in this investigation and we continue to explore the possibility of other Welch family members having played a role in this horrible crime. Any information that anyone has that might be helpful in this investigation would be greatly appreciated. If you would like to report any information on this case you may call the Montgomery County Police Cold Case Unit at 240-773-5070. Thank you, and may your lives soon return to normal!

MCPD posted this to the FB page for people living on Taylor's Mountain. I think it's interesting that they called Welch a suspect and not a POI.

 

[steveP120]

As investigators search a property in Bedford County, Va. looking for the Lyon sisters missing from Montgomery County for nearly 40 years, Montgomery County Police Capt. Darren Francke talks about the case in this MyMCMedia Extra.

Francke said police are getting “very, very close” to finding answers in the case of Katherine and Sheila Lyon’s disappearance.


http://www.mymcmedia.org/police-very-close-to-answers-in-the-lyon-sisters-disappearance-video/

 

[steveP120]

This news article from local VA news does provide details on the investigation such as
1) police were searching there 10 days as of Sept 22
2) two command centers, in MD and VA
3) VA prosecutors talking to MD prosecutors
4) a forensic expert, Dr. Cliff Boyd, a forensic anthropologist from Radford University, was there again

http://www.wset.com/story/26597903/...rney-talks-about-what-will-happen-in-maryland

But no details on what they found, if anything.

Still it sounds like they must have found something if the attorneys are talking to each others to determine which jurisdiction the crime (murder) happened. I suppose to convict in MD, they would have to prove the crime was in MD, and the same for VA.

It does sound like it's more than a few people walking around with dogs looking for holes in the ground.

Also note that while MD and VA are next to each other, I think it's a good 3 hour or more drive to where the police are looking.

I would also hope that whoever the police think helped Welch played a very minor role, such as after the fact; I would hope the police would be moving faster if someone capable of child-abduction-murder was on the streets. Alarming someome capable of premeditated murder without arresting him sounds like a bad idea to me.

 

[Richard]

To date, the official story from MCP and others is that no remains have been found. However, because they are looking in a long established family cemetery, it would be very likely that they are encountering and digging into unmarked graves. Obviously, they don't want to advertise this.

Historically, in rural areas of Virginia and Maryland, people were buried on their farms or in small local cemeteries - if not in a church cemetery. Very often, African American slaves were buried on land adjacent to and very close to those cemeteries, usually in unmarked graves.

 

[Motherof5]

http://www.wdbj7.com/news/local/inv...-may-have-been-brought-to-bedford-co/28318404

The Bedford County team arrived in Maryland late Tuesday night and returned back to Bedford Friday night.

Bedford County and Montgomery County have formed a joint task force to investigate, and prosecute each of the individuals responsible for the fate of the Lyon sisters. Investigators and
prosecutors from both jurisdictions reviewed evidence and witness statements that continue to move the case forward.

 

[Richard]

It makes sense that Virginia LE would visit Montgomery County Police HQ in Maryland to review the files and any current evidence on this case. While MCP is the lead (and always has been) on the Lyon Case, there could be a jurisdiction question as to where the case would be tried and pursued.

If the girls were abducted in Maryland (likely) then there would be charges of kidnapping. But if any other subsequent crimes against them took place, it would need to be determined where those crimes occurred, and which state or county of that state makes charges.

The FBI was called in to the investigation last February and they were taking calls and tips - not just offering assistance as advisors. That may have been because MCP had evidence of some sort at the time which would indicate that the girls were taken across state lines. It is possible that federal charges could be made in this case, depending on circumstances and evidence. Certainly the FBI should be involved, since at least two states are involved and possibly more, should other cases in other states be linked to this one.

 

[Motherof5]

LE has now named Welch's uncle,Richard Allen Welch, a POI. It makes sense because Welch lived in Hyattsville and so does Richard and LE thinks that Richard was a security guard at the mall.


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[cgoodwin22]

I found 2 Richard A. Welch names in Hyattsville....looks like he may possibly still be living there.

 

[Motherof5]

Richard Allen Welch Sr

 

[j123]

How frightening that they think he was a security guard at the time this happened. I imagine that the mall security would normally be an important resource in a situation like this; he was obviously no police officer, but he probably had a lot more control over the information than an ordinary citizen would have had. Reports made by shoppers, work schedules, even suspicious activity reported directly to him- he could have easily "forgotten," hidden or destroyed it. Thank god his involvement has finally come to light.

ETA: With security like that, it starts to make sense why a Tape Recorder Man was able to conduct his business undisturbed.

 

[Richard]

How frightening that they think he was a security guard at the time this happened. I imagine that the mall security would normally be an important resource in a situation like this; he was obviously no police officer, but he probably had a lot more control over the information than an ordinary citizen would have had. Reports made by shoppers, work schedules, even suspicious activity reported directly to him- he could have easily "forgotten," hidden or destroyed it. Thank god his involvement has finally come to light.

ETA: With security like that, it starts to make sense why a Tape Recorder Man was able to conduct his business undisturbed.

What you say makes sense, but to be clear; MCP has not stated that Richard Welch was a Security Guard AT Wheaton Plaza, only that he may have been a security guard somewhere in the Wheaton area.

Today, investigators stated that Richard Allen Welch, Sr. may have been a security guard (no mention of what agency) who may have worked in the Wheaton area. They are asking all Wheaton businesses to check their records to see if they might have hired Richard Welch in the 1970's.

It is possible that someone with a security guard uniform or badge could have approached the girls or other children at Wheaton Plaza - even if he might not have worked at the Mall.

Since it appears that investigators feel that at least two individuals were involved in the disappearance of Sheila and Katherine, the presence of a Tape Recorder Man at the mall becomes more - rather than less likely. He might have been part of an abduction team.

 

[amber1]

What do you guys think about the Lyons Sisters disappearance compared to the Fort Worth Trio disappearance from the Fort Worth Mall in 1974?

 

[WaynezWorld]

What you say makes sense, but to be clear; MCP has not stated that Richard Welch was a Security Guard AT Wheaton Plaza, only that he may have been a security guard somewhere in the Wheaton area.

Today, investigators stated that Richard Allen Welch, Sr. may have been a security guard (no mention of what agency) who may have worked in the Wheaton area. They are asking all Wheaton businesses to check their records to see if they might have hired Richard Welch in the 1970's.

It is possible that someone with a security guard uniform or badge could have approached the girls or other children at Wheaton Plaza - even if he might not have worked at the Mall.

On this link there is a group of pictures of Welch Sr. In one he is wearing what appears to be a security guard uniform.

http://www.wdbj7.com/news/local/bed...s-conference-about-lyon-sisters-case/28368986

 

[j123]

From the case summary by Richard:

On Monday 7 April 1975, at 7:30 AM, a witness in Manassas, Virginia reported that he saw two young girls bound and gagged in the back of a beige 1968 Ford station wagon. This sighting was at the corner of Grant and Center Streets in Manassas. When the driver of the car (a man who the witness said resembled the composite sketch of the suspect) saw that he was being followed and watched, he accelerated, ran a red light, and drove west on route 234 toward Interstate 66. It was reported that the vehicle had Maryland plates, possibly with the following letter/number combination: DMT-6**. The last two numbers could not be seen because the plate was bent. That combination of letters had been issued in Cumberland, Hagerstown and Baltimore, Maryland. A search for all possible combinations of those plate numbers failed to produce any information.

BBM

The sketch in question is that of the Tape Recorder Man, right? This took place in Virginia, where the investigation has now gone to... LLW wouldn't match that sketch, but could it have been Richard Allen Welch Sr. who was driving the car? Driving a car with a plate issued where he was suspected to be working, too.

 

[steveP120]

from eight months ago:
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politic...tified-in-39-year-old-lyon-sisters-cold-case/
"Police are also looking for additional information on Welch’s longtime girlfriend, Helen Craver, now deceased, as well as any security guards from the Westfield Plaza shopping center who may be able to provide additional details."
I remember it because we were slightly mocking the police for very bad record keeping. But the security guard may be more than a witness who had normal contact with Welch, as any mall guard would have with kids who hung out there often.

Frankly, in 1974, most cops would overlook an 18-year-old Lloyd Welch since he did look too young, dumb, poor and carless to commit a double murder. But it is possible that his uncle, a mall security guard maybe, cleared him.

If his uncle was working nearby (either at the mall or elsewhere) in Wheaton, it's likely Lloyd went to his uncle for help, either telling him it was to get rid of bodies or just to borrow a car. Of course a multi-person abduction team is also possible, but not what I would bet on.

Since the police 1) knew the address of the uncle, but 2) declined to state the address of the uncle, I doubt anyone should be doing it here, especially if it could be some other Welch. Doing so could get a 70-year-old man beat up or worse.

Two more news stories that say the same thing today about Uncle named person of interest:
http://www.wusa9.com/story/news/loc...rance-wheaton-plaza-lloyd-lee-welch/16596877/
http://www.myfoxdc.com/story/26690632/new-person-of-interest-identified-in-missing-lyon-sisters-case

The main points are
1) hopefully that bodies are on mountain but not found (or proven by DNA) yet
2) grand jury on Friday, with other Welch family members

 

[Richard]

It should be remembered that although the police have been talking a tough line and are obviously intent on solving this 39 year old case, they have only named Lloyd Lee Welch, Jr. and Richard Allen Welch, Sr. as "Persons of Interest" not as Suspects in this case.

At this point, nobody should jump to the conclusion that they are guilty of anything. It might be that they were involved in the girls disappearance, but also possible that they only have knowledge of others who were responsible.

Hopefully more information will be made available soon.

 

[Historydetective63]

I wonder if Richard Allen Welch ever owned a beige or tan Ford Station Wagon? Maybe the witness actually did see the Lyon sisters' that morning. I found a recent article on the internet regarding this. The witness now lives in Cary, NC and has been haunted by this sighting for nearly 40 years. I wonder if the police will show him the old photos of Richard Allen Welch to see if he thinks that was the man he saw driving the station wagon.

 

[Fukiyama]

I wonder if Richard Allen Welch ever owned a beige or tan Ford Station Wagon? Maybe the witness actually did see the Lyon sisters' that morning. I found a recent article on the internet regarding this. The witness now lives in Cary, NC and has been haunted by this sighting for nearly 40 years. I wonder if the police will show him the old photos of Richard Allen Welch to see if he thinks that was the man he saw driving the station wagon.

Posted as well in reply to you in the other thread:

The gentleman featured in the Cary newspaper article has posted here at WS in the past. In his posts, he goes into quite a bit of detail regarding his thoughts on the make and model of the station wagon.

A link to all his posts:
http://www.websleuths.com/forums/search.php?searchid=937380

 

[watermelonlady]

I noticed at the bottom of this article I've posted below, the 10/16 photo has him standing beside a station wagon.

http://www.wdbj7.com/news/local/bed...s-conference-about-lyon-sisters-case/28368986