The whole saga of Lloyd Welch, as told by the MCP, is a strange one.
A cold case department which has seldom reached back to re-interview old eyewitnesses, all of a sudden came up with Lloyd Welch in 2014 by looking through boxes and boxes of files? Right.
It is most likely that a relative of Lloyd learned from visiting Lloyd that he had a story about being present at Wheaton Plaza on 25 March 1975 and that he tried to pass information to MCP in order to collect a reward. He may have elaborated on that and implicated other family members.
It is most likely that the relative passed on information concerning Lloyd's statements and story to MCP and in that way got the attention of MCP focussed on checking Lloyd out.
MCP checked into their files, specifically looking for anything from or about Lloyd and found his 1 April 1975 statements to them, in which he provided them with his Hyattsville address. He had been given a lie detector test which showed him up for the liar that he was and MCP subsequently blew off anything he had to say on the subject. "Off with you then..."
Looking further into Lloyd's record (recently), they found mug shots from 1977 and some rather disturbing information about arrests for burglary, assault, etc. in Maryland and also sexual offenses in other states. He started to look like a viable suspect - and after being interviewed in a Delaware prison, was designated a "Person of Interest" in the Lyon case.
MCP has not released the full text of their interview with Lloyd or his statements to them, but it is known from subsequent Search Warrants issued that Lloyd has stated that he not only saw the Lyon sisters that day, but that he actually got into the car with them, and that also present in the car was his Uncle Richard Welch and his (then) 11-year-old cousin Thomas Welch II.
It should be remembered that at this point, we know of only Lloyd's quoted statements which connect Richard and Thomas to the case. Both deny any connection. We do not know what evidence (if any) MCP has found to date in their searches of the Richard Welch home or of his property in Thaxton, VA.
It is also interesting to note that Lloyd's stepmother stated that when news of a reward came out (1 April 1975) Lloyd stated that he intended to call in a "tip" to police in order to claim the reward - AND that he did, in fact, call in that tip.
MCP early on (February 2014) indicated that they had Lloyds Hyattsville address GIVEN to them on 1 April 1975, and only recently came out with the story that he had approached a Wheaton Plaza Security Guard on that very date to try and pass on his "Tip" of having seen the girls get into a car with an unknown man.
MCP has also asked WMAL radio if they would still honor their 1975 $7,000 reward (and they said they would). This may be significant in that they can use it to further entice Lloyd to provide them with more information. Certainly if they wanted just anyone to give them information, they could have gotten Crime Solvers to have put up a much higher amount. But it may be significant in that the origional reward of $7,000 was to go to "the first person" who provided information leading to the return of the girls.
There are also unresolved questions regarding the story about a 12 year-old girl who came forward on 27 March 1975 to MCP with a story about being with the Lyon sisters and being followed around Wheaton Plaza by a young man with long hair who was "bothering" them. She described him and a sketch was made by MCP officer Davis Morton. This sketch was never released at the time, but MCP cold case officers came across it in their files and they feel that it may have been Lloyd Welch. In their February 2014 press conference, they did a side-by-side comparison of Lloyd's 1977 mug shot with that sketch of the Long Haired Man (LHM).
Who was this girl? What was her full story? Why did MCP NOT release it to the public at the time? Why did they finally release the LHM sketch in November 2013 with an odd cover story about area rapes, making only a passing reference to "an incident at Wheaton Plaza"? What other information do they have which convinces them that this LHM was Lloyd Welch? And - if Lloyd is LHM - what area rapes do they think he committed?
Lloyd has reportedly also stated that he "walked in" on his Uncle Richard at Richard's Hyattsville home and caught him in the act of molesting one of the Lyon sisters - but that he left and never saw the girls again. A story even odder than his just happening to get into a car with them (but he forgot to mention this back in 1975).
Lloyd Welch had just turned 18 years old in December 1974, and was said to walk or hitch rides every where. He did not have a drivers license. In fact, his story about just riding in the car with the Lyon Sisters, et al is somewhat consistant with those facts.
It would seem that Lloyd Welch is being considered more as a material witness and possible conspirator in the disappearance of the Lyon Sisters, rather than as the one and only perpetrator/suspect - and that police are proceeding along those lines in their investigation.
A cold case department which has seldom reached back to re-interview old eyewitnesses, all of a sudden came up with Lloyd Welch in 2014 by looking through boxes and boxes of files? Right.
It is most likely that a relative of Lloyd learned from visiting Lloyd that he had a story about being present at Wheaton Plaza on 25 March 1975 and that he tried to pass information to MCP in order to collect a reward. He may have elaborated on that and implicated other family members.
It is most likely that the relative passed on information concerning Lloyd's statements and story to MCP and in that way got the attention of MCP focussed on checking Lloyd out.
MCP checked into their files, specifically looking for anything from or about Lloyd and found his 1 April 1975 statements to them, in which he provided them with his Hyattsville address. He had been given a lie detector test which showed him up for the liar that he was and MCP subsequently blew off anything he had to say on the subject. "Off with you then..."
Looking further into Lloyd's record (recently), they found mug shots from 1977 and some rather disturbing information about arrests for burglary, assault, etc. in Maryland and also sexual offenses in other states. He started to look like a viable suspect - and after being interviewed in a Delaware prison, was designated a "Person of Interest" in the Lyon case.
MCP has not released the full text of their interview with Lloyd or his statements to them, but it is known from subsequent Search Warrants issued that Lloyd has stated that he not only saw the Lyon sisters that day, but that he actually got into the car with them, and that also present in the car was his Uncle Richard Welch and his (then) 11-year-old cousin Thomas Welch II.
It should be remembered that at this point, we know of only Lloyd's quoted statements which connect Richard and Thomas to the case. Both deny any connection. We do not know what evidence (if any) MCP has found to date in their searches of the Richard Welch home or of his property in Thaxton, VA.
It is also interesting to note that Lloyd's stepmother stated that when news of a reward came out (1 April 1975) Lloyd stated that he intended to call in a "tip" to police in order to claim the reward - AND that he did, in fact, call in that tip.
MCP early on (February 2014) indicated that they had Lloyds Hyattsville address GIVEN to them on 1 April 1975, and only recently came out with the story that he had approached a Wheaton Plaza Security Guard on that very date to try and pass on his "Tip" of having seen the girls get into a car with an unknown man.
MCP has also asked WMAL radio if they would still honor their 1975 $7,000 reward (and they said they would). This may be significant in that they can use it to further entice Lloyd to provide them with more information. Certainly if they wanted just anyone to give them information, they could have gotten Crime Solvers to have put up a much higher amount. But it may be significant in that the origional reward of $7,000 was to go to "the first person" who provided information leading to the return of the girls.
There are also unresolved questions regarding the story about a 12 year-old girl who came forward on 27 March 1975 to MCP with a story about being with the Lyon sisters and being followed around Wheaton Plaza by a young man with long hair who was "bothering" them. She described him and a sketch was made by MCP officer Davis Morton. This sketch was never released at the time, but MCP cold case officers came across it in their files and they feel that it may have been Lloyd Welch. In their February 2014 press conference, they did a side-by-side comparison of Lloyd's 1977 mug shot with that sketch of the Long Haired Man (LHM).
Who was this girl? What was her full story? Why did MCP NOT release it to the public at the time? Why did they finally release the LHM sketch in November 2013 with an odd cover story about area rapes, making only a passing reference to "an incident at Wheaton Plaza"? What other information do they have which convinces them that this LHM was Lloyd Welch? And - if Lloyd is LHM - what area rapes do they think he committed?
Lloyd has reportedly also stated that he "walked in" on his Uncle Richard at Richard's Hyattsville home and caught him in the act of molesting one of the Lyon sisters - but that he left and never saw the girls again. A story even odder than his just happening to get into a car with them (but he forgot to mention this back in 1975).
Lloyd Welch had just turned 18 years old in December 1974, and was said to walk or hitch rides every where. He did not have a drivers license. In fact, his story about just riding in the car with the Lyon Sisters, et al is somewhat consistant with those facts.
It would seem that Lloyd Welch is being considered more as a material witness and possible conspirator in the disappearance of the Lyon Sisters, rather than as the one and only perpetrator/suspect - and that police are proceeding along those lines in their investigation.
