MA MA - Simone Ridinger, 17, Sherborn, 2 Sept 1977

[jgfitzge]

Another thing that is curious...

When SR went missing, it sounds like there was some degree of public visibility within a reasonable period of time. If a state trooper had picked her up hitchhiking and then passed her off to a driver heading towards the Cape... doesn't it seem likely that at some point that trooper would've realized he had her in his car (or at the very least, a girl that could've been her) and, even if not immediately, would've independently called this out?

I know missing notifications and the like are miles more sophisticated today than they would've been in 1977, but it still seems like the information would've made its way around through law enforcement.

In my opinion the trooper passing off SR to the old man never happened. He said this happened near the Dedham/Westwood rest stop. That is about 75 miles away from Hyannis. Did the trooper just get lucky that he pulled over The one guy going down the Cape that morning? Did he pull over five or six others before he found the one person going down the Cape that morning? You may say that Saturday of Labor Day weekend you’re going to get more people heading towards the Cape. I would say that is true if we were further down the south shore towards Plymouth in that case your chances of pulling over someone going to the Cape are very good. But up in the Dedham Westwood area. You were still dealing with mostly local travel.

 

[Sweetluv]

I would be interested in knowing if the elderly man had a criminal past of any kind..his son too. I felt he came into contact with Simone, just not the way he claimed too.

 

[Sweetluv]

Maybe the elderly man was a customer at the restaurant Simone worked at. Could he have ate there that day, followed Simone out, and offered her a ride? In which this ride turned into foul play...

 

[jgfitzge]

Maybe the elderly man was a customer at the restaurant Simone worked at. Could he have ate there that day, followed Simone out, and offered her a ride? In which this ride turned into foul play...

Sweetluv

Exactly what you wrote is something I have thought about on more than one occasion. Once scenario, I thought of is as a regular at a restaurant, specifically a breakfast/diner type of setting you overhear and pick up a lot of personal information about the people waiting on you. Maybe the old man may have heard that Simone was hitchhiking down the Cape. Maybe that is why Simone turned down the offer from her sister for a ride down the Cape. Perhaps he either offered to bring her to the Cape since he was going there to pick up Clock parts or he just happened to pull over knowing that she would be hitchhiking right after work on that Friday afternoon. She would not be hesitant getting into his car since she recognized him as one of the customers at the restaurant. Maybe he said something, things Got out of hand and who knows what may have happened.

 

[Sweetluv]

IMO, his "story" of the cop and how he came about giving Simone a ride is one to distance himself. He threw the law in there to make his story seem trustworthy. He described Simone as smelly and grubby..as if he wanted to seem "disinterested. " He probably went to the police out of curiosity, to see how far along they were in this case. If this is true, what did he do with Simones body ? Too late now, but I wish his car could have been searched and his pic shown to the former co workers to see if they recognized him as a regular at the restaurant. I'm hoping the Detective will one day return to this thread. Maybe he could go into detail more about the man and the witness report he made. Other than his account, we have a young girl who left work to hitchhike to the Cape, and never made it.

 

[jgfitzge]

Sweetluv

Exactly what you wrote is something I have thought about on more than one occasion. Once scenario, I thought of is as a regular at a restaurant, specifically a breakfast/diner type of setting you overhear and pick up a lot of personal information about the people waiting on you. Maybe the old man may have heard that Simone was hitchhiking down the Cape. Maybe that is why Simone turned down the offer from her sister for a ride down the Cape. Perhaps he either offered to bring her to the Cape since he was going there to pick up Clock parts or he just happened to pull over knowing that she would be hitchhiking right after work on that Friday afternoon. She would not be hesitant getting into his car since she recognized him as one of the customers at the restaurant. Maybe he said something, things Got out of hand and who knows what may have happened.

IMO, his "story" of the cop and how he came about giving Simone a ride is one to distance himself. He threw the law in there to make his story seem trustworthy. He described Simone as smelly and grubby..as if he wanted to seem "disinterested. " He probably went to the police out of curiosity, to see how far along they were in this case. If this is true, what did he do with Simones body ? Too late now, but I wish his car could have been searched and his pic shown to the former co workers to see if they recognized him as a regular at the restaurant. I'm hoping the Detective will one day return to this thread. Maybe he could go into detail more about the man and the witness report he made. Other than his account, we have a young girl who left work to hitchhike to the Cape, and never made it.

I agree with you on these points. If you look at some of my previous posts, besides possibly checking on the status of the SR investigation I believe the old man was giving a “confession without consequences”. I am guessing that the old man’s description of the state trooper and the troopers vehicle were vague in contrast to his very specific description of Simone. If you look at previous answers on this thread from the detective, it sounds like he was looking into all of the Local police in the surrounding area to see if there was a record of this incident. That tells me that the old man did not specifically say it was a Massachusetts state police officer that transferred Simone to his car. If the old man specifically said it was a Massachusetts state trooper then I would think the detective would only be looking at MSP records. Further, 90% of the time a police vehicle you see on the highway is a Massachusetts SP vehicle. Anyone in this area could tell the difference between a local policeman any state police officer. The uniform (Smokey the Bear hat and boots) make them stand out.

 

[Sweetluv]

Simone was known to wear alot of rings, especially Turquoise. The elderly man even mentioned that...
Vivid memory for a hitchhiker encounter 9 years earlier..right down to the jewelry and shoes!
There has never been any info on Simones roommates at the time. I hope they were tracked down and questioned (?) Maybe she mentioned something to them that would be a clue...

 

[Sweetluv]

Also, Simone was from Framingham..and what a coincidence, the elderly man too..maybe Simone didn't even make it out of the area that afternoon. Especially if the theory of the man being a patron of the Rainbow Restaurant is correct.

 

[jgfitzge]

0p0

Simone was known to wear alot of rings, especially Turquoise. The elderly man even mentioned that...
Vivid memory for a hitchhiker encounter 9 years earlier..right down to the jewelry and shoes!
There has never been any info on Simones roommates at the time. I hope they were tracked down and questioned (?) Maybe she mentioned something to them that would be a clue...

I know, Amazing how much detail he provided on what Simone wore remembering from nine years ago. I would love to see the notes from his interview. I’d be willing to bet anything that his description of the trooper and the troopers vehicle was vague without much detail, probably described the trooper as about 30 years old, about 6 feet, white with a crew cut, which probably describes about 80% of the force.

As far as whether Simone had a roommate or not, and whether there was any subsequent interviews of those roommates is hard to tell. I’m not sure if she had roommates or whether it was a solo rental. Her mother was a real estate agent and remember reading she provided “help”. I’m not sure whether that “help” involved allowing Simone to live in a rental property temporarily or whether she moved into an existing roommate situation.

 

[Sweetluv]

I know the elderly man died. Wonder if the son has his car stored or whatever became of it? Might be a great source for DNA. Do we know what kind of search was done for Simone, if any?

 

[Sweetluv]

Were dogs brought in along the hwy Simone was supposedly seen in the cop cruiser?

 

[jgfitzge]

Were dogs brought in along the hwy Simone was supposedly seen in the cop cruiser?

I would say no, only because of all the stories and documents I have read concerning the case I’ve never seen this cited or brought up. I’m not saying 100% It didn’t happen but I do not recall reading anything about this.

 

[Sweetluv]

In the Cape Cod Times, Simones stepsister Betsy had stated she offered a ride to Simone who declined and said she didnt need a ride. So it makes me think Simone either had plans for a ride already or she wasnt planning to go straight to the Cape and had something planned beforehand.

 

[Sweetluv]

Has anyone reached out to the @SherbornMADetective lately to see if there have been any updates/progress? Sadly, I feel like this case is at such a standstill.

 

[Sweetluv]

Cannot find any info on who the elderly man was. Curious about his past.
Unfortunately, I think the only break in this case would be if Simones remains were found.

 

[Caring1]

The most recent, in depth article from 2020 is below. NamUs just states she was wearing blue jeans and a white t-shirt. Article states blue jeans with “rips and patches”.

The elderly gentleman that believed Simone may have been the one he gave a ride, picked her up on Route 128 while on his way to Osterville. This is the area where he was pulled over by the officer. Then claims he dropped her at “a rotary club in Barnstable near the airport”

Osterville itself is only 6.6 miles to the airport in Hyannis and route 128 itself is only 57 miles from start to end.

Jan 05, 2020, page B1 - The Boston Globe at Newspapers.com - Newspapers.com

View the digital scanned newspaper from The Boston Globe dated Jan 05, 2020, page B1.

www.newspapers.com

Jan 05, 2020, page B6 - The Boston Globe at Newspapers.com - Newspapers.com

View the digital scanned newspaper from The Boston Globe dated Jan 05, 2020, page B6.

www.newspapers.com

 

[jgfitzge]

The most recent, in depth article from 2020 is below. NamUs just states she was wearing blue jeans and a white t-shirt. Article states blue jeans with “rips and patches”.

The elderly gentleman that believed Simone may have been the one he gave a ride, picked her up on Route 128 while on his way to Osterville. This is the area where he was pulled over by the officer. Then claims he dropped her at “a rotary club in Barnstable near the airport”

Osterville itself is only 6.6 miles to the airport in Hyannis and route 128 itself is only 57 miles from start to end.

View attachment 541053
View attachment 541054

Jan 05, 2020, page B1 - The Boston Globe at Newspapers.com - Newspapers.com

View the digital scanned newspaper from The Boston Globe dated Jan 05, 2020, page B1.

www.newspapers.com

Jan 05, 2020, page B6 - The Boston Globe at Newspapers.com - Newspapers.com

View the digital scanned newspaper from The Boston Globe dated Jan 05, 2020, page B6.

www.newspapers.com

I may have brought this up before, but the quote from the article the elderly gentleman dropping Simone off at a “ Rotary club“ is a misprint. The elderly man did not drop Simone off at a “rotary club” (the global service organization) He dropped her off at the rotary in Hyannis. The airport then known as Barnstable airport was near the rotary. Further, Osterville, along with Hyannis, are one of several villages that make up the town of Barnstable on the Cape.

 

[Sweetluv]

@jgfitzge...I know you suspect the elderly man as well, and are familiar with the area. Do you believe she even made it out of the area of her Apt/Restaurant or during the drive to the Cape something occurred?

 

[Sweetluv]

According to Cape Cod Times, Simone wasn't reported missing till September 11th and on October 4th, a full investigation was launched...that is over a month since she went missing.
Maybe scents and any evidence were gone by the time the search was started (?)