MD MD - Keith Warren, 19, Silver Spring, 30 Jul 1986

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I've posted a bit about this case over at the Unsolved Mysteries section of SitcomsOnline.

The OP "Keith Warren" has also posted there quite a bit although I don't know when s/he last visited there.

I've looked at the crime scene photos that were available on Keith's justice website.

Notice the bystander in the crime scene photo. He's shirtless while Keith is wearing someone else's clothes.

Also notice Keith's arms. His arms are slightly forward and it looks to me like gravity would make them hang straight down. IMO, rigor set in while his body was in a totally different position. He did not hang himself.

IIRC, LE (or the funeral home) told the family that they couldn't have Keith's clothes because his body was too decomposed and the clothing was too soiled from that. Yet in the pictures, there's no visible decomposition at all.

Everyone lied to this family and kept deliberately perverting the course of justice.

On the ID channel, Keith Beauchamp did a segment on this case on the Injustice Files.

http://investigation.discovery.com/tv-shows/injustice-files/cases/keith-warren.htm


SHORT VIDEO CLIP HERE:

http://investigation.discovery.com/...e-files-autopsy-denied-on-alleged-suicide.htm
 
pdxmama said:
emchamberlain - It sounds like you know the family or at least the original poster. I haven't seen any new activity on the blog or here since March of last year. I would love to have the OP (I'm assuming Sherrie Warren) come back and talk with us. I would also love to hear any theories or thoughts you may have.

I have a list of 7 questions above and I'm really interested in what they "official" responses to those questions are if there have been any response from LE to specific questions (I haven't found any.)
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I am so sorry it has taken me so long to get back to you. For some reason, the replies don't give any sort of notification to me.

My encounters with Sherri Warren, or at least who she claimed to be, were heart felt and intense. I was introduced to Joe Alercia, and have the entire case file (copy/not original). My plan was to help Sherri organize her knowledge and efforts so that I could help her make a documentary about Keith, and get the message back out about the intolerable injustice he suffered, and that his mother and family have suffered at the hands of the Silver Spring PD and the US Court System.

Mary Couey, Keith and Sherri's mother even went as far as Janet Reno to appeal Keith's case, to no avail. They honestly didn't want to make time for him, bottom line.

It's 2013, and I haven't spoken to Sherri in probably 3 years, if she was who she said she was. I choose to believe the woman I spoke to. I miss her, and I would like, very much, to work with her again. She became a dear friend, and I think about her a lot. She's had it very rough, and a great deal of threats have been placed on she and her family. If she's not wanting to talk, there's probably a good reason.

All in all, her brother is who brought me to websleuths. I feel like so many parents have the same stories, and I would like to volunteer my free time to help.

PDXMAMA, glad you asked, I was just talking about Sherri tonight, to a friend. If you ever do get the pleasure of chatting with her, she's a real firecracker. That was one of the first things Joe told me about her, she's "a tough nut to crack". He's not kidding ; )
 
I used to run a blogspot.com site for Sherri that I called the Keith Warren Justice Site. She and her Aunt gave me a decent amount of family photos and Sherri gave me direct scans of Keith in the tree. This is what I know about the photos themselves: the shirtless men in the background ,one was a police officer, there was a sticky note attached and I asked Sherri who's name was on it, she said she'd rather not say, but it did directly implicate someone they knew, the photos were taken before Mary even knew Keith was missing, and the clothing he had on was not his, nor was it the right size. Also, if you look closely, there's a brick weighing him down in one of the photos.

It's been my belief that Mark Findley fell in with the wrong group and took Keith to a party maybe a week or two before his death. It was most likely at said party that Keith saw something or someone doing something they shouldn't have, maybe an officer sleeping with a highschool girl....?? Idk, but that encounter sealed his fate.Mark was probably asked to lure Keith to another "party" and that's where Keith most likely met his end. The young girl in the house claims he committed suicide in the basement, then the body is hanging in the back forest by a tree. Five years later, Mark grows a conscience and wants to tell Mary the truth, and he's mysteriously run over by a car riding his bike.....c'mon.....
 
emchamberlain said:
I used to run a blogspot.com site for Sherri that I called the Keith Warren Justice Site. She and her Aunt gave me a decent amount of family photos and Sherri gave me direct scans of Keith in the tree. This is what I know about the photos themselves: the shirtless men in the background ,one was a police officer, there was a sticky note attached and I asked Sherri who's name was on it, she said she'd rather not say, but it did directly implicate someone they knew, the photos were taken before Mary even knew Keith was missing, and the clothing he had on was not his, nor was it the right size. Also, if you look closely, there's a brick weighing him down in one of the photos.

It's been my belief that Mark Findley fell in with the wrong group and took Keith to a party maybe a week or two before his death. It was most likely at said party that Keith saw something or someone doing something they shouldn't have, maybe an officer sleeping with a highschool girl....?? Idk, but that encounter sealed his fate.Mark was probably asked to lure Keith to another "party" and that's where Keith most likely met his end. The young girl in the house claims he committed suicide in the basement, then the body is hanging in the back forest by a tree. Five years later, Mark grows a conscience and wants to tell Mary the truth, and he's mysteriously run over by a car riding his bike.....c'mon.....
Click to expand...

BBM

Thanks for this info. I had not noticed that while looking at the photos.

Do you no longer run the blogspot site? It was very informative. Is anyone managing it or planning on updating it?
 
Given what I've read I think There's only 2 things that you could use to possibly re-open this case, but I'm not sure if either exist

1) The rope itself, if its still in evidence

2) A Picture, of the rope where it makes its 1st pass through the tree directly over the deceased head.

And here's why:

The would most likely transfer at least a minute amount of bark (debris) to the rope depending on which way it was pulled

If it was indeed a suicidal hanging, there would be debris on the rope from the tree on the same side where his body was suspended, because his weight would pull the rope through the point where it touched the branch where the rope then descended to the noose.

If he was hoisted, there would be debris on the rope BEHIND that point and away from the body. in the direction the rope was being pulled.

I think IF you want this case re-opened, you would need to be able to demonstrate that to a Judge.

Now the position of the victim, isn't as odd as you would think, if you Google hanging suicides, you'll find pictures of people on their knees, sitting, standing sometimes in goofy looking contortions . Its not impossible for a victim to get himself into that position if it were a suicidal hanging

Another thing to look for is drag marks where the victims heels would've dragged along the ground, while being pulled up and the presence of dirt on the back of his clothes, and especially his shoes.

It is important to note that even if the above evidence is proven to exist , THIS IS NOT AN INDICATOR OF HOMICIDE, IT SIMPLY INDICATES POST MORTEM STAGING !
 
I will say right now however, I feel this is going to be EXTREMELY difficult to impossible to try as a homicide, unless there's some type of confession in the case .
 
TCE is used in embalming. It is considered very dangerous, and there have been attempts to ban it in embalming rooms.
 
Dear Emily,

This is Sherri Warren and I appreciate your time and energy to continue to keep this tragedy current. We have not spoken in a few yrs, however I am still working to try to get answers into the death of Keith. I have since updated the website www.keithwarrenjusticesite.com and update it regularly with new information. My latest challenge is to get direct answers to specific questions from MCPD. After 2yrs and a dozen emails I finally received the file that MCPD had on my brother and found some very disturbing information. For example the Detective had knowledge of Keith's prior mental history at the crime scene 5 1/2 hours prior to talking to my mother. When I ask the specific question as to how he came about this information I was told it was received from a third party. Below are the questions I asked and the answers given and my response to the answers given. I have not heard back from MCPD and now I am considering petitioning the DOJ directly because MCPD has said in their own words that they messed the case up. My apology in advance for the long post:

****Below are the most recent answers to the questions Sherri Warren asked MCPD. Sherri’s response is in red to the answers given.”

Ms. Warren,



I am responding to your e-mail regarding the questions you had regarding Keith’s case. As I know you are aware, the police department met with representatives of the African-American Liaison group as well as Ms. Myrna Taylor regarding an inquiry into this case in 2012. Chief Manger agreed to answer the questions raised by this group and required detectives from the Major Crimes Division to re-interview witnesses to provide answers for you. This extensive inquiry was completed in 2012. Chief Manger made it clear that the department would support re-opening this case if and when new and credible evidence emerges. You were also provided with the case file per your request via our Records Division as well. The questions you have now raised in this closed investigation classified as a suicide have been answered throughout the previous years. This information is provided in officer and detective notes as well as previous interviews as directed by Chief Manger in 2012. I am providing you with the following responses per your request.



1) Clothing was not removed from Keith by the police department and it is not departmental procedure to remove clothing from a victim prior to being taken to a funeral home or a morgue. The department will only take custody of clothing if needed for evidentiary purposes. Therefore, no clothing was given to your family by the police department. (Response by Lt. Thieman, Dec. 6, 1993); Collins Funeral Home provided the clothing returned to the family.



Per ANNOTATED CODE OF MARYLAND HEALTH GENERAL TITLE § 5-309 (e) Personal property.-



(1) If the next of kin of the deceased is not present at the investigation, the police officer

or sheriff at the investigation or, if a police officer or sheriff is not present, the medical

examiner or the investigator shall:



(i) Take possession of all property of value found on the body;



(ii) In the report of the death, make an exact inventory of the property; and



(iii) Deliver the property to the appropriate sheriff or police department.



(2) The sheriff or police department shall surrender the property to the person who is

entitled to its possession or custody.

- It is documented in the police notes given to me that Officer Leverette provided to my uncle the articles of clothing Keith left the house in. Officer Leverette met with my uncle the following day to deliver said items. My uncle is available for interview or comment if necessary. The answer given is a direct contradiction from the information in investigative officers notes and direct contradiction of the Annotated Code Of Maryland Health General Title § 5-309——-This information was provided from the personal notes of Officer Leverette which are in the same case file supplied to me.



2) The decision to conduct autopsy or send the body to the morgue is not a police department decision as we have no authority. This decision was made by the Medical Examiner, Dr. Rogers. There is no documented proof the medical examiner was physically on scene. Going with the argument that the ME was on scene, then why was not the basics of a lividity test done to determine the correct time and day of death? Why was the ME not the officer noted as the individual to pronounce death?—- The question of the ME on scene is not directly answered in notes provided to me



3) This is answered in Det. Beasley’s memorandum dated June 6, 1989 to Colonel Brooks, Chief of Police: “Officer Leverette did not choose the funeral home. I requested Snowden’s Funeral Home because they were the closest to the scene. Snowden advised it would be two hours before they could respond so Collins Funeral Home, as the next closest, was called.” Detective Beasley did not have prior contact with the occupants of the home where the 911 call originated from. –Thank you for the direct answer



4) Det. Beasley noted that while attempting to make the next of kin notification, he interviewed a neighbor who provided information related to Keith’s prior mental history. – Detective Beasley used information from an unrelated, unknown, and un-documented source to base a determination of suicide in the death of Keith Warren. In short Detective Beasley used “hearsay” to conclude Keith Warren committed “suicide”—- This is unsettling because this particular fact alone should move to reclassify this case.



****Please note my original question was “how” did Det Beasley know Keith Warrens prior mental history at the scene prior to “witness interviews.” Per police notes no interviews were conducted until after the body was released from scene. Detective Beasley was aware of Keith Warren’s mental history 7 hours prior to notification from the family and “witness” interviews.



Per Annotated Code Of Maryland Health General Title § 5-309 (c) Investigation by medical examiner.- Immediately on notification that a medical examiner’s case has occurred, the medical examiner or an investigator of the medical examiner shall go to and take charge of the body. The medical examiner or the investigator shall investigate fully the essential facts concerning the medical cause of death and, before leaving the premises, reduce these facts and the names and addresses of witnesses to writing, which shall be filed in the medical examiner’s office.- (In the death of Keith Warren unrelated, unnamed, and unconfirmed witness information is used to justify the ruling as suicide and there was not identifying information on witness’s given on any supplied documented report)



5) Via the notes provided by Det. Beasley, the representative from Collins Funeral Home, Mike Bigler was interviewed on August 18, 1986 who advised that no permission was given for embalming until the family arrived the following morning at 1000 hours. – Per my uncle who identified Keith’s body, he was not given access to the body until after 3 trip and 24hours later (1pm). Once again my uncle is available for questions. Here again is a “hearsay” conversation with no noted documentation to confirmed information.



6) The Chief of the Investigative Services Bureau authorized the tree to be cut down and further examined. This evidence was collected and examined due to the disputed findings regarding the investigation from the family. The tree was examined for burn marks that would have indicated hoisting by another individual and no such marks were found. This case was determined closed at the time the tree was cut down. –The evidence was collected 1 month after burial not the time of discovery of the body.Per a meeting with Detective Beasley approx. 1 week after burial which I was witnessed too and sat in with my mother, Detective Beasley emphatically stated the case was closed and “No further investigation will be required”. This comment is not “hearsay” as I personally heard it.



7) The noose was not lost but believed to be destroyed in evidence as a result of being involved in a closed case. This is normal procedure for evidence involved in these types of cases. There is documentation that a Chief directed early in the investigation not to release the noose to your mother. We have no further documentation related to this matter or decision. – So if the case was closed and no further investigation was implemented why was the noose destroyed? Why was it withheld from my family? Why was evidence held onto if the case was closed per the conversation me and my mother had with Detective Beasley?



8) Dr. Rogers, the Medical Examiner, determined the time and date of death. This information is based upon the Medical Examiner’s Office and the Police Department has no comment on any corrective action being taken. There is a different process now as the Medical Examiner has Forensic Investigators who report directly to them and who respond to scenes for consultations. This is said with great respect ; The act of implementing new policy and procedure alone should serve as grounds to reinvestigate the death of Keith Warren and reclassify cause of death as “undetermined”.



9 & 10) It is noted in Detective Beasley’s notes that Dr. Rogers arrived on scene and it is confirmed that Dr. Rogers was present. Law enforcement officers are certified First Responders by the State of Maryland and the laws allows for police to pronounce death on the scene. If this fact were to be true, then why is Officer Leverette noted as person who pronounced and not the ME on scene. As stated in answer given in response to question #4 Detective Beasley stated he was the one who obtained information from an unnamed, unidentified and unrelated source which was then provided on the ME investigative report to justify the classification of death as a suicide. In my opinion either the ME or Detective Beasley are/were not completely forth coming.



11) The Medical Examiner’s Office will have to answer this question.



12) Please see the answer to #6.



The above information was gathered from notes, letters and reports provided in the case files. This information is part of Det. Beasley’s interview in 2012 by Capt. Gillespie and his case notes.



Capt. Jones, I appreciate your work in attempting to help me get closure in the death of my only sibling. However, as you can see by my response to all answers given it is as if salt has been poured on my open wounds. I ask you take a moment and put yourself in my position, if this were your brother, son, father, uncle, grandson, or cousin how would you respond? As I have stated in the past, I cannot with 100% certainty say that without a doubt Keith did not put himself on the tree, however given the answers from MCPD documentation, given the answers from MCPD uniformed agents and given common sense MCPD cannot say for certainty Keith did put himself on the tree. It is the expectation of every citizen of the State of Maryland and residence of Montgomery County that those who wear a uniform or carry a badge and take a sworn oath to protect and serve, do their jobs with integrity and strength of character. I close with this quote; “One of the truest tests of integrity is its blunt refusal to be compromised.”.-Chinua Achebe
 
RichKelly said:
I will say right now however, I feel this is going to be EXTREMELY difficult to impossible to try as a homicide, unless there's some type of confession in the case .
Click to expand...

Good Afternoon Mr. Kelly,

This is Sherri Warren, Keith Warren's sisters. MCPD has in fact admitted that this investigation was botched. They have admitted to me in writing that the detective used 3rd party information from a undocumented source to conclude this to be a suicide. I have cppied and pasted questions I asked of MCPD, their response, and my reply is this forum.
 
The shirtless man in this photo [Warning; Graphic!]

http://www.keithwarrenjusticesite.blogspot.com/2010/12/manila-envelope-photo-3.html#comment-form

Who is he? A bystander? If so, is he important to the case? Who exactly is he? I'd like to know. (Please forgive me if it's been answered in the thread. I haven't seen it.)

I ask because it's been established that the clothes given to Keith's family were not his. That's so important. Did the shirt Keith wore belong to the shirtless man in the background?
 
Claudia Lawson, Chip Wims, and Alan Durant were all at the house where the 911 call came from, stating that there was a body in the basement. When the paramedic arrived at the house, they told him that the body was in the woods and Alan Durant took the paramedic to that location. Alan Durant is the shirtless man in one of the crime scene photos. The police report states that Claudia had discovered Keith's body while walking her dog.

These people knew Keith, lived in his complex, but would not identify his body for police. None of them wanted their names on the police report. That's why Keith's friend Rodney Kendall had to be brought in to initially ID Keith's remains.

As of 2010, Chip Wims has died, Claudia Lawson is living in TX and working in law enforcement. Sherry (Keith's sister) doesn't know where Alan Durant is.

Some other names mentioned in the blog:

A poster asked Keith's sister if the PI, Mr. Alercia had found out any more about Kim Wilson who claimed to be a friend of Keith's. The poster also mentioned that he posted another person's name on the YT videos of Keith's case and asked Sherry if she knew that person.

Sherry mentioned that they are having a very difficult time trying to identify the three men who were looking for Keith before his death. A poster pointed out that it was odd that Rodney Kendall did not recognize these men, yet while trying to find Keith, they asked Rodney if he had seen Keith. The poster wonders why they would ask Rodney about Keith's whereabouts if they didn't know he and Keith were friends. [Unless they were just driving around the area looking for Keith and by chance, stop to ask the one guy who happens to be Keith's friend about him.] Sherry said that nothing she's heard or knows connected Rodney to those men.

Sherry posted that when she arrived in town after Keith's body was discovered, she was overwhelmed by people calling and asking about Keith. Her aunt decided to get her out of the house and took her to a mall 35 miles away. She actually ran into Mark Findley at that mall. He mentioned he was sorry about what happened to Keith. Since Sherry rarely went to that mall so far from home, she believes Mark followed her there and she did not just run into him by chance. (IIRC Mark Findley later died under mysterious circumstances.)

A person commented on YT that he knew Keith in kindergarten. Keith was best friends with the poster's cousin Franco who said he was 'there that night' leading the poster to believe he was either there on Keith's last night alive or that he witnessed the three unknown men asking Rodney where they could find Keith.
 
I read about this on Unsolved and this story chilled me to the core. I couldn’t stop thinking about it all day and surfed the net to find out more. This forum has answered a lot of the questions I had but there is one thing, though it may be trivial, I figured to go ahead and ask.

Can the family recall whether Keith’s real clothes – the boots and outfit – were they washed?

Someone previously mentioned if the clothes he was wearing could’ve been Alan’s. Adding onto the theory, assuming Keith was poisoned (even accidentally), there’s a possibility the poison could have made him sick first, perhaps he vomited on his real clothes and on his shoes. So whoever killed him cleaned him up first, wiped his faces and even changed his clothes, to hide the fact that he got sick.

Also, lets say he didn’t get sick but perhaps in the process of moving his body from the basement to the woods his clothes got messy (showing he was dragged or dropped) so the perpetrators decided change his clothes to hide that.
That explains why the clothes didn’t fit, it was spur of the moment, they just grabbed whatever males clothes that were available. This also explains why when the family got his clothes, they saw that they didn’t match what was in the photo.

Also the people who were his friends, did any of them have relatives/associates on the task force or at the morgue? Did a private investigator look into possible links for this already?

If Keiths death was accidental or even on purpose, they probably freaked out and did what usual teens do- call a trusted adult- to come solve the problem.

P.S. Personally the spur of the moment thing also makes me consider the brick (someone previously mentioned) The people were amateur this shows in their choice of tree. They got tired pulling his body over the tree and after the fact realized that the tree was not suitable for hanging. Someone got the idea to weight it with something heavy but easy to conceal- hence the brick.
 
Can the family recall whether Keith’s real clothes – the boots and outfit – were they washed?- We did not get back the shirt, shorts, underwear, and t-shirt. We did get back his blue hoodie jacket, Jimi H hat, boots, and the rip up duffle bag he would carry his cassette tapes in. in 1986 my uncle was told that there was so much decomp that they had to destroy all items on his body

thatkid92 said:
I read about this on Unsolved and this story chilled me to the core. I couldn’t stop thinking about it all day and surfed the net to find out more. This forum has answered a lot of the questions I had but there is one thing, though it may be trivial, I figured to go ahead and ask.

Can the family recall whether Keith’s real clothes – the boots and outfit – were they washed?- We did not get back the shirt, shorts, underwear, and t-shirt. We did get back his blue hoodie jacket, Jimi H hat, boots, and the rip up duffle bag he would carry his cassette tapes in. in 1986 my uncle was told that there was so much decomp that they had to destroy all items on his body

Someone previously mentioned if the clothes he was wearing could’ve been Alan’s. Adding onto the theory, assuming Keith was poisoned (even accidentally), there’s a possibility the poison could have made him sick first, perhaps he vomited on his real clothes and on his shoes. So whoever killed him cleaned him up first, wiped his faces and even changed his clothes, to hide the fact that he got sick.

Also, lets say he didn’t get sick but perhaps in the process of moving his body from the basement to the woods his clothes got messy (showing he was dragged or dropped) so the perpetrators decided change his clothes to hide that.
That explains why the clothes didn’t fit, it was spur of the moment, they just grabbed whatever males clothes that were available. This also explains why when the family got his clothes, they saw that they didn’t match what was in the photo.

Also the people who were his friends, did any of them have relatives/associates on the task force or at the morgue? Did a private investigator look into possible links for this already?- yes, my private investigator uncovered last year one of the funeral home workers were close friends with the owner of the home the 911 call came from.

If Keiths death was accidental or even on purpose, they probably freaked out and did what usual teens do- call a trusted adult- to come solve the problem.

P.S. Personally the spur of the moment thing also makes me consider the brick (someone previously mentioned) The people were amateur this shows in their choice of tree. They got tired pulling his body over the tree and after the fact realized that the tree was not suitable for hanging. Someone got the idea to weight it with something heavy but easy to conceal- hence the brick.
Click to expand...
 
thatkid92 said:
Hello, I'm new to this forum and had a quick question - some reason on Washington Post it's mentioned that Sherri, Keith's sister, has possession of part of the rope used in his death.

Is this a misprint?
On here I read that the family didn't get the rope and that it was destroyed in evidence.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local...his-own-life/2012/02/17/gIQATe2ZAS_story.html
Click to expand...

We got the rope back but not the noose.... In the documentation received from MCMPD in 2014 the chief of Police at one point would not release the noose, and then it was lost...
 
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