GUILTY MI - April Millsap, 14, Armada, 24 July 2014 #1

[tiredblondy]

i found this site while researching this case and i love it! it took me a bit to actually join and post though. hello everybody. i live on omo road in armada close to the schools and have for the past 6 years. i know the area well. you guys have dug up some good information and are more current than our local news sources it seems. i have a comment and a question.

i know where april's house is and i know where she was found. my thoughts are that it would be extremely difficult if not impossible to walk from her house and back in a 1/2 hour. i definitely couldn't do it. my thoughts are that she strayed from her norm this night or decided on an extended walk maybe.

my question for you all is why is the fbi involved in this case. it seems very rare that they handle routine murder investigations. am i mistaken on this?

Welcome shy_d. It seems the FBI gets involved much quicker now in a lot of these cases especially the missing ones.

:wagon::welcome6::welcome4::welcome:

 

[WhoKnowsWhat]

CBS Detroit - Local

http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2014/07...-of-murdered-armada-teen-as-community-mourns/

Police Investigate 600 Tips As Community Mourns Murdered Armada Teen

July 31, 2014 5:33 PM

...“Every tip that comes in is assigned to two detectives, and they will go out there on every tip we get until we rule it out as credible or not credible,” Shaw said. “We also have some other evidence that is coming in from that data we process — and we’re about a week away from that happening — from the crime scene.”...

So maybe in a few days, LE will have DNA etc.

 

[tlcya]

i found this site while researching this case and i love it! it took me a bit to actually join and post though. hello everybody. i live on omo road in armada close to the schools and have for the past 6 years. i know the area well. you guys have dug up some good information and are more current than our local news sources it seems. i have a comment and a question.

i know where april's house is and i know where she was found. my thoughts are that it would be extremely difficult if not impossible to walk from her house and back in a 1/2 hour. i definitely couldn't do it. my thoughts are that she strayed from her norm this night or decided on an extended walk maybe.

my question for you all is why is the fbi involved in this case. it seems very rare that they handle routine murder investigations. am i mistaken on this?

First of all, :wagon: Glad to have you join the discussion

It does seem quite some distance. Have you viewed the case map on this one and could you take a minute to let me know if I have in your opinion marked the general locations of areas of interest properly? Any areas of interest that you are aware of that are not mapped that should be added?

Please and thanks. We are blessed to have several locals following this case and that is always so helpful in giving us the flavor of the community, the geography etc. Much appreciated if you could.

Again, welcome!

https://www.google.com/maps/ms?msid=212568466443618080967.0004ff305b7c55800f835&msa=0

 

[tlcya]

I think the FBI were involved almost immediately because

a) smaller municipalities may not have the manpower or the technology needed to act quickly and get boots on the ground, get phone records, etc as quickly as the Feds do. Usually smaller municipalities will invite them in to assist with both those things.

b) The text from April's phone about possibly being about to be abducted caused them to get involved almost immediately.

If a crime is committed that is a violation of local, state, and federal laws, does the FBI “take over” the investigation?
No. State and local law enforcement agencies are not subordinate to the FBI, and the FBI does not supervise or take over their investigations. Instead, the investigative resources of the FBI and state and local agencies are often pooled in a common effort to investigate and solve the cases. In fact, many task forces composed of FBI agents and state and local officers have been formed to locate fugitives and to address serious threats like terrorism and street violence.

SNIP


If a child is missing and possibly kidnapped, but no interstate transportation is known, will the FBI begin an investigation?
Yes. The FBI will initiate a kidnapping investigation involving a missing child “of tender years,” even though there is no known interstate aspect. “Tender years” is generally defined as a child 12 years or younger. The FBI will monitor other kidnapping situations when there is no evidence of interstate travel, and it offers assistance from various entities including the FBI Laboratory.

http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/faqs

 

[tlcya]

from the justice for April facebook page it looks as if a lantern lighting ceremony will be taking place tomorrow (thursday Aug 7) at the grass field next to the fairgrounds. This community is really working hard to keep this case in the news and on people's minds.

https://www.facebook.com/justiceforaprilmillsap?fref=nf

 

[shy_d]

Cause of death....Blunt head trauma, asphyxia

http://www.freep.com/article/20140806/NEWS04/308060216/april-millsap-cause-of-death-armada

 

[shy_d]

Hi shy, welcome to WS. If you know where April was found, tell tlcya and they can update the map.
https://www.google.com/maps/ms?msid...4,-82.866783&spn=0.042977,0.064974&dg=feature

i can't pinpoint it but it is right near the blue marker on the map. everything else looks to be accurate.

 

[SieSie]

Cause of death....Blunt head trauma, asphyxia

http://www.freep.com/article/20140806/NEWS04/308060216/april-millsap-cause-of-death-armada

Thanks, shy_d! From the link, and BBM:

An Armada teen whose body was found in a wooded area north of the Macomb Orchard trail two weeks ago died of blunt head trauma and asphyxia due to neck compression, according to a death certificate filed today in the Macomb County Clerk’s Office.

April Millsap’s death certificate states that the approximate interval between onset and death was minutes and lists her manner of death as a homicide.

 

[Lovejac]

Thanks, shy_d! From the link, and BBM:

She was beaten and strangled

 

[SnoopyDawgDawg]

"minutes"

SMH.

 

[Ven]

Does this mean they think JDV killed her? Because I thought they weren't releasing COD for investigative reasons?

 

[SieSie]

Does this mean they think JDV killed her? Because I thought they weren't releasing COD for investigative reasons?

JMO, I don't think they know who did it yet. I didn't get the feeling they were implying that it was JDV at all, but everyone reads things differently.

 

[colette]

JDV is still in jail and has not bonded out, maybe that is why some might suspect him? Just a guess....

 

[Ven]

Yeah I keep thinking teenager(s) are involved, but JDV matches the sketch and had the motorcycle they were looking for + he's still in jail.

There just seems to be a lot of conflicting information put out in this case.

LE said they wouldn't release COD for investigative purposes, but now they released COD. They said there was no trauma to April, but now it's released she had blunt force trauma to the head. They found a guy who looks just like the sketch and has the motorcycle they are looking for, they are doing everything they can to keep him in jail, but they say he's not related to the case and they would like the public to still look for the sketch POI and the bike.

:banghead:

It seems impossible to trust any information released about this case, so I'm probably going to check out until there is an arrest made.

 

[caspermi]

JDV is still in jail and has not bonded out, maybe that is why some might suspect him? Just a guess....

Perhaps DNA and other forsenic testing results are in and an arrest could be imminent - no need to hold back the COD any longer. Also on the day that JDV's home was searched, LE stated that multiple search warrants at other locations were being executed but I never heard any followup on these. Were all these search warrants related to JDV or to other potential suspects. LE had to have something more than just a hunch on JDV in order to get a judge to sign search warrant. Wasn't the search warrant related to the murder and not the marijuana?

 

[caspermi]

This article provides a good update on the investigation

http://www.macombdaily.com/general-...ehind-the-scenes-in-armada-teen-slaying-probe

 

[tlcya]

Investigators have released a composite sketch of a man described as a person of interest who was seen near the trail on the night April disappeared but have not located him. They also have been looking for someone riding a small, dark motorcycle or moped on the trail on July 24.

http://www.macombdaily.com/general-...ehind-the-scenes-in-armada-teen-slaying-probe

hmmm and this is decent reporting. Because they are staying pretty true to what has been released by LE on this case in my opinion.

the underlined is interesting to me because I do not recall it being termed a possible moped in the past. I was envisioning a dirtbike (motorcycle meant for offroad travel). To me a moped and motorcycle look very different.

 

[tlcya]

Perhaps DNA and other forsenic testing results are in and an arrest could be imminent - no need to hold back the COD any longer. Also on the day that JDV's home was searched, LE stated that multiple search warrants at other locations were being executed but I never heard any followup on these. Were all these search warrants related to JDV or to other potential suspects. LE had to have something more than just a hunch on JDV in order to get a judge to sign search warrant. Wasn't the search warrant related to the murder and not the marijuana?

Excellent point. I remember reading a couple of news links that reported that but then the focus so quickly became that one home and we never heard about any of the other searches alleged to be going on that day.

 

[DMC]

Just want to add being local (20 miles away) there was no news of any of the other warrants at least not that I have heard of.

Also I noticed the macomb daily paper has had the most information of all the news reports...

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

I figured that COD might be released shortly because once a death certificate is filed with the County Clerk's office, it becomes public record. DC is usually filed by the funeral homes, but in cases that require autopsy, the ME files DC with the county after submitting report on death to LE.