MI MI - Charles Rutherford, 34, & Lana Stempien (fd dec.), Aug 2005 - Detroit Boaters

[Truthful Lies]

At least it's harder to keep financial documents under the radar

 

[nanandjim]

I grew up on lake huron and agree they would no way have gone swimming. The knob in the shoe points to a struggle, or maybe he threw her in and he jammed the shoe on it himself to make it look like a struggle...

This case is sure strange. It could have been him or it could have been strangers. I lean towards him because they were not getting along; she called a guy; he was said to have a temper; alcohol may have been involved; she was found nude wearing her jewelry; his body was not found.

Other families have been known to help their family members who have done something drastic. I think of the Kelly boy who raped girls while he was in high school. He ran off to Europe and his parents supported him for about 10 years before they were caught doing so.

What was the reasoning for Chuck's parents declaring him dead so quickly? I think that Dateline may have given a reason, but I can't remember. The cop that they interviewed on Dateline didn't seem to think that Chuck was still alive and considered the case closed. He seemed to have a very closed mind about the whole thing.

In any case, there was at least one or two homicides. It was not an accident. The police should not have closed this case.

You did not need a passport to enter Canada then. You still can get into Canada much easier than you can return to the U.S. At the moment, I think that the U.S. will still accept birth certificates because of the backlog on the passport applications.

 

[Kgram]

Interesting theory but if he did that he would have to know he could NEVER go back home to Michigan and if he did he would be taking a huge risk.

It just seem unrealistic that he would impulsively kill Lana and then suddenly go to Canada when he had no plans to at all. I'm sure he had plans and appointments in Michigan and if he went to Canada he woud have no life at all but just starting all over again with no job, no place to stay and little money. I know someone could be helping him but we really have no reason to believe that however I still find it hard to believe this was just an accident so I think foul play is likely involved.

I hope LE kept tabs on Chuck's parents phone and still are. But it's easy to get another cell phone or even one in someone else's name if you wanted to avoid police scrutiny.

I know it seems unlikely this is what happened. But if he did do it I'm sure he'd rather never be able to go back to MI than go to prison. If they did start fighting maybe she scratched him up pretty good with her fingernails. It seems like they both liked to have a few drinks, who knows. And it's been almost 2 years. I'm sure he'd know how to create new id's and he's an educated man so if he was far enough away he could figure out a new way to make a living. He could be in Brazil or somewhere by now. I was reading all these post's over the weekend and started looking at the maps and remembered how easy it was to just go to Canada by boat and get in. It also brought back a lot of memories. I lived in Lexington way back in the mid 70's.

 

[Kgram]

This case is sure strange. It could have been him or it could have been strangers. I lean towards him because they were not getting along; she called a guy; he was said to have a temper; alcohol may have been involved; she was found nude wearing her jewelry; his body was not found.

Other families have been known to help their family members who have done something drastic. I think of the Kelly boy who raped girls while he was in high school. He ran off to Europe and his parents supported him for about 10 years before they were caught doing so.
What was the reasoning for Chuck's parents declaring him dead so quickly? I think that Dateline may have given a reason, but I can't remember. The cop that they interviewed on Dateline didn't seem to think that Chuck was still alive and considered the case closed. He seemed to have a very closed mind about the whole thing.

In any case, there was at least one or two homicides. It was not an accident. The police should not have closed this case.

You did not need a passport to enter Canada then. You still can get into Canada much easier than you can return to the U.S. At the moment, I think that the U.S. will still accept birth certificates because of the backlog on the passport applications.

I read the watch was given to her by a dear friend and she cherished it. Perhaps an old boyfriend? I never did find out about her clothes. If her clothes were ripped and torn from a struggle maybe he took them.

I remember the Kelly case. He lasted 10 years. From what I understand Chuck was doing very well in his career. And his father had done well in his life so the family did have access to money.

A few interesting posts on this blog.

http://laurajames.typepad.com/clews/2006/01/the_stempienrut.html

Was not sure about the passport thing. I think I just showed my id. I was invited to go to Niagra Falls about 7 years ago. It sounded like fun so I went to MI met my friends and I saw Niagra Falls in January. I've been living in FL since the early 80's. Up until that trip I always thought I missed the snow and cold winters. Never again will I try that! Well I'm still going to do some searching on this and if I find anything I'll post it.

 

[BrianG]

Source: http://www.elinewberger.com/enabling.html


"... Denial is a convenient defense in many other situations. An example is the well-publicized story of Alex Kelly.
In 1983, when he was a high school student in Darien, Connecticut, Alex and three other boys began a series of burglaries of neighbors' houses. They used the money to buy drugs. Eventually they were caught; Alex pleaded guilty to nine burglaries as a juvenile offender, and was sentenced to a maximum of thirty-five months in a juvenile detention institution where he entered a drug rehabilitation program. To his more rebellious contemporaries, Alex was "cool." A young journalist who grew up in Darien remembers: "People who knew about this at the time said, 'Yeah, that's crazy. This guy is crazy.' But they said it with a touch of admiration, like, this is real rebellion. A lot of people staked their rebellion on being associated with Alex Kelly rather than doing the things he did."
Sixty-eight days after Alex was sent away, he was released on probation by a judge who found him essentially rehabilitated. For a year, Alex made the judge look prescient. He studied himself onto the academic honor roll, starred on the football team, captained the wrestling team, and warned other students about drug abuse. Some called him "the comeback kid." His principal says, "He was the charming All-American boy. 'With it.' as the kids say. He was in the inner circle, an accomplished athlete, lots of things that kids want to be."
Then Alex was arrested again in February, 1986. A seventeen-year-old Darien girl told the police that Alex offered to drive her home from a party, drove instead to a deserted country club parking lot, and raped her. Police were already investigating the complaint of another sixteen-year-old girl, who said that Alex had offered her a ride home four days earlier and choked and raped her. Both girls claimed that Alex threatened them with repeat rape or even death if they told anyone of his sexual assaults.


Alex's father, in a 1996 ABC Turning Point documentary narrated by Forrest Sawyer, recalled the moment he heard of the arrest. "I got a telephone call from the police department, so I dropped everything and ran down there."

Forrest Sawyer: "Did it ever cross your mind that it was possible?"​

Alex's father: "No."​

Forrest Sawyer: "Not once?"​

Alex's father: "No. I know Alex. To this day there's no question in my mind."​

Forrest Sawyer asked Alex's mother: "Why would two young girls come forward and accuse a young man of rape under similar circumstances?"​

Alex's mother: "Good question. Unbelievable. I don't believe it."​

Alex's high school principal told Forrest Sawyer that she first heard of the arrest of Alex in a telephone call from the chief of police. "He said to me, 'We have come this close to two possible murders this week:" Sawyer reported her words to Alex's parents: "This close. . . to two murders."

Alex's father: "It's got to be one of the most irresponsible things I've ever heard for a chief of police to ever say...if that is the truth. Irresponsible!"​

Forrest Sawyer: "There were, according to the two alleged victims, threats of murder."​

Alex's father: "I don't believe that."​

Concerned that Alex's presence at school while he awaited trial would cause anxiety and distraction, the school administration graduated him in absentia a month after his arrest and forbade him to return. Alex noted that "All of these people that were so supportive and so behind me—they did all they could to, like, take credit for what I was doing. But the second any sort of rough times came. any allegations. they just jumped off."
A few days before he was to go on trial for the second of the alleged rapes. Alex Kelly jumped bail, flying to Europe with a ten-year passport in hand. Ten years later, with capture virtually certain, Alex turned himself in, was extradited to the United States, and went on trial. The first trial ended in a deadlocked jury. At a second trial, Alex was found guilty and sentenced to twenty years in prison. The judge rationalized the severe sentence not on the flight to Europe but on the nature of the crime and on Alex's lack of remorse.
Probably none of the parents whose stories have been told in this chapter were motivated principally by concern for their own or their family's reputations. What stirred them was the urge to protect and support their sons.
The parents of Alex Kelly were said to have had greater hopes for Alex's success than for his two brothers. Alex was to be the star of the family, and he showed considerable promise of fulfilling these expectations. There wasn't anything the family wouldn't do to enable Alex to be a success. The burglaries conviction was a trouble sign apparently largely ignored in the glow of his sports achievements and his academic record. Alex's arrest on two different rape charges was a stunning blow to him and to his family.
One can feel compassion for them—the family's hopes collapsed as swiftly as a house of cards—while believing that denial and flight simply delayed a resolution of wrongdoing. Alex will be middle-aged before he leaves prison. One of his two brothers died of an overdose of drugs while Alex was hiding out in Europe. The only way the family seemed to be able to survive these tragic changes of fortune was through denial: Alex still protesting his innocence, his parents still believing him.
Parents sometimes believe they are showing unconditional love when they really are exhibiting mechanisms of defense—denial. displacement, overidentification, and the like. We can't any of us be simply objective in our evaluation of others' behavior; our hopes and expectations inevitably are going to be entangled to a degree with our perceptions of what is going on. But there is no reason to be confused in principle. Loving a son does not require denying his wrongdoing; his wrongdoing never justifies ceasing to love him..."

 

[angelmom]

http://www.comcast.net/news/nationa...fn=/2007/09/10/759373.html&cvqh=itn_shipwreck

This has nothing to do with this case...except, I found the description of the storm interesting. Since I have never been to the Great Lakes, I have trouble wrapping my head around a quite different definition of "lake" than the one I've always lived with.

Also, 2 bodies were never recovered, although the wreck is undisputed. I wonder if they will be found now.

Built in Lorain, Ohio, the Cyprus was launched Aug. 17, 1907. It was as "seaworthy a vessel as has ever been turned out by a lake ship yard," The Marine Review, a Cleveland trade publication, said after the sinking.

The gale in which the ship perished was "so moderate that only the smaller class of vessels sought shelter while the big steamers scarcely noticed it at all," the Review said.

But Pitz, the second mate, said after the wreck that the Cyprus was being pounded by northwesterly waves and developed a gradually worsening list the fatal afternoon.

The engines finally stopped and crew members donned life jackets. Most headed to lifeboats, but Pitz and three others _ the captain, the first mate and a watchman _ gathered near a raft closer to the front.

About 7:45 p.m., the Cyprus capsized and quickly sank.

Pitz and his companions were hurled into the lake. They climbed aboard the raft and by 2 a.m. had drifted within 300 feet of land. But the raft flipped over several times in the churning surf, drowning everyone but Pitz, who washed ashore, cold and exhausted.

All but two of the 22 victims' bodies were recovered.

 

[Columbo]

I've seen this case on at least 2 tv shows: Dateline, 48 Hours, maybe Primetime.
When I saw the picture of Chuck and Lana together, my immediate impression of Chuck was "something's 'off' with this guy." And as a couple, they didn't look like they belonged together at all. I just got a vibe that he was very troubled mentally, or something.

I think he probably was planning to ask her to marry him, but she was so unimpressed with him that she was even telephoning another boyfriend during this so-called romantic trip. So he got jealous, he killed her (maybe they were arguing and he shoved her off the boat--I could think of a number of scenarios including seducing her and killing her when she didn't expect it--that might explain why she was found with jewelry but no clothing on ), and his family, who were vacationing nearby, came to his rescue and enabled him to "disappear".

Of course, Mommy and Daddy are going to side with poor little Chucky when he tells them Lana didn't want him (or whatever) and he killed her accidentally (or whatever story he would have told them).

I bet he is alive and resides in another country.

 

[mysteriew]

I don't know enough about this case to even decide on whether it appears accidental or not. But some things do stand out to me. For instance, the knob in the shoe seems to indicate some type of violence. Does anyone know what the condition of the inside of the boat was?

I read the theory where someone accidently fell off the boat and the other jumped in to save them and drowned also. The only thing is that anyone who is experiened with boats would know to throw a life preserver or boat ring in first- at is a well known rule. I'm not hearing that any were missing from the boat.

Carbon monoxide in the system- someone else gave the best explanation, if someone fell or was thrown off the boat- but were still alive and floating near the outlets, then exhaust from the idling engine would get into the system- isn't carbon monoxide heavier than air? If so then it may have collected in a pool around the boat.

For domestic violence murders they aren't usually planned. So the choice of losing everything he had or not returning to Michigan would not even be considered until after the fact. Both jealousy and break-ups are frequently factors in a DV when one party is a controlling personality. Sometimes the jealousy isn't even over anything real, only imagined. Why if they were already having problems would she get on the boat with him? Maybe that is when he would be the most relaxed and she may have thought that would be the best time to tell him. Or maybe she didn't tell him, but he chose that time to confront her.

Why was she naked? I am stumped by that one. In the middle of a rage, some men will use rape (including boyfriend's) If she took off her clothing to use as a floatation device, then where was he while she did that? Wouldn't she have had him do the same thing? Was any clothing found floating?

Most stranger assaults and murders they don't try to hide the bodies, so why throw them overboard? Was anything stolen from the boat? If they were going to chase them down and kill them over some slight- why not steal valuables, or even the boat? Were any fingerprints found?

Parents were near where the boat was found. That could be coincidence, or a fortunate fact. If it wasn't planned and if he did it, he could have remembered where his parents were- gave them a call and told them what happened asked them to meet him. Drove the boat to a prearranged point and transferred to their boat, leaving the other boat floating. By leaving the boat idling, it left the possibility of murder/suicide open. But I would guess that LE would have checked his phone records and would know what calls he made and when he made them. So this part is questionable. If he didn't make any calls, then it must have been 1) another murderer, 2) planned with another means of communication available, 3) an accident or 4) a murder/suicide.

 

[MagicRose99]

I just watched Datelines, "What Lies Beneath" and thought I'd bump up... Here's hoping the families get their questions answered in the near future.

 

[Texana]

I saw this too, on tv. My gut says, Chuck is alive and well, and in a foreign country, probably Canada.

He had means, motive and opportunity, his body has never been recovered, and his family has the ability to support him in creating a new life.

Occam's Razor once again--simplest explanation is the one that fits.

 

[angelmom]

I saw this too, on tv. My gut says, Chuck is alive and well, and in a foreign country, probably Canada.

He had means, motive and opportunity, his body has never been recovered, and his family has the ability to support him in creating a new life.

Occam's Razor once again--simplest explanation is the one that fits.

I didn't see the show, so I can't say...but don't you really think the simplest explanation is that he's dead?

Obviously there are other options, but I think they are much more complicated. Wish I had seen the show.

 

[KarlK]

http://www.comcast.net/news/nationa...fn=/2007/09/10/759373.html&cvqh=itn_shipwreck

This has nothing to do with this case...except, I found the description of the storm interesting. Since I have never been to the Great Lakes, I have trouble wrapping my head around a quite different definition of "lake" than the one I've always lived with.

Also, 2 bodies were never recovered, although the wreck is undisputed. I wonder if they will be found now.

The Great Lakes, and especially Lake Superior, can develop storms that have nothing to envy to the infamous North Atlantic. It's more like an inland sea and the crews of the many ocean-going vessels that navigate the lakes (through the St. Lawrence Seaway) will certify a Lake Superior gale can spawn terrifying waters even for seasoned sailors, with 30-foot waves and 90mph winds that could send a ship of any size to the bottom in no time, and has numerous times.

That said, for all their impressive length and bulk old lakers were prone to break in two when caught in particularly rough waters. Such is what happened to the Edmund Fitzgerald in 1975, made famous by the Gordon Lightfoot song. The 500+ feet long ship sank in a gale without even having time to send out a distress signal, there were no survivors. The waters of the 3 largest lakes (Superior, Huron and Michigan) are deep and cold even in the summer, without adequate protection one can't survive long floating around in a life jacket.

 

[KarlK]

I saw this too, on tv. My gut says, Chuck is alive and well, and in a foreign country, probably Canada.

Canada would be the first place they'd look for him. No notorious US fugitive has ever evaded capture for very long there, law enforcement agencies of both countries are well coordinated. If the guy transited through Canada he probably didn't stay there long.

 

[froggierintexas]

Does anyone know if his parents had some sort of memorial service for him?

 

[BrianG]

Law enforcement does not see Charles Rutherford Jr. as a fugitive; rather, he is officially considered to be deceased, the victim of a boating accident. His parents petitioned to have him declared legally dead just shy of one year after Lana's death; their petition was granted.

A "Memorial Mass and Celebration of the Life of Charles R. Rutherford, Jr." was held on October 20, 2006 at SS Peter and Paul Jesuit Church in Detroit.

 

[tigger3z]

If Chuck is officially declared dead then the police aren't looking for him. So he could be anywhere. I think he killed her. I think Chuck asked her to marry him after they made love. Thats why she was naked. He then went into a rage. I think his parents being so close helped chuck to leave unnoticed. If they checked bank documents they would see just where the money is going.

And I bet Chuck is very alive.

 

[tigger3z]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12756009/page/2/


Last June, Reggie Grimmett saw something on a Detroit street that disturbed him—and now he’s one of several new witnesses who may hold important new clues to solving the mysterious disappearance of Lana Stempien.

Grimmett says he was driving past a restaurant when he saw a man aggressively beating a woman.

Reggie Grimmett, witness: This big man got her right above the elbow, and he was hitting her. He was trying to force her into the vehicle as he was hitting her.

In a sworn statement, Grimmett describes how after the woman escaped, the man chased after her -- driving recklessly and erratically, continuing his chase even after he’d slammed into another car and an airbag had deployed in his face.

Grimmett: I was shocked you know. I rolled right up beside him and he was fighting the airbag continuously. And then he went into traffic the wrong way.
Grimmett contacted police after recognizing the couple he’d seen arguing as Lana Stempien and Chuck Rutherford -- the two young Detroit attorneys who vanished on a boating trip in August.
Grimmett: I was at home. And just watching the news and I looked, I said “Oh no. That’s that young lady Lana.”

Grimmett told police that he was deeply troubled by Chuck’s behavior.

Grimmett: How could you lose control and be beating people in broad daylight? He was a very angry man. You know? Hitting a woman.

And Andrew Jarvis, the attorney for Lana Stempien’s family, believes Grimmett’s story substantiates the concerns Lana shared with her friends about Chuck shortly before she disappeared.

Andrew Jarvis, Stempien family friend and attorney: I think it validates what Lana was saying to her friends in August. That she was fearful of her safety from Chuck.

Jarvis also believes Grimmett’s story adds weight to the possibility that some kind of heated domestic dispute on board “Sea’s Life” preceded Lana’s death.

As Dateline first reported, the very last call Lana made from her boat, at 1:59 p.m. on August 11th was a one minute message for a male friend—a man friends say Chuck had been jealous of in the past.

Andre Jarvis: I always thought that that last phone call was a catalyst to something happening on the boat… something happened shortly after 2 o’clock on Thursday August the 11th.

Did Chuck overhear Lana leaving the message for that other man and angrily confront her?

ut, another new tip could back up the theory that whatever went wrong, it happened right after Lana made that last call.

Two sisters, who asked us not to use their names out of concern for their safety, sent an e-mail to through the Dateline Web site after seeing our story in January, and were later interviewed by the police.

They describe a white boat they saw on August 11th, hovering dangerously close to some rocks in this bay.

Sister 1: We thought it was really strange, because it was too close to the rocks. You never see a boat that close—

And when they realized nobody was controlling the phantom vessel, they were even more concerned.

Sister 2: Kinda eerie. It was an eerie feeling, yes. It was moving erratically. To me, it didn’t seem like anybody was driving the boat.

The sisters, who are now certain the boat they saw was Lana’s, told police they spotted it shortly before 3 p.m. on August 11th—which is right after Lana placed that call to the other man.

Jarvis: You put one and one together - and you know there was a phone call made, and you know the boat was seen drifting near shore again. My opinion is that that phone call was a catalyst to something happening on that boat.

But if the boat was abandoned when the sisters saw it drifting near those rocks—where was Chuck?

The sisters say they noticed something else that afternoon: a second boat, speeding away in the distance.

Sister 1: It was going pretty fast. It looked like he was leaving the harbor going towards across the lake.

Could that second boat be a critical missing piece of the puzzle that might explain what went so tragically wrong on this lake? Who was on board? Did they see something? Were they involved?

Jarvis: It could mean something, or it could be another witness. But we’re trying to track down who that boat is.

The Michigan State Police say the sisters’ information gives them a much better sense of exactly where “Sea’s Life” traveled that day—and now their divers are preparing to once again search the bay.

Now it makes you wonder

 

[kriszane]

There are two things about the case:
1. If Charles Rutherford did in fact murder Lana, how did he get from the boat to shore? Wouldn't that necessitate an accomplice to transport him to shore? I got the impression the boat was approximately twenty miles from shore, and therefore it would have been impossible to swim.

2. This knob embedded in Lana's shoe: I have read much about this, but have never been able to find a photo of it or to ascertain what the knob was from or what type of knob, etc. This seems like the most intriguing part of the case, because as it is described, the knob appears to have been driven in by force, as if someone turned the shoe upside down and, with a hammer, etc., drove it into the shoe. Does anyone know where there is (on the web) a photo of this knob/shoe?

 

[mysteriew]

Kriszane I haven't seen a picture. But there could be another explanation for the "knob." A person who believes they are fighting for their lives will struggle without concern of injury to themselves. In other words, could she have kicked out during the struggle and struck something with a knob hard enough to embed the knob in her shoe? I've never heard if the "knob" came from something on the boat.

 

[Alaska4959]

I read on page one of these comments that the knob appeared to come from a piece of electronic equipment on the boat.