MI MI - Jessica Heeringa, 25, Norton Shores, 26 April 2013 #1

[misterGwriter]

Are we supposed to be looking at a van in the bar parking lot or racing by on the main road?

http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/...van/-/1719418/19945238/-/1m6h93z/-/index.html

All I see is a drunk girl trying to smoke a cigarette and not fall over.

I just watched the surveillance camera again. Within seconds of the silver van passing by, a dark colored car also passes by, traveling in the same direction. The car also looks to be in a bit of a hurry. I wonder if it is just coincidental or if the car is involved somehow.

 

[misterGwriter]

I'm still catching up, so maybe this has already been corrected, but the car that is clearly visible in the still photo is NOT the car they are talking about. In the video you can see a silvery minivan fly by on the highway BEHIND the car that is parked. *That* is the van they are talking about, and not the car parked in front of the bar...

There is a lot to catch up on. I left for a couple of hours earlier and it took me a bit to get caught up. You are correct and it has been discussed. The vehicle in question is traveling north (left to right on the screen) and passes by the tavern on the road. The silver SUV in the parking lot is irrelevant. Also, the vehicle that passes by heading south (right to left on the screen) is also irrelevant. The vehicle in question enters the picture around the 50 second mark of the full 1:07 length video.

 

[thesaint]

Ok here goes. I've only shared photo on here once before so bear with me. Tell me if the link lets you see it.http://s1299.photobucket.com/user/jenstar551/media/van1_zps3650a5cc.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0

thanks for the photo, how can anyone tell what that is...y'all have better eyesight.
Could be Nessie for all I can tell.

 

[thesaint]

Did you see the tail-lights on the vehicle? Does it have a white taillight as well as a red one?

maybe the black and white camera makes all bright-ish lights look white.

 

[MsFacetious]

If they didn't have video going on that night in the store-surely they have previous video? I hope so.

The station Jessica worked at, did NOT have video. At all.
Not the night she was abducted, not before that night.
The video would have cost more than the owner lost in gas drive offs, so it wasn't worth it.

The day after Jessica was abducted, he installed video. :banghead:

 

[misterGwriter]

thanks for the photo, how can anyone tell what that is...y'all have better eyesight.
Could be Nessie for all I can tell.

Lol. It is a very blurry photo. It is an enlarged, still photo taken from the surveillance footage when the silver van is passing by the tavern. It is a little difficult to make out.

ETA: If you scroll down on the page, there are two pictures that you can click on. One is the blurry, enlarged photo. The other is the same photo without being enlarged.

 

[thesaint]

To me, the direction and roadway the suspect vehicle is traveling indicates a local suspect. They are not headed out of town. They are headed right into Muskegon. If the perp were heading to 31 either north or south, why not pick it up just east of the Exxon station?

Maybe he knew he'd been spotted and/or didn't have much time before the police would be looking for him? So instead of jumping on a freeway where it's easy for the police to set up a few miles down the road and peep every car going by, he stayed on surface streets and worked his way out of the area that way? Dunno. Sounds like they aren't even sure it's the same/correct vehicle at this point.

 

[Strangeworld]

I think the 911 caller had pumped his gas and then realized there was no cashier to pay. So, didn't they have pumps where you could swipe your card?
My first thought if I didn't see anyone working is that they had been robbed and the employee/employees were injured or worse.

I would be spooked if I pulled up to an unmanned service station. If I was making that call, I would definitely be concerned that if something had happened, the offender could still be there.

 

[Strangeworld]

The station Jessica worked at, did NOT have video. At all.
Not the night she was abducted, not before that night.
The video would have cost more than the owner lost in gas drive offs, so it wasn't worth it.

The day after Jessica was abducted, he installed video. :banghead:

I'm still wondering why the person working on the cameras told the reporter that he was fixing the cameras, and that they weren't new. Did the police say specifically that there were no cameras there, or that there was no footage? I just find it really odd that the person working on the cameras said they weren't new.

 

[misterGwriter]

I'm still wondering why the person working on the cameras told the reporter that he was fixing the cameras, and that they weren't new. Did the police say specifically that there were no cameras there, or that there was no footage? I just find it really odd that the person working on the cameras said they weren't new.

Police did state specifically that there were no cameras. There was an accident in front of the Exxon station a few years ago. Police requested surveillance footage at that time and discovered there were no cameras. They advised the owner that he should install some, but he never did. As far as why the employee told the media that he was fixing the cameras, I am sure that is what the owner told him to say. If you watch the owner order the media off his property, you'd understand.

 

[MsFacetious]

This is off topic, but I am listening to the scanner

bm

Here is the scanner thread, scanner stuff has to stay down there:
(I think that applies to all scanner stuff.)

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=207239&page=4

 

[misterGwriter]

bm

Here is the scanner thread, scanner stuff has to stay down there:
(I think that applies to all scanner stuff.)

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=207239&page=4

Interesting. I wasn't aware there was a separate scanner thread. However, I checked it out and it would appear as though I would be talking to myself at the moment if I posted there.

Thanks for the heads up, though.

 

[MsFacetious]

Interesting. I wasn't aware there was a separate scanner thread. However, I checked it out and it would appear as though I would be talking to myself at the moment if I posted there.

Thanks for the heads up, though.

The scanner thread is pretty much talking to yourself. :giggle:
You post what you hear on the scanner, especially if it might be relevant to the case.

You will mostly be talking to yourself here as well since it's the middle of the night.
However, people will read what you wrote in the morning.
Then they will be able to catch up on what they missed. :seeya:

In the Boston bomber case we heard the whole thing go down on the scanner.
It was INTENSE. I cancelled dinner. My poor kids. :scared:

 

[thesaint]

Hopefully the lead re: silver mini-van and burly dude is solid. Could've been someone who thought they could get gas down the road at Meijer (some Meijer's have gas stations). Wasn't able to and so doubled back to the Exxon, tried to get gas there and no one was home so dude skedaddled down the road looking for gas.

Wonder if the guy who called 911--if has tank hadn't been on E--if he'd have bothered to call. Like to think he would have, but he did mention that his tank was empty on the call, like as tho the police were going to help him out with his gas problem in addition to figuring out where the clerk was at.

 

[thesaint]

Getting national coverage, Fox First ran it was one of their "5 @ 5 stories".

They showed the surveillance footage from the bar, played a bit of the 911 tape and a quick video of the exxon station.

They are going to have more later.

 

[nursebeeme]

It's Michigan. The entire state drives like maniacs on their way to a fire. Speed limits are more like minimums.

hahaha! as a fellow michigander I could not agree more :wink: :rockon:

 

[airplanelamp]

hahaha! as a fellow michigander I could not agree more :wink: :rockon:

Ha. I will add my agreement as well.

 

[Flutterby80]

Hopefully the lead re: silver mini-van and burly dude is solid. Could've been someone who thought they could get gas down the road at Meijer (some Meijer's have gas stations). Wasn't able to and so doubled back to the Exxon, tried to get gas there and no one was home so dude skedaddled down the road looking for gas.

Wonder if the guy who called 911--if has tank hadn't been on E--if he'd have bothered to call. Like to think he would have, but he did mention that his tank was empty on the call, like as tho the police were going to help him out with his gas problem in addition to figuring out where the clerk was at.

I think he was just making it clear that he didn't owe money. I can understand finding the station that way and wanting to distance myself from any sort of involvement. I don't feel like he was expecting free gas at all. It had to be an unsettling feeling to walk in on that scene. Glad he called 911 right away.

 

[andalso]

I am confused by the video. I thought I was looking at the first car we see traveling by, that turns left into the bar. But, apparently it is not that vehicle. I wonder, why did LE release the whole video if we are only supposed to be looking at just a few seconds that are truly relevant? And, why didn't they blur out <modsnip> girl?
The video has me discombobulated. So, let me see if I have this right. We are actually looking at a vehicle about 50 seconds in that goes from left to right, which is actually to the north? Correct?

 

[BD1]

I know hunting is a big part of men's lives up there. I also know many families own land/cabins for deer camps. Would those be deserted this time of year or would there be activity?