MO - Yvonne Lowers, 51: Springfield death mystifies authorities, Jan 2011

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you know I don't want to cast aspersions but whatever happened to stopping and helping people? or at least keeping an eye on them until police can arrive?

shouldn't it have been obvious that a lady in sleepwear out on a chilly night needs assistance? even if you're afraid for your own safety, I don't think keeping an eye on what direction she goes, or even following her in a car is too much to ask, ESP. since police supposedly arrived very quickly (did I read they were there within 6 minutes & searched for 20?)

people just keep driving nowadays ... assuming they've done their duty by calling I suppose

it's upsetting b/c I would like to think that if I were in trouble or one of my relatives was, that SOMEONE would stop to help me

ok, rant over
 
SurfieTX said:
She asks him, "What did you start to think when, you know, she wasn't here?"

He says, "There were all kinds of thoughts. (long pause). The first thing was (another long pause) to get (her?) off of the road. Although if she told me to get off of the road, that would kill me. She helped me put this together, and I can't do it."

?? :waitasec: I can't make head's or tail's of what that means.
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yeah, the getting off the road thing - sounds like he thinks she was a victim of a hit & run but I couldn't make out specifically what he said & didn't want to put words in his mouth

the rest I thought perhaps he meant she would've helped him with his wording to the reporter b/c he's having trouble with the interview
 
Tragic event, I am sorry for the loss.

It certainly is an unusual set of circumstances. I have heard of a few cases with similar situations to this case.

I recollect reading about a student going missing in a smalll college town in 1953. All evidence point to the fact that he was working at his desk, then just got up and left his dorm room, walked off campus and was never seen from again.

Here is the websleuth link.
 
LadyL said:
you know I don't want to cast aspersions but whatever happened to stopping and helping people? or at least keeping an eye on them until police can arrive?

shouldn't it have been obvious that a lady in sleepwear out on a chilly night needs assistance? even if you're afraid for your own safety, I don't think keeping an eye on what direction she goes, or even following her in a car is too much to ask, ESP. since police supposedly arrived very quickly (did I read they were there within 6 minutes & searched for 20?)

people just keep driving nowadays ... assuming they've done their duty by calling I suppose

it's upsetting b/c I would like to think that if I were in trouble or one of my relatives was, that SOMEONE would stop to help me

ok, rant over
Click to expand...

I suddenly feel terrible, 2 days before Thanksgiving, there was a seemingly drunk man walking in and out of traffic, no jacket, and it was cold, I was on my way to work at 3 AM, and I stopped for a sec, and called 911. I was already late, and I saw police coming from the other direction, I assumed they were gonna find the guy ( who was still wandering kinda in circles) So I left.... Makes me wonder now if those cop cars were actually for him. I hope he is safe, I should have stayed and waited.....
 
LadyL said:
can anyone decipher what Robert is saying near the end of this video - something like "get off the road" ... ? I turned my speakers up full volume and I cannot hear the reporter's question nor his answer (he's upset & having trouble getting the words out ... poor guy)


http://www.kspr.com/videobeta/2b98c...out-the-moment-he-learned-of-his-wife-s-death
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Robert is an over the road truck driver. He was in the Atlanta area, stuck in bad weather, IIRC, when his wife went missing. In the interview, he's talking about getting phone calls from his wife's boss and a co-worker who had gone to their house to see if his wife was ok since she hadn't shown up for work and didn't answer the phone. He gave them permission to break down the door. Later, when they discovered her body, they called him again. It sounds as though his wife's friend/boss (?) told him to "get off the road" because they had to relay bad news and didn't want him to become upset and cause him to have an accident while driving his 18 wheeler. He may have also been saying that earlier, when they were looking for her, he didn't know if he should "get off the road" and return home, meaning he should have someone else take his load so he could return home.

According to the news reports, her husband has been ruled out as a suspect because he was out of town, stuck in Atlanta in a freak winter storm, when his wife disappeared.

Its very frustrating that there seems to be little or no investigation underway into this woman's death and according to some who have posted here, little information being given to her family. Sounds like things haven't changed much in Springfield since the "Springfield Three" case. :banghead: MOO
 
Betty P said:
Robert is an over the road truck driver. He was in the Atlanta area, stuck in bad weather, IIRC, when his wife went missing. In the interview, he's talking about getting phone calls from his wife's boss and a co-worker who had gone to their house to see if his wife was ok since she hadn't shown up for work and didn't answer the phone. He gave them permission to break down the door. Later, when they discovered her body, they called him again. It sounds as though his wife's friend/boss (?) told him to "get off the road" because they had to relay bad news and didn't want him to become upset and cause him to have an accident while driving his 18 wheeler. He may have also been saying that earlier, when they were looking for her, he didn't know if he should "get off the road" and return home, meaning he should have someone else take his load so he could return home.

According to the news reports, her husband has been ruled out as a suspect because he was out of town, stuck in Atlanta in a freak winter storm, when his wife disappeared.

Its very frustrating that there seems to be little or no investigation underway into this woman's death and according to some who have posted here, little information being given to her family. Sounds like things haven't changed much in Springfield since the "Springfield Three" case. :banghead: MOO
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Thank you so much. Context is everything. It makes perfect sense now.
 
Missizzy said:
I don't want to belabor the issue of seizures but I don't believe that a seizure would show up on any autopsy. A stroke certainly would but a seizure passes unless the person dies of status epilepticus--a seizure that continues until death. A seizure is nothing more than an electrical mis-firing in the brain. There are telltale signs of recent seizure activity--a loss of bowel and bladder control, contusions from falling or convulsing, and almost always a terribly bitten tongue. Were there any signs like this?

There's also the very real possibility of a psycho-genic or non-epileptic seizure. These seizures are identical in severity to epileptic seizures but are triggered by a traumatic emotional response. A young woman froze to death in Medford, OR several years ago after having one and wondering out in the cold night. She was a sexual assault survivor.

Has there been a trauma in Yvonne's past? Any recent therapy? Was it an anniversary of a loss or an accident or a crime committed against her? Any phone calls, a visit or a film which could have triggered a traumatic memory?

Sadly, we're learning more and more each day about psychogenic seizures as soldiers and those with a history of sexual abuse often experience them. Neurologists are pretty much stumped as seizure meds typically don't help. As they are growing exponentially in frequency, I'm always amazed that people don't know what they are.

And thank you for the kind words. I'm holding my own. I've had to be moved to a small cottage in the country where there is perfect quiet as noises trigger my seizures. I have a small yard which is set up in a manner where I cannot "escape" unless I am completely lucid. I do not cook or bathe or go outside without assistance. My husband visits once a day. Strange medical disorders call for extreme creativity and a healthy dose of good humor.

One last question. Where was the little dog found? Please keep us posted. This mystery really saddens me.
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I will try to answer your questions, in the order that I see them, I am sorry if I skip one. I do that sometimes.

There were no signs on her having a seizure. Yvonne also did not have a personal or family history of them.

Yvonne was doing her normal nighttime routine that somehow was interrupted. There was no sign of any struggle at the house or that she had "wandered" away. We would think that if she was not in a normal state then something would have been knocked over or out of place.

Her little dog was in the house. She did not leave with her Mommy that night.

Thank you for your kind words.
 
Missizzy said:
I recently posted the following concerning the strange behavior and subsequent death of John Wheeler, the Washington DC official. I thought long and hard before I posted it as I don't want to compromise my child's confidentiality. However, I happen to know exactly how strange and confounding psycho-genic seizures can be as our young adult son suffered greatly from them. If you are interested in seeing if there's any commonalities with Yvonne's disappearance:

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=124283&page=11

It's Post #251

FWIW, another of our children who was raped as a child just suffered his first psycho-genic seizure. He's 23 and the rapes occurred when he was 8-9 years old. They are literally terrifying and totally out of character for the person experiencing them.
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I can never express to you how much I appreciate you sharing your son's story. This must be very difficult for you and your family. Please let me know if there is anything that I can do for you and your family.

There are no similarities between Yvonne and your son. There were no signs seen by anyone of anything that would have led us to think that she experienced any of this. We have spoken personally with her co-workers and neighbors, nothing was out of character for her.

Even down to the last night that she was home, she was doing her normal routine.
 
Julessleuther said:
Infolowers--

I am sorry to hear about Yvonne. This must be so difficult-you are so brave to talk about this. A few questions came to mind:

1. Did she have a boyfriend or significant other-someone who may have placed a phone call to her?

2. Did she have children in the area, someone with a jeep that she may have gone to help?

3. They initial reports stated that she was nude from the waist down, but if she were wearing a nightgown, perhaps technically she was not "nude" but did not have under garments on? Initially I thought she may have been sexually assaulted, but the description of a robe or nightgown makes me think she was just dressed in bed clothes, not really "nude". Do you know if that is true?

4. You said she had a dog--the dog was found in the house?

5. Have you been able to get into her house? I wonder if you can do call return on her phone to see who her last call was from? (Usually *69) Or did she have caller ID?
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Thank you for your kind words. I have to say that I am far from brave, there are a lot of tears during me answering these posts. However, it's through everything that I learned from Yvonne that keeps me going on most days.

1. Yvonne's last conversation was with her Husband. it started at 6:30 pm.

2. She did have a child in the area. Not too close but not too far away. No one in the family owned a jeep.

3. She was dressed for bed. The wonderful gentlemen that found her said that it had been windy that morning and that's perhaps why it was pulled up. There was no sign of any assault during the autopsy. We are very happy about this!

4. Her wonderful Puppy was in the house.

5. We were able to get in the house immediately. As far as her phone calls, we checked her caller ID and with the phone company. Her last phone conversation was with her Husband.
 
SurfieTX said:
She asks him, "What did you start to think when, you know, she wasn't here?"

He says, "There were all kinds of thoughts. (long pause). The first thing was (another long pause) to get (her?) off of the road. Although if she told me to get off of the road, that would kill me. She helped me put this together, and I can't do it."

?? :waitasec: I can't make head's or tail's of what that means.

ETA: He says "she was the emergency number." So, I'm taking that to mean that her boss at work was her emergency contact?

Also, the storm door was not locked. Yvonne did not have a key to the storm door.
Click to expand...

Robert was talking about getting his truck off the road. Like it has been reported he is a long-haul truck driver, he was driving at the time towards Atlanta when he received the phone call. (I think Atlanta, don't hold me to that one!)

When he speaks of how she helped him put it all together, he is talking about his business. They bought his own truck not that long ago. Yvonne stood by him through his career in the military and through his decision to become a truck driver. They were a complete team and never made a decision without the other.

Robert is referring to their daughter about the emergency contact. Her boss had gone by the house when she did not go into work that day. She never missed a day without someone knowing. After her boss got no answer, he called their daughter.

Their daughter was on the phone with her father asking about breaking the storm door. Yvonne did have a key to the storm door but not the daughter. It ended up being a mute point since it was unlocked.

I hope this clears up his conversation with the news.
 
LadyL said:
you know I don't want to cast aspersions but whatever happened to stopping and helping people? or at least keeping an eye on them until police can arrive?

shouldn't it have been obvious that a lady in sleepwear out on a chilly night needs assistance? even if you're afraid for your own safety, I don't think keeping an eye on what direction she goes, or even following her in a car is too much to ask, ESP. since police supposedly arrived very quickly (did I read they were there within 6 minutes & searched for 20?)

people just keep driving nowadays ... assuming they've done their duty by calling I suppose

it's upsetting b/c I would like to think that if I were in trouble or one of my relatives was, that SOMEONE would stop to help me

ok, rant over
Click to expand...

Thanks for your rant! It's one I've had with myself alot!!!!

We are not sure if she was the same person that was called in. We are waiting on a copy of that report.

However, here is our problem, why did it take the police 6 minutes to get there? The substation for the Police Department and the Fire Department was caddycorner to where she was found. It takes 6 minutes, top, to walk from where she was found to that station.

So where did they look for the 20 minutes? It's not like the warehouses had magically moved. We drove the area, several times, there is no way that if they drove around for 20 minutes they never saw her.
 
mommy23 said:
I suddenly feel terrible, 2 days before Thanksgiving, there was a seemingly drunk man walking in and out of traffic, no jacket, and it was cold, I was on my way to work at 3 AM, and I stopped for a sec, and called 911. I was already late, and I saw police coming from the other direction, I assumed they were gonna find the guy ( who was still wandering kinda in circles) So I left.... Makes me wonder now if those cop cars were actually for him. I hope he is safe, I should have stayed and waited.....
Click to expand...

Please don't feel bad. I want everyone to remember a few things in these circumstances. One, your safety comes first. You have a family that wants you to return home too! Approaching people in that kind of state does not usually turn out well. Two, you are not personally responsible to wait for the police. You did the right thing! You made the effort to pick up your phone and dial 911. How many people passed him that didn't do that?

Most of all, you made it to work and back home that night. The most important part for you and your family! We can't protect everyone but we can try.
 
infolowers said:
It is amazingly accurate! Thank you so much for taking the time to do that. I would have never thought of it!
Click to expand...

I'm 51 myself. I guess that's why I got drawn to her story.
I realize this is a difficult time, so don't feel you have to post here if it's too painful. I'm glad you did though.
Thanks
 
Betty P said:
Robert is an over the road truck driver. He was in the Atlanta area, stuck in bad weather, IIRC, when his wife went missing. In the interview, he's talking about getting phone calls from his wife's boss and a co-worker who had gone to their house to see if his wife was ok since she hadn't shown up for work and didn't answer the phone. He gave them permission to break down the door. Later, when they discovered her body, they called him again. It sounds as though his wife's friend/boss (?) told him to "get off the road" because they had to relay bad news and didn't want him to become upset and cause him to have an accident while driving his 18 wheeler. He may have also been saying that earlier, when they were looking for her, he didn't know if he should "get off the road" and return home, meaning he should have someone else take his load so he could return home.

According to the news reports, her husband has been ruled out as a suspect because he was out of town, stuck in Atlanta in a freak winter storm, when his wife disappeared.

Its very frustrating that there seems to be little or no investigation underway into this woman's death and according to some who have posted here, little information being given to her family. Sounds like things haven't changed much in Springfield since the "Springfield Three" case. :banghead: MOO
Click to expand...

Betty, thanks so much for your post!

Robert knew he needed to get off the road to talk on the phone. However, the weather was very bad but he also knew he needed to make it home.

Robert was never a suspect. I guess because he was out of town at the time.

I can say that whatever information they have they don't want to share. Unfortunately for them, I exist. I will be on their "butts", so to say, until this is actually solved. I will not be giving up on this! Springfield definitely does not have the most attentive police department. However, I have the time that apparently they don't.
 
KAE said:
I'm 51 myself. I guess that's why I got drawn to her story.
I realize this is a difficult time, so don't feel you have to post here if it's too painful. I'm glad you did though.
Thanks
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I post on here because after I found the first post, it took me a while to realize I would need help on this.

It is painful but this is definitely the way Yvonne would have wanted it done! Well, except for all the personal details. She definitely would not have appreciated it all!
 
Stolly said:
Tragic event, I am sorry for the loss.

It certainly is an unusual set of circumstances. I have heard of a few cases with similar situations to this case.

I recollect reading about a student going missing in a smalll college town in 1953. All evidence point to the fact that he was working at his desk, then just got up and left his dorm room, walked off campus and was never seen from again.

Here is the websleuth link.
Click to expand...

Thank you that was very insightful.
 
Toxicology Results Show Yvonne Lowers Died Of Ethanol Intoxication, Hypothermia (KSPR)
Police Still Investigating The Possibility of Foul Play

SPRINGFIELD, Mo — Toxicology results show a Springfield woman found outside an Ozarks storage unit company died of ethanol intoxication and hypothermia. Someone found the body of 51 year old Yvonne Lowers near Go Mini's on South Scenic Avenue on January 10th, 2011.
---
The Springfield Police Department has not closed its investigation. Corporal Matt Brown says the department is still waiting a couple more pieces of information but did not get into any specifics.
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That doesn't fit with the personality that has been given by the family. Is anti-freeze poisoning a possiblity? Ethanol is basically saying she had a severe alcohol problem but her past history says this is highly unlikely. If she was involved with ethanol or was a long term alcoholic there is no way she could have kept a job for EIGHT YEARS at a bank without someone saying something or the abuse would have been obvious to her employers.
Mild to severe info http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antifreeze Sorry can't get html to work.



I'm sorry, I had another link but apparently only wiki is working...and it's showing multiple links.
 
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