MS - Jessica Chambers, 19, found burned near her car, Panola County, 6 Dec 2014 - #1

[SStarr33]

Picking up evidence, cig butt thrown from a window?

"The area where firefighters found the teen with burns all over her body is otherwise nondescript, aside from the crime scene tape. A rural road with no dividing line leads to a green gate and dirt driveway that sits a few feet from the tree and skid marks.

On Thursday, a CNN crew saw a man in a Panola County Sheriff's Office pickup truck collect something from the ground, less than 50 feet from the tree, place it in a paper bag and drive off. He stopped a short distance down the road and crouched by the roadside, placing something else in a paper bag and driving away."

http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/11/us/mississippi-girl-burns-to-death/index.html
rbbm

Probably should have done that 5 or so days ago. But not surprising since they didn't request the surveillance video from the gas station.:facepalm:

 

[cady]

My hubby has 25 years autobody exp. IMO There is no damage to the rear of the car that is not caused by fire.

The windows exploded ,the tires exploded and all parts of plastic have melted which make the trunk seem as it is messed up ,really it is where the tail light belongs along with the damage from being pried open after the fire .
IMVO.
We also had a car burn up and it burnt for 30 minutes and only looked half as bad as jessica's. The whole inside melted and glass melted ,after it exploded and 30 feet flames came off of it,we still had paint on the back half of the car and parts that were not burnt.

The fire dept opens the trunk and hood to make sure fire is not inside those areas..

I get the melting issue, but I swear I saw a photo of the burned-out car's gas tank, which looked intact, to me. Wouldn't it explode? JMO

 

[katydid23]

Given that her ex was abusive, I can't see why she would even want to go see him in the first place, but some women do indeed go back to abusers. If that was indeed what happened, perhaps he gave her some story about being in trouble or it is an emergency. One might be willing to not get all dolled up in a situation like that.

Remember too, she received a phone call at the gas station. Perhaps that wasn't her intention. She gets a call, says he needs help. Are you going to run back home to pretty yourself up?

BBM

I wouldn't, but I think my 19 yr old daughter might have. :facepalm: But I agree, she may have received an urgent call and decided to meet up with him.

 

[Jabarn]

I'm starting to think that it isn't as nefarious as it first seemed as well. The fact that the first reports said she was doused in lighter fluid and set on fire were horrible to me. This is still a very horrible thing accident or not, but what if it was a hit and run? Someone could have rear ended her and then she was pushed up the embankment and they took off... BUT why the battery out of her cell? Was this report from LE? Why would there be clear treadmarks where her car failed to easily make it up the embankment? Maybe someone was pushing her car while she applied brakes. I hope they will release where on her forehead the gash was. Just brainstorming... All is opinion.

So many rumors. Yesterday I was picturing lighter fluid being poured on her face, a person in a black and white shirt filling up a container of gas, wondering could it be gas and not lighter fluid? This story has been spun so many ways... She was in full flames, walked up to a fire fighter and gave the name of the killer even. I am glad local LE cleared up these rumors today. I just look at her sweet face and pictures. I cannot explain why the battery was out of her phone or even if that is another rumor. Anyway, it looks like an accident reconstruction response team should be as involved too.

 

[cady]

OH Lord here we go again. NG just said that she was spotted by a motorist, on fire by her car. BS Someone simply reported a car fire. Nancy is always soooo wrong. JMO

 

[SCHMAE]

A few posters have speculated that her car may have been hit in the rear. I showed the burnt pic to my friend who's been in the auto body business for almost 20 years and asked him if it looked like her car had been hit. Without any hesitation he said no. So I asked him if the fire could have caused that damage to the rear and he said definitely. Today's cars aren't made like they were many years ago. The panels aren't made of steel. Many panels are made of plastic, such as the bumper and other various lightweight metals. Car manufacturer's changed over to other forms of metal to make the car lighter to improve gas mileage. Also cars of today have crumple zones, so in case of an accident the force of the crash gets dispersed throughout the car, which is why even in very minor accident damage to the cars panels are more extensive then they were many years ago. The intense heat from a fire can cause those lightweight metals to buckle and warp very easily.

I as someone who enjoys detailing my car and skilled with using a rotary polisher can attest to how easily a panel can warp. There have been many instance while removing a scratch on the top surface such as the hood or trunk while running the polisher over it with minimal pressure, combined with the heat from the friction of the polisher creates have seen and heard the panel indent. As it cools it pops back up, but the car panels of today are pretty soft, so just imagine what happens to that panel when it receives extreme heat from a fire.

I also showed the same picture to my friend who has been a firefighter for 10+ years. I asked him how long would it take for a cars paint to melt like that, where it's down to bare metal. He said it could take 25 minutes or even as little as 10. it all depends on what accelerant was used, how much of it was used and where it was poured. Given that Jessica's father has stated that lighter fluid was doused on her, I asked if it was possible to cause that much damage to the car using something as simple as a bottle of lighter fluid you would use for your barbecue. He said yes. If the interior of the car was doused in it, it could easily cause that car to become engulfed.

I am curious to lighter fluid statement by her father. How did law enforcement come to that conclusion so quickly without an autopsy? Did they do some kind of chemical tests at the hospital? Did they find am empty bottle of lighter fluid near her car or inside it?

I have a few other questions regarding the fire. In early articles, it was stated that a passing motorist had called the fire in. Articles also mention the fire happening at 8:15 pm. Was 8:15 the time the motorist called it in or was that the time the fire department arrived on scene? How long did it take the fire department to show up? Looking at the map, there is a fire house just west of the railroad tracks on Herron Road, a half a mile east of where Jessica's burning car was. Being that road is pretty rural and probably not heavily traveled, I wonder how long her car may have been on fire for?

Excellent point. TY!

 

[CanManEh]

See I tells ya everything i said from my first post about whispering the perps name and cops not saying what she said...98 percent of her body burned as i stated i was right on with every single point...

 

[Droopy]

I get the melting issue, but I swear I saw a photo of the burned-out car's gas tank, which looked intact, to me. Wouldn't it explode? JMO

No it isn't like the movies. This article can give you an explanation as to why it won't.
http://automotivethinker.com/general/cars-just-dont-explode/

 

[Kateyes]

I am thinking that LE might be saying there is no "talk on thr streets" and that no suspects are identified is to keep the Status of their investigation close to the vest. Keeping the perp relaxed and thinking he/she is in the clear will help the investigation more than having the perp get scared and flee before the evidence against him/her has been gathered and placed in line to press charges. JMO

 

[GrayMatter]

There was a "passerby" what do we know about this person? Did they stop to render aid? In a very short amount of time, we have her car, a passerby, and {the fire department}.

Typically 911 gets the identity of a caller or the callers number. Has this person been questioned about anyone else they may have passed on the road? Possible witness?

 

[SCHMAE]

Currently following up leads.
No arrest made.
Do not anticipate an arrest in the immediate future.
Horrendous case.
Great team of investigators.
Taking it step by step.
Following up leads.

Working on rumour control.
A lot of whats been said is not any proof.
Going through coroner, going through ME.
Some accelerants have been ruled out.
Following up on every single tip.
Wont ever give up on this, will get there, these guys are so determined.
Its still early to some extent.
We are going to stay here until we found who did this.

Talking to a lot of people, not a lot of street talk out there as to who might have done this.
Appeal for people to come forward to contact crime stoppers.
Asking the community to help.
19yr old girl, just beginning life, nobody deserves to die this way.
Appeal to public please assist, call in, no matter how small.

Questions (can't hear them all but these are answers)
Again re rumour control.
Q re accelerant, no confirmation if she had any on her, labs are working on this.
Defo treating as arson but waiting to know the source of arson.

Thank you's.
Can't comment on any details of case.
Working on a timeline.
Cell phone evidence, we can do certain things but I can't comment on what we can do. Does put us who she has been in contact with, and we can see what and who and eliminate anyone.
Can't divulge the condition of the phone but it's a usable piece of evidence
Everyone we talked to so far has been cooperative, common theme is everyone we talked to is appalled and want to help.
About what she said (Jessica) we know what she said but are not commenting on what she said.
In the process of narrowing down where she went and what her timeline was.
Joint investigation, everyone is doing this together. Thanks to all the other agencies, it's a joint effort.

Looks to be a personal crime but without a suspect we really don't know, impossible to know.
Talked to people who have seen her after the CCTV at the petrol station, can't tell you who but yes we have some and we have talked to them.
Talking about the burning of the car but couldn't hear what they said.
Q re if she was SA'd, don't know waiting on results of full autopsy, only have prelim at the moment, expect full report tomorrow?
Looking for 1 or more suspects?, 1 or more than 1, we really don't know at this point.
Street talk is very quiet which is quite unusual. If you have any info call crimestoppers, there is a reward 10k?? (didn't quite hear)
For lack of a better word this is just a big mystery right now that we are working on.

Let you know if we have anything, possibly be a further update tomorrow.

:bump: this post for those who missed it earlier. LE's presser

Bolded by Me !

 

[SCHMAE]

I am thinking that LE might be saying there is no "talk on thr streets" and that no suspects are identified is to keep the Status of their investigation close to the vest. Keeping the perp relaxed and thinking he/she is in the clear will help the investigation more than having the perp get scared and flee before the evidence against him/her has been gathered and placed in line to press charges. JMO

My first thought re: quiet on the streets is that everyone on the streets DOES know who did it and they're A ) afraid of them or B ) covering for them, helping them. **speculative**

 

[epiphany]

<snip> Among the clues investigators are examining: surveillance video showing Chambers at a gas station, cellphone records from numerous people, unspecified evidence from her car and interviews with potential witnesses.

BBM

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/police-public-burned-woman-case-27543407


Obvi cross-checking alibis with cell phone records...


<snip> Champion said local and state investigators have "somewhat" been able to determine where Chambers went once she left the gas station. With that information, authorities are "trying to narrow down" who may have been with her.

BBM

http://www.khou.com/story/news/nati...her-final-hours-of-jessica-chambers/20237599/

 

[PeterThomasFan]

Would be interested to know where the party was.

 

[soooblessed]

First time posting to this thread but have to ask...am I the only person who thinks we should maybe be looking for a female assailant? I can see a psycho jealous girlfriend pouring lighter fluid down someone's throat. I may be wrong but teenage girls can be CRAZY, vicious and psychotic (I'm a female btw) all just my opinion

 

[Droopy]

First time posting to this thread but have to ask...am I the only person who thinks we should maybe be looking for a female assailant? I can see a psycho jealous girlfriend pouring lighter fluid down someone's throat. I may be wrong but teenage girls can be CRAZY, vicious and psychotic (I'm a female btw) all just my opinion

I am leaning more towards it being a male assailant simply because more times than not it is a male who is responsible, but at this stage of the investigation and with very little to go on, a female definitely cannot be ruled out.

 

[Cherokee]

http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/11/us/mississippi-girl-burns-to-death/

From the link:

After obtaining warrants and cracking a password, police were able to access Jessica Chambers' phone records and are following up on leads, a prosecutor said Thursday.

Police are searching her data and text records after obtaining warrants Wednesday that compelled Google and her cell phone provider to give police access to her phone's content, said John Champion, district attorney for Mississippi's 17th Circuit.

 

[Lanesmommy]

First time posting to this thread but have to ask...am I the only person who thinks we should maybe be looking for a female assailant? I can see a psycho jealous girlfriend pouring lighter fluid down someone's throat. I may be wrong but teenage girls can be CRAZY, vicious and psychotic (I'm a female btw) all just my opinion

I thought it could possibly be a female at first. But now that LE has done rumor control and we know that they have said "we do not know if an accelerant was even used yet" or something to that nature, I'm not so sure what to think. They have said the autopsy report would be ready by tomorrow. Not sure when WE will hear about it though..

 

[GrayMatter]

I noticed the drivers seat of her car is reclined. Maybe she pulled up to the fence to quickly hide from someone.

Hmmm. Reclined drivers seat makes one wonder about the possibility of rape. The reclined drivers seat reminds me of years ago...my teen sister was passed out in her car, a guy tried to rape her. The car seat was back, in fact he broke the floor bolts. Thank God my brother came looking for her.

 

[NineMilly]

I'd speculate that were talking about more than one perp. I find it difficult to believe anyone would be on foot in that neck of the woods, meaning that a get a way vehicle was probably used. I'd guess that she was lured to the party. Determining where her phone turned off should help as one would remove the battery to make sure their movements couldn't be electronically tracked. Based on the tire marks it looks to me that it took some effort to get her car up that slight embankment. Which leads me to speculate that the car was staged where it was found. I'm gonna go out on a limb and suggest two or more males were in on the crime. I also find 48 hrs in jail was probably spent due to good cause, maybe not enough to warrant charges, but that seems like an awfully long time to be held for simple questioning....I'm guessing the law had the prime suspect held for a reason, now they just need to firm up their case.