MS - Jessica Chambers, 19, found burned near her car, Panola County, 6 Dec 2014 - #9

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I do not live anywhere near that region of the country but used to live in Memphis and I do have extended family members who live and work in the Batesville area.

Sardis Lake was a popular lake for gatherings of young people. It is between Batesville and Oxford, so young folks from the party-hearty "Ole Miss" university town of Oxford go out to the lake. There are or were also popular bars near the Sardis dam and in the small towns of Sardis and it's nearby neighbor, Como.

There are also pieces of rural acreage with their own small lakes/big ponds where folks gather for bonfires, cookouts, and to fish and these are more private and therefore less accessable to prying eyes. A family member of mine owns such a place. Bonfire gatherings can be very impromptu and coalesce with just a few phone calls or texts just an hour or so before they happen. Some people carry firewood in the back of their pickup trucks for such impromptu gatherings, along with lighter fluid to start the fires.

Hi Samantha! I remember playing on the rocks of Sardis dam as a child, many decades ago now.

My husband was raised in the Batesville/Sardis area and we still have extended family there .... that's why I have such an interest in this case. I had to lol at your comment about playing on the rocks at Sardis dam where we fished a lot .... we also camped and fished the rocks at Grenada dam many times.
 
Given the tone of the conversation in this country in light of Ferguson and NYC, and the rather blatant undertones this case was immediately assigned at certain unlinkable blogs and sites, IMO how many individuals of any one race or another who attended Jessica's service is not a good indicator of how any group or groups viewed her or felt about her.

ITA. I think it has less to do with race and more to do with gang affiliation and their pacts of loyalty to each other and fear of retaliation.

Gunfire erupted during a crowded party in a vacant house in Omaha early Saturday, leaving three people dead and five wounded, and most witnesses refusing to help investigators, according to police.

As many as 50 people were in and around the small home when shots were fired "by multiple shooters" around 2 a.m., Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer said. No arrests have been made, and police said they were confident the shootings were gang-related.

The vast majority of people at the scene refused to help police, the chief said during a news conference Saturday evening. He said he understood witnesses' fear but pleaded for them to come forward.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/01/24/omaha-party-shooting/22297565/
 
Does anyone besides me wonder by how many people, and by how many hours a day this case is currently being investigated? I would think that leads have pretty much dried up, and almost 50 days into this case, I doubt that it is still getting the time and resources it did on day 1, but I don't really know that. I am just wondering if progress is really being made, or whether this is headed to the cold case files. JMO

You have to remember that this murder happened close to the holidays when many labs and agencies were closed .... investigations take time and have to be thorough.
 
If education is the key to the future the youth of Courtland must see little hope. The town is divided almost equally between black and white, but racial inequities are real both physically and emotionally. Lack of opportunity real or imagined can contribute to a sense of hopelessnes and even helplessness. With tensions escalating around the country conflict was rife and may have infected this area or given someone an opportunity to make it appear as if a local had committed this crime.

Population 25 years and over in Courtland:

- High school or higher: 70.7%
- Bachelor's degree or higher: 10.4%
- Graduate or professional degree: 2.2%
- Unemployed: 6.6%

Mean travel time to work (commute): 18.9 minutes


Read more: http://www.city-data.com/city/Courtland-Mississippi.html#ixzz3Q60x4jmK

I have to disagree .... in this day and time anyone wanting to make something of themselves in this country has a public education system in which to get their high school diploma and can go on to all sorts of college grants and work at college opportunities = student help .... the key is education .... some people are just not motivated.
 
I think the news has "dried up" on this case. I'm not reading a thing about it except on sites that can't be mentioned here. I, too, wonder if they are still investigating the case.

Of course they are ... they upped the reward about a week ago.
 
I saw an earlier comment where someone pointed out a small circular indentation on the outside of the front passenger door, next to the window slot, in one of the photos of Jessica's burned out car. The positer thought it might have been made by a Molotov cocktail, and therefore was the reason for the recent involvement of the ATF. However, I've also read a recent article that states ATF thinks an acceleratant was used on the outside of the car, possibly as much as a gallon of gasoline. If that is the case, then that would have had to happen -before- a Molotov cocktail was thrown at that window. No way anyone with a can of gasoline would have gotten anywhere near a car already on fire.

I've also read where a preliminary coroner's report has been completed, but that further investigation is needed before a final report, which may not be available for another six weeks. I wouldn't hold my breath until either of these autopsy reports sees the light of day, at least not in the public domain. The Panola County Coroner's office (Gracie Grant-Gulledge) does not seem to like to share information with those who pay her salary, the taxpaying public.
 
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Also, when a moderator removes your post, and you re-post it, anyway, don't be surprised to find yourself on time out.
 
I saw an earlier comment where someone pointed out a small circular indentation on the outside of the front passenger door, next to the window slot, in one of the photos of Jessica's burned out car. The positer thought it might have been made by a Molotov cocktail, and therefore was the reason for the recent involvement of the ATF. However, I've also read a recent article that states ATF thinks an acceleratant was used on the outside of the car, possibly as much as a gallon of gasoline. If that is the case, then that would have had to happen -before- a Molotov cocktail was thrown at that window. No way anyone with a can of gasoline would have gotten anywhere near a car already on fire.

I've also read where a preliminary coroner's report has been completed, but that further investigation is needed before a final report, which may not be available for another six weeks. I wouldn't hold my breath until either of these autopsy reports sees the light of day, at least not in the public domain. The Panola County Coroner's office (Gracie Grant-Gulledge) does not seem to like to share information with those who pay her salary, the taxpaying public.

This murder is still under investigation .... MS Grant-Gulledge has more than likely been told by investigators in this case to not reveal autopsy results.
 
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Actually things have changed. The vast majority of people do not care about race anymore in South. It's really a non-issue these days especially with anyone from the Baby Boomer generation on down. Most of the racial discord is taking place in other areas of the U. S. and the white supremacist groups no longer have a stronghold in the South and haven't for many,many years. Those groups are active in the Northeast and out west. I do not know anyone who would be upset by a person of one race interviewing a person of another race, and I never have.
I seriously doubt anyone was in danger because you spoke to a few people in a restaurant. That kind of stuff doesn't happen here anymore and hasn't in decades.
I had dinner Saturday night in my small Southern town with a group that included black friends and also a Japanese friend. No one cared, and we were not even the only mixed race group in the restaurant. People don't even notice.

I attend a church that has people of all colors and races as members. This is not unusual here. No one really even discusses race at church because it's a non-issue and no one cares. My boss is black....I don't care. We go out to lunch with other coworkers both black and white every single day and not once has there ever been anyone who cared. Certainly we do not feel endangered in the least because people in the South don't care who eats with whom or talks to whom in regards to race.

With all due respect...I take great exception to the blanket assumptions being made in some of these posts about race and the people of the South. Those stereotypes were never really totally correct about all Southerners in the first place.

It's more likely that certain people did not attend Jessica's funeral because of their possible involvement in her death more than anything. That group would be unwelcome due to their behavior....not the color of their skin.
Excuse me, but do you live in Batesville, MS or the immediate surrounding area? Are you telling me that I simply imagined the experience I had personally? Are you telling me my own family members have fabricated their experiences of life there?

I did not make any blanket statements as to the entire southern region of the USA. Your own experience, wherever you live, is just as real and valid as is mine. My experience happened in the very specific small area in which Jessica Chambers was murdered.

ETA: One has only to read a brief few minutes at Web sites like the conservative tree house to see the attitudes still prevalent in specific pockets of our country. Another specific pocket is Harrison, AR, where a giant billboard at the most traveled intersection proudly boasts it's racially bigoted views. It is also the home of the Grand foopah (wizard, lol) of the KKK. Yes, racism does exist still, even though I know some very nice nonbigoted people in both Batesville, MS and Harrison, AR.
 
I'm in the south and trust me racial issues are very much alive today. I'm sure it varies from place to place but I witness it almost daily.
 
I'm in the south and trust me racial issues are very much alive today. I'm sure it varies from place to place but I witness it almost daily.

I have no doubt racism exists. But specific to this case, we don't know that anyone is racist or that racism was a factor in who attended her funeral. I do not believe it was. When it comes to murder, I'm color-blind.

JMO
 
Before the case goes cold, I would like to see a list of questions developed here and presented to media which has covered the case. I think we could generate quite a list and cross our fingers that someone from the media would try to track down answers to our questions. Obviously the questions couldn't be of the variety that would interfere/compromise the case, but perhaps they would open up new avenues for us to explore.......anyone want to start the list? We can have a deadline of Thursday night, I would be more than happy to help by emailing the list to reporters...............

I will participate, but don't have time to write out my questions right now, so I don't want to be the one who starts it.
 
Of course they are ... they upped the reward about a week ago.

Hey all! I know that the community is going to have a candlelight vigil this coming Saturday to observe Jessica's upcoming 20th birthday so I googled "update for Jessica chambers" for more information. An update stated that "Investigators were narrowing in on a person of interest." It was put there by Cross Map (which is a Christian magazine - I think). They also stated that authorities said they were slowly progressing.

Are moderators going to get me for this?

Is that the first time someone has put out a statement like that? They better not be pulling our leg....
 
Yes, racism does exist still, even though I know some very nice nonbigoted people in both Batesville, MS and Harrison, AR.

Years ago whites were called racists .... these days it describes many people no matter their color.
 
Hey all! I know that the community is going to have a candlelight vigil this coming Saturday to observe Jessica's upcoming 20th birthday so I googled "update for Jessica chambers" for more information. An update stated that "Investigators were narrowing in on a person of interest." It was put there by Cross Map (which is a Christian magazine - I think). They also stated that authorities said they were slowly progressing.

Are moderators going to get me for this?

Is that the first time someone has put out a statement like that? They better not be pulling our leg....

By Ggoogling I couldn't find any such article.
 
I have a question about the autopsy. It has been written that Gracie Gulledge, the coroner from Panola County, performed the autopsy. It has also been written that Jessica died in Memphis. Is it typical for a coroner to go to another jurisdiction to perform an autopsy? Does the location of the crime determine who does the work?

OR was Jessica's body returned to Panola County for the autopsy?
 
Yeah, I finally found that .... don't know if that site would be considered MSM, but it surely has some new news in that article.

Probably acceptable because it is a Christian publication, I guess. But they certainly need an editor. Did they mean what they said, "person of interests" or do they mean persons of interest? Makes a difference, IMO.
 
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