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

[suspicious1]

Both burnings occurred on a week-end, Jessica being burned late on Saturday and this body in Tennessee being burned early Sunday morning. Both were gray, drizzly weather days. Both had witnesses on the scene so soon after the burnings that they saw actual fire. Assuming the TN body was a homicide, both perps. left the scenes quickly... perhaps within minutes of the witnesses driving by.

What amazes me is the fact that LE has not ruled the TN case a homicide or not. Jess case was ruled homicide pretty quickly which makes me think that Jess had in fact told people what happened to her. LE said "they know what happened" so I don't buy what they're trying to sell us now. IMO they lack the evidence to convict this person or persons....all they have is Jessica's last words. Could that be enough?

 

[samantha17]

As the title suggests, I would like to focus on the fact that several reports stated "lighter fluid" was poured down Jessica's throat. Here is one example from the NY Daily News:

"Cops hope the final words of a Mississippi teen burned alive will lead authorities to her attacker, who poured lighter fluid down her throat before setting her aflame, police and family members said."

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/burned-teen-told-cops-killer-died-family-article-1.2039398

This is just one example I was referring to above concerning MSM and the many different scenarios they come up with .... I don't recall LE specifically using the words lighter fluid .... only an excellerate (sp).

 

[gngr~snap]

This article says forced to drink lighter fluid. I am not sure it was anything other than a flammable liquid. http://m.nydailynews.com/news/national/funeral-set-burned-alive-teen-article-1.2044043#bmb=1

 

[SeriouslySearching]

You bring up an excellent point Seriously Searching, re: jewelry. I am not sure if JC was wearing jewelry that day but there are pictures online where she is wearing diamond/gemstone studs and other types. Maybe she wore them all the time. Did LE ever find metal from anything like a purse or coins from wallet or would type of metal survive fire? (I think Machiado recently brought up "metal" too). If the purse/wallet metal is able to survive, but there is no evidence of it in the car, may be someone stole her purse/wallet and crime includes robbery, idk. (I thought that JC had purse in M&M video, but not entirely sure). Re: number of arson(s) in general area, I wonder if LE/FBI are looking into the # of arson/car arson deaths to see if unusual pattern, interesting though. Jmo/

LE hasn't mentioned anything about finding other items except the cell phone which was outside the vehicle. Has her family mentioned jewelry or a purse? That would be a great question for her mother to answer. She would know if Jessica wore favorite pieces regardless of how she was dressed.

I don't think they can rule out robbery as a motive yet since they have no clue why this happened to her.

I am curious about the ring found at the other scene. Initial reports are the ring was found near and not on the body of the victim. There have been other cases where the perp would take a trophy and leave it at the next crime scene for whatever sick reason.

 

[SeriouslySearching]

What amazes me is the fact that LE has not ruled the TN case a homicide or not. Jess case was ruled homicide pretty quickly which makes me think that Jess had in fact told people what happened to her. LE said "they know what happened" so I don't buy what they're trying to sell us now. IMO they lack the evidence to convict this person or persons....all they have is Jessica's last words. Could that be enough?

Or LE jumped to conclusions too quickly because they thought Jessica was telling them someone else did it. What if they misunderstood her? What if they didn't look at it as a suicide and geared it all toward a homicide? It would mean they wouldn't find any evidence of it being a homicide nor would they have any suspects...and isn't that where the case is now?

 

[4senthia]

I have a few truckers in my family and for some reason they often drive with their windows partially down and seem to prefer the zippo lighters. They say that the zippo's don't blow out like the disposables do when the air comes in the window. Seems they roll down the window some to keep them alert at night and also because they smoke a lot. Just saying. :moo:

 

[rbarber17]

I think the only folks I know who use the refillable lighters are men who have some significance attached to the lighter... you know, granddaddy's old Zippo or maybe one with some type of emblem that has meaning.

MO: I live south of the Mason-Dixon line, too, but I still call that stuff you pour into wick type cigarette lighters "lighter fluid". Remember that old joke where, when lighting someone else's cigarette with a Zippo, you flip the top closed so it pinches the cigarette and you pull it out of the lightee's mouth after lighting it? Anyway, I wonder whether anybody comes to mind instantly when you ask a random sampling of Courtland smokers if they know anyone who uses that unusual type of lighter. If so, they probably had such a joke pulled on them at one time or another and would remember it.

 

[BirdycatNY]

Or LE jumped to conclusions too quickly because they thought Jessica was telling them someone else did it. What if they misunderstood her? What if they didn't look at it as a suicide and geared it all toward a homicide? It would mean they wouldn't find any evidence of it being a homicide nor would they have any suspects...and isn't that where the case is now?

I think FBI/LE/ATF are not publicly discussing everything, but there should be ways to tell from her injuries, burn patterns etc. For example, JC had a gash on her head from what I've read. If autopsy shows that the gash happened prior to arson and it was significant, it may indicate homicide. ATF and medical examiners are involved in the case, so they can differentiate between homicide/suicide as can an arson/fire/forensics expert as well. I am not sure they would classify it as homicide unless they had proof, but Idk. It would be great if there was a fire expert on WS board to help analyze the car photos/patterns though. Jmo/

 

[4senthia]

Called my favorite trucker on the road and he is using a Zippo Windproof Lighter right now. Says all his friends that smoke and drive use the same plus most longhaulers carry their own lighter fluid. JMHObservation
:moo:

ETA: and then there's this for cigars:
http://cigars.about.com/od/cigaraccessorie1/a/Review-Zippo-Blu2-Butane-Cigar-Lighter.htm
Zippo cigarette lighters have been around for over 80 years, but they are not recommended for cigar smokers because they use liquid lighter fluid that smells something like gasoline, which can negatively impact the taste and aroma of a fine cigar.

Zippo Blu cigar lighters use odorless butane fuel, and were developed especially for use by cigar smokers. Zippo Blu2 cigar lighters produce a single jet flame that is wind resistant, but not windproof.

From wikipedia: Butane is the most commonly misused volatile substance in the UK, and was the cause of 52% of solvent related deaths in 2000.[13] By spraying butane directly into the throat, the jet of fluid can cool rapidly to −20 °C (−4 °F) by expansion, causing prolonged laryngospasm.[14]
:thinking:

 

[imkeylime]

The case of the burned body found in TN has hit a roadblock with trying to ID the victim. They did find a ring near the body and are using the photo to get more information. I would have to assume the victim is female, but not certain of it. Please take a look at the ring.

Do we know if Jessica was wearing any jewelry?

This is only a little over 4 hours away from where Jessica was found and we should keep up with what is going on there. The cases are quite similar in some respects.

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...Adams-February-1-2015&p=11459642#post11459642

The ring definitely looks feminine, IMO. And I think it looks like something a younger woman would wear. My daughter (18) has shown me rings made of black titanium and CZ from a company called EverMarker. This ring looks similar but not identical to some that company carries:

http://www.evermarker.com/rings/

I agree that we should follow this new case in relation to JC's. It seems too similar and too close in distance to discount.

 

[rbarber17]

I have a few truckers in my family and for some reason they often drive with their windows partially down and seem to prefer the zippo lighters. They say that the zippo's don't blow out like the disposables do when the air comes in the window. Seems they roll down the window some to keep them alert at night and also because they smoke a lot. Just saying. :moo:

4senthia: Thanks for this info. So, such a lighter may not be as uncommon as I had at first thought.

I checked for truck stops in the Courtland area:
http://www.yellowpages.com/search?search_terms=truck+stops&geo_location_terms=Courtland,+MS

The closest one is the Love’s Travel Stop in Batesville, right off I-55:
http://myloves388.com/

Not very far away from Courtland, about 10 miles north (click the Get Directions button):
http://www.yellowpages.com/listings/453978074/directions

Gave the Love’s a call (662-563-1852). They carry both Zippo lighters and the fuel for them. Probably get hundreds of people through there in a week, so would be hard to remember any one person. Oh well, just a thought.

 

[Classito]

This scene is reminiscent of what happened to Jessica Chambers in Panola County, Miss., but investigators are not drawing any conclusions or connections to that case. The pickup was found burning in a ditch on the side of this road, investigators are looking into every possibility at this point.

"For now we are considering this a suspicious situation," Washington said.

http://www.myfoxmemphis.com/story/27665189/body-found-in-burning-car-in-millington

Classito

 

[wfgodot]

Or LE jumped to conclusions too quickly because they thought Jessica was telling them someone else did it. What if they misunderstood her? What if they didn't look at it as a suicide and geared it all toward a homicide? It would mean they wouldn't find any evidence of it being a homicide nor would they have any suspects...and isn't that where the case is now?

This is so well-said that it bears repeating.

 

[SteveP]

Or LE jumped to conclusions too quickly because they thought Jessica was telling them someone else did it. What if they misunderstood her? What if they didn't look at it as a suicide and geared it all toward a homicide? It would mean they wouldn't find any evidence of it being a homicide nor would they have any suspects...and isn't that where the case is now?

Respectfully, LE have never said they have no evidence of homicide, they have said they have no suspects. Huge difference, imo.

 

[4senthia]

Smoking Gun... NOT
Thanks that's a direction towards a random killer roaming the roads that I've considered more and more. The Love's has a McDonalds also and lots of cameras. Keep digging if you don't mind. TIA
:moo:

 

[MotherOcean]

I worked with domestic violence victims for many years through a shelter program. We were also involved with sexual assault victims, and even had several women who came to us as a result of having been trafficked. There is a Love's Truck Stop in our area and every single woman who escaped having been taken and held by strangers (as opposed to partners/family) sometimes for months, came to us after having ended up at the Love's. My FIL is a truck driver. I'm not saying such are "bad" people. But, the Love's in our area, and another one not too far away, do attract some shady people. Not that this has anything to do with Jessica. But, I do hope and imagine LE have checked the Batesville Love's for any potential video or questioned workers there about any recent overnighters.

 

[MotherOcean]

Who uses windproof lighters? So far, we've mentioned bikers and truckers. Also, boaters. My husband has several boating buddies who use the old style Zippos.

 

[Yvettea]

Both burnings occurred on a week-end, Jessica being burned late on Saturday and this body in Tennessee being burned early Sunday morning. Both were gray, drizzly weather days. Both had witnesses on the scene so soon after the burnings that they saw actual fire. Assuming the TN body was a homicide, both perps. left the scenes quickly... perhaps within minutes of the witnesses driving by.

That's eight weeks after Jessica's death, Dec. 6th to Feb. 1.

 

[monster]

Why would a driver go down that road? What's there? No shipper or receivers down that road. No truck stops. Where would they pull off at? Is there a shoulder on that road. Or is a td just gunna park his 72+ foot vehicle in the road for a few minutes? IDK maybe if someone got killed at ts or rest area then maybe, but I don't think that's likely.

 

[monster]

Also in almost a MILLION miles, I have never see any driver ever whip out a zippo, or buy the lighter fluid covered in dust. Always a bic or a cricket lighter. Not trying to be snippy but a murder could occur in a field 15 miles from a road and there's always gunna be the "It could be a truck driver" that would sometimes go against all logic. And there is always someone implying but saying they are not implying that we're horrible meth addled, hooker loving, cursing, serial killers. Yes I get defensive over some stereotypes that are but aren't being hinted at.