Mystery couple murdered in South Carolina, 1976 - #3

[Mysterylover]

One thing you learn around these forums is that a lot of times, hitch hikers don't always give their real names. Apparently, some don't give them at all.

If they were hitch hiking, or picked up a hitch hiker, there's a chance they didn't exchange names.

IMO, I think they were robbed. And I think the killer didn't know their names. If he swiped a wallet and purse, perhaps there were ID's inside, but they're probably long gone by now.

Youshould...I think they were robbed also..
They had to have ID and drivers license..even if they were from Canada.
Has this been overlooked, if they were from a lot of foreign countries, they would have had Passports also?

QUOTE:
Perhaps the best chance for solving the mystery came four months after the murder when a South Carolina man was arrested for drinking and driving. Under his car seat police found a .357-calibre handgun. Tests linked it to the slayings. The man with the gun, Lonnie George Henry.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________

The more I look into this case the more I'm starting to get a very bad feeling about the handling and investigation immediately after these murders..

I'm Questioning: IF one of the Henry's had 'something' ON or was 'friends' with someone that was investigating this case 32 yrs. ago?....jmo..:doh:..:furious:

We should leave no stone unturned.....this has gone on long enough!......imo

 

[Mysterylover]

I was looking at some things, like they had eaten strawberries, i found 2 old fruit stands in Florence SC both on Palmetto st, Vaugh's which was a combo fruit stand and a grocery, they were also open until midnight in 1976. The other Byrds at 813 E Palmetto. I notice they are close to the Florence airport, I wonder if that was open in 1976?

Here is a link to the map to show where the fruit stand is from the place they were found, they would have been going back south from the fruitstand.

Based on the info about digesting fruit below, that would fit with the time it would have taken them to get to the place they were found
here is a map and below is info I found about the fruit stands, I wonder how far Lonnie Henry lived from the Fruit Stand?
Also at the bottom a month after they were killed one of the fruit stands was broken into and they stole fruit and beer????

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=809 E Palmetto St florence&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wl

Timing of digestion depends on what foods you eat and in what combinations, Most fruits that are acid(Oranges, strawberries and the like) will digest in 1 hr to 90 mins. Sweet fruit, like bananas and raisins take 3-4 hrs. Proteins 4 hrs veggies 2-3 hrs and most carbs 2-3 hrs. At that point it enters the colon and figure about 4 hrs longer

Jul 5, 1976
... COLD WATERMELONS COMPLETE LINE OF FRESH FRUITS HEALTH NEEDS GROCERIES ICE COLD BEER COLD DRINKS VAUGHN'S FRUIT STAND 809 E PALMETTO ST FLORENCE S C OPEN ...
FRUIT STAND Open Til 12 7 Days A Week 809 E Palmetto St YOU cover dollor of ..
COLD WATERMELONS COMPLETE LINE OF FRESH FRUITS HEALTH NEEDS GROCERIES ICE COLD BEER COLD DRINKS VAUGHN'S FRUIT STAND 809 E PALMETTO ST FLORENCE S C OPEN ... Related web pages
_____________________________
Florence Morning News (Newspaper) - September 8, 1976, Florence,...
Subscription - Florence Morning News - NewspaperArchie - Sep 8, 1976
... turntable valued at were reportedly stolen Byrd's Fruit Stand 1211 East Palmetto St was broken Friday night about worth of food products including fruit and beer...

Pheno...A very good post, I had missed reading it til today
Did you notice Florence has a Regional Airport also, it is about 43 miles from Sumter on hwys. 301/327 which crosses I-95...
Could the couple have just gotten off a Plane?

 

[Mysterylover]

Did they not check the tire plasters against Lonnie Henry's car, just to rule him out definitively?

He seems like the best suspect.

Maybe he picked the kids up as they were hitchhiking, then killed them for whatever reason.
He had the gun, he didn't pass the polygraph...

seems like the tire casts would have at least added to the evidence against him (or helped to rule him out)......

Mr. E...A good question. Wish we knew the answer....and why let go when he had commited a felony?

 

[Mysterylover]

You are right LT - dang that stupid gun!
It's a totally missed opportunity that may never be recaptured.
Focusing on the gun, they do need to look at the folks closest to Lonnie Sr. - anyone he would have been inclined to protect or who would have been in a position to "borrow" the gun without his knowledge...

FairyI...Did Lonnie Henry live in South Carolina or North Carolina?..

Where was he employed?....:waitasec:

 

[Mysterylover]

Sociopaths can pass lie detector tests because they tend to believe their lies are truth....

Youshouldveknown...You are correct about Sociopaths, have NO conscience ...

I have cut and pasted some paragraphs below that say the couple was shot in the back of their heads...It does not mention being shot under the chin...big difference...
Does anyone know where "Latter' is? I have googled North and South Carolina and find No town by that name..
QUOTE:

Theories of what happened on Aug. 9, 1976, have bounced around over the years. Some say the two, who were likely foreigners because of their olive skin tones and body appearance, may have picked up a hitchhiker on Interstate 95. Others say they were probably hitchhikers themselves.

In 1977 SLED matched bullets from a .357-caliber Magnum with the serial number filed off, to bullets taken from the bodies.

Entry wound examinations revealed someone shot them in the back of their heads to finish them off.

Police confiscated the gun from a North Carolina man who had been arrested in Latter, in late 1976 for driving under the influence and traced it from the factory through several owners.

But the case eventually hit a dead end.

While solving the crime is important to authorities, the focus is now on finding out who the man and woman were.

"These people were found on the I-95 corridor, which at the time ran the cocaine trade from New York to Miami," Graven said. "You're never going to know what you're dealing with until you know who they are."
Fingerprints were made. Photos were taken. Interviews were conducted.

No leads ever came.

The man and woman, who were believed to be in their mid 20s and late teens, respectively, were found in Sumter County shot to death 31 years ago today on the shoulder of Lock-lair Road, a dirt road between Interstate 95 and S.C. 341, near the Florence County line.

 

[Fairy1]

Hiya LT. To answer your questions, I do believe Lonnie Sr. was from SC. Darlington County is where he was pulled over that night. I don't remember ever seeing the name of his employer at the time, but it is said that prior to being caught with the gun in his car, he had accidentally killed a co-worker by running over him in a dump truck.

If these kids were involved in drug trafficking, it would explain quite a lot. Their being in the vacinity of where they were found, being well-groomed, being robbed, being murdered and possibly being estranged from their families. If this is the case, I strongly believe someone would have spilled the beans about what happened that night at some point. I can't help but feel the pieces of this puzzle are scattered far and wide. Not saying it's impossible to put them together, but those who hold the different pieces don't know where the other pieces are.....

Seeing these kids and so many references about their olive toned skin, I wonder if they might have been Greek? Jock looks very Greek to me.

 

[Teresa Larson]

Guys, You're all thinking smart, keep it up!

Has anyone asked for the autopsy reports on our 2 victims?
In most all states it's available to the public....

Did the coroner think to get a 'liver temp' reading? That would narrow the time of deaths.

It would be very 'telling' to know if the fruit the couple had eaten was 'still' in their stomach.
Fruit digestion takes 1 3/4 hrs to 2 3/4 hours which would put them at the fruit stand or eating ice cream less than 3 hours before the murders occurring around 12:30 -1:00 midnight.

http://www.unani.com/digestion_time_of_foods.htm

Another point about being shot in the chest..
If they were shot in the vehicle, or standing outside the vehicle, most any killer would aim for their chest, if they meant to kill them..

By the killer getting out of the vehicle to shoot them under the chin, if that occurred, would likely be done by someone who was familiar with pistols like: a hunter, LE, War veteran, drug dealer or someone that watched a lot of movies. From looking at the couples pictures, the male shows no signs of being shot under the chin, imo...

I still feel it would be productive to the case, to question Lonnie Jr. while hooked up to a polygraph.
He just may remember things like, where 'someone' got rid of the couples possessions.

It's human nature for killers to mention details of their crimes as time passes and a lot of time did pass in this case. I've found Liquor loosens tongues.
With Lonnie Sr. drinking heavily I'd bet a thousand dollars he mentioned things about this case to his wife, son or brother...over the following months or years.

An autopsy showed that the victims had been shot at close range in the back, chest and throat. The couple had been dead for less than 24 hours.

 

[Mysterylover]

An autopsy showed that the victims had been shot at close range in the back, chest and throat.
The couple had been dead for less than 24 hours.

TeresaL, All You guys are all very smart sleuths, and I enjoy reading your theories...

I've found over the years, that many times reporters don't do a lot of research, or homework and are vague in their memories and details, even wrong at times on what they report.
I always double check what was reported to make sure all info. and details are accurate, which is vital to finding answers and solving crimes.

Has anyone posted the autopsy reports anywhere...It would be very interesting to read exactly what the coroner found...

The coroners report in the 2 Okla. girls murder case was very informative....could be in this case too....

 

[Mysterylover]

Hiya LT. To answer your questions,
I do believe Lonnie Sr. was from SC. Darlington County is where he was pulled over that night.
I don't remember ever seeing the name of his employer at the time, but it is said that prior to being caught with the gun in his car, he had accidentally killed a co-worker by running over him in a dump truck.

If these kids were involved in drug trafficking, it would explain quite a lot. Their being in the vacinity of where they were found, being well-groomed, being robbed, being murdered and possibly being estranged from their families.
If this is the case, I strongly believe someone would have spilled the beans about what happened that night at some point. I can't help but feel the pieces of this puzzle are scattered far and wide. Not saying it's impossible to put them together, but those who hold the different pieces don't know where the other pieces are.....

Seeing these kids and so many references about their olive toned skin, I wonder if they might have been Greek?

Jock looks very Greek to me.....

Fairy1...Thank you,
Yes, they could be Greek or South American..or the same nationality.

I feel someone is still living that knows something, possibly where the couple's belongings were disposed of..a clue of some kind..

It is a center for tobacco farming. The population was 6,720 at the 2000 census (12,066 total pop. of Darlington Urban Cluster),

and is PART of the Florence Metropolitan Statistical Area.
It is the county seat of Darlington County.

Darlington, SC to Sumer, SC is 43 miles..... Darlington SC to Florence SC..is Only 11 miles.

The murders took place on Locklair Road, toward Florence.

If Lonnie Henry Sr. lived in Darlington that is only 11 miles from Florence, Hmmmm!

making Henry Living somewhere between 11 to 43 miles from where the couple was murdered that August night, (and only 83 miles from Monroe Hospital.)

How could he not be placed in the area of the murders, when he lived in the vicinity and had the murder weapon in his possession????
Living so close and having the murder weapon is NO Coincidence, ask any seasoned investigator..

Quote: The report also indicated the couple had been dead for less than 24 hours.
The two were found about 6:20 a.m....
near 1-95 and S.C. 141 by a man on his way to work.

They were well groomed. They weren't the hippie-type.
They looked like the All-American boy and girl travelers," Parnell said.

Sumter County Coroner J. Bennie Raffield said the bodies were about four or five feet apart and that both were lying on their backs. The two are believed to have been shot between midnight Sunday and 1 a.m. Monday, the coroner said. Area residents reported hearing gunshots from the area about that time..Hmmmm! Its a proven fact, witnesses can be mistaken, especially if they were asleep ...what if it was closer to 2:00 AM ?

 

[Fairy1]

I have to say, I have always believed Lonnie Sr. to be the most likely suspect. That being said, I am at a complete loss as to WHY he would have killed these kids. Other than just a random hitch-hiking pick up, I can't think of a really viable reason for their paths to have crossed at all, let alone for something to have transpired in such a short time to result in cold-blooded murders.

Lonnie is long gone and, unless he shared the details with someone still living, took his secrets with him. If he did ever tell anyone, why would they not come forward now? He doesn't need protecting. That gives credence to the theory that HE was protecting someone who is still living. :waitasec:

Just thinking out loud....this case is so frustrating!

 

[Mysterylover]

I have to say, I have always believed Lonnie Sr. to be the most likely suspect. That being said, I am at a complete loss as to WHY he would have killed these kids.

Other than just a random hitch-hiking pick up, I can't think of a really viable reason for their paths to have crossed at all, let alone for something to have transpired in such a short time to result in cold-blooded murders.

Lonnie is long gone and, unless he shared the details with someone still living, took his secrets with him. If he did ever tell anyone, why would they not come forward now?

He doesn't need protecting. That gives credence to the theory that HE was protecting someone who is still living. :waitasec:

Just thinking out loud....this case is so frustrating!

Fairy1...With your good common sense thinking I agree with most everything you post....Lonnie Sr. had the Smoking gun, Imo it's an easy 95 % chance he did it.
Could it be possible 'they' haven't came forward because 'they' haven't been asked? If not, why? Lonnie Jr. should have been questioned and investigated several times.
What about DNA off the couples cloths??

With many murders it's hard, if not impossible to find a Motive, as murder makes no sense...I suspect robbery, I suspect the monster needed money. Who knows what valuables this couple may have had with them.
Maybe they had a backpack full of 'pot", or a brick of 'hashish", or gold chains around their necks, it's a fact, the murderer wanted what ever they had and took it.
I still question, Why did he see need to shoot them?

If it was drugs the couple would not have gone to the police.....so there has to be another reason.

Like I said before, Lonnie Sr. drank and I have never met a heavy drinker that does not talk way too much and he had many years to slowly 'spill the beans".

I believe IF anyone was seriously serious, in wanting the details exposed and this case solved, they would have already offered Lonnie Jr., his uncle and LH's widow, 'IMMUNITY' from prosecution and ask them what they know/heard about this case.. then again, who knows if any of the files on this case are 'still around, Jocks teeth aren't"?

It makes no sense to allow, after 32 years, the only people who possibly knows bits, pieces and clues in this cold blooded murder case to DIE with what they know,
unless, L.H Sr. was set-up! Hmmm! Does it not seem strange there was no prison time for the felony?......just thinking out loud..

What would look better, solving the case with no arrest or let it stay a Cold Case forever..:shakehead:....jmo

 

[Mysterylover]

Where has Richard been? I'm trying to catch-up and just finished reading His past posts they were extremely well thought out..

I brought the following post over, as it has a Psychic's opinion. WOW an eye opener indeed! ..jmo
Quote:
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Papillion Nebraska
Posts: 724

Quote:
Originally Posted by phenolred
A few things I can add. When I sent Verna an email to show her the eyes open pics she called me. Wow, amazing at some of the things .......

Anyway I will try to remember some of the things she told me about the psychic.
For one she thought the girl might be from Indiana and her name might be Susan and she might have a Sister Carrie.
The guy the pyschic said his last name might be Fitzpatrick or Fitz something.
Then all of a sudden after revealing alot of info the psychic got really scared and said she could not go on and wanted nothing more to do with it.

I also learned that some rocket scientist THREW AWAY Jocks teeth. 2 years ago. Isnt that nice.

I got a real feeling the LE didnt want this solved.....

I dont care if the murder is solved at this point I just want them Identified......

Another man was working this per Verna and she told me it was a Van that drove them there.

 

[shadetreePI]

Lonnie Henry did NOT live in Darlington county. He lived in NC, not SC. Here's a quote from crimelibrary:

Authorities thought they had their best lead yet when, about four months after the slayings, police found the gun they believe was the murder weapon.
A North Carolina man suspected of driving drunk was arrested while traveling through Latta, S.C. Police say they found a gun that had part of its serial
number filed off in the man's car.

Hope this helps...

 

[Mysterylover]

Lonnie Henry did NOT live in Darlington county. He lived in NC, not SC. Here's a quote from crimelibrary:

Authorities thought they had their best lead yet when, about four months after the slayings, police found the gun they believe was the murder weapon.
A North Carolina man suspected of driving drunk was arrested while traveling through Latta, S.C. Police say they found a gun that had part of its serial
number filed off in the man's car.

Hope this helps...

ShadeTree, Thank You...My mistake...Do you know where in NC.he lived and worked?

 

[Fairy1]

Lonnie Henry did NOT live in Darlington county. He lived in NC, not SC. Here's a quote from crimelibrary:

Authorities thought they had their best lead yet when, about four months after the slayings, police found the gun they believe was the murder weapon.
A North Carolina man suspected of driving drunk was arrested while traveling through Latta, S.C. Police say they found a gun that had part of its serial
number filed off in the man's car.

Hope this helps...

Thank you shadetree - you are correct - my mistake. IMO this detail makes it even less likely for Lonnie Sr. to be in the area of the murders that night. It would be interesting to know what his remaining family members recall, but surely they have been questioned since 1976 if this is still technically an open investigation??? Then again, if it was one of them he was protecting, they're not likely to be very helpful. Even then, whoever did kill Jock and Jane may never have known their names. But they sure might know what happened to the couple's possessions.

 

[bluestarzz]

Let's think = psychic = what could be so scarey now? or when was the psychic speaking of the crime? now or then?
I don't see how any information regarding this crime could be scarey now, unless the person responsable or those that know of the crime now are in a place of power.
Just trying to reason why she acted that way and find out when she did act that way over what she saw in her visions.
bluestarzz

 

[cowgirl35]

I also believe they are from another country and that's why nobody has come forward.Why i think that is cause how Jane didn't shave her legs i know you all might think that's crazy but the first thing that popped in my head was she was a foreigner.Isn't it France or is it Greece that some of their woman don't believe in shaving their legs or armpits?I imagine it was more of a belief back in the 70's.Well i know it it some other country that believes in woman not shaving not sure which one.

 

[MaryLiz]

ShadeTree, Thank You...My mistake...Do you know where in NC.he lived and worked?

Don't mean to jump in and answer for Shadetree PI but when I was searching for Lonnie Henry Sr.'s obit it said on Genealogy.com that he died in Anson, NC which is about 2 hours and 20 minutes from Sumter, SC.

 

[Fairy1]

I'm quite sure this has been discussed, but my memory isn't what it used to be! Is it possible that Lonnie's son who drowned prior to his arrest was responsible for the murders? I don't recall ever seeing the name of that son....but then again - memory.

 

[shadetreePI]

Thank you MB for jumping in. I don't think I had it in me yet this lovely Monday morning to strain my brain.

I thought LH's son that drowned was a Jr. I have had difficulty finding family information on LH. I know its out there, I just haven't been able to get my fingers on it yet. One thing that I did figure out was that LH,Jr (if that is correct) drowned in the Pee Dee River. I thought at first - great! A connection to SC. Pee Dee river isn't very far from where the bodies were found. But after digging a little deeper I discovered (the obvious...), Pee Dee runs right into NC and it would make more sense that he drowned in that state, not SC. But I don't know this to be a fact, I am only guessing. Like I said, I have run into brick walls when trying to dig up info on LH. Perhaps one of you guys will be able to do a better job at researching him than I have been able to.