NY NY - Sylvia Lwowski, 22, Staten Island, 6 Sept 1975 - #4

[GoingByMyGut]

Here's the PR, Skeet -- did I really miss doing that on page 1? Big oversight. Sorry.

 

[alliemay]

Thanks, so we still have not figured out what that is supposed to mean right? Has anyone contacted Lennon?

 

[GoingByMyGut]

The reward could have easily been interjected into the article that the Staten Island Advance did on her. I don't think it takes much to buy an ad in the newspaper offering a reward, for anything really, stolen car, information on theft etc etc. I don't see why the police would need to "store" the money in this case. The only one I am aware of is "the boy in the box" where the name of the child is not known and one of the detectives offered his own money and he has passed away now so the police have that money in an account. You see it on missing people posters all the time, if a family member is still alive, I think the money would come directly from the family member not the police. I don't see how it would impossible if one wanted to put this information about the reward money on the Namus site, or the NY missing list. I have a strong feeling that these organizations would not refuse to do that.

Maybe there is a fear that unwanted or unreliable people will come out of the woodwork with misinformation. There seems to be lack of trust, from the get go.

In the beginning, it was "no publicity", the situation is past that now, she is on several sites and an article was printed in the paper. What is to stop the family from having a "poster campaign", make up flyers, tack them on every corner, places in the mall, local grocery stores, everywhere. Check on their status a week later to make sure they are still there. You can add the reward money in the wording of the poster. What is stopping them?

You know I wish they still had a copy of the original missing person report up. Did it really say the words "will not handle". I talked to a retired police office who told me in all his years he has never seen any missing person report with those words on it. He also told me that unless you are a child, or an aged sickly person, they do not have the manpower to investigate every case and most just get filed away. That was a little dis-heartening.

BBMs: All really good points, Skeet. Re BBM1, I went back to the article -- the person from the DA's office who was interviewed was an unnamed "spokesman." Even more distancing.

Re BBM2: That's close to what I was thinking. I thought they might accept the reward to make JL happy, but say they would only use it if a break in the case came along (i.e., fell into their laps). Based on their evaluation of the case's solvability, and their inability to assign personnel to deal with tips that would likely get them nowhere, they may not have been willing to advertise such a reward. But that may be a stretch ...

Re BBM3: That is sad.

Someone on another thread suggested that another reason LE lets certain cases lie fallow is if they reveal something negative about LE ... I know there's been some conjecture about that, but I don't recall much of a basis for it. And I think no one on the outside who made such a claim would be heard -- it would have to come from a whistleblower. Just thoughts. JMO

 

[GoingByMyGut]

Thanks, so we still have not figured out what that is supposed to mean right? Has anyone contacted Lennon?

Not to my knowledge on both Qs. I take it at face value -- bc SL was an adult (and bc of anything they might have learned from some preliminary investigating, such as perhaps a call to the BF/F), they would not be investigating further.

 

[Jmoose]

The reward could have easily been interjected into the article that the Staten Island Advance did on her. I don't think it takes much to buy an ad in the newspaper offering a reward, for anything really, stolen car, information on theft etc etc. I don't see why the police would need to "store" the money in this case. The only one I am aware of is "the boy in the box" where the name of the child is not known and one of the detectives offered his own money and he has passed away now so the police have that money in an account. You see it on missing people posters all the time, if a family member is still alive, I think the money would come directly from the family member not the police. I don't see how it would impossible if one wanted to put this information about the reward money on the Namus site, or the NY missing list. I have a strong feeling that these organizations would not refuse to do that.

Maybe there is a fear that unwanted or unreliable people will come out of the woodwork with misinformation. There seems to be lack of trust, from the get go.

In the beginning, it was "no publicity", the situation is past that now, she is on several sites and an article was printed in the paper. What is to stop the family from having a "poster campaign", make up flyers, tack them on every corner, places in the mall, local grocery stores, everywhere. Check on their status a week later to make sure they are still there. You can add the reward money in the wording of the poster. What is stopping them?

You know I wish they still had a copy of the original missing person report up. Did it really say the words "will not handle". I talked to a retired police office who told me in all his years he has never seen any missing person report with those words on it. He also told me that unless you are a child, or an aged sickly person, they do not have the manpower to investigate every case and most just get filed away. That was a little dis-heartening.

BBM-I think there is definitely some of this going on. I was emailing her brother a while back regarding the reward, and it isn't quite as simple as offering a reward for a lost dog or cat, for example. As an extreme dog lover, I realize I run the risk of some scorn for what I am about to say, but...it's just different, and much more serious to offer a reward for a human and run the risk of becoming invested in the possibility that someone has information about your loved one, that they are willing to trade for money, and nothing else. Once someone knows you are willing to pay for information, you run the risk of a situation like Amy Billig's mother-where she began to get untruthful information from some creep about what happened to her daughter-this guy really got to her, and you can never be truly certain if the info is or isn't out there, just waiting for you to pay for it. It sort of becomes a license for somebody to extort you, which is why the police should be involved in the process. I don't think ASWDeerHunter is getting a lot, or even any, positive responses from LE in this regard

 

[Jmoose]

Thanks, so we still have not figured out what that is supposed to mean right? Has anyone contacted Lennon?

Nobody's contacted Lennon-he's retired as far as I know-not even sure if he is still alive

 

[GoingByMyGut]

BBM-I think there is definitely some of this going on. I was emailing her brother a while back regarding the reward, and it isn't quite as simple as offering a reward for a lost dog or cat, for example. As an extreme dog lover, I realize I run the risk of some scorn for what I am about to say, but...it's just different, and much more serious to offer a reward for a human and run the risk of becoming invested in the possibility that someone has information about your loved one, that they are willing to trade for money, and nothing else. Once someone knows you are willing to pay for information, you run the risk of a situation like Amy Billig's mother-where she began to get untruthful information from some creep about what happened to her daughter-this guy really got to her, and you can never be truly certain if the info is or isn't out there, just waiting for you to pay for it. It sort of becomes a license for somebody to extort you, which is why the police should be involved in the process. I don't think ASWDeerHunter is getting a lot, or even any, positive responses from LE in this regard

I agree with this completely -- and think it's why LE would have to handle the reward. They have the skill to deal with both what people say and who it is that says it.

Re dogs, I have heard that this kind of thing even happens when people offer pet rewards. A known scam is someone steals an "expensive" dog, waits to see if a reward is posted, then "finds" the dog. I don't see anything objectionable in what you said.

 

[rosemadderlake]

Nobody's contacted Lennon-he's retired as far as I know-not even sure if he is still alive

I believe "G" had said letters written to Det. Lennon were unanswered. Posting this link from I think thread #2 in an attempt to identify him. (I had it bookmarked) I remember in my NYPD search only one other "Lennon" came up who was much younger.

http://www.rocklandcountysheriffoffice.com/police_academy/staff.html

 

[rosemadderlake]

The reward could have easily been interjected into the article that the Staten Island Advance did on her. I don't think it takes much to buy an ad in the newspaper offering a reward, for anything really, stolen car, information on theft etc etc. I don't see why the police would need to "store" the money in this case. The only one I am aware of is "the boy in the box" where the name of the child is not known and one of the detectives offered his own money and he has passed away now so the police have that money in an account. You see it on missing people posters all the time, if a family member is still alive, I think the money would come directly from the family member not the police. I don't see how it would impossible if one wanted to put this information about the reward money on the Namus site, or the NY missing list. I have a strong feeling that these organizations would not refuse to do that.

Maybe there is a fear that unwanted or unreliable people will come out of the woodwork with misinformation. There seems to be lack of trust, from the get go.

In the beginning, it was "no publicity", the situation is past that now, she is on several sites and an article was printed in the paper. What is to stop the family from having a "poster campaign", make up flyers, tack them on every corner, places in the mall, local grocery stores, everywhere. Check on their status a week later to make sure they are still there. You can add the reward money in the wording of the poster. What is stopping them?

You know I wish they still had a copy of the original missing person report up. Did it really say the words "will not handle". I talked to a retired police office who told me in all his years he has never seen any missing person report with those words on it. He also told me that unless you are a child, or an aged sickly person, they do not have the manpower to investigate every case and most just get filed away. That was a little dis-heartening.

Bbm: Yes, it could have, but I don't think one was set up. When talking of a sum like $25k (ASWDH's reward roll out from last April 2013), I do believe there would have to be a legal mechanism in place (escrow & terms of reward) because tips would be submitted to LE.

 

[alliemay]

Bbm: Yes, it could have, but I don't think one was set up. When talking of a sum like $25k, I do believe there would have to be a legal mechanism in place (escrow & terms of reward) because tips would be submitted to LE.

I thought the reward was $1,000.00, did that figure change?

 

[rosemadderlake]

I thought the reward was $1,000.00, did that figure change?

Skeet, I added info in previous post. The $25k reward figure came from ASWDH last year (thread #1 around April 15th). And then we heard nothing further about it.

 

[GoingByMyGut]

Here's the post. For some reason I remembered it as less too, but Rose is right.

 

[Jmoose]

I believe "G" had said letters written to Det. Lennon were unanswered. Posting this link from I think thread #2 in an attempt to identify him. (I had it bookmarked) I remember in my NYPD search only one other "Lennon" came up who was much younger.

http://www.rocklandcountysheriffoffice.com/police_academy/staff.html

I recall that "G" said this-but he didn't say who sent the letters, or when. It was my assumption that it would have been much earlier than now, and when I said nobody'd tried to contact him, I meant since last Spring, when we started discussing Sylvia's case. The other detective that I spoke to said that he retired-and it didn't occur to me to ask what his first name was, or if he was still alive, as of the time of our conversation. Unfortunately, Lennon's a common name.

I wish we'd been able to get in touch with the ADA neighbor of MMQC-wondering if a conversation with him could have been at least as productive as one with Det. Lennon

 

[Jmoose]

I believe "G" had said letters written to Det. Lennon were unanswered. Posting this link from I think thread #2 in an attempt to identify him. (I had it bookmarked) I remember in my NYPD search only one other "Lennon" came up who was much younger.

http://www.rocklandcountysheriffoffice.com/police_academy/staff.html

The Lennon in Rockland County can't be him, anyway-since he spent the majority of his working life with the NYC Transit Dept. police. Where is this guy (lol)? Could he be that far under the radar?

 

[rosemadderlake]

The Lennon in Rockland County can't be him, anyway-since he spent the majority of his working life with the NYC Transit Dept. police. Where is this guy (lol)? Could he be that far under the radar?

- Maybe he's retired in Florida? If letters were written, perhaps there is a first name there. I think too much time has passed to track some of these people down...

 

[Jmoose]

- Maybe he's retired in Florida? If letters were written, perhaps there is a first name there. I think too much time has passed to track some of these people down...

Yes-and I think that what may be unspoken (because LE can't find a kind way of saying it), is that, after 38 years, they think she's dead and there isn't any way after all of this time to find her, or find out what happened to her-and that her brother should let it be and not let it get in the way of having a good life. I really believe this is how it is for LE in this case, not because they don't care, but because there isn't anything they can do at this point.

 

[GoingByMyGut]

Yes-and I think that what may be unspoken (because LE can't find a kind way of saying it), is that, after 38 years, they think she's dead and there isn't any way after all of this time to find her, or find out what happened to her-and that her brother should let it be and not let it get in the way of having a good life. I really believe this is how it is for LE in this case, not because they don't care, but because there isn't anything they can do at this point.

So, you could be right about the BBM2. I wouldn't be at all surprised by that -- or if maybe they think that the level of investigation they could do would not yield the results that applying their efforts to another case might. Like you said earlier, there are more cases than they can get to. And we see everyday that pursuing these cold cases comes down to some individual LEO's judgment.

But re the BBM1, I hope (or want to believe) that LE never closes the door on murder. I think that's the only reason to keep a case this old open, right? They must think she's dead, because only if it comes down to murder is it still prosecutable, right?

I don't know if it's true, but I think LE must see murder as an affront -- a wrong they want to right. While they might feel that there is nothing they can do right now -- and they may not work this murder case aggressively for reasons such as the above -- I think in the backs of their minds they hold out hope that something will happen that changes the picture for SL in the future.

Too idealistic? I don't know. Maybe. JMO. But isn't this one of the fundamentals that society rests on? One of the reasons we have "laws" at all? Right or wrong, for me, it's a necessary viewpoint, and I suspect that you are actually more hopeful about the situation than it sounded from your post.

 

[rosemadderlake]

Imo: I don’t think there is anything LE could say that DH hasn’t thought of already. I’m sure LE looks at her picture and sees the peril that might have happened to Sylvia.

As 'the' family member who shined a light on her very cold case over this past year, looking back I think Sylvia’s brother has done well by his sister. He’s gone on record in saying where he would search for her and stated his suspicions and disbelief stemming from the fallout after her disappearance. -Same with her best friend. As everything unfolded with the updating of the Charlie Project, video controversy, joining our group here on WS, Radio show, and seeing it through to a story published about Sylvia, I think much awareness was raised for the very first time. --As draining as it must be, he’s also reached out perhaps on the chance that she’s alive somewhere and will get the message? I hope he can ‘let it be’ sometimes too, knowing that Sylvia captured our hearts. -She really did. And, to know that she is not forgotten.

I also think the fact that we can start up on the rewards, and the police report, and tracking down that Det Lennon again is a good thing – it keeps the flame lit for her.

 

[epiphany]

Hi All,

It makes me Spit that not a one of her childhood, neighborhood, HS nor college friends (save her BestF) have come forward to speak about Sylvia Lwowski or to her disappearance.
Just. Steams. Me.

It's simply odd, IMO.

Where, where are the native New Yorkers? How about she was shy, kept to herself...anything?

Disgusted.

 

[rosemadderlake]

I always thought if a “neutral Sylvia Lwowski site” was established for people to share their memories it could open some doors, especially in conjunction with all the other efforts.

For our efforts here, maybe the loose cannon effect of the “smoke ‘em out" video attached to a google search, and name calling in the comments section of the SI Advance article from a couple of (WS members?) who didn’t even know her or her fiancé personally have backfired? It may be a triumph for the “see how clever we are” crowd making anonymous grand gestures on the web. --But for friends and neighbors, why would they even give the amateurs the time of day? --And when the theories here on this thread go to mob hit, cover up, and landfill on a Saturday night after the movies, who is going to join that discussion? Because honestly, what is the probability of that? -Or suicide? And why would I “go there” if I knew her? I will be really surprised if we hear from anyone else who knew her.

If this was a couple I knew from school, the band, sorority, or knew well from their engagement, why would I join a sleuthing site? To challenge the suspicions of her family and best friend who last saw her, or support this or that theory when I really don’t know what happened? No, I would probably know more because I would have been in touch with her fiancé long ago.

All - imo