OH OH - William 'Bill' Comeans, 14, Columbus, 7 Jan 1980 - #1

[Methodical]

Scene- 1 victim, 3 family, 4-6 EMS/FIRE, 2-4 LEO, 10-15 neighbors attracted by lights.

Rough estimate of personnel at location as incident unfolded.

911 was called as my brother and I walked out the front door and headed north. ETA was apx 5 minute walk from our house north to LEO encounter.

He may have just entered the area of the neighborhood when we saw him. His comment seemed very random to me, as my brother turned and headed north, I have no idea where he went.

Back to our house, less than 5 minutes, we were jogging back. Pick up car, drive north to tracks, another 5 to less than 10 minutes on scene.

Brother and I were third and fourth on scene. No LEO. I accessed Bill, told brother to cut scarf off his neck and I ran up to northwest house on corner and called 911 for ems. 2-3 minutes later I was back at the ditch and LEO was taking pictures. I don't remember him saying anything to us or if it was the same LEO from the earlier encounter.

Ems arrived probably within 5-10 mins, took over cpr from us, put Bill on gurney, hooked an automatic cpr machine to his chest, loaded and transported. Time EMS on scene, less than 10 minutes.

Family left scene with no word to LEO. Don't recall other LEO on scene at my departure, although there may have been.

Very confused on LEO, Bob.
Your top quoted post says 2-4 LEO on scene.
Your bottom quoted post says only the 1 LEO on scene, taking pictures.
I realize you said "Don't recall other LEO on scene at my departure, although there may have been." but it seems to tell me you're not sure if there was only 1 LEO or if there was maybe 4 LEO's?

In any case, did *any* LEO speak, or offer to help in rendering CPR aid at any time?
Was there only 1 LEO that was taking pictures WHILE you were performing CPR on Bill? Did any LEO get up close and near Bill before you started CPR, or while the CPR process was ongoing?

 

[Ruby]

Did any school faculty and/or LE have children around the same age as Bill?

As in Tulessa's post above, no need for names - just a question I thought of after reading Tulessa's post.
Thanks:seeya:

 

[21merc7]

post 555 thanks for that virtual Appalachian mountain hug.

Who is someone who could completely control a young man to the point where he would not reveal anything he knew even under the threat of death? If he did know anything? I still feel this had ties to students at the high school and reaching outward.

bob;

First thank you for the info you provide from memory.

However, I must, in all sense of fairness and justice, point out that a young boy or girl at Bill's age, will not tell family anything. Especially if embarrassing. No matter how you were raised, and how close, my Mom still (at her old age) is angry that I was not a communicator. I did not communicate for many reasons, but really, in my older age, my apartment neighbors ask me why I don't tell them about my daily job. I have still have reasons, but I just don't communicate well, and I don't want to hear flack, and I like a more private emotional world that others don't get. Bill looked, and from the music and helping, sounds the same. He wouldn't tell his family. He would carry his own burdens. His photos show that to me, but I did not know him. That does not mean he had abusers or attackers. He just preferred the depths.

That is why we would like more info. From friends, police interviews with him would be of utmost importance, and any police thought were perps.

I hope the way I word things is okay. I am simply to the point, or around it. Not good with the more delicate way of phrasing things. I apologize if I offend, but I agree with the new poster that said if we don't just say it, it is not going anywhere. Sorry. Just have to say it. :blushing:

 

[bob6104]

I think I said 2-4 LEO because there was one taking pictures. Also, this was a relative small jurisdiction and I'm assuming other LEO responding with EMS. I believe I also saw a later picture from scene with two detective types in photo. But now that you ask I only specifically remember the one uniformed LEO taking pictures at the time.

The only verbal interaction with LEO was me telling the guy taking photos that the knife was not Bill's and it was probably evidence, and that we didn't touch it. LEO didn't go near Bill before, during, or after cpr was started and transferred to EMS. Nothing else was said between LEO and us at the scene, and family left to go to hospital.

 

[bob6104]

Post 562 unknown. We didn't really know any LE or teachers from the high school.

 

[21merc7]

Excellent ideas and insights, Rose!
With Bill's case still "open", I'm not sure what the exact official status of it is, whether it's officially "active" or truly "cold case". I've never dealt with any cases in regards to the Vidocq Society, so I can't say if Bill's case can or cannot be turned over to them.
But I would hope the status, especially after 34 years, would allow that to happen, for several reasons. Tho the full info & details are still in the process of being relayed to us by the Comeans, the items of info so far have caused concern in trust and ability for local LE to solve this case. IMO

I'm not sure this case falls into Vidocq criteria, but here is some info on them:

http://www.vidocq.org

 

[bob6104]

post 563 I agree, a teenager will keep things from parents and others. We all did, I'm sure. Especially, if it is something wrong or embarrassing. Just as you say.

 

[ZaZara]

Excellent ideas and insights, Rose!
With Bill's case still "open", I'm not sure what the exact official status of it is, whether it's officially "active" or truly "cold case". I've never dealt with any cases in regards to the Vidocq Society, so I can't say if Bill's case can or cannot be turned over to them.
But I would hope the status, especially after 34 years, would allow that to happen, for several reasons. Tho the full info & details are still in the process of being relayed to us by the Comeans, the items of info so far have caused concern in trust and ability for local LE to solve this case. IMO

Borrowed from http://www.vidocq.org/

tab WHAT / Case Intake

Case Intake

A Vidocq Society investigation can begin only after we are contacted by a family member or law enforcement agency asking us to review an unsolved cold case. A family member making a request must have standing in the case. In all cases the investigating law enforcement agency must welcome our help.

For The Vidocq Society to consider an unsolved death or homicide case, our by-laws require that:

the death must have occurred at least two years prior;
the victim cannot have been engaged in dangerous or illicit activity of any kind;
if presented to a meeting by law enforcement or an investigator with standing in the matter no family members may be present; and
We will not provide updates or other information to the family.

If a case were adopted by the Society we would not submit progress or other reports to the family. Any information release would be determined by law enforcement and disseminated by them.

IMHO, it can be done, but you need the cooperation from LE and the new detective (or the previous one). I would not wait too long with starting the process since the waiting list appears to be long.

 

[21merc7]

Were prints ever taken from the knife?

Can you request a copy of the entire file? To include, photos, evidence, evidence test results, interviews with any and all, police notes, police patrol, if I think of more I will add in another post. Any search warrant issued, any Affidavits. Still thinking.

You can request, I just haven't looked up Ohio law yet.

 

[ZaZara]

post 555 thanks for that virtual Appalachian mountain hug.

Who is someone who could completely control a young man to the point where he would not reveal anything he knew even under the threat of death? If he did know anything? I still feel this had ties to students at the high school and reaching outward.

Hi Bob, I've been thinking about that one and I felt I had to trust Bill. He may have known, he may not have known and he may have had his reasons for telling or not telling. He may have known something without being aware of it's relevance. Whatever they were, his reasons were good ones. It does not matter - of course it matters, for the case, how could it not ?- but it does not change my high esteem of Bill. All will come out in the end.

As for your feeling that this has ties to students at the high school, I agree with that one, but at the same time I remember that he went back to school gladly ... ?? can you explain? (maybe I am wrong about this)

 

[Methodical]

I think I said 2-4 LEO because there was one taking pictures. Also, this was a relative small jurisdiction and I'm assuming other LEO responding with EMS. I believe I also saw a later picture from scene with two detective types in photo. But now that you ask I only specifically remember the one uniformed LEO taking pictures at the time.

The only verbal interaction with LEO was me telling the guy taking photos that the knife was not Bill's and it was probably evidence, and that we didn't touch it. LEO didn't go near Bill before, during, or after cpr was started and transferred to EMS. Nothing else was said between LEO and us at the scene, and family left to go to hospital.

When I read this Bob, honestly I am just shaking my head, stunned at the LEO's total lack of involvement or concern for Bill. I really am having a hard time getting over this part.

That is the exact opposite of the correct & proper protocol and actions of any first on scene LEO. It certainly appears he did not even check Bill for any signs of life. An LEO's first obligation is to the victim, even if that victim is determined deceased. His next obligation is to render full assistance to those attempting to resuscitate the victim. I'm certain you know (via horrendous personal experience that day) just how physically draining and hard it is to perform CPR on someone even for 5 minutes. And for an LEO to be so "disconnected" and walk around taking pictures, without first rendering aid is unspeakable.

He was not even "preserving evidence" of the crime scene, by taking the photos, as some may think. Bill, and the immediate area around him, was already displaced. He should have been right next to Bill with only minimum family member(s) and instructed others away from scene. Then take photos once Bill is in process of being moved to ambulance. smh

 

[21merc7]

Post 458 wondering why Bill wasn't taken to the "no witness zone," beyond the railroad tracks.

I feel he was dumped in the ditch because they had a vehicle that they couldn't abandon to move him further into a secure no witness zone area. I feel he was dead by the time they arrived at the dumping spot. As he was moved from the car to the ditch, someone had a knife in their hand and it was dropped at the scene in the chaos of the body transfer. The beer bottle I suspect may have already been in the ditch as trash. Anyone who was in a car with his body already had their hands full, literally, as they attempted to remove him from car.

I stood alone last night in my front yard. It was cold, dark, wet. The street was quiet and there were many place of concealment around me in trees and bushes. I could feel how someone could be upon you quickly and overcome you, where even a quick shout would not call out attention from anyone. Bill's neighborhood the houses are close together with people parking along the street. A random car could be unnoticeable.

Didn't see this post earlier.

If he was in a car, it was with someone he was comfortable with. A good friend, a family member, or his GF. Otherwise, being on high alert from the other 2 attacks, he could not be picked up from his home quietly.

I must add a spiritual message here.

Whomever it was, if they were close to him or not, he has forgiven them once he felt the peace and the light. There is nothing but love and understanding comes rapidly, and forgiveness. He is at peace with his life and with all involved.

 

[GoingByMyGut]

Original post TBM:

I've studied this neighborhood intensely on both wide-view and very close-up aerial images, especially noting the street layout of the neighborhood.
Best explained in one VERY long sentence...
Having substantial experience in patrol, and relating it to "probabilities" in whether a particular location would be passed by a random patrol car, this particular street layout with Park St making a north "borderline" of this neighborhood/subdivision, combined with the north side of Park St being somewhat secluded having only a wide path of 6 sets of RR tracks, in my opinion it would be highly unlikely for any LE patrol car to NOT travel the length of Park St, no matter what north/south street he entered the neighborhood at and took to get to Park St.
IMO, Park St would be a "magnet street" for LE on patrol, especially since it is a border/perimeter street of the neighborhood. If the LE patrol car was seen by Bob to have been heading south (Bob never specified his direction) in the 200-300 block of Maple Dr, I would surely assume it had to have passed down Park St only moments before. Being as I think this chance is great, that would put the LEO patrol car likely to have been in a position where it would be very hard to avoid seeing Bill's body or the perps committing the murder in progress.

In any case, regardless if it was a LE patrol car or just any car in the 200/300 block of Maple, if headed south, they would be heading away from the scene of a murder that just happened (within a "less than 30 minute" timeframe).

Your input please...

Goodness, everyone's been busy today. I regret having a job!

BBM1: Methodical, I don't know if you are asking this of anyone in particular, but I'll weigh in. This makes lot of sense to me. In fact, wouldn't you think the tracks would be a prime route? Would a patrol like this weave up and down every street in every neighborhood? Or just follow the perimeter? Something like, after following Park from west to east, exiting the neighborhood via Buena Vista, to Beacon Hill (Kat said this chunk of Kanard is just a bike path), turing left on Deerfield, then repeating the patrol along Annhurst, eventually also looping to Clover? Or maybe in the opposite direction if the highway is a dividing line for patrol routes?

BBM2: Lots of unknowns here. Given that Buena Vista is also a perimeter, I would expect him to go north on it IF he was coming from the neighborhood to the east, in which case he would have run into Bill and his father and neighbor. And if he was coming from the neighborhood to the west, to travel east on Park to Buena Vista, at which point he would have at least run into Bill's father and neighbor. (I don't think this happened because I think Bill's father would have STOPPED the patrol.)

If the patrol route did not encompass every street, the only reason I can see for the car to be going south on Maple is if he was responding a call -- and hello! wouldn't the call from the Comeans house be the one to respond to? Surely he would have been the one to take the call?

And maybe he did ...

 

[MURDERER_SERVANT]

It seems to me that if there was a school connection , there would be kind of quarrels ,verbal teasing , annoying ,fights etc between Bill and the perp which Bill's best friends at least would be aware of.. anything more than staring down looks at the chorus..

Maybe Bill was forced by the killer (might be sb on his paper route) to put those notes to the lockers to mislead the investigation abt the first two attacks trying to direct the suspects toward the school just like the knife /beer bottle on the scene seeming relatively irrelevant with the previous attacks ..

I also lean to think that the park where Bill was found could not be the crime scene but he was taken there (by car) and recklessly and urgently tried to be hidden as the killer prob knew that Bill had limited time and family would look for him when he wasnt back.JMO..

 

[Methodical]

<snipped>
Who is someone who could completely control a young man to the point where he would not reveal anything he knew even under the threat of death? If he did know anything? I still feel this had ties to students at the high school and reaching outward.

I agree along the lines of the other posters. Every kid doesn't confide in total to their family members, no matter how close they are to you. That is with the "normal" stuff. It's even more securely locked inside them when it has to deal with things they may feel will shame them to family, or things that are embarrassing, be it sexual in nature, or not. There is also the possibility of hiding hideous or illegal knowledge that they know, even if they are not dirctly involved with the hideous or illegal acts. The list goes on.

Only Bill knows why. And if you have faith that he certainly must have had a valid reason (at least in his own mind) then not disclosing whatever it was was/is his ONLY choice. And I support him in that choice, tho it obviously was connected to his unforeseeable demise.
We can never understand why anyone is taken from us, especially when it is very prematurely. Pray for/with Bill & heal your heart. That is all we can do, in that regard. I believe he's gone in body, but his spirit is VERY alive.

 

[GoingByMyGut]

ETA: Just a thought. Public discussion on certain key points may not be in the best interest on Bob's/Kats behalf.
I will choose any following subject matter with care, so as not to jeopardize the family's best interest.

I would think ANY key point if it helps solve this case is fair game. I've noticed that a lot of you appear to 'hold back' because of their feelings. I know a lot of what you're holding back on is delicate but if it was me (hence saying Bob and Kat should answer), I'd want it ALL out there as withholding something might be just what prevents this case from being solved.

I think you both make good points here, Methodical and Gemmie. I think Methodical means the LE discussion in particular can be sensitive, given the new case assignment. And I think, Gemmie, that the family backs you up on your thoughts because they've posted several times that we should not hold back.

I think another problems is that we may be treading a fine line with TOS on the LE topic, which I think dictates no *LE bashing.* I don't know where I read that, but I read it somewhere. I don't think we've crossed into that yet, but to be honest, I have NO idea where the dividing line is between that and reasonable discussion of legitimate, documented LE problems around the case. Just something to keep in mind. Maybe Bessie will weigh in when she looks in on us next.

 

[GoingByMyGut]

When I read this Bob, honestly I am just shaking my head, stunned at the LEO's total lack of involvement or concern for Bill. I really am having a hard time getting over this part.

That is the exact opposite of the correct & proper protocol and actions of any first on scene LEO. It certainly appears he did not even check Bill for any signs of life. An LEO's first obligation is to the victim, even if that victim is determined deceased. His next obligation is to render full assistance to those attempting to resuscitate the victim. I'm certain you know (via horrendous personal experience that day) just how physically draining and hard it is to perform CPR on someone even for 5 minutes. And for an LEO to be so "disconnected" and walk around taking pictures, without first rendering aid is unspeakable.

He was not even "preserving evidence" of the crime scene, by taking the photos, as some may think. Bill, and the immediate area around him, was already displaced. He should have been right next to Bill with only minimum family member(s) and instructed others away from scene. Then take photos once Bill is in process of being moved to ambulance. smh

BBM1: Man, am I glad to hear you say that. It just feels like there's something WRONG with no one talking to the family or getting involved in the resuscitation effort! Not only is it insensitive, WTF was he taking pictures of if not Bill and the area directly around Bill?

BBM2: "Disconnected" is the WORD. I am horrified.

It almost sounds like he already knew Bill was dead ... AND that no one on the scene was responsible for what had happened to Bill! Because if not, he surely would have wanted to determine that -- no?!

I SO wish someone could determine who this was and whether it was the same LEO as in the car. IF NOT, then -- IMO -- we have TWO LEOs behaving oddly.

 

[GoingByMyGut]

Original posts TBM:

Brothers turned around and headed north, picked a car at family house, and drove down Maple to Park, turned right and stopped at Buena Vista and Park. Left car on road, walked over to tracks and saw Bill's body, father, and neighbor kneeling in ditch with Bill's body.

I stood alone last night in my front yard. It was cold, dark, wet. The street was quiet and there were many place of concealment around me in trees and bushes. I could feel how someone could be upon you quickly and overcome you, where even a quick shout would not call out attention from anyone. Bill's neighborhood the houses are close together with people parking along the street. A random car could be unnoticeable.

Back to our house, less than 5 minutes, we were jogging back. Pick up car, drive north to tracks, another 5 to less than 10 minutes on scene.

Brother and I were third and fourth on scene. No LEO. I accessed Bill, told brother to cut scarf off his neck and I ran up to northwest house on corner and called 911 for ems. 2-3 minutes later I was back at the ditch and LEO was taking pictures. I don't remember him saying anything to us or if it was the same LEO from the earlier encounter.

Ems arrived probably within 5-10 mins, took over cpr from us, put Bill on gurney, hooked an automatic cpr machine to his chest, loaded and transported. Time EMS on scene, less than 10 minutes.

Family left scene with no word to LEO. Don't recall other LEO on scene at my departure, although there may have been.

Bob, re the above, I just want to say I'm sorry. I'm sorry for your family's pain. No one should have to go through what all of you went through. No one should have to suffer this kind of loss, or be MADE to feel so helpless. Whoever did this harmed all of you as much as they harmed Bill. I'm so, so sorry.

 

[Methodical]

GBMG,,
Every post,, I couldn't have said it any better. Especially #578

 

[nerosleuth]

Personally, I would say not necessarily *contained* within the lines of that triangle, but extremely likely to be in that neighborhood/subdivision, including all streets on which were near Bill's paper route (which are most likely all within that neighborhood anyway).

There were two daily newspapers in the Columbus area back then. You had the Columbus Citizen Journal which was a morning newspaper and you had the Columbus Dispatch which was a evening newspaper.

You also had the weekly suburban newspapers which published newspapers in various neighborhoods around the Columbus area.

I have a question about Bill's paper route.

Was Bill delivering the morning newspaper or the evening newspaper? Or was he delivering a weekly neighborhood newspaper?

And the area where the body was found, was it found inside the New Rome village limits?