GUILTY OR - Whitney Heichel, 21, Gresham, 16 Oct 2012 #3

[DairyGirl]

I just wanted to say that I went to the memorial tonight. I don't know what I was expecting but I thought there would be maybe people talking about her or music or memories but it was a gathering of people, many who didn't seem to know Whitney personally. No one talked to the crowd, which surprised me a bit. Just a large crowd of people milling about holding candles. The mood didn't really seem somber for the occasion. There were people in the Starbucks but no one came out.
What I wanted to talk about was as I was leaving work at 5:00 pm trying to decide if I wanted to make the drive to Gresham for the vigil. It was pouring rain and it was about a 15 mile drive and I was very tired. As I do when I am undecided as to what to do I prayed. I wanted to honor Whitney and also, perhaps, show support to Whitney's family along with the others so they know that Whitney mattered to many, many people who didn't know her. I asked God to give me a sign. As I was driving across the Fremont bridge I noticed the sky to the right of me and I could see a rainbow peeking through. Rainbows are very special to me and even though I have lived in Portland over 30 years I can count on one hand how many I remember seeing. I was thinking how appropriate it was that there was a rainbow and I was thinking about double rainbows. I have only seen one or two of those and to me they are the most beautiful of all. I was wishing for a double rainbow for Whitney.
As I was getting onto the ramp to the I84 I saw a double rainbow! I was so excited and happy. For me it was a sign for Whitney. I wanted to get a picture of it so I grabbed my phone and I was snapping pictures as I was driving east on the 84, which of course isn't the smartest thing to do but I was afraid that like Whitney, the rainbow wouldn't last long. I just held my phone and pointed it at the sky and kept snapping, hoping I could get one good picture.
As I expected the double rainbow was gone by the time I got to Gresham. I parked my car and stopped at a little deli to use the rest room and to see how the pictures came out. They didn't For some reason my phone didn't capture any of the pictures. I tried to take a picture and I could see that my camera wasn't saving any pictures. I was so sad that the pictures of something I longed to capture and keep didn't make it. I don't know when or if I will ever see another double rainbow. I guess there are just some things that are too beautiful to keep.

 

[msthinksalot]

The Aggravated Murder charge is interesting and I don't believe this story is over. According to Oregon Law it's aggravated if there is more than one person being murdered, if the person has been convicted of murder before. If someone is under 14, If it happened as a result of torture or maiming that resulted in a death or if it occured where the perpetrator recieved money for me.

My guess, either she was pregnant or he was paid. And would they have been able to confirm she was pregnant by the time they announced the arrest? She had just been found almost at the same time.

I'm reading through the backlog, so I'm sorry if this has already been answered. The statute also states this, with regards to aggravated murder:

"(e) The murder was committed in an effort to conceal the commission of a crime, or to conceal the identity of the perpetrator of a crime."

So I'm thinking the likely crime that was being concealed was rape, and that he was trying to conceal his own identity from being discovered from that rape.

 

[scadder21]

Entirely possible but the more i think about this(entirely too much the last few days) the more I realize that none of us has a clue really until more evidence comes out. All we know is a woman was missing then found dead and the police arrested him when he story started to change and they had DNA tied to some of Whitney's effects. We don't know if he really did it, if there were relationships between the 3, if there was someone else involved, how she died, if there was another crime. Any of it we know like maybe 10 percent of what is known at this point. We will find out more in the weeks ahead. It's just sad that a seemingly good person lost their life.

 

[msthinksalot]

When I was 17, I accepted a ride from someone...he was supposed to drive me home, but instead he drove to an abandoned lot where he sexually assaulted me, and then to a motel where he assaulted me a second time. When he took me to the motel, he actually left me sitting in his car while he went into the office to pay for the room. I did not run screaming for help because he had a gun, and I was afraid that he would shoot me and the motel clerk if I did. I thought my best chance for surviving would be to comply with everything he told me to do. Thankfully, that is what ended up happening, but I was very lucky that I didn't end up like poor Whitney. The bottom line is we do not know the circumstances here...she could have had her hands tied behind her back, she could have been drugged, she could have made the same calculation that I did, or she simply could have been paralyzed by fear. Or you could be correct about his wife, and not Whitney, being the one seen in his car. But at this point, we have no evidence of that being the case, and I would hate to see an innocent party get dragged into this without any proof or indication from LE that she was involved.

((((TreeClimbingGirl))))

I'm so, so sorry that this happened to you.

 

[Elainera]

From a Community SAR perspective I would love to know more about how the church group that was searching ended up at both Dodge and Larch Mtn.. I'm curious to know if this came through Clint from his conversations with LE or if LE gave them this info. or what? No way did they end up there just by chance.
Whatever the case is, I am so glad they were able to recover so much that helped bring closure so quickly. I just want to know if it was them putting things together on their own through tidbits, or if LE was actually cooperating with them, as this could be an interesting model for future searches.
There are certainly cases where I firmly believe that if the public or volunteer SAR teams had more information they might have been a whole lot more successful, so is this a case I can point to to say "see what happens when we work together" (ok, so I wouldn't say it quite like that, but you know what I mean)

This article implies church members got the info from LE:

http://www.oregonlive.com/gresham/index.ssf/2012/10/long_investigation_led_to_trag.html

Meanwhile, investigators led by Gresham Lt. Claudio Grandjean developed information that suggested Heichel's vehicle had been driven to Clackamas County. Church volunteers fanned out, finding evidence linked to her near Dodge Park.

This happened after the car was found at Walmart.

 

[Elainera]

I just wanted to say that I went to the memorial tonight. I don't know what I was expecting but I thought there would be maybe people talking about her or music or memories but it was a gathering of people, many who didn't seem to know Whitney personally. No one talked to the crowd, which surprised me a bit. Just a large crowd of people milling about holding candles. The mood didn't really seem somber for the occasion. There were people in the Starbucks but no one came out.
What I wanted to talk about was as I was leaving work at 5:00 pm trying to decide if I wanted to make the drive to Gresham for the vigil. It was pouring rain and it was about a 15 mile drive and I was very tired. As I do when I am undecided as to what to do I prayed. I wanted to honor Whitney and also, perhaps, show support to Whitney's family along with the others so they know that Whitney mattered to many, many people who didn't know her. I asked God to give me a sign. As I was driving across the Fremont bridge I noticed the sky to the right of me and I could see a rainbow peeking through. Rainbows are very special to me and even though I have lived in Portland over 30 years I can count on one hand how many I remember seeing. I was thinking how appropriate it was that there was a rainbow and I was thinking about double rainbows. I have only seen one or two of those and to me they are the most beautiful of all. I was wishing for a double rainbow for Whitney.
As I was getting onto the ramp to the I84 I saw a double rainbow! I was so excited and happy. For me it was a sign for Whitney. I wanted to get a picture of it so I grabbed my phone and I was snapping pictures as I was driving east on the 84, which of course isn't the smartest thing to do but I was afraid that like Whitney, the rainbow wouldn't last long. I just held my phone and pointed it at the sky and kept snapping, hoping I could get one good picture.
As I expected the double rainbow was gone by the time I got to Gresham. I parked my car and stopped at a little deli to use the rest room and to see how the pictures came out. They didn't For some reason my phone didn't capture any of the pictures. I tried to take a picture and I could see that my camera wasn't saving any pictures. I was so sad that the pictures of something I longed to capture and keep didn't make it. I don't know when or if I will ever see another double rainbow. I guess there are just some things that are too beautiful to keep.

Dairygirl, this touched me so much! Thank you for sharing this, I can totally imagine how you felt, both the excitement when seeing the double rainbow and the sadness when you realized the photos had not been saved. Bless your sweet and warm heart!

 

[gwenabob]

I just wanted to say that I went to the memorial tonight. I don't know what I was expecting but I thought there would be maybe people talking about her or music or memories but it was a gathering of people, many who didn't seem to know Whitney personally. No one talked to the crowd, which surprised me a bit. Just a large crowd of people milling about holding candles. The mood didn't really seem somber for the occasion. There were people in the Starbucks but no one came out.
What I wanted to talk about was as I was leaving work at 5:00 pm trying to decide if I wanted to make the drive to Gresham for the vigil. It was pouring rain and it was about a 15 mile drive and I was very tired. As I do when I am undecided as to what to do I prayed. I wanted to honor Whitney and also, perhaps, show support to Whitney's family along with the others so they know that Whitney mattered to many, many people who didn't know her. I asked God to give me a sign. As I was driving across the Fremont bridge I noticed the sky to the right of me and I could see a rainbow peeking through. Rainbows are very special to me and even though I have lived in Portland over 30 years I can count on one hand how many I remember seeing. I was thinking how appropriate it was that there was a rainbow and I was thinking about double rainbows. I have only seen one or two of those and to me they are the most beautiful of all. I was wishing for a double rainbow for Whitney.
As I was getting onto the ramp to the I84 I saw a double rainbow! I was so excited and happy. For me it was a sign for Whitney. I wanted to get a picture of it so I grabbed my phone and I was snapping pictures as I was driving east on the 84, which of course isn't the smartest thing to do but I was afraid that like Whitney, the rainbow wouldn't last long. I just held my phone and pointed it at the sky and kept snapping, hoping I could get one good picture.
As I expected the double rainbow was gone by the time I got to Gresham. I parked my car and stopped at a little deli to use the rest room and to see how the pictures came out. They didn't For some reason my phone didn't capture any of the pictures. I tried to take a picture and I could see that my camera wasn't saving any pictures. I was so sad that the pictures of something I longed to capture and keep didn't make it. I don't know when or if I will ever see another double rainbow. I guess there are just some things that are too beautiful to keep.

I was out driving around with my family today at that time, and I have to say that rainbow was one of the most brilliant, beautiful rainbows I have ever seen in my life. And a double rainbow to boot. Whitney's rainbow. I hope her husband saw it.

 

[IHAVENOCLUE]

I have a tool like the one below in my glove box for breaking a car window in an emergency...from the time we found out the window was broken out, I've been thinking perhaps W had one and used it but haven't seen the possibility mentioned:

http://www.target.com/p/travelon-4-in-1-car-emergency-tool-yellow/-/A-12266739?ref=tgt_adv_XSG10001&AFID=Google_PLA_df&LNM=%7C12266739&CPNG=Automotive&kpid=12266739&ci_gpa=pla&ci_sku=12266739

wow! I have never seen one of these... And hubby is a mechanic!

It will be a stocking stuffer for him at Christmas!

(But I can bet he already knows all about them! :waiting: )

 

[IHAVENOCLUE]

I just wanted to say that I went to the memorial tonight. I don't know what I was expecting but I thought there would be maybe people talking about her or music or memories but it was a gathering of people, many who didn't seem to know Whitney personally. No one talked to the crowd, which surprised me a bit. Just a large crowd of people milling about holding candles. The mood didn't really seem somber for the occasion. There were people in the Starbucks but no one came out.
What I wanted to talk about was as I was leaving work at 5:00 pm trying to decide if I wanted to make the drive to Gresham for the vigil. It was pouring rain and it was about a 15 mile drive and I was very tired. As I do when I am undecided as to what to do I prayed. I wanted to honor Whitney and also, perhaps, show support to Whitney's family along with the others so they know that Whitney mattered to many, many people who didn't know her. I asked God to give me a sign. As I was driving across the Fremont bridge I noticed the sky to the right of me and I could see a rainbow peeking through. Rainbows are very special to me and even though I have lived in Portland over 30 years I can count on one hand how many I remember seeing. I was thinking how appropriate it was that there was a rainbow and I was thinking about double rainbows. I have only seen one or two of those and to me they are the most beautiful of all. I was wishing for a double rainbow for Whitney.
As I was getting onto the ramp to the I84 I saw a double rainbow! I was so excited and happy. For me it was a sign for Whitney. I wanted to get a picture of it so I grabbed my phone and I was snapping pictures as I was driving east on the 84, which of course isn't the smartest thing to do but I was afraid that like Whitney, the rainbow wouldn't last long. I just held my phone and pointed it at the sky and kept snapping, hoping I could get one good picture.
As I expected the double rainbow was gone by the time I got to Gresham. I parked my car and stopped at a little deli to use the rest room and to see how the pictures came out. They didn't For some reason my phone didn't capture any of the pictures. I tried to take a picture and I could see that my camera wasn't saving any pictures. I was so sad that the pictures of something I longed to capture and keep didn't make it. I don't know when or if I will ever see another double rainbow. I guess there are just some things that are too beautiful to keep.

Thank you for representing us at the vigil, Dairy Girl...

And thank you for sharing your touching story about the double rainbow! :grouphug:

 

[nikb]

I have a tool like the one below in my glove box for breaking a car window in an emergency...from the time we found out the window was broken out, I've been thinking perhaps W had one and used it but haven't seen the possibility mentioned:

http://www.target.com/p/travelon-4-in-1-car-emergency-tool-yellow/-/A-12266739?ref=tgt_adv_XSG10001&AFID=Google_PLA_df&LNM=%7C12266739&CPNG=Automotive&kpid=12266739&ci_gpa=pla&ci_sku=12266739

I have something similar and wondered the same thing. I have a "keychain" version of it that's primarily a window punch (but I think it has a small seatbelt cutter in it also?). My husband thought I was nuts when I bought it but when he tried it on a piece of wood was pretty shocked how strong it was, and it's just a tad smaller than my car key. I have absolutely no idea if something like this was involved but if so, it's surprisingly easy to break a window out with the right tool - whether trying to attack, or trying to escape. Also surprisingly difficult IMO without the right tool. I hope they've found some clues one way or the other.

 

[nikb]

I have an iphone, and have set up the app "find my phone." If I misplace my phone, I can log in and see exactly where on a map my phone is at the moment. When Whitney failed to show up to work that morning, I suppose it is possible her husband logged in to see where she was, via her phone, and saw that it showed up at Dodge Park and later Larch Mtn. He could have followed that while he was calling and calling trying to get hold of her. He could have told LE what he discovered using that app. Makes sense to me.

Makes sense to me too, and makes me cry just thinking about it. From what I've read it sounds like he was basically a step behind her (not to mention the awful person that did this) the whole time. I hope he doesn't blame himself at all because IMO he shouldn't. It would still be incredibly heartbreaking though.

 

[white rabbit]

https://www.greshamoregon.gov/news/newstemplate.aspx?id=281256

Whitney Heichel Murder Update
10/20/2012

We understand the media and the public have many questions regarding the disappearance and murder of Whitney Heichel and the subsequent arrest of Jonathon D. Holt in her murder. We have been advised by the District Attorney to not release or discuss many of the details that are understandably piquing the public’s interest in this tragedy. However, we can clarify a few of the questions being asked today.

When and where will Holt be arraigned?
We expect Holt to be arraigned for aggravated murder in Clackamas County on Monday, Oct. 22. The venue was changed to the county in which in which it is believed that the murder took place.

Will Heichel’s autopsy results be released today, Oct. 20?
No.

How well did the Heichel family know Holt? Did they have any past history?
There is no evidence that has surfaced in the investigation leading investigators to believe there was anything more between them as acquaintances.

Will you put us in touch with Heichel’s family?
No, we are respecting their stated desire for privacy. We will take your request and pass it along at a more appropriate time.

Should the public continue to call the Tip Line?

Yes, we continue to gather information and evidence in this case and appreciate the public’s continued help in this area. If you have any information related to this case please call 503-618-2719.

We currently do not expect to hold another briefing over the weekend. Lt. Grandjean is not taking further requests on this incident this weekend.

No further information is available at this time.

 

[YidArmyRach]

Makes sense to me too, and makes me cry just thinking about it. From what I've read it sounds like he was basically a step behind her (not to mention the awful person that did this) the whole time. I hope he doesn't blame himself at all because IMO he shouldn't. It would still be incredibly heartbreaking though.

I was thinking the same. I can track my husband and 18 year old son, via "latitude" on our Galaxy phones. Sometimes to the actual street they are in at the time, depending on how good the signal is in the area. Other times it will show the next nearest mobile phone mast/location and can be a bit deceiving.

It is heartbreaking to think that had the boss phoned at say 7.30am, to report Whitney's non-arrival at work, then Clint and the LE might actually have managed to catch up with Whitney whilst she was still alive. Not that I'm blaming the boss at all - in fact, if it hadn't been for their call, no one would have known Whitney was missing till much later in the day, and the LE could have missed lots of forensic evidence.

Just makes me want to have my kids chipped so I can always see where they are, as there are some real monsters in the world.

 

[Bravo]

I guess we will learn a bit more tomorrow with Holt's Court appearance. Thinking of Whitney's Family and Friends today. The horror of all this must be sinking in :rose:

 

[Elainera]

Will his court appearance be shown live?

 

[SurfieTX]

Whitney Heichel's family released the following statement on Saturday night:

http://www.kptv.com/story/19873223/whitney-heichels-family-releases-a-statement

 

[Bravo]

Will his court appearance be shown live?

No idea but if it is somebody will post it here I'm sure.

 

[KellyConQueso]

You know, for some reason I've been operating on the assumption that the perp broke the window...it just occurred to me that Whitney could have done it herself. One scenerio that comes to mind-if he was in the drivers seat, he would have control over the window lock. Maybe while they were driving she first tried to roll down the window to flag down or scream for help, and when she couldn't she smashed it out.

ETA-She could have tried to jump out of the window too.

I think y'all are really underestimating the amount of force required to break a car window. I can't imagine someone as petite as Whitney being able to do it, especially without being able to leverage the weight of her body. This video shows how hard it can be:

[video=youtube;L91_K-s4pMM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L91_K-s4pMM[/video]

I keep a LifeHammer http://www.lifehammer.com velcroed to the front of my seat. I've been reading Websleuths long enough to know how many people end up trapped in their cars under water.

 

[Bravo]

I have the Life hammer too and have for years. Also has the seat belt cutter. Since the Holiday Season is almost upon us it makes a great gift. I have been gifting these over the years. It has been mandatory for years that all our Company vehicles have them. Thats how i found out about them.

 

[gregjrichards]

I am so sorry Whitney Heichel has been found she had a very beautiful smile. It was heartbreaking watching her husband in so much pain. R.I.P Whitney.

New article here about case http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...dy-hidden-mountainside.html?ito=feeds-newsxml