PA PA - Toni Sharpless, 29, Gladwyne, 23 Aug 2009

[Trackergd]

The 1996 Aimee Willard case popped into my head, where Arthur Bowman was eventually caught and is also suspected in the Maria Cabuenos missing person case. The "tap the bumper then get the other driver to pull over, then attack them" sounds like a plausible scenario for this case. Bowman was caught with Cabuenos car.

I never like to limit myself to only one scenario to the exclusion of all others. Other than Bowman, do we know any other local "tap bumper abductors/killers"? Any other "like"cases come to mind? Actors tend not to stop at one murder and the MO generally repeats.

 

[JnRyan]

The 1996 Aimee Willard case popped into my head, where Arthur Bowman was eventually caught and is also suspected in the Maria Cabuenos missing person case. The "tap the bumper then get the other driver to pull over, then attack them" sounds like a plausible scenario for this case. Bowman was caught with Cabuenos car.

I never like to limit myself to only one scenario to the exclusion of all others. Other than Bowman, do we know any other local "tap bumper abductors/killers"? Any other "like"cases come to mind? Actors tend not to stop at one murder and the MO generally repeats.

I don't know of any bumper tap cases. Mickey Shunick was abducted when Brandon Lavergne hit her with his truck while she was on her bike and the same was believed to have happened to Tara Calico.

I have heard of posing as plain clothes LE, getting the intended victim to stop for a 'problem with their vehicle', but the tapping the bumper is one I've haven't seen. I hadn't thought of it and it is worth checking by LE.

 

[CCJD]

The 1996 Aimee Willard case popped into my head, where Arthur Bowman was eventually caught and is also suspected in the Maria Cabuenos missing person case. The "tap the bumper then get the other driver to pull over, then attack them" sounds like a plausible scenario for this case. Bowman was caught with Cabuenos car.

I never like to limit myself to only one scenario to the exclusion of all others. Other than Bowman, do we know any other local "tap bumper abductors/killers"? Any other "like"cases come to mind? Actors tend not to stop at one murder and the MO generally repeats.

BBM

Arthur Bomar.

Forensic Files aired the segment on Aimee Willard just this past weekend.

 

[Trackergd]

The fake LE is another good scenario, notably if Toni was swerving around a bit while driving. She would be a custom made target for someone using this MO.

 

[jpo74]

I'm just wondering how did she even manage to get into car and drive being so intoxicated. Would she not be falling down a lot?

Having said that, I think she is in water or ran off road in some brush hidden

 

[Trackergd]

I'm just wondering how did she even manage to get into car and drive being so intoxicated. Would she not be falling down a lot?

Having said that, I think she is in water or ran off road in some brush hidden

It's a long time to have been in hidden brush given that the foliage cover is lost in the fall and exposes anything that was covered. In the water depends as the river was searched and is dredged on occasion. State Park lakes are patrolled and are checked by divers frequently for discarded cars and firearms.

 

[Kittybunny]

I'm just wondering how did she even manage to get into car and drive being so intoxicated. Would she not be falling down a lot?

Having said that, I think she is in water or ran off road in some brush hidden

Wait, why did I think they found her car in a river already?

This is one of the cases I've been following from Day 1. I wish there was resolution.

 

[bykerladi]

Was this already posted? Anonymous letter claims missing Pennsylvania woman Toni Lee Sharpless was killed by police officer in Camden

 

[jpo74]

I think it was back ways. I've been rewatching these disappeared episodes and hope to bump these cases up to front.

 

[Trackergd]

Was this already posted? Anonymous letter claims missing Pennsylvania woman Toni Lee Sharpless was killed by police officer in Camden

This is one of many possible scenarios. No additional evidence to support the letter has surfaced and no attempt that I am aware of has been made to determine if the letter was written by the PI, her staff, family or associates by forensic handwriting analysis. If they aforementioned parties are excluded by analysis, I would take the letter a bit more seriously. It could also be a red herring to throw off any investigation, LE or independent. If the letter is fake, it's a pretty clever ploy and would take some knowledge of what investigators would instantly note and follow up on, giving it an air of credibility.

To me, the probable scenario is that she was too intoxicated to drive (or drive well) and either was caught off guard before she could drive away or became a very good victim for an individual(s) who noted her condition or her impaired driving and took full advantage of that moment. By individual I am being inclusive of criminal/serial, security, fake LE and actual LE actors. Car Jacking to Abduction in route home leaves us a number of threads to tug on.

While Sex, Money or Revenge tend to be the most common reasons for homicide, the act itself only needs to make sense in the actors mind.

We have something that LE does not. An almost inexhaustible number of investigators of various skill sets with nothing but time to look into this case, which should make the actor a bit nervous.

 

[xtine90]

I have seen a few people allude to the fact that Toni may have actually died at the party in Gladwyne, but is there any specificity to that theory? Like, how would she have died - overdose? Alcohol poisoning? Drowning in the pool? Of course, I hope I'm wrong, but I do not think she is alive. It sounds like she was having a manic episode + lack of sleep + mixing alcohol with medication + feeling embarrassed and self conscious after having been publicly kicked out of a local celebrity's party. She likely got lost while driving home, perhaps taking a wrong turn and ending up back in Philly. If she went the wrong way on I76, she may not have even really noticed it until she saw signs for Philadelphia. If she took a random exit once she realized her mistake, she may have driven to a gas station to fill up her tank, or maybe try to ask someone if she could a phone to call home (since hers apparently died). That is NOT a good area by any stretch of the imagination. It would not surprise me if someone saw how intoxicated and vulnerable she was and took advantage. We already have proof that she was behaving erratically and became more confrontational and aggressive as the night went on. Maybe she became confrontational and aggressive with the wrong person in the wrong neighborhood. This sounds like the most likely scenario to me.

 

[Trackergd]

There has not been much in the way of sightings or evidence post party which lends some credence to your theory that she may not have left the party alive. If she did leave alive, your second theory is very possible.

 

[Trackergd]

While other scenarios that have Toni leaving the party and either being carjacked or getting lost driving home are probable, I want to explore the "never left the party scenario". My suspicion is growing that a mixture of Toni's meds, alcohol and party drugs would have left her unable to drive. Having a manic episode may have created a scene that was not appreciated by other party attendees and the host(s). Being it was at the home of a sports figure, an "event", accidental or otherwise would have brought unpleasant and unwanted LE and media attention. Under this scenario, the licence plate hit may have been disposing of the vehicle and possibly the body in a car shredder in Camden (there is no shortage of junk yards in Camden) or in the pine barons where it might not be discovered for years. When I wandered the pine barons near Toms River years ago, I came across a number of abandoned vehicles, some pretty far back in.

 

[xtine90]

Yeah, the pine barons are definitely a notoriously dicey place. I just don’t think that she died at the party. To have all of those people be able to keep their mouths shut about this for all these years? I just keep going back to her getting lost in a bad area after taking a wrong turn and getting out of her car to ask for help/directions/a phone/whatever. I also think it’s a strong possibility she ended up committing suicide but that doesn’t explain the disappearance of her car.

 

[Trackergd]

I'm at 80% happened at the party with 10% ended up in the wrong neighborhood and 10% something else.

 

[JnRyan]

I'm at 80% happened at the party with 10% ended up in the wrong neighborhood and 10% something else.

For the longest time I thought something happened on the road - wrong neighborhood, car jacking gone bad or car trouble at the wrong place and time. Something happening at the party is something I only recently considered. I'm not at 80%, but I hope LE checked out the party.

 

[Trackergd]

LE could care less about Toni. What investigation occurred was a complete gloss over. Sports celebrity's house and LE pegged Toni as a mental case/drug addict and not worth their time to investigate. Even abused animals get justice, why not a human?

 

[JnRyan]

LE could care less about Toni. What investigation occurred was a complete gloss over. Sports celebrity's house and LE pegged Toni as a mental case/drug addict and not worth their time to investigate. Even abused animals get justice, why not a human?

Sad, but that is one item about this I agree with 100%.

 

[bykerladi]

The pine barrens are not "Dicey". Born and raised in South Jersey, I feel safer in the pines than in my home town. Except for the Jersey Devil. He's kinda scary.

 

[Trackergd]

The pine barrens are not "Dicey". Born and raised in South Jersey, I feel safer in the pines than in my home town. Except for the Jersey Devil. He's kinda scary.

I have extensively hiked the pine barrens over my lifetime. I also know a few folks who have kept the Jersey Devil legend alive. A little roll in the mud, then pine needles and instant Jersey Devil. Kinda fun to jump out on a trail in front of hikers or onto one of the back roads when someone is driving past.