Possible Connections

DNA Solves
DNA Solves
DNA Solves

New Posts

ShurlT said:
The following is a list of the information I sent to Sgt. DeCarlo with updates since then gleaned from Richard's postings. The original did not include the names of the abductees because I was looking for patterns but the birthdates, names, hair and eye color, etc were recorded in my notes. This is not to say Coffey is responsible for all but to ask the queston -- Could he be - because of the proximity to where he was or might have been at the time.

Fred Howard Coffey, Jr. dates/days of week patterns for MD/PA and easy access to escape routes to Silver Spring and other locations:

1945
03-20-1945 - TUESDAY - BORN (We now know his birthdate had been changed to the 19th, MONDAY)

1962
05-19-1962 - SATURDAY - ENLISTED US NAVY

1974
09-12-1974 - THURSDAY - HONORABLE DISCHARGE - VIRGINIA BEACH, VA (?)
??-??-1974 - UNKNOWN - CHILD MOLESTATION CONVICTIONS, VA. BCH.,VA

1975
03-20-1975 - THURSDAY - F. H. Coffey, Jr. - BIRTHDAY
03-25-1975 - TUESDAY - Wheaton, MD - LYON SISTERS DISAPPEAR
04-01-1975 - TUESDAY - Silver Spring, MD - F. H. Coffey, Jr. - INTERVIEW VITRO LABS
04-07-1975 - MONDAY - Manassas, VA - 7:30 AM - LYON SISTERS SIGHTED IN VEHICLE BOUND AND GAGGED
04-07-1975 - SAME DAY - New Lisbon, NJ - Approx. 4:30 PM - 17 & 12 yr old boys left New Lisbon State School, HY 72 - very close to 4 rest stops in large park area/campground/near US NAVY BASE - STEVEN ANDERSON & DAVID WILLIAMS.
04-24-1975 - THURSDAY - F. H. Coffey, Jr. - starts work, VITRO LABS
05-17-1975 - SATURDAY - Media, PA (next to Secane below; near Rts 1 & 95 to Balt.; Sub of Philly?) - WENDY EATON
06-24-1975 - TUESDAY - PHILADELPHIA, PA (RT 95 runs thru Philly to Balt.) - EDNA CHRISTINE THORNE
07-01-1975 - TUESDAY -OR-
07-07-1975 - MONDAY - POSSIBLE ATTEMPTED ABDUCTION - CONGRESSIONAL PLAZA (my girls; I had to have the receipt book for a Wed. P.U. - my youngest is redhead - couple weeks passed bef Kathy Beatty article printed after seeing TRM in Murphy's)
07-08-1975 - TUESDAY - Littlestown, PA (on RT 97 to RT 15 or 140 to Silver Spring, MD) - TRACY ANN KING - (ONLY REDHEAD)
07-24-1975 - THURSDAY - Silver Spring, MD - FOUND - KATHY LYNN BEATTY - ATTACKED
07-31-1975 - THURSDAY - Silver Spring, MD - COFFEY QUITS WORK VITRO LABS SAYING WIFE & DAU. INVOLVED IN ACCIDENT. IS A LIE AND EXCUSE HE'S USED PREVIOUSLY.
08-05-1975 - TUESDAY - Silver Spring, MD(?) - KATHY LYNN BEATTY DIES

1977
07-12-1977 - TUESDAY - Secane, PA (next to Media above, sub of Philly?; RTS 1 & 95 to Balt.) - Cheryl Ann Moser Iscomm...not sure of this name or why so long. Might be mistake in my notes.
10-21-1977 - FRIDAY - Robinson, PA (above Johnstown - easy to Cumberland) - RENEE ANN GREGOR (sp?)
11-23-1977 - WEDNESDAY - Petersburg, VA (From Colonial Heights, VA - last seen hitchhiking south - INT 95 near Washington St. Exit Petersburg. (Day before Thanksgiving. Chance encounter? Unrelated?)

1981
07-14-1981 - TUESDAY - Delmar City, MD (on border of MD & DE -easy shot from VA BCH, VA) - KATHRYN MAE QUACKENBUSH

NOTE: COFFEY STATIONED VA BCH WHILE IN NAVY & CONVICTED OF CHILD MOLESTATION THERE 1974.

1965
03-18-1965 - TUESDAY - Tyrone, PA (above Altoona on RT 220; straight shot to Cumberland, MD) - KATHY ANN SHEA

ABDUCTIONS IN NC - STRAIGHT SHOT FROM CHARLOTTE, NC WHERE COFFEY LIVED.

03-18-1981 - WEDNESDAY - LEXINGTON, NC - DONNA MICHELE BARNHILL, AGE 14
06-13-1970 - SATURDAY - WINSTON, NC - SHERRI LEE TRUESDALE - Shopping Rayless Dept Store. (Payless (?))

The search was only for young females under the age of 16 and abductions that took place before Coffey was arrested 1986. Later, I noticed the two male abductions from New Lisbon, NJ and that the date was the same day the Lyon sisters were supposedly seen in Mannassas, VA. A check was made thru Atlas and MapQuest to see if it was possible to get from Mannassas to New Lisbon between 7:30 AM and 4:30 PM and found it was with time to spare. Later, I learned Coffey had molested a young boy in NC and realized he was prone to abduct and molest both sexes. I also stuck to white females except for Sherri Lee above because of the location near Charlotte and the possibility the store was in a mall.
Click to expand...

You mention Congressional Plaza? Are you referring to the one in Rockville, Maryland? Was this a Tape Recorder Man personna sighting as well?
 
NocturnalLady said:
You mention Congressional Plaza? Are you referring to the one in Rockville, Maryland? Was this a Tape Recorder Man personna sighting as well?
Click to expand...

Have not heard from ShurlT in some time. She was very active on these boards and this topic area previously.

I hope that she sees your question and answers personally, but as I recall from her previous posts; Yes, Congressional Plaza was in the Rockville, MD area.

ShurlT recalled the Lyon case vividly. Following the Lyon Sisters' disappearance, ShurlT became very vigilent concerning her own two young daughters. One day while shopping with them, she saw a grey haired man in a suit who resembled the sketch that she had seen of the Tape Recorder Man in the newspapers and on TV.

She felt that he was behaving oddly and she suspected that he planned to abduct her children. The man may have had a briefcase. She did not, however, see a tape recorder.
 
Richard said:
Have not heard from ShurlT in some time. She was very active on these boards and this topic area previously.

I hope that she sees your question and answers personally, but as I recall from her previous posts; Yes, Congressional Plaza was in the Rockville, MD area.

ShurlT recalled the Lyon case vividly. Following the Lyon Sisters' disappearance, ShurlT became very vigilent concerning her own two young daughters. One day while shopping with them, she saw a grey haired man in a suit who resembled the sketch that she had seen of the Tape Recorder Man in the newspapers and on TV.

She felt that he was behaving oddly and she suspected that he planned to abduct her children. The man may have had a briefcase. She did not, however, see a tape recorder.
Click to expand...

Was the man with the tape recorder gray headed? I've never read anything about his description. As you know, Coffey is gray headed.
 
Richard said:
Have not heard from ShurlT in some time. She was very active on these boards and this topic area previously.

I hope that she sees your question and answers personally, but as I recall from her previous posts; Yes, Congressional Plaza was in the Rockville, MD area.

ShurlT recalled the Lyon case vividly. Following the Lyon Sisters' disappearance, ShurlT became very vigilent concerning her own two young daughters. One day while shopping with them, she saw a grey haired man in a suit who resembled the sketch that she had seen of the Tape Recorder Man in the newspapers and on TV.

She felt that he was behaving oddly and she suspected that he planned to abduct her children. The man may have had a briefcase. She did not, however, see a tape recorder.
Click to expand...

Thanks Richard. Although I haven't posted before I've read through the threads and very much appreciate the time & effort you have put into this case. It's so helpful to have someone who knows that facts and can present timelines and summaries as you do.

The Lyons sisters case is one which I hold in my heart. I am a local and wandered all those same malls myself as a child during the 70's. I can see my sister and I doing exactly the same things the Lyons sisters did that day so the case has a great impact on me. I continue to hope that someday, somehow they will be found.

As far as the "known" possible suspects I think Fred Coffey is the most likely perpetrator. I don't understand why they can't give convicted felons polygraphs if they have reason to think they may be connected with other cases. I know it would have no weight in a courtroom but it would lend weight to the idea that he was guilty if he did fail a poly.

I will be sending a letter to the parole board to hopefully make sure that Coffey stays in prison where he belongs.
 
The case of Pricilla Blevins who went missing from Charlotte, NC in 1975 has been mentioned in this thread as one of many possibly connected cases.

Pricilla's body has just been identified through DNA matching with as a Jane Doe who had been found in Haywood County, NC in 1985.
 
<modsnip>

For instance, the Montgomery County Police never did state officially that the Tape Recorder Man was a "suspect". They only stated that he was someone that they would like to locate and interview. Sort of like what would be called a "Person of Interest" in today's jargon. Early in the investigation, MCP felt that the report by little "Jimmy" was a reliable sighting and a lot of time and energy was spent trying to verify and investigate that and other similar reports.

MCP has NEVER officially stated they considered any specific person to be a "Suspect" in the disappearance of the Lyon sisters.

MCP DID locate and contact a LOT of individuals who were listed as sexual deviants, or offenders. They also spoke with many people who worked at Wheaton Plaza or who did business there, such as delivery people.

Over the years, a number of persons of interest have come to the attention of MCP and to others interested in this case. From my own discussions with several case officers assigned to this case, I know that they have continued to investigate and consider any lead or potential person of interest.

The case is one which has never been considered closed or even "cold", but rather has remained a continuously open case with MCP in charge of the investigation.

<modsnip>
 
Motherof5 said:
Richard...do you think that this case could be related to Kate and Sheila's? I really feel like it might be and Cynthia was about the same size as Sheila. What are your thoughts?


http://www.washingtonpost.com/local...isappearance/2012/06/13/gJQAz6z1aV_story.html
Click to expand...

------------------------

Thank you for posting this. I had never seen anything on this case before. It was not on Doenetwork or on any other missiong persons site that I know of.

Cynthia went missing from Silver Spring, MD which is in Montgomery County, not far from where Sheila and Kate went missing on 25 March 1975.

Quoting from the link you provided:

Cynthia Joan Gastelle left her Takoma Park home on the morning of April 3, 1980, her family said, headed for job interviews in Silver Spring. The diminutive 18-year-old made it to one appointment, at a delicatessen, and then disappeared.

Cynthia’s father reported her missing, and for more than 30 years, the Gastelle family searched for her, making agonizing trips to morgues and fielding tips from across the country. Each lead turned up cold. ...

... (in June 2012), authorities announced that DNA from skeletal remains found in 1982 — in what was then a remote section of Prince William County — was Cynthia’s. ... Unquote.

To answer your question, I do not know if the case is related to that of the missing Lyon girls. But some similarities might be worth noting:

- Cynthia was born close to the same time that Sheila was. Cynthia was 13 in April 1975 and Sheila was to turn 13 by that date.

- The dates of disappearance are almost exactly five years apart, and there were 5 year anniversary articles about the Lyon Sisters in the press just prior to Cynthia's disappearance.

- Silver Spring is very close to Wheaton.

- The time of year/month of disappearance was very close. Easter Sunday fell on 6 April in 1980. Cynthia went missing on Thrusday, 3 April, only three days before Easter. Sheila and Kate went missing on Tuesday, 25 March, which was 5 days before Easter, which fell on 30 March in 1975. It is probable that the week prior to Easter was during school break in both years.

- Cynthia, like the Lyon sisters, was traveling to or from a business in mid day by herself when last seen.

- Cynthia's body was eventually found in a wooded area of Prince William County, Virginia in February 1982. There have been references to the possibility of the Lyon Sisters being transported to neighboring Virginia over the years, and some of the potential suspects discussed in these threads were from Virginia as well.

The linked article mentions that police were looking for a boyfriend of Cynthia's whose first name was Michael or Mike - last name not known - as a person of interest. A photo of him appears in the linked article.

It might be worth while looking at a number of other missing person cases - or cold case murders to which Cynthia's abduction and murder might also be related.

Again, thank you for posting this. It is a particularly sad story, and my heart goes out to Cynthia's family.
 
With recent news reports of the on-going investigation in western Virginia, it will be interesting to see if any evidence turns up solidly linking the Lyon Sisters to the potential suspects. And if so, what other possibly related cases discussed in these threads might also be linked to them.

Elements of the unfolding story have been mentioned before when discussing some of the possible suspects and cases. Such as:

- Possible transportation of the girls to Virginia or to rural areas

- the possibility of a team/group operation

- the use of a vehicle or vehicles

- various descriptions and profiles of possible perpetrators
 
Richard said:
With recent news reports of the on-going investigation in western Virginia, it will be interesting to see if any evidence turns up solidly linking the Lyon Sisters to the potential suspects. And if so, what other possibly related cases discussed in these threads might also be linked to them.

Elements of the unfolding story have been mentioned before when discussing some of the possible suspects and cases. Such as:

- Possible transportation of the girls to Virginia or to rural areas

- the possibility of a team/group operation

- the use of a vehicle or vehicles

- various descriptions and profiles of possible perpetrators
Click to expand...

I really think there are more.[emoji20]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
The abduction and murder of Eileen Kelly, 18, December 1974, Washington DC.

There is a Websleuths thread in the Cold Case section about the unsolved murder of Eileen Kelly who was abducted on 14 December 1974, kept alive for a period of time and whose body was dumped in the 17 block of R Street Northeast, Washington DC on 22 December 1974.

Some discussion on the thread involves the possibility of a link to the Lyon Sisters' case.

Here are some links:

http://mpdc.dc.gov/mpdc/frames.asp?...ved/pdf/1971_1990/kelly_eileen.pdf&group=1533

http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local-beat/Cold_Case__Eileen_Kelly_Washington_DC.html

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?97069-DC-Eileen-Kelly-18-Washington-DC-December-1974
 
William Joseph Parker, born 1951
-------------------------------------

Eight years ago, in October 2006, I wrote (post 51) in this thread about a 1978 case which I suggested might be related to the Lyon sisters disappearance.

The case was that of Elizabeth Archard, age 13, who was abducted, raped, and murdered in Prince Georges County, Maryland. The perpetrator of those crimes was captured, tried, and convicted. He has spent the last 36 years in the Maryland Prison system.

His name is William Joseph Parker, current age 63. Parker was 24 at the time the Lyon sisters went missing.

Interesting that the Montgomery County Police have been searching in the Parker family cemetery in Thaxton, Virginia for the past few weeks and stating that relatives of Lloyd Welch were involved in the Lyon case. Could William Joseph Parker be related to that Parker family and to Welch?

Unfortunately, although I know where William Joseph Parker is today, I have not been able to learn much about where he came from or much more about him. He was said to be a drifter who was separated from his wife.

Below is a link to Elizabeth Archard's thread in the Solved Cold Case section of Websleuths. It includes transcriptions of some of the news articles related to her case.

LINK:

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?44331-MD-Elizabeth-Archard-13-murdered-Prince-Georges-County-Aug-1978
 
Richard said:
William Joseph Parker, born 1951
-------------------------------------

Eight years ago, in October 2006, I wrote (post 51) in this thread about a 1978 case which I suggested might be related to the Lyon sisters disappearance.

The case was that of Elizabeth Archard, age 13, who was abducted, raped, and murdered in Prince Georges County, Maryland. The perpetrator of those crimes was captured, tried, and convicted. He has spent the last 36 years in the Maryland Prison system.

His name is William Joseph Parker, current age 63. Parker was 24 at the time the Lyon sisters went missing.

Interesting that the Montgomery County Police have been searching in the Parker family cemetery in Thaxton, Virginia for the past few weeks and stating that relatives of Lloyd Welch were involved in the Lyon case. Could William Joseph Parker be related to that Parker family and to Welch?

Unfortunately, although I know where William Joseph Parker is today, I have not been able to learn much about where he came from or much more about him. He was said to be a drifter who was separated from his wife.

Below is a link to Elizabeth Archard's thread in the Solved Cold Case section of Websleuths. It includes transcriptions of some of the news articles related to her case.

LINK:

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?44331-MD-Elizabeth-Archard-13-murdered-Prince-Georges-County-Aug-1978
Click to expand...

This is very interesting. I've done most of Welch's family tree on his father's side but I will see if I can find a connection to William Parker. I do know that Welch's paternal grandfather was married twice. He had Lloyd Sr and siblings with his first wife and after she died, he married again and had more kids so the family is large.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
William Joseph Parker went by his middle name: Joe Parker. He was about 6 feet tall and weighed about 200 pounds. There are some descriptions of him and even sketches in the links in the Elizabeth Archard thread. He drove an early 1970's car in 1978.

Unfortunately, the Maryland prison locator does not have much on him, but photos of him would be in their records and in the Prince Georges County Police files. It would be nice to know where he lived in 1975 and whether or not he had any connection to Welch or other possible suspects.

Name: Parker, William Joseph
Date of Birth: 1/16/1951
Department of Corrections ID Number: 151132

Holding Facility:
Maryland Correctional Training Center
Address: 18800 Roxbury Rd., Hagerstown, MD 21746
 
mere said:
I think it is so crazy that so many kids, all the same age went missing every month in a pretty close proximity. I have never seen any article that suggest they might be connected. I think it should be looked at by LE. I know that there is not much evidence in any of these cases, but if they could some how connect them all there might be some good information looking at a bigger picture.
Click to expand...

Any chance the month apart could correlate to LLW, Jr traveling the country with the carnivals between the 1970's-1990's?
 
This month marks the 40 year anniversary of the still unsolved abduction and murder of Eileen Kelly, 18 years old.

I have mentioned it in this thread previously as a possible connected case to the disappearance of the Lyon Sisters.

Eileen was also from Montgomery County, Maryland but she worked as an intern in Washington, DC. It is believed that she boarded a bus for home and never made it. Nine days later, her body was found in DC. Time of death would indicate that she was held alive for days between her abduction and murder.

Recent discussion in the Lyon Sisters forum touched on the possibility of those girls being kept alive for days after their disappearance. Perhaps there are some similarities or links between the two cases.

Note that Eileen disappeared only three months before the Lyon Sisters did.

For more on Eileen's case, see the link below to her thread in the Cold Cases section of Websleuths.

LINK:

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?97069-DC-Eileen-Kelly-18-Washington-DC-December-1974
 
Thanks for that reminder Richard.

Let's hope that there WILL INDEED be a connection to many
victims (perhaps from Taylor's Mountain)!!

Richard, would you please comment on your research, thoughts and opinions about whether you believe that a prostitution ring may have been going on (as one or more members have said) which MAY ACCOUNT for the delay in time after they were abducted??
Thanks!!
 
I know we are waiting to find out information from LE regarding the case.
However, I just happened to take a look at the forum in the "Archives" on "Jaycee Lee Dugard" and here is a quote from websleuths member "Julieann1" regarding the topic "PO Visit":

"I think either he was on a heavy guilt trip or that it is nothing more than he was out and about doing other things with Jaycee, his wife, and the kids; he had a scheduled appointment with his PO that he could not miss so he had no other choice and they came along. He probably had some sort of story he planned to tell them in the event he was questioned but they didn't believe him. I think of the other missing people I would turn my attention to the black market as many of them may still be alive."

SOMETHING WE SHOULD NEVER RULE OUT UNTIL WE HAVE PROOF OTHERWISE!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

DNASolves

Who is Fairfield County Jane Doe (1993)?

Members online

... and 92 more.
Total: 497 (members: 93, guests: 404)

Online statistics

Members online
93
Guests online
404
Total visitors
497
Totals may include hidden visitors.

Forum statistics

Threads
608,347
Messages
18,238,044
Members
234,348
Latest member
Allira93
Back
Top