Possible Connections

[Richard]

Interesting comments.

The Lyon case has come to mean a lot of things to the many different people who have heard or read about it.

First, and formost, it has been a tremendous tragedy for the girls and their family, and to all who knew/know them personally.

Secondly, as many have posted here, it was a life changing event for the community and the entire DC Metro area in regard to how kids and parents viewed safety and security regarding children being allowed out on their own. It is still a very hot subject of debate today.

Thirdly, it stands as a symbol of how we do not forget about missing children and strive to solve these cases even 40 years after the fact. This case has never been considered "cold" but has been a continually active and open investigation.

Another important way that this case has lasting meaning is that it has brought attention to many other similar cases through possible links and discussions - keeping those cases alive and remembered. Some of those "linked" cases seen here on Websleuths have actually been solved or partially resolved because of the interest of readers and posters.

If reading this unsolved case gets someone thinking about, researching, or posting another case, it may well contribute toward the the eventual resolution of that other case.

 

[FleaSpirit]

Some comments regarding the last two comments.

My interest in this case specifically is very limited, honestly because it is 40 years old and I would say the chances of actually completely solving it are low.

The one takeaway point from this thread, for me, is a reinforcement of the fact that in every field, including crime, the people who have control of the information own the issue.

This case probably would have been solved long ago if the information that should have been made public was. Instead you have somewhere boxes of information, perhaps one thousandth of one percent of which should be restricted, which no one who is interested can access.

As a result anyone who is interested in this case is sort of forced into paying blind tribute to those who control the information. A previous comment made reference to gathering information then 'handing it over to the FBI so they can solve the case'. The first thing that popped into my mind was the front page photo from http://www.wanttoknow.info/mind_control/19890629_washington_times_franklin_affair There are many other examples in the DC area of the FBI not quite doing a proper job, several examples at http://www.wanttoknow.info/sexabusescandalsnewsarticles and one of many explanations for this sort of problem at http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/15/justice/ex-fbi-agent-*advertiser censored*/index.html

When a crime happens the first step is to let law enforcement deal with it. Once law enforcement has acted you have to look at what they have done and see if it looks right. In that specific kind of case if law enforcement managed to not solve it for 40 years the second step is to have at least a bit of caution.

I could mention again the case of Hser Ner Moo. Police and FBI solved the case almost instantly. They did it by arresting an evidently innocent person. Is the solution to ask them to review their work? Of course not. The solution is to force them to review their work.

No matter where you go, people are hired for law enforcement jobs above all else because they are obedient. Not for integrity or intelligence. A lot of decent people work in every field, including law enforcement. But when an agency, in this case the FBI, has a longstanding pattern of problematic investigations in certain areas a person should be wary.

I would strongly encourage anyone who has the interest and the money to contact the various law enforcement agencies and ask them how much they would charge for the complete case files. It is very likely an outside person would quickly see things that were missed. The same could be said for almost any unsolved case.

 

[Richard]

There have been some recent examples of cases over 40 years old being solved. These might be statistically rare, but they do show that a case such as the Lyon sisters can be solved many years after the crime was committed.

In 1967, Eileen Marie Adams (age 14) was abducted from her hometown of Toledo, Ohio, held for days or weeks, tortured, and brutally murdered. Her body was rolled up in a rug and dumped just south of Ann Arbor, Michigan. In 2012, 45 years later, Robert Bowman was arrested, tried and convicted of her murder. He is serving a life term in an Ohio prison today.

On 18 November 1968, a US Marine named Corporal Robert Daniel Corriveau - wounded three times in Vietnam -disappeared from the Philadelphia Naval Hospital. He was later declared a deserter. That same day, an unidentified man's body was discovered, stabbed through the heart. 45 years later, the dead man was identified positively as Corporal Corriveau, USMC. His record has been corrected and he was given a funeral with full military honors in October 2012. The search for his killer has been renewed, and continues, but his body has been returned to his family and a long standing wrong has been righted.

However remote the resolution of the Lyon case might be, I feel that it is possible. It would certainly be easier for others to assist if MCP were more open with known details. The cases mentioned above were solved as a direct result of outside sources providing information to the investigating police departments after case summaries were released and published on-line.

 

[FleaSpirit]

There have been some recent examples of cases over 40 years old being solved. These might be statistically rare, but they do show that a case such as the Lyon sisters can be solved many years after the crime was committed.

...

However remote the resolution of the Lyon case might be, I feel that it is possible. It would certainly be easier for others to assist if MCP were more open with known details. The cases mentioned above were solved as a direct result of outside sources providing information to the investigating police departments after case summaries were released and published on-line.

Here is my last suggestion on this subject. I've mentioned it would be difficult for me to get too interested in a case that old, but since there are people who are interested here is an idea.

If someone with interest would like to contact the relevant agencies, local and state police and the FBI, and find out the cost of the case files, and then mention that cost, I'll contribute $20 and others will probably contribute more. Before too long at least some of the information from the original investigation would be available.

Police redact information, sometimes arbitrarily, sometimes for good cause and sometimes to cover their mistakes. A person would need the discretion to figure out which applied to any information. You could not say "John Smith was interviewed and gave suspicious answers". This website is a mass of shaky accusations and especially in this kind of case, when people are eager to accuse, you have to be careful.

So if either of you two simplifymylife or Richard are interested in trying that I'll give a small start to the fund. You could set up a bitcoin address that would let you receive contributions more easily and let anybody see exactly how much has been contributed.

 

[Richard]

Here is my last suggestion on this subject. I've mentioned it would be difficult for me to get too interested in a case that old, but since there are people who are interested here is an idea.

If someone with interest would like to contact the relevant agencies, local and state police and the FBI, and find out the cost of the case files, and then mention that cost, I'll contribute $20 and others will probably contribute more. Before too long at least some of the information from the original investigation would be available.

Police redact information, sometimes arbitrarily, sometimes for good cause and sometimes to cover their mistakes. A person would need the discretion to figure out which applied to any information. You could not say "John Smith was interviewed and gave suspicious answers". This website is a mass of shaky accusations and especially in this kind of case, when people are eager to accuse, you have to be careful.

So if either of you two simplifymylife or Richard are interested in trying that I'll give a small start to the fund. You could set up a bitcoin address that would let you receive contributions more easily and let anybody see exactly how much has been contributed.

Your suggestion is welcome and your generosity appreciated. I wish that obtaining access to Montgomery County's Police evidence files was so easy.

I can say from personal contact with several of the MCP case officers over the years that, while they are willing to talk about the case, they have never been willing to open their files to the public or to interested persons. I have seen a number of references to the fact that these files fill several boxes.

What you suggest is often done with the Federal Government and with certain other government agencies to obtain documents and information by citing the Freedom of Information Act of 1974. There is also a closely related Privacy Act which plays into requests for documents.

Normally you have to state specifically what documents or records you want - and that is hard to do when you don't know to begin with what they have.

If you are requesting documents relating to yourself, you can cite both the Freedom of Information Act and the Privacy Act. If you are asking for documents which relate to other people, your request could/might be denied by the agency for fear of violating the Privacy Act.

For example, MCP made statements in 1975 that every sex offender and child abuser in the area was contacted and interviewed about the missing girls. This was before the mandatory sex offender registry. Releasing such a list might be considered a violation of someone's privacy and open MCP to civil litigation.

Certain documents and records are exempt from such requests. Those would be records of a personal nature, such as a person's medical record, military service record, etc. Other records are available as a matter of course (such as Maryland Judiciary Record summaries). From those, you might identify more specific records or documents to request.

Often Law Enforcement files are exempted from release if they relate to an on-going investigation, such as the case of the missing Lyon sisters. The stated reason for such a denial would be that release of the file or records would compromise the investigation or endanger potential witnesses or persons of interest.

If a police case is declared closed, one might have better luck making a request for the files. But again, certain portions of the file relating to personal information or confidential sources would probably be excluded.

If a victim's family were to hire a private (licensed) investigator, it is possible that a request for files would be looked upon more favorably, but I know of one such case where the police are willing to listen to anything the investigators want to give to them, but not willing to reciprocate with any information.

Over the years, I came up with a list of some very specific questions for LE regarding the Lyon case and they have answered some of them. Those questions came to me after reading news articles and after speaking with various persons familiar with the case.

Of course, recent revelations about another girl being with the Lyon sisters who saw and described the Long Haired Man having been suppressed for 39 years makes one wonder why such seemingly important key information was with held for so long.

What OTHER information might be buried in those files?

 

[FleaSpirit]

I missed that last part about a third person who was a witness. If that is true and if it were suppressed it would justify putting more effort into researching it. That detail might have been left out for the safety of the third person if it was considered to be a kidnapping.

Anyway each state has various laws about how to get something like that and it should be possible to get quite a bit of the case files if you can afford it. It cost me close to $100 for a tiny amount of material from a case that had virtually no investigation. This case you are dealing with had probably dozens of people interviewing hundreds of people and so on, probably hundreds of pounds of paper. If you and/or simplifymylife are determined to figure the case out, it probably would be possible to do. Looking on the internet for clues from before the internet existed will produce a little but if I were as interested as you two seem I'd at least send emails asking how to get the files.

 

[simplifymylife2014]

FleaSpirit, thank you for your offer to start a fund.

However, I am involved in what you could call a "spiritual search and rescue operation" that is my main focus in life.

I can't speak for Richard or others. Perhaps others would like to do such a thing.

Thanks again for your input and making it known that such a thing exists of buying reocrds.

 

[Richard]

Katherine O'Neil Anderson , 24, Missing 20 April 1979

This missing person case has been mentioned briefly in the past as potentially connected to that of the missing Lyon sisters. Here are a few noted similarities: a shopping center parking lot, a vehicle, Prince Georges County, victim description, and spring time disappearance (only five days after Easter 1979).

Note also that the University of Maryland in College Park is just a few miles east of Hyattsville.

Here is an updated Doenetwork file on Katherine which contains a more detailed narrative.

Katherine O'Neil Anderson
Missing since April 20, 1979 from Annapolis, Anne Arundel County, Maryland.
Classification: Involuntary Vital

Statistics


Date Of Birth: November 16, 1954
Age at Time of Disappearance: 24 years old
Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5'3" (160 cm.); 100 lbs. (45 kg.)
Distinguishing Characteristics: White female. Blonde/light brown hair; blue eyes.
Marks, Scars: She has a small scar over her left eye.
Clothing: Pink, pullover v-neck sweater with a blouse underneath; greenish blue, corduroy slacks and Dr. Scholl's sandals.
Jewelry: Silver bracelet, silver ring with blue stone, silver band, white and brown bead necklace.
Nickname: Kitty
Dentals: Available

Circumstances of Disappearance


Anderson was employed at Deze's Restaurant on the Eastern Shore, in Chester, Maryland in 1979.

On April 20, 1979, Anderson traveled to Annapolis, Maryland to have repair work done on her vehicle. Anderson picked up her vehicle from the Tate Dodge Dealer.

The normally reliable student had telephoned her boyfriend from the automobile dealership where she picked up her van and was supposed to drive straight to the restaurant where she worked as a waitress. She had to be at work at 16.00, but she apparently never went back across the Bay Bridge.

When Anderson didn't show up for work and didn't call, her family knew something was wrong.

A search of the area by persons hired by her boyfriend located the vehicle on the parking lot East Park Shopping Center in Glen Burnie, MD. From the mileage logged at Tate Dodge while it was being serviced, police were able to tell the van had been driven 45 miles before it was found in the parking lot.

Anderson, a University of Maryland student, whose parents live outside Boston, Massachusetts, was never seen again despite an air and ground search. She and her boyfriend, with whom she lived in Chester were to leave that night for a family reunion in Pennsylvania. Anderson is from Marblehead, Mass., but had been living in Maryland since December.

Police believe the woman had no credit cards and $20 cash with her at the time of her disappearance.

Authorities believe that Anderson may have been taken against her will.

Investigators
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:

Sgt. John Bollinger
Maryland State Police
410-290-0050 X 130

Agency Case Number: K8002501

NCIC Number: M-39746765

Please refer to this number when contacting any agency with information regarding this case.

Source Information:
Maryland State Police
NamUs
The Doe Network: Case File 930DFMD

LINK:

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/930dfmd.html

 

[Richard]

Zita Cecilia Gutierrez, 24, Missing since August 22, 1980 from Bethesda, MD

Could this case be related to some of the others discussed here?
Note mention of a 1971 Dodge and a Bethesda, MD bus stop. She was a petite college student.

Zita Cecilia Gutierrez
Missing since August 22, 1980 from Bethesda, Montgomery County, Maryland.
Classification: Endangered Missing

Vital Statistics


Date Of Birth: October 23, 1956
Age at Time of Disappearance: 24 years old
Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5'0; 110 lbs.
Distinguishing Characteristics: Hispanic female. Black hair; brown eyes.
Dentals: Not available. Slight separation between upper front teeth
AKA: Cecilia

Circumstances of Disappearance

Gutierrez was last seen leaving the Kenwood Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland on August 22, 1980.

The Montgomery College student from Rockville was working two summer jobs to pay for her education. She had a position at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda and had been working for about a week as a cocktail waitress at Kenwood Country Club, also in Bethesda. After finishing her shift at Kenwood one night, Gutierrez left to meet her fiance and some friends at a local nightclub.

Gutierrez has not been seen since.On August 23, 1980, the day after her disappearance, her 1971 "Dodge Challenger" was found in a parking lot adjacent to a bus stop near NIH.

Gutierrez was supposed to pick up a friend near NIH by 9:30PM on August 22, 1980.

Although a coworker saw her car leaving the country club shortly after she checked out of work at 9:25PM, he could not confirm whether she was in it. Authorities believe Zita thought that she would meet that friend at the bus stop at NIH, but her friend was waiting at a different bus stop farther from the facility.Her fiance, an Iranian student visiting from Pennsylvania, thought Gutierrez’s car may have broken down. He picked up Gutierrez’s friend and they tried to find Gutierrez, but after an unsuccessful search they called police at 2AM.

Police did not find any evidence of a struggle in the vicinity where her car was found.

Gutierrez is a native of Ecuador who had come to the United States five years previously.

Investigators
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:

Montgomery County Police Department
Major Crimes
240-773-5070

Agency Case Number: RD# W 039 422

NCIC Number: M-072984567

Please refer to this number when contacting any agency with information regarding this case.

Source Information:
NCMA
Washington Post
Gazette.Net 8/31/05
The Doe Network: Case File 820DFMD

LINK:

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/820dfmd.html

 

[Richard]

Catherine Worsky, 12, Missing since July 12, 1982 from Charlottesville, VA

Consider some of the similarities between this case and that of Sheila and Katherine Lyon.

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

Catherine Worsky
Missing since July 12, 1982 from Charlottesville, Albemarle County, Virginia
Classification: Non-Family Abduction

Vital Statistics

Age at Time of Disappearance: 12 years old
Distinguishing Characteristics: White female. Blonde hair.
Clothing: Pink t-shirt.
Medical: Diabetic.
AKA: Katie

Circumstances of Disappearance


On July 12, 1982, Katie disappeared from her friend's house, where she was spending the night. Her insulin, was found with her shoes and other belongings at her friend's house. Her body was never found.

Glenn Barker was charged with Katie's murder, and convicted of second-degree murder in 1983. He served 9 years in jail before being released on parole.

Barker was the second man in Virginia history to be convicted of murder without a body as evidence. Barker was the last adult to see her alive and a pair of Worsky’s underpants were found by police in one of Barker’s drawers.

Barker served nine years of an 18-year sentence for the crime. He was released in 1992 and moved to Richmond, Va., where he was a suspect in a double slaying there.

Investigators
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:

Charlottesville Police Department
434-970-3280

Source Information:
The Hook
Sentinel 4/18/02
The Doe Network: Case File 2401DFVA

LINKS:

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/2401dfva.html

http://www.c-ville.com/law-enforcem...cted-killer-glenn-barkers-death/#.VOiXrS6Feio

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...-Sybil-Worsky-12-Charlottesville-12-July-1982

 

[Richard]

Virginia Alice Welch, 22, Missing since July 12, 1982 from Roanoke, VA

There has been much discussion regarding two persons of interest named Welch on these threads. Here is a case involving a missing woman by that name from western Virginia.

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

Virginia Alice Welch
Missing since July 12, 1982 from Roanoke, Roanoke County, Virginia
Classification: Missing

Vital Statistics

Date Of Birth: March 15, 1960
Age at Time of Disappearance: 22 years old
Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5'7"; 135 lbs.
Distinguishing Characteristics: White female. Blue eyes; natural curly dark hair.
Marks, Scars, Tattoos: A tattoo of a red rose on her right forearm, a tattoo of a hummingbird on her left breast, a tattoo of eagle wings on right shoulder, Rebel flag and the words "live to ride, ride to live", and a Cobra snake tattoo on her upper left leg.
Dentals: Not available
DNA: Available

Circumstances of Disappearance

Welch moved in with a friend in Roanoke and that was the last time her family heard from her. After three weeks of not hearing from her daughter, the mother went to the place Virginia was supposed to be living and was told that she had walked off carrying a plastic bag. However, the roommate couldn't seem to remember what week she left.

A couple of weeks later the family went to the Roanoke Police and a detective was assigned to the case. However the police never came up with any leads.

Welch had been enlisted the U.S. Army for a few months. She had gotten out on a medical discharge several years before she disappeared.

Investigators
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:

Roanoke City Police Department
Detective L. P. Manning
Major Crimes Unit
540-853-5959
or
540-853-5305

Source Information:
Main Street Newspapers
Virginia State PoliceThe Doe Network: Case File 1502DFVA

LINK:

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1502dfva.html

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...-1982-from-Roanoke-VA&p=11574757#post11574757

 

[sistersleuth]

Catherine Worsky, 12, Missing since July 12, 1982 from Charlottesville, VA

Consider some of the similarities between this case and that of Sheila and Katherine Lyon.


No offense but I see no similarities

 

[FleaSpirit]

I read a little of this material and several linked pages and here is a general observation about these types of cases. One of the biggest problems in solving them is that people are irrational in examining them.

An example.
From http://www.readthehook.com/86065/cover-glenn-barker-serial-killer-or-convenient-scapegoat
"Michael Currie, a 19-year-old cook, admitted that Chandler had come back to his apartment where, he claimed, they had watched the comedy classic, Stripes. But he insisted that he had dropped her back at her car at the restaurant around 3am, though he hadn't stayed to watch her leave.

Police immediately suspected Currie, and a search of his apartment revealed a disturbing find: one of Chandler's shoes. The other had been found still on her foot in the reservoir. Authorities moved in on Currie and arrested him at Lupo's, El Cabrito's sister restaurant on Emmet Street across from U-Hall."

That case specifically seems to have been solved to a fair degree. Why would anyone connect that case to the others that are legitimately unsolved? Whether Barker is a suspect in the other cases is one issue. But when he is named as a suspect in another case that has an obvious culprit, complete with reasonable evidence, it becomes clear that a lot of people are not trying to solve crimes, they are trying to find boogeymen, to use a phrase Barker used in the article.

It is really impossible to examine any issue when people are caught up in projecting drama and are not able and / or willing to simply look at facts. A lot of these investigations were done very poorly, not much can be done about that. But even if facts are presented, they are just as quickly ignored.

The one case above was apparently solved by convicting Barker. Was he guilty? It's really not clear. He might have been. The death of a later girlfriend sort of provides circumstantial evidence but police obviously did not act rationally in their investigation and later actions. In one situation Barker was stopped and had a pellet gun and handcuffs in his car, apparently according to police. That is very strong evidence of something not right. But the police don't mention that the handcuffs were plastic toy handcuffs that do not have any similarity to real handcuffs.

Again I will bring up the Esar Met as an example, since it is a perfect example of people refusing to be rational. His supposed victim died almost certainly many hours after he was gone. Not one single piece of the evidence used to convict him withstands even slight scrutiny. And yet people have no problem with him being in prison for what some of the experts called one of the most violent crimes they had seen.

 

[beachlvr0810]

Virginia Alice Welch, 22, Missing since July 12, 1982 from Roanoke, VA

There has been much discussion regarding two persons of interest named Welch on these threads. Here is a case involving a missing woman by that name from western Virginia.

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

Virginia Alice Welch
Missing since July 12, 1982 from Roanoke, Roanoke County, Virginia
Classification: Missing

Vital Statistics

Date Of Birth: March 15, 1960
Age at Time of Disappearance: 22 years old
Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5'7"; 135 lbs.
Distinguishing Characteristics: White female. Blue eyes; natural curly dark hair.
Marks, Scars, Tattoos: A tattoo of a red rose on her right forearm, a tattoo of a hummingbird on her left breast, a tattoo of eagle wings on right shoulder, Rebel flag and the words "live to ride, ride to live", and a Cobra snake tattoo on her upper left leg.
Dentals: Not available
DNA: Available

Circumstances of Disappearance

Welch moved in with a friend in Roanoke and that was the last time her family heard from her. After three weeks of not hearing from her daughter, the mother went to the place Virginia was supposed to be living and was told that she had walked off carrying a plastic bag. However, the roommate couldn't seem to remember what week she left.

A couple of weeks later the family went to the Roanoke Police and a detective was assigned to the case. However the police never came up with any leads.

Welch had been enlisted the U.S. Army for a few months. She had gotten out on a medical discharge several years before she disappeared.

Investigators
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:

Roanoke City Police Department
Detective L. P. Manning
Major Crimes Unit
540-853-5959
or
540-853-5305

Source Information:
Main Street Newspapers
Virginia State PoliceThe Doe Network: Case File 1502DFVA

LINK:

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1502dfva.html

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...-1982-from-Roanoke-VA&p=11574757#post11574757

I met her mom and sister at the candlelight vigil in Roanoke recently. Such sweet people!

 

[siriunsun]

Why aren't her dental records available?

 

[Richard]

Catherine Worsky, 12, Missing since July 12, 1982 from Charlottesville, VA

Consider some of the similarities between this case and that of Sheila and Katherine Lyon.


No offense but I see no similarities

For starters, we have a little girl, blonde, age 12 (same as Sheila), same first name as Katherine (Kate) who was aparently abducted and who is still missing many years later.

The Lyon sisters went missing from their home area in Maryland, while Katie went missing from her home in Charlottsville, Virginia. Charlottsville is about a two hour drive from Kensington, Wheaton, MD and about halfway between there and Bedford County, VA where recent search activity has been centered in regard to police theories that the Lyon sisters were buried there.

The person convicted of Katie's abduction and murder seems to have a personality and history similar to a current Person of Interest in the Lyon case.

Those are just a few similarities that caught my attention in regard to the Lyon case. There may be similarities to other cases discussed here as well.

It is very obvious that most individuals who commit these types of crimes do it over and over again. Perhaps finding links to other crimes - both solved and unsolved - will lead to resolution of some of the more difficult ones.

There is seldom a "carbon copy" similarity as seen on TV where everything is the same from one crime scene to another, but perhaps one or two common elements might be recognized as more than just a coincidence.

 

[Richard]

I read a little of this material and several linked pages and here is a general observation about these types of cases. One of the biggest problems in solving them is that people are irrational in examining them. ...
...It is really impossible to examine any issue when people are caught up in projecting drama and are not able and / or willing to simply look at facts. A lot of these investigations were done very poorly, not much can be done about that. But even if facts are presented, they are just as quickly ignored....

You make some good points. Certainly not all of the potentially connected cases mentioned in this thread were committed by one person. And they are not all necessarily interconnected, beyond some similarities or coincidental factors. But It is very likely that some of these cases are closely linked, even though the evidence is not available as yet to make that solid connection.

There are a lot of faults in our legal system and in the way that investigations are/were conducted by police. One of the biggest problems (in my opinion) seems to be the problems encountered in cases of multiple jurisdictions. Police departments don't always share information or work well together. Things fall through the cracks. Persons who should be considered suspects are locked up elsewhere and not made available for interview or not extradited for trial in another state.

In the Lyon case, we can see some of this. They were last seen in Wheaton or Kensington, Maryland which is in Montgomery County. Therefore, Montgomery County Police have had jurisdiction in the investigation. But Washington DC, Prince Georges County, Ann Arundel County, and several counties in Virginia are close by and elements of the case, and possible connections can be seen in all of those other jurisdictions. Maryland State Police might have an interest in other potentially connected cases. And now the FBI is assisting. Add to all that, potential suspects and witnesses living in other states and the passage of time, and you have a very difficult case to investigate.

When considering a person as a potential suspect in a crime like child abduction, it is important to consider what he was like AT THE TIME that the crime was committed. His age, experience, police record, etc. at the time are germane factors to the case at hand. While later crimes are certainly factors which might identify or point out a potential suspect, they are usually not admissable as evidence in proving the person guilty of the earlier crime.

The big questions would be, "Was he a killer then at age __ ? Was he that organized? Did he then have the means, the experience, the assistance, etc?"

 

[siriunsun]

The big questions would be, "Was he a killer then at age __ ? Was he that organized? Did he then have the means, the experience, the assistance, etc?"

Say What?! Where was the killer at age___?! Honestly.......who cares how old RAW or LLW was when suspected of being involved?

 

[FleaSpirit]

You make some good points. Certainly not all of the potentially connected cases mentioned in this thread were committed by one person. And they are not all necessarily interconnected, beyond some similarities or coincidental factors. But It is very likely that some of these cases are closely linked, even though the evidence is not available as yet to make that solid connection.

There are a lot of faults in our legal system and in the way that investigations are/were conducted by police. One of the biggest problems (in my opinion) seems to be the problems encountered in cases of multiple jurisdictions. Police departments don't always share information or work well together. Things fall through the cracks. Persons who should be considered suspects are locked up elsewhere and not made available for interview or not extradited for trial in another state.

In the Lyon case, we can see some of this. They were last seen in Wheaton or Kensington, Maryland which is in Montgomery County. Therefore, Montgomery County Police have had jurisdiction in the investigation. But Washington DC, Prince Georges County, Ann Arundel County, and several counties in Virginia are close by and elements of the case, and possible connections can be seen in all of those other jurisdictions. Maryland State Police might have an interest in other potentially connected cases. And now the FBI is assisting. Add to all that, potential suspects and witnesses living in other states and the passage of time, and you have a very difficult case to investigate.

When considering a person as a potential suspect in a crime like child abduction, it is important to consider what he was like AT THE TIME that the crime was committed. His age, experience, police record, etc. at the time are germane factors to the case at hand. While later crimes are certainly factors which might identify or point out a potential suspect, they are usually not admissable as evidence in proving the person guilty of the earlier crime.

The big questions would be, "Was he a killer then at age __ ? Was he that organized? Did he then have the means, the experience, the assistance, etc?"

My comment was meant more as a general observation, not a criticism of this thread. I'd agree it is likely some of the cases are related.

The criticism of jurisdiction problems seems like something that might have applied long ago but if a police officer goes to another area to get information today it would be doubtful there would be any difficulty. As for connecting cases that happen across wide areas, that would be the responsibility of the state police or FBI. There are probably databases with features of crimes and full time people entering new crimes by feature.

Regarding the Lyon case specifically, do you think the Welch confession is accurate? There seem to be details that could be checked, such as the presence of a young relative in the car during the kidnapping.

For most crimes it would obviously seem necessary to consider changes in a person if you were to try to connect them to a previous crime. A person could have been a bank robber that went on to become a businessman. That would not be unusual. But specifically with child abduction, in order to guess how much the abductor might have changed you would first have to know for sure the motive of the abduction.

If the Lyon sisters were abducted for ransom, as unlikely as that might seem, the abductor might be hard to identify. He would be very unlikely to still be a kidnapper. Considering that they were the children of a local celebrity media figure it seems possible though.

If they were abducted for pedophilia though, it is likely the abductor is still a pedophile. In other words you would probably expect a person who was a pedophile in 1975 or whenever to still be one today.

The murder might be something that would fall in the first category. Most people are slower to violence as they age, including criminals.

Again, my comment, and specifically the part you requoted, were not meant to criticize your speculation which is simply presenting facts and looking for a connection. The criticism had to do with the irrational drama of reporters, including the article I cited, and police, including the example I gave. A lot of people in this kind of case seem to deliberately ignore and even misrepresent evidence.

I am reminded again of the Esar Met case. There are substantial examples of inaccurate information that police and others gave in order to make Mr Met look guilty. It is very similar to the Central Park jogger case and hundreds of other cases. In this case, the Lyon case, there seem to be some small problems with the Welch confession. I personally, at this point, like to see some sort of evidence beyond the sayso of law enforcement. Hopefully if the Welch confession is true then it will be made public in a credible way.

 

[beachlvr0810]

Why aren't her dental records available?

Supposedly the Army lost them.