The Shorts & the Porch Light

[CaliMama]

I'm not sure how much this matters, but I think that more than likely, all three women were barefoot if they had recently been in bed or sleeping. It seems as though at least one of the women would have cut their foot on the broken glass (LE should be able to test the glass for blood) on the way out the front door IF they walked out. Were any of the other doors unlocked? Could they have walked out of a different door or were they carried out the front door?

 

[pittsburghgirl]

MM or Hurricane will know this for sure, but LE said that Stacy was barefoot. I think we have speculated that she might have left DNA, perhaps blood. Or perhaps just footprints of the right size. Or it just might be that she only had one pair of shoes and they were in the house.

 

[CaliMama]

I have had another thought/question regarding the porch light. If the globe was broken because someone was trying to unscrew the light bulb (so that they wouldn't be seen), then that means that the person was not known to any of the three women, imo. If it was someone that they knew, then they would have wanted to be seen so someone would open the door.

I am wondering if the globe could have broken without Sherrill hearing it before the girls arrived in an effort to unscrew the light bulb so the girls wouldn't see someone hiding near the front door/carport area. Is that a possibility? Where was Sherrill's bedroom in relation to the front door?

 

[Indianagirl]

The double windows on the far left in the picture above are part of Sherrill's bedroom (SW corner).

This is the inside of her bedroom with those same windows (years later).

As you can see, part of Sherrill's bedroom windows were in the front of the house, not far from the front door. Hope this helps!

 

[fullmoon]

I have put some thought to the broken globe and don't think it occurred when the girls were leaving the house. After all, if it fell during the time they left, I'd expect one of them to scream at that point... and maybe fight with their captor(s). Also, in order for this to happen during this time, the screws securing the cover would have to be very loose for it to fall... on a fixture like that there's usually 3 screws securing the glass.....

I agree. I have the same type of globe at my back porch. It is a b**ch to loosen the screws to change burned out bulbs. I think the perp removed the globe with the intent to loosen the bulb. It took a while to loosen the screws, the dog likely started yapping, Sherill peaked out the blinds, and decided to investigate. The perp may have already had his fingers around the bulb to loosen, but Sherill surprised him by turning on the light. Recognized him and opened the door to ask what the hell was going on. By then he forced his way in, and in the struggle, the globe was dropped. That bulb could very well have had fingerprints on it. Just my opinion.

BTW, I think the perp may have wanted the light bulb loosened not because he was a stranger who didn't want neighbors identifying him, but because it was someone the neighbors may have seen before and could identify more easily.

 

[Auramyst]

BTW, I think the perp may have wanted the light bulb loosened not because he was a stranger who didn't want neighbors identifying him, but because it was someone the neighbors may have seen before and could identify more easily.

I agree completely with your theory. I've also thought this was the case with the 'porch lady van sighting'.

At first I thought the perp would want Suzy to drive so he could control the other's in the back of the van- and that may be the case- but along with that I'm beginning to suspect that perp didn't want to be seen because he would be recognized.

 

[notintheknow]

I agree completely with your theory. I've also thought this was the case with the 'porch lady van sighting'.

At first I thought the perp would want Suzy to drive so he could control the other's in the back of the van- and that may be the case- but along with that I'm beginning to suspect that perp didn't want to be seen because he would be recognized.

I wonder, though. From all of the descriptions I have read it seems like the Delmar house was set back aways fromt he street and not easily visible from its neighbors. That would lead me to believe that the perp(s) would not need to be as concerned about beingrecognized by the occasional latenight passerby. However, hopefully someone with a bit more knowledge than I can chime in.

I think you raise a good point about the porch lady sighting.

 

[Auramyst]

I wonder, though. From all of the descriptions I have read it seems like the Delmar house was set back aways fromt he street and not easily visible from its neighbors. That would lead me to believe that the perp(s) would not need to be as concerned about beingrecognized by the occasional latenight passerby. However, hopefully someone with a bit more knowledge than I can chime in.

I think you raise a good point about the porch lady sighting.

I agree. The house was set back from the road a bit. I would think that anyone attempting an abduction would not want to be seen- whether he thought he would be recognized or not.

I think another reason for the perp to go into 'stealth mode' would be that the front yard was lit by both the porch light and the yard light.

Again, the house was not right up on the road, but anyone driving by at night would be able to see someone hanging around the front yard and carport. The person 'driving by' might not recognize the perp, but would be able to give a reasonable description of the perp if the perp was all lit up by the outside lights. So, I believe there would be several reasons why the perp would not want to be seen.

I've often wondered if the perp gained entry through the carport door rather than the front door (and if he used a door at all).

 

[Auramyst]

St. Louis Post-Dispatch
June 14, 1992

"More than 30 police officers - including agents from the Springfield FBI office - have been working on the case. They are questioning hundreds of friends, relatives and business associates and following up the slimmest of leads.

A smashed porch light at the house was found to have been broken previously. An auto theft in the neighborhood was determined to be unrelated. A multiple kidnapping in Oklahoma City was ruled out as a link when it was discovered that a child custody battle was involved in that case."

I've always wondered how important the broken porch light has been to this mystery. Is it a clue or a red herring? If the light was 'found to have been broken previously' what does that mean? Somebody saw it get broken? Somebody saw it broken the night or day before? Was the glass on the porch for a day or two and ignored/not cleaned up?

I would find it odd that Sherrill and Suzy would not clean up glass. But on the other hand- how often did they use the front door? Was the side door the more common entrance to the house? I can't really see them ignoring the glass for a few days. Maybe they never used the front door, and maybe with the graduation activities they just put it off/forgot about it.

I also wonder if the globe was sitting on the front porch instead of up around the light bulb where it belonged. What if the light bulb had been changed recently, and instead of putting the globe back on, it was set on the front porch to be put back on later. If the globe is sitting on the front porch, it could have been accidentally broken by being bumped or stepped on. Maybe the pieces remained there and Suzy or Sherrill were going to clean it up later.

Either way, this early news article states that the porch light was found to have been broken 'previously'. If that's the case then the broken light may have nothing at all to do with the abduction.

 

[emmiesmom]

Hi everyone! I've been a user for quite sometime,just went MIA for awhile. From reading previous posts & articles it seems to me that either the dog heard or sensed someone there then barked startling the Perp. For some reason I get the sense that the bulb is still part if the investigation regardless of when it broke. I also think its someone they either knew socially, maybe was at the graduation partyor someone that was known to the neighborhood that would not set off any alarms during the time he was tampering with lightbulb but would be remembered after their
dissappearance such as a neighbor or a someone performing a service. Im sure he carefully staked the place out prior, I dont think this was a crime of opportunity. Its also been brought up that the dog wss found unharmed inside & seemed anxious that says to me that something happened in the
house that was violent in nature and/or the perp was yelling at some point. Darn it I had a point & its gone out of my head sorry! Anyway, I bekieve it was one perp & the girls were the targets. One perp is able to control all 3 if one of the girls is used as bait to get the others to comply. That has happened before as in the case of Yosimity park murders. The perp was able to control all three by using the daughter of one of the vics as bait.

 

[Auramyst]

Hi everyone! I've been a user for quite sometime,just went MIA for awhile. From reading previous posts & articles it seems to me that either the dog heard or sensed someone there then barked startling the Perp. For some reason I get the sense that the bulb is still part if the investigation regardless of when it broke. I also think its someone they either knew socially, maybe was at the graduation partyor someone that was known to the neighborhood that would not set off any alarms during the time he was tampering with lightbulb but would be remembered after their
dissappearance such as a neighbor or a someone performing a service. Im sure he carefully staked the place out prior, I dont think this was a crime of opportunity. Its also been brought up that the dog wss found unharmed inside & seemed anxious that says to me that something happened in the
house that was violent in nature and/or the perp was yelling at some point. Darn it I had a point & its gone out of my head sorry! Anyway, I bekieve it was one perp & the girls were the targets. One perp is able to control all 3 if one of the girls is used as bait to get the others to comply. That has happened before as in the case of Yosimity park murders. The perp was able to control all three by using the daughter of one of the vics as bait.

I agree with you. I don't believe this was a crime of opportunity. There were too many things the perp had to have known prior to the evening of the abduction. One of which would have been who lives in the house and how many people live in the house. One car doesn't mean only one person lives there. They could be a one car family of five. Three cars being there that night could have meant six men were in the house. The perp(s) definitely knew ahead of time who lived there. He had probably been watching the house for a few weeks prior to the abduction.

 

[former central time]

Looking over the pictures thread, I just noticed something minor and personally curious. The front door to the Levitt house has the screen door opening from right to left and the inside door inversely, left to right. Many homes/apartment structures have a consistent pattern of both doors opening and closing from the same point but in mirror opposites. I happen to be living in an apartment now (old triplex) that has this less common setup, my back door is exactly like the Levitt front door. In my case, the screen doors have to open in these directions because there is no room any other way, and in the Levitt example, opening the way it does, does afford far more space. But, as a small personal agitation, I find the inverse setup annoying and I always feel the screen door is in my way when I negotiating with packages and stuff. I enjoy more the certainty of pushing all doors to the right, or all to the left for best clearance.

Some may see this as a possible explanation of breaking the globe light case...possible. There may have been a stopper latch on the screen door, many have them, I’ve not been blessed with one such at my place. And, if the perps found it as annoying as I do, they clearly worked it out. But, just a personal curiosity.

 

[Trackergd]

I suspect this discussion has gotten a bit "cold". But would like to interject that while it is an uncommon tactic, it is possible to shoot out security lights with a pellet or BB gun prior to egress into a secured location. Such tactics are more common with specific military groups and security analysis teams. A pellet or BB might shatter the globe but not the bulb. For what it's worth...

 

[CircuitGuy]

But would like to interject that while it is an uncommon tactic, it is possible to shoot out security lights with a pellet or BB gun prior to egress into a secured location. Such tactics are more common with specific military groups and security analysis teams. A pellet or BB might shatter the globe but not the bulb.

An interesting idea, but wouldn't that create needless noise? It doesn't seem consistent with someone planning to break in.

 

[Florentia]

Just a simple doubt: does the Police actually have the broken glass pieces in custody? If so, I think they would be perfectly able, considering the modern techniques of our days, to find out how was it broken, I mean if it was because of a bullet, smashed with a certain object, a soft drop, etc. Has any information been released about it?

 

[Trackergd]

An interesting idea, but wouldn't that create needless noise? It doesn't seem consistent with someone planning to break in.

No doubt it could. Depending on where the homeowner was in the house at the time, it may not have been heard.

To expand on my post above, Navy Seals and other Special Ops teams on occasion are tasked with infiltrating military bases to assess the effectiveness of their security. One tactic is to use an air powered pellet rifle to break one or two fence line security lights, knowing it will take a day or two for maintenance to repair them. During that time, that area of the fence line is dark at night and allows for the team to cut the fence and gain access to the base without being noticed.

Based on the size of the property, the level of security and what the actor wants to accomplish (theft, homicide, etc), the pre-planning can be quite detailed depending on the skill set of the actor (disabling security systems, cutting phone lines, disabling security lighting, spray painting security camera lenses, etc).

In some of these cases you are forced to think outside the box.

 

[Kurtotall]

From the little that is known, I am guessing the original targets were the girls. The perp saw them somewhere (gas station, party, stop light, etc.) and followed them home. I'm guessing it was an impulse pick for him. I don't think it was overly planned.

It further seems, because of the parted blinds and TV still on, that the mother went to the door and was probably forced back inside. Stacey McCall had no time to dress or even grab her shorts. He got them out of their quickly - which also indicates experience. He's done similar things before.

The TV was on but was on static with the volume turned down. To me this indicates the girls probably put in a VCR tape and hit play. The movie continued to run till the end and stoped/ejected leaving static. What’s interesting is the volume. The fact that it was turned down implies that they wanted it to be quiet. From this I am deducing that Sherrill was presumed home, in bed asleep by the girls.

 

[Kurtotall]

The perpetrator could of: Removed the globe, loosened the bulb for stealth, committed the crime THEN: tightened bulb back but fumbled the globe.

 

[Tuffgong]

That broken globe and parking garage have dominated conversation so much, don't think either is relevant to what happened. To me, motive is the whole case.

 

[Mai Gumdrops]

The TV was on but was on static with the volume turned down. To me this indicates the girls probably put in a VCR tape and hit play. The movie continued to run till the end and stoped/ejected leaving static. What’s interesting is the volume. The fact that it was turned down implies that they wanted it to be quiet. From this I am deducing that Sherrill was presumed home, in bed asleep by the girls.

Or, they could have been planning to watch a movie, but never got the chance to.