Theories

[n-honor]

One of NCs friends stated that NC was sleeping in a separate room and locked her bedroom door because she was fearful. Wonder if PD checked the locks - is there a way to see if an interior lock has been tampered with?

 

[boxy]

It appears that all of the theories here are versions of Brad did it. Certainly must be high on the list of possibilities. However, for a change of pace, let's try something else.

Theory: Nancy went for a run around 7 AM. While crossing a road, she was hit by a vehicle and either badly injured or killed. The driver panicked, put her body in the trunk and dumped her where she was found.

Blast away.

 

[panthera]

It appears that all of the theories here are versions of Brad did it. Certainly must be high on the list of possibilities. However, for a change of pace, let's try something else.

Theory: Nancy went for a run around 7 AM. While crossing a road, she was hit by a vehicle and either badly injured or killed. The driver panicked, put her body in the trunk and dumped her where she was found.

Blast away.

She'd have injuries consistent with being struck by a vehicle, and although we don't know the cause of death, it seems to me LE wouldn't be calling it a 'homicide' as in murder or searching his home, taking items with them. They'd be looking for a hit & run driver with front end damage to his/her vehicle instead, imo.

 

[gritguy]

It appears that all of the theories here are versions of Brad did it. Certainly must be high on the list of possibilities. However, for a change of pace, let's try something else.

Theory: Nancy went for a run around 7 AM. While crossing a road, she was hit by a vehicle and either badly injured or killed. The driver panicked, put her body in the trunk and dumped her where she was found.

Blast away.

No blasting, but it doesn't work for these reasons. First, I spent years cycling through Lochmere and on Holly Springs, which is the road NC would have had to cross to get to where she ended up. I have never seen anyone running on Holly Springs, due to no shoulders and heavy traffic. I became uncomfortable just cycling on it due to the traffic that has increased so much over the last few years. I had a car break down on it once, and that was scary just waiting for the tow truck to get there - fortunately I was able to drift down near the bridge that had enough room for me to get off. A lot of the road has no shoulder. Nobody would jog that thing. And if you did hit somebody on it you'd be a fool to come back if your intent was to hide the crime, b/c traffic is frequent on it.

On the other hand, Lochmere has greenways and sidewalks and even a cycling lane. If you're a runner, you'd have to work to get hit out there. Also, traffic is moderate and there are houses everywhere so picking someone up off the road would probably again be a no-go - especially at 7ish when every middle-aged person w/in miles is running around there.

So, in summary, I think the locations do not support that theory. Lochmere is safe for running (trafficwise), and frequented enough that killing somebody in the morning and picking up the body would be hard to miss. Plus, even if that did occur, the person would have to decide all that in an instant and then decide the place to put the body is just down the street - during daylight! wouldn't this driver wait til darkness?

It's good to cover the theories of course, but I think this one is not it. It is always possible, of course, that somebody came by in a van with a gun and got her to get inside, but I think that is not much of a possibility either since she seemed wisely to run with partners.

 

[SleuthyGal]

Theory: Nancy went for a run around 7 AM. While crossing a road, she was hit by a vehicle and either badly injured or killed. The driver panicked, put her body in the trunk and dumped her where she was found.

No witnesses of any kind...

LE would be putting out some kind of statement about injuries from a car accident and looking for the community's help with that, along with looking for the vehicle that hit her (damage to a vehicle), etc.

They would not use the term "homicide" to describe a hit and run.

And hit and runs well...hit then RUN! They don't stop to pick up their human road kill.

 

[Bob&Bob]

Maybe she choked on her gum and died.

 

[sues]

It appears that all of the theories here are versions of Brad did it. Certainly must be high on the list of possibilities. However, for a change of pace, let's try something else.

Theory: Nancy went for a run around 7 AM. While crossing a road, she was hit by a vehicle and either badly injured or killed. The driver panicked, put her body in the trunk and dumped her where she was found.

Blast away.

No blast here. I agree that some people are trying to figure out how BC could have faked stuff, rather than seeing anything as a possible alibi.

While I think most likely BC was involved, there isn't really any documented evidence we know of yet to point to him, other than that it is usually the husband!

I don't think you're scenario is likely. In a case like that, the person would hit and RUN, not transport the body elsewhere.

 

[boxy]

No blast here. I agree that some people are trying to figure out how BC could have faked stuff, rather than seeing anything as a possible alibi.

While I think most likely BC was involved, there isn't really any documented evidence we know of yet to point to him, other than that it is usually the husband!

I don't think you're scenario is likely. In a case like that, the person would hit and RUN, not transport the body elsewhere.

Y'all made quick work of that. Ocam's razor is going to cut Brad.

 

[SusieClue]

Earlier in the week, the trip to the store to buy laundry detergent made this look like an unplanned murder. He had to go shopping before he could clean up.

With the new affidavits, it now looks like the trips to the store could be part of an attempted alibi. He remotely initiated calls from the house to his cell phone as an attempt to make it look like NC was still alive at that time.

New theory: this was planned in advance, but the Cary PD apparently has seen through his ruse.

I've had the same change in thinking.

 

[piedmontmom]

OK--playing along and being devils advocate.

1.) Buying laundry detergent doesn't suggest cover up let alone murder. IMHO, I don't know of any detergent that successfully gets out blood or the friggin carolina dirt/clay mud that we have around here. One bottle would never do the trick. He says it didn't contain bleach...so IMHO it would even work less.

2.) She doesn't normally in in that area--well, I'd say how can you be sure? There have been several runners posting (or maybe it was a link ICR) saying that they don't always want to run the same path, just out of sheer boredom relief. I don't find it impossible that she might run there...she might have been curious about the new subd going in around her home, they are big houses and she has a documented interest in material things. Her jaunt on Holly Springs Road would have been less than 1/10 a mile to get to that neigborhood entrance, and early in the AM there would be typically less traffic on that road. I just wouldn't discount she could have been there on her own (in case it was the car gypy theory in some other thread...don't get mad comical relief).

ITA--it is an awful road to be on, I've seen bikers and have waited on them/trailed them weekly.

3.) Seems like an awful public place to dispose of a body...especially considering just a 1/10 of a mile in the opposite direction is a heavily, complete dense wooded and swampy area, that even has some bird watching trails on it (and I never see people parked there)...I travel Holly Springs Rd at least 5+ times daily at various times. I've mentioned in other posts how I thought this to be a public area in that people are looking for home lots to build on all the time...especially over the weekend and construction was going on. Some of the lots next to where they found her body have even sold...I'd surmise the buyers would be continually driving buy to check things out.

Again...just playing devils advocate. The detergent purchase, the atypical running route (if there were the case) are not slam dunks for me.

 

[SusieClue]

OK--playing along and being devils advocate.

1.) Buying laundry detergent doesn't suggest cover up let alone murder. IMHO, I don't know of any detergent that successfully gets out blood or the friggin carolina dirt/clay mud that we have around here. One bottle would never do the trick. He says it didn't contain bleach...so IMHO it would even work less.

2.) She doesn't normally in in that area--well, I'd say how can you be sure? There have been several runners posting (or maybe it was a link ICR) saying that they don't always want to run the same path, just out of sheer boredom relief. I don't find it impossible that she might run there...she might have been curious about the new subd going in around her home, they are big houses and she has a documented interest in material things. Her jaunt on Holly Springs Road would have been less than 1/10 a mile to get to that neigborhood entrance, and early in the AM there would be typically less traffic on that road. I just wouldn't discount she could have been there on her own (in case it was the car gypy theory in some other thread...don't get mad comical relief).

ITA--it is an awful road to be on, I've seen bikers and have waited on them/trailed them weekly.

3.) Seems like an awful public place to dispose of a body...especially considering just a 1/10 of a mile in the opposite direction is a heavily, complete dense wooded and swampy area, that even has some bird watching trails on it (and I never see people parked there)...I travel Holly Springs Rd at least 5+ times daily at various times. I've mentioned in other posts how I thought this to be a public area in that people are looking for home lots to build on all the time...especially over the weekend and construction was going on. Some of the lots next to where they found her body have even sold...I'd surmise the buyers would be continually driving buy to check things out.

Again...just playing devils advocate. The detergent purchase, the atypical running route (if there were the case) are not slam dunks for me.

Regarding the body placement. I have been trying to understand how it fits if Brad is the killer. Like I said, it was a quick place to get to for him while his girls were at home alone - him not wanting to be gone for long. But also, if we are to believe that he was doing some "staging" then he actually would WANT the body to be found so that his tricks might work. Remember how eager his lawyers were for details to be released about what she was wearing, cause of death etc. so they could rule out their client as a suspect? Just a thought. I'm not saying this is what happened, just one possibility.

 

[tarheelfan78]

Is it impossible to believe that if BC killed his wife that it was an accident. He called someone who helped cover it up. They were at the house with the kids which accounts for the juice call. I am hoping that by some fluke he did not kill his wife with the kids in the house. All the CE evidence and statisitics are making me feel like he did, but my gut is telling me that someone helped him. What was he doing while they were searching? Were his movements accounted for everyday before the discovery of NC's body? Could he have stashed her in the house and taken her to the drop spot later?

 

[CyberPro]

<SNIP>

Were his movements accounted for everyday before the discovery of NC's body? Could he have stashed her in the house and taken her to the drop spot later?

I gave this some thought earlier in the case. I wondered if the body was stashed in the garage or something. That would have been a terriffic risk, because when LE came knocking, and asked to look around, you do not know how much looking they are going to do. Pretty hard to explain how she went running when her body is stashed in a closet in the garage.

I also wondered if he did not find a way to slip away in the next day or so and dump the body, but I think there was too much commotion around for him to have been able to get away without someone noting it. Even if he went in the middle of the night, he could not be sure that the cops were not camped in the neighborhood.

Of course, it did not seem like he was making any special plans to notify LE of her being missing. It might have been his intial plan to wait and dump later, but I really think, (IMO, IF HE DID IT) that he did it before sunrise on Saturday.

CyberPro

 

[fran]

What really bothers me, was his abrupt 2nd conversation with Nancy's friend. (sorry, not good w/names) The one who Nancy was due to paint with.

When they talked the second time, by then she was very worried and Brad said he was just going to go look for her. The friend offered to come over and watch the girls while he looked. He quickly said I was just putting the girls in the car. He then hung up. (may have been a few more words spoken)

But my point is,.........he was TOO quick to get her off the phone, she didn't need to come over, and he was going to be gone. NO ONE HOME.

There's something about that. Can't put my finger on it, but I think it's relevant to the investigation.

WHERE DID HE GO just before LE showed up at his door?

JMHO
fran

PS>....Hmmmm....he couldn't have been taking a quick spin on by the {dump} sight to see if he could see any activity, ala Scott Peterson (and his many return trips to the Bay, BEFORE Laci was found?)

 

[macd]

Is it impossible to believe that if BC killed his wife that it was an accident. He called someone who helped cover it up. They were at the house with the kids which accounts for the juice call. I am hoping that by some fluke he did not kill his wife with the kids in the house. All the CE evidence and statisitics are making me feel like he did, but my gut is telling me that someone helped him. What was he doing while they were searching? Were his movements accounted for everyday before the discovery of NC's body? Could he have stashed her in the house and taken her to the drop spot later?

I agree that the killing was not an accident, but I don't think he needed an accomplice. A little benadryl for the kids to make sure they sleep in and a computer to dial the phone, is all he needed.

 

[Star12]

What really bothers me, was his abrupt 2nd conversation with Nancy's friend. (sorry, not good w/names) The one who Nancy was due to paint with.

When they talked the second time, by then she was very worried and Brad said he was just going to go look for her. The friend offered to come over and watch the girls while he looked. He quickly said I was just putting the girls in the car. He then hung up. (may have been a few more words spoken)

But my point is,.........he was TOO quick to get her off the phone, she didn't need to come over, and he was going to be gone. NO ONE HOME.

There's something about that. Can't put my finger on it, but I think it's relevant to the investigation.

WHERE DID HE GO just before LE showed up at his door?

JMHO
fran

PS>....Hmmmm....he couldn't have been taking a quick spin on by the {dump} sight to see if he could see any activity, ala Scott Peterson (and his many return trips to the Bay, BEFORE Laci was found?)

Didn't Brad say he had gone to Lifetime Fitness to ask the person there if Nancy had been there? And was driving over to Carrie Clark's condo?

 

[SleuthyGal]

One of the main reasons I don't think this crime was preplanned is because if it was, wouldn't Brad (or whoever the killer is) have secured ALL the cleaning products he might need ahead of time so that he didn't have to get 'detergent' at the store?

I can see needing to go to the store to get juice and milk...but going back for LAUNDRY DETERGENT? That just doesn't seem very smart to me...unless he really needed it for some reason and it couldn't wait till later on.

And I can't think of an innocent reason why he absolutely HAD TO have laundry detergent between 6am and 7am that day (and no, I do not believe he needed it to wash tennis clothes).

 

[Star12]

One of the main reasons I don't think this crime was preplanned is because if it was, wouldn't Brad (or whoever the killer is) have secured ALL the cleaning products he might need ahead of time so that he didn't have to get 'detergent' at the store?

I can see needing to go to the store to get juice and milk...but going back for LAUNDRY DETERGENT? That just doesn't seem very smart to me...unless he really needed it for some reason and it couldn't wait till later on.

And I can't think of an innocent reason why he absolutely HAD TO have laundry detergent between 6am and 7am that day (and no, I do not believe he needed it to wash tennis clothes).

SG I'm with you on this. No matter how close you are to the store, you don't just 'run out' to buy detergent when you see it's low, or gone. Gasoline is too expensive for that. And especially in the early morning, when the children are about to get up. So, let's assume they are slobby launderers, and perhaps Brad goes to the dryer to get clothes out for the girls to wear that day. He notices the soap is gone or nearly gone, drops the clothes and hollers out "hey Nancy, I'm going to HT for laundry detergent."

Okay, so if the clothing wasn't yet put away, and there was new stuff to wash, Nancy wanted to get a run in before going to Jessica's and Brad was going to play tennis, it makes no sense whatsoever to make a special trip for laundry soap. Pick it up on the way back from tennis.

Yeah, so I'm thinking there really was a 4 am-ish stop for cleaning supplies, then later perhaps a stop at a dumpster to toss a bleach bottle, then on to the store for milk or whatever, and perhaps a faked phone call.

And if there were a faked phone call from home, I don't think Brad would be fooling around with all that technology mess at that time. I think he would have grabbed Nancy's cell phone and done it that way.

I don't think she was abducted, don't think it was premeditated, don't think there were more than two people at the scene when she died.

 

[fran]

Didn't Brad say he had gone to Lifetime Fitness to ask the person there if Nancy had been there? And was driving over to Carrie Clark's condo?

Well, Brad said..................................

Ehh, why did he have to hang up so fast? Why not wait a few minutes so he could look longer without having to ALSO take care of the kids?

Why didn't he want Nancy's friend to watch the girls?

It couldn't be because he didn't want anyone in the house?

Nah....

fran

 

[Star12]

Well, Brad said..................................

oh yeah, Brad said a lot.