TN TN - Glenda Sirmans, 13, Farragut, 29 Nov 1969

[Kell1]

There's another report of a disappearance, printed, right next to the article on Glenda Sirmans

Kristy Lynn Slater- whats that like 2 hours away?

 

[bessie]

There's another report of a disappearance, printed, right next to the article on Glenda Sirmans

Kristy Lynn Slater- whats that like 2 hours away?

Yeah, that caught my eye the first time I read it. Kristie was found safe, though. Let me see if I can find the link.

ETA: I had forgotten. Kristie was kidnapped from Chattanooga, but found in Atlanta. Apparently, a blonde haired man abducted her from J. C. Penney, and had second thoughts, so he released her unharmed.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=bBkfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=C5wEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7259%2C3446234


http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=SIlJAAAAIBAJ&sjid=_QsNAAAAIBAJ&pg=651,4647753

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=UiMrAAAAIBAJ&sjid=RKAFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2019,4890833

 

[boathaul]

So looking at a current map, she didnt actually have to walk onto Kingston Pike in order to get to her destination. She was walking in a somewhat rural area.

That is correct. She was walking away from Kingston Pike toward Fort Loudoun Lake. Virtue Road turns into Boyd's Station Road when you reach the lake. Boyd's Station Road then becomes Martel Road once you cross into Loudon County.

 

[killarney rose]

That is correct. She was walking away from Kingston Pike toward Fort Loudoun Lake. Virtue Road turns into Boyd's Station Road when you reach the lake. Boyd's Station Road then becomes Martel Road once you cross into Loudon County.

How far was it from the area that she disappeared from, to where her body was found?

 

[bessie]

Glenda's body was found eight miles from her home.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?i...FoNAAAAIBAJ&dq=glenda sirmans&pg=1753,4610585

 

[killarney rose]

So I'm assuming the clue that LE followed up on that led them to her body was the clothing that was found by the dog?

I would love to see the place the body was found added to the map...(hint,hint) I'm on a tablet and I have difficulty maneuvering about on the maps from it.

 

[bessie]

LOL I tried to figure that out when I first did the map. The articles describe the location of the farmhouse where the dog brought the shoe relative to the location of her body (200 yards). Since we don't have exact locations for either, it's an educated guess. I'll take another look, though.

 

[Kell1]

Do we knowf If Glenda was bound like the Jones girl?

 

[boathaul]

She was found on a road just off of Martel Road, Lakeview Road. The property where she was found is now part of Cedar Hills Golf Course. When I was 17 years old, me and several friends camped out at that site and I had no idea about the significance of the site, until one of the other campers told me. I am now 61, so my memory isn't as good now, but I remember most of the facts. The police suspected a man who attended church with Glenda, but could never collect enough evidence to convict him. He died before police could get enough evidence. Until his death in 2005, Glenda's dad Glenn Charles Sirmans, called the investigating detective every year on the anniversary of her death to see if they had any new leads.

 

[bessie]

She was found on a road just off of Martel Road, Lakeview Road. The property where she was found is now part of Cedar Hills Golf Course. When I was 17 years old, me and several friends camped out at that site and I had no idea about the significance of the site, until one of the other campers told me. I am now 61, so my memory isn't as good now, but I remember most of the facts. The police suspected a man who attended church with Glenda, but could never collect enough evidence to convict him. He died before police could get enough evidence. Until his death in 2005, Glenda's dad Glenn Charles Sirmans, called the investigating detective every year on the anniversary of her death to see if they had any new leads.

Thank you so much, boathaul! It's a shame that Glenda's murder received so little attention in the media. I've searched and searched, and was only able to find a few small reports in archived newspapers from the time her body was found. After December 14-15, 1969, there's nothing. (I believe she's mentioned in one of the more recent articles from Nashville.)

Slayings of two young girls on the same day in nearby towns, at a time when such occurrences were very uncommon, naturally had me wondering if they were killed by the same person. I couldn't understand why the police in Nashville, when talking about Kathy Jones, seemed to overlook a possible connection to Glenda. It makes sense now, because apparently there was a strong local suspect in each case. Yet, sadly, lack of evidence has left both murders unsolved.

I'm sorry her father died without answers. I feel better, though, knowing Glenda had a family who didn't forget her.

Out of curiosity, do you remember anything about the man? I don't mean specific information -- nothing that would identify him -- but his age range, occupation, and whether he was married and had children. What kind of person he was, in general. Thanks in advance if you can answer.

 

[Kell1]

After reading deeper into these 2 cases, I don't feel the Jones, case and this case are connected.

 

[boathaul]

I am very sorry that I haven't been more forthcoming with you. I didn't intend to be perceived as someone that had studied the case and was just reporting on what I had found. I have a very personal involvement in this case. I have no idea of the age, occupation or marital status of the suspected killer. Glenda attended a small church on Everett Road in West Knox County that was mostly farmers and local merchants. A stranger in their midst would have been immediately recognized as such, so it had to be someone that was local and known to the church members. Back then, the police didn't release names of "persons of interest", so no one knows who it may have been.

 

[killarney rose]

Boathaul, can you tell us how her church might be tied into this? Did the suspect attend the same church?

 

[Kell1]

I am very sorry that I haven't been more forthcoming with you. I didn't intend to be perceived as someone that had studied the case and was just reporting on what I had found. I have a very personal involvement in this case. I have no idea of the age, occupation or marital status of the suspected killer. Glenda attended a small church on Everett Road in West Knox County that was mostly farmers and local merchants. A stranger in their midst would have been immediately recognized as such, so it had to be someone that was local and known to the church members. Back then, the police didn't release names of "persons of interest", so no one knows who it may have been.

Not necessarily someone who knew her or associated with her as much as someone who had a legitimate reason to be in the area where she was abducted, like living or working nearby .

The child is usually abducted in a place very close to where he/she was last seen.

57% of victims are killed by strangers

They are most often victims of opportunity

Here's the general profile for Abduction Child Murderers (barring any prior knowledge of the offender)

-Almost always male (nearly 100%)
- He lives on the edge of society, and is socially "retarded"
-Usually white, with only 19% being black
-Generally 27-35 years old, (27 is the average age)
-Predominantly unmarried usually unattached at the time of the murder
-Just over half of them live alone, or with their parents
-Half of them are unemployed
-And those that are employed work in unskilled or semi-skilled labor.
-Most have prior arrests for violent crime (61%)
-Slightly more than half of those crimes, involved children
-Most frequent crime was rape followed by other forms of sexual assault
-Most of the time, the MO is similar (not referring to personation or "signature aspects)
-Usually the body is hidden after they are killed only 9% were found to display the victim
-The child killer usually takes the child more than 1/4 mile from where he was abducted,but the distance between the murder site and where the body is later dumped is less than 199 feet in most cases.
-The victim is usually killed within 1-3 hours after the abduction
-In most cases the name of the killer is known to law enforcement within the 1st 7 days of the investigation, however a later study done indicated that time has increased
-Some (27%) return to the body dump site
-19% contacted the victims family after

 

[bessie]

I am very sorry that I haven't been more forthcoming with you. I didn't intend to be perceived as someone that had studied the case and was just reporting on what I had found. I have a very personal involvement in this case. I have no idea of the age, occupation or marital status of the suspected killer. Glenda attended a small church on Everett Road in West Knox County that was mostly farmers and local merchants. A stranger in their midst would have been immediately recognized as such, so it had to be someone that was local and known to the church members. Back then, the police didn't release names of "persons of interest", so no one knows who it may have been.

You've no need to feel sorry for a thing, boathaul. Your input is very much appreciated, even moreso if you were personally affected.

 

[Kell1]

Do we know if the wounds to her neck were confirmed as the cause of death?

 

[bessie]

Her throat was slit, and she suffered the stab wound to the neck. Those were the only two apparent wounds, according to the Loudon County Sheriff. Of course, that might have changed after an autopsy, but there were no follow up reports in the news (that I've been able to find). The sheriff also said Glenda's little body was so badly mutilated by animals, it was impossible to determine if she'd been sexually assaulted.


http://news.google.com/newspapers?i...FoNAAAAIBAJ&dq=glenda sirmans&pg=1753,4610585

 

[Kell1]

Ok so that idea goes out the window ,

Do we know if in the days prior, there were any abduction attempts, in the immediate, area, barring the Jones case and the other girl that was found alive in Atlanta ?

 

[bessie]

Not that I'm aware of. Boathaul might be able to answer that question.

 

[boathaul]

As far as I know and read in the local papers, there were no other attempts at abduction, not only in that area, but in the whole Knoxville area. Things like that were unheard of back then. That's why Glenda's parents, Charlie and Beverly, weren't concerned about their daughter walking to a friends house to do school work. It was unimaginable to them that something could happen like this. It is a different world today. My son and granddaughter live with my wife and I. We live in a three house subdivision out in the country. I wouldn't let my granddaughter walk the 100 yard distance from our house to our neighbors without watching her every step of the way. Maybe it is because of the evil we know exists.