TX TX - Julie Moseley, 9, Mary Trlica, 17, Lisa Wilson, 14, Fort Worth, 23 Dec 1974 - #2

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This is such a sad story. I remember seeing the missing posters at Seminary South so many years ago. I used to hang out at Seminary South in the early 70s. It was a big hangout for teenagers in those days. For a couple of years my girlfriend and I used to ride the bus across town to the mall to hang out with our friends every Saturday. I have no idea what happened to these girls. I try to put myself back there and imagine what could have happened. It was not uncommon for kids to get in the car with a total stranger for a ride in those days. We were way too trusting. It could have been as simple as someone pulling up to them walking across the parking lot and asking if they would like a ride to their car and then making a seemingly innocent excuse to make a short detour to their house nearby. There were all kinds of people who hung out at Seminary South at that time from 13 to 30 years of age. Many of them tended to be a bit on the shady side, although they all seemed fairly harmless to me when I was 14-15 years old. It would not surprise me at all to find out that some of them ended up doing time in jail. I would tend to believe that whoever is responsible must have done some planning to be able to kidnap three people, kill them and then dispose of three bodies that have not been discovered in over 30 years. Fast forward ten years and there were several young women murdered in the Fort Worth area in 1983-1984. Sandra Bush, Nov. 1983, strangled; Catherine Davis, Sept. 1984, strangled; Ginger Hayden, Sept. 1984, stabbed; Cindy Heller, Sept. 1984, strangled; Katherine Jackson, Nov, 1984, strangled; Marilyn Hartman, Oct 1984, strangled; Angela Ewert, Dec 1984, her body was discovered in a rural area around Fort Worth in 1993. These were all nice young attractive women who lived within about a 5-15 mile radius of Seminary South. The Fort Worth police dept formed a task force but the murders were never solved. I remember all young women in the area, including myself, being very afraid, buying hand guns and taking gun classes. The murderer probably moved to another town or was arrested and sent to prison for another crime. I doubt the murders are related to the missing girls but I think it is interesting just the same. What made me think of them was Angela Ewert whose body was not discovered for 10 years. Her parents used to be on the local news from time to time over the years before her body was found and they would speak of how they had no closure. I am sure they are glad to have found her but I doubt they have closure since they may never know how or why she died. She was obviously a victim of a serial killer. She went to Sunday School with my sister. It is all very very sad.
 
Ugh! I just wrote a really long post and it didn't allow me to post it because my 'token had expired'. WTH? They really have to do something about this glitch.

Anyway, glad to see discussion picking up on this case recently. I am curious about one thing. In that recent article written by Scott Gordon, it said that police were able to identify the security guard that Hutchins claimed he ran into on that fateful night with the 3 girls in his truck, and that he denied it. And? What? They turned around and went home? Did they investigate this guy at all? I'd be curious to know his name and do some investigating of my own. I really wonder at this point if FWPD investigated him at all, perhaps just minimally. I just get the vibe that this case is languishing in a basement somewhere, getting damp and moldy. I don't think LE is putting any effort into solving it. It's so frustrating that we can't get access to cold case files that LE clearly stopped investigating years ago. If the family of the victim OK's it, I think these files should be allowed to be released. What can it hurt? LE seems to hold this info close to the vest. Is it a power thing? A control issue? I wish I knew someone who works in LE so I could ask. I truly am curious. Anyway, again, I am also really curious to know how much they investigated the security guard Hutchins claimed he ran into, and how exactly they investigated him.

Keep the discussion going, people! Great thoughts and ideas by everyone.
 
Would be great to finally know what happened. I agree, the FW P.D. should consider releasing some more information.
 
I came across the Fort Worth 3 a few years ago, and have checked periodically to see if there was ever anything new...the story is just one that has stuck with me. At the time they disappeared, my mom and her two sisters lived in Arlington, and would have been fairly close in age to the girls.

I've been looking around the site for a few days, and I think I saw someone asking in part 1 of this discussion if anyone knew of similar cases in the state or the US, being as multiple abductions are rare- I went through the Namus site last night, looking for any cases where two or more females disappeared together. I found a handful (though still disturbing amount) of cases.

Obviously, several of these could be ruled out as being related, but here goes:

1. Anne Miller 21, Renee Bruhl 19, and Patricia Blough- last seen 7/2/1966 at Indiana Dunes State Park in Chesterson, IN, possibly riding on a boat in the lake. Belongings left on beach.

2. Peggy Rahn 9, and Wendy Stevenson 8- last seen 12/29/1969, Pompano Beach, FL, witness stated they saw them with a man buying them ice cream- I think I read somewhere they were suspected Schaeffer victims.

3. Pamela Hobley 15, Patricia Spencer 16- last seen 10/31/1969, Oscoda, MI- on Homecoming Friday, suspected that girls skipped the last classes of the day and were seen walking away from school towards business district.

4. Pamela Jackson 17, Cheryl Miller 17- last seen 5/29/1971, Vermillion, SD- last seen going to a party

5. Debbie Ackerman 15, Maria Johnson 15- last seen 11/11/1971 Galveston Mall

6. Cynthia Leslie 15, Jackie Leslie 13- last seen 7/31/1974 Mesa, AZ, the girls had told their parents they were going to babysit, but actually set out to walk to a party

7. Georgia Geer 14, Brooks Bracewell 12- last seen 9/6/1974, Dickinson, TX at Convenience Store

8. The Lyons Sisters 3/25/1975- already discussed on the thread

9. Charlotte Kinsey 13, Cinda Pallett 13- last seen 9/25/1981 OkC, OK, at Oklahoma State Fairgrounds. Witnesses saw them getting into a man's Pontiac Grand Prix, Royal Russel Long, a trucker from WY became a strong suspect in the case

10. Josephine Cogburn 16, Joyce Cogburn 15- last seen 10/02/1983 Norman, OK

11. Rozlin Abell 18, Fawn Abell 15- last seen 7/25/1985, Bethany, OK- left house to go look for jobs and never returned. No other info available

12. Susan Smalley 17, Stacie Madison 18- last seen 3/19/1988- last seen at a restaurant where one of the girls worked, the car they were driving was found in a parking lot at a shopping center in Dallas, TX

13. Crystal Ortega 14, Misty Ortega 16- last seen 8/8/1995 at home in either Mixon or Troup, TX (have seen it as both)

14. Tamara Fisher 15, Lynette Bibbs 14- last seen 2/1/1996 at a Houston teen club

15. Lauria Bible 16, Ashley Freeman 16- last seen 12/30/1999 in Welch, OK at Ashley's trailer, where the girls were celebrating Ashley's birthday with her family. At some point, the trailer was set on fire, and Ashley's mother and father were found shot to death in the home. Lauria's car was at the trailer, with the keys in the ignition.
 
Some thoughts- I've seen doubts that one person could have taken all three girls- it wouldn't have been hard to do. What I thought of is that one of the girls brought a pair of pants in with her to find a top to match- the girls could have been separated at one point while trying on clothes. It wouldn't have been hard for someone to have gotten the youngest one away from the other two in this situation, subdued and hid her, and returned to the store they were in and a) saw them looking around for Julie and said oh yeah, I saw her headed that way and offering to help them look...or b) used a threat of harming Julie to get the other two to come with him willingly... or c) some other similar ruse.

The one case that stood out to me as very similar was that of Stacie Madison and Susan Smalley- close in age to Renee and Rachel, same geographical area (Dallas), Car found in the parking lot of shopping center, and neither ever heard from or seen again. I know the cases are many years apart, but it's not impossible that the same person would still be operating 14 years later.
 
chemom said:
Some thoughts- I've seen doubts that one person could have taken all three girls- it wouldn't have been hard to do. What I thought of is that one of the girls brought a pair of pants in with her to find a top to match- the girls could have been separated at one point while trying on clothes. It wouldn't have been hard for someone to have gotten the youngest one away from the other two in this situation, subdued and hid her, and returned to the store they were in and a) saw them looking around for Julie and said oh yeah, I saw her headed that way and offering to help them look...or b) used a threat of harming Julie to get the other two to come with him willingly... or c) some other similar ruse.

The one case that stood out to me as very similar was that of Stacie Madison and Susan Smalley- close in age to Renee and Rachel, same geographical area (Dallas), Car found in the parking lot of shopping center, and neither ever heard from or seen again. I know the cases are many years apart, but it's not impossible that the same person would still be operating 14 years later.
Click to expand...

I also thought the possibiity of these two cases being connnected:
1. Girls have similar characteristicz
2. similar age
3.similar circumstances
4.cars found in mall parking lot
5. both in texas
 
This is one of the most fascinating cases I have ever read. It's just so odd. I have a feeling this wasn't random, that maybe these girls were targeted for a while.
 
Two other girls vanished, with their car found locked and abandoned outside a strip mall in Carrelton, TX, March 1988, Stacie Madison and Susan Smalley, 18 & 17.
 
I think a lot hinges on the letter. Has Rusty ever been forthcoming on why he thinks his sister wrote it? Anybody looked into other crimes durring that time having notes like that? I think the rouge security officer idea is a good one. It would seem as I recall,that they got the gifts back to the car. What stopped them from leaving.
 
I always think of the springfield three when i think of the forth worth trio. (there are rumors the springfield three are buried under what is now a hospital parking lot-they have yet to start a dig).
We can conclude that they went with someone they knew. It's not like they had car trouble or low on gas (as far as we know), so why else would they get in another car. It was christmas time, they vanished during the day. If they were forcibly abducted, why did no one notice? christmas time is a busy shopping time.
Basically, with the theory that they went with someone they knew, I always wonder why they would ride with him. Did hr promise to return them to the truck since their presents were in the car? why wouldnt they follow in their car?
Just random thoughts on this case
 
I haven't been able to find it, but I found what it says and a description of it here:
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/t/trlica_mary.html
Charley Project Provides lots of info on it.
Doesn't sound like anyone who knew Rachel believed she wrote it. I don't think it was a cruel hoax, the girls vanished on December 23, and it showed up December 24 in the mail, the public wouldn't have had enough time to generate that these girls were missing within in hours, than write a letter in and mail it just to be cruel. I am positive whom ever took them wrote it themselves, they sure went to great measures to conceal where it was sent from. Sounds like this was an organized criminal vs disorganized, I think he had everything planned before he took them, which makes me think he knew them, for some reason I think maybe Rachel more than the rest, because the letter was sent to her family, yet the other girls families got nothing. I wonder if all the girls were a target, of if just one was meant to be? I doubt Julie would have been the target out of the three.
Of course, Rachel could have been forced to write it under a threat from the abductor, that may explain the "childish scrawl".
Did they ever have any solid suspects? I don't know how I feel about the security guard theory, but that would make sense too.
Something interesting I found out: Rachel's sister Debra, was engaged to Thomas, Rachel's husband, before Rachel married him. Debra claims she was alright with it, but it's hard to believe that. Women usually have a rule: Don't date each other's exes, much less fiance's if we are friend. How would you feel if your sister was dating your ex fiance, and married him? And get this: Debra was living with Rachel and Thomas (they had just gotten married not long before Rachel vanished). How bad would it be to see your sister marry your ex fiance, than have to live with them?! She also knew about the shopping trip, as Rachel asked her to accompany them to the mall, but she stated she wanted to be in bed. This plays into my theory that the abductor knew the girls, knew they were to be at the mall, as well as the abductor had planned out what they were going to do. This would also put Rachel as a main target in the group, explaining why the letter was sent to only her residence. I wonder if maybe Rachel's sister (maybe husband as well?) planned something? My questions would be this:
1. Somewhere mentioned Rachel was shopping for her 2 year old step son that day. Did Thomas have a child with Rachel's sister before they got married?
2. Did Rachel's sister and Thomas still love together after the girls vanished? Did they get back together?
The Julie, Lisa and Arnold family all believe Rachel's sister knows more than she is saying, they wrote her a letter (can be found on MissingTrio.com) saying she has not been cooperating with the investigation whatsoever, and beg her to cooperate so the girls can be brought home.
I would love to know what anyone else thinks about this theory. It fills in some holes to the mystery though.
Here is a direct link to a letter to Rachel's sisters from the family: http://www.missingtrio.com/TRIO/letter.aspx
 
A few frustrations. Letting the public see the letter years ago couldn't hurt. Also for as old as this case is why aren't an easy and long list of suspects easy to go through. Something to jump start this thing.
 
All that stuff about Rachel and her sister is mentioned upthread already-there is even an article about it
 
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