VA VA - Michael, 50, Mary, 36, & Jennifer Short, 9, Bassett, 15 Aug 2002

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Only link I can find for the Short family to park newest article etc.

Short probe looking for customers of mobile home moving business

Thursday, July 16, 2009

By DEBBIE HALL - Bulletin Staff Writer

Federal, state and local investigators assigned to the Jennifer Renee Short Homicide/Abduction Task Force are urging anyone who had a mobile home moved by M.S. Mobile Home Movers in 2002 to contact them.

Authorities are particularly interested in talking to anyone who was not yet interviewed, but had a mobile home moved by Mike Short or his company in 2002, according to an update at the FBI’s Web site on the triple homicide.

The search also continues for a man depicted in a sketch released earlier this year.

http://www.martinsvillebulletin.com/article.cfm?ID=19721
http://www.fbi.gov/wanted/seekinfo/short_j2.htm

Nothing new perhaps but trying to get the word back out. Honestly I think they missed the boat when they couldn't pin anything or associate it with Gary Bowman whose trailer was within 1/2 mile of where Jennifers remains were found. In talking with a Rockingham County CSI agent he agreed.... but they just couldn't associate with him at the time.

Bulletin archives on the story:
http://www.martinsvillebulletin.com/archives.cfm type in Jennifer Short
 
With all the dirty dealings by the Henry Co. PD a couple years ago, I have to wonder if the FBI looked at any of these people in connection to the murder of the Short family.

Could Michael Short have been involved somehow with all of this and someone was afraid he was going to rat them out, or maybe he stole money/drugs from them.

Gary Bowman doesn't strike me as smart enough to pull something off this big and get away with it - at least not by himself.

JMO
 
FBI hopes to profile Short case on TV
Thursday, November 19, 2009

Information about the 2002 slayings of Michael, Mary and Jennifer Short might be featured on national syndicated TV shows soon.
Members of the Jennifer Renee Short Homicide/Abduction Task Force have met with producers of two television shows in hopes of getting the case profiled in the near future, according to information posted at the FBI Web site.

http://www.martinsvillebulletin.com/article.cfm?ID=21431
http://www.fbi.gov/wanted/seekinfo/short_j2.htm
 
Bump.

Thinking of Jennifer Renee Short and her parents on this Christmas Day.
 
Interviews slated in Short case
Friday, January 22, 2010

The investigation into the Short family slayings remains focused in the South Piedmont region of Virginia.
A task force of local, state and federal authorities reported recently that the last several months led to increased leads. Based on information from those leads, investigators will be interviewing several people in the South Piedmont area of Virginia, according to www.fbi.gov.

http://www.martinsvillebulletin.com/article.cfm?ID=22190

 
Virginia authorities head to Myrtle Beach area to conduct interviews in 2002 murders

An investigation task force will be conducting interviews from May 17-20 in Myrtle Beach, Conway, Bennettsville, and Florence, pertaining to the 2002 murders of a Virginia man, his wife, and his daughter, according to a news release from the Federal Bureau of Investigations in Virginia.

Several years prior to their deaths, Michael and Mary Short operated a business moving mobile homes.

At the time of their deaths, the Shorts were considering moving to South Carolina. During the spring and summer of 2002, Michael Short made several trips to areas in South Carolina surrounding the following cities: Bennettsville, Florence, Conway and Myrtle Beach, to seek employment.

Investigators from the Jennifer Renee Short Homicide/Abduction Task Force will be conducting the interviews next week, and will be using the Horry County Police's tip line while they are in the area.

http://www.thesunnews.com/2010/05/14/1474584/virginia-authorities-head-to-myrtle.html
 
Bumping this case up it has been five years since it was origionally posted. Has anyone heard anything new?
 
truck.bmp

Federal investigators are looking for a flatbed truck that reportedly was seen near the home of Michael Short and Mary Short in Henry County just hours before their bodies were found dead inside their home on Aug. 15, 2002.

The FBI has released a sketch of the truck, described as a 1998 to 2002 white, single-cab, two-ton stake body truck with wooden rails. An unidentified man was seen sitting in the truck along U.S. 220 in the vicinity of the Shorts’ Oak Level home, according to the FBI.​

However, investigators are requesting information from anyone who had contact with Michael Short regarding employment and relocation he was seeking to the coastal region of South Carolina as a mobile home mover. In addition, investigators are seeking information from general contractors, independent contractors, construction companies, mobile home dealers, mobile home parts suppliers, mobile home transporters or mobile home salvage yard owners who conducted business with Short or M.S. Mobile Home Movers between Jan. 1, 2001, and Aug. 15, 2002.​


 
seekinfo.gif

MURDER VICTIMS​

short_michael.jpg
short_m.jpg


short_j2.jpg
[/CENTER]

THE DETAILS SURROUNDING THE CRIME​
​

​
On August 15, 2002, at approximately 9:00 a.m., the bodies of Michael and Mary Short were discovered in their Bassett, Henry County, Virginia, home. Michael was found on the couch inside the attached garage of the home with an apparent gun shot wound to his head. His wife Mary was found lying in her bed and had suffered the same fate as her husband. The Short's 9-year-old daughter, Jennifer, was not located in the home and a search ensued for the missing child. Jennifer's remains were found on September 25, 2002, along a stream bed off of Grogan Road, Stoneville, Rockingham County, North Carolina. It was determined that Jennifer's death was caused by a gunshot wound to the head.

Several years prior to their deaths, Michael and Mary operated a business moving mobile homes. Mary was described as a shy, neat and extremely focused individual, who was actively involved in the family business. Jennifer appeared to be a happy little girl experiencing a normal childhood. She was an excellent student and actively involved in organized sports.

Law enforcement authorities are seeking the public's help in locating the suspect(s) involved in the murders of Michael, Mary and their young daughter Jennifer Short.

IF YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION CONCERNING THIS CASE, PLEASE CONTACT THE FBI TIP LINE AT 1-800-225-5324;​


 
Has anyone ever considered that maybe this had nothing to do with Mr. and Mrs. Short's business and maybe something to do with Jennifer? I mean, if the killer was mad at Mr. and Mrs., then why not just kill everyone there? Why take Jennifer away? On the other hand, if the killer's purpose was to abduct Jennifer, it makes more sense to kill the parents and take the child.
 
Don't know, byker, but I feel like I've been punched in the stomach every time I wonder if Jennifer knew her parents were dead while she was being abducted. :(
 
A recent article from Greensboro, NC News-Record.com:

Homicide case still haunts counties

Sunday, May 30, 2010 (Updated 6:47 am)

By Jennifer Fernandez
Staff Writer

STONEVILLE — On the wood bridge under which her body was found, the rain has mostly washed away the face of Jennifer Short from pictures placed there as a memorial.
Don’t think this community has forgotten its adopted daughter.
People still stop Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page to ask if there’s any news in the Short case.
“I wish I could say more,” he said. “I wish I could do more.”

More at link....

http://www.news-record.com/content/2010/05/29/article/homicide_case_still_haunts_counties
 
COUPLE_SLAIN_202114.jpg

Officials referred instead to a website set up to inform the community of any updates.

The above from the following link.
http://www.news-record.com/content/2010/05/29/article/homicide_case_still_haunts_counties

Does anyone know where this website is?
And does anyone have the AMW video of the case downloaded, or available as a link? Any videos at all on this case, or photos of the home and area and so forth. Any visual aids available?

Bowman maintained his innocence, saying he never met the Shorts and had long planned the trip to Canada. He was never charged, and the FBI said in 2007 that he was no longer a suspect, according to a Virginia newspaper.

Any aerial views of the bridge where her remains were found?
I am interested in seeing the distance on a map from the home, to the bridge and what route may have been taken.

I did read that the land line phone was cut. but would not had affected a cell phone. And I am assuming LE speculates that the father was killed first in the garage, and then the mother, and the girl taken after that. But i read no where of anything stolen from inside the house, nothing missing, so robbery was not a motive, is that correct?
And no one in the area, reported hearing any gunshots that i could find while searching, so either they did not live close by any neighbors or the sounds of fire were muffled somehow? Anyone know what type of gun was used? If the same type was used in all three killings, i would speculate there was one person involved.
And does LE speculate she was killed elsewhere, and dumped there later on. Or do they assume, she was killed at the bridge, on the same day or not long after she was taken?

A lot of questions i know, that is why i was hoping there are some video tapes available for one to view, that would answer most if not all the above questions.

The following link, is from May 17 2010 and just wanted to post it here.
http://www.news-record.com/content/...sc_investigating_2002_slaying_of_short_family


And this question is for LE, if they are reading this thread.
Chadwick E. Fulks, 25, and Branden L. Basham, 21, had escaped from Hopkins County Jail in Madisonville, Kentucky on November 4 2002.

Do you know if these two were not in jail in Kentucky or anywhere else in August 2002, and had any connections to the states N or S Carolina?
Just curious, because when i read this case, i thought of these two.
But i am assuming they were locked up at the time this crime was committed, but not 100 percent sure.

​
 
There are houses on either side of the Short house from what I can remember. The houses aren't right on top of each other, but they aren't far apart either.

To me - this seems like something that was long planned. IMHO it wasn't a spur of the moment idea to off this family. It seems, to me, that someone had been watching them and knew their routine and knew the layout of the house. This seems to have been a very methodical plan - since whoever did this has gotten away with it for so long.

I don't really believe that one single person could have gotten away with this - again IMHO - too much to do for one person and get out with a live child. Whoever did this had skills to be able to do this in an 'expert' way. (well seasoned criminal/hit man, LE and/or military training)

I still have to wonder if Mr. Short had any 'dealings' with the highly corrupt HCPD or had fallen in with someone in some other kind of illegal dealings (maybe he didn't realize things were illegal until it was too late). Or maybe if he was involved with HCPD or others that someone there became paranoid and thought he was a weak link that could get them caught.

I certainly do not believe these killings were random. There had to be something that led up that point.
 
MBLover said:
There are houses on either side of the Short house from what I can remember. The houses aren't right on top of each other, but they aren't far apart either.

To me - this seems like something that was long planned. IMHO it wasn't a spur of the moment idea to off this family. It seems, to me, that someone had been watching them and knew their routine and knew the layout of the house. This seems to have been a very methodical plan - since whoever did this has gotten away with it for so long.

I don't really believe that one single person could have gotten away with this - again IMHO - too much to do for one person and get out with a live child. Whoever did this had skills to be able to do this in an 'expert' way. (well seasoned criminal/hit man, LE and/or military training)

I still have to wonder if Mr. Short had any 'dealings' with the highly corrupt HCPD or had fallen in with someone in some other kind of illegal dealings (maybe he didn't realize things were illegal until it was too late). Or maybe if he was involved with HCPD or others that someone there became paranoid and thought he was a weak link that could get them caught.

I certainly do not believe these killings were random. There had to be something that led up that point.
Click to expand...


I agree MBLover, that this crime was not random and was probably planned long in advance. I've always believed, as I think most people have, that it was related to Michael Short's work somehow. But I'm intrigued with bykerladi's suggestion that Jennifer might have been the reason behind the crime. I never thought of that before, and there may be something to it.

At any rate, this has always been one of those crimes that just really got to me. It's absolutely horrible. :furious:
 
Interesting story on AMW. The sketch of the man & truck did not show up for me on that site.

From what I had read somewhere Mike & Mary Short were not asleep in their beds. He was in their garage and she was in their living room or den. Can't remember which and Jennifer was in her bedroom. The AMW story states they were asleep in bed. Not that I guess it makes much difference where the Shorts were located in their home.

With whoever doing this taking Jennifer out of the home - it could well be said that this was a crime targeting her, IMO. However, I'm not sure what such a young child could have done to make their self and their family a target of such a heinous crime.

If someone were after Jennifer and her parents were asleep in their bed (as the AMW story relates) then why not just take her without killing her parents? Or why not wait until she was out playing in her yard, or at a friends house out playing, or waiting on the school bus, etc.

IMHO I believe that Mr. Short was the target and it had to do something with his business and/or personal dealings that he may have had with someone or a small group of people.
 
This case just breaks my heart. I knew several people who lived in Stoneville at the time and they were so shocked by it. I'm hopeful about the AMW article - I hope they can catch the Shorts' killer very soon. Jennifer and her parents deserve justice.
 
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