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

[Wayne]

There have been many references to Duncan maybe being involved in this case, and if I remember correctly, someone in Websleuths and or the "Court TV" message boards sent their 2 cents worth about this to local LE. But there has never been any mention of it in our local news concering this allegation.

As far as I could tell, the closest info about Duncan maybe being involved came from the fact that he had a family member, maybe a sister, who resided in NC, not to far from the Short location in VA. Also, Duncan was suppossedly involved in that online game of GPS hunting of clues (sorry, don't know what the game is called), and may have been as close as the NC area where his sister lived.

The biggest reason I think he was not involved, was because of the location where they found little Jennifer's body. Although it was located off one of our major highways, your everyday tom dick and harry wouldn't just happen upon this location. If you didn't know where it was, it would have been very hard for a stranger to find because it was several turns off the main highway and not very highly travelled.

But I guess anything is possible when it comes to this case, since nothing else they've investigated has seemed to pan out.

I think the majority of us in the area feel as if Jennifer were the intended target, since she is the one who was kidnapped, not just shot at her home like her parents, unless of course the target was one of the parents and in shooting them, little Jennifer woke up and the animal/animals that killed her parents just couldn't decide what to do with her at first, and later decided she, too, had to be done away with???

MOO

Remember, Duncan took the Groene children to a secluded location far off the highway. IMO, with a GPS, Duncan could have returned to the exact location. Just a thought...

Was Jennifer's estimated date of death ever released by LE or Medical Examiner? I heard that is was likely shortly-after Labor Day (just before school started where Duncan attended college in North Dakota). That would imply Jennifer Short was kept alive - like Duncan kept the Groene children alive.

==========
In My Opinion

 

[gatetrekker44]

of Jennifer's remains-she had apparently been dumped into a creek and the water flow had carried parts of her remains into a field where animals may have scattered them even further-no exact time/date of death was ever able to be established-only an approximate date. Jennifer could have been killed the same day as her parents or been held somewhere for a week or more before being killed.

As far as the location-while it is somewhat off the "beaten path"-anyone with a GPS as a guide could have chosen the location-as could someone who simply cruised around looking for a somewhat secluded area to dump a body.

Unfortunately, without any additional info-police are at a standstill simply because ALL info they have received to date has been thoroughly investigated and all info has led to dead ends. The case is still open and active-but LE at this point just does not have anything else to follow up on.

 

[WholeLottaRosie]

Just bumping to see if anyone knows anything new on this case?

 

[curious_mom]

Since my last post about the NC man being convicted of giving false info to police.

 

[wondering22]

Curious mom has posted some links for us to read. Thank you!

You seem to have read alot of them. Do you have any thoughts on the matter after having read all that?

Are there any URLs available to view photographs of this case?


TIA

 

[curious_mom]

There were some pictures of the location where they found the bodies of each person, but I no longer have them.

 

[curious_mom]

Short slayings haunt families, residents, police

Who can forget the Short family slayings?​

Not the task force of investigators, doggedly pursuing the case every day.

Not the family, still grieving and wondering why the family was killed.

Not the community, which continues to support events such as the Jennifer Short Memorial Bike Ride on Sunday.

Not the media, which continues to keep the story fresh.

And police are betting the person responsible cannot forget either.

"It would have to affect him (or her)," said Henry County Sheriff's Maj. Kimmy Nester. "I don't care how tough he (or she) is."

Michael and Mary Short were found shot to death with single gunshot wounds to their heads four years ago today in their Oak Level home.

The couple's 9-year-old daughter, Jennifer Renee Short, was missing, and police presumed she had been abducted by the person or persons who killed her parents.

About six weeks later, forensic tests determined that remains found in Rockingham County, N.C., about 30 miles south of the Shorts' home, were Jennifer's.

She also died from a single gunshot wound to the head.

http://www.martinsvillebulletin.com/topstory.htm

 

[curious_mom]

Hundreds of area motorcyclists gunned their engines Sunday in remembrance of Jennifer Short, the 9-year-old Oak Level girl whose disappearance four years ago this week shook the community and drew headlines nationwide.

Forming a caravan that stretched more than a mile as it traveled down U.S. 220 South, more than 200 motorcycles, cars and trucks took part in the fourth annual Jennifer Short Memorial Bike/Car Ride. The ride began in Oak Level near the former Short home where Jennifer's parents, Michael and Mary Short, were found shot to death on Aug. 15, 2002.

Remains of Jennifer, believed abducted from the scene, were found a month later near a bridge on Grogan Road in Rockingham County, N.C. Like her parents, she had been shot to death.

When riders reached the bridge, now named in honor of Jennifer, they gathered as law enforcement and government officials from Henry County, Martinsville and Rockingham County vowed to continue looking for the person or persons responsible for the crime.

"We want to commit and recommit to the family -- we have not retired this case, Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page told the crowd. He pledged to work with the FBI, the Henry County Sheriff's Office and other officials "until we can bring about closure."

http://www.martinsvillebulletin.com/Archive/2006/Aug%20'06/a081406.htm

 

[curious_mom]

STONEVILLE, N.C. - Dozens of friends and supporters of a young girl and her parents who were killed four years ago gathered Sunday to honor them.

There's been no success in naming the person who killed Jennifer Short's parents, abducted the girl and shot her to death, then dumped the 9-year-old girl's body under a bridge here.

On Sunday, as motorcycles and other vehicles rumbled past, Reba Sink tore defaced posters from the railing of the bridge over Jacob's Creek and knelt at several spots to tape up crisp, new portraits of the girl.

The fourth annual Jennifer Short Memorial Ride honors the family and raises money for a scholarship; this year, 200 motorcycles and 20 cars participated as the event collected $2,354.

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/local/15267413.htm

 

[curious_mom]

I have located a memorial page set up for the Short family, that shows pictures of the area where Jennifer's body was found.

If you look at the pictures of the bridge, parts of her body were found in the area below the bridge.

http://www.bubbaonline.com/jennifershort.htm

 

[curious_mom]

Without going back and reading all the links posted. I found this cached article which basically gives a breakdown of almost everything about the case:

http://72.14.209.104/search?q=cache:zH_CHlV-VGYJ:crimeblog.us/+jennifer+michael+mary+short+crime+scene+photos&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=2

 

[OceanEyes]

bumping for Jennifer

 

[curious_mom]

All of the articles that I have saved/archived, from the Martinsville Bulletin, are now no good. The newspaper reformatted their whole website, and none of their previous links work, at all :banghead:

In order to look at any of the articles where I have links to the Martinsville Bulletin, you have to go to an archive page, and then put the date or keyword in to find the article.

If anybody ever looks at this page again, and you need to see any of the articles, you can go to: http://www.martinsvillebulletin.com/archives.cfm and use the date by the original articles I posted, or put in Jennifer Short, and it will bring up alot of the important articles:furious: :furious: :furious: .

 

[less0305]

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1222701#post1222701

I posted this in the Crimes thread.

 

[Shadow205]

Maybe now some outside LE agencie will look into the muder of the Shorts, This sure doesn't make you think that a proper investigation was done the first time around.

 

[curious_mom]

Maybe now some outside LE agencie will look into the muder of the Shorts, This sure doesn't make you think that a proper investigation was done the first time around.

This is the question on everybodys mind in our area, where the Short family lived!

So far, 4 deputies have plead guilty, the rest, not guilty. One deputy had the 1 charge against him dropped last night, only to have 4 more charges placed against him today.

We keep hearing rumor after rumor, but who's to say what's really going on. If I was a betting person, I'd bet at least half of the rumors are true

We're all anticipating what's to come!

 

[grievousangel]

any updates on this case??? At one point I thought perhaps the Short case was connected to the Lisk-Silva murders ...also in VA but in Spotsylvania Co...but the man, Marc Evonitz, committed suicide in June of 2002, before the Short murders..evidence showed he was the murderer of those girls...but my thoughts are that there are more victims out there. Things may not be what they seem on the outside but it does seem that perhaps, the intended victim was Jennifer and her parents were just in the way.

 

[Rle7]

We are coming up on the 5th anniversary of possibly the most infamous murder case in Henry County.

In August of 2002, Mike and Mary Short were found dead in their home. A month later, their young daughter Jennifer was found dead in Rockingham County, North Carolina. Since that time, authorities have followed up on dozens of tips but none have lead to their killer.

Still, the Henry County Sheriff's department assures the case is actively under investigation, with the tips continuing to come in.

http://www.wdbj7.com/Global/story.asp?S=6139656&nav=S6aK

 

[Starlight]

I've been watching this case since day one, and as with so many other cases, I have seen it fall by the wayside, as other, more important people dominated the news media for months at a time. The case remains posted on my web site, although I have neglected to post many of the cases that the media seems so concerned about..... possibly because I feel insulted that those with money can do whatever they wish when they are alive, and as soon as they end up dead, our entire nation wants to make a hero of them, while the common person is never considered important at any time. Well, I disagree with that principle, but I also know that is the precise attitude that a serial killer [any serial killer] relies upon. He knows the cops won't work, mostly because their bosses won't let them work. The prosecuting attorney's won't do their jobs unless it's an election year and they are up for re-election.
I built a web page so people could go read my information and decide for themselves whether it's of any value. I'm not like the cops. I won't sit and hold information that might jog someone's memory, or refuse to release descriptions of vehicles, clothing, etc. that someone might possibly identify. I'm actually interested in stopping a serial killer so he can't kill anymore of our people. So, go check my page out if you're interested. I'll discuss my information with anyone who wants to discuss it. However, I am not seeking critics, or those who wish to debate, ridicule and criticize my efforts, or argue. Facts are facts and they don't change - and neither does my web pages, except to do updates.

http://users.1st.net/mwells/JeniferShort.htm

email me at: bmwells@1st.net

 

[curious_mom]

Wednesday, August 8, 2007
By DEBBIE HALL - Bulletin Staff Writer


The past four summers, Ray Reynolds and scores of volunteers have devoted one day to honoring the memory of Jennifer Renee Short. This summer is no exception. “There’s still unfinished business,” Reynolds said of the reason behind the fifth annual Jennifer Short Memorial Ride, which will be held Sunday. The ride brings attention to the Short slayings, he said. It also raises money for the Jennifer Short Scholarship Fund, which awards a $500 scholarship to a college-bound Bassett High School student. Jennifer would have attended Bassett High.

Jennifer was 9 years old when she disappeared and was presumed kidnapped after the shooting deaths of her parents, Michael and Mary Short, in their home in the Oak Level area of Henry County in August 2002. Jennifer’s remains were found the following month in Rockingham County, N.C. Police determined that she, like her parents, had been shot in the head. Reynolds lived across the street from the Shorts, and he said he saw Jennifer the night before her parents were killed. That memory, coupled with the fact that no one has been charged in connection with the killings, prompt Reynolds to help organize the ride in Jennifer’s memory year after year with Ricky “Big Bird” Holcomb. “No one’s been charged yet,” Reynolds said, and he hopes to continue the event until a killer is brought to justice.


http://www.martinsvillebulletin.com/article.cfm?ID=10162