VT VT - Lynne Kathryn Schulze, 18, Middlebury, 10 Dec 1971

[Zephyranth]

Who was Celine Slator? Why did she use her own paper to insist in an editorial that Lynne had not been murdered? Why, as a vigorous entrepreneur, musician, and active community member did she die at age 63 in 1976 (eerily, to me, when Durst allegedly returned to Middlebury or at least someone desperately claimed he did)? Did she have any interaction with Lynne in 1971, given both's association with the Frog Hollow Crafts Center?

I'm trying to get that editorial; the Addison County Independent staff have kindly offered to let me take pictures of it with my phone, but I'm quite a few (hundreds of) miles away The offices are at 58 Maple Street in Middlebury, if anyone here is in the neighborhood. I have a request in for a microfilm interlibrary loan, but am somewhat dubious that will transpire.

I see two possibilities: Celine really did see Lynne, or she's desperately protecting the person/persons she knows to be Lynne's killers [Edit: or protecting the reputation of the school, with which she had an association.] Celine's editorial came out on January 28, 1972, the same day the only other public article on Lynne's disappearance broke. Using the same picture.

Why did Celine work so hard to sway public opinion that Lynne was alive? Who is Celine Frederic (Koester) Slator, wife of US Army Lt. Col. William J Slator--a military man 19 years her senior?

The Burlington Free Press did a wonderful piece on Celine (February 1, 1976) noting her pioneering work as the first female city editor of the Waterbury Republican-American newspaper, and her purchase of the Addison County Independent from the former military people (a theme, here? but anyway) who'd owned it. Sixteen weeks after the February article, she passed away on June 11, 1976. Her husband sold the newspaper four weeks later.

Koester-Slator, Israel, Vilner -- who are these people? Why does there seem to be so much energy expended by them (well, with the exception of Durst, who seems not to be participating) to shape the story of Lynne's last days?

Israel: Blaming it on Durst
Vilner: Blaming it on Israel/Durst ("Israel was the only one who befriended Durst")
Slator: "No one did it."

I think we can solve this.

 

[Mysteries1974]

Who was Celine Slator? Why did she use her own paper to insist in an editorial that Lynne had not been murdered? Why, as a vigorous entrepreneur, musician, and active community member did she die at age 63 in 1976 (eerily, to me, when Durst allegedly returned to Middlebury or at least someone desperately claimed he did)? Did she have any interaction with Lynne in 1971, given both's association with the Frog Hollow Crafts Center?

I'm trying to get that editorial; the Addison County Independent staff have kindly offered to let me take pictures of it with my phone, but I'm quite a few (hundreds of) miles away The offices are at 58 Maple Street in Middlebury, if anyone here is in the neighborhood. I have a request in for a microfilm interlibrary loan, but am somewhat dubious that will transpire.

I see two possibilities: Celine really did see Lynne, or she's desperately protecting the person/persons she knows to be Lynne's killers. Celine's editorial came out on January 28, 1972, the same day the only other public article on Lynne's disappearance broke. Using the same picture.

Why did Celine work so hard to sway public opinion that Lynne was alive? Who is Celine Frederic (Koester) Slator, wife of US Army Lt. Col. William J Slator--a military man 19 years her senior?

The Burlington Free Press did a wonderful piece on Celine (February 1, 1976) noting her pioneering work as the first female city editor of the Waterbury Republican-American newspaper, and her purchase of the Addison County Independent from the former military people (a theme, here? but anyway) who'd owned it. Sixteen weeks after the February article, she passed away on June 11, 1976. Her husband sold the newspaper four weeks later.

Koester-Slator, Israel, Vilner -- who are these people? Why does there seem to be so much energy expended by them (well, with the exception of Durst, who seems not to be participating) to shape the story of Lynne's last days?

Israel: Blaming it on Durst
Vilner: Blaming it on Israel/Durst ("Israel was the only one who befriended Durst")
Slator: "No one did it."

I think we can solve this.

Send a tip regarding the locations you said above. They could hold the missing piece of the puzzle and this piece of the puzzle could solve 47 year old case.

 

[Zephyranth]

Send a tip regarding the locations you said above. They could hold the missing piece of the puzzle and this piece of the puzzle could solve 47 year old case.

That is very kind of you, Mysteries, and I appreciate it. The police have already searched the location, though, and it was after that that they brought the family to the location. I join you, wholeheartedly, in wanting to solve this case. For me it is now, sadly, a question of "Who?"

 

[Mysteries1974]

That is very kind of you, Mysteries, and I appreciate it. The police have already searched the location, though, and it was after that that they brought the family to the location. I join you, wholeheartedly, in wanting to solve this case. For me it is now, sadly, a question of "Who?"

I feel that Lynne’s remains are in close vicinity to the location. It’s odd because Lynne was not the only teenaged girl who vanished in the New England region. Cathy Marie Moulton vanished 2 1/2 months before Lynne.

Cathy Marie Moulton – The Charley Project

 

[Mysteries1974]

 

[Zephyranth]

Let's put it this way: There is absolutely no reason for ANYone to be worried, if Lynne is alive.

There is no reason for Israel to try to finger Durst. There is no reason for Vilner to try and finger Durst and "his only friend Israel." There is no reason for Celine to strangely editorialize a sighting of Lynne. It all smacks of desperation. If Lynne were alive, there is by default no evidence or eyewitness statement to allege such, and no one would have to fear anything.

 

[Satch]

Let's put it this way: There is absolutely no reason for ANYone to be worried, if Lynne is alive.

There is no reason for Israel to try to finger Durst. There is no reason for Vilner to try and finger Durst and "his only friend Israel." There is no reason for Celine to strangely editorialize a sighting of Lynne. It all smacks of desperation. If Lynne were alive, there is by default no evidence or eyewitness statement to allege such, and no one would have to fear anything.

And if Lynne is alive, it stands to reason that she does not want to be found. That she has moved on with her life.

Satch

 

[Satch]

Per the school's original statement, Lynne was not on her way to a final English exam when she disappeared; that exam was not scheduled until the following Tuesday, December 14, 1971. Her classmate, however, appears to have overturned the school's claim, adding that exam time was 1 p.m. December 10, 1971. Some outlets call the Tuesday exam "English Drama," and it may have been that there was a different English exam altogether on Friday, Dec. 10 as her classmate states. Sure it must be possible to get the school's records on the exam schedule for that week.

Personally,

I hate it when stuff gets wrong like this! I don't think it's a cover-up by the school or classmates, just inaccurate reporting, which was common to occur at that time. Although, even today, Internet sites can speak the same false claims. Getting the school records for the date, time, and the name of the class would be a great idea. They would confirm which account is correct. What was the school's original account as to where Lynne was going? Or supposed to be going on that day?

Satch

 

[Mysteries1974]

And if Lynne is alive, it stands to reason that she does not want to be found. That she has moved on with her life.

Satch

Still we need proof that she is alive.

 

[Zephyranth]

Losing an under-aged female student--technically and legally still a child--was a big deal for a prestigious school (or for any school), even in the freewheeling '70s.

Any school will scramble to reduce liability in these situations. Dean Wonnacott stressed that Lynne was almost 18, was very independent, and that many students went home for the weekend (Lynne lived 4 hours away, tho, in Simsbury CT for what it's worth).

The interesting part is the exam time difference - most sources say the English exam was at 1pm Friday Dec 10, but the school said they only became worried when "Lynne failed to show up for her English exam the following Tuesday." That's quite a difference. I imagine whoever conducted the Friday exam probably bore some responsibility to report the absence, and obviously didn't report it. Otherwise there wouldn't be much need to try and shift the absence four days into the future.

 

[Zephyranth]

This is also nagging at me: How did someone see Lynne across the street and know she was eating dried prunes she'd just bought from All Good Things? I don't think anyone could identify a prune from the other side of a street, much less determine its origin. How did this witness have direct knowledge that Lynne bought the prunes at All Good Things?

 

[Zephyranth]

Just heard back from the town: At the time of Lynne's disappearance, David Vilner was indeed the owner of the property police are now focused on.

The Bougors sold it to Vilner on May 5, 1971; Vilner sold it July 12, 1972.

 

[Mysteries1974]

Just heard back from the town: At the time of Lynne's disappearance, David Vilner was indeed the owner of the property police are now focused on.

The Bougors sold it to Vilner on May 5, 1971; Vilner sold it July 12, 1972.

Good job!

 

[Zephyranth]

Also strange: How did this witness remember the multiple, specific times a particular girl was at the bus stop, remember what she was eating, remember where she bought the prunes--and wait 40 years to tell this to police?

I'm personally going to have to go with this witness report sounding somewhat contrived.

Why would they have a specific memory of her doing exact things at exact times if she wasn't known to them? For them to remember it was her, means she was known to them. If she was known to them, surely they found out very soon in 1971 that she was missing. But they continued to withhold from police, for 40 years, that THEY were actually the last person to see her?

If she *wasn't* known to them then, and that's why they didn't tell police, how can we know they are correctly identifying her 40+ years later?

Note how no matter how you parse it, Durst (if he was even there) was NOT the last person on record to see Lynne alive. This witness was. And this witness is the one trying to connect her disappearance, instead, to Durst.

 

[Mysteries1974]

Also strange: How did this witness remember the multiple, specific times a particular girl was at the bus stop, remember what she was eating, remember where she bought the prunes--and wait 40 years to tell this to police?

I'm personally going to have to go with this witness report sounding somewhat contrived.

Why would they have a specific memory of her doing exact things at exact times if she wasn't known to them? For them to remember it was her, means she was known to them. If she was known to them, surely they found out very soon in 1971 that she was missing. But they continued to withhold from police, for 40 years, that THEY were actually the last person to see her?

If she *wasn't* known to them then, and that's why they didn't tell police, how can we know they are correctly identifying her 40+ years later?

Note how no matter how you parse it, Durst (if he was even there) was NOT the last person on record to see Lynne alive. This witness was. And this witness is the one trying to connect her disappearance, instead, to Durst.

I just want Lynne’s disappearance to be solved. I used to think that there was a connection to the Cathy Moulton case because of the time and distance.

 

[Zephyranth]

I do, too.

"We don't let open cases like this where someone has died go away," Hanley said, reiterating investigators' belief that Schulze died, and not by accident or by suicide.

When asked if he considered the case a homicide, the chief initially hedged.

"We can't say that until we have had a medical examiner's review of that, but it is an investigation," he said. Pressed about the Schulze matter as a "possible homicide," Hanley was more direct.

"Absolutely, absolutely."

....Hanley would not characterize the Durst lead as the best the police have pursued over the years, but "it's certainly the most interesting."

Police: Durst 'most interesting' link to Schulze case

 

[Mysteries1974]

I do, too.

"We don't let open cases like this where someone has died go away," Hanley said, reiterating investigators' belief that Schulze died, and not by accident or by suicide.

When asked if he considered the case a homicide, the chief initially hedged.

"We can't say that until we have had a medical examiner's review of that, but it is an investigation," he said. Pressed about the Schulze matter as a "possible homicide," Hanley was more direct.

"Absolutely, absolutely."

....Hanley would not characterize the Durst lead as the best the police have pursued over the years, but "it's certainly the most interesting."

Police: Durst 'most interesting' link to Schulze case

So she’s been found deceased?

 

[Zephyranth]

So she’s been found deceased?

They stop just short of saying that outright. But they'll say things like "cases where someone has died" and it's "absolutely" a homicide investigation. So either they have Lynne's DNA on the property but not a body, or a very strong witness statement, possibly? I almost think it has to be something like a very strong witness statement plus then finding at least something of Lynne's (DNA, personal item) on the property. That would be one explanation for them only being willing to act 99% sure she perished there.

 

[Mysteries1974]

They stop just short of saying that outright. But they'll say things like "cases where someone has died" and it's "absolutely" a homicide investigation. So either they have Lynne's DNA on the property but not a body, or a very strong witness statement, possibly? I almost think it has to be something like a very strong witness statement plus then finding at least something of Lynne's (DNA, personal item) on the property. That would be one explanation for them only being willing to act 99% sure she perished there.

So yeah. I’ve always thought that this case was connected to my most current case Cathy Moulton.

 

[Mysteries1974]

We have evidence that Lynne met her end on that property. But her body is still missing. And the ones who killed her haven’t been charged!