WA - Mackenzie Cowell, 17, Wenatchee, 9 Feb 2010 - #10

[del rio]

Del, are we starting to think the body was left in this area, (in the middle of the brush), rather than down by the duck blind and shore? If the stream was nearby to this clearing in the middle of the brush, that could explain "feet in water".

Since this brush is the sticker-kind, the trail was likely made wider and maybe the entire clearing because LE took everything that could have stuck the suspects and left behind DNA.

Del Rio, wonder when they are gonna ask you for a cheek swab???

No, the body was left down by the river (about 40 or 50 feet down hill). There's no way a person walking along the beach could see a body in that clearing.

LE probably did widen the trail with their walking back and forth on the trail.

If LE wanted my DNA, they would have requested it by now (I assume).

 

[girlfawkes]

Also, if the body was hidden in the brush, (not duck blind), and left at the CB property WITHOUT the intention of coming back and sinking it out in the Columbia River, this would not be good for LE. It means the suspect(s) would have been fairly sure the body no longer had DNA or evidence that could help the LE. The body was gonna be found one way or the other, eventual.

But if you don't want a body found, why Crescent Bar... when there are so many places in the woods where no one ever goes? This location is important... yet possibly only circumstantial towards a particular suspect.

ETA: And welcome back Del Rio.

My thinking is that the perp and Mackenzie went to CB for a seemingly legitimate reason and things turned ugly in a way that was not premeditated by the perp, at least not in the top of his mind. Once he looked at what he'd done, the perp panicked and just didn't want to deal with it any further. After all, moving a body instead of leaving it in situ would yield more possible evidence for LE to find and analyze. Fibers, hairs, whatever. Blood in the vehicle, and maybe he didn't have anything to conceal or wrap her in. Safer to leave her there and skedaddle.

The mutilation is rumor in my book, and until we know either way, I'm just not comfortable including it in my theories.

 

[*Intrigued*]

My response in Purple

Interesting, and definitely a possibility.

But... my feeling is that certain people were being watched very closely from the moment her car was found. I don't really see how they would have had opportunity or comfort to take the necessary steps and time to do additional things the next day or next few days. *I respectfully disagree. I know the first rumor I heard was that she was seeing a guy from Tacoma (within hours of the news) and that she probably ran off with him. So, that being said I think her family was worried but they had no reason to believe something awful had happened.

Aside from LE's presence and activity right after her car was found, I can't see how a person would explain to concerned loved ones why they were leaving at this critical and stressful time, when people should be clinging together, not running errands that likely would take hours. *He was just her bf. He wasn't family. I think he could have been away for a few hours without too much notice. Now looking back on it, I am sure it seems VERY suspicious.

As far as tools go, yes mutilation is a rumor, but certain folks who we have been discussing may have reason to always have these tools on their person or very near. And we don't know that Mac's car was ever on the CB property. Perhaps the 3rd scene in question is where she left her car and got into his vehicle. It would be a crucial bit of information. *I still think she got in the vehicle with him at the boat dock and went somewhere from there.

Just speculation.

 

[del rio]

It probably wasn't too eerie in November 09.

It definitely was eerie back in Nov 09.

 

[del rio]

Just out of curiosity, is there a way to get to the beach that does not involve going through the private property? Whoever found the body had to have gotten down there somehow. Also, would it be common for people to walk around on that beach, apart from the apparent occasional hunter or fisherman?

I can't answer for Del Rio, but if it were me...there is NO WAY I would be hunting for ducks anywhere near there...that's me of course.

That's one of the reasons I ceased hunting there. I continued to duck hunting afterwards, just not there.

 

[ChuckMaureen]

I mean, the clearing is so concealed and private the perps could have done whatever they did during the day.

del rio .. I notice once again you pluralize the word: perps

..... hmmm

 

[ChuckMaureen]

Well, the reason I wonder if because if the clearing was the place where she was killed and/or mutilated, and there is no water within body distance, this would indicate she had been moved after whatever happened there happened.

So is there any water right there or do you not know?

The news articles report MC's *feet* were in water ... do I need to spell out what I'm thinking?

 

[girlfawkes]

No, the body was left down by the river (about 40 or 50 feet down hill). There's no way a person walking along the beach could see a body in that clearing.

LE probably did widen the trail with their walking back and forth on the trail.

If LE wanted my DNA, they would have requested it by now (I assume).

Maybe the scene of the murder was in the clearing, and the perp then decided to jettison her out into the river. He drug her down the hill (he wasn't prepared for how very hard this was) but once he got to the river either decided he didn't want to get all wet or decided a floating body would be too visible. He wanted to drag her back up the hill to full concealment but the inert weight of the body was too much for him, combined with the exertion he already had from her fight and dragging her down the hill. He was tired and totally panicked and so drug her partially into the brush alongside the river and left in a hurry.

A dead body that weighs 120 pounds feels like 200, and is very unwieldy. Bless you Mackenzie, and no offense to anyone, but moving a freshly deceased body is like dragging a long 200 pound bag of jello around. Things flop and slide around, there is absolutely no muscle tension. It is really hard, and I've only transferred bodies from bed to gurney or bed to bed. Even with help it's very exerting.

 

[del rio]

Del,

East of the home on the North side of Crescent Bar road is a tall dirt wall. It is just on the other side of the stream and could have been created from erosion. I noticed that people have carved names into this dirt wall, do you know if there is anything written on the wall that may be connected to MC?

del rio .. I notice once again you pluralize the word: perps

..... hmmm

It's not a Freudian slip. I'm pretty sure I've made it clear that I BELIEVE at least 2 perps were invovled.

 

[greydiggity]

That's one of the reasons I ceased hunting there. I continued to duck hunting afterwards, just not there.

So Del, is it common practice for you to build an engineers equivalent of a duck blind at every location, yet only spend a few days there? I am assuming then that your eerie feeling occurred on your final day of duck hunting. Was it anything you saw or simply a feeling? Do you plan on going back again?

 

[PlainFranky]

I was looking at this ariel/satellite map (link below) to do a diagram of the CB scene, and noticed there seems to be big, large white letters (perhaps a word or 2) in the CB's yard where the figure 8 is now. Can someone else go to this link and tell me that I'm not seeing things? And maybe also tell me what it says?

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=47.225153,-120.005706&spn=0.002718,0.008234&t=k&z=18


I'm sure it's not related to MC's murder.

Looks like a Google copyright mark

 

[girlfawkes]

I was looking at this ariel/satellite map (link below) to do a diagram of the CB scene, and noticed there seems to be big, large white letters (perhaps a word or 2) in the CB's yard where the figure 8 is now. Can someone else go to this link and tell me that I'm not seeing things? And maybe also tell me what it says?

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=47.225153,-120.005706&spn=0.002718,0.008234&t=k&z=18


I'm sure it's not related to MC's murder.

It says "Google", it's their proprietary stamp that appears periodically. Weirded me out big time until I figured what it was.

 

[del rio]

It says "Google", it's their proprietary stamp that appears periodically. Weirded me out big time until I figured what it was.

Yeah, I finally saw that. It seems to be permanently "burnt" into that part of the photo.

 

[del rio]

So Del, is it common practice for you to build an engineers equivalent of a duck blind at every location, yet only spend a few days there? I am assuming then that your eerie feeling occurred on your final day of duck hunting. Was it anything you saw or simply a feeling? Do you plan on going back again?

It was just a quickly built duck blind made out of local vegatation. It didn't take very long.

 

[Miss Optimism]

I don't think that I was able to see the entire clearing from the trail head. But from what I did see, the clearing seemed to extend quite a distance to the left (i.e., east). Where the clearing ended on the left (as far as I could see), that would have been very, very close (2 feet or less) to the stream that runs out of the pond. So, it's very possible that the clearing extended all the way to that stream without me being able to see it.

Does anybody want to go for a very short walk?

I would, but I thought that would all be considered criminally trespassing? I certainly do not want to be walking on private property and getting into trouble!!

You may be the BIG risk taker of the group, del!

 

[pufnstuf]

No, the body was left down by the river (about 40 or 50 feet down hill). There's no way a person walking along the beach could see a body in that clearing.

LE probably did widen the trail with their walking back and forth on the trail.

If LE wanted my DNA, they would have requested it by now (I assume).

How do you know where the body was found? Is this an assumption by you based on the "B" in the blind?

 

[girlfawkes]

My response in Purple

*I respectfully disagree. I know the first rumor I heard was that she was seeing a guy from Tacoma (within hours of the news) and that she probably ran off with him. So, that being said I think her family was worried but they had no reason to believe something awful had happened.

Yes, I had heard this rumor too, but I think LE (for whatever reason) thought differently from the very beginning. Their initial statements were to the effect that it was "very, very suspicious and didn't look good" (paraphrasing). I'm sure they didn't give false reassurances to the family, and we also know that WC and JF were interviewed as soon as the feds appeared, before her body was even found.

I just personally don't think (assuming the perp was someone close to the family) that they would have any excuse or opportunity to do any further things before she was found.

I don't know. I would think the perp would want to appear super supportive and helpful, going on all the searches, just being a constant presence, ect... The perp may have also wanted to stick around to prevent any detailed family discussion about him from occurring in the presence of WC.

 

[*Intrigued*]

The news articles report MC's *feet* were in water ... do I need to spell out what I'm thinking?

I heard a very horrible rumor about just that... I haven't repeated it but since you said that.

 

[greydiggity]

The news articles report MC's *feet* were in water ... do I need to spell out what I'm thinking?

I'm obviously not on my game right now, so yes, can you spell it out for me??

 

[Miss Optimism]

Just out of curiosity, is there a way to get to the beach that does not involve going through the private property? Whoever found the body had to have gotten down there somehow. Also, would it be common for people to walk around on that beach, apart from the apparent occasional hunter or fisherman?

Yeah, I was worried about trespassing when I went down to the beach as well so

1. I didn't drive there. I really believe that the neighbors would call in your license plate number to the cops.

2. I walked down the hill right where you see the county marker sign. It is a little rough terrain, so make sure to wear hiking boots or tennis shoes.

3. I walked on the beach, since that was public property but I didn't walk through the brush at all since I wasn't sure where the private property started.

The water is usually much higher. All of the years I've been going there, I've never noticed a "beach" around that area so it is very rare that someone would be walking on the beach. I think that the people who found her were just taking advantage of the fact that there was a beach and it was a nice day.