WA - Mackenzie Cowell, 17, Wenatchee, 9 Feb 2010 - #5

[h20skiier]

Do you know time frame? I'm wondering if it was before or after the boat launch location. Also, wondering if it was a "fill up with gas first" car wash. This would possibly explain using her gas card and debit card and putting them in a pocket, such as her coat pocket, and not returning them to her purse. Also, seems like a very normal even and passenger wasn't concerned about being seen. I wonder if the gas tank in her car was full when it was abandoned. If she had plans to go to her Dad's house for dinner in Orondo and she was low on fuel...........it makes sense. I believe it was reported that the car was in her Dad's name, or registered to him. Does anyone know if the dinner plans included her bf? I would think that, if she indeed did fill up with gas, a check of what was left in her gas tank might reveal how far her car had traveled between getting gas and being abandoned.

It was not a "fill up with gas first", but there are plenty of stations nearby. I believe MC could have used her debit card to pay at that car wash. Unsure of time frame, will see if I can do some digging...

 

[Liz]

I was wondering, what IF the perp's phone contact with Mackenzie was via the land-line at the Academy of Hair Design? Wouldn't that be pretty difficult to track, since they probably receive a ton of phone calls per day and many probably based from land-lines?

 

[h20skiier]

bbm

Hopefully it's from the car wash.

I edited my other post to add the issue of the ID of male passenger..In order to do that he would have to be shown photos..I wonder of who? Or was it simply a descripton they were looking for? Makes a diff.

Word is the attendant could not provide LE a description, just that it was a male passenger. Attendant never was given photos by LE to ID.

 

[sunhaven]

The more I think about it---I wonder if the murder happened pretty quick that first day and the perp panicked thinking Dad would come looking for her by 7 PM or not long after that time on the first night---so the perp dumped the car immediately. It would be hard to contain a girl MCs size for very long---unless she was drugged or unconscious.

 

[greydiggity]

What I was told was that the attendant called the LE to report the info. Based on that info, LE has another video that they are not releasing, not sure from where, showing MC in her car with a male passenger. The passenger could not be ID'ed by either the attendant or the video.

This makes me think they know who this person is then. If they did not know who it was in the video, they would release a partial snippet of the pic for the public to view. At this juncture, they do not want that person to know they have this. Even more reason to believe they are only awaiting DNA.
Leads me to another thought. The poster that stated that there were calls to "Lowe's" on Mac's cell phone in the weeks prior to her murder, and LE couldn't come up with a reason she could be calling there. Is this perhaps another possibility? Where is Lowe's compared to the dock, salon, car abandonment, etc...

 

[alt.theory]

If, IF, car wash story is correct it makes even more sense that MC is the one who parked the car before leaving the pavement in Pitcher Canyon. She just washed it, she didn't want to get it covered in dust and mud. No one else would care for her car like that, (especially criminals trying to dump car). My bet is something happened up Pitcher Canyon. There aren't that many homes and it looks like there is no way out from there, so I would be checking homes and over-look pull outs and such.

 

[suns]

This makes me think they know who this person is then. If they did not know who it was in the video, they would release a partial snippet of the pic for the public to view. At this juncture, they do not want that person to know they have this. Even more reason to believe they are only awaiting DNA.
Leads me to another thought. The poster that stated that there were calls to "Lowe's" on Mac's cell phone in the weeks prior to her murder, and LE couldn't come up with a reason she could be calling there. Is this perhaps another possibility? Where is Lowe's compared to the dock, salon, car abandonment, etc...

Lowe's is a little over a mile from the waterfront park.

 

[girlfawkes]

do you think family is involved?

Not necessarily, but with the specific statement of the FBI interviewing Mom and BF, I think there is likely a connection there. It could be someone both of them know, such as another business owner, or an employee- someone both Mom and BF would know but Dad and his fiancee may not.

I do believe that LE has interviewed all family, as this would be par for the course, but the specific statement of Mom and BF being interviewed still strikes me as very odd and possibly telling.

 

[greencross]

Thread 4 is back up...

 

[*Intrigued*]

If, IF, car wash story is correct it makes even more sense that MC is the one who parked the car before leaving the pavement in Pitcher Canyon. She just washed it, she didn't want to get it covered in dust and mud. No one else would care for her car like that, (especially criminals trying to dump car). My bet is something happened up Pitcher Canyon. There aren't that many homes and it looks like there is no way out from there, so I would be checking homes and over-look pull outs and such.

But if the perp was with her at the car wash then he would most likely have been with her up PC. Which would mean he would have had to leave her body in the car or bushes until he could walk down, get his vehicle, come back up and get her body? I don't think that is very likely. In broad daylight? The man in the car is just making this all that much more confusing.

 

[slowbutsteady]

I agree *intrigued* - Maybe it was just a friend of hers, plain and simple...of course I would think that person would have gone to LE right off the git go with that info. Makes me think there was more than one person involved.

 

[fundiva]

Wow! That video has been turned upside down and wrong side out long time ago. It has been established that nobody was in her car waiting for her.
We're not really sure why they released it, except that it kept all of us really busy for several days! Of course, we only saw the part of the video that was released. You can see the route that she took when she left the parking lot and that all appeared normal...........and safe.........and you can see that something caught her attention twice.........and that her boots had a higher heel on them. They would have left a distinctive footprint if it was MacKenzie that drove her car up Pitcher Canyon and got out and locked her door and then.........?

I think if MacKenzie would have drove her car up to Pitcher Canyon herself it would have been observed sooner. She would have had to drop it off probably before 5:00. The people up there were pretty observant to see it at 7:00 and report it at 8:00. If it had been sitting there earlier they would have noticed then. If they had been at work and came home they would have noticed it closer to 5:00 or 5:30 and not later at 7:00. When you live in the "boonies" and don't get much traffic you notice vehicles that drive through or park there because it is so out of place.

 

[sunhaven]

But if the perp was with her at the car wash then he would most likely have been with her up PC. Which would mean he would have had to leave her body in the car or bushes until he could walk down, get his vehicle, come back up and get her body? I don't think that is very likely. In broad daylight? The man in the car is just making this all that much more confusing.

Ideas----perp in car at carwash, they drive up to Sunnyslope house (or Pitcher Canyone somewhere), perp hits her on head (or drugs her) and places her to come back to, drives car to Pitcher Canyon (as far from Sunnyslope as about possible before the 7 PM dad-come-looking time), gets someone else to come pick him/her up so there is no scent of a trail. Then either returns to body at Sunnyslope (or goes to Pitcher Canyon site).

 

[ChelanCountyMom]

I think if MacKenzie would have drove her car up to Pitcher Canyon herself it would have been observed sooner. She would have had to drop it off probably before 5:00. The people up there were pretty observant to see it at 7:00 and report it at 8:00. If it had been sitting there earlier they would have noticed then. If they had been at work and came home they would have noticed it closer to 5:00 or 5:30 and not later at 7:00. When you live in the "boonies" and don't get much traffic you notice vehicles that drive through or park there because it is so out of place.

Unless they work late or went shopping and returned home at 7pm.

 

[greencross]

WW has an article about larger reward fund now.
http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2010/mar/05/business-group-pledges-38000-to-cowell-fund/

 

[AutumnRose]

This makes me think they know who this person is then. If they did not know who it was in the video, they would release a partial snippet of the pic for the public to view. At this juncture, they do not want that person to know they have this. Even more reason to believe they are only awaiting DNA.
Leads me to another thought. The poster that stated that there were calls to "Lowe's" on Mac's cell phone in the weeks prior to her murder, and LE couldn't come up with a reason she could be calling there. Is this perhaps another possibility? Where is Lowe's compared to the dock, salon, car abandonment, etc...

Perhaps MC was calling a person that works there. My daughter used to date a guy that worked at Lowes...........she would call him at work to talk to him.

 

[MissAnonymous]

Could be, but Washington State isn't big on "choice enroll" in general.

I can't find a map that shows where you'd go to Cashmere vs. Wenatchee. There is, however, no high school in-between.

Choice awards are simple to obtain. I grew up in Orondo and had a choice award from K-12 to attend Wenatchee. All we did was fill out a new form every year. My daugther now has one as well. It is as simple as filling out a form and turning it in to the school listing reasons why you wish to attend. Often, there is no real reason except the parents prefer one school over the other. If bullying was going on at Wenatchee High School I am sure she wouldn't be turned down, as I have never seen any child be turned down for one.

This makes me think they know who this person is then. If they did not know who it was in the video, they would release a partial snippet of the pic for the public to view. At this juncture, they do not want that person to know they have this. Even more reason to believe they are only awaiting DNA.
Leads me to another thought. The poster that stated that there were calls to "Lowe's" on Mac's cell phone in the weeks prior to her murder, and LE couldn't come up with a reason she could be calling there. Is this perhaps another possibility? Where is Lowe's compared to the dock, salon, car abandonment, etc...

In thread 4 I stated that the FBI had been to a local "home improvement" store. Ding, ding, ding!! You named it. Obviously the person didn't give me exact details, but "supplies" used are thought to have been purchased from
there. Also, the park that she was last seen at extends all the way down the river breaking up into a few parks. Walla Walla being one of those sits directly in front of Lowes. Not sure if that helps, but I tried

 

[ChuckMaureen]

Her car went through the stay-in-vehicle drive through type.

Did MC's 1997 car break down or experience an issue enroute to the gym or elsewhere and a Mr. Soon-to-be-Passenger offered assistance?

Did he touch the outside of the car, lift the hood? "Let's go to xxxxx to pick up a part I need to fix your car."

Did MC (already) know this individual? Who was 'in control' after MC met up with the passenger?

At whom's suggestion did they go to car wash and what was the intent if it was the passenger's idea?

We might conclude they were not in a hurry, but car wash takes only a few minutes.

Was something else on the car that needed to be removed? Road salt?

Was MC conscious about her car and wanted to present it 'clean' to whomever else she was to meet that day, besides the then-passenger? This would denote a perceived 'importance' to the individual(s).

Was it simply to remove as much trace evidence from the vehicle as possible so as to make it difficult for tracking dogs to follow a path on which the vehicle was about to embark?

Might we assume the car wash enables the driver to pay via card / cash at a pedestal console at the entrance to the wash bay? No need to exit the vehicle?

Was the passenger supposed to replace MC's card to her purse while she steered the vehicle into the bay ... but he avoided doing so to keep his prints from transferring?

Were there car wash 'drier goons' awaiting after the bay? Did they have a close-up view of the passenger while they wiped the vehicle? Did MC tip?

Also, why would LE not release the car wash video?

1. LE wants to spare the family seeing MC alongside the potential 'perp'.
2. LE wants to protect the passenger (in case he is not involved).
3. Passenger identity is known, not considered a danger to others.
4. There was no passenger.
5. There is no video.

I vote for the 1st plus a distant maybe for the 3rd.

 

[greydiggity]

Am I the only one that sees something strange here? It was confirmed (via a friends mom) that Mac had numerous calls to Lowe's from her cell phone leading up to her murder, yet nobody knows who she would have been calling there? Whomever was working at Lowe's obviously has access to a plethora of tools that could have been used in the murder. Did she meet with this person at the dock (he walked from Lowe's) they got in her car. They drove to said car wash. She used her debit to pay for the car wash. From there they went for a private romantic time? Possibly they frequent one of the places because she has first hand knowledge of the vacancy? Sort of some new information that could fit into this missing piece. I think Lowe's and the car wash are HUGE. Police have another video, but the fact they are not releasing it. They KNOW who did this. Strictly awaiting DNA. DOES anyone know if either of the jailed brothers worked at Lowe's??

 

[MissAnonymous]

Someone in thread 4 (possibly 3 things are running together at this point) mentioned seeing someone washing only tires late at night at a car wash... I'd be interested to find out if it was they same car wash she was seen at last?