From the
June 12, 1992 Springfield News-Leader:
"Roff's son, Dan Roff, who sold the 1717 E. Delmar St. house to Levitt..."
There is an interesting anomaly in the Greene County Recorder's records regarding this sale. Document 041788-92 is a Warranty Deed with Danny L. Roff as the Grantor (Seller) and Sherrill Levitt as the Grantee (Buyer). The document date is listed as
03/02/1992 but it was not filed with the Recorder until
11/13/1992, more than 8mos later and after Sherill's disappearance. That's an extremely tardy filing. What's also curious is Document 042674-92, which is a Release Deed with Boatman's Bank as the Grantor and Danny L. Roff as the Grantee,. That document is dated
11/18/1992 and was (very promptly) filed on
11/19/1992. A release from a Lienholder (such as the Bank) is normally granted once a Deed of Trust (i.e. a Mortgage) is paid in full. That should have happened at the closing with Sherrill, the previous March. Why was this held up for roughly 8mos, and why was everything on both sides of the transaction filed within a few days of each other? Was this a very inept job by the Title Company or was there a problem with the funds between Sherrill and Roff such that a Release wasn't granted promptly? If you look at the Docket Entries for case # 31292-00411 I think you'll find evidence to support the latter:
- 10/07/1992 REPORT OF SALE OF REAL ESTATE FLD &DUE 10-20-92
- 10/20/1992 ORDER APPROVING REPORT OF SALE OF REAL ESTATE
- 10/21/1992 CLAIM OF BOATMEN'S BANK OF SO MO $4,729.16 + INT
- 11/02/1992 SATISFACTION OF CLAIM FILED - BOATMEN'S
Basically, whatever proceeds Levitt paid Roff weren't enough to cover the balance of the mortgage, and only after Sherrill disappeared and her home was essentially auctioned off was Boatman's made whole and Roff able to obtain his lien release. That also means Sherill never owned the home, "free & clear of any encumbrances," as is normally represented by a Seller/Grantor. That could be considered fraudulent misrepresentation.
Wonder if any of this becomes some kind of motive?