WI WI - LAKE GENEVA SUITCASE MURDERS, Laura Simonson & Jenny Gamez - #1

[cheko1]

So, any updates on Jenny Gamez?

None that I have seen!

 

[OkieGranny]

Please know I wasn't being critical of you.....I honestly mean that.

Anything I post is just my opinion. If my post offended you I am sorry. It wasn't meant too.

If we had insert foot into mouth icon I'd use it now.

We do! We do! :footinmouth:

We are compassionate people. That's why we're here. We are horrified and many of us are feeling very emotional about what we've learned over the past few days, myself included, but I don't think any of us harbor any ill will toward JSR.

I am just so very thankful that she was not another of Zelich's victims.

 

[jns207]

This is addressed to no one in particular, but please let's not pile on Just Simply Red.

Having someone here on the forum who can offer personal insight into the personality and behavior of a perp — especially a serial killer, as I believe Zelich to be — is a rare and valuable circumstance. Please don't run her off.

For Just Simply Red's sake, I felt thanking this post was just not enough. The insight she can provide is invaluable for this online community - and not just for this case!

Just Simply Red - please, do not feel that your insights are unappreciated. I assure you that there are many in addition to Okie and I who would appreciate your continued contribution in the discussion.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Just_Simply_Red]

The thing is, I've been taking a lot of crap from people who blame me for what he did. I was the only person to step up and say something to the media about all of this. Not only the media though. I've contacted the police yesterday but nobody will call me back.
I want to help in anyway that I can. I know more than what I've told the press. But because the press likes to misconstrue things, I've not mentioned them to the reporters.
Thank you all for your support and well wishes. I'm very grateful. This story has consumed my life. All of this is very hard on me and I've had a lot of guilt and I keep going over the relationship in my head wondering what red flags and signs I missed. I feel for the victims and their families.

 

[AstroKitty]

JSR, Thank you for being here. As far as press is concerned, there are a few good apples out there I hope those are the ones who've contacted you.

 

[ClaireNC]

The thing is, I've been taking a lot of crap from people who blame me for what he did. I was the only person to step up and say something to the media about all of this. Not only the media though. I've contacted the police yesterday but nobody will call me back.
I want to help in anyway that I can. I know more than what I've told the press. But because the press likes to misconstrue things, I've not mentioned them to the reporters.
Thank you all for your support and well wishes. I'm very grateful. This story has consumed my life. All of this is very hard on me and I've had a lot of guilt and I keep going over the relationship in my head wondering what red flags and signs I missed. I feel for the victims and their families.

Welcome Just Simply Red! Thank you for coming forward and speaking out about your relationship and what you know. Your insights are definitely very much appreciated here and the police should be interested in what you have to say. If the police won't call you back, maybe try putting a call into the District Attorney or the local FBI. You very well could have very important information that could lead to other victims but you don't even know it.

Hang in there, girl! And don't take the crap personally. There are some of us that support you very much. You are doing a brave thing.

 

[cheko1]

We do! We do! :footinmouth:

We are compassionate people. That's why we're here. We are horrified and many of us are feeling very emotional about what we've learned over the past few days, myself included, but I don't think any of us harbor any ill will toward JSR.

I am just so very thankful that she was not another of Zelich's victims.

Wow I never seen that one!!!! LOL All of my smiles just don't come up.

I am very thankful JSR got away from him. That isn't always as easy as it sounds to do!

 

[cheko1]

The thing is, I've been taking a lot of crap from people who blame me for what he did. I was the only person to step up and say something to the media about all of this. Not only the media though. I've contacted the police yesterday but nobody will call me back.
I want to help in anyway that I can. I know more than what I've told the press. But because the press likes to misconstrue things, I've not mentioned them to the reporters.
Thank you all for your support and well wishes. I'm very grateful. This story has consumed my life. All of this is very hard on me and I've had a lot of guilt and I keep going over the relationship in my head wondering what red flags and signs I missed. I feel for the victims and their families.

Maybe you should call the Attorney Generals Office in Wisconsin or Congress mans office. Let them know you have contacted the police to no avail & nobody has called you back. That is totally ridiculous.

 

[Migmuu]

The thing is, I've been taking a lot of crap from people who blame me for what he did. I was the only person to step up and say something to the media about all of this. Not only the media though. I've contacted the police yesterday but nobody will call me back.
I want to help in anyway that I can. I know more than what I've told the press. But because the press likes to misconstrue things, I've not mentioned them to the reporters.
Thank you all for your support and well wishes. I'm very grateful. This story has consumed my life. All of this is very hard on me and I've had a lot of guilt and I keep going over the relationship in my head wondering what red flags and signs I missed. I feel for the victims and their families.

I know this isn't much coming from a stranger on the internet, but please don't blame yourself. This is not your fault.

You sound like a very nice person who would've told someone if you did find out what he was up to, or if you actually saw a woman captive.
In my opinion, what he told you probably wasn't even true. It sounds like he'd read it somewhere and it was his new fantasy, and he told you to try to see if you were turned on by it like he was and interested in that scenario.

Psychopaths are a scary bunch. They'll keep that mask of normality around friends, family and coworkers (like he did with you), then slip it off and do something horrific, then put that mask on again. They're great liars, con artists and actors.
You were duped. Most people don't realize the psychopath is a psychopath until after they've been conned, beaten, raped, or worse. Luckily, you and your kids were able to get away before any of that happened, and that's all that matters.

You may be feeling survivor's guilt over this, like ''Why did he do that to those two, but not to me?'' Or just blaming yourself for not recognizing any signs, because ''maybe I could have kept this from happening if I noticed sooner''. That's expected; you're trying to make sense of what happened and victims/survivors often deal with feelings of guilt. But I want you to know that this isn't your fault, and that all of us are so happy and relieved to know that you and your kids are okay.

The only person who's at fault is the one who decided to trick 2+ women into meeting him, brutalize them, murder them, and then dispose of their bodies like trash. That wasn't you.

 

[Ruby]

If someone has a personal life that they want kept to themselves, they will do so.

Ted Bundy had a girlfriend, also didn't the BTK killer have a family and a well respected position - and no one knew their true side until they were caught.

Neighbors time and time again will say - I'm shocked they kept to themselves, or they were so quiet, you never really hear someone saying - Oh yeah, they seemed like a serial killer but just thought it was a phase........

:twocents:, my opinion, and all that jazz :moo:

 

[Just_Simply_Red]

Thanks for joining the conversation and sharing your story. I'm really glad you and your children were never hurt. What about him made you move out in secret and avoid all contact from him? The story he told and the stuff in the basement? Was it a feeling that something was really wrong? Did you believe his story and feel it was consensual? How was your relationship when dating, before just friends?

I know this must be really difficult to learn what's happened and how close you were in the past. And probably difficult to share.

There were a number of things that made me want to go. I first started looking for a place because the duplex we were in just wasn't big enough. The room I had was 5' by 5'. Very tiny. I had mentioned to him about moving and he put me on a guilt trip about leaving him with all of the bills. So I dropped it with him. I eventually found an apartment that was big enough and closer to my work at the time. When I got paid, I put down a deposit for it. During the time I was waiting to get paid, he was telling me about the girl who he was with. The caged girl. That was the icing on the cake for me and I got the UHaul when he went to work one day and just left. He called me twice that night and then he never contacted me again. He is a former officer. You know he has connections to find out where a person is living. He knew where I worked. If he wanted me, he would have found me. That is why the girl in the cage story didn't make me want to fun to the cops about it. I did believe his story. People have their own kinks. That isn't mine. Maybe it was hers. Maybe she was completely fictional. I don't know the reason why he told me this.

 

[colette]

If LE won't talk to Just Simply Red now, after they know about Zelich... you know they would ignore her talking about the 'her ex-boyfriend saying he kept a woman in a cage' earlier.

 

[necco]

The thing is, I've been taking a lot of crap from people who blame me for what he did. I was the only person to step up and say something to the media about all of this. Not only the media though. I've contacted the police yesterday but nobody will call me back.
I want to help in anyway that I can. I know more than what I've told the press. But because the press likes to misconstrue things, I've not mentioned them to the reporters.
Thank you all for your support and well wishes. I'm very grateful. This story has consumed my life. All of this is very hard on me and I've had a lot of guilt and I keep going over the relationship in my head wondering what red flags and signs I missed. I feel for the victims and their families.

Just_Simply_Red,
You may want to speak with a counselor as well. Survivor's guilt is an insidious phenomenon and it's better to get ahead of it. If finances are an issue, try calling RAINN. I know you haven't said you were sexually abused by this man, but I'm not sure there's a "My Ex Is A Psychokiller" support group, so I think RAINN may be your best option. Their number is 1.800.656.HOPE. None of this is your fault, and I'm sure your brain knows that, but sometimes guilt hits anyway. Or anxiety. Or whatever.

 

[bessie]

MOD NOTE: There are NO verified insiders in this case.

:tyou:

 

[cheko1]

If LE won't talk to Just Simply Red now, after they know about Zelich... you know they would ignore her talking about the 'her ex-boyfriend saying he kept a woman in a cage' earlier.

I think she should go over LE's head.....contact the Attorney Generals office in Wis.....LE is NOT doing there job.

 

[DeeAnn]

There were a number of things that made me want to go. I first started looking for a place because the duplex we were in just wasn't big enough. The room I had was 5' by 5'. Very tiny. I had mentioned to him about moving and he put me on a guilt trip about leaving him with all of the bills. So I dropped it with him. I eventually found an apartment that was big enough and closer to my work at the time. When I got paid, I put down a deposit for it. During the time I was waiting to get paid, he was telling me about the girl who he was with. The caged girl. That was the icing on the cake for me and I got the UHaul when he went to work one day and just left. He called me twice that night and then he never contacted me again. He is a former officer. You know he has connections to find out where a person is living. He knew where I worked. If he wanted me, he would have found me. That is why the girl in the cage story didn't make me want to fun to the cops about it. I did believe his story. People have their own kinks. That isn't mine. Maybe it was hers. Maybe she was completely fictional. I don't know the reason why he told me this.

Thanks for sharing. It was a long time ago and perhaps it's more recent that he's actually killed. Let's hope it's only these two. We don't really know what makes people snap and take things so far.

 

[Just_Simply_Red]

MOD NOTE: There are NO verified insiders in this case.

:tyou:

I sent you an email to get verified. My number is in the email.

 

[Migmuu]

This might not be needed, but I want to say that Steven Zelich does not represent the BDSM community.

The vast, vast majority of us who are into BDSM are perfectly normal people who would never do something to hurt someone else. Hell, the golden rule of BDSM is basically ''Keep things safe, sane and consensual'' - which is exactly the opposite of what Zelich was doing - and trust is supposed to be inviolable. Believe me, we're just as horrified and disgusted as you are.

Hundreds of millions of people all over the world participate in - or have at least experimented with - BDSM. In fact, one study showed that 20% of people have used a blindfold, handcuff or some other bondage tool. Another shows that mental illness is no more prevalent in the BDSM community than it is in the general population.

Also, most people aren't into the whole 24/7 slave lifestyle thing. It's a small minority, and the people who do it do so with their consent and can call it off at any time. You still have the safe-words and both people are to follow them just like they would in a non-'lifestyle' relationship. So, even among that small minority, people like Zelich are very rare.

Just like you can't judge all goths just because one goth kid shot up a school, you can't judge the BDSM community just because of cases like this. Zelich was a psychopath, rapist and the definition of the term ''sexual sadist''. His problems were not caused by BDSM.

I just wanted to put that out there because, for people who are unfamiliar with BDSM, stories like this are often their first 'introduction' to it and it sounds really scary. But it isn't this shady, underground community of killers and sexual predators like the media sometimes makes it sound.

 

[MsAnais]

Just_Simply_Red,
You may want to speak with a counselor as well. Survivor's guilt is an insidious phenomenon and it's better to get ahead of it. If finances are an issue, try calling RAINN. I know you haven't said you were sexually abused by this man, but I'm not sure there's a "My Ex Is A Psychokiller" support group, so I think RAINN may be your best option. Their number is 1.800.656.HOPE. None of this is your fault, and I'm sure your brain knows that, but sometimes guilt hits anyway. Or anxiety. Or whatever.

Necco, I'm so glad you posted that info! :seeya:

I'm in Australia and don't know what services are available in the US, but I was thinking exactly the same thing.

This is not an 'everyday' occurance that a person can just deal with on their own.

I'd imagine the shock, grief and guilt would be overwhelming for you Just_Simply_Red!:facepalm:

I am sending you much, much love at this difficult time - as I'm sure most of us are here.

And as others have said, none of this is your fault in any way. Please seek out some professional emotional support if you can - you really don't need to go through this on your own.:loveyou:

 

[carbuff]

This might not be needed, but I want to say that Steven Zelich does not represent the BDSM community.

The vast, vast majority of us who are into BDSM are perfectly normal people who would never do something to hurt someone else. Hell, the golden rule of BDSM is basically ''Keep things safe, sane and consensual'' - which is exactly the opposite of what Zelich was doing - and trust is supposed to be inviolable. Believe me, we're just as horrified and disgusted as you are.

Hundreds of millions of people all over the world participate in - or have at least experimented with - BDSM. In fact, one study showed that 20% of people have used a blindfold, handcuff or some other bondage tool. Another shows that mental illness is no more prevalent in the BDSM community than it is in the general population.

Also, most people aren't into the whole 24/7 slave lifestyle thing. It's a small minority, and the people who do it do so with their consent and can call it off at any time. You still have the safe-words and both people are to follow them just like they would in a non-'lifestyle' relationship. So, even among that small minority, people like Zelich are very rare.

Just like you can't judge all goths just because one goth kid shot up a school, you can't judge the BDSM community just because of cases like this. Zelich was a psychopath, rapist and the definition of the term ''sexual sadist''. His problems were not caused by BDSM.

I just wanted to put that out there because, for people who are unfamiliar with BDSM, stories like this are often their first 'introduction' to it and it sounds really scary. But it isn't this shady, underground community of killers and sexual predators like the media sometimes makes it sound.

Thank you for posting this. I had been trying to say something along the same lines, but you said it much better than I could.