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

[borndem]

Greetings all! I'm a newbie who found your forum while searching for info on this horrific case. (I'm a native of WI who returns there often, spends a lot of time driving those roads.)

It occurs to me that Zelich, being a clever guy and all, could have found a myriad of ways to ditch those bodies. IMO he knew that the net was closing in on him and it was time to produce the evidence and take a hit on "hiding a corpse(s)" vs muder(s).

Could it be that he realized he was going into a dark place in 2012 and was, therefore, seeking to be enslaved to prevent himself from committing murder? Or I might just be over-thinking this.

I was thinking the very same thing . . . oh and I'm also quite curious how he moved a body from MN to WI with no one noticing anything. Did he check in w/a large suitcase? Did he leave at any point to buy one? Dunno. Hopefully there is surveillance footage.

Oh and I believe he's going to play the sex gone wrong angle. It's worked before (elsewhere) but he's got TWO deaths under his belt as well as concealment.

That's all for now!

Greetings

and Welcome,

OhThatVictoria!!

We're Glad You're Here!!
​

 

[Rallygrrl]

My opinion is that there are more victims we do not know about. IMO, this whole thing of just hastily dumping suitcases on a random roadside in a community he has no connection to kinda reeks of "getting sloppy". I dunno, but it just does not seem very well planned out. Which, IMO, says he has done other things before, got away with them, and now he just went, "Ahhhh...I can get away with anything". Plus, we all in Milw. know that people can appear perfectly "normal". I have an indirect connection to Jeffery Dahmer. I did not know him personally, but I do know people who did. One friend said he was actually very polite and showed concern for her well-being when she was going to walk home alone one evening from a local tavern. I know! She remembers him as being very kind and concerned and quite a nice guy. I am not a social worker or anything, I am just saying that sociopaths do not come out and say, "I kill people." And I only bring up Dahmer as an example and out of respect for his victims. I was on a tavern pool league with the sister or one of his victims and she was devastated...so I do not want to appear to be insensitive or anything. I am just saying, people who commit these crimes often appear to be very nice...so people around them have no idea. And that is the point. If you appear "normal" no one really suspects you of anything.

 

[Rallygrrl]

The news is NOT reliable. From what I understand, she came to WI in late 2013 (Nov.). The hotel she was last seen at is VERY CLOSE to O'Hare Int'l Airport. You have to pass through Kenosha to get to or from O'Hare. It makes some sense that Kenosha would be a logical stop on the way back up to Milw./West Allis. It is a sort of strange area right on the freeway. Mainly known for truckers and people just "passing through".

 

[Rallygrrl]

Maybe I am not being articulate enough...but I have traveled quite a bit. Sometimes (often) I have booked flights and just drive down to O'Hare to save the hassle of a connecting flight to MKE. It is not that far (60 min drive). So it is possible she arrived at O'Hare from Oregon and was picked up by SZ at O'Hare. There also is both train and bus service from O'Hare to Milwaukee. One of the stops is Kenosha. I take it all the time. If you were on a train or a bus, you do not pay the tolls. Heck, you can get on the bus or train and they do not even ask your name. You just pay and take a seat. So there may be no record of how the victim got to Kenosha, simply because it is pretty easy to jump back and forth between O'Hare/Chicago and Milwaukee and no one would think twice about it. People do it all the time.

 

[Really?]

There is a running joke in Milw, that goes back at least to mid 1980s that is "Never take a ride to Kenosha". We all know that. But someone from out of town may not have known this.

Thanks for the heads up

 

[Cubby]

My big question is why did this psycho leave the suitcases along the road where they would be found? He could have easily thrown them in a dumpster at some point.

Could it have been just a tiny bit of humanity that he wanted them to be identified to have closure for the families?

Laura had to be found in order for SZ to get the MN authorities off his azz. Apparently he believed no one would miss LS like no one came looking for JG. He was wrong. LE wasn't going to leave him alone until they could verify Laura's well being.

 

[Cubby]

The news is NOT reliable. From what I understand, she came to WI in late 2013 (Nov.). The hotel she was last seen at is VERY CLOSE to O'Hare Int'l Airport. You have to pass through Kenosha to get to or from O'Hare. It makes some sense that Kenosha would be a logical stop on the way back up to Milw./West Allis. It is a sort of strange area right on the freeway. Mainly known for truckers and people just "passing through".

Who do you mean by she? What source do you have that involves O'Hare?

 

[Rallygrrl]

My guess is that he was trying to deflect attention. He has no connections to Lake Geneva and it is an entirely different county...so maybe *speculation* he was hoping they would look for someone local to Geneva/Elkhorn and he would be off the hook since he is in West Allis.

 

[Rallygrrl]

Maybe you misread. Or I was not articulate enough to explain myself correctly. I am just saying...you HAVE TO go through Kenosha to get from Chicago to Milwaukee. And it could have possibly also been a train...the connection is Chi/O'Hare. In order to get to Milwaukee from the west coast , whether it be train, plane, or automobile...there are only two ways without ending up in Canada...you go "across" through St. Louis and into Minn., or you come up through IL. There is no other way around it. It is because we are right on the great lakes, so you make one wrong turn and you end up in the water. So, look at any trip-tick or book a flight...somehow, if your destination is Milwaukee, you either end up in Minneapolis or Chicago at some point. I am just saying...it is possible she came through O'Hare.

 

[Rallygrrl]

ALL the train routes to Milwaukee stop at O'Hare. Does not matter if you are coming from New York, San Fransisco, New Orleans, Florida, or The Corn Palace in South Dakota. The Hub is O'Hare. Then you transfer. Often, it is the same way with flights. Unless you can afford a "non-stop" flight...you end up in Chi, Minneapolis, or maybe Memphis...but either way, you have to transfer. And I live right on Lake Michigan (check a map...my back yard is the lake). The planes taxi over the lake to get into MKE/General Mitchell Airport)...most of us Milwaukeeans avoid this because in the 60 minutes or 7 hours it takes for the plane to get an "okay" to land we could have been home by then. And by car? You can come up through Canada/La Cross...but that is a really freaking long drive down. And Kenosha is Past West Allis/Milwaukee...so that makes no sense to me to drive 8-10 hours to go PAST where you live. You can come through St. Louis and Ohio. Also, a long (and extremely boring) drive. But that crosses the Mississippi River...so you would have to be coming from the west...and that also does not make any sense. Coming UP from Chicago...you pass right through Kenosha and that is only a 60 min. drive...so I brought that up simply because it seems to be the most logical explanation.

 

[Rallygrrl]

I made a mistake in my last post and said you have to drive through Ohio. I was typing too fast, I MEANT Iowa. Either way, look at a map. You can only get into Milwaukee through the north, west, or south. We have a giant lake on the east. She ended up last seen in Kenosha. That is south (coming up from IL). I did not mean to bring up anything that would ruffle feathers...I am just saying that as a lifelong Milwaukeean...you come UP through Kenosha if you are at O'Hare.

 

[believe09]

There's something "off' about how this case is being handled, IMO. I get that there's different jurisdictions, but there should have been murder charges against SZ before now. What is going on with this case? Still no murder charges makes me very uneasy. I hope we hear something soon.

I understand your point, but I see it a little differently. Some kind of pressure occurred that caused Zelich to finally dump the victims. Something was going on-for me it is easy to imagine that it was coming from LE. He knew he was the number one suspect, I am certain of it.

jmo.

 

[borndem]

Yes, and I think it stinks. It's murder, just call it murder...LOL

rough sex... funny how only women seem to die from it.

"On Valentine's Day, Robert Chambers walked out of a prison in upstate New York as a free man, but one still pursued by his own infamy.

In an exclusive interview with 48 Hours Investigates correspondent Troy Roberts, Chambers apologized for the way he lived his life and took Jennifer Levin's."

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/chambers-speaks/

bbm
Yes, Haunts, that's exactly what it is. M-u-r-d-e-r. Rough sex is the prelude to it in many cases. How long can you be strangled without passing out? How long can you be strangled without dying? I don't know, let's find out. Hurt me, daddy, take me to the edge.

Shades of a similar case we just finished, right? Children, don't play with matches. Adults, don't play with rope around someone's neck. Erotic asphyxia.

I mean, really -- when you're in the throes of sexual pleasure -- that "special moment" -- anything can happen. And it does. We've seen it. No excuses. Period. It's dangerous and it can get someone killed... Murdered. Grrrrrr.

 

[Cubby]

Maybe you misread. Or I was not articulate enough to explain myself correctly. I am just saying...you HAVE TO go through Kenosha to get from Chicago to Milwaukee. And it could have possibly also been a train...the connection is Chi/O'Hare. In order to get to Milwaukee from the west coast , whether it be train, plane, or automobile...there are only two ways without ending up in Canada...you go "across" through St. Louis and into Minn., or you come up through IL. There is no other way around it. It is because we are right on the great lakes, so you make one wrong turn and you end up in the water. So, look at any trip-tick or book a flight...somehow, if your destination is Milwaukee, you either end up in Minneapolis or Chicago at some point. I am just saying...it is possible she came through O'Hare.

Of course it is possible she came through O'hare. Your post said the news was wrong and she (still unsure which she you mean) was last seen at a motel very near O'hare.
I'm in the Chicago area and quite familiar with travel routes. I was asking for your source to the statements about O'hare and the motel very near O'hare.

 

[tatertot]

Also, I just don't think the consensual sex gone wrong defense is going to fly, someone here stated something along these lines earlier as well....if they were "doing their thing" and (take Laura) she stopped breathing, wouldn't a sane person's very first reaction be to remove the ball gag and collar, see if that helped...??? Even, if he was too scared to call 9-1-1, he didn't try to do anything, she was found with that collar and ball gag still on. ....ugh, so sad.

That was me who wrote that first, and you pointed out something even more telling: he did utterly nothing to help her, and she wasn't the first who died this way at his hands.

As a former cop, he was trained in rescue breathing and CPR. Unless there were other injuries found in his first victim's autopsy that weren't released, it's likely (IMHO) she was asphyxiated. Had this been accidental, he should have called 911, initiated CPR and cut the ropes that held her hands behind her, because removing those would have let him move her to a better supine position for CPR.

Doing NONE of this, as KDub said, a year later he walked out past the freezer/fridge holding her remains on his way to meet another woman for the same type of sex that had killed the first. That proves to me he hasn't one iota of remorse.

*****

I hope he still had the dog cage when LE raided his apartment. If he kept a woman there for any length of time I bet they could find strands of her hair caught between the metal bars. Were dogs even allowed at his place at the time? If not a single canine hair is found in the cage then it would be even more concerning.

You have to wonder what he planned to do with the suitcases if he was really planning to become somebody else's "permanent" slave.

Has it ever been said where Laura's family found the photo of her looking very unhappy wearing a collar? Does the background in the photo (it's just a white wall and ceiling and some type of object, maybe a wooden post) match the motel room where she met Zelich? I imagine she could have sent him the photo herself before they met, but if he took it and it doesn't match the motel room decor then that casts doubt on his claim he killed her there on their first meeting.

For those in this thread more familiar with the BDSM lifestyle, as I'm more familiar with the fictional/literary aspects of it, isn't sharing the experience with the submissive partner/slave a common element? Posting stories of the slave's training, ways he/she was punished, even photos? Hopefully LE is searching his computer as we speak.

 

[Cubby]

I made a mistake in my last post and said you have to drive through Ohio. I was typing too fast, I MEANT Iowa. Either way, look at a map. You can only get into Milwaukee through the north, west, or south. We have a giant lake on the east. She ended up last seen in Kenosha. That is south (coming up from IL). I did not mean to bring up anything that would ruffle feathers...I am just saying that as a lifelong Milwaukeean...you come UP through Kenosha if you are at O'Hare.

I have not read anything indicating either victim was seen in Kenosha. Just that SZ told police he met JG in Kenosha. SZ's statement has not been verified.
I'm not buying any of what SZ said until LE confirms they can confirm his story.

 

[borndem]

I can finally reply now that they got me setup here! Hi, I am the newbie! I've been following this case and every thread closely for almost a week now! I work VERY close to where the bodies of Laura and Jamie were found. Just disturbing.

My questions are this...at some point wasn't there talk of SZ having a woman/women caged in his basement? How would that be possible living in an apartment complex? Also with the sexual acts he likes to perform you mean to tell me no neighbors ever heard anything going on?! Cmon I've been in many West Allis apts the walls are paper thin. And lastly I remember seeing that one neighbor said she sees him leave but never saw him with a vehicle she didn't think he even owned a car....if he was toting these bodies around like he claimed he was I find it very odd that no one saw him. Anyone else thinking that maybe he has property somewhere else?

:welcome5:

snoopysleuth!!!!

:websleuther:
We're glad to have you here!!!

:rollercoaster:​

 

[snoopysleuth18]

I guess regardless of what media is telling us, I am having a hard time believing he only had Laura for a short period of time. I truley believe he kept her for far longer than is believed. JMO. His sadistic lifestyle and BDSM likings leads me to think he would want her around to "enjoy" her longer than what the timeline in the media is showing. And as others had posted...SZ not kowing when Jenny was killed doesn't seem right. Not even knowing what year...give me a dang break. He knows dang well when she died! I don't mean to be gross but if I can remember when my last freakin period was I am sure he can remember when he took an innocent womans life! SZ obviously wanted these women to be found or he wasn't a very smart cop (he shouldnt even have ever had that title) anyone in LE knows better ways of disposing of a body. Let's face it Lake Geneva is right there which has a depth of up to 144ft in some areas which caverns and some strong currents. If he wanted them to "not be found" he could have made that happen.

 

[MN Sleuth]

I understand your point, but I see it a little differently. Some kind of pressure occurred that caused Zelich to finally dump the victims. Something was going on-for me it is easy to imagine that it was coming from LE. He knew he was the number one suspect, I am certain of it.

jmo.

He did know. After he was visited by LE, the family was told they didn't find a "smoking gun" of any kind, but he was the #1 suspect because of how he answered questions and just the vibe they got from him.

I'm not sure what spooked him to finally do what he did, but on the one hand I am glad he did to give some closure, on the other hand the family is having a very hard time with a lot of this. Especially the details and specifics.

As others have mentioned, the family was told that since Laura hadn't been found yet, it was basically stalled as a missing person case. For a time leading up to the point when the missing person report was filed, there were times where no one would hear from Laura for a few days or possibly a week and then she would stop by her Mom's or contact her sister, etc. She would say she had been staying with a friend, phone got shut off, didn't have gas money to get there, etc. But eventually she would always turn up.

After they filed the report they had some leads. Eventually she was spotted in Rochester by someone after they saw the missing person notice. They eventually got his name and info. Eventually they had the video of him leaving the hotel. But since there was nothing concrete they really couldn't charge him with anything. I assume they didn't want to charge him with something that wouldn't stick and then have him walk away and make sure she wasn't found.

Also, as to the "mental illness" stuff, escort posts, etc that is out there about Laura, a lot of it is not accurate and way off the mark. The family that has spoken to the media has been misquoted several times and some of those have been corrected and others have not. Like all media their job is to get readers so they take what you tell them, find a different way of saying it that sounds more exciting and then go with it.

I would like to thank the people posting here as it's been a nice source of all the information that is out there in one location. I would also like to thank JSR for jumping in here to give some background into SZ. I can't imagine actually knowing this guy that intimately. AstroKitty has been an immense help and a great resource to Laura's sister.

A little background about me. I am Laura's ex-brother in law. I was married to Laura's sister for 20+ years and we still talk often. This was a long time coming, and there is a lot of background info leading up to this point that hopefully will eventually get out. I am not going to say anything that really hasn't been said in the MSM, but I will try to refute or clear up anything that has been said if I can.

I'm not aware of any actual mistakes made by LE up to this point, but the case didn't have any legs for a while. It took some prodding from "people who know people" to get the case some traction with different agencies once it stalled as a MP case. But once it did get traction it moved fairly quickly.

I am waiting to get the phone call to be set as a VI for this case, but so far I haven't gotten one. The only reason I am posting is to try and clear up the inaccuracies of what is out there, not to give my ideas of what happened or any other reason.

 

[Rallygrrl]

Yes. That is what I am saying...he met the woman in Kenosha. Right near O'Hare. I have no proof of anything. I am just saying, you come in from IL you end up driving through Kenosha. It makes sense if you are traveling from Oregon and are on your way to Milw., you stop at chi. and you pass through Kenosha. I am not saying anything except his admission of meeting her in Kenosha is a logical place. I am from here...please look at a map. I just have a theory, not facts...but I am pretty sure I am right about how they met in Kenosha.