WV WV - Leah Hickman, 21, Huntington, 14 Dec 2007 - #1

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As far as the cell phone goes, if Jessica's exBF IS the killer, he could have kept the phone so he would have Jessica's number and maybe even her new boyfriend's number. Just a guess. It obviously wasn't taken so someone could use it or they would have records for those calls.

I'm still a little stumped why the dogs didn't find her. I realize they were tracking dogs, not cadaver dogs, and a live scent would be different than a dead scent. But I think that it's telling that even a tracking dog did NOT track Leah's scent to the basement/laundry room. I'm thinking that could very well mean she was killed in the apartment (strangled?) and then carried to the crawl space, rather than surprized in the basement by her killer.

I really don't feel that Jessica had anything to do with this, but that's just my gut feeling.

How very tragic for this family, they will remember this every Christmas for the rest of their lives. It's so sad.
 
It seems like a little more info has been brought forth by our new posters. Thank you so much as we were completely in the dark as to who was who outside of the family. The crawl space info was interesting because if it was accurate it would be very difficult to lift someone into it vs. dragging a body to it.
 
I don't know how tracking dogs 'work.' My mental picture is that they pick up a scent, follow it, and maybe bark when they reach the person with whom the scent is associated? Or flounder when the trail ends?

Do they use tracking dogs inside a missing person's residence? Or would there be too much of the person's scent present to really follow a particular trail?

I'm wondering if the dogs were not used inside, because you wouldn't track a person in their own home.
 
Margaret, please don't take offense to this, but where did you get this new information?

I just think its important that we take any information that could be classified as gossip with a grain of salt.
 
The info I posted about her being fully dressed was taken from someone I know (not a friend-work related) that has been in the county jail for the past 6 days or so. He said that the police are very hypersensitve right now and it was crazy down there. I wouldn't bet my life on the info but he appeared to have heard some things while down there. Just grasping at straws here...any info seems better than none...kinda makes you wonder about the info out there. I know we all hate waiting. I hope that it is a total stranger. I know people hurt the ones they know/love everyday. I just hope that here in WV we would see less of that...it hasn't been working that way though. This place is getting scary. When I first left for college, I moved to Gainesville, FL. My first semester the Gainesville murders took place. Scared me to death. Then I transfered to Boston...another scary place. Huntington was so "protected" then. Now, we are becoming like other cities...makes me so sad.

You guys are a great bunch. You are very caring and sensitive. I am happy to be here with you guys!!!
 
MountainMama said:
Margaret, please don't take offense to this, but where did you get this new information?

I just think its important that we take any information that could be classified as gossip with a grain of salt.
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No offense taken. I would be asking the same questions as you, I just happen to be in a different situation knowing the people involved. This info came from Jessica to me through our mutual friend. I do not believe it to be misinformation to mislead anyone, but take it as you will. No persons have been ruled out at this point including Jessica and her new BF.
 
MountainMama said:
TwistedLPN, you say the area is very dangerous? Can you explain that further?
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I'm actually from Ashland, KY. I have just started working there and was just quoting some of the staff that mentioned it to us during orientation. They say alot of crimes have happened around the area lately, the maintenance supervisor said that someone was stabbed and killed last week in the alley.

I'm not sure with it being in Huntington if there is just gossip flying around or what.

I have heard she was stabbed in the back, that they interviewed a person of interest that was close to her for 6 hrs (HPD that is).Like I said, these are all just hearsay, but its definately what's going around in my neck of the woods. :confused:
 
I appreciate hearing what's going around town. I think most of us know to take it with a grain of salt too. I'm sure LE knows a lot more than we do. I hope so anyway!

Thanks for all the info, everyone.

Happy New Year. Prayers for Leah's family and friends because this has to be the worst way to start a new year. :(
 
Truthful Lies said:
Hi Twisted, Do you guys get a lot of family visitors there? I know this crime doesn't seem to be random, but I figured we should look into anything we could. Can you see the apartments from your work (can you see the area where tenets would walk in/out)? Could anyone have possibly been watching Leah from there? Weird to say, but any employees make a habit of smoking/watching that way?
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Hi. Yes there are several family members throughout the day. To tell you the truth I've been meaning to go see where the apt. building is, but haven't gotten around to it. I'm not real familiar with the area. :doh: Sorry I can't offer more about that, I will definately go by there Wed. after work and see what the view is from the smoking area though.
 
twistedLPN said:
I'm actually from Ashland, KY. I have just started working there and was just quoting some of the staff that mentioned it to us during orientation. They say alot of crimes have happened around the area lately, the maintenance supervisor said that someone was stabbed and killed last week in the alley.

I'm not sure with it being in Huntington if there is just gossip flying around or what.

I have heard she was stabbed in the back, that they interviewed a person of interest that was close to her for 6 hrs (HPD that is).Like I said, these are all just hearsay, but its definately what's going around in my neck of the woods. :confused:
Click to expand...

O/T but howdy neighbor .. I'm only about 90 miles south of you :)
 
Just went back and read the original thread on this case . . . this group has already covered things that are just now crossing my mind.

One thing I wondered . . .

This summary was posted on 12-19 (thank you, BeyondBelief)

On Greta right now..............
no signs of forced entry, nothing in disarray.
works 25 hrs week, goes to school
5"45 conversation with friend from drive thru
she made it home
laundry facilties in basement.
4 apts two vacant.
neighbor was out of town so building empty
cell phone is gone, purse, car keys still in apt
cell phone records have been received, ping done, no activity
last call was 5'45 call, no ping after that
all credit cards there
laptop did cursory seach done on laptop, nothing there
sister Jessica last saw leah at 4 oclock, thenwent backt to work, discussed grades, discussed plans for next year.
Jessica went to boyfriends for weekend. attempted to check on leah on sat at apt.abt 4. mother had tried calling leah since fri 9 pm.
Apt when locked, bathroom light on. Leah had taken a shower.
Off friday evening, no discussion of doing laundry or going to mcdonalds.
end

Made me wonder what led to conclusion that Leah had taken a shower, and if that was based on condition of bathroom, if someone else might have used the shower?

The other thing that crossed my mind is that I coordinate laundry and shower, as there is only so much hot water at my house . . .

I keep hoping that the evidence collected from the scene will bring this case to a conclusion, that it is just the delay in getting results back. But the things I read about LE casting a wide net make me wonder. I really hope that they are near a solution.
 
"Apt when locked"...wondering what that means. Also "no discussion of laundry or going to McD."

We never discussed shower. I totally missed that statement.
 
I've got a few questions that I've been too shy to post until now. Maybe some of you have answers. :waitasec:
  1. If Leah had so many messages that her phone was filled up by 6:00 p.m. on 12/14, why was it 4:00 p.m. on 12/15 before anyone went to her apartment to try to find her?
  2. Did anybody else notice in the Greta interview (when Leah was still missing) the sister switching between past and present tense when talking about her? That's what made me think she might have known what happened to her (not necessarily that she was the perpetrator, but that she KNEW she wasn't just "missing").
Okay, this is obviously all theory and conjecture, but that's all we've got for now I guess! Happy New Year to everyone and my prayers are still with Leah's friends and family.
 
Hi, Jessica,
I have wondered if there could be more than one 'mind' going into the information that we are getting. You touch on that with your post. I can't suggest any one person, but just the idea that we might not be dealing with one thought process. Could one person have caused her death, and another, with or without knowledge of the circumstances of the death, concealed her body?

That example seems a little extreme. I'm trying to ask if we are being confounded by looking for one sort of 'linear' thought process, when there might be more than one intersecting process.
 
I am a little confused. WV mom could you clarify that a little. Sorry. Thanks.
 
Say, for example, husband & wife fight & he takes off in a fury. She goes out and finds someone run over in the road. She panics, thinking that he has done this. She attempts to conceal the body to protect hubby. Hubby knows nothing about the situation.

In my fictitious example, you have one person who caused the death of another. You have a different person hiding the body. There is no coordination between them. If you tried to figure it out, you would be trying to match up a death that might have been accidental with a deliberate concealment of the body. The timing, motives, and all that would actually be those of two different people. If you tried to assign the whole event to one person, the actions might seem really inconsistent.

I can't think of a way to parallel that in this case. I am just wondering if we are trying too hard to tie the entire situation to a single person's thought processes. Jessica_fletcher_wv's remark that (not necessarily that she was the perpetrator, but that she KNEW she wasn't just "missing") made me think, what if someone had done something and someone else suspected, but had not committed, the act? Two different sets of actions, harder to interpret.

Sorry, I guess I'm rambling.
 
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