Some points to ponder on this case and others; from my own opinion, some expert advice, and my own professional opinion as well:
It has been my experience that in a case where the person is missing for more than 1 week, assume the worst but never lose hope. The best anyone can do right now is be supportive of this girl's mother and pray they find her body, or her -- if she is alive. I can not fathom, imagine or envision the pain this woman must be feeling at this moment!
As for our area (Auburn/Opelika/Lee County) not being too bad about having things like this happen; not all missing persons are given the same fair treatment as others, which is why anyone would be misled to believe that this sort of thing has never happened in our local community before. It has happened, we just never hear about it in the papers or news. Take for instance, the body discovered on Andrews Road. Still sitting in the filing cabinet at APDID, unsolved!
Where Lori Slesinski's vehicle was discovered burning is located less than 1/2 mile from where business owner, Richard Solomon, 77, was gunned down in his place of business and left for dead. Is there any relation to the two crimes with regards to the 'area' Mr. Solomon was gunned down and Mrs. Slesinki's vehicle was found? Is the perpetrator from that general area?
Sad as it may be, some missing persons cases are not looked at the same way as others; especially when one of them is a young, educated, college graduate who lived alone and drove a brand new, sporty SUV.
A lot of our missing persons' cases are women or men who the system would much rather forget about. This leaves me to question the capabilities of the Auburn Police Department, and I just can't stop visioning Aruban authorities as I get this terrible feeling we are dealing with some inexperienced detectives on this case! Let's hope the ABI and FBI will hold the ball firmly once they pick it up !!
As for crime in this area; this place is overrun with it. With all the growth in Auburn, things have really picked up. Crime has increased, there are several unsolved murders, and fatal car accidents are even on the rise. As of March 31, there had already been 7 deaths by vehicle in our small community. THAT'S 7 LIVES. Unreal! Unbelievable!
While much of the problem with having so many accidents occur can be accredited to I-85, the Atlanta, Montgomery Highway and the speed limit of 70 MPH on that particular stretch of road, the inexperience driving of some of the college kids does not help much! The speed limit is 70 on that road and the road is barely drivable at 55. It is too narrow and bumpy. It is a ticking time-bomb. And since the March 31st reading of the car fatality statistics were put out, SEVERAL more have died on that same highway!
What I am wondering is why the Auburn Police Department can not seem to solve a murder or robbery! And having to call in the FBI and the ABI? My stars! Please don't let me be a victim of ANY crime in Auburn, I would hate for it to go unsolved!
My heart goes out to this girl's mother, I can not imagine the agony and heartache she feels right now! And posting her daughter's private website on here, or her personal comments in the O-A news from her MySpace account, it all just seems so insensitive. Instead of posting that information, why didn't the police post something about WHAT, if anything, they are doing to find this girl's body or whereabouts! Could it be they are too busy TICKET-FIXING???? Hmmmm.
In my professional opinion, and I am not working this case, but I have been watching from the sidelines and doing a little of my own investigating, this girl's killer was a black male, possibly in his early to mid 20s, he is familiar with the Auburn area, and he caught the vehicle on fire to hide evidence. Considering she was wearing casual clothes, nothing too fancy, I would have to say she was not 'out and about on the town,' she was not returning from work, obviously, so she had to have been in a casual element when she was taken or whatever.
I believe it was someone she knew, someone who knew her mother would not miss her for a few days while they galvanted all over the country side in her vehicle, and someone she felt comfortable enough to be around. Possibly, she went to meet someone from the internet and that's what happened.
Yet, even still, I think this person knew or knows his way around the Auburn area, real well !! Who else would know about Dekalb Street and what was at the end of it? It had to be someone from this area. As for the location of her car, it is a predominantly black area with a lot of trailers nearby. So that is where my guess is coming from on the description of the male. Has the police asked local area businesses if they have surveilance cameras on their lot? Can they go back and look at their tapes for that date and see if this vehicle passed any of the cameras around that time of morning? Believe me, in a crime of this nature, they always slip up. Some get caught, others don't. But don't be surprised if this one does.
I can tell you from the destruction of her new vehicle, they were hiding murder evidence and fingerprints. It sounds like a jealousy (of her new vehicle, yes) murder, this person wanted her vehicle for some reason or another, and whoever did this to her has never had one of their own! They saw she was young, lonely, vulnerable and alone. And they seized the opportunity. An opportunity to kill her and take her car.
Remember, you read it here first. The perpetrator had an accomplice; unless they ran off on foot, which I doubt. Not in that particular area.
My prayers to the mother
