CA CA - Barbara Rogers, 60, Lakewood, 16 Aug 2005

[DreamyEye]

This article tells that the body in the river bed has been ID'd as Barbara:

http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-11028114.html

 

[DreamyEye]

An LA Co Coronor's blurb asking for help to ID the victim of dismemberment, partially found at Pico Rivera, and partially in LA. They cite the victim as female between 25-45 years of age. To me, this is close enough to the same ballpark as Barbara's age, and indicates there's at least a possibility that the two cases are connected.

I will say, though, in combing through a lot of old newspaper stories, it seems that this riverbed area is a magnet for people who want to dump bodies. In the 2000's, it seems quite a few bodies were found in that area ... though not all were beautiful women.

Rob1977, I do you know approximately how much distance lies between Barbara's home and the riverbed where she was found? I'm trying to figure out how unlikely it is that she'd end up in the riverbed area.

http://coroner.co.la.ca.us/htm/uipdetail.cfm?proc_flg=L&unid_case_num=2005-07472

 

[DreamyEye]

This is similar to the link upthread that indicates a reward fund was started, but this version seems to have been orgininally published in 2005 and then reprinted in 2010 ... If I understand it correctly. It seems, then, this could be a cold case that LE revisits from time to time? And that can only be good news.

http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publishe...picId=100020825&docId=l:1255005458&isRss=true

This version tells how Barbara's home was checked in mid August. Her cars were in the garage, her keys, wallet, Id were found in the home. The ceiling fan was running, the TV was on, and a screen in the back of the house had been popped out. This is similar to what I've read elsewhere, but with a little more detail--and it suggests to me that Barbara was surprised by an intruder/s lurking in her home and forced to go with him/them. Had she left voluntarily, I don't think she would have left her wallet, keys, ID ... if it was warm enough to be running the ceiling fan (mid August in CA, probably hot), I don't think she'd leave the TV running.

It doesn't say that the house was ransacked or that the wallet had been rifled. It doesn't indicate that big items were missing. The first LE on the scene could probably not tell on first glance whether anything was missing--that would have to involve someone who knew her coming into the home to attempt an inventory.

If the abductor was a friend or lover, they probably would have knocked and been let in by Barbara, with the trouble starting after entry. Unless this was a former friend or lover, or possibly a stalker--someone she distrusted or had fallen out with and would not voluntarily let in.

It's possible that robbery was the motive, it's possible that money was taken from her wallet and the articles are just not saying so--but these don't seem likely scenarios to me. I'm thinking--

1) A stalker or angry former boyfriend.

2) A wrongdoer who'd been found out by Barbara who was concerned she would report the crime ... something like embezzlement, fraud ... a seemingly respectable person whom she caught out.

3) A psychopath who happened to be skulking through backyards trying windows and Barbara's just happened to be the one in which he could poke out a screen, and thus she became the chosen victim.

If the killer is someone she caught out, then I'd expect that sooner or later the wrongdoer would have been found out. Someone doing a crime like embezzlement or fraud isn't going to go on getting away with it for 5 years ... sooner or later victims are going to come foreward.

If it was a psychopath who took advantage of an opportunity in finding he could get through her window, then there would be other vicitms. It seems to me in the articles I've read so far, this Pico Riveria area seems to be a bit "high crime," but some of the crimes mentioned have related to gang activity and drug trafficking. It doesn't seem like anything like that would lead to Barbara.

Right now I'm learning toward a stalker/disgruntled boyfriend.

Will try to search some more tomorrow. 'Nite all.

 

[danamc]

Here is the thing that bothers me. Why was she dismembered? If it was just something random like a break in or robbery or whatever, why take the time or put the effort into dismemberment?

I am thinking it was someone she knew. I am with you dreamyeye!!

 

[Rob1977]

This link goes to a kind of "crime clearinghouse" that describes Barbara's case with some slight differences. The chief one: it cites her cause of death as unknown and doesn't specifically say she was murdered.

http://www.lbth.org/ncma/gallery/ncmaprofile_all.php?A200503320S

ETA: Have just started googling and am curious about the territory. Since the above link suggests that cause of death is unknown, I want to ask Rob1977 whether it's possible Barbara visited this river area by herself, fell in, and drowned. I think a drowning could have been detected at autopsy and would have been reported in the media ... but in the interest of covering all bases, I'm just wondering if this "basin" could have been the site of a drowning? TIA

Dreamy, Pico Rivera is about 13 mi. http://classic.mapquest.com/maps?1c...=CA&2y=US&2l=33.983101&2g=-118.095802&2v=CITY from Lakewood.
The "riverbed" is really dry in fall, it's literally ankle deep that time of year.
It not the kind of place you'd go for a walk when we have "bike trails" in Lakewood at the ocean that run for miles and miles.
I don't think B.R. went there of her own free will.

 

[Rob1977]

Here is the thing that bothers me. Why was she dismembered? If it was just something random like a break in or robbery or whatever, why take the time or put the effort into dismemberment?

I am thinking it was someone she knew. I am with you dreamyeye!!

Danamc, B.R. wasn't the one that was dismembered. That was another woman found in the same area.
B.R. was intact.

 

[DreamyEye]

Here is the thing that bothers me. Why was she dismembered? If it was just something random like a break in or robbery or whatever, why take the time or put the effort into dismemberment?

I am thinking it was someone she knew. I am with you dreamyeye!!

Danamc, none of the reports that I've seen so far indicate the condition of Barbara's body at the time of discovery or cite her cause of death. It seems she was found 3-4 weeks after disappearing, so unless she was held captive alive for a long time, I don't think her body was likely in very good shape. Still, it seems likely they would have been able to figure out cause of death at autopsy, and it makes me wonder if there's a special reason they haven't revealed it. One report I read said that Barbara was positively identified through the use of her dental records.

The woman who was dismembered was Mexican/caucasian, 25-45 years of age. Her head and legs were found in two garbage bags close to where Barbara's body was discovered--about a month after the discovery of Barbara's body. The torso of the dismembered woman was found in another bag in LA, and it was the LA police who determined that the torso matched the body parts found near Pico Riveria.

My thought was this: If you have seen pictures of Barbara when she was around age 59, you'll know she looked much younger than her age. She might have been taken for 45 or younger. This could possibly mean that she and the dismembered woman were victims of the same person or people. (Similar victims could = same criminal.)

 

[DreamyEye]

Dreamy, Pico Rivera is about 13 mi. http://classic.mapquest.com/maps?1c...=CA&2y=US&2l=33.983101&2g=-118.095802&2v=CITY from Lakewood.
The "riverbed" is really dry in fall, it's literally ankle deep that time of year.
It not the kind of place you'd go for a walk when we have "bike trails" in Lakewood at the ocean that run for miles and miles.
I don't think B.R. went there of her own free will.

Thanks, Rob1977. That is good to know. It sounds to me as though her killer didn't live very far away from her. She ended up not too far from her own home, so it's likely someone who was familiar with the area. I am wondering if she might have had a stalker who lived right around her and had a lot of opportunity to watch her before this happened. And yet not someone she knew well enough or trusted enough that they could have knocked and been let in the front door.

The riverbed does not sound like much of a recreational area, that's for sure!

 

[DreamyEye]

A report out of Long Beach in January 06 telling how a swat team capturing an "attempted murderer" who evidently like getting into other people's homes.

http://www.lbreport.com/news/jan06/swatpar.htm

 

[DreamyEye]

A man holding a woman hostage in an apartment near the end of August 2005. After Barbara disappeared, and probably after she had been killed. I don't know how far this would be from Barbara's house or from the riverbed.

http://www.lbreport.com/news/aug05/ocnhost.htm

 

[DreamyEye]

Unlikely, but in the interest of covering all bases, we should probably check into whether Barbara might have fallen victim to the Grim Sleeper. I haven't read about him on Websleuths yet. I think he mainly killed young women who were prostitutes or involved in the drug trade, but may have killed others as well. Somewhere there are pictures of unidentified women (possible victims) that police have released hoping to get some IDs. The Grim Sleeper was active in the LA area 1985-2007. The suspect is Lonnie Franklin Jr who is described as "an ace car mechanic," making me think of Barbara's cars and wonder about who took care of them for her.

Anyone interested in pursuing this check here on websleuths, and also

http://www.insidesocal.com/sgvcrime/grim-sleeper/

 

[DreamyEye]

The grim sleeper on websleuths:

Grim Sleeper-Serial Killer - Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community

 

[DreamyEye]

On this LAPD page there's a link to the photos LAPD took from Lonnie Franklin's home. They are housed on photobucket, and LAPD is asking whether anyone can indentify any of the women. I tried to view the photobucket album, but the download sank my dialup connection.

http://lapdonline.org/

 

[DreamyEye]

In 2010, people were still interested in the dismembered female whose body parts were found in bags, some of them close to where Barbara was found. The article cited in this link does not seem to be available anymore. I wish there were some "cold case" type articles about Barbara!

Pico Rivera "Jane Doe" still unidentified - Cold Case Investigations

 

[Rob1977]

A man holding a woman hostage in an apartment near the end of August 2005. After Barbara disappeared, and probably after she had been killed. I don't know how far this would be from Barbara's house or from the riverbed.

http://www.lbreport.com/news/aug05/ocnhost.htm

Long Beach in general has really nice and really bad areas converging within a matter of blocks. Not too close to B.R.'s IMO to count.

 

[jstick49]

I am wondering if anyone on this site knew Barb Rogers?

 

[Rob1977]

I am wondering if anyone on this site knew Barb Rogers?

I have never met her myself, but the crime happened in the smallish town I am from and I've always wondered why it wasn't solved.

 

[jstick49]

I live in Iowa and grew up with Barb. When she was Miss Iowa in 1965, my dad was her personal photographer and traveled with her to different events. Her death is still very troubling to me and not even knowing how she died is even harder somehow. So, just been wondering who is out there that may have known her...she was such a sweet person.

 

[Rob1977]

J~
She seemed like a lovely person, had had half our town at her candlelight vigils. Barbara was deeply loved by many.
Unfortunate that this crime may go unsolved, she deserves justice for sure.

 

[jstick49]

J~
She seemed like a lovely person, had had half our town at her candlelight vigils. Barbara was deeply loved by many.
Unfortunate that this crime may go unsolved, she deserves justice for sure.

Yes, she does deserve justice. Wonder if this case is just closed after 5 years...how could I find out? I would like to call her family who live not far from me, but don't know if it's appropriate and don't want to bring up the sad feelings for them either.