GA GA - Shirley, 87, & Russell Dermond, 88, Putnam County, 2 May 2014 - # 2

[Jabarn]

I am an older person and when I experience an occurrence of this kind, loud noise, people on my property my thoughts go to how disrespectful, and how dare they. I don't think they thought there was any danger, just rudeness and intrusion. jmo

This is a definite possibility, thinking of my own grandmother. She lived right next to a children's park that had a basketball court. One night, some kids in some sort of trans-am type vehicle were doing donuts on the basketball court. She immediately opens her door to witness it, in an authoritarian position. I thought it was funny at the time. But that very well could be the case here, where some delinquents were admonished by grandparently figures and overreacted. That might also explain why the Dermonds didn't have their security system on- maybe one or both were outside. Great thoughts, here. And a possibility of troubled people in boats on the river who don't like to be told to get lost.

 

[Bootsctr]

Body of Beheaded Man's Wife Likely Found in Georgia Lake

Sills said he still had very few leads, but he said he said whoever committed the murders was "a homicidal individual that doesn't deserve to breathe the air of this Earth."

http://www.nbcnews.com/#/news/us-news/body-beheaded-mans-wife-likely-found-georgia-lake-n107736

 

[Foxfire]

First time commenting. I've been to Reynolds Plantation and it has the feel of a very safe community; people who don't appear to belong there would stick out. The children have said the parents were sticklers about setting their alarm and locking the doors. I can't fathom these murders were random. I live in a gated community and people think the security is better than it is. I would imagine the same would be true of anyone coming on to Reynolds Plantation. To move around as the killer or killers did would seem to take someone who was familiar with the community and the Dermonds.

Welcome CandiceC...Very good first post and I agree.. Folks in gated communities have eagle eyes, and the ones that don't, have binoculars..

 

[meanmaryjean]

N-O-T-H-I-N-G about this makes any sense whatsoever....

 

[mck16]

This is a definite possibility, thinking of my own grandmother. She lived right next to a children's park that had a basketball court. One night, some kids in some sort of trans-am type vehicle were doing donuts on the basketball court. She immediately opens her door to witness it, in an authoritarian position. I thought it was funny at the time. But that very well could be the case here, where some delinquents were admonished by grandparently figures and overreacted. That might also explain why the Dermonds didn't have their security system on- maybe one or both were outside. Great thoughts, here. And a possibility of troubled people in boats on the river who don't like to be told to get lost.

I live in the country so there are lots of 4 wheelers, my grandsons included. It infuriates me when they ride up and down the road stirring up dust and making that loud noise. I have screamed at them so many times and now I think they believe me. It infuriates me that they are rude and disrespectful to me and anyone near. So, I can see it happening to the Dermonds.

 

[Ragamuffin]

RIP Mrs Dermond.

I can't shake a niggling feeling that this was a robbery gone wrong. I mean that maybe whoever did it wasn't expecting them to be home/expecting them to be sleeping. Confrontation happened outside/in the garage and that's why the house was untouched/nothing missing.

The decapitation IDK. Just watching to much CSI has me thinking bullet recovery, but a gunshot would have been loud, what about a suppressor? Removing witnesses.

That then leads me to thinking this is someone(s) organized, who have done this before (robbing large houses/possibly murdered).

The only other way I can look at it is it's personal. And that means close.

 

[oceanblueeyes]

I expected this day to happen but when it does it just breaks my heart to know another lovely person has crossed paths with evil and ended a beautiful life.

I am glad they found Shirley. She needed to be found so she could come home and be buried with the love of her life. She looked like such a sweetheart. One who would be so personable and happy all the time. And I do think she and Russ were extremely happy living out their days like they had done for 62 years......always together.

May God hold all of their family close as they go through the very difficult days ahead. I cant imagine how it must feel to lose both parents at the same time much less to lose them this way. Life is so cruel sometimes.

I am not sure I agree with Sheriff Sills about her body being dumped where she was found. If in fact, that is really what he is meaning. He always believed the perp and Shirley left by boat. Now it seems he was right.

However; the body was only 6 miles away from the Dermond home. With this many days passing she definitely could have been put in the water much closer to her own home and traveled that far in almost 2 weeks. If Putnam County has been anything like our South Georgia days, until the past two days, we have had extremely hot and humid days all the time Shirley was missing. Even reaching 90+ some days.

Although it is consistent with the literature I have read about the range where someone murders someone and then discards the remains.

I have read that if it is a murderer who has no ties to the family and isn't link to them they will put the remains within 5-7 miles from where they were taken ...even closer in some cases. Those with familiarity to the victims usually take them further out....even up to a 20 miles radius and beyond.

Even if she did not float to the surface until today, which I find doubtful, her body would still be skimming along the bottom of the lakebed going along with the currents and on the move until the decomp gases made her rise to the surface.

So unless she was weighted down, and that doesn't seem to be the case, I am not sure I agree she had to be discarded in the same location she was found.

The water is much warmer now and heat is required to form decomp gases. I think the decomposing days started days before she was found.

IMO

 

[K.jill]

If this crime was committed by a stranger Mr. D confronted on their dock why would they return his body to his garage? Why not dispose of him in the same manner/location as his wife? Carrying his body to the garage was most certainly deliberate and meant to shock and horrify. Why the garage and not the house? Maybe the garage isn't connected to the security system? Or could the killer(s) have known a neighbor would be more likely find him in the garage than in the house?

 

[tlcya]

The concern by LE that the crime scene may not have been garage makes me think that they feel it may not be the original scene due to a lack of the amount or type of blood evidence they would expect to find.

So does what does that mean?

How does that make sense?

That is the answer and the key and the clue IMO

 

[tlcya]

A great deal depends on the body and the condition it was found it IMO

Was there any evidence it was weighted? was it floating, was it submerged?

 

[shefner]

I cannot buy into a robbery gone wrong although I respect that opinion.

Who would go to the trouble to kill these people but not take anything? The perps had lots of time.

Also, who carries along the tools and planning for a beheading? Only someone who is prepared to do it.

I do believe the body of Mrs. Dermond was placed in the water shortly after (or before?) her husband's death and not days later. Who would have the nerve to risk being seen tossing her body in the water during a time when authorities are seeking a murderer (or more than one)?

Truly heartbroken for this sweet couple....at least they are together.

 

[steelman]

Mrs Dermond found dead in lake.


http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/05/1...g-87-year-old-ga-woman-husband-was-slain-and/

 

[OTPTarheel]

Eatonton. It's a small town. RP is a small town within a small town.Somebody knows something. And folks love to talk. There has to be a Gladys Kravitz or two living there.

Does this remind anyone of the Kutz murders in NC back in the 80's? Von Stein (Cruel Doubt/Blood Games) in the 80's? Creepy stuff happening in my home state...ninjas, d & d...I had to look up the names but remember the crimes...

 

[shefner]

I just feel I have to say an obvious thing: The king has no clothes.

Why would people pays lots of money to live in a gated "secure" community only to live on a lake, with docks, that can easily be accessed by anyone at any time? And to have docks with no surveillance cameras? I would be very uneasy if I lived in this community right now....although I do believe the Dermonds were targeted (or that's how I am feeling at the moment).

 

[Jabarn]

If this crime was committed by a stranger Mr. D confronted on their dock why would they return his body to his garage? Why not dispose of him in the same manner/location as his wife? Carrying his body to the garage was most certainly deliberate and meant to shock and horrify. Why the garage and not the house? Maybe the garage isn't connected to the security system? Or could the killer(s) have known a neighbor would be more likely find him in the garage than in the house?

Though this is a shocking crime; I am not convinced that was the intent of the killer(S). This was a rage crime, I THINK, whether it was premeditated or a spur of the moment reaction. We don't know *yet* where the actual murder of Mr. D took place or why he wound up in the garage. In whatever the scenario, the security system was not active, and according to his family, that would be out of character during the night, but maybe not so much during the day. So either this crime happened during the day, or something happened to cause the security system to be turned off at night- either from an outside source, or one of the Dermonds turned it off because he/she went outside.

 

[JustyThoughts]

If this crime was committed by a stranger Mr. D confronted on their dock why would they return his body to his garage? Why not dispose of him in the same manner/location as his wife? Carrying his body to the garage was most certainly deliberate and meant to shock and horrify. Why the garage and not the house? Maybe the garage isn't connected to the security system? Or could the killer(s) have known a neighbor would be more likely find him in the garage than in the house?

Posting to BBM above: Just flowing with your notion. If a stranger, the perp would have no idea whether taking Mr.D to the house would show perp on a security cam (maybe even one monitored). Risky to chance if you don't know.

Also, on the notion discussed earlier of strangers around the D's dock that Mr. D may have confronted... it would have to be one evil devil to choose to kill them rather than get in the boat and leave.... or cuss um out and leave. I know those kind of folks exist, but it takes a special twisted mind to choose killing - especially beheading. If that is the case..... the community has a serious problem.

Welcome CandiceC...Very good first post and I agree.. Folks in gated communities have eagle eyes, and the ones that don't, have binoculars..

LOL, Foxfire - I don't live in a gated community and have binoculars. And use them regularly.

 

[Bootsctr]

People I heard on national news in the days after this case said people did not lock their doors in this community and then we find out the security cameras were not working. Even though the son says his parents locked their doors for some reason I don't think the doors were locked. I think the dogs that were brought in led the LE to believe Mrs. Dermond was taken to the lake, and I too, think Mr. Dermond's head is in the lake. It the water temperature was cooler than average for this time of year it might now just be warming up enough for the gases to bring her body to the surface. The sonor equipment they were using to look at the bottom of the look was excellent. Maybe this was a home invasion that went horribly wrong. They watched Mr. Dermond leave for a walk and Mrs. Dermond had left the house. Mr. Dermond returned quicker than expected and caught them in the act. Infuriated the perps and Mr. Dermond was killed. Some ruckus was raised and Mrs. Dermond returns. The perps are scared off because they know someone heard something and end up not taking anything. They get Mrs. Dermond on the boat with Mr. Dermond's head. When they find out they don't have a debit card they are furious and kill Mrs. Dermond and throw her into the lake.

 

[Canaille]

I cannot buy into a robbery gone wrong although I respect that opinion.

Who would go to the trouble to kill these people but not take anything? The perps had lots of time.

Also, who carries along the tools and planning for a beheading? Only someone who is prepared to do it.

I do believe the body of Mrs. Dermond was placed in the water shortly after (or before?) her husband's death and not days later. Who would have the nerve to risk being seen tossing her body in the water during a time when authorities are seeking a murderer (or more than one)?

Truly heartbroken for this sweet couple....at least they are together.

BBM

In my opinion, one doesn't necessarily need tools for a beheading. Piano wire, leader wire and guitar wire can be used.

 

[tlcya]

I have not commented on the community and the security both implied and real of the Dermond residence til now.

What I will say is - wow. But if we are asking these questions and holding this exclusive gated community responsible or in low regard, do we not have to question why prospective buyers did not do likewise if security was something that was a priority?

Devil's Advocate.

 

[Carolinapeach]

Putnam man discovers body in Lake Oconee

http://www.msgr.com/news/article_2019c256-dd4a-11e3-a5f1-001a4bcf887a.html