MI MI - Charles Rutherford, 34, & Lana Stempien (fd dec.), Aug 2005 - Detroit Boaters

[Blink34]

Could this be him?
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24855993/

 

[lymom3]

Wow....I'll keep following this one. I often wonder about this case.

 

[Blink34]

me too, and if it is, I believe somebody somewhere is going to serve me a "hat sandwich"- I was convinced he was alive somewhere.

 

[Only4Justice]

I sincerely hope this is Chuck, and I do believe it is.

I knew Lana for many years. If this is Chuck, both of their families can put to rest the "Chuck killed Lana" theories.

I think one of two things happened. Either, (1) they stupidly jumped in the water for a quick swim, after consuming some alcohol; OR (2) someone got to both of them due to their work for the City of Detroit.

Just my honest opinion.

:blowkiss:

 

[Masterj]

Any update on this?

 

[gaia227]

Interesting. That certainly would change everything wouldn't it? Don't feel bad Blink I have always thought Chuck killed Lana too and took off.

 

[BrianG]

[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica]From last Thursday's Detroit News (http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dl...D=2008805290332):[/FONT]

[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica]Michigan State Police said Wednesday they have contacted the family of Charles Rutherford Jr., a Grosse Pointe lawyer missing since an August 2005 boating trip with his girlfriend, but acknowledged a body found on Lake Huron may be a plane crash victim or one of many missing Mackinac Bridge suicide jumpers. [/FONT]

[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica]The body was found by Memorial Day vacationers on rocks near Cheboygan, three miles north of where police found the body of Rutherford's companion, Lana Stempien, 35, nearly three years ago. The body remained in a local morgue Wednesday, awaiting transportation to medical examiners in Grand Rapids. Police said it may be weeks before the body is identified. [/FONT]

[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica]"Even after the autopsy, there are a lot of DNA tests to do," said Detective Sgt. Ron Nightingale. "We're talking a minimum of weeks." [/FONT]

[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica]From this, it's apparent that the authorities believe that they do not have sufficent evidence to reach a positive ID via comparison to dental records. Such identifications take a few days, at most.[/FONT]

[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica]Possible reasons: 1. Dental records are not available; 2. The teeth/jaw/skull are significantly damaged, or missing (the remains found have been described as "partial").[/FONT]

[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica]If the latter is the case, would there have been sufficient time for tissue degradation to allow separation of the head from the body, or is this evidence of some pre- or post-mortem trauma?[/FONT]

 

[nanandjim]

Interesting. That certainly would change everything wouldn't it? Don't feel bad Blink I have always thought Chuck killed Lana too and took off.

He's still my main suspect until it is proven otherwise...

 

[angelmom]

I really hope it's him. I feel terrible for his parents having to live with so many people suspecting their son of being a murderer and them of aiding and abetting him. It must be horrific to have to grieve that way.

 

[BrianG]

... with thanks to Onederwomyn, who posted this link on a different board:

http://www.cheboygannews.com/articles/2008/06/04/news/news2.txt

 

[gaia227]

He's still my main suspect until it is proven otherwise...

Oh yeah, me too. If this isn't Chuck then he remains as suspect numero uno on my list. His past behavior and Lana's comments about him do not bode well.

 

[angelmom]

For all the folks who think it is suspicious that Chuck's body was never found:

http://www.cheboygannews.com/articles/2008/06/04/news/news2.txt

Police continue to focus on three males among nine people reportedly missing in the Straits of Mackinac in the last 12 years.

The body of Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. resident Gary Morris, 57, has never been recovered after a Feb. 5, 2007 fall from the Mackinac Bridge.

H. Brooke Stouffer, of Washington, D.C., was a passenger in an aircraft piloted by his fiancee, Karen Dodds, 51, also of Washington, D.C. The plane is believed to have crashed in the South Channel of the Straits of Mackinac on Aug. 24, 2007. Dodds' body was found near the Mackinac Bridge on Oct. 8. The body of Stauffer and the plane have been the subject of numerous search efforts, conducted near where the most recent remains were found.

In addition, Charles Robert Rutherford Jr. is still missing from a boating incident that occurred on Aug. 11, 2005.

Even though these other two guys didn't disappear under suspicious circumstances, and even though they know almost exactly where Gary Morris went in, and even though Karen Dodds' body was found...

...sound familiar? They can't even find Stauffer's plane. Plus there are apparently 6 women who haven't been found either.

 

[MagicRose99]

What makes them believe the remains are male when they need "testing" to determine the sex?

 

[Mouse]

What makes them believe the remains are male when they need "testing" to determine the sex?

I would guess size of the bones, for one thing. Or maybe structure, depending on what remains have been found--a male pelvis structure will look different from a female pelvis. Leg and arms bones for a male will generally be longer for a male than for a female, statistically. Male skulls have a more prominent brow ridge than do female skulls. Of course, there are short men, and very tall women, so you'd need DNA or other testing to know for sure if the remains are partial and not definitive. But a forensic anthropologist or medical examiner could make an educated guess to work with until test results come in.

 

[MagicRose99]

Thanks Mouse! That makes sense now...

 

[murdershewrote]

I think it was reported as "partial remains"....Dr. Michael Baden said that usually means that it is just the torso, no head attached. He was on Greta's show the night the news broke. So they might not have any dental work at all, which is why it is taking so long. He said the could naturally detach after such a long time...if it is in fact him.

 

[lilmisssleuth]

Has anyone heard anymore about the remains found. I just recently read this thread and watched part of the show on Dateline (I think). I have been thinking about it a lot the last couple days.

 

[Deborah1012]

My mind has been on this the last few days and I'm wondering if there has been an answer as to the body found.

 

[lymom3]

bump...any news on the body found?

 

[Elf8702]

Did anyone ever hear anything at all about that body that was discovered last summer? I guess we have to assume that it wasn't Chuck, after all. What the heck happened that night, I'll forever wonder. The thing that nags at me is the phone call that Lana made early that afternoon to another guy, in Boston I think it was. Sure it could have been an accident, but they were breaking up and I just can't help but think there is a possibility that there was something more than just an accident that afternoon. And sadly we'll probably never know the answer to this mystery.