MI MI - Jeffrey Willis - Suspected SK in Muskegon County, MI

[Honey_West]

MI - Samantha Hooks, 15, Redford, 10 June 2015

 

[ZooSleuth]

Willis was very likely emboldened by the fact that he had gotten away with the abduction of Jessica, so he became careless.

Adding to that, I also think it was easier for him to abduct Jessica because they actually knew each other so she did not see it coming. It sounds like he met her out back for a smoke break, or something of that nature, and then he overpowered her and took her away.

 

[Flutterby80]

I am wondering how it was possible for Willis to amass property during the marriage without his wife's knowledge when he didn't make much at Herman Miller. Maybe he was not honest about the amount his grandfather left him, or maybe he had a secret habit of stealing or dealing drugs.

Has anyone heard audio of Willis' cousin speaking?

 

[enzeder]

June 28, 2016

Wife of accused killer Jeffrey Willis moves items out of home
Article/Video: http://www.wzzm13.com/news/local/mu...rey-willis-moving-items-out-of-home/258105733

Investigators say items being removed are being cataloged because of the ongoing criminal cases against Jeffrey Willis but also for the divorce proceedings.

 

[otto]

Another update - I've removed some earlier versions.

 

[enzeder]

June 28, 2016

Accused murderer-kidnapper-child pornographer Jeffrey Willis cases sorted out
Read More: http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2016/06/accused_murderer-kidnapper-chi.html

The complicated cluster of cases against accused murderer-kidnapper-child pornographer Jeffrey Thomas Willis can be hard to keep straight.

Here, in a nutshell, are the five cases pending against the 46-year-old Muskegon Township man and their potential penalties. All the charges are felonies.

 

[enzeder]

Justice for Rebekah Bletsch
https://www.facebook.com/JusticeforBecky/

 

[margarita25]

June 28, 2016

Accused murderer-kidnapper-child pornographer Jeffrey Willis cases sorted out
Read More: http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2016/06/accused_murderer-kidnapper-chi.html

From above (snippets / some of the charges):

"Child I

Willis is charged with one case of child for allegedly using a hidden camera to videorecord a girl younger than 18 using the bathroom in his home. These are the charges:

Count 1.) Child sexually abusive activity, or manufacturing child . That's punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

Count 2.) Using a computer to commit a crime with a maximum sentence of 20 years or more. That is, itself, punishable by up to 20 years.

Willis faces trial in circuit court after waiving his preliminary examination.


Child II

He's also charged with downloading child from the internet onto an external hard drive that he allegedly kept in his home.

SNIP


"Surveilling unclothed persons

The newest case against Willis accuses him of taking videos of two underaged girls in March 2011 without their knowledge, holding the camera himself. The victims are different than in the bathroom child case."



*There are very likely child murder victims out there, jmo.

 

[otto]

From above (snippets / some of the charges):

"Child I

Willis is charged with one case of child for allegedly using a hidden camera to videorecord a girl younger than 18 using the bathroom in his home. These are the charges:

Count 1.) Child sexually abusive activity, or manufacturing child . That's punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

Count 2.) Using a computer to commit a crime with a maximum sentence of 20 years or more. That is, itself, punishable by up to 20 years.

Willis faces trial in circuit court after waiving his preliminary examination.


Child II

He's also charged with downloading child from the internet onto an external hard drive that he allegedly kept in his home.

SNIP


"Surveilling unclothed persons

The newest case against Willis accuses him of taking videos of two underaged girls in March 2011 without their knowledge, holding the camera himself. The victims are different than in the bathroom child case."



*There are very likely child murder victims out there, jmo.

Agreed. The child as victim seems to be a recent stage in his deterioration into madness.

 

[gregjrichards]

There has been an update on how Jessica's son Zevyn is doing from her family on the https://m.facebook.com/FindJessicaHeeringa/ Facebook page which is very moving indeed. I feel so sorry for Jessica's son and family. They have even posted a compassionate post about what Willis's wife must be going through which is very kind of them indeed. Jessica's family are lovely and kind people they don't deserve this daily living hell. I hope there is a way to get Willis talking about what he has done.

 

[LookingForClues]

I've fallen behind in this case, on page 9, but had to jump ahead to say, "OMG! I grew up in Mancelona, the little town where investigators say his police officer friend owns a cabin and where they searched for evidence in the Heeringa case!" I haven't lived there since the mid-70s but I felt the hair raise on the back of my neck when I read my hometown named in relation to a serial killer investigation. I think I need a stiff drink now.

 

[byo]

I'm on laptop, which limits what I can do, but this is a rough map of what I'm looking at in terms of victims, month / year, and location. If something needs to be corrected, or added, please let me know.

Otto, what about Melissa Simmons, age 15? I started a thread for her.

Melissa went missing from Scottville MI on June 23, 1993. She was initially believed to be a run away.

There were rumors that she may have attended a party at Whelan Lake.

A week later, her body was found in the Pere Marquette River.

 

[otto]

Otto, what about Melissa Simmons, age 15? I started a thread for her.

Melissa went missing from Scottville MI on June 23, 1993. She was initially believed to be a run away.

There were rumors that she may have attended a party at Whelan Lake.

A week later, her body was found in the Pere Marquette River.

I'll add her to the map in a couple of hours.
Thanks

 

[otto]

Updated to include Melissa Simmons, June 1993

I think it's possible that Willis is responsible. He is suspected in the murder of Angela Thornburg, another 15 year old, in 1996.

 

[otto]

Who was the first victim of Willis?

I was under the impression that Angela Thornburg was his first victim, but was there first victim who was raped and not murdered? Did his first rape accidentally end in murder, and he developed a taste for it early on?

He is 46 years old. He was born in 1970. He finished high school in the same area where he is currently living, in 1988.

The first victim that police have connected with Willis is Angela Thornburg, age 15, in 1996. She was visiting her boyfriend, but, when her mother came to the front door, she left out the back. That is the last contact she had with family and friends.

Do murderers start farther away from home, and get closer over the years?

Does Willis prefer abducting victims in smaller towns, and isolated gas stations or roads? I'm sure that something about how he committed his first murder stayed with him in terms of doing the same thing to get away with it for at least another 20.

Was there a rape victim before his first murder?
He was working at the school, 26 years old, when 15 year old Angela was murdered.
Was he friendly with the young girls?
At 26 years of age, did he look young for his age? When did he get so fat?

 

[carbuff]

A lot of good questions, Otto.

There's been some research about killers and their "comfort zones." It seems that yes, some killers do draw closer to home as they get older. And some change their methods, locations, etc. as they gain experience or their life circumstances change.

I think I've read that 26-ish is a fairly typical age for a killer to begin. It would be typical for there to have been earlier abduction/rapes before he finally went over the edge, but it would also be fairly typical for him to have fantasized for a long time before finally acting out. And it wouldn't be uncommon to have been killing since he was a teenager.

I would consider that perhaps they haven't uncovered all his victims yet, and there is an earlier murder(s) that haven't been linked to him yet.

 

[cgon4872]

I think this woman could be a potential victim: http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/l/lokker_michelle.html

Went missing from Fennville, Michigan (which is about 50 miles from Muskegon) on June 7, 2003. Some of her clothing was found floating in the Kalamazoo River.

 

[cgon4872]

Do murderers start farther away from home, and get closer over the years?

It generally depends on the offender, but they usually commit their first crimes closer to home. I'm hoping investigators can compile a list of possible travels Willis took, since I really doubt he stayed in Western Michigan (let alone Muskegon county) his entire life.

 

[margarita25]

"Myth: All serial murderers travel and operate interstate.

Most serial killers have very defined geographic areas of operation. They conduct their killings within comfort zones that are often defined by an anchor point (e.g. place of residence, employment, or residence of a relative). Serial murderers will, at times, spiral their activities outside of their comfort zone, when their confidence has grown through experience or to avoid detection. Very few serial murderers travel interstate to kill.

The few serial killers who do travel interstate to kill fall into a few categories:

• Itinerant individuals who move from place to place.*
• Homeless individuals who are transients.*
• Individuals whose employment lends itself to interstate or transnational travel, such as truck drivers or those in military service.

The difference between these types of offenders and other serial murderers is the nature of their traveling lifestyle, which provides them with many zones of comfort in which to operate."

https://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/publications/serial-murder#disablemobile

(Eta: At the end of this article is a calendar for the 2005 Conference so maybe this article is way old. I know I've come across this link in other cases.)

 

[otto]

Where I live, police are re-cycled out; into an new area (city, town), every 2 years (no corporate memory) = so as not to develop any attachments,
Why did the policeman friend of Willis live in the area for as long as Willis? What position did that policeman friend hold when Willis was murdering children in 1996, and what position does he hold today?

Is 20 year community member/attachements part of today's police culture?

Is the police officer a friend of Willis? Is the police officer also a friend of Willis' cousin?
Do they all know each other from grade school?

What exactly is the relationship between the Herman Miller employee (suspect), the Prison Guard (cousin), and the Police Officer (friend)?
What is the significance of "they" kidnap, hunt, and shoot victims on the Herman Miller employee's external drive?
Was Jessica Heeringa abducted by Willis and hunted by Willis' his two friends?

Could that explain why her remains are so difficult to find - she was hunted so she was hidden when killed?