MI MI - Jessica Heeringa, 25, Norton Shores, 26 April 2013 #9 (J. Willis GUILTY)

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  • #281
The amount of blood found was said to be a very small amount. If Jessica was hit in the face during the abduction a nose bleed could start right away. There have been killers who made their victim get into a large storage container in the car/van, later carrying the victim into a home inside the container. No DNA, or blood in the car that way. Jessica was small and could easily fit in a container that was in the van. Maybe the lid was not secured and that is why the guy opened the hatch and then re-closed it. I agree there is something off about the manager's story. I hope this TV episode will help find Jessica.
 
  • #282
Before I start, I want to encourage people who've seen the Disappeared episode to check this link. It'll take you back to not quite two years ago and in detail explain why the store manager's story doesn't make any sense. I'll warn you beforehand: My explanations are a bit tedious and if you can follow along with a Google Map, it'll definitely help.

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...hores-26-April-2013-8&p=10796857#post10796857

Let me help. Links to the wrong post. See post #9 in this thread where I post the official time line

Exxon map link in case someone wants to try to map it.

Here’s the timeline, released by the Norton Shores Police Department:

April 26, 2013:
2:44 p.m.: Heeringa purchased groceries at Aldi, 2715 Henry St.
4:35 p.m.: Heeringa begins her shift at the Exxon store. She was aware the store did not have video cameras, as she had advised customers of this and the fact she was working alone. She was not worried about the lack of cameras. It was not uncommon for Heeringa to prop open the rear door and turn off the store’s rear security light so she could smoke cigarettes behind the store or allow friends to enter via the rear door, according to police.
7:30 – 8:15 p.m.: A man who told police he was Heeringa's boyfriend at the time (*Not to be confused with her fiance, Dakotah Quail-Dyer) arrived at the Exxon station in a work vehicle, a silver full-size van. The two reportedly had a discussion regarding their alleged relationship.
A customer advised that Heeringa appeared to be upset after the conversation with the male subject.
7:40 – 8:50 p.m.: A female friend entered the store through the front door to visit Heeringa. Nothing suspicious was noticed at that time.
Both the female friend and a male customer observed a bluish silver van pull up to Heeringa while she was changing the receipt paper in one of the pumps. It appeared that the male driver and Heeringa were having a friendly conversation.
10:55 p.m.: A female customer entered the store and purchased a lighter. She advised that Heeringa was alone in the store and did not appear to be nervous or distressed. The customer did not see anyone in the store or in the parking lot.
11 p.m.: An Exxon manager and her husband were riding their motorcycles eastbound on Sternberg Road.
She saw a silver minivan slowly enter the north drive of the Exxon station from the service drive of the Pointes Mall.
The van drove behind the Exxon station, did a u-turn and extinguished its headlights as it pulled behind the store facing west.
The manager suspected Heeringa may be in the process of stealing from Exxon, so she turned around on Harvey Street to return to the store.
The manager and her husband drove to the Pointes Mall, west of the Exxon station, and parked in the lot with a view of the north and west sides of the Exxon station. The minivan was parked on the north side of the Exxon station.
There were no other vehicles in the lot except for Heeringa's.
The manager saw a figure standing at the rear of the van and noticed the van’s rear hatch was open. The figure shut the rear hatch and quickly opened it again. It appeared as though the figure was adjusting something in the rear of the van, and then closed the hatch again. She noted that the person's head was just above the roof of the van.
The person then walked to the driver’s door, got into the van and began driving westbound on the service drive.
The manager said the store’s rear security light was not on and the store’s rear door did not open at any time. She never saw a struggle or heard anyone yell for help. She did not see Heeringa outside of the store.
As the van drove closer to their location in the parking lot, the manager and her husband started their motorcycles and pulled up to the service drive. As the van passed, she looked at the driver, a male subject wearing a red or orange sweatshirt. Her husband stated that he did not see the subject well, but did see that he had “crazy” or wavy hair. Neither of them saw Heeringa or anyone else in the van.
The manager and her husband pulled onto the service drive and followed the van until it stopped at Grand Haven Road. The manager’s husband stated that he was positive the van was a Chrysler Town and Country van, silver in color, as it was the same type a relative owned (Note: This vehicle was located and was in Traverse City at the time of the abduction). He clearly remembered the Town and Country logo on the rear hatch door. Neither obtained the license plate number, as they had no reason to believe a crime had occurred.
The van turned northbound on Grand Haven Road, while the manager and her husband turned southbound on Grand Haven Road and went home.
11:02 p.m: Surveillance video from inside of a closed store in the Pointes Mall captured a silver minivan turning northbound onto Grand Haven Road.
11:03 p.m: Surveillance video from the Homestead Tavern captured a silver minivan driving northbound on Grand Haven Road.
11:05 p.m: Surveillance video from the Coin Zone captured a silver minivan driving northbound on Grand Haven Road.
11:10 p.m: A male customer arrived at the gas station, pulled up to the pump and attempted to purchase gasoline. He was unable to do so as the pump would not activate. When the pump did not activate, he entered the store believing that the clerk may have been in the back room and not aware of his presence at the pump. He was unable to locate Heeringa. Upon exiting the store, he spoke with a female customer and called 911.
11:15 p.m.: Patrol units are dispatched to Exxon, 1196 E Sternberg Road, Norton Shores, regarding a suspicious situation.
11:25 p.m.: The first officer arrives and begins investigation. Officers searched the store but did not locate Heeringa. Officers located Heeringa's purse and jacket in the back room. The purse contained $420 in cash. Officers noted that nothing inside the store indicated a struggle. There was nothing that appeared to be disturbed. Officers exited the rear door and noted that the door did not have a handle on the outside.
Officers located items of possible evidence outside the rear door, including what appeared to be a 2-inch by 3-inch blood stain on the concrete, later determined to be Heeringa's. Officers photographed the interior and exterior of the store and evidence items prior to collection. Officers collected a sample of the possible blood stain and packaged the other evidence items.
11.38 p.m.: Exxon owner was contacted regarding the open store. He in turn contacted the day-shift manager to respond as she lives closer to the store.
11:50 p.m.: The day-shift manager arrives at the Exxon station and provides officers with her observations of the silver minivan and its driver.
The manager advised that the cash drawer was “counted down” for the next shift, indicating Heeringa was preparing to close the store. While talking to officers, the manager observed the man claiming to be Heeringa's boyfriend drive past the store in a work vehicle. He was contacted to come to the Exxon station and was questioned by officers.
12:38 a.m.: A K-9 team requested to search area. A search of the area north and east of the store was conducted with no results.


Then see this post Things that make you scratch your head! Fasteddy's thoughts about the time line & trying to tighten it up. How lucky was the abductor to have picked just the right time to grab her?

Followed by his timeline -

I want to try to get even stricter with the timeframe so we can see how tight it was--because I was a little loose with it before. And I happened upon a revelation.

According to the official timeline:

At 10:55pm, a girl enters to buy a lighter. Not exits . . . but enters. So, she probably didn't leave the store until 10:56pm, and if she's really picky about her lighters which smokers can be, maybe not till 10:57pm. Well the T & C van was spotted at the Homestead Tavern going north on Grand Haven at 11:03pm and that's 1.1 miles away. According to Google, if you follow the speed limit, it takes 2.1 minutes to get there from the Exxon.

So, if I add, subtract, divide, carry the one, etc. that means that the abduction took place between 10:57pm and 11:01pm because Jessica was still alive when the lighter girl left the store--with her approximate exit time of 10:57 (This will be important later). I guess what I'm saying is by the time the next customer showed up at 11:10pm, Jesscia was LONG gone.

Now, the problem with all this? The manager claims she saw the van pull into the Exxon at 11pm--that's according to the official time line that the police themselves have okay'ed.

I'm sorry--kick me off Websleuths or whatever--but that's just not possible. That has to be a lie, and at best a horrible error on the manager's and the police's part.

There is absolutely no way at 11pm the manager saw the van pull in, then she rode the whole way down to Harvey, turned around, got back to the mall parking lot, parked, shut off her motorcycle, and the van was still behind the Exxon. There's no way. Because at 11:03pm the Town and Country was seen at the Homestead Tavern 1.1 miles away--And for the Town and Country to be at the Homestead Tavern at 11:03pm, it had to leave the Exxon at 11:01pm.

Meaning, if you believe the timeline, the manager and her husband drove the whole way down to Harvey and back in under a minute. Not possible. Absolutely not possible. Simplified: She saw the van at 11pm, drives the whole down to Harvey and back, and it's only 11:01pm. Not possible.

The distance from the Exxon to Harvey is roughly a half mile. According to the timeline, the manager saw the van on the service road pulling into the Exxon as she was going east on Sternberg. So, more than likely, if the mgr is to be believed, she and her husband were at the intersection of Sternberg and Grand Haven when she originally saw the van. So, we have to add on at least 800ft to the half mile distance.

So, to travel from the Sternberg/Grand Haven intersection to Harvey and then back to the mall is about a mile and a quarter. Even if the mgr and her husband averaged 60mph going the whole way to Harvey and back they couldn't do it under a minute. And it's a Friday night and you know they probably hit a red light at Harvey.

By the way, the speed limit on Sternberg? 45mph and it's a reduced speed of 35mph in the section just west of the mall.

I've never been to Norton Shores, MI but I think the avg time the manager and her husband could've made it down to Harvey and back to the mall parking lot, starting from the Sternberg/Grand Haven intersection, is 3 minutes on a Friday night, especially if they got a red arrow at Harvey.

So, the manager didn't originally see the van at 11pm. More likely, the first glimpse she got of it was at more like 10:55pm. I know, that doesn't seem like a big difference but it is. So, I give her 3 minutes to get down to Harvey, u-turn, and come back. So, it's 10:58pm when she gets back to the mall. The mgr and her husband park. The guy is standing by his van. He fumbles around with something in the back of the van and leaves at 11:01pm.

Now, why is this all relevant? Because if the manager saw the van pulling into the Exxon at 10:55pm, it means the van was pulling in at the same time the girl was going inside to get a lighter. In fact, the two might've entered the Exxon parking lot at the same time except from different directions. Meaning, the van was already in the back of the store while the girl was buying the lighter.

The problem? The manager in the timeline approved by the police--I have to say that again because it drives me crazy--never mentions seeing any other customers going into or out of the store. Doesn't mention any other cars in the parking lot despite we know for a fact a car was in the parking lot at 10:55pm--the car of the girl buying the lighter.

The other point is the driver of the van had to see that other car in the parking lot at 10:55pm. And he approached the Exxon anyway. And that's scary given what we now know.

Also what backs up my scenario? A camera spotted the Town and Country in the mall parking lot at 11:02pm. So, it leaves the Exxon at 11:01pm. Drives slowly through parking lot and onto the service road, is seen by the 11:02pm camera at the mall, pulls onto Grand Haven and speeds up to be seen on the 11:03pm camera at the Homestead Tavern.

What's always bothered me about this case when I became interested in it was the timeline. How the van happened to show up at just the right time that no one was at the store. I think an analysis of this timeline shows the van showed up when a customer was in the store. Probably the guy was peeking into the back of the store from the rear exit and waited until the lighter girl left. And I think the manager should be nailed down a little more precisely on her timeline because every cash register and camera contradicts her 11pm original sighting.

These were posted in the JH group. They are not my photos

Photos and maps of The Exxon gas station and surrounding area where Jessica was abducted from ... with the approximate location of where the witness SAID they were parked and route she said the van took etc.

1. Exxon station bird eye view
2. this photo was taken from where the witness said they were parked that night (although this pic was taken during the daytime) ... you can see the back and western side of building and the part of the car wash behind it.
3. photo was NOT taken from the "EXACT" spot where witness said they were parked at BUT IT STILL gives you an idea of how dark it is behind the Exxon when the back lights are TURNED OFF LIKE THEY WERE THE NIGHT Jessica was kidnapped
4. Location of Exxon and where witness said they were parked and route they said Van took in red. ... Green is the the only ways to get into the station.... there are no other straight in drives to gain access.
5. Blue is the route witness said they took both leaving the area and before when they said they were driving by and saw the van went down to Meijers and drove back to watch


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  • #283
Wasn't the brother of the manager one of Jessica's boyfriends? Wasn't he the same guy that she refused to move in with?
 
  • #284
Great post, thankyou! The timeline definitely doesnt make sense.
Do they think the girl who bought the lighter was involved, maybe working with someone in silver van, its just so odd the small timeline, and way too conveniant the managers were there in that split moment that must have taken like literally a minute or 2
 
  • #285
Thanks fasteddy and roselvr for the timeline, analysis and maps. There is a guy doing an interesting analysis in an effort to identify the East Are Rapist/ Original Night Stalker, named Quasar. I mention him because he's the only one to do a detailed geographic analysis of each of the perpetrators many attacks, looking at ingress, egress, parking areas etc. He has taught me to pay more attention to the 'which way did he go?' factor. If you look at the exit of the silver minivan, it heads into a kind of bounded area.

>> https://www.google.com/maps/place/E...1s0x88197ee8272dbf23:0xeb13eda3570aa889?hl=en

Meaning the local road north past the 1st video location (Grand Haven) indicates the Mona Lake, Airport area or possibly Norton Shores proper are the most likely immediate locations in that direction. Anywhere further north or east would be better accessed by Rt 31. An outsider would have likely headed to the busier and more anonymous Rt31 or I96. There are other possibilities, but they are less likely; under stress, people resort to the familiar an expedient. Do we know any POI who lives/lived those areas?
 
  • #286
  • #287
Possible suspects named during a recent TV show on the disappearance of Jessica Heeringa are among a half dozen who police haven't been able to rule out, according to the Norton Shores Police chief.

"Disappeared" on the Investigation Discovery channel focused its one-hour show Monday night on the disappearance of Heeringa three years ago from the Norton Shores gas station where she worked.

Norton Shores Police Chief Jon Gale and Heeringa's grandmother, Diane Homrich, both said they thought the show was well done and factual. It accurately portrayed the painstaking investigation that has involved chasing down thousands of tips, Gale said.

Norton Shores Police Lt. Michael Kasher has a very prominent role in the show, discussing the process of the investigation on the case he called "the worse ever."

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2016/04/tv_show_identifies_possible_su.html

Just sharing this article I got as an email alert. It's the first time I've read there are a dozen persons of interest they haven't been able rule out.

Many thanks to all of you for the continued discussion on Jessica's case your posts have been very interesting. I'm going to watch the show shortly unfortunately I've been in hospital again and have just got out.
 
  • #288

Yes, I find it odd that the main witness just happened to be the sister to a guy that had an apartment for Jessica but she refused him. For all we know the witness/sister could have just told LE about a van that was driving down the street to cover up, while her brother was fighting with Jessica behind the gas station. Maybe the brother took her, makes the most sense.
 
  • #289
I agree that there is something very curious about the 'eyewitness' account, and the brother. You'd think the police would have pulled out their extra large magnifying glass on him. Is his name known?
 
  • #290
The amount of blood found was said to be a very small amount. If Jessica was hit in the face during the abduction a nose bleed could start right away. There have been killers who made their victim get into a large storage container in the car/van, later carrying the victim into a home inside the container. No DNA, or blood in the car that way. Jessica was small and could easily fit in a container that was in the van. Maybe the lid was not secured and that is why the guy opened the hatch and then re-closed it. I agree there is something off about the manager's story. I hope this TV episode will help find Jessica.

Thank you. It was my understanding that the amount of blood was infinitesimal and not enough to suspect that Jessica was killed at the scene. She might have been injured during a struggle with the van driver.
 
  • #291
colette, regarding the blood evidence, I would generally agree with you if this were some kind of household accident. For example, I'm walking toward a door, somebody opens it toward me as I reach for the door handle, the edge of the door hits me in the nose, I stand there as my nose bleeds, and within a short amount of time there's a 2" by 3" puddle on the floor.

However, this is different. We all know the only reason Jessica's blood was on the ground was because she was attacked. So, it's not like the person hit her and allowed her to stand there in place and bleed for 30 seconds. Instead, because it was an attack, the splotch had to have been created in a very, very short amount of time. Why? Because nothing was stolen. The guy, presumably, didn't take any cash. Take her purse. Take any items . . . at least as far as we know. None of Jessica's blood was found inside the store. So, once striking her, he never went into the store. Thus, the only inference that can be made is, as soon as he struck her, he threw her into the van.

Now, maybe there were a few seconds where she lay there as he opened the hatch . . . sure. But, how long 7 seconds? 10 seconds, I'd say at the most. And in those ten seconds, at least according to the blood evidence, Jessica didn't move at all. How do we know that? The blood was in a puddle, not a streak. Nor where there little droplets surrounding it. So, once again, a person could infer that in those 10 seconds Jessica couldn't move because, probably, she was knocked out. So, this wasn't a hit to the nose by a door, which wouldn't knock someone out. This was a strike to incapacitate. I guess one might even say a "deathly blow".

That's why I insist that this wasn't about rape. Sure, rapists strike women. They punch them. Etc. But rapists usually want the woman to be awake during the violence. Why? Because these rapists perversely get off on it. Yes, afterwards, some rapists will knock there victims out. Even kill them. But not before.

So, I don't see him knocking her out. Then waiting around somewhere else for her to wake up, so as to rape her. That's too much of a stretch to me.

Instead, what makes more sense is he struck her at the store to incapacitate her for good. That's why I think the blood evidence and its amount is more deathly than others seem to think. Yes, I can sit here and tell you that a 2" by 3" puddle of blood isn't a big deal if my nose is dripping for a minute in my home because of an accident (I hate the sight of blood by the way). But in the context of an quick attack, I think it's a big deal.

As for a container in the back of the van, sure, I can see that. But I don't think this guy could've avoided getting blood on him in this encounter, then not tracking it to the driver's seat of the van. Also, I think we've all--including myself--become Hollywood-ized regarding how easily bodies can be made to disappear with no evidence. Whereas, reality--the Forensic Files, The First 48, Disappeared--shows us that it's a bit more complicated than movies say. I am NOT dismissing the container idea. All I'm saying is it wouldn't be as neat and clean as has been portrayed in fiction.
 
  • #292
For anyone who missed it, the Disappeared program is available here:

[video=youtube;Be2b9qpz4cA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Be2b9qpz4cA[/video]
 
  • #293
(Happy to see Jessica's case being discussed. Her case was the first thread I ever started on websleuths. Where is she!!?)
 
  • #294
(Happy to see Jessica's case being discussed. Her case was the first thread I ever started on websleuths. Where is she!!?)

My impression after watching the program is that in the period of 12 minutes, someone entered the gas station, injured Jessica, dragged her out the back (where she was bleeding), put her in the back of the van and left. It sounds like there is a viable suspect, but he committed suicide by police shooting. The fact that he has close ties to the area, and his phone was turned off from 9PM-9AM, are significant.
 
  • #295
colette, regarding the blood evidence, I would generally agree with you if this were some kind of household accident. For example, I'm walking toward a door, somebody opens it toward me as I reach for the door handle, the edge of the door hits me in the nose, I stand there as my nose bleeds, and within a short amount of time there's a 2" by 3" puddle on the floor.

However, this is different. We all know the only reason Jessica's blood was on the ground was because she was attacked. So, it's not like the person hit her and allowed her to stand there in place and bleed for 30 seconds. Instead, because it was an attack, the splotch had to have been created in a very, very short amount of time. Why? Because nothing was stolen. The guy, presumably, didn't take any cash. Take her purse. Take any items . . . at least as far as we know. None of Jessica's blood was found inside the store. So, once striking her, he never went into the store. Thus, the only inference that can be made is, as soon as he struck her, he threw her into the van.

Now, maybe there were a few seconds where she lay there as he opened the hatch . . . sure. But, how long 7 seconds? 10 seconds, I'd say at the most. And in those ten seconds, at least according to the blood evidence, Jessica didn't move at all. How do we know that? The blood was in a puddle, not a streak. Nor where there little droplets surrounding it. So, once again, a person could infer that in those 10 seconds Jessica couldn't move because, probably, she was knocked out. So, this wasn't a hit to the nose by a door, which wouldn't knock someone out. This was a strike to incapacitate. I guess one might even say a "deathly blow".
(snipped by me) The blood was not really a puddle. Here is a picture of it from Mlive.com:

17599843-mmmain.jpg


http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2015/04/jessica_heeringa_who_vanished.html
 
  • #296
That's enough blood for a busted lip or something.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
  • #297
I didn't realize until today that the manager witnessed the abduction and mistook it for a theft - pretty sad state of affairs when that's what a boss thinks when an employee is taken out of the back door of the business in the middle of the night.

That also gives context to the numerous times the manager claims that cameras are not necessary because they don't have a theft problem - could be interpreted as a defensive remark.
 
  • #298
That's enough blood for a busted lip or something.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

True, it looks like a small amount of blood that got smeared. probably stepped on during the abduction IMO.
 
  • #299
True, it looks like a small amount of blood that got smeared. probably stepped on during the abduction IMO.

What about a bleeding nose from a punch? Wouldn't that leave that much blood? I'm assuming that Jessica was hit hard in the head. From following too many of these cases, that seems to be fairly standard. Hannah Graham was hit in the head, as was the woman who was raped by Jessie Matthews. A hit in the head disorients people, making it easier for someone else to take control.
 
  • #300
The blood spot looks to be about 1" wide by 2" long. I've had nosebleeds on and off over the years and I didn't have anything that big. Just small round spots less than a half inch. I can't tell if it splattered or the abductor smeared it. (Doesn't appear to be a shoe print in it, though.) Not enough for me to really tell if the Jessica was bleeding a lot. Head wounds tend to bleed quite a bit. But when I've seen them in the scalp, the hair seems to absorb quite a bit of the blood. This could be a minor wound (like the forehead) or if it is a scalp wound and that much landed on the concrete in spite of Jessica's long hair it might be a major wound.
 
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