Several things stand out to me in this case. Like many of you, one of the biggest red flags concerns JK, her mother, and MH. I don't see a motive for them killing the women and I don't think they could have pulled it off anyway, but has anyone ever floated the theory that maybe the perp(s) called the house and threatened JK/MH into cleaning/contaminating the crime scene? If the perps had the women conscious, they could have gotten the phone number from them. Perhaps the perps were forced to leave in a bigger hurry than they would have liked and worried there were some "loose ends" so to speak (I'm thinking primarily the broken glass but maybe other things too). The perp(s) could threaten her with knowing where she lived (something they could know from Suzie/Stacy) and then with being an "accomplice" after they completed said contamination. Janelle says there were two phone calls. The second could have been to ensure she did as they told her and to make sure she didn't disclose what she had done. If this happened, maybe Janelle used the "obscene prank call" coverup simply because she had heard the earlier message and wasn't very creative. It also works because if she had claimed to talk to someone else, they would have had to provide corroboration.
To rehash some things that stick out to me that may support this theory:
No mention of the "obscene phone calls" in the police report. I do not care how air headed someone is, when the police are asking you what you know about a potential disappearance you don't think something like two obscene phone calls are worthy of a mention? Not buying it.
On June 18th, News Leader says that police are now looking into "other possible phone calls that may have been made to the residence." This tells me they had some way to at least track incoming calls? At least it would be enough to perhaps make someone nervous for not telling the truth if he/she didn't disclose that they answered a phone call....oops
August 3, News Leader is the first mention I've found of the obscene phone call but this one is described singularly as one message on the answering machine. No mention of Janelle's two calls still from what I've found but please feel free to correct if this is wrong
June 6, 1993 News Leader. First mention of the Janelle/Mike 3:30 visit that I can find. Also first mention of the obscene phone calls, which she says occurred during this time period. When she says she leaves this time, she's crying in the backseat of the car. So, all of a sudden Janelle remembers not only a visit to the house she has forgotten up until now but also that two obscene phone calls occurred during that visit? Cool.
This phone number was new and unlisted. Which means that for someone with no connection to Sherrill (because the police cleared the local perv caller apparently) to call her house he must have just been randomly dialing numbers. So then how does he luck up and randomly dial the SAME UNLISTED NUMBER two days later while Janelle happens to be there? Pretty big coincidence.
The initial call on the voicemail is the one that was heard by Janice if we can trust her recollection (seems like Janelle and mother are easily able to put things in Janice's head from what I've seen). If the perp(s) was able to threaten/coerce JK and MH to contaminate the scene and not tell anyone, maybe the FBI somehow learned that the phone calls occurred and thus this new information had to be brought to light?
November 4, 2019 People article Asher says Janelle described the caller as "teenish". Which does not match the police description of the elderly man who was busted making phone calls around Springfield and who I believe was linked to the first call.
