Hi! I haven't posted much but have been reading the last couple days and putting things together to the best of my ability. People have commented how much Suzie and Stacy's plans changed and to me that is one of the biggest keys to solving things. Why? Because the perp knew the truth when so many other people didn't about their whereabouts. At first I thought maybe someone tapped the McCalls' line but if they did, they would have gotten that the girls were staying at Janelle's and attacked them there. But that didn't happen.
To me, this case rests on two big things: the delay in attacking the ladies and the knowledge that Stacy and Suzie were staying at Suzie's place. I don't subscribe to the lone outsider for a couple reasons, the main one being the delay in attacking them once they were at Delmar. I don't believe someone was going after Sherrill alone, she could easily have been killed anytime that night but the killer waited until the girls were home. Now, an outsider COULD have followed the girls from the party at 2 am, but here's the thing. The girls leave in separate cars, not the same car. How would an outside stranger know that they are going to the same place? He wouldn't. And now we get to the delay. Suppose an outside perp spots the girls at the house and decides then and there to take them. Why the delay in taking them? Why even let the girls enter the house? A stranger might have realized with 3 card in the driveway there might be a dad with a shotgun at home to protect them and attacked the girls with a gun in the driveway. But he let them get into the house, talk with Sherrill presumably, and then take off their makeup and at least in Stacy's case, partially disrobe. Every moment that the killer waits ups his chances of being caught, either by one of the ladies looking out the window or a cop or neighbor being by. Also, the neighbor was out of town, which an outsider wouldn't know either. No, the picture I get is of the perp calmly watching and waiting for the lights to go out in the house before putting the plan into action. Why the waiting for the lights to go out? Because then presumably everyone is in bed and not close to the phone. If you go for the house when all the lights are on and presumably the blinds are pulled due to Stacy's attire, and maybe the others too, you don't know the relation of anyone to the phone and they might get a phone call off to 911 before the perp can get to them. That can't happen and with everyone in their beds, it makes the attack much safer. My guess is that if Sherrill's window was open, the killer went in that way, held a gun to Sherrill's head, and used her as a weapon against the others. Given that absolutely nothing was taken other than the women, the whole thing probably took a couple minutes max. Probably the women took nothing with them in the belief and hope that if they just followed orders, they would be ok.
Now, we get to me one of the most important parts. Why the disappearance? Presumably someone wanted them dead, but why not just shoot them in the house, leave the bodies, and be done with it? If sexual assault is the only motive, why not just shoot two and take the third? But nothing like that happened. The answer I come up with is to avoid proof of a crime having occurred. Why? Because if the bodies were discovered at the house, there would be clear evidence pointing at the guilty culprit. This way, with the bodies gone, even if the cops suspect it, they won't have any proof. Again, this points to a planned attack as with the ladies gone for 28 years, a spot must have been devised for the final murders and hiding of the bodies that was so good that no one could find it. That was not done on the spur of the moment.
Now we get to to me the most important thing: the constantly changing plans. The original plan was Branson overnight in a hotel. Then Janelle's and Mike's and so on before the final decision was made to stay at Suzie's. Now, that means that at least one perp had to be at that last party and knew the final decision. And that's where at least one culprit has to be. Now, this was in an era before cell phones. If the killer was watching the house waiting for the girls to come back, he had to be reachable. The problem of course, is always motive and without further knowledge of the people involved, I have no idea on that one. But the way I outlined it is the way I'm pretty sure it happened.
And that gets me to the final point of 18 people entering the house the day after. I have a suspicion that at least one perp was in the house that day to make sure no evidence was left behind pointing to the real culprit. The overall picture I get is maybe two people, one watching the house and committing the crime and the other at the party alerting the criminal as to what was happening. If there was only one, then the perp has to have been at the party to know the final destination of the girls. Possibly the delay in attacking them was to coordinate information. This is one reason I am wondering where the nearest pay phone was back then. Also, there must have been a good spot to watch the house and wait for the lights to go off without being spotted by either the cops, a passerby, or the women from the windows (or the dog). Where would such a place be? I can't envision the killer leaving their own vehicle parked in the driveway waiting for the lights to go off, too risky. And the getaway vehicle has to be parked somewhere close and readily able to move into the driveway. What surveillance video is available of the nearby area at that time?
Stuff like this is why I think the police know who did it but without the bodies have no proof. I could be way off on all of this, but it's my best theory after looking at the facts.
