Missouri - The Springfield Three--missing since June 1992 - #7

[monkeymann]

They also said "Suspect".......and not......."Suspects"

Again, to me it seems clear, that LE is implying that they were only looking at the crime from a "Single Suspect" vantage point.

 

[monkeymann]

Good post Richard.

I've read that quote many times before, but the fact that LE was looking at a "Single Suspect" possibly, never stood out to me.......Until Now!

Thanks Richard!!!!!

 

[Blue Girl1991]

I have a very vague recollection of that statement. I am somewhat surprised that might have been on the record. Such a statement prejudices the public to believe the victim is sonehow to blame. As background that might be appropriate but it would seem the officer who would be in hot water without clearing that for public consumption. I find this troubling.

I would be very interested in knowing who that officer was.

I think the words "bad choices" can have 2 different interpretations ,
people can make bad choices consciously when they know exactly what they are doing and with who they are involved with ,

The second interpretation ( and maybe the detective meant to that -
Sherrill made" bad Choices" not consciously and without knowing the real background of the person with whom she was involved,
It is possible that this person was involved with dangerous people and sherril didn't knew about this connection with the third party.

What are your thoughts about it ?

I am also very interested in knowing who the police officer was .

 

[Missouri Mule]

I think the words "bad choices" can have 2 different interpretations ,
people can make bad choices consciously when they know exactly what they are doing and with who they are involved with ,

The second interpretation ( and maybe the detective meant to that -
Sherrill made" bad Choices" not consciously and without knowing the real background of the person with whom she was involved,
It is possible that this person was involved with dangerous people and sherril didn't knew about this connection with the third party.

What are your thoughts about it ?

I am also very interested in knowing who the police officer was .

I can't form an opinion without seeing the context of how the statement was made.

It almost seems irresponsible to issue such an opinion.

Although it seems that she may have in the course of her line of work I have no knowledge that she was involved in anything untoward.

It has been alleged that she was mainly transacting in cash toward the end of her life. One could make the case that she wanted to insulate herself from possible judgments that could result from creditors. She was after all chasing her ex who evidently left her holding the bag when they split.

I can't see any evidence that she was splurging on luxury items other than the clothes she and Suzie had when they inventoried her belongings. She was living in the least desirable home in the area, very inexpensive, and drove a Chevrolet Corsica, basic transportation at best.

All of this was left hanging as we were never told anything that would justify such allegations.

If anything could be said it might have been her generosity rather than any illicit activities. I suppose it might be argued that was a "bad choice" but not anything illegal.

 

[Missouri Mule]

Richard, you were pretty spot on with that quote. And I would agree with parts of the quote by LE.

I find it interesting that they said "HE". Implying that it might have just been ONE PERSON. Or at least LE thought so. Why did LE not just said "THEY".

LE specifically said "HE". And to me that stands out as a CLUE as to what LE's angle on the 3MW crime was.

To me.......they clearly, by this statement alone, think it was one person.

Any thoughts on this???

I would have a thought or two if I could see all the police statements made to date.

One could, I believe, argue that this suspect had his motive moved to action by one or more bad actors. He may never have conceived that he would be swept along by bad people. One has to parse what they had to say. I would imagine that the public statements were carefully vetted by their legal staff.

If we can eliminate the possibility that the perp did not follow the girls into the house when they arrived and that the doors were locked I can only think of two ways into the house.

It had to be a known trusted person or a cop or cop impersonator. I can't even imagine how anyone else would be trusted enough to allow entry.

There is a very remote possibility that the porch globe was deliberately broken to elicit someone to investigate the noise. That can't be ruled out entirely. But why would anyone do that and then leave that money behind? A home invasion seems highly improbable.

 

[TexasT]

They also said "Suspect".......and not......."Suspects"

Again, to me it seems clear, that LE is implying that they were only looking at the crime from a "Single Suspect" vantage point.

Totally agree . Would say suspect or suspects singular and plural .

 

[TexasT]

This is another police statement worthy of note: I would ask one question?

Who does this NOT exclude?

"The suspect clearly spent a considerable amount of time out and about from late at night on Saturday, June 6, 1992, into the morning of Sunday, June 7, 1992. The suspect had to have been unaccounted for at the time of the crime. Someone who knew or lived with the suspect in 1992 likely would have been aware of this fact. In addition, in order to explain his whereabouts on the night of the crime, the suspect may have fabricated a story regarding his activities.
-
Around the time of the crime, the suspect may have spent a considerable amount of time in, or may otherwise have been familiar with, the area of the crime, and he may have frequently been out and about at odd hours. The suspect also may have developed an interest in the victims.
-
People who know the suspect may not believe that he is capable of committing this type of crime, and he may not have a history of committing crimes of violence" ....

I don't have the precise link but I believe that is verbatim taken from the official accounts as rendered on the 20th anniversary.

I would quickly add that I DO NOT believe this individual is the one or more who actually murdered the women. That could have been anyone, including some of the "usual suspects."

Your best post to date .
We know Cox had his alibi fabricated . Although perhaps based on his history he felt the need to , to not become a person of interest .

If I recall , there was still a single male that could not account for his time .

 

[intothenight]

I go back and forth a lot between believing this is the work of a lone perp. I always doubted Cox was responsible for this, especially if it was a "one-man show". But, if there was indeed two or more involved in the abduction, it's definitely possible to believe he could have been one of them. The phone calls the following day could indicate this wasn't the work of a single perp, and to me, it seems like Cox would be exactly the type of guy to toy with the friends and loved-ones in that manner. I don't really think that the claims those calls were completely random and unrelated to the crime hold much water, especially when you look at the very specific times those came in.

As I mentioned, Cox as a lone perp does seem unlikely, at least to me. From reading about his criminal history and the documented interviews with him, he seems like someone who would not be able to carry off a crime of this nature and leave no evidence behind. Everything was methodically thought-through, it would seem. Cox would likely have sexual motivations and I don't see any reason he would have to remove the women from the house if he were working alone. It's a horrible thing to say, but I truly believe if he were the perp, the house would have been a likely murder-scene and this case would have been solved very soon after.

 

[Missouri Mule]

I go back and forth a lot between believing this is the work of a lone perp. I always doubted Cox was responsible for this, especially if it was a "one-man show". But, if there was indeed two or more involved in the abduction, it's definitely possible to believe he could have been one of them. The phone calls the following day could indicate this wasn't the work of a single perp, and to me, it seems like Cox would be exactly the type of guy to toy with the friends and loved-ones in that manner. I don't really think that the claims those calls were completely random and unrelated to the crime hold much water, especially when you look at the very specific times those came in.

As I mentioned, Cox as a lone perp does seem unlikely, at least to me. From reading about his criminal history and the documented interviews with him, he seems like someone who would not be able to carry off a crime of this nature and leave no evidence behind. Everything was methodically thought-through, it would seem. Cox would likely have sexual motivations and I don't see any reason he would have to remove the women from the house if he were working alone. It's a horrible thing to say, but I truly believe if he were the perp, the house would have been a likely murder-scene and this case would have been solved very soon after.

What I can say, and I believe it to be true, that it was stressed over and over that the abductor and the killer or killers were not one and the same. It was also evidently determined that a gun was used to gain compliance. How that was determined I do not know.

We are not getting any definitive information beyond somewhat vague statements from the SPD.

I will say this. It is now my opinion that the police figured this out at the outset. When someone flunked the polygraph and if the same one had a "terrible alibi" that almost certainly points in one direction.

I would also go back to the latest quote I cited a few posts back. The time frame was such that the perp could not be eliminated. To my mind the individual is a virtual certainty. However, who carried out the murders is truly not known (at least by me.) It would be very helpful to know who he was hanging out with at the time. If it is that family out in Rogersville, it would certainly fit and the bodies could have been buried there.

One has to really parse the statements to understand what is being said. That is why I will be very interested in further statements they provide if any.

Offhand, is there a source here that provides all of the statements by the police? That would be helpful.

BTW: I believe I have located the source of the "poor choices" quote. It was not (I believe) a statement by the police but of a poster here who made one final post. I know of no police statement that cast doubt on any of the victims as somehow responsible for their demise.

I just located this quote among the media sources here:

Regarding the polygraphs, there was one person who did NOT pass it.

Quote: "The men passed the 20th and 21st polygraphs given in the
investigation, now 46 days old. All but one person has passed the tests, indicating they were telling the truth about the questions asked. No details were released on the person who failed the test." End quote. News-Leader, July 23, 1992

 

[Blue Girl1991]

Quote: "The men passed the 20th and 21st polygraphs given in the
investigation, now 46 days old. All but one person has passed the tests, indicating they were telling the truth about the questions asked. No details were released on the person who failed the test." End quote. News-Leader, July 23, 1992

This is sounds like critical and very important detail!
if that one person failed in the tests and all the other passed
there is a very significant possibility that this person had some kind of involvement in the crime, why the police didn't put real pressure on him after he failed the tests? that could solve the crime so many years ago.

After all those years why the police doesn't publish a statement that this
specific person failed the test? it might put some pressure on him.

another option? :
serrill had an acquaintance with someone she thought was a normal person and when she found out who he really was ,who are his "friends" and what they were doing ,she ended the connection becouse she was a good and honest person and those people decided to silence her for good.

Is it a possibility?

 

[monkeymann]

This is sounds like critical and very important detail!
if that one person failed in the tests and all the other passed
there is a very significant possibility that this person had some kind of involvement in the crime, why the police didn't put real pressure on him after he failed the tests? that could solve the crime so many years ago.

After all those years why the police doesn't publish a statement that this
specific person failed the test? it might put some pressure on him.

another option? :
serrill had an acquaintance with someone she thought was a normal person and when she found out who he really was ,who are his "friends" and what they were doing ,she ended the connection becouse she was a good and honest person and those people decided to silence her for good.

Is it a possibility?

What is interesting about the time frame of the Polygraphs is, "Someone Failed". And "Cox" hadn't come under LE's radar at this point.

To me, this says that it is most probable that COX was not involved in the 3MW crime.

However, someone they investigated from the Date the crime occurred in June, until July when they announce this information to the media......failed the polygraph.

I don't even think Garrison was on their radar as soon as mid-July.

So if this is true.......that may narrow things down a bit.

 

[Missouri Mule]

What is interesting about the time frame of the Polygraphs is, "Someone Failed". And "Cox" hadn't come under LE's radar at this point.

To me, this says that it is most probable that COX was not involved in the 3MW crime.

However, someone they investigated from the Date the crime occurred in June, until July when they announce this information to the media......failed the polygraph.

I don't even think Garrison was on their radar as soon as mid-July.

So if this is true.......that may narrow things down a bit.

I concur. Good catch.

I don't believe the GJ3 came on the radar until much later. Cox had no reason to be suspected and at one time had an alibi. Eliminate them and we have a mystery man.

 

[Missouri Mule]

This is sounds like critical and very important detail!

If that one person failed in the tests and all the other passed
there is a very significant possibility that this person had some kind of involvement in the crime, why the police didn't put real pressure on him after he failed the tests? that could solve the crime so many years ago.

After all those years why the police doesn't publish a statement that this
specific person failed the test? it might put some pressure on him.

another option? :

Sherrill had an acquaintance with someone she thought was a normal person and when she found out who he really was ,who are his "friends" and what they were doing ,she ended the connection becouse she was a good and honest person and those people decided to silence her for good.

Is it a possibility?

I think he was the number one suspect from the very beginning. How else would they even have known who he was at that early date?

Always be suspicious of someone who answers a question with a question.

Polygraphs are not foolproof and there are both false positives and false negatives. They are just a tool to aid in the investigation.

What could the police have said? They just don't. Of course the suspect can always discuss the results.

I want to stress again that this individual was almost certainly not the killer. That could have been anyone.

 

[Talullah]

Originally Posted by Missouri Mule

Quote: "The men passed the 20th and 21st polygraphs given in the
investigation, now 46 days old. All but one person has passed the tests, indicating they were telling the truth about the questions asked. No details were released on the person who failed the test." End quote. News-Leader, July 23, 1992

"The men passed..." indicates a woman didn't. Maybe.

 

[Jennifer17]

I think that those two girls and one woman's bodies have been recovered somewhere but widely scattered so that they don't seem connected. Morgues are full of Jane Does.

 

[TexasT]

I think that those two girls and one woman's bodies have been recovered somewhere but widely scattered so that they don't seem connected. Morgues are full of Jane Does.

No guarantee they are even still in Missouri .
William Reece who abducted Kelli Cox from Denton Tx buried her near Houston 5 hours away . He was a trucker who killed / abducted women from Oklahoma /Texas in the 80's -90's . But was incarcerated in 1992.


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[dexter75]

This is sounds like critical and very important detail!
if that one person failed in the tests and all the other passed
there is a very significant possibility that this person had some kind of involvement in the crime, why the police didn't put real pressure on him after he failed the tests? that could solve the crime so many years ago.

After all those years why the police doesn't publish a statement that this
specific person failed the test? it might put some pressure on him.

another option? :
serrill had an acquaintance with someone she thought was a normal person and when she found out who he really was ,who are his "friends" and what they were doing ,she ended the connection becouse she was a good and honest person and those people decided to silence her for good.

Is it a possibility?

One thing I've learned from being a member here is ANYTHING is possible.
I'm thinking about Jacob Wetterling and how LE had his killer in their sites 20 plus years ago.
They interviewed Danny Heinrich, followed & kept him under surveillance for months, and let him go.
Thinking back to the time period ( 1989) & how law enforcement had NILL when it came to equipment & procedures for collecting whatever evidence there was
was nothing like we have today..
My gut tells me the person (s) who did this have already been interviewed and/or have been on the radar.
I think it is going to take the right set of eye's to review the file beginning up to now to solve this case.
All JMO

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[Ozoner]

One thing I've learned from being a member here is ANYTHING is possible.
I'm thinking about Jacob Wetterling and how LE had his killer in their sites 20 plus years ago.
They interviewed Danny Heinrich, followed & kept him under surveillance for months, and let him go.
Thinking back to the time period ( 1989) & how law enforcement had NILL when it came to equipment & procedures for collecting whatever evidence there was
was nothing like we have today..
My gut tells me the person (s) who did this have already been interviewed and/or have been on the radar.
I think it is going to take the right set of eye's to review the file beginning up to now to solve this case.
All JMO

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I'm still waiting for an answer to the question of whether the abduction was random or whether one of the women was targeted. I wish LE would give up a little more information on the suspect who failed the polygraph.

 

[Jennibee]

I'm still waiting for an answer to the question of whether the abduction was random or whether one of the women was targeted. I wish LE would give up a little more information on the suspect who failed the polygraph.

Yes. Almost 25 years later. We need SOMETHING.


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[Missouri Mule]

Yes. Almost 25 years later. We need SOMETHING.


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Actually I think we do if one thinks this through.

Virtually everyone agrees that entry was gained by someone known and trusted. Realistically the only real entry points were the front and side doors.

The other plausible person to be allowed in would be either a real or fake cop. There were three stolen uniforms stolen shortly before the women went missing.

The other fact is there was no word from Sherrill after about 11:30 PM. She could have previously left the home and Suzie may have thought Sherrill was returning home and she opened the side door thinking Sherrill needed to be let in.

One other thing we have been told is that the dog was heard barking at some time. It is plausible that Suzie let the dog out for one final time before going to bed. The dog may have been locked in the bathroom when Suzie and Stacy arrived.

Logically, if Suzie entered the house and the Yorkie was barking in the bathroom she would logically had let the dog out AND checked on Sherrill.

When she was awakened she cracked the blinds thinking Sherrill was returning home. It was at that time the intruder got into the house.

While Suzie was likely compliant, Stacy was not in that she was in her underwear and struggled as she was forcibly taken from the house. One report I have seen posited was that she was actually dragged from the house. It was at that time the globe was likely knocked loose and Stacy was cut leaving her DNA behind.