MO - Six Mohler family members for child sex crimes, Bates City 2009 #3

[Wintergreen]

Wintergreen--In everything I've read about the Community of Christ church, I've learned that members are often chosen as "lay ministers" and seem to travel around to different churches to preach. The church leaders were very quick to point out that the Mohlers had no position involving children but I disagree with that statement. I believe that preaching and baptizing does put one in a position of authority over children JMO. Some fairly recent church bulletins are posted on the web and that's how I determined that Burrell Sr. had preached last Father's Day and that David and his daughter had ushered recently.

Thank you again, Missizzy, for your excellent sleuthing! I am not able to find anything historical on these sites and I am guessing that a phone call to the COC headquarters would not yield any information about whether BM Sr was a Pastor in Platte Woods back in the 70's. Maybe I should not give up so easily, but it doesn't seem like they've been very forthcoming so far.

I absolutely agree with you about this gang having access to children. At first, all we heard in the news was that BM Sr, David, and Jared were lay ministers but the truth has now come out that all five of them have served as lay ministers for YEARS inside their respective churches, giving them access to children through teaching classes, scouting, church camps, and even one-on-one instruction. If I understand the term "lay minister" correctly it means that the person is not paid for their services. However, in the RLDS/COC church a Pastor is much more than a lay minister. Though they are not paid for their services, just as with a lay minister, a Pastor presides over all the important decisions that are made in a congregation. It is a powerful position, and one that would have given BM Sr respectability and a great deal of access to people's children. Just to clarify, someone else eventually replaced BM Sr as Pastor for the Bates City congregation, which meant that he returned to the status of "lay minister" and thus the COC spokesperson was not being dishonest when she referred to him that way. In most religions, however, a retired leader retains the status of their former position. This being the case, I think it would have been more honorable for the COC to acknowledge that BM Sr had been a Pastor at one time [or more than once as it is beginning to appear].

The fact that he served in that leadership position for years in Bates City lends credibility to the quote you posted earlier from someone on a Topix forum saying that BM Sr was her Pastor when she lived in Platte Woods years ago.

 

[Texas Mist]

Check out the comment at 11/25/2009 11:06:30 PM:
http://www.kansascity.com/637/story/1592354.html

Are they making an assumption that someone from the church treated the kids, or is there a rumor that someone from the church treated them?

Another commenter says that the reason the defendants don't have attorneys yet, is because this is a rural area. That they will be using public defenders and that there aren't enough pd's to go around. They are saying that agreements will have to be worked out with pd's in other county's and communities.

Early on it was said that 3 of the 5 didn't qualify for a public defender (BBM):

The Missouri public defender's office said Monday three of the men in Missouri applied for a public defender, but did not qualify. The office did not say which of the men sought its representation or why they did not qualify.

http://www.ksdk.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=189835&provider=topStories

And then we heard that the 6th, Darrel, didn't qualify either:

that he was not eligible for a public defender and set bail at $40000

http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2009/11/15/florida-suspect-mohler-sex-case-devastated/

I'm still perplexed that these men haven't 'lawyered up' yet.

 

[Wintergreen]

Beimng a former volunteer, or Perverted- Justice, they do NOT take tips, nor do they investigate citizen tips. They also do NOT make fist contact witha potential perp.

You were a volunteer for Perverted Justice, Ladybass? How did they recruit your help? You are my hero!

 

[mysteriew]

http://www.randyleach.com/randy.html

The following passage concerns me. Who was this girlfriend? She was in Randy's class. She showed horses and went to shows with her parents. She was adopted. She shared something with Randy on Dec. 1, 1987 which upset him so much that he broke the windshield of a car (he doesn't strike me as having been a violent boy). He wanted her to go to counseling about her problems and even told his parents about it.

OK. What kind of problems would a young 16-17 year old girl have that a 17 year old boy would think she needed counseling for in 1987? The first thing that comes to mind is sexual abuse--either from the past or on-going. The reports don't say how old she was when she was adopted.

It could have been PTSD, cutting, depression, or an eating disorder but I really doubt that a teen boy would instantly think counseling for that in 1987. Our schools and communities have done a lot of work with teens in the past 25 years to raise awareness on those issues but teen boys are still notoriously clueless about helping a friend in trouble.

I ran this by my husband and when I got to the part about breaking the family car's windshield, he instantly responded, "She disclosed sexual abuse to Randy." I happen to agree. Any thoughts?

Written by Randy's parents, Harold and Alberta Leach:

"Randy had a girlfriend until February of 1988. They dated steadily for about a year. They were both seniors. They usually went out on a Friday or Saturday evening to see a movie or go bowling. She had babysitting jobs. Sometimes Randy would go there during the evening. She showed horses. He would help her get her horses ready and loaded, and would sometimes go with her and her parents to the horse shows.

She was adopted and had problems from her childhood that bothered her. It caused stress in her relationship with Randy. He came home on December 1, 1987 very upset. He had hit the windshield of the family car with his fist and broke it. He told us about his girlfriend's problems. He wanted her to go to counseling. We agreed to go with them and help in any way that we could. After finals, she told him that she could work on her problems on her own and would not go for counseling. Randy told her that they should go their own separate ways and start seeing others."

I've been thinking about Randy's car. With all the caves in that area, it is possible that the car was driven into a cave or tipped into a sinkhole. Unless someone decides to use the cave for something or unless it comes to the attention of cave explorers it might be hundreds of years before anyone ventures near it.

 

[Linda7NJ]

Early on it was said that 3 of the 5 didn't qualify for a public defender (BBM):

The Missouri public defender's office said Monday three of the men in Missouri applied for a public defender, but did not qualify. The office did not say which of the men sought its representation or why they did not qualify.

http://www.ksdk.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=189835&provider=topStories

And then we heard that the 6th, Darrel, didn't qualify either:

that he was not eligible for a public defender and set bail at $40000

http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2009/11/15/florida-suspect-mohler-sex-case-devastated/

I'm still perplexed that these men haven't 'lawyered up' yet.

IMO Most sophisticated pedophiles are extremely narcissistic. They probably think they don't need one!

 

[Missizzy]

Remember how the very car used to abduct Jaycee was "hiding" in plain view? I really think that Randy left the party with someone else driving him in his car. I have no idea why he would have gone to Independence Center or what driveway he ended up in. The girls' report, IIRC, states that the man drove to "his" residence. I'm not sure how they would know it was this particular man's residence unless they knew him. I'm thinking that, possibly, it was to "a" residence. I think that, if this was Randy, someone else drove his car away after he was lured into the Mohler car. JMO It's very possibly at the bottom of a lake or in a cave.

And just so everyone knows, anyone can volunteer to do work for Perverted Justice. You don't get to automatically go out and "lure" predators, though. You have to prove yourself through months of "grunt" (but extremely important) tasks. It's a great organization and I can't recommend it highly enough.

On another subject, may I ask a theoretical question? What is it about Missouri and Kansas and Satanic and haunted stuff? I've been doing a lot of research this weekend and I just can't get over the "Gates of Hell" in Stull and various other places. Is this why the LDS church splintered here? Oregon is plain dull compared with this stuff!!

 

[Kano]

I've been thinking about Randy's car. With all the caves in that area, it is possible that the car was driven into a cave or tipped into a sinkhole. Unless someone decides to use the cave for something or unless it comes to the attention of cave explorers it might be hundreds of years before anyone ventures near it.

Someone posted a myspace link for Randy earlier, If you look there they mention a local rumor on it.. I guess there was an old auto shop that closed down, his car was rumored to have been chopped and disposed of there.

 

[mysteriew]

Someone posted a myspace link for Randy earlier, If you look there they mention a local rumor on it.. I guess there was an old auto shop that closed down, his car was rumored to have been chopped and disposed of there.

A local girl here went missing with her car years ago and neither has been found. The same rumor has gone around on her car. I think that is always thought of when a car goes missing. In her case, the father of the suspect operated a junk yard. But in this case, the suspect would have had to find someone willing to chop the car.

 

[Wintergreen]

I was just going through the first thread of this discussion, trying to catch up. Since the first thread is now closed I used copy/paste to bring forward two posts that really caught my attention:

Originally Posted by Soulmagent:
“So there is an Independence MO connection to the family
which according to Google maps is 27 miles from where the police were searching property and an EMT connection. Could you send me a link to the grandmothers obit? I know this case has to do with the abuse of children and it may be far fetched to even relate it to Star Boomer but it is nagging at me. She was a single mother with a young son.”

Then this post from Fairy1 was a response to Soulmagent (above):
“Interesting - I hadn't even thought of Star! I believe she was a victim of Shon Pernice, but who knows?”

To Soulmagent—you will find the grandmother’s obituary (BM Sr’s wife) below:

Five Family Members Charged in Missouri Child Sex Case/HUNT FOR BODIES - Cold Case Investigations
This was found in #6 from Texaskowgirl:
"Kansas City Star, The (MO) - December 31, 1991
Deceased Name: ALICE R. MOHLER
Alice Rogene Elefson Mohler , 59, rural Bates City, Mo., formerly of this area, died Dec. 26, 1991, in Independence. She was born in Genoa, Colo., and lived in Butler, Mo., Gladstone and Independence before moving to the Bates City area in 1973. Mrs. Mohler taught at preschools in Gladstone and Bates City. She then owned a machine quilting business in Bates City. She received an associate's degree in 1952 from Graceland College, Lamoni, Iowa. She was a member of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints near Bates City. Survivors include her husband, Burrell E. Mohler Sr. of the home; four sons, Burrell E. Mohler Jr., Independence, David A. Mohler , Lamoni, Jared L. Mohler , Washington, Mo., and Roland N. Mohler , Greenwood in Jackson County; her mother, Eleanor Elefson, Whitehall, Mont.; three brothers, Elbert Elefson, Martinsburg, W.Va., Don O. Elefson, Blue Springs, and Vern Elefson, River Falls, Wis.; four sisters, Jean Stayton and Esther Hoover of Independence, Beth Gamble, Buckner, and Kathryn Sacry, Whitehall; and 11 grandchildren. Memorial services will be at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at the church. The family suggests contributions to the Alice Mohler Memorial Fund, in care of the Independence Regional Health Center Hospice; or to the Oblation Fund of the Covenant Restoration Branch, in care of Joe C. Brandon, 2625 Lee's Summit Road, Independence, Mo. 64055. Edition: METROPOLITAN, Page: B5, Record Number: 70429."

To Fairy1:
I was stunned to see that you brought up Shon Pernice because it appears that Shon worked as an Independence firefighter alongside Burrell Edward (Ed) Mohler, Jr.

I realize we may be veering off the road a bit but it looks as if Soulmagent saw a connection between the Star Boomer disappearance and the Mohler case without even knowing that Shon Pernice and BM Jr worked together! If I have learned anything from my Websleuths mentors (such a tireless, undaunted, and talented group) it has been to be fearless in looking at different angles. When Randy Leach went missing 20 years ago there were many witnesses who had almost nothing to say; when Star Boomer went missing 10 years ago (not far from where Randy went missing) there were 13 witnesses who had almost nothing to say. So I am taking a chance here and I am asking; could these cases have something or someone in common?

 

[Salem]

Latest articles: http://www.fox4kc.com/news/wdaf-mohler-murder-accusations-112509,0,1100498.story This one gives some names at the end that may be worth sleuthing.

~snip~ Detectives also seized material with the names, "Jeff - Alabama" and "Roy Shumate" written on them. ~end snip~



This is just a rehash of what we already know: http://www.kansascity.com/news/breaking_news/story/1591849.html


Salem

 

[Texas Mist]

Latest articles: http://www.fox4kc.com/news/wdaf-mohler-murder-accusations-112509,0,1100498.story This one gives some names at the end that may be worth sleuthing.

~snip~ Detectives also seized material with the names, "Jeff - Alabama" and "Roy Shumate" written on them. ~end snip~



This is just a rehash of what we already know: http://www.kansascity.com/news/breaking_news/story/1591849.html


Salem

I've done some sleuthing on Roy Shumate-- here's an earlier post(#240 in this thread)

[ame="http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showpost.php?p=4488046&postcount=240"]Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community - View Single Post - 5 Family Members Arrested In Connection w/Child Sex Crimes #3[/ame]

neither were reported missing or murdered...Shumate Sr. was a justice of the peace for years (from what I've read in postings @ genealogy site)....the Shumates were from Woodbine IA.

Still working on the 'Jeff--Alabama'

IIRC, someone posted a theory upthread that the 'names' jotted down might not be vics but persons interested in CP.

I wish we had more news on this case -- looks like justice for the vics may be slow in coming....only 1 of the 6 arrested has an attorney & I wonder if they are delaying the inevitable (by not lawyering up) because the vics/survivors are *not* lying. JMOOOC.

 

[Missizzy]

Texas Mist--Woodbine is 260 miles north of Bates City, where the farm house is. Do you remember any maps of that area in the seized items?

Also, does anyone remember any info at all concerning drug use, especially meth, and the Mohlers? I don't recall a thing, although, we do have an EMT in custody. There's some conjecture that Randy Leach (the young man who went missing on April 16, 1988) might have been taken to a meth house in Independence. He was not known to be a drug user so this is mainly a rumor. I can't give up on the idea that Randy is somehow involved. I checked and he didn't have any special jewelry on that night, according to a woman writing a book about him. She did say that he'd just lost his class ring, though. That would be for Linwood High, Kansas. He was a Senior in 1988 and attending a pre-graduation party in the DeSoto/Linwood KS area which is not far from Independence.

He and his car were never seen again.

 

[Salem]

I looked quickly in the Alabama missing for a Jeff. I found one Jeff, went missing in 1990. The prevailing thought is he was killed for stealing marijuana from a known drug dealer. That drug dealer is now in jail for killing someone else. There was not enough evidence to prosecute him for Jeff's disappearance or probable murder.

Missizzy - I think you could be very right about Randy. He fits all the criteria as far as size, age and time he went missing.

I pray that the box of jewelry will be helpful and that maybe some trace DNA will be found on it.

Salem

 

[IWannaKnow]

Texas Mist--Woodbine is 260 miles north of Bates City, where the farm house is. Do you remember any maps of that area in the seized items?
Also, does anyone remember any info at all concerning drug use, especially meth, and the Mohlers? I don't recall a thing, although, we do have an EMT in custody. There's some conjecture that Randy Leach (the young man who went missing on April 16, 1988) might have been taken to a meth house in Independence. He was not known to be a drug user so this is mainly a rumor. I can't give up on the idea that Randy is somehow involved. I checked and he didn't have any special jewelry on that night, according to a woman writing a book about him. She did say that he'd just lost his class ring, though. That would be for Linwood High, Kansas. He was a Senior in 1988 and attending a pre-graduation party in the DeSoto/Linwood KS area which is not far from Independence.

He and his car were never seen again.

Missizzy - yep, yep! Maps for Iowa!
http://blogs.kansascity.com/files/20091124155609779_0001.pdf

 

[Wintergreen]

Also, does anyone remember any info at all concerning drug use, especially meth, and the Mohlers? I don't recall a thing, although, we do have an EMT in custody. There's some conjecture that Randy Leach (the young man who went missing on April 16, 1988) might have been taken to a meth house in Independence. He was not known to be a drug user so this is mainly a rumor. I can't give up on the idea that Randy is somehow involved.

Hi Missizzy--You raise such a good question! Initial charges against BM Sr, David & Jared involved use of the term "forcible compulsion":

http://www.nbcactionnews.com/news/l...-Child-Sex-Crimes/J2HnoKadY0KqSu6zgFaFdw.cspx

According to Missouri statute this charge of forcible compulsion includes administering a substance "which renders the victim physically or mentally impaired so as to be incapable of making an informed consent to sexual intercourse":

http://www.moga.mo.gov/statutes/C500-599/5660000030.HTM

I am not a student of law, but it looks very much as if these three are being accused of drugging the children.

 

[Missizzy]

I'm sorry I haven't posted on here today. I've been so busy watching Seattle. I'm in the Northwest and have family in that area. I have to tell you that I'm very worried that religion (or something calling itself religion is going to play a factor in the Clemmons' case too).

Anyway, good catch, IWannaknow. I thought there were maps of that area. And Wintergreen, that's a very intriguing theory. I never fully understood that legal phrase. The woman who is talking with me about the missing man, Randy Leach, believes that meth might play a part in his disappearance. I had no idea meth was even a problem in the midwest in the 80s but I guess I was wrong. It's huge here in the Northwest but I have to say I don't see much mention of it being used as a drug to render children unconscious. Possibly though.

Does anyone have experience with other cases where meth was used? We usually see alcohol. I'm thinking that possibly the Mohlers had a little side "business". If you have no moral compass, anything is possible, I guess.

The theory is that Randy might have had his drink spiked at the party in Linwood, KS on the night of April 15-16th, 1988 and have been driven to a "meth-house" in Independence. I don't understand the motive, however. The Mohler girls report following a man from Independence Center to a residence. I really wish we could know if they've been shown pictures of Randy. I've encouraged this author to call the tip-line and let LE know of these possible links. I know she's in touch with Randy's parents and they are hopeful too.

 

[Missizzy]

http://www.fox4kc.com/wdaf-darrel-mohler-missouri-113009,0,7627419.story

LAFAYETTE COUNTY, Mo. - The sixth man to be accused in a child sex crimes case is on his way to Missouri to face charges.

Darrel Mohler was released from Florida into the custody of Missouri officials at 11:34 a.m. on Monday morning.

Mohler is charged along with his brother and four nephews with more than three dozen sex related charges against children.

 

[Reannan]

This case has to be one of the most disturbing cases I have ever followed - both in terms of content and context. What evidence do we know for a FACT that LE has??? If even a portion of the alegations are true, there has to be HUGE amounts of evidence - right?? I admit that I have not read every single post (work sucks these days, but glad to have a job!). This case is disturbing on all sorts of levels!

 

[Missizzy]

Reannan--I think it going to come out that there's enough evidence to sink a battleship. I honestly believe this case if going to clear up a lot of mysteries. And if we can't end crime, we can work for closure.

 

[CHICANA]

I'm sorry I haven't posted on here today. I've been so busy watching Seattle. I'm in the Northwest and have family in that area. I have to tell you that I'm very worried that religion (or something calling itself religion is going to play a factor in the Clemmons' case too).

Anyway, good catch, IWannaknow. I thought there were maps of that area. And Wintergreen, that's a very intriguing theory. I never fully understood that legal phrase. The woman who is talking with me about the missing man, Randy Leach, believes that meth might play a part in his disappearance. I had no idea meth was even a problem in the midwest in the 80s but I guess I was wrong. It's huge here in the Northwest but I have to say I don't see much mention of it being used as a drug to render children unconscious. Possibly though.

Does anyone have experience with other cases where meth was used? We usually see alcohol. I'm thinking that possibly the Mohlers had a little side "business". If you have no moral compass, anything is possible, I guess.

The theory is that Randy might have had his drink spiked at the party in Linwood, KS on the night of April 15-16th, 1988 and have been driven to a "meth-house" in Independence. I don't understand the motive, however. The Mohler girls report following a man from Independence Center to a residence. I really wish we could know if they've been shown pictures of Randy. I've encouraged this author to call the tip-line and let LE know of these possible links. I know she's in touch with Randy's parents and they are hopeful too.

Independence has been described as the meth capital of the world.