MO - Yvonne Lowers, 51: Springfield death mystifies authorities, Jan 2011

[infolowers]

Reply to Missizzy

I wanted to reply back to you but I am very limited on what I can do from my iPhone since we are on the road.

We do know that she had never had a siezure before nor was there any evidence of her having one before she had left the home. We have not received any information from the Medical Examiner saying that this was a possibility. There was no family history of seizures. She also had no previous head trauma.

We also do know that she had not recently drank or ate anything outside of her home.

Thank you for sharing your story with us. I am so sorry to hear about your early ailments. We do know that the one thing that truly assisted us was that she did have identifying marks on her and that her fingerprints were on file. I only hope that you and your family devise a plan together that makes your disease easier on all of you. Even if it's as something simple as having set times to talk to each other so that they know you are safe!

Thanks!

 

[tlcya]

Question. She was doing her evening routine before bed you suspect. Were her slacks or whatever found at the house suggesting she removed them before leaving the house? Do we know if those were located (on top of the laundry hamper, tossed across the bed, etc? I ask because it would help to know if her pants are out there somewhere along her route. It would also lend credence to the possiblity that she herself removed them in some sort of befuddled confused perhaps hypothermic state after having left the house for some unknown reason. If her slacks were at the house (again going with the suggestion she may have been settling in for the evening, getting ready for bed, or at least cozy pj's) that suggests to me some sort of more unusual medical emergency, seizure perhaps or a catasrophic stroke, something that completely impaired her thinking suddenly.

Based on my googling of the area she likely travelled to get to where she lay, I would think her feet would show the tale of whether she wandered there on foot or was taken there by someone by whatever means. If she was nude from waist down that implies barefoot as well, poor dear. Her feet should tell the tale for certain if she got there on her own. I am so sorry.

 

[infolowers]

Infolowers...thank you for joining us here...I am so sorry this has happened to Yvonne. I pray that LE has some answers soon....I am baffled at this point.

Thank you so much!! We have no idea where Springfield PD is at this point. They haven't given us anything to go on. We have tried since Monday to get in touch with anyone but had to leave today to go back home! I guess there's some form that can be filed with the City Attorney in order to see the reports.

We were trying not to step on any toes but I guess we are now past that point.

 

[infolowers]

Question. She was doing her evening routine before bed you suspect. Were her slacks or whatever found at the house suggesting she removed them before leaving the house? Do we know if those were located (on top of the laundry hamper, tossed across the bed, etc? I ask because it would help to know if her pants are out there somewhere along her route. It would also lend credence to the possiblity that she herself removed them in some sort of befuddled confused perhaps hypothermic state after having left the house for some unknown reason. If her slacks were at the house (again going with the suggestion she may have been settling in for the evening, getting ready for bed, or at least cozy pj's) that suggests to me some sort of more unusual medical emergency, seizure perhaps or a catasrophic stroke, something that completely impaired her thinking suddenly.

Based on my googling of the area she likely travelled to get to where she lay, I would think her feet would show the tale of whether she wandered there on
foot or was taken there by someone by whatever means. If she was nude
from waist down that implies barefoot as well, poor dear. Her feet should tell
the tale for certain if she got there on her own. I am so sorry.

I guess I should have clarified the clothing question.

We have yet to actually see the garmnet for ourselves. However from the description we have received, it is more towards a nightgown or a light robe. She was in the process of making it into bed but was interrupted.

We know this because the throw pillows were taken off the bed but it had yet to be turned down. She also still had on her make-up, which was the last thing to come off.

So the time-line we have come up with is between 8 pm and 12 am.

 

[tlcya]

thank you for clarifying. I am stumped. I cannot figure what would have led her to leave willingly or in a lucid state in that wardrobe with nothing.

 

[Salem]

As far as hypothermia, if you are going to be out in the cold for that long with no shelter, hypothermia is a given. He said it may be a cause....does that mean that her organs showed no signs of this? I have training in it, so I find this part hard to believe.

She was on no medications.

And what about the bruising on the knees that was mentioned the 1st article?

Salem

 

[infolowers]

thank you for clarifying. I am stumped. I cannot figure what would have led her to leave willingly or in a lucid state in that wardrobe with nothing.

That is the part that is bothering us as well. It's more aggravating not knowing what the police know or don't know. It amazes me how they do not wish to speak with us. If I were them, I would want to know everything.

So my question would be, what is the next step?

 

[infolowers]

And what about the bruising on the knees that was mentioned the 1st article?

Salem

I have not personally seen the bruising. From what we have been told, it looks as if she had fallen. It is not the kind of bruising that you would expect if there was some type of struggle.

Only one knee, the left, that we personally can think of is bruised. Please keep in mind that she did dress very nicely to work and even running errands. She was a pro in heels but even then had the occasional fall!

We are thinking the week or even days that beforehand the weather has been pretty rough. It would not have been unlike her to fall and not tell one of us.


I am not dismissing the bruising at all. I want to know when and how she got it. Surely the Medical Examiner should be able to tell us about how long the bruise was there.

The Lack of Communication between LE and the Family is new to me. I know that there are some details that I have released that they have not. Right now we just want answers!

 

[infolowers]

SPRINGFIELD, Mo.-- The death of a 51-year-old woman from Greene County is still a mystery, but police say a 911 call before her death could be connected to the case.

Yvonne Lowers' body was found the morning of Monday, Jan. 10, outside a warehouse in southwest Springfield. Police searched the same area the night before after getting a 911 call.

For nearly two weeks, family and friends of Lowers have been struggling with the unanswered questions.

"I can't imagine why she was out; it was so cold. She's so responsible. Why did she ever walk out?" asks Lowers' friend, Helen Stacey.

The autopsy gave no certain cause of death, only that hypothermia was possible, and that Lowers' knees had some bruises, as if she had fallen down. Investigators await more information from toxicology tests and, perhaps, witnesses.

"The circumstances of the time shortly before her death will be very helpful; the people that saw her, whether she was behaving in a normal manner, things like that. A lot of it depends on that information also," said Greene County Medical Examiner Dr. Doug Anderson.

Someone saw a woman who could have been Lowers in the area of Scenic Avenue at Battlefield Road on Sunday night, Jan. 9, and called police. That "check well-being call" came in at 10:03 p.m. Police responded by 10:09.

An employee of the Fast N Friendly convenience store on Scenic at Battlefield says police came into the store that Sunday night. They asked her about a woman walking around in a bathrobe and wearing glasses. The employee says, from what police told her, it sounded like there were multiple calls of concern. She said employees didn't see anyone by that description.

Police searched the area until 10:27, almost 20 minutes, and logged the call as "gone on arrival." Shortly after 8 the next morning, someone found Lowers' body about a block south of the intersection. Her body was in a robe and had no shoes.

Springfield police don't know whether the person on whom they were called to check could have been Lowers. They checked surveillance video at the gas station, but haven't released anything new in the case. Toxicology tests generally take several weeks to complete.

Copyright © 2011, KY3-TV


So I just found this and read it. The Springfield PD did not look at these cameras! I can't believe they are saying they did. Nonetheless, the news now knows this.

Please, if anyone knows who made this call, please get them to call me. If they want to remain anonymous, that is fine. I just want to know if this was her!

 

[Betty P]

Thanks for the update, that is interesting news. I checked online for news stories about this dear woman and found nothing, so its good there's been an update.

Though it might be awkward, keep pressuring the police department. I'm surprised to hear they're not returning your calls. They really should be checking the video at these businesses.

Sorry if this has been mentioned before, but did she have a prescription for sleep medication? Some types can cause people to walk in their sleep, even drive a car.

 

[infolowers]

Thanks for the update, that is interesting news. I checked online for news stories about this dear woman and found nothing, so its good there's been an update.

Though it might be awkward, keep pressuring the police department. I'm surprised to hear they're not returning your calls. They really should be checking the video at these businesses.

Sorry if this has been mentioned before, but did she have a prescription for sleep medication? Some types can cause people to walk in their sleep, even drive a car.

Betty,

It's not awkward with the police department, it's just agravatting. I don't understand why they wouldn't want to talk with us. Especially since we have known her for her entire life. I feel lately like we have done more leg work than they have.

But no, she was not on any sleeping medications. We didn't even find anything over the counter. I do know that Rozerem can have some weird side effects. However, that does not seem to be the case here!

Thanks for the suggestion though!

 

[infolowers]

I wanted to include a picture of Yvonne, just in case anyone had seen her or had contact with her!

Thanks!

 

[infolowers]

There is a rumor that there was a disabled Jeep in the area that night. It was supposed to be a post or a comment somewhere but I can't seem to find it. Has anyone seen or heard this one?

 

[tlcya]

Brown says investigators are in the beginning stages of the investigation and could not comment on whether or not the woman had any visible wounds to her body. Brown also wasn't sure if the storage business or another business across the street had surveillance cameras.

People passing by the business reported that a Jeep had run into a ditch near the business earlier in the morning. Brown says he's not sure if that is related to the investigation.

This may be what you are hearing rumors about. It seems to be a blogtype page and I snipped the above from the description of Yvonne's case

http://webcache.googleusercontent.c...lowers+disabled+jeep&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

I am unfamiliar with this site and whether info found there is accurate. I hope this helps

 

[wfgodot]

Same info, this from a crime blog - The Crime Scene - by Kathee Baird (a WS member, by the way). Still haven't located it in a MSM source.

People passing by the business reported that a Jeep had run into a ditch near the business earlier in the morning.

http://crimesceneinvestigations.blogspot.com/2011/01/springfield-police-launch-suspicious.html

 

[tlcya]

same site as mine but I couldn't get it to load like you did wfg so I linked the cached version. I did not know Ms Baird was a member here, although it makes sense as she is very interested in the Springfield Three and we certainly have a good amount of threads devoted to that case.

ty I learn at least one new thing here almost every day.

 

[LadyL]

my first thought was she was lured out of her house by someone

predators have been known to use a tape recording of an infant crying or an animal in distress to lure women outside

this would fit with her being in the process of getting ready for bed and not being dressed appropriately

or if she thought she saw an accident or a child/animal get hit by a car and just ran out to help without thought to her own warmth/comfort

ETA: I hope I'm wrong and that it was something less sinister; infolowers I am sorry for your loss

 

[infolowers]

Same info, this from a crime blog - The Crime Scene - by Kathee Baird (a WS member, by the way). Still haven't located it in a MSM source.

Thank you two! I didn't know she was a member on here either. I sent her an email, I guess it's back to the Springfield PD call log for me!

I just knew one of the people we talked to while there had said something about it and I just remembered today!

 

[infolowers]

my first thought was she was lured out of her house by someone

predators have been known to use a tape recording of an infant crying or an animal in distress to lure women outside

this would fit with her being in the process of getting ready for bed and not being dressed appropriately

or if she thought she saw an accident or a child/animal get hit by a car and just ran out to help without thought to her own warmth/comfort

ETA: I hope I'm wrong and that it was something less sinister; infolowers I am sorry for your loss

Thank You so much!

It is definitely something that lured her out of the house. We are running down a few leads but it's difficult when we constantly hit a brick wall with the PD.

We do know that there was no type of accident in the area. None of the neighbors had seen nor heard anything like that. The neighborhood is pretty small so even if they had missed it, I'm sure there would have been some type of proof the next morning.

 

[infolowers]

Has anyone ever used the Freedom of Information Act?