OH - Jennifer Nelson, 29, murdered in her Dayton home, 2 Jan 2009

[colette]

Thanks SuziQ, so the breakin might have taken place around 7 or 8pm.

I think the man who stole the car thought it would be easy to come back and steal, since he had the house keys. He might have been thinking about it from the first day, but waited until the family relaxed after the car theft.

I hope they have video from the rest area.

 

[Sassygerl]

I'm still curious about an online relationship. It's just too weird....and with the computers taken too it makes me wonder. How sad for that poor baby. What a smart/brave little boy to give all that info that he did.

 

[colette]

I think the computers were taken to sell or use for himself. From all that has been written about the mother, her family was her world.

 

[SuziQ]

The Alero has been found in Columbus. So it appears from everything we know, the perp most likely resides there.

http://www.10tv.com/live/content/local/stories/2009/01/04/story_dayton.html?sid=102

A vehicle sought in connection with a Dayton-area slaying may have been found Sunday at a flea market on the city's west side, 10TV News reported.

 

[SuziQ]

http://www.nbc4i.com/cmh/news/crime/article/vehicle_connected_to_womans_shooting_found/11418/

(snip)
Officials said they do not know who left the vehicle in the parking lot, but the area is monitored by surveillance cameras. Invesigators will examine the footage to attempt to identify the driver.

 

[SieSie]

http://www.nbc4i.com/cmh/news/crime/article/vehicle_connected_to_womans_shooting_found/11418/

(snip)
Officials said they do not know who left the vehicle in the parking lot, but the area is monitored by surveillance cameras. Invesigators will examine the footage to attempt to identify the driver.

This is good news! :clap: Let's hope they have some good shots of the perp!!

 

[colette]

In the above article it says the child describes the man as a "skinny white" male.
Makes me think crackhead or meth user.

 

[SuziQ]

In the above article it says the child describes the man as a "skinny white" male.
Makes me think crackhead or meth user.

ITA. I wonder if the boy has a description of his teeth...if he had any. I think he upped his game recently, but I have a feeling this is someone LE has a history with. Petty crimes, property theft, etc.

 

[SuziQ]

A question I have is, why would someone break into a house on a Friday evening, when people are usually home? Did he realize that Jennifer and her son were almost always home and just went for it? Or he's so tweaked out he didn't care?

 

[MeoW333]

Can they check surveillance cameras that may have captured the car and killer driving it? They have a timeline of before the car was found.

 

[colette]

This guy may have sold stolen goods at that flea market before. A good place to start asking around about a skinny white guy selling computers and watches; things that can be taken quickly from a home and sold. I think desperation drove him to that home. I think they will find him soon.

 

[CocoPie]

This story is odd to me... one would think after stealing a car, the last thing you'd want to do is go back to the victim's home with it. How would they know the car wouldn't have been spotted by the victims or a neighbor? As a criminal, it seems like taking an unnecessary risk of apprehension after being "in the clear" for 3 weeks. Weird.

I understand if it was someone strung out on drugs and not thinking clearly I guess. But it just sounds like such a dumb move.

 

[SuziQ]

This guy may have sold stolen goods at that flea market before. A good place to start asking around about a skinny white guy selling computers and watches; things that can be taken quickly from a home and sold. I think desperation drove him to that home. I think they will find him soon.

Ah yes, good catch!

 

[colette]

"COLUMBUS, Ohio — Three men are being questioned in connection to the murder of a Dayton-area mother.

Federal Authorities took the men from a home on McMillen Avenue Sunday night after obtaining a search warrant."
....sounds like they are on the trail.




http://www.10tv.com/live/content/local/stories/2009/01/04/~story_dayton.html?sid=102

 

[mysteriew]

I just heard about this one tonight. It seems very odd to me too.

Car stolen in one city, returned to another city where the owner was killed and a second car was stolen, boy stolen then dumped in another city, and the 2nd stolen car was found in the original city where the first car was stolen.

Most people keep things in their car that will identify them. Old mail, car insurance info, car registration etc. So the fact that the unsub knew where the home was is not that surprising. The fact that the keys were in the first car is surprising however. Who goes to a concert and leaves their keys in their car? That reminds me of a guy I used to know who wanted to get out of his car payments- he left his keys in his car in the city and of course it disappeared. But the hubbys wallet in the car too points away from that.

After the murder the unsub puts the child in a stolen car and takes off with him. Really weird, because what are the chances are that the husband or someone might come to the home and find the wife dead and the child and car missing. The possibility of an Amber Alert as well as a stolen car alert was high. Most unsubs would either leave the child there and threaten him to silence or would kill him too.

Dumping the kid in another city might have worked to lead LE to another city to look for him, but finding the stolen car back in Columbus leads police right back there.

I too feel this has some type of feel that perhaps someone knew the unsub, somehow. But really I don't know how.

I wonder if anything else was stolen and I also wonder if this family was financially stable, did she have life insurance on her?

 

[colette]

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Police searched a north side apartment Sunday night and questioned three men in connection with the slaying of a Dayton-area mother. The three men were discovered inside an apartment on McMillen Avenue just south of the Ohio State University campus, 10TV's Kevin Landers reported......

http://www.10tv.com/live/content/local/stories/2009/01/05/dayton_woman.html?sid=102

 

[LaLaw2000]

Could it be someone the woman met online? The guy stole two computers. Did he steal anything else?

If it was someone from the internet the child wouldn't know him. Perhaps the guy got mad if this woman told him to back off. He came and stole her car as an "I'll show you", and now he needs the computers so there's no evidence. Why steal a little child though? Kidnap the child and then leave him?

I just thought this may be the scenario as the grandmom was so specific how Jennifer quit her job to stay home with her son. The hubby worked two jobs. Maybe after tending to her son she was on the internet. I looked for a Myspace for this woman but didn't find one I'm sure is her. How very sad. Poor little boy. Somebody was mad. Almost like they're sending a message.

I was thinking it may be someone she met online as well. This is so tragic.

 

[Filly]

I was thinking it may be someone she met online as well. This is so tragic.

Law, that was my first thought because they stole the computers. I was thinking any addict who decided to steal a car, and then go back and burglarize a home would more likely grab video games, VCR's, and DVD's and that sort of thing. Then again people are bonkers in this world so anything is possible.

Good lookout on the flea market Colette.

News conference at 10:00AM today is supposed to be happening.

 

[Larkin]

This story just doesn't hold together for me. Dayton media are reporting it at face value, but when you look at a basic breakdown of fact, something is hinky here.

Car is stolen at a concert two weeks before Christmas, containing husband's keys-- wallet is unconfirmed-- personal items is what is generally being reported.

Three weeks later, car thief returns to neighborhood 60 miles away, breaks in and kills mother (who is shot multiple times) and kidnaps child, who is certainly old enough to identify him and leaves the boy at a rest stop on I-70 (after riding together for an hour.) Perp leaves the original stolen car near the scene and steals the grandmother's car. All while husband is (conveniently?) at work.

Stolen computers could point to an online relationship, or possibly to searches for murder by hire, or communication about the same. Or it could just be a red herring. I just don't buy this. It's a huge leap from car theft to murder and kidnapping. And why wasn't the child killed too? Why wasn't the child simply left behind at the scene.

I can see that crackheads / meth addicts have unpredictable and often violent behavior, but really, do they have the concentration and attention span to commit a crime like this; not to mention keeping a "hot" car hidden for nearly a month?

Something is rotten in Denmark.

 

[STEADFAST]

MSNBC says LE is holding a news conference within the hour.