GUILTY OK - Verlin 'Ray' Howard, 41, Tulsa, 4 Sept 2014 *Arrest*

[OkieGranny]

http://www.fox23.com/news/news/loca...-looking-missing-tulsa-m/njPYR/#__federated=1

Verlin Ray Howard was last heard from on Sept. 4... he did not call work to explain his absence and he did not pick up his paycheck.

The investigation revealed he had taken two sizable amounts out of his retirement fund in August and September. The person who reported him missing said on Sept. 4, Howard said he was going to northwest Kansas to pick up furniture with an ex-roommate. Howard left his truck and recently purchased Dodge Caliber behind.

Investigators said no one saw Howard leave his apartment and they have not been able to confirm where he went in to pick up furniture. The ex-roommate has been interviewed and denies he picked up Howard and said he had no reason to go with Howard to northwest Kansas.

http://www.krmg.com/news/news/local...ng-more-and-more-ominous/njPNm/#__federated=1

The case took a turn when Howard's cell phone showed up in Sperry.

In an email to KRMG, Det. Dave Walker wrote that "the people that found the phone have been less than cooperative with the investigation."

Then in November, police were able to search an apartment Howard shared with a roommate in the 3000 block of E. Tecumseh, just northwest of Pine and Harvard. They found evidence of blood - a lot of it, and the suspicion that Howard may have been seriously hurt or even killed was heightened.

NamUs: https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/26292

 

[creepedout]

This case is airing on A&E's "The First 48" right now. Watching...

 

[creepedout]

OK, so far, his cell phone was found off a dead end road. Looked real run down, junk everywhere. The man who found the phone was very evasive with the officers when they tried to talk to him at his house. He agreed to meet them the next day, and told them that he had found the phone but it had since been stolen from him. The officers then received permission from the current residents of Ray's apartment to examine it. When they sprayed Luminol on the carpet, it lit up.

Ray's roommate stated that Ray had been discussing going to Kansas to buy some furniture, but he had no idea where or from whom.

 

[creepedout]

Ray worked for Accurate Manufacturing for 17 years. They're only 2 min from his apartment. His co-workers mentioned him making two $5k withdrawals shortly before he went missing. They doubted after 17 years with them he would just suddenly decide to leave without telling anyone.

One of Ray's neighbors may have heard sounds of a struggle in his apartment on the night he disappeared.

 

[creepedout]

He met a woman and bought himself and her a smartphone. After he went missing, his roommate texted the woman from Ray's new phone (!) and was asking her to try to get in touch with Ray. He stated that Ray had taken his old phone and left the new phone with him (the roommate) to get it set up.

 

[creepedout]

Ray's roommate's girlfriend told the officers that Ray and his roommate had gotten into a fistfight on the night he disappeared. He denied it and stated that she was lying because she was just pi**ed at him. He also stated that he sold Ray's new phone because he needed the money.

The blood in the carpet showed a familial match to Ray's family members.

 

[creepedout]

Half a year later, a woman reported that the body may be at the bottom of a lake. The lake was searched, but all they found were some cinder blocks with nothing attached.

Nobody has been charged in connection with the case.

 

[Treelights]

Thanks creepedout for all your updates!

 

[creepedout]

Thanks creepedout for all your updates!

I guess that's what commercials are for.

 

[ANZAC]

I realize they edit a lot out, but the detectives didn't specifically ask the room mate (Rob) either had he seen any blood on the carpet or was he aware who had cleaned it? How would he explain someone getting into the apartment, accounting for the huge amount of blood, and also that it was cleaned up? Who did the cleaning? If it was cleaned up after he moved out, surely the people doing the cleaning would have known what they were cleaning up.

 

[crystal72]

Sad case. I remember hearing it on news when he went missing. It's looking more and more like roommate had something to do with it & possibly had help from whoever "found" the phone. My gut feeling though is the finder is mentally ill & not involved at least knowingly. Phone could have been planted where he would find it.
In the beginning of show roommate said he went to clean out the bed of the truck. What was in it? Just dirt or a large load of scrap metal? How long would that take? I would think it would take a while to kill someone ( since no bullet holes or sound of gun firing yet violent enough to leave a lot of blood-probably stabbing) dispose of the body , clean up blood& shampoo carpets. I would think he would notice if carpet was cleaner in spots or still damp.
Not sure if anyone else on here is from tulsa but that is a very bad side of town w/lots of shady characters & last time I was in turley lots of open/abandoned fields & houses.

 

[Sweetgrits]

This case is airing on A&E's "The First 48" right now. Watching...

It's on again tonight

 

[Dewayne]

I realize they edit a lot out, but the detectives didn't specifically ask the room mate (Rob) either had he seen any blood on the carpet or was he aware who had cleaned it? How would he explain someone getting into the apartment, accounting for the huge amount of blood, and also that it was cleaned up? Who did the cleaning? If it was cleaned up after he moved out, surely the people doing the cleaning would have known what they were cleaning up.

I searched the apartment 2 weeks after Ray went missing and it look like it had been cleaned by a made service. Rob didn't have a job so I know that didn't happen. So it s cleaned shortly after Ray went missing. If i had to guess it was Rob the roommate that cleaned the place up since he lived there.
One of the things you didn't see on the first 48 was that Rob took a polygraph. The detectives asked 2 questions. Did Rob kill ray and does he know where the body is. The detective said he failed the polygraph miserably. Unfortunately you can't be arrested for falling a polygraph. The reason that wasn't in the show was because they quit filming before it was taken.

 

[crystal72]

I searched the apartment 2 weeks after Ray went missing and it look like it had been cleaned by a made service. Rob didn't have a job so I know that didn't happen. So it s cleaned shortly after Ray went missing. If i had to guess it was Rob the roommate that cleaned the place up since he lived there.
One of the things you didn't see on the first 48 was that Rob took a polygraph. The detectives asked 2 questions. Did Rob kill ray and does he know where the body is. The detective said he failed the polygraph miserably. Unfortunately you can't be arrested for falling a polygraph. The reason that wasn't in the show was because they quit filming before it was taken.

I as in you yourself searched the apartment or are you quoting someone else? I was just curious. Actually I just thought of something and was curious. The missing persons report was filed in September, I doubt they would have searched his home that day since 1) he's an adult and 2) there was nothing to indicate foul play or did he leave on his own accord for whatever reason so they wouldn't have any reason to search the apartment. Is that correct? I don't know what standard procedure is on missing adults. That would give him plenty of time from September to November to clean it up if so.
I wish they would do a separate show showing some of the other things that go on like the polygraph instance. It would have to be a longer show and not everyone would be interested but I know some of us "armchair detectives" would

 

[SweetT]

Sounds like Rob may need to be arrested for murder.

 

[SweetT]

Sad case. I remember hearing it on news when he went missing. It's looking more and more like roommate had something to do with it & possibly had help from whoever "found" the phone. My gut feeling though is the finder is mentally ill & not involved at least knowingly. Phone could have been planted where he would find it.
In the beginning of show roommate said he went to clean out the bed of the truck. What was in it? Just dirt or a large load of scrap metal? How long would that take? I would think it would take a while to kill someone ( since no bullet holes or sound of gun firing yet violent enough to leave a lot of blood-probably stabbing) dispose of the body , clean up blood& shampoo carpets. I would think he would notice if carpet was cleaner in spots or still damp.
Not sure if anyone else on here is from tulsa but that is a very bad side of town w/lots of shady characters & last time I was in turley lots of open/abandoned fields & houses.

I lived there yrs ago..yes its a very shady bad part of town. They had like one good bbq place there like a hole in the wall, back when I lived there and if you weren't going there then you should probably not be there..

 

[Dewayne]

I as in you yourself searched the apartment or are you quoting someone else? I was just curious. Actually I just thought of something and was curious. The missing persons report was filed in September, I doubt they would have searched his home that day since 1) he's an adult and 2) there was nothing to indicate foul play or did he leave on his own accord for whatever reason so they wouldn't have any reason to search the apartment. Is that correct? I don't know what standard procedure is on missing adults. That would give him plenty of time from September to November to clean it up if so.
I wish they would do a separate show showing some of the other things that go on like the polygraph instance. It would have to be a longer show and not everyone would be interested but I know some of us "armchair detectives" would

I searched it personally. After I found out ray was missing I contacted his work and was told the police hadn't talked to anyone or searched anything. So i talking to his coworkers and neighbors and rob himself. After figuring out rob was guilty, i contacted the police and was told they couldn't search the house of the 2 vehicles because ray was according to the police just missing. Rob told me that ray signed his truck over to him the night before ray went missing. That was a lie. So rob still drives it. I would have to take him to court to get it back because I would be stealing it if I just took it from Rob. Because it's in his possession and not in my name. And in case you were wondering. Homicide didn't start investigating until someone in November. Rob got a 2 and a half month lead. No telling how much evidence disappeared in that time.

 

[Dewayne]

Sad case. I remember hearing it on news when he went missing. It's looking more and more like roommate had something to do with it & possibly had help from whoever "found" the phone. My gut feeling though is the finder is mentally ill & not involved at least knowingly. Phone could have been planted where he would find it.
In the beginning of show roommate said he went to clean out the bed of the truck. What was in it? Just dirt or a large load of scrap metal? How long would that take? I would think it would take a while to kill someone ( since no bullet holes or sound of gun firing yet violent enough to leave a lot of blood-probably stabbing) dispose of the body , clean up blood& shampoo carpets. I would think he would notice if carpet was cleaner in spots or still damp.
Not sure if anyone else on here is from tulsa but that is a very bad side of town w/lots of shady characters & last time I was in turley lots of open/abandoned fields & houses.

Rob told me there are some lumber in the truck that made it very dirty. He said he left out at 5:30 am and didn't get back till 8:30am. So where did he go to wash his truck that took so long? He told the detectives 2 months later that he went to other places but he only told me the one place.

 

[crystal72]

Rob told me there are some lumber in the truck that made it very dirty. He said he left out at 5:30 am and didn't get back till 8:30am. So where did he go to wash his truck that took so long? He told the detectives 2 months later that he went to other places but he only told me the one place.

Another thing I thought about and as much as I hate to admit I grew up in avrough area (at the time) so I knew & am related to many shady ppl
Sometimes ppl will forget to get a story straight first and the first thing out of their mouth is partially truth then you have to stick w/story. he kept telling everyone Kansas ( I believe of) maybe that's where he actually took the body too

 

[wendi.Uk]

I watched the first 48 episode online last night and to me it was obvious that the roommate was the biggest suspect. However, I understand there was nothing other than circumstantial evidence to link him, but its so frustrating, I wish there was more.
has this case gone cold now, or is it still being actively investigated?
Ray seemed like such a nice man