OR OR - David 'Dave' Lewis, 46, Ashland, 4 September 2008

[Red Clover]

LE has stated there IS a connection as recently as 2020

Unsolved So. Oregon: From the Ashes - KOBI-TV NBC5 / KOTI-TV NBC2

MEDFORD, Ore. –“In this case we have some strong persons of interest. But we just don’t have enough to make a strong criminal case,” said Cpt. Tim Snaith, Jackson Co. Sheriff’s Office. Two shocking crimes miles apart yet connected. “I spent many agonizing months investigating this case,” said...

kobi5.com

Two shocking crimes miles apart yet connected.

“I spent many agonizing months investigating this case,” said Cpt. Snaith.

Captain Snaith of the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office won’t disclose the link, but confirms it’s there.

 

[Sleuth2010]

IMO MOO

There needs to be brought in cold case specialists, who can and do, make arrests:


–“In this case we have some strong persons of interest. But we just don’t have enough to make a strong criminal case,”

Unsolved So. Oregon: From the Ashes - KOBI-TV NBC5 / KOTI-TV NBC2

MEDFORD, Ore. –“In this case we have some strong persons of interest. But we just don’t have enough to make a strong criminal case,” said Cpt. Tim Snaith, Jackson Co. Sheriff’s Office. Two shocking crimes miles apart yet connected. “I spent many agonizing months investigating this case,” said...

kobi5.com

" People connections, things connections,” he said.

" As for why the mask was at the campsite in the first place, Cpt. Snaith says, police never asked."

“As with a lot of things and any crimes you go to, things are not as they appear,” said Mike Moran, Jackson Co. Sheriff’s Office.

" Both blazes were separately and intentionally set which is pretty unusual,” said Moran.

"Moran says why a fire erupted at a vacant cabin is something investigators still don’t understand."

" The second fire, however, had a more sinister motive.
The actual cause of death was not fire, but a bullet wound, he said.
Two men found on the same day both shot to death"
///
Long enough justice denied.

The arrests need to be made.

---

 

[Red Clover]

IMO MOO

There needs to be brought in cold case specialists, who can and do, make arrests:


–“In this case we have some strong persons of interest. But we just don’t have enough to make a strong criminal case,”

Unsolved So. Oregon: From the Ashes - KOBI-TV NBC5 / KOTI-TV NBC2

MEDFORD, Ore. –“In this case we have some strong persons of interest. But we just don’t have enough to make a strong criminal case,” said Cpt. Tim Snaith, Jackson Co. Sheriff’s Office. Two shocking crimes miles apart yet connected. “I spent many agonizing months investigating this case,” said...

kobi5.com

" People connections, things connections,” he said.

" As for why the mask was at the campsite in the first place, Cpt. Snaith says, police never asked."

“As with a lot of things and any crimes you go to, things are not as they appear,” said Mike Moran, Jackson Co. Sheriff’s Office.

" Both blazes were separately and intentionally set which is pretty unusual,” said Moran.

"Moran says why a fire erupted at a vacant cabin is something investigators still don’t understand."

" The second fire, however, had a more sinister motive.
The actual cause of death was not fire, but a bullet wound, he said.
Two men found on the same day both shot to death"
///
Long enough justice denied.

The arrests need to be made.

---

Who needs to be arrested though? I have never seen that LE has named a specific POI.

 

[Lilibet]

2020

Unsolved So. Oregon: From the Ashes - KOBI-TV NBC5 / KOTI-TV NBC2

MEDFORD, Ore. –“In this case we have some strong persons of interest. But we just don’t have enough to make a strong criminal case,” said Cpt. Tim Snaith, Jackson Co. Sheriff’s Office. Two shocking crimes miles apart yet connected. “I spent many agonizing months investigating this case,” said...

kobi5.com

Thanks, I knew there were three arson scenes, but @Sleuth2010 mentioned four plus death threats to Dave I’d never heard of before. So I was hoping to hear more about this.

 

[Red Clover]

Thanks, I knew there were three arson scenes, but @Sleuth2010 mentioned four plus death threats to Dave I’d never heard of before. So I was hoping to hear more about this.

Yes, I have thought about this quite a bit but have yet to find anything on that fourth fire either. I had never heard anything about it before @Sleuth2010 mentioned it earlier in this thread. It's definitely a seriously overlooked aspect of this case if it can be substantiated.

I think it was posted, IIRC, that this fourth fire was near Emigrant Lake. Other than that, I don't think the type of fire, a specific location or a link to a report of the mysterious fire has been shared.

I don't remember a date being mentioned either, I'm assuming it was in those first 14 days of September 2008 but could have been in the days or weeks before or after. JMO

It's hard to know if another fire in the area was actually related to either case without (alot) more information. JMO

IMOO- Since the other three fires were apparently started to erase evidence (per LE & news reports) it makes me speculate IF there was a fourth fire that it was also set to cover up some kind of evidence AND since it's been referenced as the "fourth" fire that it was AFTER the third fire at Troy's camp on the Bear Creek Greenway in Central Point Oregon at approximately 1:00 am 9/14/2008.

Dave's memorial was at noon that same day 9/14/2008.

There is a loop you can drive from Emigrant Lake up Greensprings Highway to The Greensprings Inn where there's a turnoff to the left that takes you on a cutoff through the Howard Prairie & Hyatt Lakes area and over to Dead Indian Memorial Road. (And in my case theory; then up Conde creek road over to Hwy 140, then Hwy 62 then to Pilot truck stop in Central Point)

12801 Dead Indian Memorial Rd to Emigrant Lake

maps.app.goo.gl

AFAIK- I never personally actually heard of a specific death threat against Dave in the days, weeks & months after his death, I was aware of the person Dave said he "expected to just show up".

IIRC- It has been mentioned in this thread that someone (at the lake?) threatened to "burn him out"

Over what exactly? The motivation is still unclear. IMOO

It would be interesting to know what happened over Labor Day weekend and that M-T-W September 1st-3rd in more specific detail; dates, times, who was involved, what exactly was said, witnesses, location, phone calls, circumstances.

I recently became aware through personal communication that someone involved in the case "saw" or "spoke" to Dave four days before his death but they had told LE it had been four years since they had seen each other. I think this person may know something and still be able to contribute to solving this case once and for all.

I agree we need people dedicated to re-investigating this cold case or these cold cases as the case may be.

ALL IMO & JMO & IMOO & IME

 

[Red Clover]

Background information on Ashland and Emigrant Lake near my hometown of Ashland Oregon.

The area around the lake is rural and largely agricultural, any road off the main highway is likely unpaved.

Emigrant Lake is a part of an irrigation system that includes Howard Prairie and Hyatt Lakes and serves the agricultural network of the Talent Irrigation District.

The Charming Small Oregon Town That Ranks Among Top 10 Best Art Towns in America

Explore Ashland, Oregon—a captivating destination nestled amidst the Siskiyou and Cascade mountain ranges. Discover the renowned Oregon Shakespeare Festival, award-winning galleries, and vibrant a

thatoregonlife.com

You'll find Emigrant Lake five miles southeast of Ashland.

Emigrant Lake is a reservoir with a lot of recreational opportunities such as camping and swimming.

 

[Red Clover]

Dave's birthday came and went once again. I can only hope LE is working behind the scenes, going back over the evidence, family financials, phone records, cell data, interviews, double-checking alibis and other information in their files.

A little holiday nostalgia~
Around his birthday and Christmas in 2007 Dave brought me a cedar tree he had cut, in the process of getting the tree up I discovered I'm quite sensitive to fresh cedar. Later I told him about the scratches and welts and we had a good laugh.

All these years later I remember what a kind and thoughtful gesture bringing me that tree was. It was perfect and the house smelled amazing that year.

I hope you all had an absolutely satisfying holiday.

 

[Red Clover]

This is one of the first Mail Tribune articles, this archived version is dated September 5th 2008, one day after David's remains were found in the early morning hours of September 4th 2008.

MailTribune.com: Man dies in one of two cabin fires

Firefighters discovered a badly burned body in one of two cabins destroyed by separate fires along Dead Indian Memorial Road early Thursday.

web.archive.org

By Anita Burke
Mail Tribune
September 05, 2008

A driver on Dead Indian Memorial Road spotted and reported the first fire near the intersection with Keno Access Road just before 3 a.m., said Gene Davies, chief of the all-volunteer Greensprings Fire and Rescue. A crew of six volunteers found the small, rustic cabin at 18196 Dead Indian Memorial Road engulfed in flames, he said. Oregon Department of Forestry firefighters joined the fight against the flames. Crews used three water tanker trucks and a portable water pond to douse the flames, but the weekend retreat burned to the ground.

At about 4 a.m., 9-1-1 calls from the Ashland Mine Road area reported seeing flames on the hillside across the valley, Jackson County Fire District No. 5 Chief Dan Marshall said. As district trucks headed up from the valley below, crews from the earlier fire roughly five miles down the road spotted the flames shooting into the sky and were the first to arrive at the burning cabin, he said.

"The fire had burned undetected for a long time," Marshall said. "It was on the ground when crews arrived."

Reach reporter Anita Burke at 776-4485, or e-mail [email protected]

Note: Probably not active contact information as this is an archived article and the Medford Mail Tribune is no longer in business

 

[Red Clover]

Thanks, I knew there were three arson scenes, but @Sleuth2010 mentioned four plus death threats to Dave I’d never heard of before. So I was hoping to hear more about this.

I found the post referencing a 4th fire!!

multiple arson fires 4 : "Barn" in Emigrant Lake area, # 18196 Keno Cabin arson, Troy's Greenway Campspot, and Dave's home and body. It is actually 4 fires that were reported to Detectives.

A "barn" near Emigrant Lake.

Could the killer have hidden out in an old barn and burned it down when they left?

Someone was savvy about setting fires in order to destroy evidence.

Post in thread 'OR - David 'Dave' Lewis, 46, Ashland, 4 September 2008'
OR - OR - David 'Dave' Lewis, 46, Ashland, 4 September 2008

*EBM to add references to the original post

 

[Red Clover]

I have always wondered why the pickax was in the wood stove like this!

DAVE'S AUTOMOBILE WAS FOUND IN HIS DRIVEWAY WITH THE DOORS STILL OPEN? FAMILY SAID DAVE WOULD NEVER LEAVE HIS CAR DOOR OPEN. HIS BOOM-TRUCK WAS OUT OF PLACE AND TIDY-TOOLS SCATTERED ABOUT THE DRIVEWAY. HIS WELDING TANKS WERE PULLED FROM THE TRUCK AND PLACED INSIDE HIS CABIN TO BOOM & BURN. THEY POURED ACCELERANTS ON DAVE. THE KILLERS WERE WRONG- THEY LEFT EXTRA EVIDENCE AT THE KENO CABIN. THEY CREATED MULTIPLE CRIME SITES.

Source: THE FIRE

 

[Gemmie]

I have always wondered why the pickax was in the wood stove like this!

View attachment 470703

Source: THE FIRE

Excuse me if I sound ignorant (because I am on this subject!), but 2 things came to mind.

1) Could whatever the axe-head be in be a good place to store it? Even if that wasn't the main purpose for whatever that is. What is it in anyway? I Goog'ed for pics of vintage wood-burning stoves, trying to see if I could find any with whatever those are on the door to figure it out, and came up with nothing.

2) The other is the pick-ax was used against Dave, maybe not to kill him, but to threaten him, and left there by the killer knowing full well that the handle would burn up leaving no DNA. Sure, simply dropping it wherever s/he was standing seems more logical, but it isn't laying on the ground, it's in what looks like an odd place.

Either way it's definitely curious. Could someone use an ax like that to start a fire? Like... hit something that could/would blowup with it to start a fire? I know, I know... it's much easier to use matches or a lighter. Still, I don't like to leave any stones unturned and question everything.

 

[Red Clover]

Excuse me if I sound ignorant (because I am on this subject!), but 2 things came to mind.

1) Could whatever the axe-head be in be a good place to store it? Even if that wasn't the main purpose for whatever that is. What is it in anyway? I Goog'ed for pics of vintage wood-burning stoves, trying to see if I could find any with whatever those are on the door to figure it out, and came up with nothing.

2) The other is the pick-ax was used against Dave, maybe not to kill him, but to threaten him, and left there by the killer knowing full well that the handle would burn up leaving no DNA. Sure, simply dropping it wherever s/he was standing seems more logical, but it isn't laying on the ground, it's in what looks like an odd place.

Either way it's definitely curious. Could someone use an ax like that to start a fire? Like... hit something that could/would blowup with it to start a fire? I know, I know... it's much easier to use matches or a lighter. Still, I don't like to leave any stones unturned and question everything.

You might have hit upon something, no pun intended. On the blog, it says "his welding tanks were pulled from the truck and placed inside his cabin to boom & burn."

It seems dangerous to use a pickax on a welding tank but who knows, maybe it was the weapon that disabled him. I hate to even think what he must have gone through, especially if he was betrayed by someone he knew.

HIS BOOM-TRUCK WAS OUT OF PLACE AND TIDY-TOOLS SCATTERED ABOUT THE DRIVEWAY. HIS WELDING TANKS WERE PULLED FROM THE TRUCK AND PLACED INSIDE HIS CABIN TO BOOM & BURN.

I guess it's possible someone placed the pickax there AFTER the fire during cleanup but it still seems strange.

The pickax is in the woodstove, it looks like where it draws air from. It's definitely NOT where you would naturally leave such an item and it was definitely NOT where it belonged, he had a whole shed full of various tools, he was an expert welder and could have customized the stove, there were other items in the house he had crafted with his various abilities.

He LOVED that stove and it was well used. It heated that little cabin up to the extra cozy setting. Probably 90 degrees in there, lol. I remember it burned HOT. A nice thing when there's several feet of snow outside your door.

THE FIRE

The Murder of Dave Lewis website was created to generate leads, find witnesses and bring attention to Dave Lewis Murder

web.archive.org

 

[Gemmie]

You might have hit upon something, no pun intended. On the blog, it says "his welding tanks were pulled from the truck and placed inside his cabin to boom & burn."

Do you have a picture of what his welding tanks looked like (doesn't have to be exact) and know approximately how much one would weigh?

It seems dangerous to use a pickax on a welding tank but who knows, maybe it was the weapon that disabled him. I hate to even think what he must have gone through, especially if he was betrayed by someone he knew.

I guess it's possible someone placed the pickax there AFTER the fire during cleanup but it still seems strange.

I'm more apt to think it was found that way, not placed there after. I find that to be even odder (more unlikely) than it being put there before the fire.

 

[Red Clover]

Do you have a picture of what his welding tanks looked like (doesn't have to be exact) and know approximately how much one would weigh?

I'm more apt to think it was found that way, not placed there after. I find that to be even odder (more unlikely) than it being put there before the fire.

There are images of tanks online but I don't know what his exact setup was. I saw what he called his boom truck many times, his work truck with a lift and locking tool cabinets on the side, but never really paid attention to the equipment he carried.
*EBM TO ADD PICTURE OF DAVES WORK TRUCK

 

[Gemmie]

There are images of tanks online but I don't know what his exact setup was. I saw what he called his boom truck many times, his work truck with a lift and locking tool cabinets on the side, but never really paid attention to the equipment he carried.

Thanks. If Goog is correct, they look like large fire extinguishers. The reason I asked was because I was wondering if they were bulky and heavy, and had something that they could place the tip of the axe in (a handle or something) to drag it into the cabin. Once in the cabinet they might have simply placed the axe where it was seen in the pics. Doesn't seem like that's likely though, if they are like a large extinguisher.

 

[Red Clover]

Thanks. If Goog is correct, they look like large fire extinguishers. The reason I asked was because I was wondering if they were bulky and heavy, and had something that they could place the tip of the axe in (a handle or something) to drag it into the cabin. Once in the cabinet they might have simply placed the axe where it was seen in the pics. Doesn't seem like that's likely though, if they are like a large extinguisher.

I also imagined them to be larger. Good thinking @Gemmie
It's going to take all of us sifting through this to get to the truth.

 

[Lilibet]

From Red Clover’s post #449:

Thanks, I knew there were three arson scenes, but @Sleuth2010 mentioned four plus death threats to Dave I’d never heard of before. So I was hoping to hear more about this.

I found the post referencing a 4th fire!!

multiple arson fires 4 : "Barn" in Emigrant Lake area, # 18196 Keno Cabin arson, Troy's Greenway Campspot, and Dave's home and body. It is actually 4 fires that were reported to Detectives.

A "barn" near Emigrant Lake.

Could the killer have hidden out in an old barn and burned it down when they left?

Someone was savvy about setting fires in order to destroy evidence.

Post in thread 'OR - David 'Dave' Lewis, 46, Ashland, 4 September 2008'
OR - OR - David 'Dave' Lewis, 46, Ashland, 4 September 2008

*EBM to add references to the original post
———————————-
This info about a barn fire is from a blog, whereas this post of Red Clover’s from November indicates that the 4th fire was in 2012, about four years after the three fires in 2008.

OR - OR - David 'Dave' Lewis, 46, Ashland, 4 September 2008

Can you do me a favor please, Red Clover? Can you edit my quoted post in your post so that BM's name is just his initials? I edited my own post, but you Quoted it before my edit so his name is there and shouldn't be. Sorry for the hassle. I think I got it?!

www.websleuths.com

ETA: I’m not sure why this link seems to show an editing request. When it’s opened it’s about the mystery fire.

Until @Sleuth2010 posts an MSM (not blog) link to information about an arson barn fire near Emigrant Lake in close time proximity to the other three fires, I don’t think we have any reason to say that there were four arson fires in connection with Dave’s and Troy’s deaths. I’m also still interested to hear more about the “death threats” @Sleuth2010 said that Dave received.

JMO

 

[Gemmie]

I have always wondered why the pickax was in the wood stove like this!

Source: THE FIRE

That stove is really close to trees so I'm thinking it couldn't have been where it was inside the house. Perhaps it landed there during the 'boom and burn' explosion, with the tip of the axe oddly landed where you see it in the picture. While this probably didn't happen, stranger things have. Also, if that wasn't the actual spot that stove was in the house (due to how close those trees appear), and it instead landed there during the explosion, then it wasn't placed there by a person. Unless after the fact which I find a really odd thing to do. Like... why bother?

And, while you might find it hard to believe something like that could happen if you've never had things land in odd ways in your life... I have. So much so that I was always telling a friend about how things landed in an odd manner until it happened so often that I stopped telling her about all the instance.

Some of these things aren't very believable unless you witnessed them first hand like I have. I've often wondered why stuff does that around me but don't have an answer. Maybe to entertain me? lol (which it does)

 

[Gemmie]

There are images of tanks online but I don't know what his exact setup was. I saw what he called his boom truck many times, his work truck with a lift and locking tool cabinets on the side, but never really paid attention to the equipment he carried.
*EBM TO ADD PICTURE OF DAVES WORK TRUCK
View attachment 470713

Can you add that pic in such a way it's clickable so I can look at it larger, please? Since there are different ways of adding pics here, the way I've done it that I know allows it to be clickable so it opens larger, is I paste a SS using my computer's clip feature, and paste it directly in the body of the post.

 

[Red Clover]

From Red Clover’s post #449:

I found the post referencing a 4th fire!!

A "barn" near Emigrant Lake.

Could the killer have hidden out in an old barn and burned it down when they left?

Someone was savvy about setting fires in order to destroy evidence.

Post in thread 'OR - David 'Dave' Lewis, 46, Ashland, 4 September 2008'
OR - OR - David 'Dave' Lewis, 46, Ashland, 4 September 2008

*EBM to add references to the original post
———————————-
This info about a barn fire is from a blog, whereas this post of Red Clover’s from November indicates that the 4th fire was in 2012, about four years after the three fires in 2008.

OR - OR - David 'Dave' Lewis, 46, Ashland, 4 September 2008

Can you do me a favor please, Red Clover? Can you edit my quoted post in your post so that BM's name is just his initials? I edited my own post, but you Quoted it before my edit so his name is there and shouldn't be. Sorry for the hassle. I think I got it?!

www.websleuths.com

Until @Sleuth2010 posts an MSM (not blog) link to information about an arson barn fire near Emigrant Lake in close time proximity to the other three fires, I don’t think we have any reason to say that there were four arson fires in connection with Dave’s and Troy’s deaths. I’m also still interested to hear more about the “death threats” @Sleuth2010 said that Dave received.

JMO

I

That stove is really close to trees so I'm thinking it couldn't have been where it was inside the house. Perhaps it landed there during the 'boom and burn' explosion, with the tip of the axe oddly landed where you see it in the picture. While this probably didn't happen, stranger things have. Also, if that wasn't the actual spot that stove was in the house (due to how close those trees appear), and it instead landed there during the explosion, then it wasn't placed there by a person. Unless after the fact which I find a really odd thing to do. Like... why bother?

And, while you might find it hard to believe something like that could happen if you've never had things land in odd ways in your life... I have. So much so that I was always telling a friend about how things landed in an odd manner until it happened so often that I stopped telling her about all the instance.

Some of these things aren't very believable unless you witnessed them first hand like I have. I've often wondered why stuff does that around me but don't have an answer. Maybe to entertain me? lol (which it does)

This picture, I believe was taken at the memorial. 9/14/2008. By that time ten days later, much of the remains of the cabin had been sifted through by his family so the woodstove had probably been moved. I was surprised by the things that made it through the fire like an enameled tin camp cup that was in better shape than the enameled cast iron bathtub.