OR OR - Stephanie Warner, 43, Ruch, 4 Jul 2013 - #1

[OUOTP]

I'll try to get that info on those tattoos and when she lost the weight.
She has others, so tats are nothing new for her.

I was just wondering if she got them all at once... I see they were done by the same artist. No biggie...Just trying to get into her head, still. Sigh--I wish something would break...

 

[for ashley]

I was just on Fb and saw a comment from a person connected with this. It seems the fuel committee has some pretty radical people working for them. (I'm not at all bad mouthing the fuel committee, what they do is great!) Did Lonnie work or volunteer there, do we know?

It's hard for me to understand how some people can be so kind and caring, like volunteer at the fuel committee to help the elderly and poor, then turn around and be so radical and hateful. I've come to realize, I live a sheltered life and I think I like it that way! Hateful people really piss me off!!

 

[mayelf]

Most people I know around here in Southern Oregon are super nice, even the far out ones. Sorry you had to deal with someone hateful when trying to locate your friend.

 

[cluciano63]

I get the feeling that if the bf or whatever he is knew she alive, he would prove it. He doesn't sound like the type who would welcome police scrutiny if it was avoidable. JMO

 

[Lilibet]

I was just on Fb and saw a comment from a person I recently friended in connection with this. It seems the fuel committee has some pretty radical people working for them. Did Lonnie work or volunteer there, do we know?
It's hard for me to understand how people can be so out there! It really bothers me how someone could do something like volunteer at the fuel committee to help the elderly and poor but turn around and be so radical and hateful. I've come to realize, I live a sheltered life and I think I like it that way! Hateful people really piss me off!!

Southern Oregon and Ashland are home to radical people of various persuasions, most of them very nice, as mayelf said. But not all.

My research has shown me that some charitable organizations can have radical ties and agendas behind the scenes, and attract people with extreme ideas. Some of these groups have been accused of being cults by former members. I'm not saying this is true of JCFC. At one time (and maybe still) they were affiliated with the National Labor Federation, which you can google. I can't separate fact from fiction in what I've read.

We don't know if Lonnie volunteered at JCFC. The way they work is that if you receive wood, they ask you to volunteer in some way if possible, although anyone can volunteer.

"JCFC uses no government funding and never turns any firewood seekers away. All they ask, says Bill Jennett, is that clients join the committee's efforts and, if they can, start volunteering to help others who need firewood."
http://t.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs....30/NEWS/211300333/-1/rss01&template=tabletart

 

[Lilibet]

I get the feeling that if the bf or whatever he is knew she alive, he would prove it. He doesn't sound like the type who would welcome police scrutiny if it was avoidable. JMO

I agree. I think it may have been hard for JCSO to get much info out in that area because a fair number of residents would not welcome police scrutiny for various reasons. Lots of pot growing for one thing.

 

[for ashley]

Stephanie has been getting tattoos from Megan for about 8 years now. The last one about 6 months ago.
Do we know when Stephanie started working for the fuel committee? That's when she started losing weight. Does that coincide with Lonnie coming into her life about a year ago?
I should know all of this
The last time I talked to her (a year ago) she was into Legal Shield and really pushing me to check it out. She didn't mention the fuel committee.

 

[for ashley]

That's what gets me! Stephanie was never a hateful person and I know she loves Oregon and the people there! There are rotten apples everywhere!! It just seems strange to me that the people closest to her lately were such extremists. I hope I haven't offended you, mayelf (or anyone else). Not my intention, at all. It just occurred to me that she was somewhat surrounded by these kind of people and I can't figure out why.

 

[mayelf]

Not at all. It is a very strange case. I just hope it gets resolved

 

[Lilibet]

Stephanie has been getting tattoos from Megan for about 8 years now. The last one about 6 months ago.
Do we know when Stephanie started working for the fuel committee? That's when she started losing weight. Does that coincide with Lonnie coming into her life about a year ago?
I should know all of this
The last time I talked to her (a year ago) she was into Legal Shield and really pushing me to check it out. She didn't mention the fuel committee.

Thanks for this, For Ashley. I have dear friends I haven't talked to in a long time, so don't feel bad. Time goes faster than we realize.

According to the director of JCFC, Stephanie had volunteered there about a year at the time of her disappearance. If that's accurate, it would be summer 2012. I suspect it was in the autumn, since she didn't mention it to you last August when you talked. So that would mean her weight loss wasn't sudden or recent.

Are you thinking she met Lonnie at JCFC? I wonder when she and previous bf broke up, and why. She mentions on FB that she was in a relationship in October.

Legal Shield (formerly Pre-Paid Legal) figured rather prominently in the trial last spring of Jodi Arias for the murder of Travis Alexander in AZ. As you probably know, it's pretty much multi-level marketing. I wonder who got her interested in it. It would be a pretty hard way to make money in the rurals and it requires a LOT of meetings, etc.

 

[Lilibet]

That's what gets me! Stephanie was never a hateful person and I know she loves Oregon and the people there! There are rotten apples everywhere!! It just seems strange to me that the people closest to her lately were such extremists. I hope I haven't offended you, mayelf (or anyone else). Not my intention, at all. It just occurred to me that she was somewhat surrounded by these kind of people and I can't figure out why.

People can come into your life, especially if you're lonely, and gradually take over. I imagine that Lonnie is charming and charismatic. His ideas probably didn't seem hateful or dangerous to Stephanie on the surface. It probably seemed to her that he was trying to wake people up to danger. JMO

Although I'm not comparing Lonnie to Jim Jones, highly educated, well-meaning people were attracted to all the good he was doing for the poor in SF. Some went with him to Jonestown and were too far into it before they saw the evil. Jonestown - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Even prominent California politicians were honoring him.

It's not a stretch for me to understand the appeal of Lonnie's ideas to Stephanie. She was attracted to something she thought was good and possibly life-saving IMO. She didn't realize the personality she was dealing with, as Neptune so well described yesterday.

 

[OUOTP]

That's what gets me! Stephanie was never a hateful person and I know she loves Oregon and the people there! There are rotten apples everywhere!! It just seems strange to me that the people closest to her lately were such extremists. I hope I haven't offended you, mayelf (or anyone else). Not my intention, at all. It just occurred to me that she was somewhat surrounded by these kind of people and I can't figure out why.

I get the feeling from those who knew her and from some things said here that Stephanie was always kind of impressionable. That's just my opinion. Couple that
with the recent lost of her husband who was her only family in Oregon. Being widowed(whether legally or not) at such a young age and so tragically is bound to cause a crisis within. I feel Stephanie may have been drawn to volunteerism within a group setting, such as the fuel committee, to fill a void. If you notice, the friends up their who have spoken publicly about her are all on the committee . ( Am I wrong here?) I get the impression that the FC became her "family". As an aside, it seems they do a lot of moving of lumber and such--If she was with the FC for a year and doing this, this strenuous exercise would definitely explain her weight loss.

Let me ask you this Ashley--- Was Stephanie always religious? If not, when do you think this interest in bible quotes came about?

 

[OUOTP]

As an(other) aside, this is an article by a psychologist which is explains why some people turn to religious extremism: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/roya-...ople-into-religious-extremists_b_3375890.html

 

[OUOTP]

The last time I talked to her (a year ago) she was into Legal Shield and really pushing me to check it out. She didn't mention the fuel committee.

This legal shield? https://www.legalshield.com ?

Not sure I understand. Did Stephanie have a legal background? Was she a broker? What can you tell us about what she told you? I find this very strange unless she a law degree I don't know about.

 

[for ashley]

Are you thinking she met Lonnie at JCFC? I wonder when she and previous bf broke up, and why. She mentions on FB that she was in a relationship in October.

I'm more curious about her weight. The idea of a new man always helped me get into shape. Just wondering if that was the reason for her weight loss, a new man and the JCFC work.

I always assumed that FB relationship post was referring to Lonnie, not sure why, though.

I also find it strange that Stephanie never married, not even Michael who she was with for 15+ years, but now she is married to Lonnie after less then a year (although it isn't a legal marriage, thank god!!). Doesn't make sense.

 

[OUOTP]

I'm more curious about her weight. The idea of a new man always helped me get into shape. Just wondering if that was the reason for her weight loss, a new man and the JCFC work.

I always assumed that FB relationship post was referring to Lonnie, not sure why, though.

I also find it strange that Stephanie never married, not even Michael who she was with for 15+ years, but now she is married to Lonnie after less then a year (although it isn't a legal marriage, thank god!!). Doesn't make sense.

I wonder if she said anything to her mom about it.

 

[for ashley]

I had never heard of Legal Shield. She said they helped people who couldn't afford legal representation. I think they helped her with some legal issue and that's how she got into it. It sounded like a scam to me but I listened to her rave. I have no idea what her role was there.
She does not have a law degree. She was taking nursing classes at some point but I'm not sure how far she went with that.

 

[cluciano63]

Is Legal Shield like Prepaid Legal? I know someone who has done the PPL thing for years, with only some accounting background, no legal experience at all. I always felt it was shady, jmo.

 

[Lilibet]

I had never heard of Legal Shield. She said they helped people who couldn't afford legal representation. I think they helped her with some legal issue and that's how she got into it. It sounded like a scam to me but I listened to her rave. I have no idea what her role was there.
She does not have a law degree. She was taking nursing classes at some point but I'm not sure how far she went with that.

With any multi-level organization like Legal Shield, the people at the top can make a LOT of money if they sign up other people to work under them. The ones at the bottom, not so much. It basically involves selling insurance policies for legal representation if you need it. Stephanie was probably trying to sign you up as one of her sales people.

You have to go to meetings and other sales gatherings with your team. What I learned about it during the Travis Alexander trial didn't impress me. It seemed somewhat controlling.

 

[Lilibet]

Is Legal Shield like Prepaid Legal? I know someone who has done the PPL thing for years, with only some accounting background, no legal experience at all. I always felt it was shady, jmo.

Prepaid Legal changed its name to Legal Shield.