TX TX - Julie Moseley, 9, Mary Trlica, 17, Lisa Wilson, 14, Fort Worth, 23 Dec 1974 #8

[Truthseeker1974]

To get three girls that could obviously scream and fight one person off or two people they would have had to have known the individuals. The reason I say this is that this is in the middle of the day in a public area and all three of them went missing from the same place. There were 3 that could fight so I think they had a connection to the person that they got in a car with. Maybe coaxing them by asking if they wanted to go for a quick ride or something similar to that or they met someone who said something to get them to go with them or they had a way of getting them in a vehicle without causing a s

To get three girls that could obviously scream and fight one person off or two people they would have had to have known the individuals. The reason I say this is that this is in the middle of the day in a public area and all three of them went missing from the same place. There were 3 that could fight so I think they had a connection to the person that they got in a car with. Maybe coaxing them by asking if they wanted to go for a quick ride or something similar to that or they met someone who said something to get them to go with them or they had a way of getting them in a vehicle without causing a scene.

It has been reported that multiple people were involved in the kidnapping of these girls. Also rumored that there was more than one key to Rachel’s car. TT could’ve potentially given the spare key to any of the kidnappers that day to move the car from the lot. The girls after looking for the car for some time could’ve been approached by someone they knew that was a part of this crime who seemed to come in and want to “help” the girls find their vehicle. Which would explain witness statements of the girls being in the security truck at one point. Rachel’s car was returned to the lot after the abduction as if nothing ever happened. These poor girls never saw it coming.

 

[Brightchaser47]

Does anyone have any information on what areas were swept during the initial search?

RSBM
Family members searched the mall and parking lot that evening, locating the car. FWPD searched the car after the mall closed.

Following a trail of someone using a similar technique as Bundy (coaxing the victim to a less public secondary site). Worked backwards from the plot of the homes and the mall and then searched local newspaper archives for any large ongoing construction sites in the vicinity and was able to locate this construction project at the Service Life Center (about a 10-15min drive from the Seminary South Shopping Center).

Where was that located?

 

[Brightchaser47]

I don't think the girls were kidnapped, but I do feel at this point that FWPD had more than they shared in 2001. IMO, if they believed a number of people were involved, and knew that the girls were seen with a particular individual, and they likely met with foul play elsewhere, then they probably knew enough....jmo.

 

[FWTrioDoc]

Question about DNA. I have heard said that there was no DNA on the stamp and there was unknown DNA on the letter. Were those results from testing around 2000? I also saw an interview where multiple family members signed a letter in 2022ish for the items, along with other DNA items to be sent to Othram for updated testing? Do we know if any of that ever happened or did budget constraints prohibit updated testing on items?

 

[Brightchaser47]

I also saw an interview where multiple family members signed a letter in 2022ish for the items, along with other DNA items to be sent to Othram for updated testing?

RSBM
This is the first I'm hearing of other DNA items. I'd always understood that the letter and envelope were the only physical evidence collected by LE.

Do we know if any of that ever happened or did budget constraints prohibit updated testing on items?

If anything was sent to Othram, I think we'd have heard something by now. There's enough publicity and public interest in this case, it could easily be crowd-funded, imo, so budget constraints shouldn't be an issue.

 

[FWTrioDoc]

The additional DNA items were from much later when I believe rusty and someone followed a hunch/lead to a trailer where they found a mattress with some blood and some ropes. You are correct. I don't believe there was any other physical evidence that was collected or processed at the time of the incident.

 

[FWTrioDoc]

Another question, what happened to the Arnold Transmissions shops after Cotton's death. Did they continue to operate for a while with Tommy as one of the owner/partners (if the rumor than Tommy lent Cotton money at one point) or did Tommy continue as an employee or did someone else take them over and run them, etc.? I'm curious how long they continued to be around. I believe there was an anecdotal story that after Billy Simpson died, someone from one of the locations said something about "Now they'll never find those girls bodies" but I'm curious how that could happen (it happening is specious at best) if the shops had already gone out of business. If they didn't go out of business, do we know who bought them, took them over or continued to operate them?

 

[Tex Willer]

I read that TT put the Minot house up for sale already in the spring of 1975, is it known when exactly he sold the Oldsmobile?

 

[Chypre]

The additional DNA items were from much later when I believe rusty and someone followed a hunch/lead to a trailer where they found a mattress with some blood and some ropes. You are correct. I don't believe there was any other physical evidence that was collected or processed at the time of the incident.

Please tell more about the trailer; never heard this before.

 

[FWTrioDoc]

Chypre, Yes, the story you're referring to is discussed by Rusty Arnold in the Fort Worth Memories Live Stream. Here's the key information:

Rusty recounts that Jeff Burns, a diver, was approached by someone in a bar who talked about the case involving the girls and a mattress. I believe they cut out the bloody part of the mattress and also took some ropes that could have been used as restraints and took that all to FWPD and that reignited some interest in looking at Billy Simpson again. I don't believe it is ever specified who's property or trailer it was. According to Rusty:

“Jeff was told about a trailer and they went and found a mattress in that trailer with blood and ropes. They turned it into the Fort Worth Police Department. That’s when the cops asked Jeff, ‘Do you know who Billy Simpson is?’”

 

[Valiant]

I don't think people wondering about the Arnold transmission shop will ever get a straight answer.
When old newspaper ads were presented showing two locations, a verified insider (I think TT's current wife) said TT was only aware of one location even though the ads were around the same time as TT investing in the business.
It was reported that TT bought into the shop with $10k of his inheritance, but it has also been reported that the Arnolds were in financial trouble including unpaid taxes. My best guess would be the business folded or was forced to close and TT was out his investment.

 

[FWTrioDoc]

I'm not sure the eventual dissolution of Arnold Transmission is really that up in the air after researching for a bit. It's as everyone has posted. There were significant tax and financial issues there that clearly took well into the 80s to get resolved. The one question I have is, as we all know, very shortly after marrying Rachel, some sort of transaction took place, allegedly with a financial component, whereby Tommy became part of the business. On June 19th, 1974 Articles of incorporation were signed formally incorporating the business which seems to have been run as a sole proprietorship up to that point. In the articles, officers were named and there were three...Cotton Arnold, Tommy Trlica and Gayla Benton (?) - When signing with their identifying addresses, Cotton uses his home 6th Ave address, Tommy uses his Minot address and Gayla is the one that uses the 801 E Abrams Street address in Arlington which also corresponds to the physical location of the Arlington location (I believe). The charter was forfeited on March 21, 1977. However when you review a current business org inquiry, Tommy is shown as the Registered Agent and the Arlington address associated.

Questions:
1) Who was/is Gayla Benton and how did she get involved with this business/the crew?
2) I hear conflicting reports (shocking) but did Tommy primarily work out of the Fort Worth or Arlington location?
3) It seems to me that I've seen an ad for the Arlington location that pre dates the articles being signed so curious why Gayla would be associated with that address in signing the document vs. her home address as the others used.

I'm sure there's more questions I should be asking but these were the ones that popped in my head first.

 

[buyerninety]

@FWTrioDoc , not yourself particularly, but pretty much
everyone I'd caution about getting too excited about any
alleged trailer with a mattress with ropes and 'blood' as
noted in immediately previous four or so posts...
My understanding of Texas is that now and back then
there's a whole slice of the populace that considers the
countryside as fair game for usage as their personal
garbage disposal. I have no difficulty with a view that;
-the trailer belonged to some transmission shop and
was discarded when unwanted (probably rusted or
wheel bearings worn away),
-that any transmission carried in such a trailer would
be damaged if the transmission wasn't given some form
of cushioning to sit on (...like an unwanted mattress),
-that transporting a tranmission in a trailer would require
securing it from sliding around and bouncing up and down
and out of the trailer (...say by using ropes),
-that anyone who has worked on transmissions is aware
that transmission fluid is usually a nice light cherry red
color when new and degrades to a color like dark red wine
when old, or worse like reddish/blackish burnt engine oil
color when waay past its appropriate change date. Any
such fluid having leaked onto a mattress could easily be
mistaken for congealed, degraded 'blood'.

As far as 'Gayla Benton'... it's not too common a name,
Fort Worth has at least one such named individual easily
googled/linkin'd. @Brightchaser47, aren't you out that area?

 

[Brightchaser47]

@Brightchaser47, aren't you out that area?

No, I'm not local.

 

[Chypre]

Chypre, Yes, the story you're referring to is discussed by Rusty Arnold in the Fort Worth Memories Live Stream. Here's the key information:

Rusty recounts that Jeff Burns, a diver, was approached by someone in a bar who talked about the case involving the girls and a mattress. I believe they cut out the bloody part of the mattress and also took some ropes that could have been used as restraints and took that all to FWPD and that reignited some interest in looking at Billy Simpson again. I don't believe it is ever specified who's property or trailer it was. According to Rusty:

Thank you, I don't know why I'm seeing this only just now.

 

[Tex Willer]

I have often heard of Billy Simpson as a friend of Cotton Arnold, but is it certain, in the sense that it is confirmed with certainty, that he frequented Cotton's shop or his house? Is there any confirmation of this?

 

[Brightchaser47]

Questions:
1) Who was/is Gayla Benton and how did she get involved with this business/the crew?

As far as 'Gayla Benton'... it's not too common a name,
Fort Worth has at least one such named individual easily
googled/linkin'd.

All RSBM
I don't know anything about a Gayla Benton, but there was a FWPD officer named Peter Benton who was quoted/mentioned in older newspaper articles about this case. So there were Bentons in the area at that time.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Families of the Fort Worth Missing Trio still hope genetic techniques or other leads can provide answers for their loved ones. The creation of the FWPD Cold Case Support Group and public walks like Thaw The Cold Cases show how communities rally for more tools and funding. Law enforcement now explores digitizing physical evidence and looks to new federal legislation, including the Carla Walker Act, to boost the use of cutting-edge forensic

Three girls went Christmas shopping on Dec. 23, 1974. They never came home. | Published December 13, 2024 | Read Full Story by Harriet Ramos
methohttps://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/crime/article308394270.html