VA VA - Michael, 50, Mary, 36, & Jennifer Short, 9, Bassett, 15 Aug 2002

[JnRyan]

Here's a bit of good news:

FBI reopening case into murders of Virginia family of three

Definitely some good news there. Almost 20 years have passed and forensic methods, especially in DNA, have advanced so hopefully they can find some new information.

 

[Sunny Day]

For what it's worth, I also think it was pre-planned. The phone line location was easily visible from the road. You can look at old Google Streetview images and see where it was. It would have been dark, obviously.

View attachment 317889

Yes, and all that shrubbery would have provided cover to keep him from being seen by neighbors, etc.

 

[JohnTate90210]

Here's an editorial from a couple of days ago that pretty well sums up the case:

Editorial: Triple homicide of Short family a wound that cannot heal until solved

 

[Simply Southern]

Here's an editorial from a couple of days ago that pretty well sums up the case:

Editorial: Triple homicide of Short family a wound that cannot heal until solved

Excellent article and sums up the case.

Now, HC will spend thousands more seeking answers.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Victim Information​

MICHAEL WAYNE SHORT​

Gender:MaleHeight:UnavailableHair Color:BrownAge:50Race:WhiteWeight:UnavailableEye Color:Brown

MARY HALL SHORT​

Gender:FemaleHeight:UnavailableHair Color:UnknownAge:36Race:WhiteWeight:Unavailable

Case Details​

VIRGINIA STATE POLICE – DIVISION SIX – CASE: 02-19828​

ABOUT THE CASE:​

On August 15th, 2002 Michael and Mary Short were found deceased in the residence by local Law Enforcement, who had responded to a well being check, that was called in to the 911 center by an employee of Michael Short. It was also discovered that Michael and Mary Short's nine year old daughter was also missing. An intense investigation was launched to find Jennifer and determine who had murdered Michael and Mary Short. Six Weeks later skeletal remains were located in Rockingham County, NC and it was later confirmed to be Jennifer Short. This case is still being investigated by the Henry County Sheriff's Office, the Rockingham County, NC Sheriff's Office, the Virginia State Police, and the FBI.

Virginia State Police – Division Six – Case: 02-19828 – Salem/Roanoke – VSP Division Six

 

[PrairieWind]

I soooo hope this case can be solved one day. This small family deserves justice.

 

[DoubleN1993]

Man it nearly twenty years since this case happened.
That's a long time ago

 

[PrairieWind]

Man it nearly twenty years since this case happened.
That's a long time ago

That really is hard to believe. Jennifer could well have been married by now with a family of her own. Michael and Mary would be grandparents by now. All of that taken from them. How could someone have gotten away with such a horrific crime?

 

[DoubleN1993]

Friends from high places, Police corruptions, A family friend that snapped do it and fled further away from VA and NC, common crimes by bad people intentions who do it or Business rivalry. Who knows, theorises going on in this case and we're all wishes this case murders never happened but has to lived with that.

 

[allaboutthattruecrime14]

Friends from high places, Police corruptions, A family friend that snapped do it and fled further away from VA and NC, common crimes by bad people intentions who do it or Business rivalry. Who knows, theorises going on in this case and we're all wishes this case murders never happened but has to lived with that.

You're exactly right! I've been researching this case for a very long time. I have spoken to many people local to the area Jennifer Short's body was found. I have driven to the site her body was found. Many locals have opinions on who the killer is. If their opinion is true, I believe the killer may be connected to two other murders in surrounding areas. I have proof that someone local to the area of Madison, knew Michael Short. From what I've gathered, local authorities have all the information they would need to solve the case. I believe corruption is what is stopping them.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

When cases are old enough to have been managed by several agents or investigators, their files can pile up and require a lot of maintenance.

“If we want to find a particular piece of information in a case file that’s thousands and thousands and thousands of pages of written documents, how do we find that?” Zirkle said. “The longer a case goes, the more voluminous it becomes, and the harder it becomes to manage that file.”

Special Agent Matthew Wade, also with the Salem Field Office, is a part of a task force investigating the murders of Michael, Mary and Jennifer Short in 2002. He said his team is taking time to digitizing case files and evidence.

“When this took place, back in the early 2000s, everything was still put on pen and paper,” Wade said. “We tried to make sure every piece of paper that’s a part of the case file has been scanned and put in a digitized format. All interviews that were recorded using the old audio cassette recorders, we’ve put those to a digital format. Same thing with any VHS recordings.”

Michael Wayne Short, 50, and Mary Hall Short, 36, were found dead in their Henry County home on Aug. 15, 2002. Their daughter, Jennifer Short, 9, had been abducted from the residence. Her remains were found six weeks later in Rockingham County, North Carolina.

The task force investigating the Short murders contains law enforcement officers from several jurisdictions, including the Henry County Sheriff’s Office, the Rockingham County, North Carolina, Sheriff’s Office, the Virginia State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The inter-jurisdictional task force hit the ground running last fall.

“When you have this many people, it just kind of makes the load easier,” Wade said. “It would definitely be overwhelming for one person to have the caseload that we all have and try to work this by yourself. Because it’s just such a big case.”

The Short family’s case is one of the most notorious in Western Virginia. Wade said because it is so well known, people arrested in the area try to bargain with police by providing tips.

“Unfortunately, we have people that get arrested, and think they can help themselves by lying, and trying to give us information,” Wade said. “Some of it, you can prove pretty quick that they don’t know what they’re talking about. Some of it, it’s a little bit harder.”

New Virginia cold case database already lighting sparks in old investigations

The database launched in the middle of June and features about 50 cold cases statewide. One Virginia State Police special agent in Salem got his first tip through the system

roanoke.com

 

[Sunny Day]

The 20th anniversary of this horrific crime is coming up in a couple of weeks. Hopefully more information will come forward and justice will be served. Are they doing the Jennifer Short Memorial Ride again this year?

 

[TrueCrimewithCliff]

The 20th anniversary of this horrific crime is coming up in a couple of weeks. Hopefully more information will come forward and justice will be served. Are they doing the Jennifer Short Memorial Ride again this year?

I'm sure they will if Ray Reynolds is in charge

 

[TrueCrimewithCliff]

You're exactly right! I've been researching this case for a very long time. I have spoken to many people local to the area Jennifer Short's body was found. I have driven to the site her body was found. Many locals have opinions on who the killer is. If their opinion is true, I believe the killer may be connected to two other murders in surrounding areas. I have proof that someone local to the area of Madison, knew Michael Short. From what I've gathered, local authorities have all the information they would need to solve the case. I believe corruption is what is stopping them.

What other murders?

 

[TedMac]

You're exactly right! I've been researching this case for a very long time. I have spoken to many people local to the area Jennifer Short's body was found. I have driven to the site her body was found. Many locals have opinions on who the killer is. If their opinion is true, I believe the killer may be connected to two other murders in surrounding areas. I have proof that someone local to the area of Madison, knew Michael Short. From what I've gathered, local authorities have all the information they would need to solve the case. I believe corruption is what is stopping them.

"Many locals have opinions on who the killer is." Locals almost always have an opinion. Problem is...their opinion isn't always correct. They often rely on rumor and innuendo to form their opinion. Being someone who worked in the Criminal Justice Field my entire career, I have knowledge of these things.

"If their opinion is true, I believe the killer may be connected to two other murders in surrounding areas." Which other two murders are referring to? I am not disagreeing with you-just curious which cases you feel are related to the Short family murders.

"I have proof that someone local to the area of Madison, knew Michael Short." A lot of people knew Michael Short. He towed mobile homes and other things such as automobiles with his equipment. Several mobile home park owners/operators hired him to haul trailers into and out of their trailer parks. My father was one of them. He knew Mr. Short and was quite upset when he learned of his murder. Are you referring to Madison NC or Madison VA?

"From what I've gathered, local authorities have all the information they would need to solve the case. I believe corruption is what is stopping them." What type of corruption do you feel is preventing the case from going forward? I am aware of the corruption that was exposed in the Henry County Sheriff's Office. But, the VA State Police and the FBI were also involved in the investigation. I can't fathom all three of these LE agencies involving themselves in a massive cover-up of a triple homicide. In spite of what TV shows and movies display, that is not even conceivable. While the investigating agencies may have a suspect they feel is responsible, corruption in one agency wouldn't prevent the others from making an arrest. More than likely, a lack of evidence is probably stalling the case.

 

[allaboutthattruecrime14]

What other murders?

Danny Oakley Murder and Bill Mills Murder

 

[allaboutthattruecrime14]

"Many locals have opinions on who the killer is." Locals almost always have an opinion. Problem is...their opinion isn't always correct. They often rely on rumor and innuendo to form their opinion. Being someone who worked in the Criminal Justice Field my entire career, I have knowledge of these things.

"If their opinion is true, I believe the killer may be connected to two other murders in surrounding areas." Which other two murders are referring to? I am not disagreeing with you-just curious which cases you feel are related to the Short family murders.

"I have proof that someone local to the area of Madison, knew Michael Short." A lot of people knew Michael Short. He towed mobile homes and other things such as automobiles with his equipment. Several mobile home park owners/operators hired him to haul trailers into and out of their trailer parks. My father was one of them. He knew Mr. Short and was quite upset when he learned of his murder. Are you referring to Madison NC or Madison VA?

"From what I've gathered, local authorities have all the information they would need to solve the case. I believe corruption is what is stopping them." What type of corruption do you feel is preventing the case from going forward? I am aware of the corruption that was exposed in the Henry County Sheriff's Office. But, the VA State Police and the FBI were also involved in the investigation. I can't fathom all three of these LE agencies involving themselves in a massive cover-up of a triple homicide. In spite of what TV shows and movies display, that is not even conceivable. While the investigating agencies may have a suspect they feel is responsible, corruption in one agency wouldn't prevent the others from making an arrest. More than likely, a lack of evidence is probably stalling the case.

Danny Oakley and Bill Mills are the two other cases I'm referring to.

I am referring to Madison NC and the reason I'm saying that is because the person suspected used to gamble with Michael Short as well as Bill Mills.

 

[TedMac]

Danny Oakley and Bill Mills are the two other cases I'm referring to.

I am referring to Madison NC and the reason I'm saying that is because the person suspected used to gamble with Michael Short as well as Bill Mills.

Very good information. I had never heard that theory before and I had followed this case since the beginning. Have you reported this to LE ? Chances are, they are already aware, but still, it wouldn't hurt. If you don't trust the Henry County Sheriff's Office, maybe the VA State Police or the FBI would be better? Does your suspect have a history of pedophilia? I ask the question due to Jennifer being removed from the home. It would have been much simpler and less risky for the killer to just kill her and leave her in the house with her parents.

 

[allaboutthattruecrime14]

Very good information. I had never heard that theory before and I had followed this case since the beginning. Have you reported this to LE ? Chances are, they are already aware, but still, it wouldn't hurt. If you don't trust the Henry County Sheriff's Office, maybe the VA State Police or the FBI would be better? Does your suspect have a history of pedophilia? I ask the question due to Jennifer being removed from the home. It would have been much simpler and less risky for the killer to just kill her and leave her in the house with her parents.

So the theory is that Garrison Bowman (that was suspected at one point, but has passed away) was helping *the suspected killer* (I cannot say the name, because this person is still alive) and Garrison was a strange character, <modsnip - no link from an approved source>, and kidnapped Jennifer for that reason. I have not reported any of my information. I actually investigated this and gathered all this information over a couple years ago, but I got spooked because I felt like I was getting closer and closer and I had to stop as to protect myself. I'm an amateur sleuth and I've never been fully sure of how to go about giving someone the information that I do have.

 

[DoubleN1993]

So the theory is that Garrison Bowman (that was suspected at one point, but has passed away) was helping *the suspected killer* (I cannot say the name, because this person is still alive) and Garrison was a strange character, <modsnip - no link from an approved source>, and kidnapped Jennifer for that reason. I have not reported any of my information. I actually investigated this and gathered all this information over a couple years ago, but I got spooked because I felt like I was getting closer and closer and I had to stop as to protect myself. I'm an amateur sleuth and I've never been fully sure of how to go about giving someone the information that I do have.

It is very risky move but only if you feel necessary whether you should inform or not. Trust your instinct sir/madam