Volusia County - Daytona Beach (Ridgwood Ave corridor)

[Chrissiepoo]

Remains of Chasity Starr found.

Very sad.

 

[ScorpiosDaughter]

Police to investigate Port Orange suspect in unsolved killings
By LYDA LONGA, Staff Writer

While the DNA of murder suspect James Lee Maxwell does not match the evidence left behind inside the bodies of two Daytona Beach women killed years ago, Police Chief Mike Chitwood is not discounting the possibility that Maxwell could still be the city's serial killer.

"How do we know that two people were not involved in that (the serial murders)?" Chitwood said Monday. "One person could have left the DNA and the other person could have shot them.

More at Link:

http://www.news-journalonline.com/news/local/east-volusia/2012/08/14/police-to-investigate-port-orange-suspect-in-unsolved-killings.html

 

[bessie]

Posting link to cross reference thread in UID forum. The decedant whose remains were located last week in Ocoee has been preliminarily ID'd as an African American woman.

Investigators hope items found near human remains lead to identity

By Jeff Allen, Reporter
Last Updated: Monday, September 23, 2013, 3:27 PM They said the remains found by a road crew widening Hackney Prairie Road off Apopka Vineland appear to have belonged to a black woman in her 20s or 30s.
They also found size 7 jeans and a Tommy Hilfiger zip up jacket near the remains.

Investigators said no missing persons cases that they know of match her description and at this point they don’t even know if foul play was involve.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crimeline at (800) 423-TIPS.

The Orange County Sheriff's Office released a photo showing a piece of jewelry found near human remains discovered on Friday, Sept. 20, 2013.

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?p=9857653&posted=1#post9857653

 

[bessie]

I'm just adding a couple of articles about James Lee Maxwell, accused killer of Chastity Starr. These are from Oct-Nov 2012. I can't find anything more recent.

By Lyda Longa
STAFF WRITER

Published: Wednesday, October 31, 2012 at 2:22 p.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, October 31, 2012 at 2:22 p.m.

James Lee Maxwell, the man accused of killing two prostitutes and burying at least one of them in his Port Orange backyard, tried to strangle a third woman and filmed himself raping her, according to court documents released Wednesday.

Maxwell is also awaiting trial in the rape of a 9-year-old neighbor who police said he kidnapped and sexually battered on Dec. 15, 2011.
The suspect is accused of killing prostitutes Chasity Starr of Holly Hill and Pamela Will of South Daytona.

http://www.news-journalonline.com/article/20121031/NEWS/121039943/1040?p=1&tc=pg

Published: Monday, November 19, 2012 at 2:16 p.m.
Last Modified: Monday, November 19, 2012 at 2:16 p.m.

DAYTONA BEACH -- Prosecutors will seek the death penalty in the trial of a convicted Port Orange child rapist who is awaiting trial in the killings of two women.

Assistant State Attorney Ed Davis filed a notice of intent to seek the death penalty against James Maxwell, 44.

http://www.news-journalonline.com/article/20121119/NEWS/121119657

Starr's body was found in Maxwell's backyard in June. Her skeletal remains were wrapped in a red, white and blue quilt-like bed spread, the search warrants state.
Pamela Will meanwhile was found in a muddy ditch next to International Trade Associates in Ormond Beach, where Maxwell once worked.
The admission by Maxwell that he murdered Starr was made after Starr's body was found on the suspect's property, the search warrants show.

Photos at the Daily Mail

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...stitutes-buried-yard-filmed-raping-woman.html

 

[bessie]

I see Skully bumped the other thread about Florida SK's, and thought it would be a good time to take a look at this one again. James Maxwell is charged in the murders of Chastity Starr and Pamela Will, but other unsolved murders remain. Here are four of them from Daytona attributed to the same killer.


December 26, 2005 -- LaQuetta Mae Gunther, 45, found shot 703-705 N. Beach, Daytona Beach

January 14, 2006 -- Julie Ann Green, 34, shot, found in a ditch on a dirt road near LPGA Blvd.

February 24, 2006 -- The body of Iwana Patton, 35, found on a dirt road near Williamson Blvd.

All three found nude and shot with a .40 caliber weapon

January 3, 2008 -- Stacey Gage, 30, found in wooded area along Hancock Blvd. It's believed her murder occurred in December 2007 and was "eerily similar" to the first three murders, according to LE reports.

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com...erial-killers-serial-killer-case-iwana-patton

http://www.allthingscrimeblog.com/2...nal-tracking-the-daytona-beach-serial-killer/

 

[Tricia]

We are very excited to introduce two filmmakers, Joshua Zeman and Rachel Mills (Cropsey, Killer Legends) to our Websleuth community. Josh and Rachel have created an upcoming docu-series investigating five active serial killer cases across the country: LISK, Eastbound Strangler (Atlantic City), Daytona Beach Serial Killer, Long Haul Serial Killer Truckers, and the West Mesa Bone Collector. The series is Executive Produced by an Oscar-winning filmmaker and will be aired by a premium cable network.

Rachel and Joshua have a new Websleuths hat/handle: Danse_Macabre. When Danse_Macabre posts people listen...or at least read.

What's so exciting is how Websleuths plays a big role in the series. For each case, Rachel & Josh will be engaging the WS community and working side by side with individual websleuthers to discuss theories, work on leads, and bring sleuthing work to Law Enforcement, victim's families, and others committed to helping catch these killers.

As many of you know, the victims in the aforementioned cases were sex workers – so often, these women do not receive the attention, and justice, desperately needed by their families, and the communities in which these heinous crimes occurred. That's one reason Websleuths is such an amazing resource. When LE hits a dead end, Websleuths members continue going down unbeaten paths to look for leads.

TO READ MORE ABOUT OUR EXCITING NEWS CLICK HERE!

Please post your thoughts, ideas, whatever you want to say about Websleuths and the new docu-series.

If any members do know the name of the network please DO NOT reveal it. That will come later.

Thanks,
Tricia

 

[Skully]

I spent the last 3 weeks working on a connection to Daytona and Central FL. The FBI articles have mentioned 28 victims and I think that was in or around 2007. I found 28 too, but for what ever reason, I don't think they included some of our missing because of the fact there is no Data on them to compare, so I think this number is larger. I also think he took months in between kills and sometimes up to or more than 2 years in FL. So maybe the breaks are because he is caught up in his personal life and can't do it, or he has other obstacles, such as being laid off or sick, or he travels out of FL into other states. But I don't think he is done, I just think he is on another break. There are patterns here, and one weird connection, but after reading the FBI links posted in our SK thread, I don't want to post them here. It takes some work, but you can look at each case and find things that are similar.

 

[Skully]

I never saw this article or information before. He left the socks on his victims.

https://psychowatcher.wordpress.com/2011/03/27/update-on-the-daytona-beach-killer/

This came from AMW

 

[Skully]

So I am confused as always. The article states that on AMW show they reveled that the killer left socks on 3 of the four victims, but don't state which ones. And the person may drive a 2003 Ford Tarsus or Mercury Sable. they also think it could be a company car. How would this relate to a trucker? A long haul trucker? Do they have access to cars once in town if they are there for more than one day? I know the FBI thinks the I - 4 into Orlando to Tampa is a trucker, but are we looking at something different for Daytona?

Hope someone is reading and wants to join in, I am down a rabbit hole and not sure how to find my way out just now. There are about 28 to 30 victims we listed for A FL SK in the other thread and just want to dig it out, and put some of them in one category or another. Hope my WS friends will engage.

 

[Damarna]

So I am confused as always. The article states that on AMW show they reveled that the killer left socks on 3 of the four victims, but don't state which ones. And the person may drive a 2003 Ford Tarsus or Mercury Sable. they also think it could be a company car. How would this relate to a trucker? A long haul trucker? Do they have access to cars once in town if they are there for more than one day? I know the FBI thinks the I - 4 into Orlando to Tampa is a trucker, but are we looking at something different for Daytona?

Hope someone is reading and wants to join in, I am down a rabbit hole and not sure how to find my way out just now. There are about 28 to 30 victims we listed for A FL SK in the other thread and just want to dig it out, and put some of them in one category or another. Hope my WS friends will engage.

Just from personal experience regarding truckers. USUALLY if on a layover a trucker does not have a car unless at their home. Periodically there may be a fleet car to use but not necessarily long term. I know this isn't a huge help...

 

[Skully]

thank you Damarna,

I just watched a video on the LISK and the Chief of Police, talks about "his car", so I don't know if he used that because he isn't sure of what kind of vehicle he is using. But I did wander if this guy has access to a car, like a company car. I know the girls meet up with men at truck stops and will get into the trucks, but the Daytona case is now saying a car. perhaps a company car. My rabbit hole is getting deeper, LOL

 

[Kairi'sMom]

I live in the Daytona Beach area and I drove past the Iwana Patton scene on my way to pick up my kids from school just as a news crew pulled up. If I remember correctly it was about 1:45pm when I drove by. I figured a body had been found but I wasn't aware of the other two ladies' murders. I drove past that spot every single day to and from the kids' school.

For the killer to put her there...that was BOLD. That road didn't have heavy traffic but it was and is pretty constant. And the area she was found was just a little dirt lane about 30-40 feet off the road, behind some trees. Though if it was the middle of the night when she was placed there, he probably wasn't seen.

After Iwana was found, I kept up with the case. Profilers said it was possibly a cop, ex-cop, cop wanna-be.
I've spent hours scouring the internet for an article I read some time later (a year or more?) that pointed to a cop/ex-cop who had killed his wife/girlfriend and himself in the Daytona area. His case fit the serial killer's profile. If I remember correctly, his relationship was extremely stressed during the time of the killings, and his work situation was too. He had tried to become a sheriff's officer but had been turned down(?). I put question marks behind statement if I don't know if I am remembering accurately.

The article also stated that LE said it wasn't him, but did not elaborate on why. I always thought that was strange to just state "no it's not him" but not say why, and now that I can't find the article, not even the article about the cop, I am really really frustrated. I don't think any more bodies were found after that and it seemed to me the case was suddenly dropped. I really thought the reporter was onto something and it was just so strange to me that a reporter would drop that angle so abruptly and without explanation just because LE said he wasn't the killer.

What bothers me most is that the killings seem to have stopped after the murder/suicide, at least in this area.

I want to be as accurate as possible about what I recall. I think I found his name and a short article about the murder/suicide with similar circumstances to the one I recall, but it seems a "cleaned up" version of what I recall reading, nor is there another article mentioning him fitting the profile of the serial killer, and I don't want to put his name out here without the article to back me up.

I've read through the threads here on WS and haven't found a link to that article either.

Mods, if I crossed a line please delete or edit or whatever needs to be done.



Interestingly, the new Daytona Police Station has been built on the property since then. Every time I drive by, I think of Iwana Patton and the irony that the police are there now. And I hope that if the killer is still around here, their presence there reminds him that it's only a matter of time until he's caught.

 

[Skully]

They had DNA for two of the victims. Maybe that is the reason they ruled him out.

 

[Kairi'sMom]

I thought that was probably the case, but you would think LE would have said so and that the reporter would have included that reason in the article. I just thought it was very strange at the time that LE didn't say his DNA didn't match. I'm not sure they had time to collect and compare his DNA before this article was written, though. As I recall it was written within a few days time of the murder/suicide. And like I said before, he fit the profile (which is in this thread, too, thank goodness).

I always wondered:
1) what type of gun did he carry
2) what type of car did he drive when he was a cop?

Weren't the gun and car type typical "police" gear?

I wish I could find a reference to that article so I could fit it into the timeline. That would clear up my questions because the one thing I can't recall is if the possible 4th victim was found before the murder/suicide or after.

 

[Skully]

I never saw this article or information before. He left the socks on his victims.

https://psychowatcher.wordpress.com/2011/03/27/update-on-the-daytona-beach-killer/

This came from AMW

this article talks about the car, the gun and the socks. The sock are new to me. I didn't know he left socks on 3 of the 4 victims. Hope that helps. Thanks for posting, love that you are local and remember so much from that time frame. It helps.

 

[LR1]

So I am confused as always. The article states that on AMW show they reveled that the killer left socks on 3 of the four victims, but don't state which ones. And the person may drive a 2003 Ford Tarsus or Mercury Sable. they also think it could be a company car. How would this relate to a trucker? A long haul trucker? Do they have access to cars once in town if they are there for more than one day? I know the FBI thinks the I - 4 into Orlando to Tampa is a trucker, but are we looking at something different for Daytona?

Hope someone is reading and wants to join in, I am down a rabbit hole and not sure how to find my way out just now. There are about 28 to 30 victims we listed for A FL SK in the other thread and just want to dig it out, and put some of them in one category or another. Hope my WS friends will engage.

I'm a little confused as well as to why the FBI would connect the Daytona 4 to the I-4 corridor victims like the Orlando sentinel article imply s when they say,

"According to the FBI, the four killings are among 28 in Florida that are unsolved and connected to serial killings that the bureau suspects were committed by long-haul truckers."

Connected as in the person responsible for Daytona is also responsible for some of the others between there and Tampa? Connected how? I don't get it, unless they're seeing some type of signature that's shown up between Daytona and some of the others. Is it ballistics or DNA that connects them? It seems like we would know if that was the case, why hold that close.

He may be a trucker but he wasn't in a big truck when he dropped them off after the fact. In fact the first body that was found, the day after Christmas no less, was between the 2 structures. I find that particular site quite an odd place to leave a body. It was almost like a little stash spot that the offender was familiar with because he'd utilized it before, not necessarily to put a dead body but maybe to take a hit off the pipe or turn a very quick trick.

And what about Faith Jenkins murdered a few months ago not far from all the rest, she was barefoot and missing her pants and shoes. They say she died of internal injuries. LE says there's some obvious differences but are not ruling it out (my words). She had a BF who was jailed for abusing her but was out at the time of the killing. There's been no arrest and no updates. Just throwing it out there.

 

[LR1]

Wasn't there a google map with victim locations? I'm trying to find exact locations for Green, Patton and Gage. I have a rough Idea but trying to pinpoint so to speak.

 

[CriminalMinds]

the model of gun used indicates the killer would likely use a shooting range, especially if he is a wanna-be cop---the FBI or local authorities should go to the range that's by where the girls were killed and see if there are either sign in logs or membership rolls from that time

--i wonder how their research went on trying to find registered users of that model weapon..(assuming it wasn't bought as a burner)

 

[Kairi'sMom]

Wasn't there a google map with victim locations? I'm trying to find exact locations for Green, Patton and Gage. I have a rough Idea but trying to pinpoint so to speak.

I'm working on finding the addresses. I don't think LE gave the exact locations, but I know exactly where Patton was found. I'll try to put a map together tomorrow.

 

[Kairi'sMom]

This is where Iwana Patton's body was found. The map is Google Earth, N. Williamson Blvd. taken back to October of 2005. That area is now built up, and the New Police Department is to the right of where her body was found, off Valor Blvd. located just above the site.

You can see a little "path" in the trees and it's this area where she was found