VT VT - Ralph "Rizz" Jean-Marie, 38, Barre, 13 Apr 2020

[UnderSea]

I couldn't find a thread for him. If there is one, I apologize. It seems like silence around his case is a major problem. There's a picture for him at the first link but I don't know how to add it here.

"On April 15, 2020, the Barre City Police Department received a complaint that Ralph Jean-Marie, also known as "Rizz," had been missing since about 1 a.m. April 13, 2020. It was reported that Jean-Marie had walked away from his hotel room at the Hollow Inn on South Main Street in Barre, Vermont. Prior to leaving, Jean-Marie reportedly had a dispute with his significant other and left the hotel wearing only his gray pajama pants, a gray Carhartt jacket, a black and gray hat that says "King," and black Adidas sneakers. Jean-Marie has several underlying health concerns."
Vermont State Police

Man's disappearance said to be suspicious
Brockton’s Ralph Jean-Marie still missing in Vermont; police suspect foul play

Black man from Barre has been missing for a year; activists want FBI’s help "Now, activists are demanding that the Barre City Police Department call in some backup — specifically, the FBI. They say that because Jean-Marie was a poor, Black man, his case is being ignored and brushed aside — and they want to change that."

 

[rainynights]

Vermont State Police

[...]

Jean-Marie was 38 years old at the time of his disappearance. He is described as about 5 feet 10 inches tall, weighing 140 pounds, with brown eyes and black hair. Jean-Marie left the hotel without his medications, ID, wallet and eyeglasses. Investigators indicate this is highly suspicious, and most people do not up and leave without taking their essential items.

Jean-Marie has ties to Massachusetts and New York, but he has not contacted any family members, who advise this is unlike him. The Barre City Police Department believes someone has harmed Jean-Marie and have been proceeding along those lines in investigating the case.

The Barre City Police continue to extensively investigate and follow up on leads. Anyone with information regarding the disappearance or the whereabouts of Jean-Marie is asked to contact the Barre City Police Department at 802-476-6613.

Log into Facebook – Barre City PD (posted April 8 2021)

The City of Barre Police Department along with the Washington County State’s Attorney Office will be holding a Press Conference of 04/13/21 at 130 pm, at The Hollow Inn on S. Main ST. in Barre Vermont regarding the ongoing missing person investigation of Ralph Jean-Marie.

It is our hope that by bringing this back to the forefront of the news and the public eye that those individuals in our community will knowledge of Ralph’s disappearance will come forward and talk to the police investigators assigned to this case.

 

[UnderSea]

"Now, two local filmmakers, Tyanna Langevin and Anthony Marques, are creating a documentary on Jean-Marie’s disappearance to continue to keep his name in the public and take a closer look at how the case is being handled by the Barre City police department."

One year later, friends and family of Ralph Jean-Marie demand justice

For anyone unfamiliar with Vermont, it's really really white. 94.2% according to the Census Bureau

 

[slowpoke]

““I believe one or more people are responsible for harming Ralph Jean-Marie,” said Chief Tim Bombardier.

It was initially reported that Jean-Marie was staying at the Hollow Inn on South Main Street the night he disappeared. Now, Chief Bombardier says new information could place Jean-Marie at a different location.

“People have said he’s missing from this hotel room but I don’t know that that’s factually correct,” Chief Bombardier said.”
https://www.wcax.com/2020/09/13/missing-mans-family-speaks-out-as-investigation-continues/
Missing man’s family speaks out as investigation continues

The article says his sister believes he was murdered by “multiple people”. It says the Barre Police also believe he was murdered. What would have been the motive, I wonder. Is the “significant other” under any suspicion? Is the SO is the one who stated Rizz left from the hotel room? Had the SO and Rizz been staying there together?

 

[rainynights]

Posted today w/ additional photo
Log into Facebook – Barre City PD



********************

Map showing hotel he was reported to have been staying at:
Hollow Inn & Motel
278 S Main St, Barre, VT 05641
Google Maps

I wonder if any of his movements were caught on security camera at the motel, and/or elsewhere? And if he was actually at the motel at some point, was anyone else staying in or visiting the room, or was it just him and the SO?

Hoping for justice for Rizz and his family.

 

[UnderSea]

There are some other legal proceedings for people involved in his life. I suspect that's on the police radar. I don't think it falls within the sleuthing guidelines here, so I won't link to the articles but they're easy to find in local news. I think the above link to FB includes some comments of interest.

Rizz's family deserves some answers. I hope they'll come before long.

ETA: Are those old quarry holes south of the motel? I don't have a sense of how active the quarrying is these days and whether there tends to be a lot of traffic around there. Even without that, there's so much undeveloped land around.

 

[rainynights]

Ralph Jean-Marie, who also goes by “Rizz,” has been missing for a year now and local authorities held a press conference Tuesday in Barre at the Hollow Inn, the last place where the 38-year-old was seen April 13, 2020. “I believe that there are people in this community that have failed to come forward,” said Barre Police Chief Tim Bombardier.

[...]

“We stand here today having to question what evidence was lost, what opportunities were missed in the 60 hours that the people that knew him did not report him missing,” said Washington County State’s Attorney Rory Thibault.

[...]

Family members and others wanting justice for Jean-Marie pressured officials at the press conference, asking for more help with the investigation and more information to be released to the public. “This isn’t a question of not wanting to work hard enough, it’s about preserving the integrity, of preserving a prosecution if we get to that point,” Thibault said.

“I don’t have information that I think the FBI can work with,” Bombardier said.

[...]

On anniversary of disappearance, authorities make plea for tips in Barre case

 

[annpats]

What was Ralph and his S.O. in Barre, VT for? Pleasure and Leisure? Business?

 

[rainynights]

Officials mark one year since man's disappearance

According to police, Jean-Marie, 38, was last seen at The Hollow Inn on South Main Street at about 1 a.m. April 13, 2020. He was reported missing the night of April 15, 2020, more than 60 hours later. He had been living at the motel when police said he had a dispute with his significant other.

[...]

Supporters of Jean-Marie have asked police to release information about the case, including surveillance footage from the motel and what areas have been searched. But Thibault said police need to preserve evidence in the event those who harmed him are charged and the case goes to trial.

[...]

Vermont Police Chief Renews Plea for Help Finding Missing Man a Year Later

[...]

“He’s a good person,” Jean-Marie’s cousin, [FW] of Boston, said of her relative. “I would’ve never thought in a million years that this would’ve happened to us. That’s the kind of stuff that I watch on TV.”

[FW] and Jean-Marie’s sister, [BM] of Providence, Rhode Island, told NECN the missing man is a dad, someone who is always there for his friends and the kind of guy who’s really good about staying in touch.

Because of those traits, when Jean-Marie disappeared the day after Easter last year, reportedly after an argument with his girlfriend at the Hollow Inn & Motel in Barre, the family knew something was wrong.

[...]

(video at link)

One year since Ralph Jean-Marie’s disappearance, Barre City Attorney: “Not any closer today to knowing the truth” | Local 22/44 News

[...]

Chief Bombardier says despite conducting more than 56 interviews and 30 searches with scuba divers, drones, and K-9 teams, they still don’t have concrete evidence that explains what happened to Jean-Marie.

Bombardier says Jean-Marie wasn’t reported missing until 68 hours later, nearly three days after he initially disappeared. Jean-Marie was a full-time resident at the Hollow Inn & Motel and living with his girlfriend at the time. Bombardier says first report of Jean-Marie’s disappearance came from a friend, not his girlfriend.

[...]

“It’s frustrating. He was a human being, a father, a son, a friend. He had a heart of gold. He would do anything for anybody and it’s a horrible situation,” said Jean-Marie’s friend [DF].

[...]

(video at link)

 

[rainynights]

April 21, 2021
Questions persist about police investigation into Ralph Jean-Marie’s disappearance

Our Céline McArthur spoke with Seven Days’ Colin Flanders, who reported on the ongoing mystery over Jean-Marie’s disappearance and the police department’s response.

(video at link)

 

[UnderSea]

Article by the Seven Days reporter interviewed above. Same info, different format.

 

[UnderSea]

Charley Project
Note that he is legally blind without his glasses and requires meds for his sickle cell anemia. Both items were left in the hotel room.

 

[mlhenn]

Ralph Jean-Marie – The Charley Project

Updated May 25, 2021


Details of Disappearance
Jean-Marie was last seen at the Hollow Inn & Motel on south Main Street in Barre, Vermont at 1:00 a.m. on April 13, 2020. He had a argument with his girlfriend of three years and left his hotel room without taking anything with him, and has never been heard from again. He left behind his medications, wallet, identification, eyeglasses and other belongings.

Authorities stated Jean-Marie is missing under suspicious circumstances, as it's uncharacteristic of him to leave without warning or to be out of touch with his loved ones. He has relatives in Massachusetts, New York and Rhode Island, but they haven't heard from him since he went missing.

His relationship with his girlfriend was troubled and there was a history of domestic violence; in 2014, she was convicted of assaulting him. Jean-Marie told relatives that his girlfriend used drugs and had relationships with other men. She was arrested on unrelated charges a few months after his disappearance, but hasn't been charged or named as a suspect in his disappearance.

Lee Morrigan was cited for contempt of court in connection with Jean-Marie's case in 2021. He claims to be an activist who is fighting for justice for Jean-Marie. At a police press conference, he asked about the existence of a certain video that could shed light on the case. Prosecutors asked him to give up the source of the video, but Morrigan will not disclose his source because, he says, he believes the source would face repercussions from the police. He states he has never seen the footage himself and his sources don't have it, only the police do. He said he would.

The contempt charge is pending. It has nothing to do with Jean-Marie's actual disappearance, only with Morrigan's refusal to disclose the source of his information.

Foul play is suspected in Jean-Marie's case, which remains unsolved.

 

[carbuff]

Very interesting indeed. It doesn't sound good for Ralph Jean-Marie.

 

[azure]

<modsnip - quoted post removed>
Here's an MSM article that states that his gf was arrested for selling fentanyl that killed someone.
Brockton's Ralph Jean-Marie still missing in Vermont; police suspect foul play

 

[Curious_in_NC]

Thanks @azure. That article makes the link. Apart from that, there's not much sleuthing we can discuss here if she is not named as a POI in Jean-Marie's disappearance.

 

[kelsie]

She's named in the news article, doesn't that mean we can discuss her? As long as we don't sleuth her since she isn't a named POI? I'll report this message to get clarification.

 

[Tiff23fr]

Mod Note:
The information as presented in the MSM article can be discussed. However, sleuthing or making accusations beyond what is stated in the article is not allowed since this individual is not named a POI.

 

[UnderSea]

Police and community members have led their own separate searches, but now, they’re working together to find the father of three.

Sixty-six interviews and 30 searches have been conducted since the father of three went missing, according to the Barre City Police’s Facebook page.

The documentary team’s communication director, Rebecca Ronga, interviewed law enforcement in effort to provide more transparency to the public.

Barre City Police and community working together to find Ralph Jean-Marie

In an updated timeline of the case posted Friday to the department’s Facebook page, Barre City police said 66 interviews and thirty searches have been conducted since Jean-Marie went missing in April 2020. Investigators have also gone to court numerous times to request warrants subpoenas and other orders.

Barre City police release timeline of investigation into Ralph Jean-Marie disappearance | Local 22/44 News

The timeline is also available at the end of the article, for those who don't use Facebook.

 

[Curious_in_NC]

rsbm Barre City police release timeline of investigation into Ralph Jean-Marie disappearance | Local 22/44 News.

Thanks @UnderSea. So there is a POI. They just haven't disclosed who that person is:

• 4/27/21 – Request to court for inquest subpoena of witnesses #2 & 3.·
• 05/04/21– Inquest of witnesses #2 and #3. Witness #3 did not appear and will be rescheduled.·
• 05/19/21– Request to court for inquest subpoena of witness #4 and related documentary evidence.·
• 5/7/2021 to 5/11/2021 Detectives continue to meet with potential witnesses and POI.·
• 05/21/21 As of this date Police have involved nine other agencies conducted sixty-six interviews, thirty searches and requested 17 court actions/orders (warrants, subpoenas, inquest, and other orders)