WV WV - Cassie Shelton Sheetz, 23, hiker, Spruce Knob, Monongahela National Forest, 11 Mar 2021

[hibachai]

Teter said it turned out the remains were a long way from where they had been originally told to look.

“Eight miles straight line, so if you take into account ridges, ravines, and going around terrain it’s probably closer to 10 or 11 miles,” said Teter.
...
Teter indicated there were several items located at the scene which were very specific to the Sheetz case. The remains have been sent to the state Medical Examiner’s office in Charleston for an autopsy.
...
Teter said there were no obvious signs of foul play at the scene.

“We’re not ruling it out, but there was nothing I found that would indicate something definite. I just don’t know that right now. The remains were exposed and covered with foliage that had fallen, but there was no shallow grave and no digging of any kind,” Teter said.
Missing woman's remains found in Pendleton County - WV MetroNews

So about 10 miles from where the two men said Cassie went missing. In the dark, deep in the forest. Something stinks. MOO.

At least 8 miles away. Seems very suspicious, especially considering LE searched with helicopters, drones, dogs, etc. ~12 hours after the boys said they last saw her and found nothing

 

[MsMarple]

From the post by @MsMarple above this was some distance from the mountain, are there roads closer to where she was found? The cause of death will tell us a lot.

The exact spot hasn't been identified but the article I linked below mentioned the northern Seneca Creek area.

From ‘It’s not fair’: Cassie Sheetz’s mother shares details of investigation

WVSP say the remains were found by hunters in the northern Seneca Creek area, deep in a remote part of the forest.

Shelton says she was told her daughter was found atop a ridge, about eight miles from the nearest parking lot, and that investigators don’t believe Sheetz could have gotten there on her own.

She says some of Cassie’s belongings -- keys and clothing -- were found. Other items, like her cellphone, jewelry and sunglasses, are missing.

“If it wasn’t for the bear hunter going up there, we wouldn’t have found her,” she said.

I think it's this area:
Google Maps

 

[MaryG12]

The exact spot hasn't been identified but the article I linked below mentioned the northern Seneca Creek area.

From ‘It’s not fair’: Cassie Sheetz’s mother shares details of investigation

WVSP say the remains were found by hunters in the northern Seneca Creek area, deep in a remote part of the forest.

Shelton says she was told her daughter was found atop a ridge, about eight miles from the nearest parking lot, and that investigators don’t believe Sheetz could have gotten there on her own.

She says some of Cassie’s belongings -- keys and clothing -- were found. Other items, like her cellphone, jewelry and sunglasses, are missing.

“If it wasn’t for the bear hunter going up there, we wouldn’t have found her,” she said.

I think it's this area:
Google Maps

BBM

I have to wonder if one of the two guys she was hiking with at the time has these items in his possession?

 

[MaryG12]

A West Virginia mom has been missing for over six months; her mother shares her story

Shelton said her daughter was never into hiking and stated that the men told her Sheetz wanted to show them something in that area, but what that ‘something’ was exactly, was never clear.
.....................................

It sounds very fishy to me.

 

[carbuff]

I still don't think she was ever on Spruce Knob. I know they've said they think she was there--it just never seemed likely to me and this makes it seem even less likely.

 

[MsMarple]

The whole story has stunk to high heaven since the beginning. And now we're supposed to believe Cassie somehow hiked 8 - 10 miles by herself in the dark in the middle of the night and expired on top of a mountain ridge.

Nope, no way. I hope LE can find enough evidence to arrest those responsible.

 

[worm]

If she was truly interested on hiking one would expect water containers, some kind of bag or pack, all that goes with outdoor activities like this. And in bear country too? This doesn’t make sense. I wonder if her jewelry was taken as some sick psycho trophy. Again, I don’t think she was intended to be found being that far out and just left. Whoever it was probably expected animals to disperse her remains.

 

[MaryG12]

If she was truly interested on hiking one would expect water containers, some kind of bag or pack, all that goes with outdoor activities like this. And in bear country too? This doesn’t make sense. I wonder if her jewelry was taken as some sick psycho trophy. Again, I don’t think she was intended to be found being that far out and just left. Whoever it was probably expected animals to disperse her remains.

I would not be surprised.

I wonder if her cellphone was ever pinged? That is one item that needs to be found first.

Hmm...

 

[hibachai]

“She was with two men who managed to find their way out, but have been very vague in their explanations of what happened to Cassie and where she might be.”

I’m glad this was mentioned in the article - their story has been very vague indeed. They’ve also refused to take LE to the last place they were with Cassie. I run the FB group and we are devastated.

Missing woman's remains found in Pendleton County - WV MetroNews

 

[worm]

“She was with two men who managed to find their way out, but have been very vague in their explanations of what happened to Cassie and where she might be.”

I’m glad this was mentioned in the article - their story has been very vague indeed. They’ve also refused to take LE to the last place they were with Cassie. I run the FB group and we are devastated.

Missing woman's remains found in Pendleton County - WV MetroNews

I’m not buying “vague” explanations or the notion that this young lady walked 10 miles, unprepared for hiking, and died. I really hope they can turn the temp up on these 2 supposed friends and get answers.

 

[MsMarple]

I'm cautiously optimistic that LE is working hard to bring anyone involved in Cassie's death to justice. Hopefully there's enough forensic evidence that will tell the story of what happened to her.

 

[Knox]

At least 8 miles away. Seems very suspicious, especially considering LE searched with helicopters, drones, dogs, etc. ~12 hours after the boys said they last saw her and found nothing

Why would they find anything? IMO- LE was intentionally mislead on where to search for Cassie.

 

[worm]

The helicopters and aerial search’s probably weren’t effective as usual with that forest and Laurel growth. Eric Rudolph stayed hidden in that kind of stuff for years.

 

[hibachai]

Why would they find anything? IMO- LE was intentionally mislead on where to search for Cassie.

Yes, that’s my point. I don’t know if she was ever there, and their “vague” stories don’t help

 

[Knox]

I'll wait for COD to be announced. Maybe, just maybe, we'll see an arrest or two then.

 

[everybodhi]

I still don't think she was ever on Spruce Knob. I know they've said they think she was there--it just never seemed likely to me and this makes it seem even less likely.

I always thought they drove to Spruce Knob after the fact.
Going by the map by @MsMarple, they could have walked in and out from the Seneca Creek trailhead off Highway 112, then drove on 112 to Spruce Knob. Jmo.

 

[Knox]

That's a solid thought @everybodhi. Hoping the forensics tell us what happened to Cassie.

 

[carbuff]

I always thought they drove to Spruce Knob after the fact.
Going by the map by @MsMarple, they could have walked in and out from the Seneca Creek trailhead off Highway 112, then drove on 112 to Spruce Knob. Jmo.

View attachment 328161

Yes, that matches what I thought...and it's not a bad strategy on their part. It could have been decades before anybody stumbled on her remains. Even now there's unlikely to be enough evidence for a conviction.

 

[kelsie]

I really think her death is very suspicious and I think searchers were initially misled on purpose. MOO. Now that they found her as bones, there's less evidence against them.
Again, just my opinion.

 

[RickshawFan]

This may seem really odd but this is something I did for years. Mostly 3+ of us would go out at night several times a week and hike the towpath here in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. But then again we may be odd but 9 times out of 10 we would run into other biker/hiker/dog walkers at all times of the night. We've been doing it for 15-20 years and we are now in our 40s and 50s - just to give a perspective...
There were 3 times during those years that we ran into nefarious people.

But hiking a tow path at midnight would be a whole different deal than a wilderness trail.