Search Ends For Missing Richmond, VA Woman
E/C Annie
Aug 28, 2006 04:48 PM
A tragic end Monday in the search for a missing Goochland County woman.
Henrico County Police Lieutenant Doug Perry says a cell phone signal
led searchers to an area near Goochland High School in Goochland
County, where they found a body believed to be 21-year-old Emily "Kate"
Robertson.
She disappeared on Friday from a suburban Richmond shopping center in
Henrico County. Perry says the body has been sent to the state medical
examiner's office for a positive identification. But he says they
believe the body is Robertson. She was last seen on a security camera
videotape getting into a car in the Short Pump Town Center parking lot
outside Nordstrom, where she worked.
Robertson disappeared just as her shift was supposed to start. The
gender of the other person and the type of vehicle could not be
determined.
Her mother, Helen Robertson, said her daughter also worked part time
with a local photographer who shoots weddings and portraits.
http://www.wtkr.com/Global/story.asp?S=5336005&nav=ZolHbyvj
Richmond Times-Dispatch
Monday, August 28, 2006
A woman's body found today in a wooded area of western Goochland County
is thought to be that of Emily "Kate" Robertson.
The body was found about 11 a.m. in a creek off state Route 607, about
a quarter mile south of state Route 6 and three miles west of Goochland
Courthouse.
Lt. Doug Perry, spokesman for the Henrico County Division of Police,
said today that body has not been positively identified. However, based
on physical description and other factors, he said, "We do suspect it
is Kate Robertson."
Perry made his comment at a 2 p.m. news conference at the Goochland
County Sheriff's Office. Goochland and Henrico law enforcement
authorities are working together on the case.
Robertson, 21, had been missing since she arrived in the parking lot of
Short Pump Town Center in western Henrico Friday morning.
Perry said law enforcement officials were alerted to the general area
where the body was found first by a "ping" registered Saturday by a
cell phone tower in western Goochland.
Then, late last night, someone found Robertson's cell phone off Route
607, also known as Irwin Road, Perry said.
Authorities began combing the area about 8 a.m. today, and the body was
found three hours later. One source said the body was partly clothed
and face down in a creek.
Robertson, of the Sandy Hook area of Goochland, was scheduled to work
Friday in the children's and infant's clothing department at the mall's
Nordstrom store.
A video shot by a mall security camera showed her arriving at the
parking lot at 8:50 a.m. Friday in her vehicle, then another vehicle
pulling in next to hers. Robertson got into the other vehicle and it
sped off.
The video was not clear enough so that investigators could tell whether
the other person was a man or a woman.
Robertson's family and friends, along with Henrico County police,
handed out fliers this morning at Short Pump Town Center in hopes of
finding clues to her disappearance.
Robertson's parents, Russell and Helen Robertson of Sandy Hook in
Goochland, said it was totally out of character for their daughter to
miss work or fail to stay in contact with them.
Robertson attended the Art Institute of Pittsburgh after graduating in
2003 from St. Gertrude High School in Richmond. In addition to her job
at Nordstrom, she occasionally worked part-time for a local
photographer.
For further developments, continue to monitor www.TimesDispatch.com and
see tomorrow's Times-Dispatch.
This story can be found at:
http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD/MGArticle/RTD_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1149190257915
JonesieCat
"E/C Annie" <cab...@cavtel.net> wrote in message
news:1156813956.2...@b28g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
I'm suspicious of the photographer she worked for. Not for any particular
reason mind you (other than have read of a few photogs who've pretended to
shoot photos of young women and then raped & killed them). She young woman
must have known who she went off with. What time was she supposed to be in
Nordstrom's? If she was expected at 9am for work, odd she'd ride off at 10
min til 9. Wonder if she arranged to meet early to go for coffee or
something (and maybe work wasn't until 10)? jc
catherine yronwode
I "read" the evidence in a different manner. As i see it, the
photographer is innocent (he did not need to snatch her from her other
job site) -- it wa a stranger abduction at knife or gunpoint, similar to
the recent Walmart parking lot kidnap-rape-murder case in Texas. The
perp may be long gone by now, on to another city, another parking lot,
another victim.
cat yronwode
E/C Annie
JonesieCat wrote:
> "E/C Annie" <cab...@cavtel.net> wrote in message
> news:1156813956.2...@b28g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
> > Search Ends For Missing Richmond Woman
> >
> > Aug 28, 2006 04:48 PM
> >
> > A tragic end Monday in the search for a missing Goochland County woman.
> >
> I'm suspicious of the photographer she worked for. Not for any particular
> reason mind you (other than have read of a few photogs who've pretended to
> shoot photos of young women and then raped & killed them). She young woman
> must have known who she went off with. What time was she supposed to be in
> Nordstrom's? If she was expected at 9am for work, odd she'd ride off at 10
> min til 9. Wonder if she arranged to meet early to go for coffee or
> something (and maybe work wasn't until 10)? jc
I had the same feeling about the photographer. Made me think
immediately about the Taylor Behl/Ben Fawley murder last fall. He was
supposed to be an artist of sorts. This latest story makes me think
she may have known the perp. I wish we knew if this was random or
someone she knew. My grandgirls are 15 and 17 and they love the malls,
especially Short Pump because it has all the latest teen clothing
shops, coffee shops, etc.
annie
Photos of suspect's car released; confirmation body found was Robertson
By Rob Richardson, NBC12 News
The medical examiner confirms the body found in Goochland was that of
Kate Robertson, 21. But, there is no word on the cause of death at this
point. Meanwhile, police have released new photos of the car police say
Robertson was in when she left Short Pump Town Center. Police believe
this is a Pontiac Firebird, that was in the lot outside Nordstrom's
shortly before Robertson arrived Friday morning.
There are a series of shots of the car, what police believe is the car
circling Nordstrom's section at the mall, waiting for Robertson to
arrive. Police ask that if you recognize this vehicle, please contact
Crime Stoppers at (804) 780-1000.
Investigators say Robertson's body was found in Goochland on Monday
in an area along Route 607, that's off Route 6, about a mile from
Goochland High School. Her body was found naked from the waist down.
But, police won't say anymore about Robertson's body found at the
river.
There is no information about any DNA or whether or not Robertson was
sexually assaulted.
But, investigators again point to the Short Pump Town Center parking
lot, where investigators say Robertson say in her SUV for about a
minute before another car pulls up. Police say Robertson gets in and
sits for three more minutes before the car pulls away.
Investigators spent the weekend interviewing employees at Nordstrom's
where Robertson worked. A number of employees at the mall say
Robertson's disappearance and death concerns them so much they
won't walk in the parking lot alone. A mall spokesperson won't talk
about increased security.
If you have any information about the vehicle or this case, contact
Crime Stoppers at (804) 780-1000.
JonesieCat
That 3 minutes inside the other car, before it pulled out, is crucial then.
Time to hit her, knock her out, drive off with her. I bet - hope - someone
IDs the car. Since learning she - with the driver - didn't drive off immed,
seems sure she was ready to go right into work at 9, and thought her
'meeting' with whoever would only be a minute. LE must be trying to find
whatever msg was sent to arrange the quick mtg too, via cell record, email,
instant msg, whatever (people don't actually arrange meets old-fashioned
ways anymore do they?). Makes me think it's NOT the photog, since that car
would be ID'd pretty quickly (wouldn't it?). jc
E/C Annie
grandgirls.
annie
Suspect identified in Robertson murder
By Tara Morgan, NBC12 News
Authorities identify the primary suspect in Kate Robertson's
abduction and murder as 37-year-old John Snider. Police say Snider
committed suicide Monday, the same day that Robertson's body was
found in a creek in Goochland County.
Snider was found with a gunshot wound to the head at his Henrico County
home. Police say his wife called authorities to report his death.
Goochland Sheriff Jim Agnew says Snider owned a late model burgundy
Pontiac Firebird believed to be the same one that Robertson got into at
Short Pump Town Center Friday morning.
Authorities have impounded Snider's vehicle and say physical evidence
was found inside. Officials also say witnesses place a similar vehicle
in the area where Robertson's body was found, which was in a creek,
off Route 607 near Goochland High School.
While police say they're fairly confident Snider is the man who
abducted and killed Robertson, they say this case is not closed.
Goochland Sheriff Jim Agnew says, "We are not at this point able to
say with 100 percent certainty that we have solved this case. We have
outstanding physical evidence that has not, as of yet, been analyzed.
We have submitted evidence to the crime lab, we are waiting results
from all the all the evidence we collected at the crime scene, both
here in Goochland and at the suicide scene in Henrico."
Officials are still waiting autopsy results on Robertson's cause of
death. Police say they have not been able to establish a relationship
between Snider and Robertson.
They do say Snider worked as a security guard in Goochland at a
nightclub, but was let go because he did not have the proper security
credentials to work there. They would not discuss his criminal history
but, they did say he did have charges at one point 20 years ago in
another state.
Meanwhile, friends and family of Kate Robertson will gather tonight to
mourn the 21-year-old. A sevice of prayer in Robertson's honor begins
at 8 p.m. tonight at Gum Spring United Methodist Church, located on
Church Lane, just off Route 522 in Louisa County.
cro...@earthlink.net
through" the time-consuming, expensive trial in which they claim to be
innocent, and when found guilty, the victim of a sad upbringing most of
which they may be making up.
"E/C Annie" <cab...@cavtel.net> wrote in message
news:1156984296....@b28g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
E/C Annie
<cro...@earthlink.net> wrote:
> I like it when the criminal commits suicide, as then I do not have to "sit
> through" the time-consuming, expensive trial in which they claim to be
> innocent, and when found guilty, the victim of a sad upbringing most of
> which they may be making up.
>
did this. Were they having an affair? He's 37 and married; she's a
single 21 year old with life ahead of her. There's still been no
'cause of death' reported yet. Last news report said it could be weeks
before they'd know.
annie
E/C Annie
murder in Ohio now.
annie
Residents call suspect friendly
But they also say that he carried at least one gun while walking dog
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Neighbors called him "Leprechaun Man" because of his short stature,
shaved head and red goatee.
They said he was an out-of-work security guard, who was friendly,
talkative, and was often seen around the neighborhood with at least one
handgun strapped to his waist while he walked his dog.
Police believe that same man, 37-year-old John M. Snyder of the 1200
block of Careybrook Drive in western Henrico County, is the person who
abducted and killed Emily Kate Robertson, 21, of Goochland County.
Snyder apparently took his own life Monday afternoon, around the time
police announced they had recovered Robertson's body off Irwin Road in
Goochland.
'It's kind of scary'
Residents of the Stoneycreek Apartments last night expressed shock and
surprise that their former neighbor has been implicated by police in
the young woman's death.
"It's kind of scary and unnerving because I just moved here and I
thought I was moving into a nice, quiet neighborhood," said Regina
Richardson, noting she had seen Snyder around but didn't talk to him.
A next-door neighbor said she first realized something was amiss Monday
afternoon when she returned home to find the area crowded with police
vehicles.
"He was super outgoing. I mean, he talked my head off every time I went
outside," said the woman, who asked that her name not be used. "My
girlfriends and I called him 'The Leprechaun' because he was 5 feet
tall with red hair."
The neighbor said Snyder lived in the two-bedroom apartment with his
wife and another woman who, she believed, was his sister. She described
them as polite, but said they mostly kept to themselves.
Often seen with handgun
No one answered the door at Snyder's apartment.
The woman said Snyder was often seen sitting on his porch, handgun at
his hip, smoking cigarettes.
Other times, he walked Shadow, his dark-haired dog, up and down the
street.
"It's just bizarre," she said of Snyder's alleged involvement in the
death of Robertson.
Police also believe Snyder was unemployed but about a year ago had
worked for a short time at a Goochland night spot.
Neighbor John Gardner said he didn't know Snyder by name, but the two
often acknowledged each other in passing.
"Every time I waved to him he waved back, or sometimes he initiated the
wave," Gardner said.
Another female neighbor who declined to give her name, said, "All I can
say is he was a good guy. He watched out for the neighborhood. He
walked around with his gun and walked his dog."
"I wish the [victim's] family well," she said before walking into her
apartment and closing the door.
This story can be found at:
E/C Annie
E/C Annie wrote:
> According to local news, this man is being investigated for an unsolved
> murder in Ohio now.
>
> annie
>
By Rob Richardson, NBC12 News
killed himself, they say their investigation is far from over. In fact,
local police may be able to help Ohio investigators conclude cases
there.
Investigators in Virginia are pursuing two main questions: Who is John
Snyder? And what, if any, connection does he have to Kate Robertson?
This comes as investigators in Ohio now wonder if Snyder killed a woman
there in 1988.
Before Snyder killed himself at a Henrico apartment complex Monday,
neighbors say the short man with a shaved head nearly always carried a
gun when walking his dog. For a time, Snyder also worked at a Goochland
nightclub until he was fired.
But, during the Virginia investigation into John Snyder, investigators
have learned about crimes committed nearly 20 years ago in Ohio. First
in Toledo in 1987, Snyder faced a kidnapping charge. It was dropped
but, reinstated.
Then a few years later in the early 90's, police records in Bolling
Green, Ohio show Snyder had at least a dozen run-ins with the law
including: disorderly conduct, aggravated disorderly conduct and
driving complaints.
But, after Virginia investigators declared him a killer on Wednesday,
Ohio investigators say they'll investigate any involvement he had in an
unsolved 1988 murder of a woman who was sexually assaulted. Virginia
investigators say they're willing to help.
Services for Kate Robertson are set for 10 a.m. Friday morning at
Bennett Funeral Home on West Broad Street.
Kate Robertson worked at Nordstrom's at Short Pump Town Center when she
was killed. Nordstrom's is paying for her funeral.
http://www.nbc12.com/news/state/3788747.html
JonesieCat
That's what I want to know too, what "relationship" there was. I think he
must have lured her into his car on when as she slipped into his car for a
minute (what she thought would be a minute)? I don't think there was an
affair - who meets a married lover just before going into the mall to work?
Wouldn't it be risky to be together in a public place (the mall parking
lot)? Aren't affairs conducted such that no one would see them together? Or
am I all wrong about that? Well, I tend to think he was some sort of
stalker, she knew his face, thought him harmless - met him for unknown
reasons - and he wouldn't let her get back out of the car. And I'm also glad
he offed himself, saving the cost of a trial. Feel quite sorry for his wife
tho. She must be bewildered, among other things. jc
JonesieCat
Good PR for Nordstrom's. Decent of them to pay for her funeral. jc
catherine yronwode
Yes, it is decent of Nordstrom's, whether for PR or just because they
want to help her family out.
I still do not "read" this as the victim knowing the killer; i think
that Snider was a stranger who used a threat or show of force (knife,
gun, cap pistol, ec.) to get Robertson into his vehicle, but that due to
angle/distance of camera, this doesn't show on the sureveillance video.
cat yronwode
E/C Annie
Like Goochland woman, Toledo woman was taken at mall where she worked
Saturday, September 2, 2006
Nineteen years ago, John M. Snyder abducted a woman at gunpoint from a
Toledo, Ohio, shopping mall and sexually assaulted her before letting
her go.
Police believe Snyder committed a similar crime last week in Henrico
County, but the victim -- 21-year-old Emily "Kate" Robertson -- wasn't
as fortunate. She was killed and left half-naked in a Goochland County
creek.
Both women were abducted from shopping malls where they worked.
Robertson was killed after being driven away from Short Pump Town
Center in Snyder's car, police believe.
With assistance from The Toledo Blade, The Times-Dispatch obtained
copies of police reports in the Ohio case, to which Snyder pleaded
guilty in 1988.
According to the records, he received a five- to 15-year suspended
sentence, five years' probation and a $1,000 fine. He also was ordered
to undergo outpatient psychiatric treatment.
Just 18 then, Snyder told Toledo police that he "could not understand
nor explain what caused his actions on April 7, 1987," the night he
abducted a woman in her early 20s as she prepared to close the store
where she worked, according to the police report.
"He stated that he has been experiencing mental problems with sexual
thoughts," the report said. "He went on to say that this problem causes
him to have a sexual desire that he cannot control. He feels that this
is wrong, but he does not know what to do about it."
Police are still trying to determine whether Snyder and Robertson had
any connection before she disappeared on the morning of Aug. 25.
The victim in Ohio was targeted at random, court records show.
According to the police report, Snyder first saw her working in a store
at Southwyck Shopping Center, which was Toledo's second major mall. He
told police he waited near the store until it closed, then went inside
and forced the woman into a rear storeroom.
After forcing her to remove her clothes, he began molesting her.
Forced victim to buy beer
He then became concerned that mall security would check the store, so
he ordered the woman to dress. After doing so, he forced her to leave
with him through a rear door. "He made the victim hold his hand as they
walked to his auto," the report says.
Snyder then drove to a convenience store, where he made the victim buy
a quart of beer. He drove her to a small lake at a stone quarry, where
he showed a knife. There, he apologized to the woman for his actions,
saying he did it "only because he was having problems with his
girlfriend." The woman played along, fearing for her life.
Snyder told police he attempted to kiss the woman, but he said she was
unwilling. "He stated that the victim was very frightened and because
of that he drove her back to Southwyck Mall and she left his car."
Snyder returned to the store with a rose the following day, and
employees there recognized him based on the victim's description. One
employee ran from the store and waved down two officers, who detained
Snyder for questioning. He was arrested that night.
Asked why he returned, Snyder told detectives that "he went there to
purchase a flower for his girlfriend and considered seeing the victim
and apologizing to her for his actions the past night."
Police never recovered a gun but they did find a double-edged steel
knife during a search of his car. Snyder told police that he never used
a gun in the abduction.
However, the victim told police that Snyder pointed a gun in her face
after he entered the store. She initially thought he was shoplifting
because he had something concealed in his hands.
She said Snyder threatened her after they arrived at the lake, worried
that she would turn him in. "He again told her don't tell anyone, I
don't want to go back to jail," the report said. "He then said, 'Did
you ever see what a .38 [caliber pistol] does when it's shot into a
person's ear?'"
Plea agreement in 1988
Snyder was indicted in early 1988 on charges of kidnapping with a
firearm and "gross sexual imposition" with a firearm. On March 28 of
that year, he agreed to plead guilty in Lucas County Common Pleas Court
to a lesser charge of kidnapping as part of a plea agreement.
After his arrest, Snyder for a time received in-patient treatment at a
psychiatric hospital and was diagnosed by one doctor as having
depression and an explosive and dependent personality. He was
prescribed tranquilizers and antidepressant medication.
"He is highly mistrustful of others which borders on being paranoid,"
the doctor wrote in November 1987. "His judgment remains poor and
insight is partial."
Attempted suicide
His probation officer described Snyder's first few weeks on probation
as being "very disturbing," Snyder was admitted to the psychiatric
intensive-care unit of a Toledo hospital, where he attempted suicide,
according to court documents.
He continued to receive treatment at least through 1991. He appeared to
make some progress in the later years, getting a job at a paint store
and attending classes at Bowling Green State University, court records
show. During that time, he kept weekly appointments with a
psychologist, who in July 1990 said Snyder had matured considerably.
Authorities believe Snyder moved to the Richmond area less than five
years ago. This summer, he petitioned Lucas County (Ohio) Common Pleas
Court to have his kidnapping conviction expunged from his record,
according to court officials there. A hearing was scheduled for Sept.
12.
This story can be found at:
Michael Snyder
> Ohio, Va. cases similar, data show
> Like Goochland woman, Toledo woman was taken at mall where she worked
>
> Saturday, September 2, 2006
>
>
> Nineteen years ago, John M. Snyder abducted a woman at gunpoint from a
> Toledo, Ohio, shopping mall and sexually assaulted her before letting
> her go.
No known relation, although I did grow up in the next state over
(which is also where my father's family came from). I was never
aware of having any relatives in Ohio.
Then again, the more common spelling in that region is Snider.
