Girl Missing Since Christmas Eve
tinydancer
(Indianapolis-December 27, 2004) - A twelve-year-old east side Indianapolis
girl has been missing since Christmas Eve. Police say they are holding a
suspect for questioning. They don't have much evidence, though, and they're
asking any possible witnesses to come forward.
Michelle Tedder clutched a teddy bear that her daughter Christina recently
gave her. She has not seen her daughter since Christmas Eve, and she is
distraught.
"She pretty much just vanished," said Sadahia Tedder, Christina's aunt. She
says Christina was last seen Friday evening when she told her 14-year-old
brother she was going to a nearby gas station.
Christina's mother says both her daughter and son come to the Shell station
at 10th and Shadeland frequently for pop and candy, but they are supposed to
always get permission. Christmas Eve, Christina's mother was at a nearby
home babysitting a nephew and Christina's father was late picking up his
children for the holiday.
The family is certain Christina did not run away. They say she had been
anxious to open her Christmas presents. "There's money that she had gotten
as a gift and the money is still here," said Tedder.
The police and FBI continue to comb the eastside neighborhood even though
the sheriff's department confirms a suspect is in custody.
"We found out that there was a possible violation of probation. We took him
in for questioning. We're still holding him at this time," said Deputy Chief
Hermand Humbles, Marion Co. Sheriff's Dept.
Although police are not identifying the suspect yet, the family found out
who he is. Tedder says he's a sex offender who failed to register with
police.
Samantha Bredeson works in the bakery between Christina's apartment and the
gas station. She's worried about her friend and now her own safety.
Christina's family hopes anyone who may have seen Christina since Friday
will call authorities, even if it's anonymously.
Police say they have not issued an Amber Alert in this case because
according to state criteria, there must be evidence that a crime has been
committed. So far, police say they don't have that evidence.
http://www.wishtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=2738385&nav=0Ra6UasJ
Ohnoanna
grandmother spoke of the girl in past tense.
She said things like:
"She was such a good girl. She loved life...."
j ohare
The weather has been brutal... 8 or 10 inches of snow on the ground.
The convicted child molester downstairs is back behind bars for
"probation violation." She's not called home. Her father was
involved in the search for her..
I hope I'm wrong. But...
I think she's dead. When the snow clears on Friday, or Saturday,
someone will find her in the abandoned shopping center across the
street.. or in the wilderness north of the apartment. (although too
close the judicial center at 10th and Shadeland.)
Lots of woods around. And if she got into a car.. Well, I'd hope I'm
wrong.
jana o...
Bbnuke
girl has been missing since Christmas Eve. Police say they are holding a
suspect for questioning.>>
This suspect passed a polygraph and was ruled out as her abductor/killer. She
is still missing, with no new info. The "suspect" is back in prison, for parole
violation.
Bebe
tinydancer
"Bbnuke" <bbn...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20041229185519...@mb-m19.aol.com...
Thanks for the update. Is there any new news about the parents? The mother
came across as *really strange* on the program where I saw her.
td
>
>
E/C Annie
Man arrested in case of missing girl
December 29, 2004
Authorities arrested a 39-year-old Indianapolis man for murder today,
linking him to an Eastside girl who vanished late on Christmas Eve and
whose case has captivated the region.
Jeffrey Voss of Indianapolis faces a preliminary charge of murder in
the disappearance of 12-year-old Christina Tedder, said Capt. Phil
Burton of the Marion County Sheriffs Department. Christina vanished on
the evening of Dec. 24 after she left her apartment in the 7000 block
of East 10th Street to walk to a nearby Shell gas station.
The Sheriff's Department has scheduled a news conference later this
evening to discuss the arrest in more detail.
Christina's disappearance set off a frenzied search in surrounding
neighborhoods and left her family to contemplate the worst. The case
also sparked a public debate over the decision by authorities not to
issue a so-called Amber Alert after Christina was reported missing.
The alert system, implemented in Indiana in 2002, is activated only
when evidence exists that a child under the age of 18 might have been
abducted or might be in peril. When she first disappeared, there was no
evidence that Christina had been kidnapped or was in danger, police
said.
j ohare
wrote:
The latest from the Indianapolis Star:
Man arrested in case of missing girl
By Theodore Kim and Vic Ryckaert
theodo...@indystar.com
December 29, 2004
Authorities arrested a 39-year-old Indianapolis man for murder today,
linking him to an Eastside girl who vanished late on Christmas Eve and
whose case has captivated the region.
Jeffrey Voss of Indianapolis faces a preliminary charge of murder in
the disappearance of 12-year-old Christina Tedder, said Capt. Phil
Burton of the Marion County Sheriffs Department. Christina vanished on
the evening of Dec. 24 after she left her apartment in the 7000 block
of East 10th Street to walk to a nearby Shell gas station.
Jeffrey Voss
The Sheriff's Department has scheduled a news conference later this
evening to discuss the arrest in more detail.
Christina's disappearance set off a frenzied search in surrounding
neighborhoods and left her family to contemplate the worst. The case
also sparked a public debate over the decision by authorities not to
issue a so-called Amber Alert after Christina was reported missing.
The alert system, implemented in Indiana in 2002, is activated only
when evidence exists that a child under the age of 18 might have been
abducted or might be in peril. When she first disappeared, there was
no evidence that Christina had been kidnapped or was in danger, police
said.
This story will be updated.
tinydancer
"E/C Annie" <cab...@cavtel.net> wrote in message
news:1104366764.0...@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
I wonder if this is a different guy than the previous suspect? Or if this
is the original suspect?? Anybody know that?
td
>
E/C Annie
Vince Cooley, 42, was first person of interest; never arrested afaik.
The article below states they've "found blood, hair and duct tape at
the home of a man who is familiar with the girl's family". Annie
INDIANAPOLIS -- Police on Wednesday said they arrested a man on a
preliminary charge of murder in connection with the Dec. 24
disappearance of a 12-year-old Indianapolis girl.
Jeffrey Voss, 39, was arrested in connection with the disappearance of
Christina Tedder. Though Voss faces a murder charge, the Marion County
Sheriff's Department said investigators don't know whether Christina --
who hasn't been found -- is dead.
At a press conference Wednesday night, police said Voss knew
Christina's family, but authorities declined to say what led them to
arrest him, RTV6's Jennifer Carmack reported.
A source familiar with the investigation said Wednesday that
investigators found blood, hair and duct tape at the home of a man who
is familiar with the girl's family, RTV6's Jack Rinehart reported.
Police said Christina was last seen by her brother between 8 p.m. and
8:30 p.m. Christmas Eve when she left their home at the Eastgate
Terrace Apartments to go to a nearby Shell gas station at 10th Street
and Shadeland Avenue.
At Wednesday's press conference, police said they would continue to
search for Christina.
tinydancer
What a shame, thanks for the update.
td
>
debs asw
She was acting pretty odd, but very upset. She held a bear the girl had
given her for x-mas. debs
E/C Annie
according to this piece. Also, looks like he's the one who passed the
lie detector test. LE certainly had good reason to take him in. Annie
http://www.indystar.com/articles/2/205803-3142-009.html
<excerpt>
Police on Sunday arrested another Indianapolis man, 42-year-old Vince
Cooley, a convicted child molester and neighbor of Christina's, for
failing to report a change of address to his probation officer.
Authorities named Cooley a "suspect" in the case earlier this week but
backed off Tuesday. Cooley was sent to prison Tuesday for violating his
probation.
Buttercup
Police Find Girl's Body on Far Eastside
By Tom Spalding and Ted Kim
tom.sp...@indystar.com
December 30, 2004
Hours after making an arrest in the Christmas Eve disappearance of a
12-year-old girl, police this morning discovered a child's body on the
Far Eastside.
Investigators handling the disappearance of Christina Tedder, 12, made
the announcement around 7 a.m. The identity of the body, however, had
not been confirmed.
Christina Tedder
The body was found outdoors. Marion County sheriff's officials would not
immediately disclose the specific address where the body was found or a
possible cause of death.
"We have recovered a body that fits the physical description of this
missing child," Sheriff Frank Anderson said.
He said Christina's parents have been told of the discovery.
"How saddening it is for us to have to deal with a missing person, even
more so when that missing person is a child. I often say and tell people
that children are our flowers," Anderson said. "And there are a lot of
weeds out there that want to snuff them out. So today my heart goes out
to the family and the friends."
Authorities Wednesday arrested Jeffrey A. Voss, 39, Indianapolis, on
preliminary charges of kidnapping and murder.
Christina vanished Friday evening after she left her apartment in the
7000 block of East 10th Street to walk to a nearby Shell gas station.
Christina was an honor roll student at Stonybrook Middle School and
played clarinet in the school band.
The Sheriff's Department offered few details today as to why Voss was
arrested, or what connection he might have had to Christina.
But Jeffrey Voss was good friends with the Tedder family and that
Christina always bummed loose change from Jeffrey to go buy candy at the
Shell station, Jeffrey Voss' brother Brian Voss told the Star this
morning. Brian Voss said he was devastated by his brother's involvement
and that his family had been out in the freezing cold the night of her
disappearance, searching for the girl along with everyone else.
Brian Voss said he pointed investigators to a residence where Jeff Voss
had been house- and dog-sitting for some friends vacationing in San
Diego. The location of that house is undisclosed, but a search was
conducted there Tuesday.
Authorities said Jeffrey Voss continues to be uncooperative. On
Wednesday evening, Voss told reporters he knew Christina and her family
but denied any involvement in her disappearance.
As several deputies escorted Voss in handcuffs out of the Sheriff's
Department, he said: "I did not hurt that little girl. I did not do
anything to her."
Voss was arrested at the sheriff's office after questioning Wednesday
afternoon, authorities said. Records reveal he has a criminal history:
He was released from prison in November 2002 after serving sentences in
several Indiana counties, including Marion County, for armed robbery and
criminal confinement.
Formal charges and an initial hearing are pending.
Christina's mother, Michelle Tedder, and father, Guillermo Mendoza, have
slept or eaten little since the girl's disappearance and have appeared
drained by anxiety.
Tedder spent the evening in her apartment on East 10th Street. She
refused to speak to reporters, at one point calling police to order the
media away.
Mendoza, who doesn't live with Christina and her mother, expressed
profound grief at the news.
"It was like somebody pulled my heart out of the chest," he said. "It's
a terrible feeling -- there's a part of me missing. Right now, I'm very
empty inside. I've got my son holding me together, but my little girl,
she was my life."
Christina's disappearance set off a frenzied search in the neighborhoods
surrounding her Eastgate Terrace apartment complex and left her family
to contemplate the worst. In the first days, searchers battled bitter
temperatures and the remnants of last week's snowstorm.
The case also sparked a public debate over the decision by authorities
not to issue an Amber Alert after Christina was reported missing.
The alert system, implemented in Indiana in 2002, is activated only when
evidence exists that a child younger than 18 might have been abducted or
might be in peril. When she first disappeared, there was no evidence
that Christina had been kidnapped or was in danger, police said.
Police on Sunday arrested another Indianapolis man, 42-year-old Vince
tinydancer
"Buttercup" <buttercup@cc**bailey.net> wrote in message
news:33ilamF...@individual.net...
> That poor family.
>
> Police Find Girl's Body on Far Eastside
At least they know what happened to her now, but what a horrible thing.
Poor child.
td
Bbnuke
>I wonder if this is a different guy than the previous suspect? Or if this
>is the original suspect?? Anybody know that?
>
>td
>
This is a different man. Her body has been found in a nearby creek, where it
was left by Voss.
***********************************************
From the Dec 30 Indy Star:
Suspect led police to girl's body
Marion County Sheriff Frank Anderson tells reporters that a body recovered
today by investigators appears to be Christina Tedder. -- Tom Spalding / For
The Star
Timeline of events in girl's disappearance
• Friday: Twelve-year-old Christina Tedder is reported missing by members of
her family. Marion County sheriff's deputies are told that Christina said she
was going to a Shell convenience store close to her mother's residence near
10th Street and Shadeland Avenue around 7 p.m. on Christmas Eve.
• Saturday: Deputies expand their search for the girl and use a helicopter
and a bloodhound in subfreezing temperatures.
• Sunday: Vince Cooley, 42, who had stayed in an apartment downstairs from
the girl's home, is arrested for failing to report to a probation officer.
• Monday: Cooley, with a previous child molesting conviction, is described as
a suspect by sheriff's investigators.
• Tuesday: Cooley is called a "person of interest" and not a suspect in the
case. He is sent to prison for a probation violation.
• Wednesday: Deputies arrest Jeffrey Alan Voss, 39, on preliminary murder and
kidnapping charges.
• Thursday: Voss leads deputies to Christina's body in a creek, police say.
Compiled by Kevin O'Neal
By Tom Spalding, Vic Ryckaert and Ted Kim
tom.sp...@indystar.com
December 30, 2004
A 39-year-old Indianapolis man has confessed to detectives that he abducted a
girl, strangled her, then abandoned her body in a Hancock County creek.
"He actually led us to where he had dumped the body," said Marion County
Sheriff's Capt. Phil Burton this morning. "He did not seem remorseful, either."
Christina Tedder
Christina Tedder, 12, whose disappearance Christmas eve drew national
attention, was found shortly after midnight face-down in a creek two miles from
the Marion-Hancock county line, four miles east of Geist Reservoir.
She was found wearing only a pair of socks. An autopsy will be conducted
Friday.
Meanwhile, the suspect, Jeffrey Voss, of the 6000 block of East 10th Street,
faces preliminary charges that include murder and kidnapping. An appearance
today in Marion Superior Court is possible.
Investigators appeared to zero in on Voss as early as Tuesday, when they served
a search warrant at a Far-Eastside address where he had been watching the house
of some friends away for the holidays. Voss had stayed at the residence on
Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and on Sunday.
Voss was questioned Wednesday afternoon and was arrested. He was uncooperative
after being named the No. 1 suspect. In fact, as he was led away in handcuffs
at the Marion County Jail around 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, the sandy-haired man told
reporters: "I did not hurt that little girl. I did not do anything to her."
But late Wednesday night, he called detectives, and confessed, Burton said.
Around midnight he took investigators to the Hancock County creek -- which is
located near County Road 900 North. That same road in Marion County is called
86th Street.
Then, at 7 a.m. today, Sheriff Frank Anderson called a news conference to
unveil the grim update: the body was recovered.
"We have recovered a body that fits the physical description of this missing
child," Anderson said.
Anderson praised the work of the people who had spent sleepless nights hunting
for answers including two investigators - Capt. Doug Scheffel and Richard
Snyder.
"How saddening it is for us to have to deal with a missing person, even more so
when that missing person is a child. I often say and tell people that children
are our flowers," Anderson said. "And there are a lot of weeds out there that
want to snuff them out. So today my heart goes out to the family and the
friends."
He said Christina's parents have been told of the discovery.
Detectives and relatives said Voss first met Christina in November 2002, when
Voss got out of state prison and moved in with his brother's family in the same
apartment building that Christina lived - the 7000 block of East 10th Street.
The Vosses had since moved, but kept in close contact with the family.
When and what time she was killed, is not yet known. But detectives recovered
hair and blood samples at the home where Voss was staying.
Christina was an honor roll student at Stonybrook Middle School and played
clarinet in the school band.
Brian Voss, Jeff's brother, today said he was devastated by his brother's
involvement and added that his family had been out in the freezing cold the
night of her disappearance, searching for the girl along with everyone else.
Christina often asked Jeffrey Voss for money to buy candy at the Shell station,
Brian Voss said. Brian Voss said he was devastated by his brother's involvement
and that his family had been helping search for the girl.
Records reveal Jeff Voss has a criminal history: He was released from prison in
November 2002 after serving sentences in several Indiana counties, including
Marion County, for armed robbery and criminal confinement.
Christina's mother, Michelle Tedder, and father, Guillermo Mendoza, have slept
or eaten little since the girl's disappearance and have appeared drained by
anxiety.
Tedder spent the evening in her apartment on East 10th Street. She refused to
speak to reporters, at one point calling police to order the media away.
Mendoza, who doesn't live with Christina and her mother, expressed profound
grief at the news.
"It was like somebody pulled my heart out of the chest," he said. "It's a
terrible feeling -- there's a part of me missing. Right now, I'm very empty
inside. I've got my son holding me together, but my little girl, she was my
life."
Christina's disappearance set off a frenzied search in the neighborhoods
surrounding her Eastgate Terrace apartment complex and left her family to
contemplate the worst. In the first days, searchers battled bitter temperatures
and the remnants of last week's snowstorm.
The case also sparked a public debate over the decision by authorities not to
issue an Amber Alert after Christina was reported missing.
The alert system, implemented in Indiana in 2002, is activated only when
evidence exists that a child younger than 18 might have been abducted or might
be in peril. When she first disappeared, there was no evidence that Christina
had been kidnapped or was in danger, police said.
Police on Sunday arrested another Indianapolis man, 42-year-old Vince Cooley, a