Sund/Pelosso - other area murders/missing
Kris Baker
*possibly* have some linkage to this case. Some may
have been subsequently solved, but I've found nothing.
One story DID include the quote I remember reading
last week, regarding adult missing persons:
"With missing adults, it's very tough sometimes because
they have a right to privacy," said Kara Davis, the
Modesto missing persons investigator. "We'll find them,
and they'll tell us not to tell their family where they are.
The most we can do in those situations is make them call
and at least tell their family that they are alive."
Turlock woman missing since 1989, car found submerged
in canal. Last seen leaving a nightclub.
<http://www2.modbee.com/pagearc/A22779.htm>
Unsolved murder from 23 years ago; Modesto woman's body
found in orchard; she'd lived in the Riverdale neighborhood
(we've heard Riverdale associated with this case, but I can't
remember the linkage):
<http://www2.modbee.com/pagearc/A23382.htm>
Kathy Sweet (also known as Meadows) unsolved murder
two years old; body found inside her car in an orchard
near a trailer home park:
<http://www2.modbee.com/pagearc/A21895.htm>
May 9, 1997: 15-year-old Vanessa Smith takes a walk alone
at 7pm in her Winton (between Merced and Turlock)
neighborhood and is never seen again:
<http://www2.modbee.com/pagearc/A8665.htm>
Modesto Bee story about other missing persons:
<http://www2.modbee.com/pagearc/A-32333.htm>
Feb 19, 1999: Dr Katherine Wong disappears while skiing.
Jan 1999: Jose Penaloza disappears (has previous
criminal record.)
What I was searching for was the unsolved case of the
woman and her child who were murdered (near the
Long Barn area?)
Kris
Sund/Pelosso website at:
<http://pages.prodigy.com/GMVY23A/sundtime.htm>
kkramer
I remember the murdered mother-child was in Northfork (big to do over where
it was...) near Yosemite.
Keith
Kris Baker wrote in message
<7elkh2$1k7o$1...@newssvr03-int.news.prodigy.com>...
Kris Baker
>I remember the murdered mother-child was in Northfork
>(big to do over where it was...) near Yosemite.
>Keith
How recent? Nothing in the archives of the local-area
newspapers.
kkramer
it to Grid (Sherry) who has it. You might want to touch bases with her...
Keith :)
Kris Baker wrote in message
<7elqv3$2m3i$1...@newssvr03-int.news.prodigy.com>...
JoAnn
I've been curious about what other area crimes could *possibly* have
some linkage to this case. Some may have been subsequently solved,
but I've found nothing.
One story DID include the quote I remember reading last week, regarding
adult missing persons:
"With missing adults, it's very tough sometimes because they have
a right to privacy," said Kara Davis, the Modesto missing persons
investigator. "We'll find them, and they'll tell us not to tell their
family where they are. The most we can do in those situations is make
them call and at least tell their family that they are alive."
Turlock woman missing since 1989, car found submerged in canal. Last
seen leaving a nightclub. <http://www2.modbee.com/pagearc/A22779.htm>
Unsolved murder from 23 years ago;
Modesto woman's body found in orchard; she'd lived in the Riverdale
neighborhood (we've heard Riverdale associated with this case, but I
can't remember the linkage):
<http://www2.modbee.com/pagearc/A23382.htm>
~~~Another orchard.
Kathy Sweet (also known as Meadows) unsolved murder two years old; body
found inside her car in an orchard near a trailer home park:
<http://www2.modbee.com/pagearc/A21895.htm>
~~~In an orchard, similar to being found in the woods,huh?
May 9, 1997: 15-year-old Vanessa Smith takes a walk alone at 7pm in
her Winton (between Merced and Turlock) neighborhood and is never seen
again:
<http://www2.modbee.com/pagearc/A8665.htm>
Modesto Bee story about other missing persons:
<http://www2.modbee.com/pagearc/A-32333.htm>
Feb 19, 1999: Dr Katherine Wong disappears while skiing.
Jan 1999: Jose Penaloza disappears (has previous
criminal record.)
What I was searching for was the unsolved case of the woman and her
child who were murdered (near the Long Barn area?)
Kris
~~~JoAnn writes:
I'm glad I saw this post. These are the first people I found before my
new tangent today. I'm glad you posted them first. <G>
Riverdale is where Dykes lived or ended up or something. I'll look.
Where did the info come from about the woman and child from the Long
Barn area?
JoAnn
JoAnn
Kris
I remember the murdered mother-child was in Northfork (big to do over
where it was...) near Yosemite.
~~~Keith,
Do you know any dates or other info about this?
JoAnn
JoAnn
orchard; she'd lived in the Riverdale neighborhood (we've heard
Riverdale associated with this case, but I can't remember the linkage):
<http://www2.modbee.com/pagearc/A23382.htm>
"Eugene Earl Dykes, 32, was arrested March 5 on a parole violation after
a 2 1/2-hour standoff with state parole agents and sheriff's deputies.
No one was injured in the incident in the Riverdale tract south of
Modesto."
<http://www2.modbee.com/pagearc/A32739.htm>
JoAnn
kkramer
spelled
Northfork
Norfork
Northfolk
Norfolk
and came up dry. But, I think you posted Mariposa Tribune on line and I
emailed my question to them. I think I may reach out and touch someone.
Keith ;)
JoAnn wrote in message <285-370...@newsd-113.bryant.webtv.net>...
Kris Baker
>I just spent the last hour looking for any city in California remotely
>spelled
>Northfork
>Norfork
>Northfolk
>Norfolk
>and came up dry. But, I think you posted Mariposa Tribune on line
>and I emailed my question to them. I think I may reach out and
>touch someone.
>Keith ;)
Keith, I'd imagine that "Northfork" refers to a general area and
isn't incorporated - most likely, along the "north fork" of some
river in the area. Here in Northern Utah, we have North Fork,
South Fork and Middle Fork. People say they live there. News
reports refer to them. But they don't exist as such.
kkramer
not solve the murder, the woman was never identified.
Modesto is not going to experience any real growth for a long time at this
rate...
Keith
JoAnn wrote in message <279-370...@newsd-113.bryant.webtv.net>...
kkramer
National Forest. There is a north, middle, and south fork of some flowing
body of water. We need Sherry's direction.
Keith
Kris Baker wrote in message
<7em1j5$1a0i$1...@newssvr03-int.news.prodigy.com>...
JoAnn
The Modesto Bee
3/7/98
Victim's Families Meet WIth Lawmaker to Find Closure
by Partick Giblin
"Turlock- Thirteen relatives of murder victims met with Assemblyman
Dennis Cardoza, D-Merced, Friday to ask for help."
"Cardoza learned about several local cases, including:"
"Michael Madden who disappeared in 1996 in Tuolumne County while on a
fishing trip. Madden's father, Larry Madden, asked Cardoza whether the
state could put up reward money for tips about the disappearance. He
also asked for assisstance in getting the case moving again."
"Nobody cares, said Larry Madden, choking back tears. "They (the
Tuolumne County Sheriff's Department) assumed Michael was a drowning
victim or was a 20 year old kid who was up there partying and would
eventually show up.
As a result, no efforts were taken to secure evidence at the scene and
it took 9 months of requests by Larry Madden to get a team of trained
dogs in the area to find clues that Michael Madden may have been
murdered."
"The dogs, he told Cardoza, focused in on one area of his son's
campsite. To date, the area has yet to be raked or analyzed."
"Anthony Bass, an 18 year old who disappeared in 1996 while on a fishing
trip with a neighbor. Bass' mother, Cindy Sandlin, told Cardoza the
neighbor previously had stated he wanted to kill Bass. After the
disappearance, she said the neighbor was arrested for several other
crimes."
"It has been 2 years and to this day the police department has yet to
call and ask for information about my missing son," said Sandlin."
JoAnn
Patty
residents of Fresno.
Kris Baker wrote in message
>I've been curious about what other area crimes could
>*possibly* have some linkage to this case. Some may
>have been subsequently solved, but I've found nothing.
>
>One story DID include the quote I remember reading
>last week, regarding adult missing persons:
>
> "With missing adults, it's very tough sometimes because
> they have a right to privacy," said Kara Davis, the
> Modesto missing persons investigator. "We'll find them,
> and they'll tell us not to tell their family where they are.
> The most we can do in those situations is make them call
> and at least tell their family that they are alive."
>
>Turlock woman missing since 1989, car found submerged
>in canal. Last seen leaving a nightclub.
><http://www2.modbee.com/pagearc/A22779.htm>
>
>found in orchard; she'd lived in the Riverdale neighborhood
>(we've heard Riverdale associated with this case, but I can't
>remember the linkage):
><http://www2.modbee.com/pagearc/A23382.htm>
>
>two years old; body found inside her car in an orchard
>near a trailer home park:
><http://www2.modbee.com/pagearc/A21895.htm>
>
>at 7pm in her Winton (between Merced and Turlock)
>neighborhood and is never seen again:
><http://www2.modbee.com/pagearc/A8665.htm>
>
>Modesto Bee story about other missing persons:
><http://www2.modbee.com/pagearc/A-32333.htm>
> Feb 19, 1999: Dr Katherine Wong disappears while skiing.
> Jan 1999: Jose Penaloza disappears (has previous
> criminal record.)
>
>What I was searching for was the unsolved case of the
>woman and her child who were murdered (near the
>Long Barn area?)
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
Patty
Silvina Pelosso's remains were not released to her mother and she left the
USA without them.
JoAnn
(Published: Saturday, April 18, 1998)
<http://www.modbee.com/pagearc/A16927.htm>
On Aug. 13, 1996, Michael Madden, 22, disappeared while fishing at Sand
Bar Flat near Sonora. He is my son and only child. In the months since,
his mother and I have had to deal not only with the pain of loss but
with endless searches which failed to render a single clue, and lagging
investigations which go nowhere.
On March 6, I met with Assemblyman Dennis Cardoza of Merced.
He promised to help, but I believe I left the meeting still skeptical.
For the record, however, he or a member of his staff have been in in
almost constant contact. He may not be able to solve the mystery but his
efforts are, in no small way, a measure of his caring and concern for
the people he serves.
LARRY E. MADDEN
Oakdale, April 15
JoAnn
By Kathie A. Smith
(Published: Wednesday, April 22, 1998)
SACRAMENTO -- Hundreds of white wooden coffins lined the west lawn of
the Capitol on Tuesday, a stark reminder of murder victims from all over
the state.
The coffins were the backdrop for the ninth annual Victims March on the
Capitol sponsored by the California Correctional Peace Officers
Association.
Larry Madden of Modesto was at the rally, too, but there was no coffin
representing his handsome son Michael.
Michael Madden, who was a student at Humboldt State University, has been
missing since Aug. 13, 1996. His family believes he was fishing at Sand
Bar Flats near Pinecrest in Tuolumne County when he disappeared.
Larry Madden said law enforcement officers have told him they believe
his 22-year-old son was murdered. The Madden family has offered a $1,000
reward for information on Michael's whereabouts and the arrest and
conviction of anyone responsible for his disappearance.
Madden said he would like to see legislation adopted that would allow
the Department of Justice to become involved when a local investigation
bogs down.
Madden credited Assemblyman Dennis Cardoza, D-Merced, for supporting the
family in its attempt to keep the investigation active.
JoAnn
JoAnn
Modesto Bee Online
<http://www.modbee.com/pagearc/A428.htm>
8/20/96
Tuolumne County sheriff's investigator Steve Clark said he wants to find
Michael Madden, the 20-year-old Modesto man whose disappearance six days
ago in the Stanislaus National Forest remains a mystery.
Madden drove into the forest Aug. 11. to go car-camping and fishing at
the Sand Bar Flat campground on the middle fork of the Tuolumne River,
downstream from Beardsley Reservoir.
The river canyon site is on Forest Service Road 4N85, beyond the Spring
Gap Powerhouse, ***north of Long Barn.***
When four friends arrived at the campground Aug. 13, they saw Madden's
car and camping gear, but the Modesto man and his dog weren't there. The
dog, Matilda, wandered back to the campsite on Saturday. Searchers
tried to get the dog to lead them, but the effort left them
empty-handed.
JoAnn
JoAnn
<http://www.modbee.com/pagearc/A32450.htm>
Reporters who were gathered near the roadblock were reminded Saturday
that the Yosemite tourists weren't the only ones missing in the
mountains.
A woman drove by, passing out fliers calling attention to the August
1996 disappearance of Michael Madden. Madden, a 20-year-old Modesto
resident, disappeared without a trace during a fishing trip at Sand Bar
Flat, about 10 miles away.
Sheriff's detectives have never made an arrest and still have no solid
leads. "Tell them to look for him, too," she said.
<http://www.modbee.com/pagearc/A5494.htm>
Missing 9 months, and still they look
By Diane Nelson
5/4/97
"Michael Madden's Chevy is in the driveway, his dog is in the den and
his room is cluttered, as always. "I haven't even touched his room,"
says Ardelle Madden..."
"Last August her son disappeared. It was Aug. 11 when 20-year-old
Michael loaded his truck, whistled for his dog, and left their Modesto
home to go fishing at Sand Bar Flat near Pinecrest. He arrived.
Witnesses saw Michael sitting by a campfire with his dog, Matilda,
waiting for friends. "And then he disappeared," says Steve Clark, an
investigator with the Tuolumne County Sheriff's Department. "He
disappeared without a trace." Clark doesn't know how to classify the
mystery. "We can't rule out suicide or homicide or accident, because we
can't even find a body." They've looked. "
"Detectives, divers and dogs have scoured the Stanislaus River canyon,
as recently as last week. Madden's brother -- Randy Powell -- and dog
Matilda search almost every day."
"Friends were supposed to meet Michael at Sand Bar Flat. But when his
buddy Josh Rocha arrived, all he found was Michael's truck, camping gear
and Matilda's collar.
"There was a campfire lit, right there in Mike's campsite, and some
**creepy guy popped out of the bushes and asked, "What are you doing
here?**' " Rocha told authorities. They thought they found something
four days later when Matilda wandered into camp, dehydrated and beat.
They hoped she would lead them to her master. But when detectives took
Matilda down the canyon, she just whined and howled."
"Clark suspected foul play -- not so much for what they found, but what
they didn't find. "When someone drowns, there's usually a trace." Now
he's not so sure. "We checked out several possible ,suspects, and they
all passed the lie detector test," he says. "
"Michael's brother said,"Matilda and I went downstream from the campsite
and I found some underwear torn and hanging from a tree. It was just his
size and brand. To me, it's the best clue I've found so far."
JoAnn
JoAnn
<http://www.modbee.com/pagearc/A27094.htm>
(Published: Sunday, December 6, 1998)
"It makes you crazy, not knowing where they are, not knowing what
happened," says Larry Madden of Modesto, whose son Michael disappeared
more than two years ago from a campground near Pine- crest. "I lay in
bed and wonder if he's dead or alive. If he suffered. If he killed
himself. If someone killed him. I don't think the pain will ever
subside."
"Scores of children are missing in the Central Valley, hundreds in the
state..."
"11-year-old Tracy Rene Conrad, was missing 24 days before someone found
her body bound and gagged in a ceramic kiln behind the house of a friend
she had gone to visit two blocks from her Hanford home. Her friend's
father, Kevin Duane Galik, was convicted last year of her murder."
"In California alone, 125,000 missing-child cases are filed every year
and only a handful of those get media attention outside the town where
the child disappeared."
"Recent studies show that half the parents who have children kidnapped
and murdered are dead themselves within five years. "
"The Madden family understands. Michael's mother, Ardele, can't talk
about her son without crying. The last time she saw him was Aug. 11,
1997, when he loaded his truck and headed for Sand Bar Flat near
Pinecrest. He was 20 years old. "It's the not knowing," Ardele says
from her home in Modesto. "And sometimes I think that everyone has
forgotten about Michael, that they've just written him off. But I can't
do that. I can't let go."
JoAnn
JoAnn
<http://www.modbee.com/pagearc/A14441.htm>
Assistance sought to unravel murder
(Published: Friday, February 20, 1998)
"Homicide detectives need the public's help to solve the murder of a
32-year-old Modesto woman whose nude body was found in a pickup truck
abandoned in an orchard, Stanislaus County sheriff's deputies said
Friday. Kathy Irene Sweet had been dead several hours when her body was
found at about 8:30 a.m. Jan. 14."
"The Sheriff's Department had received a call from someone reporting a
suspicious pickup parked in an orchard in the 3900 block of Coffee Road
near Silverwood Mobile Home Park, deputy Tammy Drew said."
"Deputies found Sweet's body inside the truck, which was parked about
200 feet into the orchard from Coffee. Detectives are not revealing how
Sweet was killed."
Sweet lived with her boyfriend on Chrysler Drive in the Prescott Estates
Area, he last saw her about 2 the morning she died. The boyfriend told
investigators Sweet left driving his light blue Mazda B2200 pickup.
Her body was found inside the pickup 61/2 hours later, Sweet was killed
sometime between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. When she left home, Sweet was wearing
a blue sweater, blue sweatshirt, blue spandex pants and white athletic
shoes. The victim's clothing has not been found. Sweet's killing is the
only homicide in the unincorporated area of the county this year."
~~~~~~~~~
<http://www.modbee.com/pagearc/A12999.htm>
January 17, 1998
Witnesses sought Stanislaus County sheriff's detectives hope residents
of a **northeast Modesto** neighborhood can help them solve a homicide.
Someone killed Kathy Irene Sweet, 32, sometime before dawn Wednesday and
left her body in a light blue Mazda pickup in an orchard in the 3900
block of Coffee Road. The **killer then fled south on foot** into a
neighborhood that includes Grand Prix and Drakeshire drives,
Also:
Sweet also was known as Kathy Irene Meadows and sometimes went by the
name Cindy,
JoAnn
JoAnn
Governor allocates $35,000 in rewards
(Published: Wednesday, December 23, 1998)
Law enforcement officers in Stanislaus and Merced counties hope an
infusion of reward money from the governor's office will help them solve
two baffling cases dating back to the 1980s. Gov. Wilson on Tuesday
authorized giving:
* $25,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of
whomever killed 15-year-old Sheila Carter and 12-year-old Jodi Ragsdale.
The bodies of the Atwater girls were discovered Dec. 13, 1986, beside a
Cressey area road in rural Merced County. They had been beaten to death.
* $10,000 for information leading to the arrest of whoever is
responsible for the disappearance of Christine Sexton. The 36-year-old
Turlock woman last was seen leaving a nightclub in Turlock on April 17,
1989. Her 1984 Oldsmobile Cutlass, with **no one in it**, was found in a
Turlock Irrigation District canal near Hickman about a week after her
disappearance.
At the time, investigators noted that the windows of the car were rolled
up, the **keys were in the ignition and a bag of groceries was sitting
on the back seat.** Although Sexton's body has not been found,
Stanislaus County sheriff's investigators are convinced she was
murdered.
JoAnn
JoAnn
<http://www2.modbee.com/pagearc\A15374.htm>
Woman still missing after 9 years
"Nearly nine years ago Christine Sexton-Stuart of Turlock vanished
without a trace. Today, Stanislaus County sheriff's deputies say they
are no closer to solving the case than when Sexton disappeared. Sexton,
a single, 36-year-old was last seen about 2 a.m. on April 17, 1989,
leaving **The Office cocktail lounge on South Center Street in
Turlock.** Sheriff's Detective Capt. Myron Larson said Sexton was seen
walking out of the nightclub with a group of people, but no one has ever
been able to tell investigators who the others were."
"Sexton left her 1984 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme in the bar parking lot
overnight. "Her **car was in the parking lot of the bar at 8:30 a.m.
and then it was suddenly gone,"** Larson said. "No one who may have seen
who drove the victim's car out of the parking lot has contacted us."
Eight days later, her car was found by a ditch tender. It was submerged
in a Turlock Irrigation District canal, a mile west of Turlock Lake near
Davis Road."
"Sexton, described her sister as a "fun-loving person who like to joke.
She was petite, attractive, quiet and soft-spoken."
"Family members are hoping that someone who was afraid to come forward
nine years ago isn't as fearful today of the person or person
responsible for Sexton's disappearance. "Maybe someone's conscience is
bothering them by now," Deborah Sexton said. She said her sister
struggled with loneliness and had low self-esteem. "She got mixed up
with the wrong kinds of people, **including drug dealers and people who
used drugs** and that may have been her downfall," the sister said."
"Information about Sexton's disappearance keeps bubbling up from time
to time, but most of it is usually old information with a new twist."
"She was single and attractive and she liked to party," Larson said.
"It's possible that her disappearance is linked to a crime of passion."
"The investigation also has revealed, Larson said, that Sexton was on
the **fringes of drug usage and knew people who were into the drug
scene.** "Her circle of friends included people who used drugs and you
can never rule out the possibility that her disappearance was in someway
connected to that lifestyle," Larson said. **"I believe she was
murdered because people who were dealing drugs thought she was an
informant for the police," **
"Larson said. "I think she was abducted that night she left the bar, and
she was killed that same night. "She **wasn't an informant, and she
never had been an informant."**
JoAnn
JoAnn
<http://www.modbee.com/pagearc/A3509.htm>
Sunday, January 26, 1997
Killings await final resolution
Unlike other crimes, there is no statute of limitations when it comes to
murder.
~~Mary Martha Odermatt -- Odermatt, 65, was killed Aug. 11, 1986. Her
body was found on the ground near the entrance to Sacred Heart Catholic
Church in Turlock. A devout churchwoman, she had been stabbed once in
the throat and raped.
Odermatt was entrusted with her own set of keys and would open the doors
to the church each morning. She would also stay for the last Mass. It
was during her early hour duties that Odermatt, a widow, was slain.
~~William C. Cullens -- Cullens, 62, was bludgeoned to death on June 19,
1987. The morning after his killing, Cullens' wife, Ethel, discovered
his severely beaten body on the floor of his blood-splattered **law
office in Turlock.** A coroner's autopsy showed that Cullens bled to
death after receiving more than 80 blows, mostly to his head and face.
Cullens had received **anonymous death threats,** police said, during
the two months before his death. The attorney's secretary had answered
some of the calls and said a man with a low, gruff voice would curtly
threaten, "He's dead." Investigators said evidence proved that Cullens
knew his killer.
~~Christine Sexton-Stuart -- Sexton-Stuart has been missing since April
17, 1989. Investigators believe the 36-year-old Turlock woman was slain,
possibly the victim of **drug dealers who mistook her for an
informant.** She was last seen about 2 a.m. April 17, 1989, leaving The
Office cocktail lounge in Turlock. Her empty 1984 Oldsmobile Cutlass
Supreme, its windows rolled up and keys in the ignition, was found
submerged in an irrigation canal near Turlock Lake eight days later.
~~Thomas Leimbach -- Leimbach was shot to death July 1, 1993. He was 18.
He was gunned down shortly after 1 a.m. a few hundred yards from the
California Highway Patrol office on Kiernan Road east of Salida. He was
shot at close range outside his car, which was stopped at the curb, the
passenger door and trunk lid open. His wallet still was inside.
Investigators believe their lead suspect purchased a beer at the Quik
Stop market at Sisk Road and Pelandale Avenue some 10 to 15 minutes
before the killing. He is described as 5-foot-6, weighing about 150
pounds, in his late 20s or early 30s with a mustache. It's believed he
was with a **second man in a light-colored, older van.** Stanislaus
County sheriff's detectives have established no motive for the killing.
~~Donald C. Norwood -- Norwood, 47, was stabbed to death sometime Aug.
25-26, 1995, in his Riverbank home after he got off work. His girlfriend
discovered his body the next morning. Norwood was a quality control
supervisor at Riverbank's Silgan Containers Corp., where he worked for
26 years. Investigators have no motive for the attack. His girlfriend's
car apparently was stolen from in front of Norwood's house, but the
Honda Accord was found abandoned three blocks away the next morning.
~~Gary Reno Brunetti -- Brunetti, 41, was shot to death May 6, 1995,
when a stray bullet struck him inside his Roselawn Avenue home in
**south Modesto**. Police said Brunetti was standing at his front
window after being rousted out of bed by **gunfire from a neighborhood
party.** A small-caliber bullet hit his front door, ricocheted off a
door jam, struck him in the shoulder and tore through his heart. The
gunfire and fatal shot were fired by unknown people.
~~Genna Gamble -- Genna, 14, was killed Oct. 15, 1995. Sheriff's
detectives said Gamble was strangled to death but have not revealed
precisely how. A farmworker, out irrigating fields, found her nude body
near Tim Bell Road along Dry Creek east of Waterford. A freshman at
Beyer High, Genna was last seen by a neighbor less than two hours
earlier at her Carlisle Court home in north Modesto. Friends and family
described Genna as a shy girl who would not willingly go off with
strangers, leaving investigators to believe that she may have known her
killer.
~~Sharon McFarland -- McFarland, 56, was shot to death at about 2:18
p.m. Sept. 22, 1996, .... in the Vintage Faire mall parking lot. A
gunman walked quickly up to the driver's side window, and as McFarland
released a cry, he fired into the closed window. The bullet pierced
McFarland's left arm and heart. McFarland's killer walked away. But
the killer remains at large. The suspected killer is a white man in his
20s, about 5-foot-7 with a medium build, 150 to 160 pounds, short, with
clean-cut light brown or reddish-tinted hair and a light goatee.
JoAnn
JoAnn
Girl's grave finally marked
(Published: Saturday, December 5, 1998)
WINTON -- On a cold December morning in 1986, Sheila Carter, 15, and her
12-year-old friend, Jodi Ragsdale, were bludgeoned to death along a
rural road near Cressey. To this day, the brutal murders of the two
Atwater girls are unsolved.
For 12 years, Sheila's mother, Pat Gulnac, has been haunted by the
knowledge that whoever murdered the girls has gone unpunished.
Among the dozen people who attended the brief ceremony was Merced County
Sheriff Tom Sawyer.
"We don't like to remember the homicide, but we can't forget that it
happened, that there is a perpetrator out there."
Sheriff's investigators worked on the case two years before finally
putting it on a back burner.
Sawyer, elected sheriff in 1990, reopened the case in 1992 and assigned
two detectives to it full time.
Sawyer said he believes he knows who murdered the girls, but after the
investigators spent six months going through every scrap they'd
collected and conducting more interviews, they could not come up with
enough evidence to get a conviction.
Bobby Smith
You sure do a good job of researching. I can hardly read as fast as you
are posting.
I found an article about a hunter from Modesto who was murdered and
set on fire in his Jeep on Oct. 14, 1997.
http://www2.modbee.com/pagearc/A24683.htm
It seems to be related to his bisexual lifestyle but the burning jeep is an
interesting
twist.
Bobby S.
JoAnn <ant...@webtv.net> wrote in message
news:281-370...@newsd-113.bryant.webtv.net...
Grid
>
>What I was searching for was the unsolved case of the
>woman and her child who were murdered (near the
>Long Barn area?)
>
>
>Kris
>Sund/Pelosso website at:
><http://pages.prodigy.com/GMVY23A/sundtime.htm>
North Fork to be exact. That is also where Larwick use to live some years
back but I don't know for certain if he was there at the same time these
crimes were committed. A search of the Fresno Bee news archives would tell
you the exact date of those murders.
sherry
Grid
kkramer wrote in message ...
>I just spent the last hour looking for any city in California remotely
>spelled
>
>Northfork
>Norfork
>Northfolk
>Norfolk
>
>and came up dry. But, I think you posted Mariposa Tribune on line and I
>emailed my question to them. I think I may reach out and touch someone.
>Keith ;)
It's two words: North Fork
sherry
Grid
kkramer wrote in message ...
Yosemite
>National Forest. There is a north, middle, and south fork of some flowing
>body of water. We need Sherry's direction.
>Keith
Scroll down to a map at this URL:
http://www.sierratel.com/sareamaps.html
sherry
JoAnn
~~~This one was solved, see below:
Sharon McFarland -- McFarland, 56, was shot to death at about 2:18 p.m.
Sept. 22, 1996, .... in the Vintage Faire mall parking lot. A gunman
walked quickly up to the driver's side window, and as McFarland released
a cry, he fired into the closed window. The bullet pierced McFarland's
left arm and heart. McFarland's killer walked away. But the killer
remains at large. The suspected killer is a white man in his 20s, about
5-foot-7 with a medium build, 150 to 160 pounds, short, with clean-cut
light brown or reddish-tinted hair and a light goatee.
~~In March('97), a former Modestan was arrested in Tennessee in
connection with the September 1996 killing in the parking lot at Vintage
Faire.
JoAnn
JoAnn
Hi JoAnn
You sure do a good job of researching. I can hardly read as fast as you
are posting. I found an article about a hunter from Modesto who was
murdered and set on fire in his Jeep on Oct. 14, 1997.
<http://www2.modbee.com/pagearc/A24683.htm>
It seems to be related to his bisexual lifestyle but the burning jeep is
an interesting twist. Bobby S.
~~~Hi Bobby S.
LOL I just came to atc to post about him and you beat me to it.This
article says he 'got into it' with some locals a few days before his
murder.
<http://www2.modbee.com/pagearc/A10338.htm>
Hunter's death a puzzle
(Published: Thursday, November 13, 1997)
SAN ANDREAS -- Authorities first thought a car wreck killed Roy Dixon on
a lone hunting trip. Police are baffled as to what happened to the
52-year-old ... They say the attackers unleashed the kind of rage and
anger on Dixon that hasn't been seen in this remote Gold Rush area in a
long time.
Calaveras County Sheriff Dennis Downum said. "There was a lot of rage in
that attack." Dixon left his Modesto home the evening of Oct. 13,
telling his wife of 31 years that he'd be back in a couple of days. His
campsite was about 80 miles east, so it should have taken him two hours
to get there along winding mountain roads.
But about six hours later and 18 miles short of Dixon's destination,
some residents in the town of West Point called 911 after hearing
gunshots."We found a yellow Jeep Cherokee fully engulfed in flames, and
a body outside the car with multiple injuries," sheriff's Detective
Robert Mortimer said. "The gunshots were actually bullets exploding in
the burning car."Although the Cherokee was charred, there was no
apparent crash damage to the vehicle.
Mortimer said Dixon was wearing a T-shirt and a pair of long underwear,
but his pants were pulled down to his ankles. His slender 6-foot-2 frame
was partially burned, including the chest area where coroners later
found stab wounds.
Downum said investigators found sexual paraphernalia near the victim's
body, but there was no evidence of sexual assault.
Dixon's face was so severely beaten that his wife couldn't recognize it.
"He didn't have a nose, no eye, didn't really have a chin, said Kathy
Dixon.
Kathi Dixon, 49, said her husband had hunted in the West Point area for
about four years, but seldom alone.In fact, he was in the area just two
days before the slaying, hunting with his 9-year-old grandson, Matthew.
"Matthew said Roy had a run-in with some guy up there. ... Matthew knows
who these people are," Dixon said. "I'm scared for Matthew's life too,
and I'm scared for mine. I don't want these crazies to come down here."
Downum said he had not been told of Matthew's recollections, and there
are no suspects.
"We're not getting anything from the local community," Downum said.
"Generally, homicides up here are people getting into arguments with
family members or friends. We don't get stranger homicides."
West Point residents told investigators that they have never seen Roy
Dixon.
That conflicts with Kathi Dixon's account that people have recognized
her and her husband in the past as regulars who passed through the town
of 500 people during deer hunting season."When I went up there after
(the killing), I went to the gas station and the gas station attendant
saw me and shook like hell," Kathi Dixon said.
Roy Dixon didn't seem to have any enemies."He was supposed to be a very
well-liked and nice person," Mortimer said. Dixon was a hardworking
maintenance man at the Del Monte plant in Modesto for 22 years.
The couple had four daughters,"He fishes and he goes hunting," she said.
"His grandchildren were his life. ...
JoAnn
JoAnn
burned:
modbee.com | Search Results
<http://www2.modbee.com/searchresults/01S24R07.htm>
Very interesting reading
JoAnn
kkramer
How 'bout the names of the mother and child murdered (husband cleared)? We
need dates and any other information you have...
Thanks, Keith ;)
Grid wrote in message ...
>
>kkramer wrote in message ...
kkramer
CA. Homosexual killings of four men but no burning. That's not to say meth
couldn't have pushed a killer into some strange behaviors....
Keith
Bobby Smith wrote in message ...
>Hi JoAnn
>
>You sure do a good job of researching. I can hardly read as fast as you
>are posting.
>I found an article about a hunter from Modesto who was murdered and
>set on fire in his Jeep on Oct. 14, 1997.
>
>http://www2.modbee.com/pagearc/A24683.htm
>
>It seems to be related to his bisexual lifestyle but the burning jeep is an
>interesting
>twist.
>
>Bobby S.
>
kkramer
Three miles east of Long Barn, Road 3NO1. Fishing, picnic facilities along
Northfork of Tuolumne River; elevation 4,400 feet.
http://community.uniondemocrat.com/recreation/12526.html
Keith
KLBKRN
<bob...@direct.ca> writes:
>Hi JoAnn
>
>You sure do a good job of researching. I can hardly read as fast as you
>are posting.
>I found an article about a hunter from Modesto who was murdered and
>set on fire in his Jeep on Oct. 14, 1997.
>
>http://www2.modbee.com/pagearc/A24683.htm
>
>It seems to be related to his bisexual lifestyle but the burning jeep is an
>interesting
>twist.
Hmmm wondering if Herzog and Shermantine in San Joaquin Co. know
anything about this one?
~ Katie
Andy
>I've been curious about what other area crimes could *possibly*
Has anybody mentioned the 1995 murder of Denese Ames Smith: a murder
that--like the murder of Juli Sund--appears to have occurred "near the
edge of Don Pedro reservoir"? I suspect that people must have already
talked about this case, but my searches on DejaNews have not turned up
anything. In any event, this case that seems almost certainly to be
of *major* relevance.
There are eerily strong resemblances between this 1995 murder and
Juli's murder. Not only were both bodies found near the Don Pedro
reservoir, but both bodies seem to have sustained multiple knife
wounds. (Of course, it must be conceded that in Juli's case the
rumors about knife wounds have not yet been officially verified; given
kkramer's excellent track record, however, I suspect that, in due
course, these rumors will receive full verification.)
A short article about the killing of Denese Ames Smith appeared in the
_San Francisco Examiner_ on Saturday, January 7, 1995 (an even shorter
article had appeared the day before). So far, my various searches
have not revealed any additional information. Does anybody out there
know more about this case? Have the police talked about the strong
resemblance between Juli's murder and Denese's murder? --Andy
_San Francisco Examiner_ Saturday, January 7, 1995
"Pittsburg woman's remains found;
Missing since June, Denese Smith was apparently killed"
Skeletal remains found in a remote area near the edge of Don Pedro
Reservoir in Tuolumne County have been identified as those of a
Pittsburg woman who apparently was murdered.
Tuolumne County sheriff's Lt. John Steeley said on Friday that Denese
Ames Smith, 34, was identified through dental records.
Steeley said that Smith was reported missing by her mother, Linda
Cottier of Pittsburg, on Aug. 8. She was last seen on June 11, when
she reportedly left Pittsburg to visit friends in the Tuolumne County
town of Jamestown.
"They said they never saw her," Steeley said.
Smith's skull was discovered on Dec. 10 by the child of a rock-hound
who was collecting rocks in an area "so remote it's not near
anything," Steeley said. "It's under a bridge and off an old dirt
road. Hardly anyone goes out there."
Steeley said that despite the victim's decomposition, an autopsy
disclosed that the woman had suffered multiple stab wounds. He said,
"We're investigating this as a homicide."
The body was in an extremely advanced state of decomposition, Steeley
said, and remains were strewn over a 50-foot area near the lake, which
impounds water from the Tuolumne River for use by the Modesto and
Turlock Irrigation districts and by San Francisco's Hetch Hetchy
system. The lake is a popular summer recreation area.
Neither Steeley nor the Pittsburg Police Department were able to say
exactly when Smith disappeared.
--posted by Andy
fergu...@yahoo.com
Andrew John Miller
murder of Denese Ames Smith: a murder that--like the murder of Juli
Although I haven't been able to uncover anything using DejaNews, I
strongly suspect that this murder has already been discussed on this
group. Certainly, I can recall earlier, more general postings about
Pittsburg, CA--a city (just outside San Francisco) that has, in recent
years, experienced a rash of murders, many of which have involved
prostitutes, and most of which (so far as I can determine) have not
yet been solved.
I am struck by the fact that Denese--the woman whose body was found at
Lake Don Pedro--is said to have been from Pittsburg, CA. Is it
possible that a killer (or a group of killers) based in Pittsburg has
chosen, from time to time, to use the Yosemite area as a place in
which to commit crimes (or, at least, to dispose of bodies)?
Alternatively, is it possible that a killer (or a group of killers)
based in Yosemite has chosen, from time to time, to use the Pittsburg
area as a place in which to commit crimes (or, at least, to dispose of
bodies)? Could this possibly be one of the broader connections that
the police have been quietly investigating?
Has anyone already explored this possible connection?
--posted by Andy
fergu...@yahoo.com
Patty
probably are looking at Lisa Norrell's death in Antioch right near
Pittsburgh. She was around 15 or 16, disappeared after a rehearsal for a
quince anos party. They found her body a few weeks later on Highway 4.
Highway 4 also goes out to highway 49.
Two men were arrested in January but one had an alibi. Both were released
days later and didn't appear to have anything to do with the murder. I
have wondered also if the police have looked into her death as any
connection. I don't believe it was ever released how she died.
Also nothing has been mentioned before of the other death at Don Pedro
Reservoir that you mentioned.
Andrew John Miller wrote in message
<371ce318....@news.whitman.edu>...
Andy
>I don't think they are probably connect the prostitute's murders but they
>probably are looking at Lisa Norrell's death in Antioch right near
>Pittsburgh. She was around 15 or 16, disappeared after a rehearsal for a
>quince anos party. They found her body a few weeks later on Highway 4.
>Highway 4 also goes out to highway 49. [snip]
I'm not sure that I would *absolutely* dismiss the potential relevance
of the murders involving Pittsburg, CA prostitutes. Still, it does
seem that the police are indeed treating Norrell's murder as a unique
event that has no relation to the other murders. In fact, it seems
that the police are also treating the various prostitute murders as if
each was entirely separate and distinct from the others. Late last
month, Mohammad Ismail Niaz, 51, was charged with killing one of the
prostitutes, Jessica Frederick, 24. Niaz, however, was not charged
with any of the other murders.
As you go on to note, Patty, the Pittsburg police, in January, made
two arrests in the case of 15-year-old Lisa Norrell. Both men "were
released days later and didn't appear to have anything to do with the
murder." However, in a January 8th article in the San Francisco
Examiner, "Pittsburg police Lt. William Zbacnik" is quoted as having
said that one of the two men--David Michael Heneby--remained a
suspect:
>"Heneby is in custody, so we don't have to do a lot of worrying
>about him," Zbacnik said. "We have evidence linking him to the
>(Norrell) case."
The Examiner article does not say much about the cause of death in the
Norrell case; it does indicate, however, that Norrell died of
"asphyxiation."
So far as I can determine, there have not been any major developments
in the Norrell case since January. In a March 26th article, the _San
Francisco Chronicle_ reports that Heneby (who has been in jail since
December 5, 1998) "appeared [on March 25th] in Contra Costa County
Superior Court to face charges that he assaulted his wife." So far as
his involvement in the Norrell case is concerned, the police seem to
be keeping their options open:
>Heneby remains a "strong suspect," police said.
The lesson, I suppose, is that northern California (like much of the
country, I'm afraid) is rife with potentially-homocidal drug abusers
who have nasty attitudes toward women.
On January 10th, the _Examiner_ published an article that attempted to
explain why the police have been reluctant to release details about
any of the various Pittsburg murders:
>Pittsburg police have hoarded details about the crimes, hoping to
>snare the guilty with facts only someone familiar with the
>crimes would know.
It seems, however, that the Pittsburg police have sought to assure the
public that only prostitutes are being targeted; in addition, the
police have also informed the public that "[n]one of the [Pittsburg]
victims was sexually assaulted":
>But as residents fret about a serial killer or psycho on the loose,
>about religious cultists or godless drifters, Lt. George Lawrence,
>head of investigations at the Contra Costa sheriff's office,
>did share one vital piece of information on Saturday that should
>calm some fears:
>The cases of the teenage girl, 15-year-old Lisa Norrell, and the
>prostitutes are most likely not related, he said. If there is a serial
>killer, the target seems to be prostitutes.
>None of the victims was sexually assaulted, he added. Robbery did
>not appear to be a motive.
In case anybody's interested, here's the January 8th _San Francisco
Examiner_ article on the Norrell case:
"Cops free suspect in teen's slaying ;
Pittsburg police say case fell apart, but other man still linked"
One of two convicted felons arrested in the death of a 15-year-old
Pittsburg girl has been released from custody because police say there
is insufficient evidence to file charges against him.
The second suspect apparently won't be charged in the murder of Lisa
Norrell, either, but police say that may change. He continues to be a
strong suspect in the case and remained in jail on unrelated charges.
Garry Lee Walton, 39, was released Thursday night from Contra Costa
County Jail, just a day and a half after his arrest. He was taken into
custody Wednesday morning in Antioch, but the roller-coaster case
against him fell apart as further investigation led police and
prosecutors to believe that he may not have been involved in Norrell's
death, said Pittsburg police Lt. William Zbacnik.
For the time being, prosecutors also declined to press charges against
David Michael Heneby, 24, while their investigation continues.
"Heneby is in custody, so we don't have to do a lot of worrying about
him," Zbacnik said. "We have evidence linking him to the (Norrell)
case."
The decision to release Walton was made Thursday afternoon after a
meeting between investigators and the Contra Costa district attorney's
office.
Norrell's mother, Minnie Norrell, who was notified by police of the
decision, was deeply upset over the stunning turn of events, said her
sister-in-law, Kathy Russo.
"We're all very stunned and upset and depressed," Russo said. "We were
on a big high (following the arrest) and this is not what we were
expecting."
But Russo insisted that her family was not angry with the police
department's handling of the case.
"We know they're doing their best," she said. "We don't understand
what the reasons are (for Walton's release) because they're not
releasing too many details. . . . We know that the police are just as
disappointed as we are today."
November disappearance, death
Norrell was last seen Nov. 6 in Antioch when she left a rehearsal for
a quinceanera, a coming-out party for 15-year-old Mexican girls. Her
body was found Nov. 14. She died of asphyxiation.
A team of 61 investigators worked on the case. The investigation,
helped by a tip from a caller, led to Walton's arrest in Antioch on
Wednesday. Heneby was already in Contra Costa County Jail on unrelated
charges, felony spousal abuse, making a terrorist threat to his wife
and being a felon in possession of a firearm. He was being held on $
250,000 bail.
After Walton's arrest, police questioned numerous witnesses and served
search warrants on five cars and two residences Walton had some
association with. However, they found nothing to link him to the
crime, and Zbacnik said police had no choice but to release him.
"We're not ruling (Walton) out of the investigation but there's
evidence that suggests he was not involved (in Norrell's murder),"
Zbacnik said. "I cannot tell the public unequivocably that a killer is
not being let loose, but the evidence doesn't show that he was
definitely connected."
Zbacnik refused to elaborate on the evidence that led authorities to
release Walton, but said it did not steer police in the direction they
thought it would.
"We are disappointed in the last 36 hours with what's happened," he
said. "But it is what it is. We don't try to manipulate the
information. . . . If there's not enough evidence, then we have to let
him go."
Zbacnik would not discuss what evidence might link Heneby to the case.
Long arrest records
Walton and Heneby are felons with long arrest records and convictions
ranging from wife beating to drug manufacturing.
Pittsburg police initially said that the two men, whom Zbacnik
described as acquaintances, had been in Walton's car when they spotted
Norrell walking alone along the Pittsburg-Antioch highway on the night
she disappeared. Heneby, police had said, was behind the wheel.
One of Norrell's shoes was found along the highway in Antioch shortly
after she disappeared, leading police to believe she was probably
killed nearby. Her body was discovered by police dogs at a landscape
supply yard not far from there.
Zbacnik said a telephone call in late November that "was really more
than just a tip" led police to focus on Walton and Heneby. Walton was
placed under surveillance in mid-December; Heneby had been jailed
since Dec. 4.
Zbacnik refused to explain what moved police to arrest Walton
Wednesday morning, but he insisted Thursday that investigators had
more than enough evidence to obtain the search and arrest warrants.
And, Zbacnik said, an official from the district attorney's office was
advising investigators as the case unfolded.
"The DA felt that everything we did we did properly and that we needed
to move forward on the arrest and search warrants," said Zbacnik.
--posted by Andy
fergu...@yahoo.com
kkramer
Does this have a familiar ring? I notice that she was last seen June 11 but
her mother waited until August 8 to report her missingness. Sounds like she
might have been decapitated. You can bet the police are looking over every
murder in the immediate area (200 miles).
Keith : (
Andy wrote in message <371ad985....@news.whitman.edu>...
>Kris Baker wrote:
>>I've been curious about what other area crimes could *possibly*
>>have some linkage to this case. [snip]
>
>Has anybody mentioned the 1995 murder of Denese Ames Smith: a murder
>that--like the murder of Juli Sund--appears to have occurred "near the