Continuing on the Path

by Todd Blumhorst

I can’t walk another step on this path. I am not sure how much more I can bear. We will never find answers. If you are a long term cold case homicide or missing persons survivor, then you have probably said one of these phrases or something very similar in your head on many occasions. The weight of the unknown can be a perilous path to walk and defeat is forever brooding over your head. The unknown is always there of your waking moments, jabbing you in the side to constantly reminding you of its presence.

I can relate to that constant reminder in the case of my missing sister. I have had to live in the unknown for 22 years now; that is over half of my life. I have had to do a lot of self-advocacy for our family due to many factors with the law enforcement agency in charge of her case. There have been many times when the cards were stacked against me in my continuing search for answers. There were many times when I wanted to just give up and stop looking for answers. Many nights I would toss and turn in bed wondering how much more would be added to my plate. People have often told me that God trusts us and only gives us what we can handle; I really wish God didn’t trust me so much if this is the case. How does one go forward when faced with mountainous obstacles placed before them to obtain case resolution? When you are the survivor of a long term case where either the killer and or the remains of your loved one remain unknown it becomes difficult to “move on” with your life. The thought of going forward is a terrifying concept for our brains to manage and process.

In my situation, finding a stable grounding was the first hurdle to overcome. I was 16 when she left us and I was already dealing with teen problems and then one huge adult problem was placed in all of our laps. We never imagined having to live this nightmare and my parents did a great job of keeping me on track even though they were blinded by grief. After a while, Veronica wasn’t really brought up around the house and this upset me to no end. I would try to talk about her but the grimaces I would get when she was mentioned gave me the feeling that I was imposing too much on people around me.

As the years passed, I grew older and became involved in a long term relationship; I had hope for some sort of salvation by being able to talk to my partner about Veronica. It soon became evident quickly that he didn’t want to listen to me about my sister either and was asked to not discuss her death with him because it made him feel uncomfortable. I felt lost and didn’t know what to do next because her case had grown cold by this point and no one seemed to care. In hindsight, it’s not that people didn’t care- it was that the pain was so deep that it instilled actual fear in the people of our community. It was when I moved to Tucson where relief came and I found Homicide Survivors. I was finally able to tell my story uninterrupted.

After some time of working on my own grief, I gathered the strength to push for answers in her case. It was out of sheer love for my sister and a sense of justice that propelled me further down the path. It has always been an uphill battle in her case but I always kept the main goal in mind: find her body and advocate for justice for her. Earlier this year I decided that since her case was no longer active I would need to reignite the case with a search. I secured a private organization that performs canine searches for human remains who agreed to assist us in a search. I directed them to a couple of areas we have always suspected to be a potential burial site. We went to the first location and it was quickly determined there were no human remains present; it seemed that another hurdle had been placed before me. We then went to the second site which was quite larger and got two hits within 30 minutes, hope was ignited again that she would soon be found. We are in another holding pattern presently while the leaves and ground in the area dry up and the team can arrange a grid search with more dogs. Hopefully this part of the path is upon us and we start down the path to justice for Veronica.

It is important to me to obtain justice for Veronica; just as you do in your individual cases I am certain. In those moments when doubt creeps into your mind and you feel justice will never come, take a few deep breaths and realize that you can only do your best and much of the situation is out of your control. The love you had for them will be your driver in seeking justice, but don’t beat yourself up should you encounter obstacles. What I have learned in this continuing journey is that our loved ones hear us and they know we are trying to balance the scales of justice. I may not get discovery of her remains or justice, but I keep moving forward and trying to reach that goal and my love for her will sustain me on this journey.

Todd J. Blumhorst, Advocate,
Assistant Volunteer Coordinator

Homicide Survivors Inc.
32 N. Stone Ave. #1408
Tucson, Az. 85701

520.740.5729
azhomicidesurvivors.org

Justice or Merely an Exercise?

By Heidi Hiatt

KOMO News has done an admirable job reporting on the questionable circumstances surrounding the “suicide” of former state trooper Ronda Reynolds. You may remember this story from a post on this site nearly 10 months ago, http://wildninja.wordpress.com/2011/01/05/its-about-time/.

KOMO has now said that despite an inquest jury’s finding that Reynolds’ former husband and stepson be held responsible for her death, Lewis County Sheriff Steve Mansfield will not reopen the case.

http://www.komonews.com/news/problemsolvers/132592623.html

CHEHALIS, Wash. — Lewis County Coroner Warren McLeod announced Tuesday evening that he has cleared up a possible legal issue and reissued arrest warrants for Jonathan A. Reynolds and Ronald A. Reynolds, who were deemed by an inquest jury as responsible for the death of former trooper Ronda Reynolds.

Here is the October 10th statement from the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office that says the disposition of the case will not change regardless of the outcome of the coroner’s inquest: http://lewiscountywa.gov/sheriff/sheriffs-statement-coroners-inquest-ronda-reynolds.

I understand the sheriff’s position, and I also understand that laypeople and experts have pointed out some major issues with the evidence at the crime scene. In light of these questions, it would seem prudent to reexamine the case. If the sheriff will not reopen the case on the basis of the inquest and arrest warrants, then he should reopen it on another basis: it’s potentially an unsolved crime.

At what point do we stop trying to find justice? If people believe this is a suicide, then they must think there’s no justice to be found. A female cop simply wrapped herself in a blanket in a closet and shot herself in the head in such a way that the gun landed in an atypical if not highly improbable manner. No one heard it despite being feet away, the husband’s ex-wife moved back in the next night, and on the oddities and suspicious behavior went, not to mention that this isn’t how women usually kill themselves.

There’s a lot of buzz amongst the public that the authorities have something to hide and that’s why they consider the matter closed. Some online chat has referenced a harassment complaint Reynolds made against her employer.

The victim’s own mother alleges a falsified police report,http://www.justiceforronda.com/story.htm. This isn’t going to go away just because the inquest has happened. The victim’s mother, Barbara Thompson, has fought tooth and nail for 13 years to have her daughter’s death considered homicide, not suicide.

The ruling is a step forward, but it still isn’t the kind of attention this case deserves. I find it strange that law enforcement officials aren’t more outspoken on this subject; Reynolds was one of them. Maybe it’s time to bring in a different agency to get their take on the evidence and statements.

According to the coroner, this was homicide. According to the sheriff, there’s unlikely to be anything more to talk about. If I were an elected official, I would certainly take steps to restore the public’s confidence in the county’s employees including getting a fresh set of eyes to look at this case or actually arresting the two men that have been implicated.

Staying relatively silent and saying that the inquest is inconsequential barring any major new findings fuels speculation and shakes the public’s trust in their government. It’s not good for the agencies involved to have various theories and concerns flying around. Damage control is another valid reason to take the coroner’s inquest findings seriously.

People from all over the country are watching this case, and it’s disappointing that it’s come this far just to let two murder suspects– who both exercised their right to the Fifth Amendment in the recent proceedings– walk.

Because of the disconnect between what the coroner’s done and what the sheriff won’t do, now there’s more questions about this case than ever.

Moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue. –Barry Goldwater

Heidi Hiatt, MA recently graduated as a Forensic Psychologist.  You can read more of her posts at her personal blog, Truth, Justice, and All-American Allergen-Free Apple Pie: Straight Talk in a Crooked World

Garvin County Oklahoma: Time's Up!

Over 100 poster's on the reward money offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of "those" (notice the plural here) responsible for the murder of Sheila Deviney were placed in windows of businesses all across town.

Today, more than half of the reward signs have been removed or torn down. I learned that people in the town of Lindsay, Oklahoma have been threatened to "remove the signs or else."

It seems that the ex-husband of Sheila Deviney, resides in Lindsay, OK, and rumor has it that the towering former football star has been " allegedly" threatening business owners to take these signs down or damage could happen to their property. Well I guess if I were a business owner in that neck of the woods, I might be scared, too. I would not want to see my business torched or damaged because I didn't listen. And the towns folk with good reason are scared so they are doing as they are told. Did I mention that this alleged killer is a volunteer little league football coach for the Lindsay, OK school district.

Shiela Deviney, 30, died on January 6, 2004, when her mobile home, located about one mile east and one mile south of Maysville, Oklahoma, burned to the ground. She was murdered. It should be no surprise that Sheila had been married to an abusive, controlling man. They had a court date over past-due child support scheduled the next day. According to eye witnesses, her ex-husband was at the home, although by law not allowed on the premises. He and others according to recorded, notarized and sworn affidavit statements I have in a secure location as of this past weekend from eye witnesses attest to certain individuals leaving Sheila's property as flames jumped into the sky. Witnesses say those person's allegedly destroyed evidence and took items from the home.

Recorded information and facts on this case was also first broadcast in detail on August 2, 2010, during the Intimate Partner Homicide Investigation radio show with Sheryl, McCollum, Holly Hughes.

It seems OSBI, Sheriff Steve Brooks and Garvin County Prosecutor Greg Mashburn have done everything in their powers to keep not only this case, but the Chanda Turner and Tom Horton cases from being re-opened, investigated and those responsible prosecuted. The latest in the Sheila Deviney case is that the state wants to destroy the tissue samples by the year 2012, per this Fox News 25 report earlier in the week: Click Here.

Perhaps someone from the Department of Justice can accompany me on my visit next week when I attend back to back events and press conferences in an attempt to have these 3 murder cases finally open for an official investigation. I would also ask for the State Police to be near by, for I am told, allegedly of course, if I go to Pauls Valley, Oklahoma, I could be carried out in a body bag.

Time's Up folks! I will be in Oklahoma as planned. Justice is long overdue for the intimate partner homicides of Sheila Deviney, Chanda Turner and Tom Horton.


(Susan Murphy Milano, is also with the Institute for Relational Harm Reduction & Public Psychopathy Education for more information visit http://www.saferelationships.com/ and is the author of the new book "Time's Up A Guide on How to Leave and Survive Abusive and Stalking Relationships available for purchase at the Institute, Amazon.com and where ever books are sold.)

How to make your cold case a hot topic

By Angela Dove


Your loved one is gone, but how? Why? At the station, detectives sift through conflicting testimony, trying to separate the wheat from the chaff, the truth from fabrication and, in some cases, the personal grudges and biases from unencumbered accounts. Or maybe there are no people to interview at all—the victim has seemingly vanished without a trace. Once the television cameras and lights have been packed up and driven away in network vans to the next crisis, you and your family and friends are left with too many tears and too little information. You feel powerless.


Here’s the good news: You have power.


Here’s the bad news: Making a difference in this case is going to take an unbelievable amount of effort.


Law enforcement can only follow up on viable leads. As long as there are witnesses or elements of possible evidence (physical or verbal), dedicated detectives will follow these trails in hopes of finding justice for your loved one. But once those leads are gone, and the case has been workshopped and brainstormed and examined from as many available avenues as possible, then there’s nothing left to detect.


More information is needed. The obvious sources have been exhausted—the victims’ family, close friends, schoolmates or coworkers. Now you need to reach out to those people who are on the periphery. In fact, the missing piece of the puzzle may not even be recognizable as such to the person carrying it around. For example, a woman walking through a parking lot may have seen a couple arguing, but if that woman doesn’t realize the woman in that argument is now missing, she’s not going to do anything with the information. Why would she? So the daunting job of anyone working a cold case (including family and friends) is educating those people on the periphery. And the only way to do that is through the media. That’s right. The same media that has roughly the same attention span as the average kitten.


It’s not the media’s fault. Sadly, they’re supplied with any number of constantly renewed tragedies and crises. They may cover yours for few days, but within a week or two they’ll be hard-pressed to find room for all the new heartbreak, much less the old. Realize that truth, and you can devote the rest of your energy to enlisting the media instead of railing against it and getting nowhere. You need all your available energy for making your case relevant today.


Getting Started means Getting Educated
You’re most likely to get media coverage in the areas immediately connected with the case: the city/town of residence of the victim, and the area of the crime/disappearance. Statistically, these are the most fruitful areas to search for information, so don’t be disappointed if you can’t get beyond this limited arena.


Next, make a list of all your local newspapers, radio stations, and television stations. Use the phonebook, internet, and your local reference librarian to find out if state or regional news outlets have branch/satellite locations near you. Then, at each of those offices, make a list of who covers crime or personal interest. Also list editors and/or producers. Make sure your information will land on the right desk, or it will land in the rubbish bin instead.

Photographs and Flyers
Putting out posters and flyers with facts of the case and a plea for information is the easiest step to take. But placement is very important. One more notice on the local telephone poles will likely get overlooked among notices of yard sales and lost dogs. Instead, try to get local businesses to post information in shop windows, especially businesses that the victim may have frequented. Find out if you can post a flyer in city buses or terminals. Approach a civic organization about helping you hand out flyers at special festivals or in busy shopping areas. If you are working with a non-profit organization, you may be able to rent a public billboard. And of course, offers of a reward will increase the likelihood of people paying attention. With each step of your journey, notify your list of appropriate media contacts.


Public Gatherings
Vigils honor the victim, allow people to express their grief and support, and provide news outlets with a moment of human interest which will undoubtedly lead to retelling the facts of the case (and educated a new set of peripheral people). Choose a public location and secure permission through your town or city. Spread the word to your loved one’s friends, neighbors, coworkers, social organizations—everyone you can think of. Can you ask a religious or public figure to officiate? Do you know a musician or singer who would be willing to perform at the ceremony? Think about what will be meaningful for those close to the victim as well as interesting to those who do not. Then alert any local newspapers, radio stations, and cable news stations. Even if your case has been unsolved for years, anniversaries such as the birthday of the victim or the date of the crime/disappearance are natural dates for vigils.

Differing in tone and scope from vigils, rallies can unite different families around a common cause. Was your loved one a victim of domestic or gang violence? Then take an active role in an event bringing public awareness to that issue. Is your county or region marking National Crime Victims’ Rights Week? See what you can do to help out. I once attended a ground-breaking for a remembrance garden outside a courthouse, and the local victims’ support group showed up each wearing a t-shirt depicting the face of their missing or murdered loved one—and the reporters seeking interviews made directly for those t-shirts.


Approaching Talk Shows
TV or radio talk show producers have to consider how each potential guest/story will appeal to their audience’s interests. If you do this work for them, you’ll greatly increase your chances of landing a spot on the show. Watch several episodes of the show. What sorts of crime cases are covered? What stories invoke the greatest audience response? That way when you call the producer, you will know your story is a good fit and you’ll know why. “Your audience was really interested in the February 16th episode about a teenager who disappeared after the prom. Our family’s situation is similar because . . .”


You can also consider teaming up with another family that has suffered a similar loss. The producer won’t have to figure out a way to fill up the rest of “your” episode; you’re offering to do some of that leg work. For example, “crimes on college campuses” is going to have a much broader appeal then your case alone.


No matter how long you’ve been looking for answers, there’s always a chance that your case will be solved. Don’t give up hope. It took my family nine years to get the answers we needed—answers that only came to us when we had reached the right person on the periphery.






Angela Dove is an award-winning columnist and author of the true crime memoir, No Room for Doubt: A True Story of the Reverberations of Murder (Penguin/Berkley,2009). For more information visit www.AngelaDove.com

Interrogation of Reluctant Witnesses

By Tad DiBiase


I'm not a detective (although my brother is) and I don't play one on TV.  Nonetheless during my career as a prosecutor trying mostly murder cases I not only watched a lot of interviews and interrogations but did quite a few myself.  More than once the detectives on my cases accused me of wanting to be a detective more than wanting to be a prosecutor and to that charge I plead guilty.


Interviews and interrogations are critical to resolving many homicide and violent crime cases.  Often murder cases,  particularly domestic murders and no body murders, either do not have forensic evidence or the forensic evidence is not particularly damning, for example, in a domestic murder, finding the suspect's DNA on the scene may not be very incriminating if the victim and the suspect were in a relationship.  Therefore convincing a reluctant eyewitness to come forward with evidence or testimony or the confession of a suspect may mean the difference between closing a case with an arrest and having a case grow cold. 


My view on interviews of reluctant witnesses and interrogations changed over time.  When I was a junior prosecutor I was all about good cop/bad cop. I was always the bad cop and believed that it was best to confront a liar as such and to pound away on the witness or suspect until he gave it up.  (To be fair, most of the witnesses to DC murders tend not to be school teachers and bus drivers but hardened thugs and drug dealers who were used to being questioned by police and prosecutors.)  


As time went on, however,  I watched more experienced prosecutors and veteran homicide detectives,  I realized that, while playing bad cop was fun, it was often unproductive.  Most witnesses and suspects,  if they did confess,  were more likely to tell the truth if the detective or prosecutor speaking to them established a bond, not hit them over the head with a bat (metaphorically speaking of course).  I thought of this recently as I read of the controversy about the questioning of suspected terror suspects.  Although I  reject the idea that an interrogation of terrorists can only consist of torture or "FBI-style" questioning, I do not reject the idea that interrogations and interviews where the questioner bonds with the subject are generally more successful.  


I am in the middle of reading an excellent book on this very topic, Practical Aspects of Interview and Interrogation by David E. Zulawski and Douglas Wicklander.  (Full disclosure:  The authors sent me this book for free but have not asked me to plug or review it.)    Their book is not easily summarized but in a nutshell they are strong and effective advocates for the bonding type of interview, not the harsh confrontational method used by many police departments (and prosecutors).  


Among the topics they cover in their book are nonverbal clues to behavior, false confessions,  establishing creditability with a subject and using rationalizations to make it easier for a suspect to confession.  Both men are recognized experts in their field and train police officers and private investigators on the methods they believe have the greatest chance of garnering confessions and incriminating testimony.  


Since many cold cases must now rely on witness testimony, every detective would be wise to read this textbook and put its suggestions into play.  Since I know many of you have lost loved ones in cases that remain unsolved, it can never hurt to see if the detective on your case has heard of the book or the methodology.  Detectives often only get one shot at a suspect or key witness and using the wrong method can forever doom the investigation to the realm of a cold case.