Moved

I have neglected the crime writing for a bit, but am planning on starting over - here.

Search Warrants Released in Eve Carson Case

A judge today allowed for the release of search warrants in the Eve Carson murder investigation. Links to the search warrants are below.

From the beginning, I was worried this was going to turn it to be a by-the-book crime: a guy, maybe two, get brave and break the law, then brag about it to someone, get caught and are handed the deserved punishment. I think Demario James Atwater and Laurence Alvin Lovette Jr. both deserve death, the most horrible death allowed, but I won't go down that road.

One of the search warrants I read today said some evidence requested was Pubic hair combings, 50 pubic hairs, 50 head hairs, blood, and saliva and cheek scrapings from Atwater, who she was in the back seat with. A warrant also says police have probable cause to believe "sexual assault of an unknown nature occurred," though neither Lovette nor Atwater has been charged with such an assault. I think the autopsy report is telling on this issue, and is scheduled for release on Monday (June 30).

According to the warrants, both men admitted to a confidential witness (CW) that they entered Carson's home, forced her into the backseat with Atwater and withdrew $1,400 from her bank account over two days. They then each shot her. She died of multiple gunshot wounds. If a sexual assault did occur, it was in the backseat of her car.

If there is a God, these two will be tried, found guilty, and killed in some unimaginable way.

Links to search warrants:

Warrant One
Warrant Two
Warrant Three
Warrant Four
Warrant Five
Warrant Six

UNC Student Body President Murdered

**Updated 7:15p.m., 3/9**

A beautiful young woman, 22-year-old Eve Marie Carson was a senior, a Morehead-Cain scholar and the Student Body President at the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill. As a political science and biology major, she had aspirations of attending medical school, and spent Spring 2006 studying abroad in Cuba and Ecuador. She was originally from Athens, Georgia.

Today, she was identified as an apparent random shooting victim who died yesterday morning in the Hillcrest neighborhood.

Police were called to the neighborhood before dawn after reports of gunfire. Carson was shot multiple times, including at least once in the head. She did not have any identification on her, and her 2005 blue Toyota Highlander with Georgia license plate AIV 6690 is missing. There have been no arrests.

The Chancellor released a statement, calling for a gathering to grieve today at 3 p.m.

It is obvious that Carson had a tremendous impact on the UNC community. Her biography is extensive and exemplary, and YouTube has several videos from Carolina Week that feature her during her election campaign. One male student, after admitted attempts to woo Carson, set up a Facebook group to win a date with her through a charity auction.

UNC has suffered a great loss, one that will be hard to recover from. My condolences to all.

Anyone with information about case is asked to call the Chapel Hill Police Department at 919-968-2760.

Update

Chapel Hill Police have released the following photos of a person of interest/suspect:

The person(s) in the photos attempted to use Eve Carson's ATM card, though authorities are not releasing the time they were used. Initially, police said there was only one person in the car, believed to be Carson's. However, the Raleigh Chronicle is reporting there may be a second person in the backseat. Using an enhanced color photo, an investigator determined this from the following photo:



Some message boards, one at courttv.com and at websleuths.com, have rumored that the girlfriend of the suspect in the photo has come forward, saying he was just released from jail and will kill, though this has not been confirmed.

There is also speculation that his hat could signify a gang, but more research is needed.

These photos are good photos, and it should only be a matter of time until this person is caught.

Serial Rapists in Fayetteville, Reno

Serial rapists commit two or more crimes on unrelated victims at different times. They usually begin their crimes more cautiously, and get more and more bold as their confidence in their abilities to commit their crimes increases. Serial rapists differ from spree rapists, who usually commit several rapes over a very short period of time (for example, Omar Sharpe).

Fayetteville authorities are reporting that there is a serial rapist in the area after reports of three rapes in the area in the last 18 months. The suspect is also linked to a series of peeping tom incidents throughout 2004. Police are not confirming how they have linked the rapes, but believe the suspect stalked the victims in preparation for the attacks.

A 23-year-old woman was jogging near the Ramsey Street and Oates Drive area, was attacked from behind and raped in August 2007. In February 2007, a 45-year-old woman was sleeping when the suspect broke into her house, woke her up and raped her. A third rape occurred seven months later, when a 21-year-old woman's apartment was broken into, and she was raped.

On January 26 of this year, a sexual assault occurred when a woman living on the same street where one of the previous rapes occurred was attacked. Between 2:15 and 3:15 a.m., a suspect broke into the home of a 29-year-old woman and sexually assaulted her.

The suspect was wearing a dark clothes: black shoes, dark jeans and a dark hooded sweatshirt with “Notre Dame” across the chest. This last attack has not been connected to the previous rapes, but police are looking into the possibility.

With the media attention these cases are receiving, every woman needs to be on the lookout. Police have released this information about the suspect:

* White or Hispanic male
* Early 20s or 30s
* Between 5-foot-8 and 6-foot-3
* Medium, slightly muscular or athletic build
* Close-cut, or shaven dark hair

In a related case in Reno, Nevada, Brianna Denison's body was found yesterday; it was confirmed that it was her body today. Denison disappeared January 20 from a friend's house. She was strangled.

Her attacker has been linked to several other rapes and sexual assaults in the area from DNA found on the pillow Denison was using the night she disappeared:

* On October 22, a University of Nevada, Reno student was attacked from behind by a white male, who forced her to the ground in the Brian Whalen Parking Garage on campus. Some reports have said that parking garage is where campus police officers park their vehicles. The victim said the suspect held a black-and-silver handgun to her head while assaulting her.

* November 13: a female was battered and sexually groped in the 400 black of College Drive

* December 16: a female was battered and kidnapped from the 1400 block of North Virginia Street, sexually assaulted and returned home

* January 19: an unknown suspect unsuccessfully attempted to break into the home of the December victim

* Jan. 20: Denison goes missing from a friend’s home. Her body is found February 15.

All of the above-mentioned crimes, with the exception of the October rape that has not definitively been linked to the same suspect, occurred between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m.

The suspect in the Reno case is described as a while male between 28 and 40 years old with a long face and square chin, and facial hair between one-quarter and one-half-inch long. He had brown hair, and was taller than 5 foot 6 inches but not excessively so. His body build was strong but not significantly muscular. He had an "innie" belly button and a shaved pubic region.

Sources: Nevada Sagebrush, News14.com, Fayetteville Observer.

A Marine's Tragic Disappearance, Death - UPDATED 1/12

While this is not a crime that occurred in Raleigh, I feel it shouldn't be overlooked.

Not much is known about what happened to Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach, though authorities are now saying they have substantial evidence that she is dead and buried somewhere in Onslow County. They do not know where her body is, or if the baby was born, or who the father of the child is. I've pasted a timeline of her case below.

There's much to be said about her case. Lauterbach accused a superior officer, 21-year-old Cpl. Marine Cesar Armando Laurean, of rape, but the investigation had gone sour. The police have named Laurean a suspect in this case, and he currently can't be located.

Recently, Lauterbach's stepmother said she was a compulsive liar and bipolar. I'm wondering if this had anything to do with the investigation not turning out in favor of Lauterbach.

This is all just pure speculation, but if Laurean is the father of the child, and denies sexually assaulting Lauterbach, the child's birth may be detrimental to his side of the story. The fact that Laurean has disappeared does not make him look good. And if this is true, I would say the Naval investigators did a poor job in looking at the allegations and in thinking Laurean was not a flight risk.

To read the search warrants in the case, go here.

Despite everything, this is yet another tragic case. More to come.

Timeline

December 14: Lauterbach's stepmother, Mary Lauterbach, said she had a heated telephone conversation with her about putting the baby up for adoption. This is the last time anyone has heard from her.

December 15: Lauterbach purchases a one-way bus ticket to El Paso, Texas. The ticket has never been used.

December 19: Lauterbach is reported missing by her stepmother, who tells the police department that Lauterbach is 8 months pregnant and bi-polar, and had a history of lying.

December 20: Lauterbach's cell phone is found near the main gate at Camp Lejeune. Her roommate, Marine Sgt. Daniel Durham, is brought in for questioning, though he is not a subject.

December 24: An unidentified white male attempted to use Lauterbach's ATM card at the Marine Federal Credit Union. He attempted to cover the ATM's security camera with a rag.

December 26: Lauterbach misses a prenatal care appointment.

January 7: Lauterbach's car is found at a bus station near Camp Lejeune.

January 11: Authorities say Lauterbach is dead and buried somewhere in Onslow County, though they don't know where. Laurean is a suspect, but authorities cannot find him.

Update, 3:30 p.m.

Authorities have found what they believe to be Lauterbach's remains in a fire pit in the backyard of Laurean's residence. The remains are skeletal, charred, and dental records have been sent to confirm it is Lauterbach's remains. The remains of a fetus were also found.

Police were tipped off to the body by Laurean's wife, who found a letter from Laurean saying Lauterbach came to his place and cut her own throat. There was also a massive amount of blood on one of the walls, as well as some blood spatters on the ceiling and in the garage. It appeared as if someone had tried to clean the blood and paint over it.

Forgive me if I'm not buying Laurean's side of the story, especially since he hasn't been seen since 4 a.m. yesterday. An arrest warrant has now been issued for him.

Lauterbach had a private MySpace page, in which she last logged in on November 3. But she also had an old MySpace page where she last logged in in March, about 9 months ago, around the same time she became pregnant. It has some information about her, such as likes and dislikes.

Laurean also had a MySpace page, but it seems to have been cleared out. He last logged in on October 30.

There were several Facebook pages set up to help find Lauterbach, and some posted their memories of her. Yesterday, one girl wrote:

My best friend and I met Maria one weekend ths past October in Camp LeJeune. We came down to see some friends of ours and Maria, at that time, had lived in the barracks that our friends lived in and was friends with them also. I personally thought Maria was a very nice and welcoming girl, I had talked to her about her thoughts on being a female in the Marine Corps because at the time, I was in the process of making my decision to join. I just recently joined as an officer, and some of the things she said to me during our conversation that night helped me in my decision. We also talked about our fathers, she had told me that her father was a Master Sergeant and my father is a Master Gunnery Sgt, so we laughed and joked around about that together. She had also mentioned her rape to my friend and I, and by looking at her, you could tell she had a little stomach on her. My best friend and I found Maria to be a girl who had been emotionally drained and looking for someone to befriend her. My best friend and I gave her our numbers and told her that if she ever needed to talk, to just give us a call. Wednesday night when i saw her on Fox News Channel, I was in shock and disbelief. I told myself "that can't be the girl we met at LeJeune, it just can't be". Then yesterday when they released more pictures of her, I knew it was the same person. All of the new information released today just absolutely breaks my heart. She was an extremely friendly person and did not deserve anything that allegedly happened to her, including her prior rape. My thoughts and prayers are continuously with her family and friends. Semper Fi.

A horrible ending to the story. Hopefully this man, Laurean, will be caught soon. He's not someone who needs to be running away.

Photos from Wral.com

Drug raid leaves wanted Texas man dead - LAST UPDATED 1/8

If all is to be believed, Stephen Scott Thornton was a 45-year-old white male, a Texan, and a survivor of thyroid cancer. How he ended up in Wake County, N.C., I don't know. But news reports today say Stephen Thornton, who also goes by the alias Scott Monaco, was killed during a drug raid at a home in North Raleigh.

I haven't found much about Stephen, though the News and Observer wrote that as of yet he has not been identified as a suspect in the two-month long investigation of illegal growing of marijuana. He was identified by fingerprints.

While the police were conducting their raid, one officer, Sgt. Ronnie Byrd, was shot in the leg. He has been released from WakeMed. It is still not clear who shot whom, though a neighbor said he heard four or five gunshots and screaming.

The house where the raid was conducted is 5401 Alpine Drive, and has been a rental home for several years. According to Wake County Real Estate Data, the owner of the home resides in Florida, and the deed was transferred to her name in 2002.

So who exactly is Stephen Scott Thornton?

Well, googling his name provides a post on the Texans for Medical Marijuana website, where the man I'm assuming is the Stephen Scott Thornton in question admitted to growing his own medical marijuana since having his thyroid gland removed 10 years ago. He wrote that smoking and growing marijuana has helped him "go from a 145-pound weakling to a 180-pound healthy man," and he has helped other cancer patients by giving them marijuana, as well.

The post, last updated on September 28, 2006, also describes how he recently got busted, first by Collin County Police and then by the ATF. He wrote that he expected a two-three year federal sentence, in part because he owned a .9mm handgun.

"If I do not plead guilty I could easily get ten years or more prison sentence since I also owned a 9-mm pistol. By pleading guilty I expect a 2-3 year federal sentence. The feds wanted me to narc on the cancer patients I provide with marijuana but I would only narc on myself."

His account of the incident, however, differs from a press release about the case from the Wylie Public Information Office. The release says:

"On May 19 at approximately 9:06 pm, Wylie Police Officers responded to a neighbor disturbance involving weapons in the 1200 block of Silene Court in northwest Wylie. Officers subsequently arrested Stephen Scott Thornton, 43-year-old white male, for Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon. Thornton was transported to the Collin County Jail and a search warrant was obtained for his residence to search for the weapon that was used in the offense. As Wylie Officers executed the warrant, they observed in plain view, a large quantity of marijuana in the residence."

So Stephen's story on the pro-medical marijuana website sounds a bit different from what police said happened. Though really, it may be impossible to know the truth.

A bit of digging found me at Collin County's Case History service, where I found case 366-81652-05 (search by name), Stephen's still-open case of assault with a deadly weapon, complete with blatant notification of his outstanding warrant. It details the various events of the case from August 2005 through July 2007, in which the motion for counsel withdrawal was approved.

Stephen is also still on the exhaustive list of active warrants, found here (search "Thornton").

While Wake County police did not say if medical marijuana was found in the search warrant execution, one officer has said he saw marijuana plants inside of the house. The shooting is currently being investigated by the State Bureau of Investigation.

More as it becomes available.

Update: 1/5, 4:00 p.m.

A neighbor of Stephen's, 71-year-old Richard Walden, said he was outside when the raid was occurring. He told the News and Observer, "Then I heard someone screaming, 'Get away from me! Get off my property!' The next thing I heard was a banging sound, like an aluminum ladder leaned up against a home." It's safe to assume the banging sounds were gunshots.

I have two big concerns at the moment.

One: Did Stephen know these were cops? Ever since the Peyton Strickland case, my big concerns have been whether law enforcement officials make it known that they are in fact law enforcement officials. From my standpoint, I see a group of armed guys coming towards me, I don't just stand there and take it. And it's easy for law enforcement officials to assume the worst.

Two: This was a "special response team" deployed for a search warrant - why was that necessary? I don't know much about drug raids or the standard precautions, but a search warrant doesn't mean guilt. So, assuming this is unusual, which it may very well not be, why were several armed men executing a search warrant in this way?

Many, many questions in this case.

Authorities today were seen carrying marijuana plants out of the home, and said they've found drug paraphernalia. I'm interested to see if it was all marijuana related, especially considering Stephen's claim in his post that it was medicinal.

At this point I'm assuming Stephen was the only one in the house, as nothing has indicated otherwise. Sheriff Donnie Harrison has said the officials made a forced entry into the house. Who shot first, while maybe perceived as trivial, is an important fact to uncover, at least to me. In North Carolina, someone is permitted to use force (ie, a handgun) against someone is breaking into a home (though a few law enforcement friends of mine have always said to make sure that the intruder falls into the house). Keeping that in mind, if the law enforcement failed to identify themselves as such, Stephen's response was justified.

Though I don't know what went down, and probably won't for a while. It's not fair at this point to say who did what, so I guess it's the just-wait-and-see game for a bit.

Update: 1/8

Reports are now saying authorities confiscated 43 pot plants ("green vegetable material") as well as chemical lights, from Thornton's home. In all, 45 items were taken.

Apparently, Wake County Alcoholic Beverage Control Board officers received a tip that he was making and selling marijuana, and they did surveillance on the house for two months before the raid. Authorities checked the trash on January 3 and found marijuana stems and plant material, which tested positive for marijuana.

Another report was more descriptive about the search warrant: "Among the items seized were 43 marijuana plants in various stages of growth, four plastic bags of what appeared to be marijuana, soil additives, grow lights, plant-growing chemicals, a VHS tape entitled 'Frontline: War on Marijuana' and another entitled 'Pot of Gold.' Officers also seized books and magazines on growing marijuana and books described as anti-government, according to the warrant."

It's interesting to see how "anti-government" books were a factor in this.

Also, the US Marshal's Service had a full extradition order to return him to Dallas when he was arrested. This makes me wonder why they needed to fingerprint him to identify him.

One interesting note in the above-linked story is that Sheriff Donnie Harrison didn't say who shot first or whether Thornton was shot by a deputy. The choice of words is interesting - he "declined" to say. Does this mean he knows? Hopefully this won't be kept hush-hush for too much longer.

Has LeRoy Jernigan's Murderer Been Found? - UPDATED

Earlier in the month, I wrote an article for the Raleigh Chronicle about LeRoy Jernigan, a man who was killed while cleaning Circus Family Restaurant at 1600 Wake Forest Road in Raleigh. He had been shot once in the head, execution style.

News today says a man, Samuel Cooper, with a significant criminal history has been charged with LeRoy's murder, in addition to four others.

More updates to come, but I have a feeling justice will finally be served for those families.

Update:

Samuel James Cooper, 30, of 2300 Creech Road was arrested after a Garner bank robbery and car chase in Garner. He was then connected to and charged with five murders dating back to May 2006. Here are the warrants.

Those murders, however, are far from when his criminal record started. In 1994, he was 17 when he was sentenced to 20 years in jail for armed robbery. Five years later, while in prison at the Wake Correctional Center, he and two other inmates overpowered a guard and escaped.

While on the run, they carjacked a Buick but ran out of gas on I-40. A sheriff's deputy gave them a ride to a convenience store, not realizing they were escaped inmates. When they asked for rides to Wilmington at a Benson apartment complex, they were arrested.

And again in 1999, after he was sentenced to 26-32 months in prison for the escape, he punched a deputy in the jaw and knocked her to the ground while she was escorting him from a courtroom. He was attempting to pull her service weapon from her holster when others came to her aid.

Chasity Jernigan, LeRoy's sister, has said she is glad that he is off the streets and that LeRoy has some closure. In addition to LeRoy's murder, Cooper has been charged with the murders of the following (for a map, go here:

Tariq Hussain, 52,


Hussain was found dead shortly after 10 a.m. on October 14. He was shot to death behind the counter of his convenience store, Bobby's Grocery, and was discovered by a customer. He was a father of three and an apparent victim of a robbery.

Rickey High, 48
A homeless man, High was found lying on the sidewalk on October 12 about a block from where he lived. He had worked for stores near the St. Augustine's College.

Timothy David Barnwell, 34


Barnwell was shot and killed on April 27 outside his apartment during an apparent robbery at Windsor Falls Apartments. His ankles and wrists were bound, and he tried to escape by jumping over the balcony of his second-floor apartment, but was shot several times when he landed.

Osama "Samuel" Haj-Hussein, 43
Haj-Hussein was shot and killed on May 12, 2006. He was a clerk at the In & Out Mart on Creech Road, and a native of Jordan.


LeRoy Jernigan photo courtesy of Chasity Jernigan; photos of four victims found on Wral.com

Missing From the Queen City

I'm in Charlotte for the Holiday break and felt like writing, so thought I'd tell Kyle Fleischmann's story.

At 2:30 a.m. on Friday, November 9, security cameras show Kyle Fleischmann leaving Buckhead Saloon in uptown Charlotte at about 2:20 a.m. He has not been seen since.


His sister received a call from his cell at 2:19 a.m., one minute before leaving the bar, then he called two friends: one, friend, Daniel Scagnelli, at 3:28 a.m. and the other, his roommate Bruce, at 3:29 a.m. Kyle didn't leave any messages and his phone was dead by morning. But reports have said the pings from his last cell phone calls hit a tower at 10th St. and Seigle Ave. He did not leave any messages.

His vehicle was not returned, and he did not show up to work later Friday. His debit card and coat were left at the bar, and those involved are assuming he does not have cash.

At 10 p.m. on Nov. 9, a missing person's report was filed. There is a $25,000 reward for information about where Kyle is or about what happened the night he disappeared.

Since his disappearance, friends and family have organized search parties and created a non-profit organization, the Kyle Fleischmann Foundation. They've done a great job of getting the word out, with his story being told as far away as Los Angeles and hitting national news.

This is Kyle's MySpace - from his "About Me" section ("Just like Shakira, my hips don't lie.") and pictures, he seems like the kind of person who was out to live life just to live it. It's also been revealed that his mother, whom he called every day, was to have breast cancer surgery last week, and it isn't like him not to be there.

This is quickly becoming a confusing, but not helpless, case. While the last pings on Kyle's cell were from the tower at 10th and Seigle, I don't know how far away the tower reaches - as in, what is the radius of the tower, how far away do you have to be to ping it? This could be important - was he calling from outside of the bar, or from outside of a hotel, like some have rumored his intentions were?

A thread on CourtTV.com has said Kyle may have been heading to a party at a Holiday Inn, or may have realized he left his belongings in the bar after it had closed, or some other similar situation. In using Google Maps, I found there is a Holiday Inn within one block of the Buckhead Saloon. I hope this has been checked out.

There haven't been any leads yet. I may run downtown tomorrow and take some pics, which I'll post if I do. Below is some information about Kyle:


Description:
Height: 6' even
Weight: about 180 pounds
Eye Color: green eyes
Hair: brown


He was last seen wearing a black t-shirt, jeans, and black dress shoes. His hair was gelled and probably looked a little darker than his natural color.

If you have any information about Kyle, call Crimestoppers - 704.334.1600.

Judith Maxwell: Lexington's Fourth Murder of 2007

On Saturday night, police were called to Warf Road in Lexington, NC. A man named Richard had called police around 7:25 p.m. about a stabbing. His wife, 47-year-old Judith Maxwell, was found dead on the bathroom floor of her home, an apparent stabbing victim.

After the sheriff's office conducted interviews, 17-year-old Andrea Christine Maxwell, Judith's daughter, along with her boyfriend, 21-year-old Joe Lee Coleman Jr., were each charged with one count of felony murder.

"We (investigators) feel like it was a spur-of-the-moment ... very much like we don't know what we're doing kind of a thing, and we're sort of making this up as we go," said Grice at a press conference on Sunday afternoon.

"We felt like it was a result of a domestic issue," he said. "There's not a lot of indication of a struggle. They both participated in the act."

Andrea was an honor-roll senior at Central Davidson High School, and had been accepted into college. She seemed, by several accounts, to be a normal teenager. But why was she dating a 21-year-old, a man she ran off with several weeks ago, prompting her parents to file a missing persons report.

And even more revealing, why does her MySpace refer to blood, gore and death? Steve Huff at "The True Crime Weblog" has more information.

According to the North Carolina Criminal Court Calendars, both Andrea and Coleman have court dates on the morning of December 1. I'll keep updating as needed.

The Tragic Disappearance of Harmony Jude Creech

Update: 10.21.07

Johni Michelle Heuser has been arrested and charged with first degree murder in reference to Harmony's death. She is currently being held without bond, and her other three children, all under the age of 5, are in foster care.

"She has been telling us a lot of lies for a long time," Sheriff Rollins said of Heuser. "It finally, through some good interview techniques, brought the truth out."

I will post more as the story continues.

****

Ronald Earl Creech II is a soldier with the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg. While he was overseas, his wife gave birth to a daughter, Harmony Jude Creech. Ronald was to see his baby girl for the first time on Friday, Oct. 19 when he returned from a 15-month deployment in Iraq.

Harmony's grandmother picked Ronald up from the airport Friday morning, and when they returned, Harmony was gone. It appeared that Harmony Jude Creech just vanished from her home at 1680 Ray Rd, Spring Lake, NC after her mother, Johni Michelle Heuser, put her down to sleep. A pink sheet, a handful of bibs and nearly all of the child's clothes were also missing.

A window in Harmony's bedroom was open, and the screen was propped against the house outside. The girl was last seen wearing pink footie pajamas with "Daddy's Girl" written on one arm. News releases said she weighs 18 pounds, and is 2 feet, 7 inches tall.

The disappearance of 11-month-old Harmony sparked an Amber Alert that aired on websites like MySpace and on television stations airing football games. An FBI team of child abduction specialists joined local police officers in hunting for Harmony, and the girl's picture and story were found in local news stations' top stories. Tonight, the girl's story is still at the top of the headlines, but for another reason. One day after Harmony Jude Creech was reported missing, she was tragically found.

While speaking with investigators, police said, Heuser told them she found Harmony dead in her crib several weeks ago, and hid Harmony's death out of fear. The remains of the girl were found in the attic of the house she lived in for 11 months.

Neighbors have said a foul smell has bothered them for several weeks, which subsided recently when overnight temperatures dropped. Some neighbors, reacting to the smell, had even searched their yards for dead animals. These same neighbors described Heuser as secretive and private, as someone who rarely left home.

Heuser is still being interviewed and the investigation is still active. Charges against Heuser have not been determined, and an autopsy will be performed on Harmony to determine her cause of death.

"It's a tragic end to a sad situation for this family and for the community as well," Harnett County Sheriff Larry Rollins said.

I'd like to know what the grandparents and/or the other children (all under five years old) know. More pragmatically, I want to know why the grandparents didn't suspect anything, or if they knew anything, why they didn't come forward.

I'm interested to see the charges filed in this case.

I will update this blog as more information becomes available.


Sources: "Leads scarce in search for missing baby," News and Observer, Oct. 20; "Missing Harnett County Baby Found Dead in Attic," Wral.com, Oct. 20; "Body of missing baby found in her home," News and Observer, Oct. 20