Found Deceased WA - Cheryl DeBoer, 54, Mountlake Terrace, 8 February 2016 #5

[idfinch]

The razor blade is puzzling. Was she known to use razor blades like that for anything, or keep one in her car? That sticks with me. Was there blood on the door handle or anywhere on the ground if she was bleeding & supposedly locked her car?

I, too, am wondering about her glasses & if they were found & on.

No matter what theory people support, she got from the car to the culvert somehow. Either she walked, with cut hands, etc, or she was in someone else's car.

There has got to be some kind of surveillance footage on each viable route in that short of a time frame. If she walked all the way there on her own she would show up on video, or a witness, etc. Her disappearance made news very fast when minds were fresh. If she was driven there.... Somebody knows something.

Eta: The fast food bag. Was she known to leave stuff like that in the car or did she keep it tidy with no trash? It could have been in the car if someone was hiding in the back. They could have brought it with.

 

[WhisperWorm]

I'll let my old lady know all of this the next time she is cleaning blood out of the refrigerator because a package of round steak leaked all over everything. I'll let her know, "It's not really blood, so quit your complainin' ! "


Sorry....I won't be able to post her reply here.....too much profanity.

I wasn't trying to upset you, just to bring in more facts. I apologize.

 

[Dushi]

Well, the thing about exit bags or other methods of suicide, they are easily researched if someone is interested in the information. prior knowledge is not an important factor. Doesn't much matter how you make a living. The information is readily available

 

[CarolynV]

Was there blood on the razor blade? Did they test the razor blade for prints?

 

[steelman]

“We’re working with multiple agencies that are providing assistance with this,” Police Chief Greg Wilson said Tuesday.

For example, the Washington State Patrol is assisting with processing evidence through their crime lab. The Everett Police Department is analyzing DeBoer’s computer records. The U.S. Marshals office is looking at her phone data. The Snohomish County Medical Examiner, Sheriff’s Office and Prosecutor’s Office have also been involved with elements of the investigation, such as determining the cause of death, search and rescue and obtaining search warrants.

While this provides greater resources for the Mountlake Terrace Police Department, it also means that investigators have to abide by the timelines set by those other departments, which constantly have other cases and limitations. For example, a technician in Spokane who is analyzing blood evidence is on leave through the end of March.

http://mltnews.com/mlt-police-chief-shares-some-details-of-cheryl-deboer-investigation/


All of this talk about blood.....let me drop the bomb on you. See the highlighted section above.

 

[Dushi]

Some testing must have been done on the blood
They have reported that some of it is animal blood

 

[marcyjoy]

I have a few comments to make - all my opinion, of course.

1. I think MLT PD is trying to be sensitive to the family. They have released a bit of additional information after pressure from the public. When the family decided to speak out on the internet, they released some more details. While some are frustrated by the "trickle" of information, I have a feeling this is not intentional to frustrate, but merely to give the public info while still protecting the feelings of the family. Since this is an ongoing investigation, there is no conclusion to present yet.
2. After MD was ruled out, I have been pretty sure that the only thing that makes most of the pieces fit is suicide. We are looking at it from the limited facts only. It is clear that if this is caused by someone else it would have to be meticulously planned in order to not leave any incriminating evidence. This was not a random crazy killing. I feel like all of the things that point away from suicide (why would she take dinner out, ,why would she text instead of calling in sick, why wouldn't she just do it in her car, why wouldn't she ...) point to her intent to DELAY being found and not not be found by her family. Who knows what the conversation at home was. Maybe MB asked what dinner plans were, so in order to not cause suspicion, she took dinner out. She was right that MB would be the one to find the car and I think she didn't want him to find her. Plus, if she knew she needed time (whether because she didn't know what method [razor blade or bag] or because whatever method might take a while) she would need to delay being found and definitely not be near a park and ride or some populated place where someone might find her too soon.
3. The recent pictures and description of the culvert are very helpful. I can imagine her going to a place like that to not be discovered. While there are woods, that place is secluded and you could probably be sure on an overcast Monday morning that you would not be disturbed.

I think anyone that has had a suicide (or in my case, several) that have hit close to home can see some "logic" in the idea. There is no clear cut path and there are some things that actually make sense in that light.

The animal blood? I have no idea what that is about. And I have a feeling it will end up being a coincidence.

ETA: Also, the bag may have been loosened in the current or the weather in the days prior to her being found

 

[Dushi]

I think it was steelman who commented on pieces of a puzzle.
That is exactly how this feels to me. although i never thought of it like that til he posted it

We only have bits and bites and we are desperate to make it all fit

 

[Koshka]

No mention of any drag marks. No tire prints from other cars.... she didn't fly there.

Why would there be tire prints on a city street?

And there are plenty of ways she could have gotten there without walking (or flying - I assume you were being sarcastic?) or being dragged. Under duress, she would have gotten into another car without leaving any "drag marks."

 

[blue888]

2. That the takeout bag was from Cheryl's favorite restaurant.

This is your interpretation from the media report that it was a restaurant she frequented. No evidence that it was her FAVORITE.

 

[desertmama]

Was it a loose razor blade, or a box-cutter? I carry a box-cutter in my purse, so I wouldn't find it odd that someone who doesn't carry a purse would have one in their pocket.

 

[WhisperWorm]

Well, the thing about exit bags or other methods of suicide, they are easily researched if someone is interested in the information. prior knowledge is not an important factor. Doesn't much matter how you make a living. The information is readily available

Very true.

It's really very expensive and time-consuming to retrieve data that's been erased from a computer or smartphone. It's not so difficult if the person has just simply deleted the files and their system hasn't written over the data yet. When you put something in the Recycle Bin and Empty it, it is still present on the machine, simply labeled by the system that at some point it's okay to overwrite that data. But I personally know 2 computer forensics experts and they are both extraordinarly in demand, incredibly backed up with work, and very, very well-paid. The ability to retrieve data from an *erased* drive (hard drive disk or external drive such as a thumb drive) is sometimes possible, but I can't imagine that MLT PD investigators would pursue that.

The reason I bring it up is because if Stryker didn't find anything on Cheryl's computer, or in her emails, as he said earlier, I have to assume that she covered her tracks really well by erasing her data (downloads, browser cookies and cache, etc.)

Or she simply could have used the Tor network. Using the Tor browser and connecting to a Tor network makes your tracks pretty much untraceable, and it's simple and free to do. In a place like the Seattle metropolitan area, hooking into the Tor network wouldn't stand out. Journalists all over the world use Tor to connect with their sources to protect their lives. Other people just use it to watch *advertiser censored*.

If I was Stryker I'd definitely have looked for Tor on all of her devices (home computer, work computer, any devices she owned such as tablets.) If she was accessing data at work, she could have only circumvented the logs if she herself had changed permissions - and since she wasn't a network engineer at FH I am going to assume that wasn't possible.

I don't see her buying a book on how to commit suicide. She could have researched from a library computer, though. Any chance someone remembers her using a library computer for any amount of time? That would be suspicious since she had a home computer and work computer(s).

 

[idfinch]

I completely understand why this is undetermined. I really get why people are being swayed toward suicide. And I know LE has to go strictly from evidence and not emotion. Hopefully the evidence will give the family a definitive answer in the future one way or the other. This is a very, very strange case.

But, and this is JMO, I can't buy suicide at all. I can't get on board with it despite personal experiences & understanding of depression & suicide issues. Despite the evidence being released.

Yes, people hide things & commit suicide when no one sees it coming. But in this case, I believe the family, friends & co-workers 100%. I believe her son, her mom, her sister, her husband. My husband & I are inseparable & I would know. In my gut, I'd know one way or the other.

This is just musing, none of it means a hill of beans, but I still see this as a homicide. I don't know enough to know if the evidence the police are releasing just is what it is, or if only certain evidence is being released to support the theory of suicide.

 

[AzPistonsGirl]

I would not put a razor blade in my pocket because I could CUT my fingers reaching into my pocket.

SBM: I admit I was leaning to the suicide possibility but trying to keep an open mind and mindful too of Occam's Razor (gosh, no pun intended). But "cuts" on her fingers sounds to me exactly like there was a razor blade in her pocket that she nicked her fingers on reaching into her pocket. As if she forgot or did not know it was there.

Just one more possibility.

Cheryl, a whole bunch of people care about you here, and about those who knew and loved you. Regardless, the sadness is palpable on this thread. We're confused and want clarity, but also, on some other level, we care about people.

 

[cs2012]

Body dumps are sometime obvious they didn't happen at that location i.e. Lack of blood etc. usually it is quick to determine there is another crime scene to find. CD does not appear to have any evidence of struggle, violence etc and her movements - perhaps with the exception of the car to the culvert are pretty well known.

i would think that if her body was "dumped" there, she would have bruises. however, would those bruises still be there a week later? doubt youd be able to determine bruises would be there when combined with discoloration and bloating etc. so how can they see no evidence of violence for sure?? i mean i dont think thered be a way to know for sure. i guess no "obvious" signs of homicidal violence would be more accurate, but i wouldnt say for sure...why would the police? unless they were trying to cover up something or had found suicidal searches on her computer or something? and why do police believe tox results will show accidental or suicide?? did they find bottles or syringes or something?

 

[razzledazzle]

SBM: I admit I was leaning to the suicide possibility but trying to keep an open mind and mindful too of Occam's Razor (gosh, no pun intended). But "cuts" on her fingers sounds to me exactly like there was a razor blade in her pocket that she nicked her fingers on reaching into her pocket. As if she forgot or did not know it was there.

Just one more possibility.

Cheryl, a whole bunch of people care about you here, and about those who knew and loved you. Regardless, the sadness is palpable on this thread. We're confused and want clarity, but also, on some other level, we care about people.

There is a post by Stryker a day or two ago that says the cuts were on 2 fingers - one on each hand. I'll find the post.

 

[Dushi]

Very true.

It's really very expensive and time-consuming to retrieve data that's been erased from a computer or smartphone. It's not so difficult if the person has just simply deleted the files and their system hasn't written over the data yet. When you put something in the Recycle Bin and Empty it, it is still present on the machine, simply labeled by the system that at some point it's okay to overwrite that data. But I personally know 2 computer forensics experts and they are both extraordinarly in demand, incredibly backed up with work, and very, very well-paid. The ability to retrieve data from an *erased* drive (hard drive disk or external drive such as a thumb drive) is sometimes possible, but I can't imagine that MLT PD investigators would pursue that.

The reason I bring it up is because if Stryker didn't find anything on Cheryl's computer, or in her emails, as he said earlier, I have to assume that she covered her tracks really well by erasing her data (downloads, browser cookies and cache, etc.)

Or she simply could have used the Tor network. Using the Tor browser and connecting to a Tor network makes your tracks pretty much untraceable, and it's simple and free to do. In a place like the Seattle metropolitan area, hooking into the Tor network wouldn't stand out. Journalists all over the world use Tor to connect with their sources to protect their lives. Other people just use it to watch *advertiser censored*.

If I was Stryker I'd definitely have looked for Tor on all of her devices (home computer, work computer, any devices she owned such as tablets.) If she was accessing data at work, she could have only circumvented the logs if she herself had changed permissions - and since she wasn't a network engineer at FH I am going to assume that wasn't possible.

I don't see her buying a book on how to commit suicide. She could have researched from a library computer, though. Any chance someone remembers her using a library computer for any amount of time? That would be suspicious since she had a home computer and work computer(s).

Thank you, your knowledge is far greater than mine! Appreciate it
I was responding because it was mentioned in her line of work, she would likely have the information on exit bags
Someone else said they didn't know about them and worked in the same field
So, yes, an assumption was made, but to me it is irrelevant as that sort of information is easy to attain if one has an interest in it.

I am an idiot when it comes to phones, computers, etc, my husband would not know how to retrace my computer steps
LE has been doing research on her computer so maybe they have found or will find something of interest

 

[razzledazzle]

I've only skimmed the past couple of days, so please forgive me if I mention something that has already been covered. Do we know if the razor actually belonged to Cheryl? Could it have been planted? Could a perp have cut her fingers? Could the animal blood be a red herring? I have always felt that this was a homicide committed by someone that Cheryl was at least somewhat acquainted with. Maybe this is being staged as a suicide. JMO MOO

 

[Stripehaven]

Why would there be tire prints on a city street?

And there are plenty of ways she could have gotten there without walking (or flying - I assume you were being sarcastic?) or being dragged. Under duress, she would have gotten into another car without leaving any "drag marks."

I might have expected tire tracks or drag marks on the dirt/likely muddy patch next to the "Welcome to MLT" sign by the culvert.

 

[margarita25]

I've only skimmed the past couple of days, so please forgive me if I mention something that has already been covered. Do we know if the razor actually belonged to Cheryl? Could it have been planted? Could a perp have cut her fingers? Could the animal blood be a red herring? I have always felt that this was a homicide committed by someone that Cheryl was at least somewhat acquainted with. Maybe this is being staged as a suicide. JMO MOO

:clap:

Imo, the razor blade is not a smoking gun for suicide, it could have been planted, jmo.