IN IN - Carmen Van Huss, 19, Indianapolis, 22 March 1993

James Van Huss Sr. died in a car crash in 2002 at the age of 49. At his daughter's funeral, Van Huss received a call from the hospital: His mother, the grandmother Carmen visited the last night she was alive, had died.


James Van Huss Jr. was 15 when his sister was killed. Growing up, he saw her mostly on weekends, but in the few years before she died, the two had gotten to know each other and were developing a brother-sister relationship, he said.


"At the time this happened, me and her were starting to get really close," he said. His sister's murder took a huge toll on their father, he said. "After that, you could tell there was something empty in him," he said.


http://www.indystar.com/story/news/crime/2014/04/19/indiana-unsolved-carmen-van-huss/7903283/
:cry:
 
Oh, no. I came across her name while researching other cold cases from the midwest.

This might be an obvious question, but I ASSume the guy she was seen walking with in the hall has not come forward to be cleared?

And who hears a woman screaming, "Get off of me! Get off of me!", and then leaves an ugly note on the door? Unbelievable.

ETA: To clarify, a neighbor complained to the management office, who in turn left the note on the door.
Between 1 a.m. and 1:30 a.m., March 23, neighbors heard a loud commotion from the apartment. One heard Van Huss yell, "Get off me! Get off me!" About 1:30 a.m., there were hurried footsteps leaving the apartment.No one called police, but someone complained to the apartment complex management, which left a hand-written note on Van Huss' door the next morning, chiding her for the noise and telling her to be more considerate of her neighbors.


http://www.indystar.com/story/news/crime/2014/04/19/indiana-unsolved-carmen-van-huss/7903283/
 
Origin of the weapon? was it brought to the scene? was it taken?
 
The person that was heard with Carmen earlier as she was entering her apartment never came forward. So there is a chance he is the suspect as well. The weapon was never found or recovered.
 
I wonder if the retesting of evidence collected at the crime scene will solve this case? Hopefully the killers DNA is in the system.
 
Where did she go after the time spent with her family? Was there a bar she hung out at? A friend house? Hmmm....
 
Where did she go after the time spent with her family? Was there a bar she hung out at? A friend house? Hmmm....

There's about an hour window from the time she left her dad, and the time neighbors reported hearing her in the hall talking to a guy. She would not have had much time to go to a bar and meet someone on the spur of the moment, and then invite him over to her apartment. It could happen, but I have a feeling the meeting was prearranged, and the excuse about going home to wash her uniform was made up for her father's benefit. JMO.

But that guy didn't just fall out of the sky. She met him at her job, or at a bar, or maybe he was a mechanic who worked on her car. Regardless, someone, somewhere, at some point in time, saw them together, talking, smiling, flirting. Why has no one ever come forward?
 
There's about an hour window from the time she left her dad, and the time neighbors reported hearing her in the hall talking to a guy. She would not have had much time to go to a bar and meet someone on the spur of the moment, and then invite him over to her apartment. It could happen, but I have a feeling the meeting was prearranged, and the excuse about going home to wash her uniform was made up for her father's benefit. JMO.

But that guy didn't just fall out of the sky. She met him at her job, or at a bar, or maybe he was a mechanic who worked on her car. Regardless, someone, somewhere, at some point in time, saw them together, talking, smiling, flirting. Why has no one ever come forward?

Makes sense. Either the meeting was prearranged or she stopped by her favorite hangout on the way home and met up with him there. Stands to reason it was someone that she knew. Normally a girl doesn't take a strange guy home with her unless she has been out parting and drinking. One hour is not enough time for that IMO. So it's someone she knows. Her friends have no idea who she may have been seeing besides her boyfriend? What if it he was a married man? Or her boss at work? Someone that was kept secret for a reason...
 
The knife wasn't found at the scene. Surely it was checked to see if the wounds matched other knives in the apartment? Although young people might not have a matching set of knives. Mismatched knives may render a match impossible. If the knife was not from the apartment then the murder was premeditated. Did her male friend plan to kill her and bring a knife with him? What could be a possible motivation for that?
 
I'd think you're right, and the wounds were compared to knives in the apartment, assuming the weapon was a knife.

I thought of another possible scenario. Suppose she told the truth about washing her uniform. Did she have to use a laundry room in the complex? Could she have met up with the suspect in there? Did she recognize him because he was a neighbor? So after standing around the hot w/d's for awhile, they go to her apt to wait. Which raises another question, was her uniform found in her apartment? Clean, or dirty?

ETA: One more thought. There's a picture of Carmen with blonde hair. I can't get to it at the moment (on my phone), but it looks as though she's sitting near a swimming pool. I wonder if that was taken at the same complex, or if not, did her complex have a swimming pool. And if so, was it customary for tenants to socialize in the evenings around the pool. I have a hunch this guy either was a tenant, or a friend of a tenant -- part of a secondary circle of friends, as indicated in the article.
 
I forgot how to embed a video here but here's a link to an article about a 48 hour feature.

http://wishtv.com/2014/04/19/48-hours-to-feature-solved-indianapolis-cold-case/

"It’s the story of how IMPD Sergeant William Carter managed to solve a case that had been cold for more than two decades."

"Carter is a nuisance abatement officer, primarily dealing with underage drinking. On Saturday, he told 24-Hour News 8 why he took up the case on his own time, slowly combing through evidence to see what might have been previously overlooked."

"That motivation paid off, because in just six months he was able to make an arrest."

"Carter is also working on another Indianapolis cold case. Carmen Van Huss was killed in her apartment on Harcourt Road in 1993. She was raped and then stabbed more than 50 times. No one has been held responsible for the crime. Carter heard about the case after a tip from an acquaintance and began looking into the murder. He wants his efforts to give her family hope."

Nice to meet you Will Carter. If you are that Will Carter, GREAT WORK! :seeya:

And here's a link to Justice for Carmen's FB page.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Justice-for-Carmen-Vanhuss/208612462636298

What a beautiful young woman! RIP

Carmen.jpg

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call Central Indiana Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 under Crime Stoppers Case #130705.
 
Ah good question about the uniform. How on earth could we find out the answer to that question?
 
There's about an hour window from the time she left her dad, and the time neighbors reported hearing her in the hall talking to a guy. She would not have had much time to go to a bar and meet someone on the spur of the moment, and then invite him over to her apartment. It could happen, but I have a feeling the meeting was prearranged, and the excuse about going home to wash her uniform was made up for her father's benefit. JMO.

But that guy didn't just fall out of the sky. She met him at her job, or at a bar, or maybe he was a mechanic who worked on her car. Regardless, someone, somewhere, at some point in time, saw them together. Why has no one ever come forward?

You da Bess..=;)

Few more things if anyone could answer

1) was she bound ?
2) were her clothes, torn or cut off her ?
3) position her body was found in

If anyone knows, Id appreciate it
 
I'd think you're right, and the wounds were compared to knives in the apartment, assuming the weapon was a knife.

I thought of another possible scenario. Suppose she told the truth about washing her uniform. Did she have to use a laundry room in the complex? Could she have met up with the suspect in there? Did she recognize him because he was a neighbor? So after standing around the hot w/d's for awhile, they go to her apt to wait. Which raises another question, was her uniform found in her apartment? Clean, or dirty?

IMO the prearranged meet up is more plausible than the laundry room scenario. The news article stated fast food wrappers and beer bottles/cans were found. Either he, she or they picked up the food. Where was the food from? Were any fast food employees questioned?
 
I work a block away from this murder site. A co-worker has the same last name!

Yikes- what a horrendous case.
 

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