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Posted by West Virginia News at
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Wednesday, November 12, 2008
WV Church Refuses To Assist In Missing Woman's Investigation
Why Did Church Pastor Refuse To Cooperate In Missing Raleigh County Womans Investigation??
by Sam Webber & Jack Swint..... westvirginianews@gmail.com
When I enter Heaven Ill know exactly what happened to her believed Thomas Gwinn, father of missing Bolt WV native Angela Gwinn Stephens. Mr. Gwinn passed away March 5th, 2008. Most people said he died from grieving over not knowing what happened to his daughter.
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As you turn onto Breckenridge road in Bolt WV and begin driving along the blacktop road, you quickly see 8 X 11 sheets of paper containing a picture of a young woman and the words Missing at the top and Murdered along the bottom. Tacked to every phone pole and tree for miles, these posters are a constant reminder of another missing and or murdered young woman in this small community.
Angela "Cherice" Gwinn Stephens was born on June 27, 1970. She has been missing from her home since October 1, 1993. The official report says that 23 year old Cherice was last seen dropping her husband, Norman Stephens at work and then drove away in their car. Mr. Stephens says his wife just left that day and has never returned. He refused to take a polygraph exam to rule him out as a person of interest. Stephenss family members say she just up and left leaving everything behind. No one has seen, heard from or knows the whereabouts of this young woman who supposedly decided one day to leave everyone she loved and drop off the radar forever.
One month after Cherice allegedly disappeared, her husband filed for divorce.
According to a private investigator hired by Cherices father, she may not have dropped her husband at work that day. Local area residents and surrounding communities also tell a different story.
The investigator, hired by Tom Gwinn, reportedly discovered evidence that casts doubt that her husband even worked on the day of the disappearance and that the car in question had actually been sold to a man in Charleston. Close family members said that Cherice was very much a daddys girl and would never, ever, just up and leave. They were just too close for her to leave town without talking to him first, especially for 15 years.
The most disturbing part of this case
Church officials at the
Breckenridge Missionary Baptist Church refused to allow authorities onto the property and dig up a section of a newly blacktopped part of the property and or pump out the churches new septic tank that was supposedly open during this time. Tom Gwinn Jr, Cherices brother, offered to pay to excavate and replace the property himself but he was denied access. "The church said if we wanted to dig, get a warrant." Without probable cause, they cant move forward.
According to several area residents and Gwinn family members say preacher Dewey Lowe would not allow anyone to dig up the property. There was a closed door meeting between the preacher and head trustee Tom Harmon
(who is related to the husband, & former Trap Hill Middle School Principle) about letting the property be searched. When they emerged, preacher Lowe said no. Questions quickly spread throughout the area as to why the church refused to allow the small portion of property to be dug up. Lifetime resident Eddy Lester, who lived next door to the church at the time, allowed authorities to pump out his septic tank. When asked what he thought about the churches refusal he said, Sure looks suspicious to me.
Freddy Trump agreed with his friend Eddy. Trump also reflected back to at least two other deaths close by the church. In or about 1957, a young teenager named Leon Stephens was found dead in a small pond of water behind the church property. His school books were found at the pond beside his neatly folded clothes. Authorities speculated the young boy decided to go swimming after school and somehow must have experienced severe cramps and drowned. The water was approx. 5 feet deep. Ironically, Leon was the grandson of deacon Jake Stephens.
Also, just as mysterious as Cherice disappearing, another woman, Joann Honaker disappeared from the area sometime in 1971. Search parties were formed and the entire area was extensively searched on a Friday and Saturday for the woman, but to no avail.
According to Mr. Trump, her husband, Dennis Dvorak told people that she had run off towards Cleveland Ohio. Dvorak allegedly went to Ohio a few days later after his wife but came home on a Friday and told friends he didnt find her. The next morning her body was found propped up beside a tree near the cemetery and the Breckenridge church. Search parties had just combed that exact area the day before, they say her body was not there then. That case has also gone unsolved.
Years of speculation, hundreds of posters and the Gwinns determination have kept the story of Cherice alive. The posters are being kept up to date by her brother. But, witnesses say Stephenss family members are tearing them down. One story being told is how Cherice was actually last seen with church leader Tom Harmon. Neighbors near Harmon Lane allege that they saw him and Cherice together the day of her disappearance and that he was escorting her with his hand on her arm.
In 1993, Sheriff Lavender conducted an investigation with the facts that they had. Reports even surfaced that Norman Stephens grandmother knew what actually happened but refused to answer deputies questions with anything helpful. Lavenders men tried to gather enough evidence to get the church property searched, but there just was not enough. With the husband refusing to take a polygraph and no actual evidence of foul play, they hit a dead end.
Everyone this author spoke to feels the same about one thing. Why would a true, god fearing preacher hesitate at all on allowing the property from being examined? Especially when it had to do with the possibility of foul play. It makes absolutely no sense at all unless they are hiding something. Its been 15 years now, maybe someone should re-visit the church and examine the property once and for all to finally put it to rest if something, or someone is buried there.
The only real facts anyone knows for sure is Angela Cherice Gwinn disappeared off the face of the earth on or about October 1, 1993. She left behind her entire world as she knew it and a father who began grieving himself to death from the minute she was gone. No one has seen, heard or understood would could be so terrible that could force a 23 year old small town girl to just walk away from her life. No one we spoke to holds out any hope that she is still alive. One person said that she has heard stories of people who just vanish forever, but those individuals were wanted by the police. They had to run and hide.
If anyone knows anything whatsoever about Cherice, or anyone who may be associated with her disappearance, you are asked to call WV State Police Trooper David Williams at 304-256-6700
Investigators ask not to discount any information you may have as being of no importance. Your help in this case could lead them to her whereabouts.
Date Of Birth: June 27, 1970
Age at Time of Disappearance: 23 years old
Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5'1; 105 lbs.
Distinguishing Characteristics: White female. Blonde hair; blue eyes.
Marks, Scars: Scar on nose, double pierced ears.
Jewelry: She was wearing a one-karat diamond and gold band at the time of her disappearance.
AKA: Cherice
As of the writing of this story, Norman Stephens hired an attorney and has also disappeared from Bolt WV. He is believed to be living in the Smith Mountain Lake area of Virginia. He left WV after intense questioning by authorities and Tom Gwinn Jr.
Tom Gwinn Jr. also says the State Police have turned up their investigation and have also been using trained cadaver search dogs in the Bolt area. They have actually had some very promising success, that he can not divulge at this time.....
End of story....
