The Shorts & the Porch Light

[Auramyst]

Originally Posted by fullmoon

BTW, I think the perp may have wanted the light bulb loosened not because he was a stranger who didn't want neighbors identifying him, but because it was someone the neighbors may have seen before and could identify more easily.

I agree completely with your theory. I've also thought this was the case with the 'porch lady van sighting'.

At first I thought the perp would want Suzy to drive so he could control the other's in the back of the van- and that may be the case- but along with that I'm beginning to suspect that perp didn't want to be seen because he would be recognized.

[notintheknow]

Originally Posted by Auramyst

I agree completely with your theory. I've also thought this was the case with the 'porch lady van sighting'.

At first I thought the perp would want Suzy to drive so he could control the other's in the back of the van- and that may be the case- but along with that I'm beginning to suspect that perp didn't want to be seen because he would be recognized.

I wonder, though. From all of the descriptions I have read it seems like the Delmar house was set back aways fromt he street and not easily visible from its neighbors. That would lead me to believe that the perp(s) would not need to be as concerned about beingrecognized by the occasional latenight passerby. However, hopefully someone with a bit more knowledge than I can chime in.

I think you raise a good point about the porch lady sighting.

[Auramyst]

Originally Posted by notintheknow

I wonder, though. From all of the descriptions I have read it seems like the Delmar house was set back aways fromt he street and not easily visible from its neighbors. That would lead me to believe that the perp(s) would not need to be as concerned about beingrecognized by the occasional latenight passerby. However, hopefully someone with a bit more knowledge than I can chime in.

I think you raise a good point about the porch lady sighting.

I agree. The house was set back from the road a bit. I would think that anyone attempting an abduction would not want to be seen- whether he thought he would be recognized or not.

I think another reason for the perp to go into 'stealth mode' would be that the front yard was lit by both the porch light and the yard light.

Again, the house was not right up on the road, but anyone driving by at night would be able to see someone hanging around the front yard and carport. The person 'driving by' might not recognize the perp, but would be able to give a reasonable description of the perp if the perp was all lit up by the outside lights. So, I believe there would be several reasons why the perp would not want to be seen.

I've often wondered if the perp gained entry through the carport door rather than the front door (and if he used a door at all).

[Auramyst]

St. Louis Post-Dispatch
June 14, 1992

"More than 30 police officers - including agents from the Springfield FBI office - have been working on the case. They are questioning hundreds of friends, relatives and business associates and following up the slimmest of leads.

A smashed porch light at the house was found to have been broken previously. An auto theft in the neighborhood was determined to be unrelated. A multiple kidnapping in Oklahoma City was ruled out as a link when it was discovered that a child custody battle was involved in that case."

I've always wondered how important the broken porch light has been to this mystery. Is it a clue or a red herring? If the light was 'found to have been broken previously' what does that mean? Somebody saw it get broken? Somebody saw it broken the night or day before? Was the glass on the porch for a day or two and ignored/not cleaned up?

I would find it odd that Sherrill and Suzy would not clean up glass. But on the other hand- how often did they use the front door? Was the side door the more common entrance to the house? I can't really see them ignoring the glass for a few days. Maybe they never used the front door, and maybe with the graduation activities they just put it off/forgot about it.

I also wonder if the globe was sitting on the front porch instead of up around the light bulb where it belonged. What if the light bulb had been changed recently, and instead of putting the globe back on, it was set on the front porch to be put back on later. If the globe is sitting on the front porch, it could have been accidentally broken by being bumped or stepped on. Maybe the pieces remained there and Suzy or Sherrill were going to clean it up later.

Either way, this early news article states that the porch light was found to have been broken 'previously'. If that's the case then the broken light may have nothing at all to do with the abduction.

[emmiesmom]

Hi everyone! I've been a user for quite sometime,just went MIA for awhile. From reading previous posts & articles it seems to me that either the dog heard or sensed someone there then barked startling the Perp. For some reason I get the sense that the bulb is still part if the investigation regardless of when it broke. I also think its someone they either knew socially, maybe was at the graduation partyor someone that was known to the neighborhood that would not set off any alarms during the time he was tampering with lightbulb but would be remembered after their
dissappearance such as a neighbor or a someone performing a service. Im sure he carefully staked the place out prior, I dont think this was a crime of opportunity. Its also been brought up that the dog wss found unharmed inside & seemed anxious that says to me that something happened in the
house that was violent in nature and/or the perp was yelling at some point. Darn it I had a point & its gone out of my head sorry! Anyway, I bekieve it was one perp & the girls were the targets. One perp is able to control all 3 if one of the girls is used as bait to get the others to comply. That has happened before as in the case of Yosimity park murders. The perp was able to control all three by using the daughter of one of the vics as bait.

[Auramyst]

Originally Posted by emmiesmom

Hi everyone! I've been a user for quite sometime,just went MIA for awhile. From reading previous posts & articles it seems to me that either the dog heard or sensed someone there then barked startling the Perp. For some reason I get the sense that the bulb is still part if the investigation regardless of when it broke. I also think its someone they either knew socially, maybe was at the graduation partyor someone that was known to the neighborhood that would not set off any alarms during the time he was tampering with lightbulb but would be remembered after their
dissappearance such as a neighbor or a someone performing a service. Im sure he carefully staked the place out prior, I dont think this was a crime of opportunity. Its also been brought up that the dog wss found unharmed inside & seemed anxious that says to me that something happened in the
house that was violent in nature and/or the perp was yelling at some point. Darn it I had a point & its gone out of my head sorry! Anyway, I bekieve it was one perp & the girls were the targets. One perp is able to control all 3 if one of the girls is used as bait to get the others to comply. That has happened before as in the case of Yosimity park murders. The perp was able to control all three by using the daughter of one of the vics as bait.

I agree with you. I don't believe this was a crime of opportunity. There were too many things the perp had to have known prior to the evening of the abduction. One of which would have been who lives in the house and how many people live in the house. One car doesn't mean only one person lives there. They could be a one car family of five. Three cars being there that night could have meant six men were in the house. The perp(s) definitely knew ahead of time who lived there. He had probably been watching the house for a few weeks prior to the abduction.

[former central time]

Looking over the pictures thread, I just noticed something minor and personally curious. The front door to the Levitt house has the screen door opening from right to left and the inside door inversely, left to right. Many homes/apartment structures have a consistent pattern of both doors opening and closing from the same point but in mirror opposites. I happen to be living in an apartment now (old triplex) that has this less common setup, my back door is exactly like the Levitt front door. In my case, the screen doors have to open in these directions because there is no room any other way, and in the Levitt example, opening the way it does, does afford far more space. But, as a small personal agitation, I find the inverse setup annoying and I always feel the screen door is in my way when I negotiating with packages and stuff. I enjoy more the certainty of pushing all doors to the right, or all to the left for best clearance.

Some may see this as a possible explanation of breaking the globe light case...possible. There may have been a stopper latch on the screen door, many have them, I’ve not been blessed with one such at my place. And, if the perps found it as annoying as I do, they clearly worked it out. But, just a personal curiosity.