TX TX - Julie Moseley, 9, Mary Trlica, 17, Lisa Wilson, 14, Fort Worth, 23 Dec 1974 - #1

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I am not exactly sure but it seems like they found the car before dark but couldn't get the Police to come until the mall closed. The police really let us down. When they did come they wrote them up as a pink slip. Which back then I think meant runaways. How stupid can someone be to think 2 teenagers would run away two days before Christmas WITH a 9 yr old !!!!
 
Hello, I am new here, but very familar with this case. I grew up in Fort Worth in the same neighborhood as Tommy Trlica. Seminary South was our hangout for Saturday afternoons in the 60's.

I was doing a search on a Texas Divorce and Marriage record site a year or so ago. I knew one of Tommy's Wives during the early 70's, I was looking to see how long that marriage lasted when I noticed that the divorce or marriage with his wife after Rachel was in Throckmorton or she showed her residence as being in Throckmorton. If the postage stamp was done in Throckmorton thats weird cause you could live in Texas for 5o years like me and not hear the town of Throckmorton mentioned twice in the same decade, very small town in the middlle of no where. I cant find that site anymore to go back and look again.

Did someone ever come up with what day the letter showed up?

I found the site where you can download free Texas Marriage records:

http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/vs/marriagedivorce/mindex.shtm

Do you remember what year Tommy married the wife after Rachel? Or Diege, can you help with this information? Do you remember how long it was after Rachel's disappearance that Tommy go remarried? The county is Throckmorton, btw. I guess after you download the list, the records are then organized by county.
 
I've been giving the note some more thought. For reference, here is the text:

"I know I'm going to catch it, but we just had to get away. We're going to Houston. See you in about a week. The car is in Sear's upper lot. Love Rachel."

First of all, I agree, a career criminal would not write a note like this. It seems to me it was written without preplanning - the pen ran out of ink, they had to switch to pencil. The sheet of paper was wider than the envelope. These things make me think this was written by someone who had never worked in an office or gone to college. The switching from pen to pencil leads me to theorize it may have been written by a teen scrambling around in their car or bookbag for something to write with. I theorize teen here, because back then, we all had to carry a pen and a pencil to school - that was required in high schools in Ft. Worth at the time. The possibility remains that this is an uneducated adult.

In the case of this sort of abduction and a career criminal, there would either be no note or the note would be designed to taunt and torment the families in some way and/or ask for ransom.

There is the obvious part of the note, which is to throw the police and families off the trail and delay the search for the girls. But since the note was sent from Throckmorton or Weatherford, which is in the exact wrong direction if you are traveling from the Mall to Houston, it reveals that the person writing the note either wasn't smart enough not to think of that or was trying to signal she was in trouble (if Rachel or one of the other girls wrote it.)

In addition, there is some subtext to the note.

1. Whoever wrote the note may have felt guilty about leaving the car behind, but I believe it is actually intended to get the car back to whoever owns it or has rights to it as soon as possible. No career criminal would care about that, but a teen might and so would someone who owned the car. So we have a note that shows the person wanted to slow down the investigation into the disappearance and simultaneously wanted to get the car back to the owner, and I suppose that was either Rachel or Tommy, in Rachel's absence.

It seems to me that the writer was naive about the way the police would investigate this case. It seems like the writer or person who dictated the note (we don't know which it was) thought the note would slow the investigation, but the car seems to be the prioirity.

2. Possible emotional investment in the Christmas present for Shawn and getting it to him in time for Christmas. For most teens, Christmas presents are a big deal. I feel like whoever wrote this note may have wanted to be sure that Shawn got that present by Christmas. The present may have been discussed with the writer or it may have been Rachel writing the note.

Diege: Some questions, if I may?

1. If someone had to be with your dad at all times, why did Rachel ask your mom to go shopping that day? Was there someone else who would normally be there to help so you mom might have been able to go?

2. What kind of paper was the note written on? What color paper? What color ink?

3. Before you saw this note, had you ever heard anyone in your family use the expression "I know I'm going to catch it" ? If so, who? If not, had you ever heard anyone else use that expression or a variation of that expression such as "You're going to catch it!" For example Renee or Tommy or Renee's mom or dad or any of Rachel and Renee's high school friends?

4. Did Rachel have any classmates or friends with the first or last name, Houston? If you aren't sure, can you get her yearbook and look for someone with that name or ask you mom? Note: If you happen to find someone, you are not allowed to post the full name here, just initials. So, just tell us if you know of someone by that name or found someone with that name.

5. Was there anything about the word Houston that you associate with your sister? For example, did she and Tommy go there on their honeymoon? Did she ever travel to Houston with anyone? I am wondering if there is some reason that Houston was the city used.

6. Did Rachel normally sign her cards, letters or notes "Love Rachel" with no comma? Girls are usually fastidious about the punctuation at the end of a note. I'm wondering if this was normal for Rachel. I'm sure you or you mom must have cards, letters or notes from her that you could look at for reference.

7. Who was the owner of Rachel's car? If it was Rachel, who bought it for her?

8. What happened when the letter arrived? After Tommy received it did he:

a. open it and then give it untouched by anyone else to police
b. not open and give it to police
c. open it and pass it around to you and your parents?
d. other, please describe

9. Did police find anyone's fingerprints on the letter?

10. Have police been able to get DNA off the envelope or stamp? If so, do you know whose it is?

11. From the article, it appears that Tommy received the letter when he was by himself. Is this true?

12. What time of day did he find the letter and what time of day was your normal postal delivery. The articles claim early morning but others have noted they remember mail delivery in that neighborhood being much later than that.


Thank you, in advance for your consideration of these questions.
 
Princess Rose, as Debra said that was great thinking on the phone book. I would imagine it is the same for all area directories, but I've only seen full first names such as Thomas used in phone books, never nicknames like Tommy. Can anyone verify this was the case in 1974?

The question remains why someone felt the need to write the letter in the first place. To me it sounds like it was meant to give the abductor more time to leave the area, by assuring the families the girls had gone to Houston voluntarily and would return in a week so maybe they wouldn't be in a complete panic and search as hard as if the three had vanished without leaving a letter behind. But though the families searched hard anyway, the girls still remain missing so it doesn't sound like the letter really served any purpose.

I don't see the abductor writing this as he was still holding the girls, because it only mentions Rachel's name and as you pointed out that could have been found on her license. I think that if the abductor had the girls with him at the time the letter was written, he would have demanded their names and included those on the letter. It might have been written after he harmed them or sent them away with someone else.

The fact that the letter says "we had to get away" vs. "I had to get away" also suggests at least two of the girls, one of whom had to be Rachel, were still together at the time and the abductor knew that.

Debra, I assume none of the families saw the letter and recognized it as being written on stationery that their daughter kept in her desk at home?

Thank you for your kind words. I remember the Ft. Worth phone book well and that the names were almost always the husband's name and it was always the formal name which could make it somewhat difficult to figure out who was who if you only knew your friend's dad's first name as "Bubba" Jones or only his middle name, which is another Texas tradition, but not his real first name or what street they lived on. I remember calling multiple numbers and asking for my friends until I found the right one. LOL! Before telephone deregulation, the phone company used the name you had on your telephone bill in the directory unless you told them otherwise or had an unlisted number. If you were a single woman, you would use your initials in order to disguise that.

I think your comments on the letter are very valid ones. You can see my further comments on the letter above.
 
I am not exactly sure but it seems like they found the car before dark but couldn't get the Police to come until the mall closed. The police really let us down. When they did come they wrote them up as a pink slip. Which back then I think meant runaways. How stupid can someone be to think 2 teenagers would run away two days before Christmas WITH a 9 yr old !!!!

IMO the fact that Rachel asked both you AND your mom to go indicates that she did not plan to run away with Renee.

This is how I thought it through:

If Rachel asked you mom to go as cover for running away knowing full well your mom couldn't go then it would be risked by asking you to go - you would be a wild card in the mix since teen girls generally love shopping and Rachel couldn't be 100% certain you would say no even though you were still in bed. I don't think Rachel would have taken that risk if she planned to run.
 
Diege, I would also like to ask you these questions to clear up past questions about Tommy, if I may:

1. Where was Tommy on the day in question?

2. Based on what he told you, why was he divorced from his first wife when his son was younger than 2?

3. What sort of job did he have at the time? Did he spend a lot of time driving all over the place or was it field work such as surveying or was it an office job?

4. Was there any sort of domestic abuse between your sister and Tommy that you witnessed or your sister told you about?
 
Great questions, Princess Rose!

As for Willhoit, IIRC I read his family had a farm outside of Ft. Worth. Anyone have a clue where that farm was located? Although I'm not sure how likely a suspect he is, he's still on the list of possible suspects, and he would fit right in as an inexperienced killer who may have directed Rachel to write the note.

There was another budding serial killer in Ft. Worth at the time, a guy with dark skin coloring. His family moved up north, and I believe he was responsible for murders there wherever it was. I forget. Then he came back to Ft. Worth & committed more murders. If he's not on death row, then he's likely been executed.

Deige, what happened to the car Rachel was driving? Was it one your parents had lent her & they got back or did the car go to Tommy?

I'm thinking if the car belonged to your parents then perhaps Rachel did write the note trying to disguise her handwriting as the only means she had of saying she was in trouble & needed help, and maybe she realized she was going to die & wanted your mom and dad to know where the car was.
Sad thought.
 
justthinkkin: Are you talking about the ranch at Thorp Springs, which is where Detective John Terrell thought Wilhoit held Carla Walker captive for several days? Thorp Springs is slightly Southwest of Ft. Worth - it's close to Grandbury, TX and 95 miles from Throckmorton, TX. Compared to Seminary South, it's 1 hour 23 minutes to Thorp Springs, all highway, once you are out of the mall parking lot.

But Detective Terrell had this to say about the Trio case on his website:

"I continued to contact people who had associated with Wilhoit. One or two stories came out in the newspaper. One day, I was contacted by the brother of one of the missing girls from the Sears parking lot. He came to visit me and told me that he had quit his job to spend all his time in trying to find his sister and the other girls. The mothers of two of the girls had come to see me after I retired. I just could not offer them any hope. I had compared the hand writing on the letter the oldest girl's husband had received with Wilhoit's handwriting. I also compared it with Wilhoit's wife, and Richard Ellis and Mary Sue Ellis. None seem to match. "

Carla was kidnapped from the bowling alley parking lot on the Benbrook Traffic Circle in Benbrook, TX - a close-in suburb city of Ft.Worth. Back in the 1970's, this area may have had a Ft. Worth address as many parts of Benbrook did. In the last few years this was changed and these addresses are now Benbrook rather than Ft. Worth. Thorp Springs is 27.7 miles from this location. It is very clear that Wilhoit was all over Ft. Worth. Terrell lists possible attacks by him near TCU, TCJC, and Benbrook Traffic Circle. Terrell's site is well worth reading.

http://www.justiceforcarla.com/thecase.shtml
 
Yes, PrincessRose, that's it, Thorp Springs.

Was the murder of Becky Martin ever solved? Her murder predated Carla's, and she too was found in a culvert. I was never able to find any info about Becky Martin other than what Terrell has on his Carla Walker website.
 
Princess Rose and I have been discussing this case in private. I told her I would post this image that looks quite a bit like Rachael. See Attachment. What do you think?
 

Attachments

  • JaneDoe_RachaelTrlica.jpg
    JaneDoe_RachaelTrlica.jpg
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I have just been reading along, not posting but that really looks a lot like Rachael!
 
Jane Doe Profile, Doe Network 20UFNJ
Estimated age: 15-30 years old
Approximate Height and Weight: 5'0 - 5'4"; 100 - 120 lbs.
Distinguishing Characteristics: Hair and eye color are both undetermined.
Dentals: Available. Decedent had significant tooth decay. Gap in the upper central incisors.
Clothing: She was wearing a long-sleeved gray and red nylon laced top; a white bra; brown leather platform sandals, size 6 1/2 with a 2 1/2 inch-high heel; and knee-high white acrylic socks. Items found near her body included a portion of one pink rubber thong-style sandal; and a leather-like shoe or small boot with a picture of a football scene on the side, stitched in red and white.
DNA: Available in Codis

Rachel's stat's at time of disappearance:
Age: 17
Height and Weight: 5'6", 108 pounds
Characteristics: Cacausian female, blonde to brown hair, green/blue eyes, her upper front tooth is chipped, she has a small scar on her chin.
 
When was this body found?

She was found Dec. 10, 1988 in Atlantic Highlands, Monmouth County, NJ. She was completely skeletonized and estimated to have been buried in that location for over 10 years. "This victim was discovered off lower Bayside Drive in Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey as a parcel of land was cleared along Sandy Hook Bay."

I can't claim credit for this potential match - another Websleuth's member, Laura Bean, picked up on it on page 6 or so of this thread. I'm only bringing it forward because I don't think the police ever got this information to at least do a DNA comparison. What Rachel would be doing in New Jersey, I don't know, but we all know that often the missing are found many states away from where they disappeared, so anything is possible.

Link to Doe Network: http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/20ufnj.html
 
Is there a photocopy of the letter and the envelope somewhere. I wonder if the police have evidence they are withholding for some reason
 
AquarianE, I think the two look enough alike to submit this. The bone structure is there. The 3D sculpture appears to have a stronger straight line nose, but neither of the drawings reflect that. Go for it!
 
I think it's worth a submission. It would be an easy rule out if the UID does not have a chipped tooth.

Interesting about the handwriting on the letter, and thanks for answering the question about the stationery it was written on, Debra. If the gas station employee was being truthful about his boss's activity around the time of the disappearances, I think the owner wrote it himself and I hope his writing (perhaps some bills of sale or other documents related to the business still exist) will be compared against the note. I still think it's more than a coincidence that he told his employee he was taking the girls to catch a bus to Houston and the note claimed they had gone there.
 
Hi Princess Rose, I studied the NJ Jane Doe and have concluded that and feel very strongly it is not my sister. The chip in Rachels front teeth was like a v shape. I know because we were jumping on our beds, she was drinking a bottle of Coke and I accidently fell into her causing the bottle to hit her in the mouth. We were about 7 and 9 yrs old. Second Rachel wore a size 7 1/2 to size 8 shoe. Depending on who the shoes were made by. We shared shoes growing up The scar on her chin was cause by falling from a slide on a swing set when we where around 3 and 5. Sorry I haven't answered your questions, but sometimes I have to shut my computer down. All the questions get overwelming. Maybe if you didn't ask so many at one time. thank you for getting in touch with Texas Sandman. He did contact me.
 
Hi Princess Rose, I studied the NJ Jane Doe and have concluded that and feel very strongly it is not my sister. The chip in Rachels front teeth was like a v shape. I know because we were jumping on our beds, she was drinking a bottle of Coke and I accidently fell into her causing the bottle to hit her in the mouth. We were about 7 and 9 yrs old. Second Rachel wore a size 7 1/2 to size 8 shoe. Depending on who the shoes were made by. We shared shoes growing up The scar on her chin was cause by falling from a slide on a swing set when we where around 3 and 5. Sorry I haven't answered your questions, but sometimes I have to shut my computer down. All the questions get overwelming. Maybe if you didn't ask so many at one time. thank you for getting in touch with Texas Sandman. He did contact me.

Debra, thank you for looking at the NJ Jane Doe. I'm sorry if all the questions feel overwhelming. I hope you know that it is my sincere hope to somehow help you, in fact everyone here wants that. I honestly am not surprised about the mess the FWPD made of your sister's case - look at the work they did on the Caren Koslow case - if the murder weapon hadn't been handed to them, they would have arrested and tried one of the victims for murder. What I would suggest is starting with the first question and answer it one day and a few days later, answer the next question. That should make it a bit easier.

So, here's one question: What time of day did Tommy get the letter that is supposedly from Rachel from the mailbox? Can you give us an hour such as around 10:30 am?
 
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