Found Deceased MI - Venus Stewart, 32, Colon, 28 April 2010 - # 5 *D. Stewart guilty*

Frank Blacks post previous thread.

That's just it. There is no evidence Doug bought the items at WalMart, is there? I haven't seen one news report claiming that he bought the items from WalMart and was the originator of the receipt found in the truck. It is also questionable to me why Doug would use the WalMart in Ohio, when he could have purchaased the items at a location much closer to his home, which would fit the profile. The WalMart in Ohio is one of the closest WalMarts to Colon County, so just because it is in another state is not indicative that an individual driving to Michigan from Virginia would use that particular WalMart. In fact, it smacks of someone from that area using the store since it is the closest WalMart. That means a local person to Colon County.

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Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community - View Single Post - MI MI - Venus Rose Stewart, 32, Colon, 28 April 2010 - ABDUCTED - #4


Have they released exactly which Wal-Mart the receipt was from? I have not seen it.

PickieChickie said:

Response from a Michigan State Police Officer - Why Venus's photo isn't featured on their Missing Persons Page​

from John H. Slenk <slenkj@michigan.gov>
to XXXXXXXXX@gmail.com
date Mon, May 17, 2010 at 10:26 AM
subject Ref Venus Rose Stewart
mailed-by michigan.gov

You asked a good and appropriate question about the State Police not featuring Venus Stewart on our Missing Person's page.

Criminal investigators constantly evaluate the progress of an investigation and the direction it is taking. There are times when we use certain investigative tools and not others dependant on the information available to us.

During this investigation we felt it would not benefit the investigation to post Venus on the Missing Person page, due to the amount of information investigators already have regarding the circumstances surrounding her disappearance.

I trust this will help answer your question. Thank you for your interest.

Sincerely D/F/Lt. John Slenk
Michigan State Police

Note: I replaced my e-mail prefix with XXXXXXXXX

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The only logical conclusion I can draw for this explanation is that law enforcement has enough evidence to determine Venus is dead!

PickieChickie said:

Response from a Michigan State Police Officer - Why Venus's photo isn't featured on their Missing Persons Page​

from John H. Slenk <slenkj@michigan.gov>
to XXXXXXXXX@gmail.com
date Mon, May 17, 2010 at 10:26 AM
subject Ref Venus Rose Stewart
mailed-by michigan.gov

You asked a good and appropriate question about the State Police not featuring Venus Stewart on our Missing Person's page.

Criminal investigators constantly evaluate the progress of an investigation and the direction it is taking. There are times when we use certain investigative tools and not others dependant on the information available to us.

During this investigation we felt it would not benefit the investigation to post Venus on the Missing Person page, due to the amount of information investigators already have regarding the circumstances surrounding her disappearance.

I trust this will help answer your question. Thank you for your interest.

Sincerely D/F/Lt. John Slenk
Michigan State Police

Note: I replaced my e-mail prefix with XXXXXXXXX

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bbm


Thank You for doing this PickieChickie.

This is not good. This will not end well. I do not think Venus is with us any longer. jmo

PickieChickie said:

The only logical conclusion I can draw for this explanation is that law enforcement has enough evidence to determine Venus is dead!

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That is a compelling email. WOW. Possible Bombshell!!! Though I would find it difficult to believe someone at LE would throw a reckless bone out there in an email, but it's possible.

Well, thank you for emailing them about that. I was really wondering why they hadn't put her on there...Great job.

Personally, I would keep her picture out there in as many formats as possible in the hopes that someone saw her that day after the abduction. Maybe someone will have remembered seeing something. The posters could say, "Missing-Presumed Deceased."
I really hope they make an arrest soon. It's been 3 weeks today. LE needs to charge these guys even if a body hasn't been found if there is ample evidence these women haven't disappeared on their own, ie Craig Stebic, Drew Petersen, Josh Powell, and now Doug Stewart. I think they will find juries are reasonable people who can read between the lines. It's a dangerous precedent to allow these guys to be free simply because they have the ability to hide a body well.

thinkaboutthis said:

That is a compelling email. WOW. Possible Bombshell!!! Though I would find it difficult to believe someone at LE would throw a reckless bone out there in an email, but it's possible.

Well, thank you for emailing them about that. I was really wondering why they hadn't put her on there...Great job.

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John H. Slank wrote: "During this investigation we felt it would not benefit the investigation to post Venus on the Missing Person page, due to the amount of information investigators already have regarding the circumstances surrounding her disappearance."

Clearly Venus is MISSING! We have the tarp cover, the scuffle evidence in the gravel by the cement walk, the slipper print on the side of the propane tank, the suspicious truck in the field across from Venus's residence, the Walmart receipt for a shovel, tarp, gloves and cap along with the fact she is MISSING!

To me, if all this, along with the fact she filed for and was granted a protective order and temporary custody of her children in which she reportedly declared she was afraid her husband Doug would kill her, it is clear she is MISSING and just didn't run off on a cruise with her secret lover!

To me he was saying, "We don't need to feature her on the page because of the evidence. We know she's missing but we don't need anyone looking for her because we have every reason to believe she is dead!"

UNLESS VENUS IS IN PROTECTIVE CUSTODY WITH THE SECRET WITNESS PROGRAM!​

PickieChickie said:

The only logical conclusion I can draw for this explanation is that law enforcement has enough evidence to determine Venus is dead!

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How could they know that, without a body or a confession or an eyewitness?

It could also be that there's something else going on which takes this case out of the missing person category.

Originally Posted by pufnstuf View Post
IF Douglas Stewart is tried for the murder of Venus, it will be up to the trial judge to determine what is admissible. Just because a prior court case is "resolved," it doesn't mean that the facts from that case can't be presented in another trial. It will be up to the judge whether or not prior abuse allegations will be considered. If so, then hearsay can be allowed under the equitable forfeiture condition. Look at the People v Bauder (MI) decision.


I was unable to directly click the quote button because the thread was closed.....but I was wondering what case this is? I tried but was unable to find it. I am curious because I am in Michigan and I know some Bauders... :crazy:

I too have been guilty of suspecting DS in this 'abduction', BUT - what if some of this really is coincidental evidence that we are all reading too much into?

For example:

"What if" VS was outside talking on the phone 'for privacy' and happened to stand next to the gas tank and prop her foot against it at some point previous to the disappearance - like the day or 2 before? Hence - the footprint?

And.....

"What if" the tarp rapper is just that - a tarp wrapper? And it blew into their yard overnight from another neighbor or like someone else mentioned - a garbage truck? I know her dad said it wasn't his and there was 'no wind' that morning, but what about the night before? It was, after all early morning that someone discovered it? I have seen HUNDREDS of places that have tarps on sale right now, they are quite common.

And.....

The scuffle in the gravel? That could be where one of the girls just ran thru the day before, or maybe rode a bike thru and skidded. That was not a HUGE scuffle mark in the gravel like a big struggle took place - so it really could mean nothing.

I wish they'd find VS as much as anyone, but do you think that 'possibly' we read too much into minuscule pieces of 'possible' evidence?

I agree that the Wal-Mart receipt makes me VERY VERY curious as to his involvement, but so far it is quite strange to me that LE hasn't 'pressed the issue' too much with DS as of now. I'm sure they are watching his every move, but maybe they are just waiting on more conclusive evidence to come back. This seemed to be a cut and dried case at first - but the more it goes on, the more it becomes complicated. JMO of course....:blushing:

Do the police want any help looking for Venus. I'm ready to help.

Marinemom said:

I too have been guilty of suspecting DS in this 'abduction', BUT - what if some of this really is coincidental evidence that we are all reading too much into?

For example:

"What if" VS was outside talking on the phone 'for privacy' and happened to stand next to the gas tank and prop her foot against it at some point previous to the disappearance - like the day or 2 before? Hence - the footprint?

And.....

"What if" the tarp rapper is just that - a tarp wrapper? And it blew into their yard overnight from another neighbor or like someone else mentioned - a garbage truck? I know her dad said it wasn't his and there was 'no wind' that morning, but what about the night before? It was, after all early morning that someone discovered it? I have seen HUNDREDS of places that have tarps on sale right now, they are quite common.

And.....

The scuffle in the gravel? That could be where one of the girls just ran thru the day before, or maybe rode a bike thru and skidded. That was not a HUGE scuffle mark in the gravel like a big struggle took place - so it really could mean nothing.

I wish they'd find VS as much as anyone, but do you think that 'possibly' we read too much into minuscule pieces of 'possible' evidence?

I agree that the Wal-Mart receipt makes me VERY VERY curious as to his involvement, but so far it is quite strange to me that LE hasn't 'pressed the issue' too much with DS as of now. I'm sure they are watching his every move, but maybe they are just waiting on more conclusive evidence to come back. This seemed to be a cut and dried case at first - but the more it goes on, the more it becomes complicated. JMO of course....:blushing:

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I wrote a similar post last night. The receipt in the truck just seemed so obvious. " I did it come and get me". Up until that finding I was sure he did it, or hired someone. Now I am sitting on the fence, not sure which way to go.

blackdog said:

Do the police want any help looking for Venus. I'm ready to help.

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No, apparently they don't. But that's nice of you to want to help.

SBM
"The State Police don&#8217;t want us out here, but they need us out here,&#8221; Olson told the crowd of searchers who had gathered at Colon Community Park to get instructions for the sweep. The event was unofficial, since no law enforcement agency had sanctioned a search.
http://www.threeriversnews.com/articles/2010/05/15/news/local_news/doc4bedd193db528663825450.txt

thesaint said:

How could they know that, without a body or a confession or an eyewitness?

It could also be that there's something else going on which takes this case out of the missing person category.

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If they believe the blood in his vehicle(s) is from her then that's very strong evidence she is not still with us.

Marinemom said:

Originally Posted by pufnstuf View Post
IF Douglas Stewart is tried for the murder of Venus, it will be up to the trial judge to determine what is admissible. Just because a prior court case is "resolved," it doesn't mean that the facts from that case can't be presented in another trial. It will be up to the judge whether or not prior abuse allegations will be considered. If so, then hearsay can be allowed under the equitable forfeiture condition. Look at the People v Bauder (MI) decision.


I was unable to directly click the quote button because the thread was closed.....but I was wondering what case this is? I tried but was unable to find it. I am curious because I am in Michigan and I know some Bauders... :crazy:

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Hi, marinemom...

Here's a transcription:

People v. Bauder
269 Mich App 174; 712 NW2d 506
(2005), lv den 476 Mich ___
(#130407, 8/29/06)
The defendant
forfeits his
Confrontation Right
by killing the victim,
no proof of intent to
make the witness
unavailable required
under &#8220;equitable
forfeiture.&#8221;

In Bauder, the defendant was charged with first degree murder. He stalked and then raped and killed his ex-girlfriend. He admitted to the killing but denied the premeditation. The prosecutor offered several statements of the victim under various exceptions of the hearsay rule. In response to the Confrontation Clause objection, the prosecutor argued that past acts of domestic violence proved that the defendant intended, at least in part, to make the victim unavailable to testify or otherwise disclose the abuse she suffered at his hand. In the alternative, the prosecutor argued that the defendant forfeited his right to confront the victim on equitable grounds. The Court of Appeals affirmed the conviction and adopted the concept of equitable forfeiture.

The Court of Appeals relied in part on the 6th Circuit case of United States v. Garcia-Meza (2005) in which the 6th Circuit said: "The Supreme Court's recent affirmation of the "essentially equitable grounds" for the rule of forfeiture strongly suggests that the rule's applicability does not hing on the wrongdoer's motive. The Defendant, regardless of whether he intended to prevent the witness from testifying against him or not, would benefit through his own wrongdoing if such a witness's statement could not be used against him, which the rule of forfeiture, based on principles of equity, does not permit."

Here's the link:

http://www.michiganprosecutor.org/Downloads/Webinars/forfeiture.pdf

Edit to add: The defendant's name was Steven Leroy Bauder. And I'm almost POSITIVE that this case was tried in St. Joseph County. Wow.

http://coa.courts.michigan.gov/resources/asp/ViewDocket.asp?casenumber=256186&yr=0&inqtype=public

,

Originally Posted by thinkaboutthis
That is a compelling email. WOW. Possible Bombshell!!! Though I would find it difficult to believe someone at LE would throw a reckless bone out there in an email, but it's possible.

Well, thank you for emailing them about that. I was really wondering why they hadn't put her on there...Great job.

PickieChickie said:

John H. Slank wrote: "During this investigation we felt it would not benefit the investigation to post Venus on the Missing Person page, due to the amount of information investigators already have regarding the circumstances surrounding her disappearance."

Clearly Venus is MISSING! We have the tarp cover, the scuffle evidence in the gravel by the cement walk, the slipper print on the side of the propane tank, the suspicious truck in the field across from Venus's residence, the Walmart receipt for a shovel, tarp, gloves and cap along with the fact she is MISSING!

To me, if all this, along with the fact she filed for and was granted a protective order and temporary custody of her children in which she reportedly declared she was afraid her husband Doug would kill her, it is clear she is MISSING and just didn't run off on a cruise with her secret lover!

To me he was saying, "We don't need to feature her on the page because of the evidence. We know she's missing but we don't need anyone looking for her because we have every reason to believe she is dead!"

UNLESS VENUS IS IN PROTECTIVE CUSTODY WITH THE SECRET WITNESS PROGRAM!​

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Okay, I'm confused as to why this was sent as a response to my statement. I said it was compelling...and a possible BOMBSHELL...what more do you want? How am I getting all this cruise ship stuff and MISSING MISSING MISSING? Did you think I was being sarcastic? Because I wasn't.

thesaint said:

How could they know that, without a body or a confession or an eyewitness?

It could also be that there's something else going on which takes this case out of the missing person category.

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Good point...yes, it very well could be something else...

I'll wait until they want help. This area has a lot of good woodsmen around, and they have no problem identifying areas of the ground that have been disturbed.

The problem with the statement about not posting her on the website as missing, is she IS missing...even if she has been killed, her body is missing and needs to be found.

I love deconstruction...it's one of my favorite things i did in college. Figuring out exactly what someone is saying when they're carefully wording what they're saying.

Anyone want to give it a shot with me?

You asked a good and appropriate question about the State Police not featuring Venus Stewart on our Missing Person's page.
(Because you asked a valid question, I'm going to answer you as best I can.)


Criminal investigators constantly evaluate the progress of an investigation and the direction it is taking.
(We are working on this case as we receive evidence, and that evidence steers the way we investigate this case.)


There are times when we use certain investigative tools and not others dependant on the information available to us.
(We have information that we can't tell you that, if you knew, you'd understand why Venus isn't on the wanted page.)

During this investigation we felt it would not benefit the investigation to post Venus on the Missing Person page, due to the amount of information investigators already have regarding the circumstances surrounding her disappearance.
(The public can't tell us anything that we don't already know. We know a lot more than we're telling and aren't relying on the public anymore for info.)

I trust this will help answer your question. Thank you for your interest.
(Notice I didn't say "if you have any other questions, please feel free to contact me again. I said, "Even though I'm speaking in guarded PR mode, my answer is sufficient to answer your question, so I don't expect you to ask any more questions." )


Now to put it all together:

Because you asked a valid question, I'm going to answer you as best I can. We are working on this case as we receive evidence, and that evidence steers the way we investigate this case. We have information that we can't tell you that, if you knew, you'd understand why Venus isn't on the wanted page. The public can't tell us anything that we don't already know. We know a lot more than we are releasing, and we no longer need tips from the public. Even though I'm speaking in guarded PR mode, my answer is sufficient to answer your question, so I don't expect you to ask any more questions. Thank you for your interest.

OK...anyone else want to give it a try?

blackdog said:

I'll wait until they want help. This area has a lot of good woodsmen around, and they have no problem identifying areas of the ground that have been disturbed.

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You hunters are an untapped resource, in my opinion. I totally agree with you that hunters know the land better than anyone, and they also would be able to think of good places to conceal a body. All Michigan would have to do is open deer season for a special five days, and a hunter would find the grave, if she's buried in MI.