OH OH - William 'Bill' Comeans, 14, Columbus, 7 Jan 1980 - #1

Something has been really bothering and nagging at me ever since Bob told us about the family's search for Bill (post #460, but especially posts #467 and #476).
I've held back "going there" in trying to not focus on it and look at all aspects of this case, but it still haunts me enough to break my concentration on all other parts of this case.

So I will throw it "out there" for all of your input.
I've studied this neighborhood intensely on both wide-view and very close-up aerial images, especially noting the street layout of the neighborhood.
Best explained in one VERY long sentence...
Having substantial experience in patrol, and relating it to "probabilities" in whether a particular location would be passed by a random patrol car, this particular street layout with Park St making a north "borderline" of this neighborhood/subdivision, combined with the north side of Park St being somewhat secluded having only a wide path of 6 sets of RR tracks, in my opinion it would be highly unlikely for any LE patrol car to NOT travel the length of Park St, no matter what north/south street he entered the neighborhood at and took to get to Park St.
IMO, Park St would be a "magnet street" for LE on patrol, especially since it is a border/perimeter street of the neighborhood. If the LE patrol car was seen by Bob to have been heading south (Bob never specified his direction) in the 200-300 block of Maple Dr, I would surely assume it had to have passed down Park St only moments before. Being as I think this chance is great, that would put the LEO patrol car likely to have been in a position where it would be very hard to avoid seeing Bill's body or the perps committing the murder in progress.

In any case, regardless if it was a LE patrol car or just any car in the 200/300 block of Maple, if headed south, they would be heading away from the scene of a murder that just happened (within a "less than 30 minute" timeframe).

Your input please...

I'm not over thinking the patrol car seen. The police were called. The police had been patrolling the neighborhood, iirc. Police patrol neighborhoods anyway. However, with the police being called, they would be headed toward Bill's home I would think.

I can't keep up with the map discussion directions without pics, directionally challenged, like a word math problem to me. Lol.

Wow, I was busy typing my last post and did not see Bob's post (#520) until now.
This raises many red flags for me. I will have many questions that need answers. Let me gather my thoughts.

ETA: Just a thought. Public discussion on certain key points may not be in the best interest on Bob's/Kats behalf.
I will choose any following subject matter with care, so as not to jeopardize the family's best interest.

zoomom said:

whew! You all came back!!!!!!

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To make sure YOU stayed with us!! We need fresh eyes on this case. Again, the way this family took this to Twitter, ensured that, and again, was brilliant!!

GoingByMyGut said:

Methodical, this is partly to you, but I am also partly just jumping off your post.

Original post TBM:



I agree, Methodical. Very interesting.



Yes, the tree cover on the map obscures everything. The statement about the 50 yards is in the CD article I sited in my last post. It says (IBM) that Bill "was riding his bicycle down a trail about 50 yards into a woods behind prairie Lincoln Elementary School." In her map (on Twitter or FB), KatCo shows Bill traveling north to south on the east side of the woods, but I dont know that she meant to be exact. She may be suggesting the path is on that side or close to that side, but that is my leap.

Also, Bob and Kat, on this first attack, I do not believe we know duration. We know the attack occurred at 8:30. Can you tell us when Bill got home?



Same MSM article above says "35 to 40 people on the scene."

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I'm curious about where these 35-40 people came from. Were they neighbors? LE? Did they come out when they saw flashing lights on a police car or did someone alert them?

21merc7 said:

I'm not over thinking the patrol car seen. The police were called. The police had been patrolling the neighborhood, iirc. Police patrol neighborhoods anyway. However, with the police being called, they would be headed toward Bill's home I would think.

I can't keep up with the map discussion directions without pics, directionally challenged, like a word math problem to me. Lol.

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Hey 21merc7 - Does this help? http://goo.gl/maps/LpBUa

It's a map I made early on that I've been updating as we go along. It's a great way to get a closer look.

Original post TBM:

21merc7 said:

<trimmed/snipped>
I can't keep up with the map discussion directions without pics, directionally challenged, like a word math problem to me. Lol.

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Hope this aerial view helps. North is straight upward.

Thanks for the maps Pdxmama & Methodical - very helpful! So....do we think the perps likely lived in the triangulation made by the attack sites? What's the likelihood of that?

Thank you for the maps, very helpful. Will look closely when boss leaves. (Sneaking in now.)

And I too wonder how 30-40 some people showed up if no one heard or saw anything. Did anyone call neighbors to see if Bill was at their house and telephone lines started ringing? Then they followed the flashing lights?

Methodical said:

I understand better now. I was basing my observations on Google street view, but that shows just as if you were actually driving down Park St, but in full daylight. But it still appears if any vehicle turned onto Park St, at night, as if coming from Buena Vista (mostly, as it's closer to scene) or Maple (a tad farther west), it seems the headlights would instantly illuminate the area Bill was found at. Correct? Or no?
I realize Park St probably gets few/seldom vehicle traffic. Driving north on Beuna Vista, taking a left on Park, headlight would light up where Bill was found.



Let me ask this... did the lower single set of RR tracks closest to Park St exist in 1979-80, or were they added sometime after Bill's death?
Also, the "ditch" Bill was found is exactly how far off from the street edge? On google it appears to be possibly within 2' of the road? Is this accurate?

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The railroad tracks are the same today as the time prior Bill's murder. The ditch is fairly close to the road.

Scene- 1 victim, 3 family, 4-6 EMS/FIRE, 2-4 LEO, 10-15 neighbors attracted by lights.

Rough estimate of personnel at location as incident unfolded.

SisterWolf said:

Thanks for the maps Pdxmama & Methodical - very helpful! So....do we think the perps likely lived in the triangulation made by the attack sites? What's the likelihood of that?

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Methodical is probably better suited to speak to the likelihood but I'm of the opinion that they either live in that triangle or are there, for whatever reason, so frequently that they are very comfortable and knowledgeable about that area.

In case anyone missed it from a prior post, 911 was called when family noticed Bill was missing, that's way LE was patrolling the neighborhood.

SisterWolf said:

Thanks for the maps Pdxmama & Methodical - very helpful! So....do we think the perps likely lived in the triangulation made by the attack sites? What's the likelihood of that?

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Personally, I would say not necessarily *contained* within the lines of that triangle, but extremely likely to be in that neighborhood/subdivision, including all streets on which were near Bill's paper route (which are most likely all within that neighborhood anyway).

Methodical said:

Wow, I was busy typing my last post and did not see Bob's post (#520) until now.
This raises many red flags for me. I will have many questions that need answers. Let me gather my thoughts.

ETA: Just a thought. Public discussion on certain key points may not be in the best interest on Bob's/Kats behalf.
I will choose any following subject matter with care, so as not to jeopardize the family's best interest.

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BBM: Stupid question from a Newbie to this site... and Bob and Kat should really being the ones to answer this but I'm going to toss it out there.

I would think ANY key point if it helps solve this case is fair game. I've noticed that a lot of you appear to 'hold back' because of their feelings. I know a lot of what you're holding back on is delicate but if it was me (hence saying Bob and Kat should answer), I'd want it ALL out there as withholding something might be just what prevents this case from being solved.

I'm sure they'd do like I do when it comes to seeing/reading something that hurts me (animal abuse which hurts me very badly). I'll skim over it so I don't have to read it and have it haunt me. I'll also mute TV, flip stations (and hope I time it right which I never do. haha), or fast forward with my eyes shut to the point I can barely see what's playing, but enough to see a change of scene. You get my point.

Again, I'll let them answer but I think withholding thoughts is doing a disservice to Bill, Bob, Kat & family IMHO. It just might be what solves this case.

bob6104 said:

Scene- 1 victim, 3 family, 4-6 EMS/FIRE, 2-4 LEO, 10-15 neighbors attracted by lights.

Rough estimate of personnel at location as incident unfolded.

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Can you remember or do you have it documented - exactly which LEO's were on the scene, and who the 10-15 neighbours were. Can you ask around and find out who these neighbours were at the scene? I think everyone at the scene needs to be documented and accounted for.

SisterWolf said:

Can you remember or do you have it documented - exactly which LEO's were on the scene, and who the 10-15 neighbours were. Can you ask around and find out who these neighbours were at the scene? I think everyone at the scene needs to be documented and accounted for.

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LEO took pictures, didn't he?
Seems like a good thing to me.
And even better if they still exist.
Do they?

I think I've heard more discussion about Bill's case in the past four weeks then in the previous 34 years. I appreciate any, and all, inputs, theories, and discussion. We obviously have a well represented group here who are much better at this than me.
Thank you all. B

As this is an ongoing open investigation, I'm sure LE knows more than I do in certain areas, as far as evidence is concerned.

bob6104 said:

Scene- 1 victim, 3 family, 4-6 EMS/FIRE, 2-4 LEO, 10-15 neighbors attracted by lights.

Rough estimate of personnel at location as incident unfolded.

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bbm: Is there a firehouse located near attack #2? I think I saw that on a historic aerial.