GUILTY IN - April Tinsley, 8, Fort Wayne, 1 April 1988 *Arrest*

New Posts

I have to wonder if this guy is some type of true-crime or police junkie...The note and the message on the barn are eerily similar to some of those left by the original Zodiac. "I am the same person that kidnapped"---"I am the person who killed those two"....."If I dont see this in the paper.." "I will kill again..."

Even the message on the barn is similar to the message scrawled on the car door at Lake Berryessa. The handwriting is reminiscent of the Zodiac's. If it weren't for the DNA in the condoms being (I presume) a match from that taken from the body, I'd think this was just someone seeking attention.

I would be willing to wager, however, that this guy is known to the police in some way, probably even volunteered to search for April when she went missing.
 
shadowangel said:
I have to wonder if this guy is some type of true-crime or police junkie...The note and the message on the barn are eerily similar to some of those left by the original Zodiac. "I am the same person that kidnapped"---"I am the person who killed those two"....."If I dont see this in the paper.." "I will kill again..."

Even the message on the barn is similar to the message scrawled on the car door at Lake Berryessa. The handwriting is reminiscent of the Zodiac's. If it weren't for the DNA in the condoms being (I presume) a match from that taken from the body, I'd think this was just someone seeking attention.

I would be willing to wager, however, that this guy is known to the police in some way, probably even volunteered to search for April when she went missing.
Click to expand...
Its the same guy , he left things in 04 to make sure the police new it was him, he loves taunting the police, and im sure he made sure, the police had no doubt about it, that it was him......in the various articles from links, it all matches, DNA from her, DNA from the letters left etc......its the same guy.........................and your right about the interest in other well know killers, and i wish people whom may had been to his house, would try and remember if they recall seeing a bunch of true crime books, mags videos etc .....especially anything on the Zodiac killer, i did not know there was a resemblance in both the writings, thanks for pointing that out.
Shirley someone would remember being at someones house and seeing a bunch of stuff pertaining to crime, the zodiac , any odd things on the wall etc

We are not seeing everything they have, the green rug photo looks as if its been cut, before they released it, and included other things perhaps, if not the child herself, but only speculating on that.
 
shadowangel said:
I have to wonder if this guy is some type of true-crime or police junkie...The note and the message on the barn are eerily similar to some of those left by the original Zodiac. "I am the same person that kidnapped"---"I am the person who killed those two"....."If I dont see this in the paper.." "I will kill again..."
Click to expand...

I was thinking the same thing and he also seems to have similarities to BTK. Disappearing for a long period of time and then resurfacing with letters left in strange places to get attention. Didn't BTK also send the police polaroids of himself in bondage?
 
Just bumping for April....hope that the FBI involvement is closing in on the perp....
 
I hadn't read about this case before. How very sad. :(

Please don't get the impression I'm trying to defend the killer, as I think he should hang high for his crimes when he is brought to justice, but something came to mind as a possible explanation for why he sent out the notes in 2004.

If his only intention was to get media attention he could have driven around, found a few houses with play equipment and toys on the lawn to suggest children lived there, and planted the notes. But a girl in his target age range actually lived at each house, meaning he probably had been stalking them before he left the notes. He must have known that after leaving the notes, the girls' parents would watch them like hawks afterward, meaning his chance to actually victimize those particular girls was gone.

Could he actually have been trying to stop himself from killing again, having realized he'd become obsessed with these particular girls and done maybe the only thing he could to keep them from himself? Granted, I can't think of a more creepy way to "warn" someone than to send her condoms and nude photos but this might have been the only way he thought in his warped mind that he could warn anyone.

Again, I'm not defending the guy and I hope he rots in jail, but the possibility came to mind.
 
Saw this on the news and wanted to post for April. May her killer be found and justice served for her!

Cards deal hope in solving cold case
Cold case playing cards feature April Tinsley

Updated: Wednesday, 01 Sep 2010, 6:13 PM EDT
Published : Wednesday, 01 Sep 2010, 4:10 PM EDT

Drew Blair
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - Is a solved murder case in the cards? Indiana law enforcement authorities would like to think so.

The Indiana Department of Correction recently released its second deck of cold case cards. The sets are the only playing cards made available to state prison inmates for purchase.

http://www.wane.com/dpp/news/cards-deal-hope-in-solving-cold-case
 
:+:MrTT:+: said:
From looking at the map, i would guess perhaps he lives/lived in spencerville drove south in 88 abducted the child then took her back to where he was comfortable , in 90 drove south again to leave message on barn door, then in 2004 drove south again to leave the notes, and without knowing, im speculating he left all the notes in 04 on the same day. Then drove back to spencerville which is his comfort zone, where he lived/lives.
2896890.jpg

ALL MOO AND SPECULATION ON MY PART.
Click to expand...

Just to expand upon your theory, more than likely, this person is employed. More than likely, he is familiar with the area from which he did the kidnapping(s), murder and notes. This leads me to believe he may work in the area. Someone at topix suggested he may work for the railroad. RR caps in the letter? Smart thinking about the name sam e possibilities, or trying to frame someone. Wonder what the cap. L's would symbolize? Then again, he may just be adept at making up clues to throw LE off. I always found it interesting on Dexter, that serial killers knew who each other were.

I understand he is 'taunting' police, but with leaving DNA evidence, he is making it much easier for this to be a solved case! I wonder if the notes in 2004 were due to the fact that he was leaving the area, yet wanted to be remembered/immortalized for his crime. What a creepy perv this guy is!:banghead:
 
SunnieRN said:
Just to expand upon your theory, more than likely, this person is employed. More than likely, he is familiar with the area from which he did the kidnapping(s), murder and notes. This leads me to believe he may work in the area. Someone at topix suggested he may work for the railroad. RR caps in the letter? Smart thinking about the name sam e possibilities, or trying to frame someone. Wonder what the cap. L's would symbolize? Then again, he may just be adept at making up clues to throw LE off. I always found it interesting on Dexter, that serial killers knew who each other were.

I understand he is 'taunting' police, but with leaving DNA evidence, he is making it much easier for this to be a solved case! I wonder if the notes in 2004 were due to the fact that he was leaving the area, yet wanted to be remembered/immortalized for his crime. What a creepy perv this guy is!:banghead:
Click to expand...

I have always wondered, if they ask for volunteers to come forward to offer there DNA to be matched against what they have.
If they ask those whom worked in the area where the notes were left.
Mailmen, utility workers, whom went house to house reading meters, such as light companies, water meter readers etc.
It doesn't seem to be very hard to do, back in 04, to find out whom was working in these areas, to check the DNA.
But without any official documents from LE, we don't know if perhaps they already did something like that.
 
:+:MrTT:+: said:
I have always wondered, if they ask for volunteers to come forward to offer there DNA to be matched against what they have.
If they ask those whom worked in the area where the notes were left.
Mailmen, utility workers, whom went house to house reading meters, such as light companies, water meter readers etc.
It doesn't seem to be very hard to do, back in 04, to find out whom was working in these areas, to check the DNA.
But without any official documents from LE, we don't know if perhaps they already did something like that.
Click to expand...

Your post made me think of others who might not look 'out of place'. Dog catchers, street repairmen, the utility workers/telephone workers, who climb utility poles, our county has tree trimmers and flood abatement personnel, who clean out sewer drains also. These, along with any rail workers would be a great place to start!
 
SunnieRN said:
Your post made me think of others who might not look 'out of place'. Dog catchers, street repairmen, the utility workers/telephone workers, who climb utility poles, our county has tree trimmers and flood abatement personnel, who clean out sewer drains also. These, along with any rail workers would be a great place to start!
Click to expand...

Your tree trimmer from power lines, is EXCELLENT example!
If i was doing the searching, i would start where the two notes were found practically side by side in 04. And find out whom had a route that day, that would have put him in the area. and then check to see if in fact perhaps, that his route work that day, had him in the area where all the notes were left. They were found on the same day I am speculating, i have forgotten.
Then ask for people to come forward and volunteer there DNA.
And see who does, and doesn't volunteer.
They may be able to at least spook him a little bit, by sending out the DNA message.

ALL SPECULATION AND ASSUMPTIONS
​
 
 
Richard said:
Here is a case which might be related. Same last name, and it occurred in April two years earlier.

Pamela Dawn Tinsley, age 19 went missing on April 13, 1986 from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

LINK:

OK OK - Pamela Dawn Tinsley, 19, Oklahoma City, 13 April 1986 - Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community
Click to expand...

Hello Richard.
They didn't mention in the description of the motorcycle guy any thing about clothes or ta-toes. I am surprised that they didn't find her anywhere around the lake. I don't think they did a very good search to be honest. Would not have taken long for her to become hysterical on the bike when she learned she was not just going for a ride around the lake, and because of that i don't believe he planned on taking her very far.. If he was a biker, and belonged to a biker gang. I wonder if they had some type of gathering in the city that day where they would come to town to party. Seems he was looking for a victim and found her.

As far as a connection. I don't know for sure. two years later in 90 is when the writing on the barn appeared. One more connection i believe we would have something to work with.
But with the two i don't know. Same state that would be interesting.

I just don't think the guy on the bike knew before hand her name was Tinsley to make the connection. He was looking for a victim to kill.

But the people with the pot had nothing to do with it on that day.
 
BeginnersLuck said:
A FB page has been created by family and friends of April to bring awareness to her case. Here is the link:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/amtinsley/

This case has always haunted me. I hope that some day justice will be served for this precious child and her loved ones.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the information.
Unfortunately one must be a member to access the site.
​
 
I lived near where she was abducted at the time. I also was a waitress at a restaurant in that area. It's driving me crazy thinking back trying to recall if maybe I would have encountered anyone that fit the profile of the killer. There were definitely a lot of characters that I would call creepy that were around the restaurant and the area. But, I can't think of anyone that stands out that displayed any behavior that would indicate they were suspicious as far as being her killer.

I have thought about the killer being a newspaper delivery driver. I don't know if LE checked out this angle but I was thinking that if they did and cleared delivery drivers there is still the possibility that the delivery driver could have been a sub. Anybody can sub for someone. They don't really care or pay attention to who delivers the papers all they care about is that they get delivered.
 
From the FB page of FWPD officer Foster. AMW will be airing the April Tinsley case on Aug. 24.

Also from John Walsh official FB page: AMW is filming in Fort Wayne, IN this week.

Hopefully, they have some new information in this case!!!!!!
 
From the FB page of FWPD officer Foster. AMW will be airing the April Tinsley case on Aug. 24.

Also from John Walsh official FB page: AMW is filming in Fort Wayne, IN this week.

Hopefully, they have some new information in this case!!!!!!

I posted this info on April's other thread also.

Please let there be some answers!!!
 

Evidence in Tinsley cold case released
Police discuss evidence on new AMW episode

Updated: Monday, 20 Aug 2012, 3:53 PM EDT
Published : Monday, 20 Aug 2012, 3:53 PM EDT

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - A crew from America’s Most Wanted was in Fort Wayne Monday to follow up on previous coverage of the 1988 April Tinsley murder case.

The show’s host, John Walsh, interviewed a current detective with the Fort Wayne Police Department along with retired detective sergeant Dan Camp who was one of two lead investigators in the case.

http://www.wane.com/dpp/news/local/evidence-in-tinsley-cold-case-released-dbl
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

DNASolves

Who is Escambia County John Doe (1989)?

Members online

... and 186 more.
Total: 3,998 (members: 187, guests: 3,811)

Online statistics

Members online
187
Guests online
3,811
Total visitors
3,998
Totals may include hidden visitors.

Forum statistics

Threads
591,831
Messages
17,959,757
Members
228,621
Latest member
Greer∆
Back
Top