TX TX - Suggestions on my sister's cold case

[mocity]

I had a question and thought I might try this site. My step-sister and her boyfriend were murdered back in 1990. Today, August 23rd 2005, is the 15th anniversary of her death. We had a press conference today with the Houston Police Department and Crimestoppers. The case remains unsolved however there is a good DNA sample and someone sent a handwritten letter to HPD but that person has never come forward. The story is below.

My question is with regards to national media coverage. We want to try to get this story out to the news media on a national level. There has been alot of coverage locally but none nationally. Do you know where we can start? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

The article that follows is the last written article with regards to the case. It was written within the past year and published in the Houston Chronicle.

Hoping to reinvigorate their investigation of a 14-year-old homicide case, Houston police have released a handwritten note that may have come from the architect of two of the city's most gruesome slayings.

The letter, postmarked in Houston, was received in March 2001, more than 10 years after Cheryl Henry and Andy Atkinson were stabbed to death as they parked on a secluded cul-de-sac in west Harris County.

"It's the kind of case everyone remembers," Houston police Sgt. Billy Belk said. "It sticks in your mind."

In block letters, the note's sender told investigators, "If you want to know who killed C. Henry and A. Atkinson , it will cost $100,000." The note told investigators to reply in the classifieds section of the March 12, 2001, Houston Chronicle and warned, "a lawyer will be hired to make sure u play straight."

The note was answered, according to instructions. "We do want to know what you know about Henry /Atkinson ," the classified ad read. A number was given for the note-sender or a lawyer to contact investigators "with directions on playing straight."

Through the years, police had gotten calls whenever an anniversary or other publicity brings the case back to the public's attention.

The timing of the note, postmarked March 1, 2001, was odd, Belk said, in that it came so long after the slayings, and during a period when the case was getting no publicity. The most recent news story about the case, a 10-year retrospective, had been published Sept. 13, 2000.

Note suppressed

The possibilities the note offered were enticing to investigators sitting at yet another dead end in the case, and Belk said the note was never publicized.

"We kept pretty tight-lipped about it," he said, "to see if we got a response."

They never did.

Today, investigators say, it's a pretty sure bet that whoever sent the note does not intend to contact police again. Belk hopes that by releasing the contents of the note someone may recognize the handwriting, the language or some other scrap of information when it is published.

Cheryl Henry , 22, was home for the summer from classes at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches. Andy Atkinson , whose 22nd birthday was only days away, had just moved home after finishing college in North Carolina.

The two left on a date the evening of Aug. 21, 1990, along with Henry 's younger sister, Shane, and her escort. The sisters said their goodbyes when the couples left the Bayou Mama club near Westheimer and Gessner late that night.

Neither Henry nor Atkinson returned from their date; their families reported them missing early the next day. On the evening of Aug. 22, a Houston patrol officer spotted Atkinson 's car parked on Enclave Round, a then-undeveloped area off the 1300 block of Enclave Parkway that young people often used as a "lovers lane."

Blood in the car appeared fresh. When a computer check of the vehicle's license plate showed it belonged to a missing person, a tracking dog was called to search the nearby heavy woods.

The dog led police to Henry 's body about 200 yards away. Her clothes, found nearby, had been cut from her body, probably with the same knife used to slash her throat. Her hands were bound behind her with hemp rope. Her killer had tried to cover her body with boards from a rotting cedar fence.

A bunch of deflated balloons hung Dali-like over a tree limb near Henry 's body, having no apparent connection with her death but adding to the surreal quality of the grim scene.

Darkness halted the search for Atkinson . A Houston police officer was posted to stand watch until dawn, when searchers returned and quickly discovered the second body.

Atkinson was found about 100 yards from Henry . He was fully clothed, his hands tied behind him with similar rope. He had been seated with his back against a tree trunk before his throat was slashed. He still had his money and watch.

The young couple had evidently parked to neck, Belk said. The car's front seats were reclined, the engine had been turned off but the key left in the auxiliary position so the music would stay on. Henry 's shoes and bag were in the front floorboard.

Suspects cleared

In the first months, investigators chased hundreds of leads. Several potential suspects were identified.

Cheryl Henry 's killer had raped her, and left behind DNA. One by one, all the suspects were cleared through DNA comparisons.

Problems within HPD's DNA lab began unfolding in 2002 and ultimately resulted in the lab's closure and the retesting of hundreds of DNA samples, but Belk is confident in the work done on the DNA left by Henry 's killer.

That DNA was profiled at the DNA lab founded at Baylor College of Medicine by renowned researcher Dr. C. Thomas Caskey, Belk said. The sample was entered into the state's Combined DNA Indexing System, but a link was never made to any other crime.

The sample from Henry 's killer was later sent by HPD to the Texas Department of Public Safety for comparison with DNA from Angel Maturino Resendiz, a convicted rail-riding serial killer. That didn't provide a match either, Belk said.

Last month, Belk and members of Henry 's family met with Houston Police Chief Harold Hurtt, who approved the independent retesting of all the DNA samples taken from possible suspects and eliminated through tests done at HPD's lab, Belk said.

He said the case has never gone completely cold.

"We've gotten at least one new lead every year," Belk said, "and I follow up on every one of them."

Noting that most investigators have at least one case they can't let go of, Belk said, "This is mine."

If the case has haunted Belk, it has tortured Barbara Craig, Henry 's mother.

"I was always so proud of Cheryl ," Craig said recently. "She was the older sister to five other kids. ... The youngest, the twins, were just starting fifth grade that year. Their first day of school was spent at their sister's funeral."

Her daughter's death devastated the family, Craig said. The details made it almost too painful to bear.

"To be killed is horrible," Craig said, "But to be terrorized, tied up, raped ... To think her last moments were of terror, and I wasn't there. Because mothers, you know, that's their job, to make it better."

Several scenarios

Craig said finding the person who killed her daughter and Atkinson is important to the family, although "we try not to base our happiness on whether or not the person is caught."

Atkinson 's father could not be reached for comment.

Belk acknowledges the note could be a hoax, but he said it is difficult to see what reward there could be in such a deception. The other possibilities are that the note is from the killer, or from someone who could identify the killer.

The latter would probably be the best news for Belk. In a study published in the Journal of Criminal Justice and Popular Culture in 2002, Seattle University journalism professor Tomas Guillen looked at a half-dozen killers who contacted police or the media before their capture, and concluded that while the killers' missives often helped police link previously unlinked crimes, or proved pivotal in helping convict the offenders once they were caught, they rarely helped identify a killer.

"Although these killers injected themselves into cases, sometimes repeatedly for years, with poems, letters, and telephone calls to investigators or the news media, the communiques did not lead to enough investigative evidence or clues to put an immediate end to a series of slayings," Guillen wrote.

All Belk wants is some foothold he can use to push the case closer to its resolution.

Anyone with information in the case can call Belk at 713-308-3600, or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.

...

Houston homicide investigators want to know who wrote them an anonymous letter regarding the 1990 slayings of Cheryl Henry and Andy Atkinson . Their bodies were found near a secluded cul-de-sac in west Harris County. Police got the letter three years ago and are releasing it now in hope that someone with information will come forward.

The letter demanded $100,000 in exchange for the killer’s identity and asked police to respond through the Houston Chronicle’s ``personal column.’’

The letter writer warned that a lawyer would be hired ``to make sure u play straight.’’

[Marine Mom]

I've read this story before.

I wish you and Houston PD the best of luck in locating the killer.

[mysteriew]

First of all let me say how sorry I am for your loss. To lose someone this close is terrible, but under these circumstances- well I cannot even imagine how much worse it makes it.

First, I presume that you have sent a message to America's Most Wanted? Unsolved Mysteries?
And there are many more places you might want to contact. Most of the contacts are listed in a thread here at WS:
http://websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26445
I would suggest that you message them, and that you get as many friends and family as possible to message them. The more requests they get on a particular case- the more attention they will pay.
Also, have you contacted any of the bloggers? Blogs are hot right now, they are good at publicizing cases, many of them are also good sleuthers, and even the media are watching them now.
Do you know if your sister's case was ever connected to any other killings?

I hope you someday get justice. Don't give up, keep working on it. Stay in touch with the LE and let them know you still are interested in getting info on the case.

[mocity]

Thanks to you both. LE has been wonderful to my family and we keep in touch with the lead investigator almost monthly since this happened in Aug 1990. Locally there is alot of interest. Now the lead investigator has been promoted and is leading the cold case unit so we are lucky in that regards. Crimestoppers and LE here has asked us to try to get the story out nationally so I am trying to find out information. Thank you for the suggestions!!

It is more than terrifying to know that this person (most likely persons) is walking around among us. Due to the nature of the killings and the placement they believe it is at least 2 people. The new DNA technology has even now told us it was a white male that raped her.

Thanks again.

[fran]

mocity:
I'm so sorry to hear about your sister and her date. It must be hard having to deal with this, and never finding the perp! What a tragedy.

First, because they have dna, I assume they've filed it with the national dna database? Just because it was a crime in Texas, doesn't mean the perp is from there. Recently, we've seen a rash of crimes such as this where the perp had crimes in multiple states. This guy could be from anywhere.

Please check the link below and go to JerseyGirl's posts # 110 & 111. She has lots of media outlets listed that you could contact.

http://websleuths.com/forums/showthr...1&page=5&pp=25

Have there been any other crimes such as this in that area? The MO doesn't necessarily have to be exact, they could be taped rather than tied, beaten or shot rather than knifed. It could be just one victim, (meaning a woman alone) or it could even be a child. Recently, some of these perps have shown that it's more a chance of 'opportunity' rather than a specific age or gender.

Good luck. I hope you find your answers.

JMHO
fran

[texasgirl]

Originally Posted by mocity

I had a question and thought I might try this site. My step-sister and her boyfriend were murdered back in 1990. Today, August 23rd 2005, is the 15th anniversary of her death.

Mocity-

I'm so sorry for the loss of your sister and her boyfriend years ago....I just read this story this morning. I'm just so very sorry!

I did like that LE was asking people to look at the note to see if they could recognize the handwriting but to be honest, I couldn't find a good enough picture to see what the note said or see the handwriting?! I live in Austin anyway but you never know...

I think you definitely should check into AMW, Nancy Grace or Greta. I've emailed Greta before and gotten a response...she's awesome!!

Good luck to you! You and your family are in my prayers!

[Tranaice]

Mocity,

I am so sorry to read this about your sister and her boyfriend. My thoughts and prayers are with your family and his family. I also pray they find who did this.

[mysteriew]

Mocity,
I spoke of the blogs. Here is the link for darkside of planet huff:
http://www.planethuff.com/darkside/ Halfway down the page on the right is a contact form. He has also listed a long list of blogs and true crime sites and forums below that. He posts on WS, so I know he has a sincere interest in getting crimes solved.
The Cellar- I see it mentioned on here a lot. And I noted a general discussion forum for unsolved, cold cases. http://www.bbfunpro.com/index.php?mforum=thecellarblog
Crime news 2000 They have a forum. http://crimenews2000.com/cgi-bin/www...at=&Board=cold
There are many, many others.
Keep on posting- the more people who hear your story- the more interest there will be. And good luck.

[Bobbisangel]

Originally Posted by mocity

Thanks to you both. LE has been wonderful to my family and we keep in touch with the lead investigator almost monthly since this happened in Aug 1990. Locally there is alot of interest. Now the lead investigator has been promoted and is leading the cold case unit so we are lucky in that regards. Crimestoppers and LE here has asked us to try to get the story out nationally so I am trying to find out information. Thank you for the suggestions!!

It is more than terrifying to know that this person (most likely persons) is walking around among us. Due to the nature of the killings and the placement they believe it is at least 2 people. The new DNA technology has even now told us it was a white male that raped her.

Thanks again.

I'm really surprised that the DNA hasn't matched up with someone somewhere.
It sounds like a crime that would be repeated or had been done before...probably both. The killer even had rope with him. I wonder if this killer followed your sis and her friend up there or if it is someone who checks out known lover lanes looking for couples that were parked and vulnerable. So many questions and no answers yet.

As for "America's Most Wanted" my experience is you get results if you have your lead detective make the call. My family and friends contacted AMW after the murder of my daughter...the killer ran. The same with "Unsolved Mysterys." We didn't get results...in fact I received a form letter from "Unsolved Mysterys" telling me that they get 1000's of requests daily or weekly, etc. It took our lead detective making the calls to get our case on both shows. The shows want to talk to someone in charge and they want details so that they know it is the truth. My friend even sent newspaper clippings to no avail. "AMW" showed our case at least 3 times over 8 yrs until the killer was caught in Mexico. They did a reinactment also. "Unsolved Mysterys" segment lasted all of a minute but at least they did put it on. Kind of ticked me off though because they show reruns over and over and over..the same ones.

You are so fortunate to have the lead detective that you have. Our lead detective never gave up either. He said "this case will never go on the back burner as long as I am on the force." It didn't either. He also told me later after the killer was caught that he credits me for never giving up and keeping my foot on his rear giving him that push for 8 months. Teamwork!!! All it takes is to get one person in LE involved in your case...like your detective and mine. You become family...bonded.

What about contacting "Cold Case Files" on CTV or A&E? Can't remember which channel it's on. At the end of the show they always ask if anyone has a cold case and give a number to call. It's sure worth a try.

Nancy Grace and Greta are advocates for victims. I would make sure and contact them.

I sure hope that something breaks for you and your family. Someone out there knows something or might remember something someone said. That is a long time to go without knowing who did that to your sister. It is just horrible.
I understand what your mother is talking about when she said that we are supposed to be there for our kids. We have to live with the nightmares of our daughters last moments on earth. I hope they catch the S.O.B. that did this to your sister and her friend. I hope he gets the death penalty when he goes to trial.

[kato]

I live in Houston and remember this crime very well. Wasn't it off of Eldridge or Enclave Parkway somewhere between Westheimer and Memorial/I-10?

[mocity]

Yes, the murders took place off Eldridge between Briar Forest and Memorial. That area is all built up now. I hate how they named it "lovers lane" but that appears to have caught people's attention. They named it this because my other sister and I told them we all (when we were in high school) used to park out there and hang out and drink beer. :-)

Thank each and every one of you for your kind words and suggestions.

Bobbisangel, your case give me such hope and encouragement!!

Yes, the DNA has been entered into the national database. They have followed up on 100's of leads and compared the sample to many serial killers too.

My personal opinion.... but they don't agree.... is that a crowd she had been hanging around with that summer has something to do with it. I think they could have followed them from the bar they had been at. Who knows. They did make them submit DNA samples and none matched. BUT I think this means they didn't rape her. It doesn't mean they didn't kill her. Hopefully someday we will know.

I am putting together a package with details, pics, copy of the note, all articles, etc to send to all the shows, advocates, etc. Hopefully, something will come of it.

Our lead investigator will talk to whoever he needs to. He has been quoted saying that all investigators have one case that haunts them and they wanted solved before they retired... he said this is his. There were 6 of us (kids) when this happened and he would even come over and talk to us when we were scared and had questions. He has been wonderful to my family.

[fran]

mocity:
It's nice to hear the LE has been so nice to the victim's family. You always read about what LE does in public; but, it's rare to hear the supportive things they do behind the scenes.

FWIW,..... you say that you told LE that ,.........."my other sister and I told them we all (when we were in high school) used to park out there and hang out and drink beer. :-) and that LE has checked out those from the bar. (from her present crowd)
Your sister had been away at college and was 22, so it had been a few years since 'her' crowd had hung out at this 'party site.' What about the, then current, high school crowd? Were they still using this location to party? Have you or LE tracked anyone that was in high school at that time that has since been in trouble with the law? This crime could have been committed by someone who was in high scool then and just beginning their life of crime. It could have been some high school kids getting high or drunk, saw the couple and started joking with them, then harrassing them and things got out of hand (especially if they were under the influence it's easy to get out of control).

Just a suggestion.

JMHO
fran

PS....Just an aside. There's another case I've recently seen where there's a 15 year old murder of a high school girl, (I believe it's from Utah?). Anyway, they're just now arresting people involved and they were from her high school crowd. I don't know the details of the original investigation (much different circumstances than your sister's (girl went missing at lunch time from school)), however this would have been at the time the high school friends first started their, what is now (15 years later,) life of crime. Up to the point the girl went missing, these people probably hadn't been in trouble (ie. not been caught) so LE didn't suspect them. However, since that time, some of them have been involved in drugs, etc, and served time, and it seems talked a little here and there to acquaintenances about 'little hints.'..........fran

[mysteriew]

I found an article about the blogs- it explains a little about them, and gives some good links. http://www.krem.com/news/police/stor....68023f5b.html

[Norma]

I would suggest that Sgt. Belk try to contact AMW; it might carry more weight when the lead detective asks for a show.


Where all old boyfriends cleared? The fact that Cheryl's body was covered and Andy's wasn't seems to say the killer knew her and felt remorse, but they were mad at Andy and left him in the open.

Where the balloons kept? Where they ever checked for DNA (or could they be now)?

[mysteriew]

I am glad you got to have a press conference on the anniversary. Each year on the annivsary have some kind of event. A graveside candlelight service. A candlelight vigil at the courthouse. When you are going to casual public events (local sports events for instance- wear a t-shirt with their pictures and names on them. On their birthdays, post memorial pictures of them in the paper with a synopsis of their story and a plea for info. Keep them in the media. Check to see if there is a crimestopper person attached to your TV stations and newspapers. Make sure they remember your sister's case and that it is unsolved.

[tired.old.hag]

mocity, I saw a picture of your sister with a news story on the internet. What a beauty!! Absolutely gorgeous.

You know, one of my biggest fears is that after I'm gone, no one will remember me - I have this crazy feeling that if no one remembers me, it will be like I never existed. How wonderful it is that after 15 long years, you're not only still remembering your sister, but fighting so hard to make sure others remember her too. I can tell you love her very much, and it's very moving. I wish I could give you a hug.

Now, on to your question To get national attention, here are my thoughts and ideas.

- I think Beth Holloway Twitty is a genius at getting national attention. Each time media attention waned, she created a situation or event to bring the media back. A good example is when she went to the Internet Cafe. I don't know if she thought of ideas herself, or if she consulted some sort of public relations agent. But she seems like a wonderful, loving, caring person, and I would suggest that you contact her, and tell her what you're trying to do, and ask her how she went about sustaining national media attention for such a long period of time. I'll bet she'd be more than happy to talk with you.

Look at the stories that grab national attention, try to find out why, then try to hit the media in the same way. e.g., Natalee Holloway was young, beautiful, blonde hair, out doing not a thing wrong and having a good time with friends. All this is the same for your sister.

- National media attention is based on 2 things - whether a story will raise their ratings, and probably more importantly, how "slow" the news is at any given time. When there are not enough interesting things going on in the world, the media actually has to go looking for them.

Right now, because of the hurricane, getting national media attention for your sister's case would be close to impossible. A few weeks ago, when the news was "slow", it would have been much easier.

Keep track of slow news times, and try to tie your sister's case to "popular" and especially "sensational" news stories - when you see something with a link of some sort, that's a good time to hit the media. e.g., if BTK sending his letter after so many years hits the media again, that would be a good time for you to hit the media with the letter sent after so many years in your sister's case.

- Consider writing a book, and even having a movie made. I'd recommend talking to an agent about this to find out the "ins and outs", for example, if you write the book yourself, as opposed to having one of the "famous" true crime writers (Ann Rule, Mark Furman(sp?), Linda Fairstein(sp?)) write it, or co-write it. Not only would this get national attention, but you can use the funds for further efforts that you may not be able to afford right now.

- I had an idea for a "sensational" event that would probably get national media attention. Enlist your friends and the detective to re-enact the crime, at the location it happened, to try to look for information that may have been forgotten after all this time. Publicize it well it advance. Send press releases, and send invitations to every single one of the "experts" in the entire country to come to it to make notes, ask questions, and share them. You may well get a couple of the big experts there if your sister's case catches their attention, and especially if they're looking for some media attention. Watch all the news channels and Court TV, and record the names of all the experts who frequently appear - they're attention seekers They definitely all get invitations

An alternative to this would be because right now internet bloggers are getting attention for the work they do on crimes. You could have the same re-enactment, and invite all bloggers and web sleuths to attend It could be publicized as something like "Woman turns to web detectives to solve sister's case".

- Again, a consultation with a really good PR agent may be well worth the money to get the attention in the national media you seek.

- This isn't media, but might help http://www.vidocq.org/ They work for free. You could also look for other organizations like them.


mocity, I hope none of my ideas offend you, for example where I use the word "sensational". I'm not at all suggesting that you show disrespect to your sister. I'm just thinking off the top of my head, and unfortunately, it seems to me that the media today looks for things that they can "sensationalize". So I was thinking in terms of what would get their attention. Again, I am very sorry if I offended you in any way. My sincere thoughts and prayers are with you.

[tired.old.hag]

Bobbisangel, I'm terribly sorry about your daughter. You will be in my prayers.

[dannyodie]

hey just to be on the safe side, why not compare that dna sample to joseph duncan? or would that not be the kind of person that may have done this, I know he primarly is linked to kids, but is it possible he did this also? just a random thought, maybe just compare handwritting samples to his.

[mocity]

Thanks again for everyone's suggestions. I really appreciate the thoughts and support. The DNA is in the National Database so it is my understanding once someone's DNA is entered, such as Jospeph Duncan's, it would automatically be checked. Is this correct? Here is another link to an article one of the local tv stations had on their website. It contains a pic of both Andy and Cheryl.

http://www.click2houston.com/news/4885372/detail.html

[Norma]

No, I don't think that DNA is automatically searched. I think you have to specifically request it.

[Bobbisangel]

Originally Posted by Pook

No, I don't think that DNA is automatically searched. I think you have to specifically request it.

Isn't that the purpose of the DNA data base though...LE can enter DNA into the data base and the data base looks for a match? That has been my understanding anyway. Like the way they can enter fingerprints into a data base and the data base searches to see if there are any fingerprints already in the data base that match the ones just put in.

If there was more than one person involved in the murders I'm surprised that one of the killers hasn't bragged about it to someone. I sure wish LE would get a good tip that would lead to the killers. This family needs justice for Cheryl.

[mocity]

Thanks again to all. From the beginning LE has thought it was more than one person so they thought it would come out eventually because someone wouldn't be able to keep their mouth closed... whether it be bragging to someone, talking a family member, girlfriend, etc. So it is amazing that nothing has come up in 15 years. I have heard them say as many as 4 or 5 people. However, they have also set up scenarios where it was one person but that is highly unlikely.

[Norma]

Originally Posted by Bobbisangel

Isn't that the purpose of the DNA data base though...LE can enter DNA into the data base and the data base looks for a match? That has been my understanding anyway. Like the way they can enter fingerprints into a data base and the data base searches to see if there are any fingerprints already in the data base that match the ones just put in.

But new DNA and fingerprints are entered on a daily basis. So for old cases, they sometimes have to run matches periodically to see if something might finally be matched up that wasn't there the last time they searched. I saw a show on this on CTV once, where a dedicated lab assistant ran a new match every month on his own time, and it took years to finally find a match. For this case, which is so old, that might have to happen.

[concernedperson]

It is so hard.You might think you have info but it is up to the detectives at hand. If they are not inclined it kinds of go away. Just keep it up and someone somewhere will speak. It will come from the most unlikely source.

[OrdinaryLife]

Have any other evidence been looked into? The 2 different ropes bugs me. One type of hemp rope was used on CH and another 'simular' type on AA. Was anything taken off these 2 ropes and reveiwed?

What time did they leave the club...how long a drive to "lover's lane" from the club...I read a LE patrol car found them the evening of 8/22 and tracking dogs called in. Did the dogs track/find any scent of the killer/s? Were there any other tire tracks or footprints of others other than the 2 victims?

Sorry, *so* many questions!!

I believe that there was more than one person involved. The brutality of CH and AA's murders is also *very* disturbing! I can't help but wonder if AA was tortured having to watch what was done to CH and then killed after she was. Perhaps the reverse is true...obviously, that's possible.

I wish we had more forensic info as well as autopsy (my apologies to you, Mocity, if I am seem to be insensitive. *Truly*, not my intention.) results that pertain to this case. I can understand LE wanting to be tight lipped with info, but after *15* years, it could be so beneficial to this case! After all, the letter sent to LE was sent March of 2001.

There must be *something* that can be shared without hurting this case, *especially* after so many years gone by.

I hope so for this case and for the two families that have been dealing with this tragedy for so long.