CA-SUSPICIOUS Leisa Ann Hurst, 30, Barstow

[hoppyfrog]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29302548/

20 Feb 09

An estimated 120 people will scour the desert Saturday to look for the body of a Barstow woman who was reported missing nearly a month ago.

Family members, friends, church groups and other organizations are heading to Helendale, in San Bernardino County, to find answers in the mysterious disappearance of Leisa Ann Hurst, 30, a single mother of two who was reported missing on Jan. 22.

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Hurst was reported missing after her car was found abandoned in Hesperia with the windows down and the keys in the ignition, said Barstow police Det. Keith Libby.

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Police have turned their focus to Jeami Chiapulis, 36, of Helendale, after family members said the two were engaged. Chiapulis told police they were just friends.

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Chiapulis has been charged with Hurst's suspected murder even though her body has not yet been found, Libby said. He pleaded not guilty to charges on Wednesday.

much more (and pic) at link

"He denied any intimate relationship with Leisa even though family members believed that he was her fiancé," Libby said. "He seemed very deceptive."

[Kat]

An article that talks about her two children:

http://www.desertdispatch.com/news/h...y_barstow.html

Point of interest in article in relation to Leisa's disappearance snipped from article above:

Chiapulis’ next scheduled court date is a preliminary deposition on March 24

[Tonia]

Boyfriend leads detectives to suspected remains of missing Barstow mother

The suspected remains of a missing Barstow mother were uncovered in the desert Thursday after the woman's boyfriend led detectives to a shallow grave near Newberry Springs.Four days after Hurst went missing, 36-year-old Jeami Chiapulis checked himself into a psychiatric ward. Hurst's family told police the two were engaged. Chiapulis claimed they were just friends.

Chiapulis was arrested at a Redlands hotel after checking himself out of the psychiatric ward, officials said.

He accepted a plea bargain in Barstow Superior Court on Thursday, reducing the murder charge to second-degree murder. Part of Chiapulis' deal was uncovering Hurst's remains so her family could properly bury her.

Chiapulis trudged through the desert north of Barstow and pointed out a makeshift grave where he said he buried Hurst. Coroner's officials collected the remains Friday but have not positively identified them.

A motive for the slaying is unknown, though Barstow police Detective Keith Libby has said Chiapulis was married but appeared to have several girlfriends.

Chiapulis faces 15 years in prison for the slaying.

http://www.dailybulletin.com/ci_1352...e=most_viewed#