well he was awesome and i dont know how i will continue to make it without him he was my rock. i am daddys girl through and through. ok as far as safe goes i dont really know.i have never been with him when it was opened so i am not sure, but the house was in perfect order and if there was a lot of blood at bar then they did not take him into the house or they would have tracked blood. there are neighbors but no real close this is in the country so the closest person is about 1/2 a city block and not lined up. dads house sits closer to the road than next door. this happened about 11 am or so, broad daylight, they are either very brave or very stupid.
First, let me say that I am so sorry to read here -- I also read the posts on Topix -- of your tremendous loss.
I will recommend that you create a known timeline and a known fact sheet and post both here in this thread. The judgment of people is usually no better than their facts, and as I read through the posts and links (google search), I found it a bit difficult to square off established facts.
For example
Did the coroner establish the time of your Father's death?
What caliber bullet was used to murder your Father?
How many times was he shot and exactly where?
Did LE recover footprints or tire tracks from the strip mine where your Father's body was found? Had it rained in the area between the 14th and the 17th?
Did it appear that his body was dragged to where it was found? Or did it appear that his body was dumped there? Or did it appear that he might have suffered a final shot there -- recognizing that substantial blood is said to have been found in the bar.
Did your Father's body show any evidence of defensive wounds?
Was he found tied in any way?
Recognizing that he wore a hat in an online picture? Did LE find a hat where his body was found?
How much money was taken? I read but that 'thousands' were taken. Have they established how many 'thousands' were taken?
Was your Father's vehicle found at the bar or at his home or elsewhere?
Did LE check his vehicle for fingerprints?
Does LE have reason to suspect that more than one person was involved in your father's murder.
Is there any reason to think (common evidence basis) that your Father's murder is related to other unsolved murders in the area?
What more is known about the red truck; that is, age, make, dirty, van, pick-up, etc.?
This troubles me
It would seem that LE found substantial blood in the bar on the 14th, yet they did not determine that your Father's safe was opened (home) until the 15th. What transpired on the 14th and why the delay? When were you or other family members notified?
A few thoughts
From the little I know, this appears likely to be a cold blooded murder. Generally, murder is something that criminals advance to doing. In other words, I suspect that the person or persons that murdered your Father likely committed other crimes prior to this act. As such, there's a decent chance they have a criminal record.
Next, robbery is usually based on need, particularly armed robbery -- though it's not a given, from what I know, that your Father did not surprise someone burglarizing his home. People who face such critical monetary needs that they feel a need to kill might well be unemployed (creates need).
As has often been noted, the fact that the strip mine would only be known to locals logically appears to be a very reasonable limiting factor, which would move the murderer being but a passer by way down on the list of probabilities.
Finally, I suspect LE is not giving you much in the way of information. If so, make sure you and/or other family members keep requesting progress reports, and do ask for a bit more information with each call. It doesn't hurt to ask and as time passes, it's likely that ever fewer LE resources will be dedicated to your Father's case unless it is solved. And should LE's resources ramp down, you will want to have as many case facts as possible to work with.
God bless your Father, you and your family.
