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Theres no doubt that Coffey is a sickoo that needs iron bars between him and our children. But again, you bring up his predilection for single, young, pre-adolescent children boys and girls. Of course, I know nothing about the circumstances of these two cases and would like to find out more because IF Coffey is responsible for the Lyons disappearance then hes someone to focus on but if NOT then we need to move-on to some else.
I understand the reason for the MCPs fixation on Coffey, as a primary suspect, is because of the circumstances surrounding his leaving MC without prior notice the day after another girls body was found in the area. And then only after 1987, when Mecklenburg County NC LEs collared him for his last abduction.
Ive always found his supposed behavior in Montgomery Co in 1975 as twisted, a distortion of his normal signature attack. If Coffey took the Lyons, why did he hold both of them for 10 days? His pattern is commission and escape. And to return to the very area of his last crime and ingratiate himself into a job then kill another? Although, it was more like his signature behavior, the whole scenario sounds stupidly suicidal for a predictor whose longevity is dependent on escape without a trace to attack again. Just seems like reckless, out-of-character behavior without justification.
Then of course, the MCPs number one suspect falls of their chart of who-done-its, what 3-4 years ago, when they find the evidence to blame some teens for that second girls death?....
Montgomery County Police have never officially named anyone - known or unknown - as a "suspect" in the case of the missing Lyon girls or in the murder of Kathy Lynn Beatty.
In these threads on Websleuths, there have been a number of possible suspects discussed - including, but not limited to Fred Howard Coffey, Jr.
As you have pointed out, MCP did not know of Mr. Coffey until March of 1987, some twelve years after the girls went missing. At that time, a police spokesman stated to the news media that he believed Coffey was the strongest lead they had in the case since day one. Within three days, MCP announced to the press that they could find no connection between Coffey and the Lyon sisters. Unfortunately, many records had been lost by that time and the trail was indeed cold.
While MCP might have considered Coffey as a possible perpetrator in the murder of Kathy Lynn Beatty, I do not think that they ever considered him their "number one suspect". In fact, the few indications to the press were that a person or persons from the local kid population were thought to be responsible for her death. MCP even suggested that her death may have been an "accident" and that she might have fallen and hit her head while running from someone.
MCP investigators in recent years have mentioned new witness testimony about two persons carrying a young girl across Georgia Avenue, but this would tend to support their earliest suspicions, rather than the work of Mr. Coffey. Unfortunately, urban legend seems to have provided much of the recent information on Kathy's case, and police have to carefully sift through hearsay and actual facts.
As the title of this thread would indicate, the premise of these posts is that the Lyon girls were indeed abducted. By whom is one major question. Other questions as to why, how, etc are as important. Was it a single perpetrator, or were more than one involved? A major obstacle to trying to answer those questions is the dearth of evidence and clues.
While there have been a number of potential suspects and persons of interest mentioned, it is hard to connect the dots on any of them. The very fact that there is so little evidence means that we are left with speculation in attempting to determine signatures and patterns, and then to project them onto these cases.
I would suggest that the abduction of the Lyon girls was NOT a first and only time event for the perpetrator. He was skilled, calculating, and confident. To attempt a double abduction, he had probably conducted previous single abductions. He most likely continued his abductions after this one.
At this point, I do not think that any of the suggested possible suspects could be named beyond a doubt as the perpetrator. Nor do I think that any of them could be completely ruled out based on known facts. Some might seem stronger or more likely than others, but that is not enough to arrest, indict, or convict.
One cannot, on the basis of information gained from only one or two specific cases, project that everything will match other known cases. Signatures do occur, similarities exist, patterns might be determined. But connections, projections, or rule-outs cannot be made on the absence of evidence.
Also, the "signature" might be that the perpetrator changes his method or pattern intentionally with each abduction. A pattern could be a simple repeating one of every six months, or it could be an excellerating one in which he attacks at successively earlier intervals, and with increasing violence or carelessness.
As you point out, it is also possible that either the Lyon abduction or the Beatty abduction/murder might be crimes which are outside of the usual signature/pattern of the perpetrator/perpetrators. Or that parts of those cases are outside the norm of the usual pattern.
It is possible that some event or obstacle occurred which caused the perpetrator(s) to alter their plans or patterns and to have to depart from their intended course of action.
