Found Deceased TX - Michael Chambers, 70, Hunt County, 10 March 2017 #6

[Razz]

I also came across this case (it’s important to point out, IMO, that I’ve read several articles on the case, and none of them specify the type of septic system involved: Aerobic or conventional):

“Skeletal remains discovered in a southern Texas septic tank have been identified as a woman reported missing more than a decade ago, reports CBS affiliate KGBT.

Leona Marie Tollett Johnson was 21 when she vanished in 2004. The remains, which were found on July 26 in a tank in Weslaco, were positively identified as Johnson through DNA, according to the Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office.

KRGV reports a murder warrant has been issued for 40-year-old Aristeo Cervantes Jr., the owner of the home where the remains were found. Cervantes' daughter and her boyfriend reportedly found a woman's boot in the tank near the home and called authorities, who discovered bones.

Cervantes is already serving a 12-year sentence in state prison for stabbing his wife in 2015, the station reports. Investigators say he has admitted that he stabbed a woman after a dispute in 2004 and hid her remains in the septic tank, but said he didn't know her.

[SBM]

Investigators say Johnson's cause of death is consistent with Cervantes' confession.” (BBM)
https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/sk...eptic-tank-idd-as-woman-who-vanished-in-2004/

“Human remains that turned up in July when a septic tank was being serviced at a south Texas home have unraveled a murder mystery — one that went unsolved for more than a decade.

[SBM]

“[Hidalgo County Sheriff Eddie] Guerra told KRGV that Johnson was known to run away from home often when she was a teenager. But the last time she ran away, Guerra said, her family could tell that it wasn’t the same as when she’d run away before.

But investigators said they weren’t sure who had done it until they received a call on July 26 reporting something odd — human remains lodged in a septic tank.

Authorities went to the residence near Edcouch, Texas, and heard about how the couple who lived there had been having problems with their septic tank. When they tried to fix it, they discovered a boot inside the tank. And inside the boot was a large bone, according to KGBT.

The woman who lived at the home was the daughter of Aristeo Garcia Cervantes, 40, who authorities quickly interrogated, and ultimately confessed to killing Johnson more than a decade ago and hiding her remains in his septic tank.

[SBM]

He confessed to killing Johnson — whose name he did not remember — after luring her into his car with the promise of drugs, according to CBS News. Cervantes then stabbed her to death.

Guerra told KRGV that Cervantes could have gotten away with murder, but that putting the remains in his septic tank always risked them being found.

‘You know eventually septic tanks have to be serviced,’ Guerra said. ‘Things do have to be serviced, so I'm sure that he had that in the back of his mind, all this time, that it's just a matter of when that tank was going to get serviced that he would be discovered. But if they had abandoned the house he could have easily gotten away with murder.’”
http://amp.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/national/article175823211.html

I was wondering why poor Ms. Johnson wasn’t found sooner, but then realized until he was sent to prison, Cervantes could have been cleaning the system himself, having friend (whom he might have scared into not telling anyone) or adding extra chemicals, etc.

I wonder if the buyer(s) of BC’s house has any idea what kind of mess they may be walking into.

Do you have a theory how MC would have been put in the system? I wonder if the openings are big enough to get a large man into.

Sent from my SM-J727T using Tapatalk

 

[SavetheQueen]

“Body” can also more generally mean “body of evidence,” not strictly a corpse.

Here in Texas, you don’t have to have a body to get a murder conviction.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[txhousewife83]

If his body is found someplace like that, it will have to be ruled a homicide and a proper investigation will ensue with phone and financial records gone through with a fine toothed comb. I'm not sure but it may even allow freezes on accounts like the DROP. Many crimes are solved through digital records. I don't think there can be an argument that he pit himself in the septic tank.

So would the investigation be led by HCSO or would someone else take over?

Sent from my SM-J727P using Tapatalk

 

[txhousewife83]

“Body” can also more generally mean “body of evidence,” not strictly a corpse.

I understand. I just figured if they did happen to find something, of course they would call foul play, but I'm not confident BC and whoever helped her would be ever be prosecuted for it due to lack of evidence

Sent from my SM-J727P using Tapatalk

 

[SavetheQueen]

So would the investigation be led by HCSO or would someone else take over?

Sent from my SM-J727P using Tapatalk

HCSO SHOULD be the investigating agency, but it’s hard to say who would be the ones to work it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[txhousewife83]

I thought so.. but I also thought that you had to have a significant amount of circumstantial evidence to pull off a conviction w/out a body. I could totally be wrong. I was just assuming. There is plenty of it in this case, but I feel like they would need more.

Here in Texas, you don’t have to have a body to get a murder conviction.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Sent from my SM-J727P using Tapatalk

 

[SavetheQueen]

I thought so.. but I also thought that you had to have a significant amount of circumstantial evidence to pull off a conviction w/out a body. I could totally be wrong. I was just assuming. There is plenty of it in this case, but I feel like they would need more.

Sent from my SM-J727P using Tapatalk

You are correct.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[txhousewife83]

Do you have a theory how MC would have been put in the system? I wonder if the openings are big enough to get a large man into.

Sent from my SM-J727T using Tapatalk

Someone posted a pic of theirs. It definitely looked big enough. They also said they asked their septic guy and he said yes you could hide a body in the tank

Sent from my SM-J727P using Tapatalk

 

[Tripod]

This isn’t any nuttier than riding a bicycle to jump off a bridge but if MC had a separate checking account he could’ve rented a car (missing driver’s license) tossed his phone (no tracking him) and drove to wherever he put an end to his misery. I don’t believe he committed suicide, btw.

One of my original theories was that MC bought a cheap old car with cash from a shady used car lot, had a car lot guy drive the junker to his house, then he locks up and leaves, dropping the car lot guy back at his lot, or wherever. That was when I'd thought Texas residents could cross into Mexico with just their driver's licenses, though. I had at first considered that he may have rented a car, but all the rental companies require a major credit card, even if you had cash, so I ruled that out.

I'd thought that MC wouldn't really be concerned with all the legal niceties such as proper title, registration and insurance, if he planned to just use the old car to get from Point A to Point B. I'd also theorized that he had been squirreling away small amounts of cash for quite a long time, hiding it in his shop. Either that, or he had a separate bank account somewhere, an unknown safe deposit box, or something like gold coins to pawn. I know, it's pretty wild thinking. I was trying my best to come up with scenarios that fit the few facts as we know them, while keeping Papaw alive.

I did keep thinking for a long time that he may well have walked away and remained alive, rather than walked away and did himself harm. So much time has gone by. I could almost see him thinking that he had given BC all he had to give for 35+ years, and yet he still wasn't enough for her because she had affairs and wasn't happy.. and he tried to talk to her and "fix" it, but it wasn't working. I could see him thinking that , here I am, 70 years old, about to lose the love of my life- and just leaving everything because he'd given his all anyway. Yes, I am positive he was a kind, generous, giving father, grandfather, uncle, brother, etc. and loved the rest of his family a great deal. I could see him feeling totally devastated, though, and perhaps he'd decided not to let anyone else see that.

 

[ocgrad]

Do you have a theory how MC would have been put in the system? I wonder if the openings are big enough to get a large man into.

Sent from my SM-J727T using Tapatalk

I saw the lids and tubes are 24" diameter. He seemed widest at the shoulders. But we dont know where it is located on the property. If it is visible from the road then it is really unlikely that's what happened. I still think it would be super easy for someone to pull behind the shop and load his body or force him into a vehicle that no one would see.

 

[Tripod]

I saw the lids and tubes are 24" diameter. He seemed widest at the shoulders. But we dont know where it is located on the property. If it is visible from the road then it is really unlikely that's what happened. I still think it would be super easy for someone to pull behind the shop and load his body or force him into a vehicle that no one would see.

Bump for Papaw.

 

[txhousewife83]

I saw the lids and tubes are 24" diameter. He seemed widest at the shoulders. But we dont know where it is located on the property. If it is visible from the road then it is really unlikely that's what happened. I still think it would be super easy for someone to pull behind the shop and load his body or force him into a vehicle that no one would see.

I don't think it is visible from the road but not completely sure. I wonder if somebody could see it on Google earth? I've tried but when I zoom in its all blurry and I can't make anything out. I agree that there was opportunity for someone to attack him and load the body in a vehicle. The shop lean to would have provided more than enough privacy. But what to do next? Travelling with a corpse in your vehicle in the middle of the day is risky enough on its own, but disposing of a 250+ pound body" probably heavier because it's dead weight" would create a problem. That's why I'm with Savethequeen on this one. I don't believe there is some brilliant hiding place he was taken to either. I think he's close

Sent from my SM-J727P using Tapatalk

 

[Tripod]

It's depressing to see Papaw fall back in the pages here I wonder if I'm running out of any different angle to think about, and am so afraid I am.
I suppose we could try to refresh and start from square one. I know these things have been hashed out, but since nothing has been ruled in or out with 100% certainty, could it still be possible a stranger or someone thought of could have chosen the Chambers' place to try and grab some quick cash? Seems unlikely, with no real signs of struggle and nothing taken from the house, but...

 

[Blondie in Spokane]

I keep going back to the missing drivers license......

 

[Tripod]

I keep going back to the missing drivers license......

I do, too. Either someone saw the wallet there and grabbed whatever cash was present and the license, or a criminal, whether a here-to-for petty crime kind of person or something more than that, experience-wise, might take the DL to either sell it to document forgers, or with the thought maybe he/she could use it in some way.
Then, of course, is the "hit" man theory and the DL could be used to prove to whoever hired him the job was done. It seems to me that professional hit men would pretty much shoot the target and leave the deceased target at the scene. Less chance of leaving behind evidence and taking risks moving a body in broad daylight.

MC could well have taken his own DL for his own purpose. We don't know with certainty, but it was said by the VI there were no other fingerprints found that arose any suspicions.

 

[ocgrad]

It's depressing to see Papaw fall back in the pages here I wonder if I'm running out of any different angle to think about, and am so afraid I am.
I suppose we could try to refresh and start from square one. I know these things have been hashed out, but since nothing has been ruled in or out with 100% certainty, could it still be possible a stranger or someone thought of could have chosen the Chambers' place to try and grab some quick cash? Seems unlikely, with no real signs of struggle and nothing taken from the house, but...

They sure went to a lot of work getting 6'3" MC out of there to not take anything of value if that was their purpose with a shop full of good stuff.
I would like to hear what Brad Dunn has to say. Just to hear him out. And I would like to know the location he pointed to has really been thoroughly searched.

 

[texanGirl]

They sure went to a lot of work getting 6'3" MC out of there to not take anything of value if that was their purpose with a shop full of good stuff.
I would like to hear what Brad Dunn has to say. Just to hear him out. And I would like to know the location he pointed to has really been thoroughly searched.

Don't you think if BD had location information, he also had information regarding the perpetrator(s)? I wonder who he might have named or could name.

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk

 

[KeepTheLightOn]

They sure went to a lot of work getting 6'3" MC out of there to not take anything of value if that was their purpose with a shop full of good stuff.
I would like to hear what Brad Dunn has to say. Just to hear him out. And I would like to know the location he pointed to has really been thoroughly searched.

This was the post from Thread 4, post 264:

Pmerle00

Verified Family - Michael Chambers

Join DateMar 2017Posts417​

Originally Posted by LaneGirl
Tried catching up (I've been gone for 2 weeks)....

Did I read from VI of confirmation that the wife had "multiple" affairs? Also what ever happened to the search of the well or did it happen. I'm not referencing a specific well just one I thought I read about 2 threads ago.



Yes. It is confirmed that Becca has had multiple affairs.

There was not a search of a well, but a search in the area Brad Dunn indicated. That search area included a well, which we were told had snakes in it.

END OF POST.

The area was close to the Chamber's home. I would also like to hear from BD and what he heard about the case.​

 

[Talullah]

I wouldn’t want to be in BD’s shoes, but I’d love to hear what he has to say. There’s no way to know where MC is without knowing who’s behind his disappearance. I wouldn’t think.

 

[Razz]

I wouldn’t want to be in BD’s shoes, but I’d love to hear what he has to say. There’s no way to know where MC is without knowing who’s behind his disappearance. I wouldn’t think.

You could always check his facebook.

Sent from my SM-J727T using Tapatalk