AL AL - J.B. Beasley, 17, & Tracie Hawlett, 17, Ozark, 31 July 1999 #3

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Irishrose70 said:
My understanding is we know the girls went to and were seen at a field party in Skipperville. If this was the case, they weren't lost. Possibly a little disoriented, but not lost. 105 is the road that goes from Skipperville to Ozark. The store they called from is on 105/27 as you come into Ozark after leaving Skipperville. The first available phone, and a direct route to 231 to get back to Dothan the quickest. They may have asked to verify, but roads were also well marked. There are 3 roads you can turn onto leaving the gas station, 2 of which have visible roads forking or turning off of them. They may have asked directions to be sure they made right turn leaving gas station, but it was impossible to miss 231 if they took the right, as the witnesses at the store stated.
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I do not know what to think anymore. Now I read that they have been sighted at a party in Skipperville so maybe I am lost about them getting lost in Headland as well?

Supposedly now Tracie Hawlett had called her mother to ask if they could stop to see two boys for a few minutes too?

So I do not know what to think or theorize anymore. Even if Tracie Hawlett made a phone call to say her and J.B. Beasley were lost to "buy time", I think my last question would be:

Then why did J.B. Beasley get directions from Ms. Merritt at the Big Little gas station in Ozark, Al?
 
somequestions said:
I do not know what to think anymore. Now I read that they have been sighted at a party in Skipperville so maybe I am lost about them getting lost in Headland as well?

Supposedly now Tracie Hawlett had called her mother to ask if they could stop to see two boys for a few minutes too?

So I do not know what to think or theorize anymore. Even if Tracie Hawlett made a phone call to say her and J.B. Beasley were lost to "buy time", I think my last question would be:

Then why did J.B. Beasley get directions from Ms. Merritt at the Big Little gas station in Ozark, Al?
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BBM.
IMO, JB was getting directions on the quickest way to leave Ozark to get to Dothan(?).
I don't believe she was ever asking directions because they were lost.
 
I personally think we need to throw away pretty much everything we thought we knew.

1) they were never lost, and not coming straight home.

2) Low on gas? Of course they probably were. Troy to Dothan, Dothan to headland and looking for Haleburg party, back roads to Skipperville, and that doesn't even count going to and from work, errands, and "cruising"and who knows what else. They were teenagers.
3) Field party anyone? Clean shoes?? How tall were any crops? Were fields irrigated? What was dew point? Was field clean cut to access road? Or was there about a 3 foot area with briars and tall grass at field edge, like most. Did tractors tending field leave mud on access road that probably had grass with two dirt paths from tires on either side?

My questions now are condition of field, if they had a credit card or money for gas, and if there was mud or dirt on the pedals and floorboards of the car. And on back floorboard.
 
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CoolJ said:
I respect your opinions tremendously TedMac, but I have a hard time believing your source. Every report we have seen including chief Spivey in 2015 and including close family members is that the DNA is still a part of this investigation.
Maybe your source is misleading you, or maybe your source has been misled. There seems to be a lot of that in this case.
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Thank you and likewise, I respect your opinion.
 
Mystery Cold Cases said:
Is there anyone local that might be interested in helping me take a closer look at this.....the more I dig into this, the more info I find from different sites.
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Hi Mystery,
We would love to chat with you about some theories and info on the case. We have been doing some serious digging but would love to bounce some ideas. Our e-mail address is almurdermystery@gmail.com if you are interested. Hope to talk to you soon!
 
A couple of random thoughts. I've been looking into this for quite some time but gave a friend who has never heard of the case a few small details just to see their thoughts and these were some questions/ opinions they had.

1. The keys missing. It's mind-boggling. Thoughts... Could the killer have taken them to give himself more time. It seems odd that it took the police that long to get into the trunk to discover the victims but if that vehicle didn't have a trunk pop button (I don't know if it did or didn't, does anyone know?) it would have taken them longer to get into the trunk.

2. DNA on the victim. I've seen several theories that maybe the killer got off to them while they were alive before he killed them. What if he was a necrophiliac? If he got off on her after he killed them. You would think that it wouldn't make a difference but it would give a difference in depiction of the killer? I know that we do not know if that specific DNA was from the killer or from a pervious encounter but just a thought.
 
ALMurderMystery said:
A couple of random thoughts. I've been looking into this for quite some time but gave a friend who has never heard of the case a few small details just to see their thoughts and these were some questions/ opinions they had.

1. The keys missing. It's mind-boggling. Thoughts... Could the killer have taken them to give himself more time. It seems odd that it took the police that long to get into the trunk to discover the victims but if that vehicle didn't have a trunk pop button (I don't know if it did or didn't, does anyone know?) it would have taken them longer to get into the trunk.

2. DNA on the victim. I've seen several theories that maybe the killer got off to them while they were alive before he killed them. What if he was a necrophiliac? If he got off on her after he killed them. You would think that it wouldn't make a difference but it would give a difference in depiction of the killer? I know that we do not know if that specific DNA was from the killer or from a pervious encounter but just a thought.
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1. The killer may took the keys for the reason you said. Also, he may have taken them simply out of force of habit. Some people instinctively put the keys in their pocket after switching off the engine. The car did have a trunk pop button and the Ozark PD Officer had sat by and in the car for 5 hours never knowing JB's car had one. It was only after the Dothan PD Investigator arrived that the button was found and the bodies discovered inside. This was a crucial mistake. If the bodies had been discovered sooner, a tracking dog may have been able to pick up the scent of the person exiting the car and followed it to wherever he walked or at a minimum followed it in the direction the person went. Big opportunity missed! Also, there may have been foot prints near the car since both girls pants were wet from the knee down. It stands to reason that the killer may have been wet, too and probably left his prints there until the hot AL sun baked them away. Big mistake!

2. Chief Spivey originally said thought the killer may have done exactly what you mentioned and stated they (LE) may be looking for someone who could not sexually perform. Whether the semen found on Beasley's underwear and skin came from the killer or a consenual encounter earlier has the been the subject of much debate and unless the killer is located, we will never know for sure.
 
Irishrose70 said:
Do we know for absolute fact that the girls were at the field party in Skipperville, and had gotten permission to stop to see the boys on the way home, but never made it?
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I wondered the same thing since during the Haunting Evidence episode when the Deputy Chief was at the Headland gas station he said that between "here and where they ended up in Ozark is a total blank to us." Yet, on here, people write that they went to a field party in Skipperville after leaving the Headland gas station. So this would be mean presumably that they were not lost since you can easily take 105 south back into Ozark, AL to stop at the Big Little gas station. So either the information is untrue or it was not uncovered until after the Haunting Evidence episode aired or it was an editing mistake that does not make sense since it comes from the mouth of one of what sounds like one of the chief investigators at the time. So what to think?
 
F.Y.I. Another piece of information that I heard or read was that after police searched through the car J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett were in that night, a Boston Red Sox cap was missing. How true is this I do not know. I think I heard this information in the interview that J.B. Beasley's sister Jacqui gave to news reporter. Their dad liked the Boston Red Sox and I think it was either his cap or J.B. had bought it for him?

Whatever the reason for the Boston Red Sox cap being in the car, it seemed strange that the killer would take it. There was money, credit cards, and even the car that he could have taken. But what does he take, a Boston Red Sox cap?!

On a side note, the Boston Red Sox did have a good season in 1999. It is one of those clues(if true) that makes me think the killer was young. Another interesting side note to a strange mystery.
 
somequestions said:
I wondered the same thing since during the Haunting Evidence episode when the Deputy Chief was at the Headland gas station he said that between "here and where they ended up in Ozark is a total blank to us." Yet, on here, people write that they went to a field party in Skipperville after leaving the Headland gas station. So this would be mean presumably that they were not lost since you can easily take 105 south back into Ozark, AL to stop at the Big Little gas station. So either the information is untrue or it was not uncovered until after the Haunting Evidence episode aired or it was an editing mistake that does not make sense since it comes from the mouth of one of what sounds like one of the chief investigators at the time. So what to think?
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I have always thoughtthat the getting lost part was the girls not being able to locate the two boys they were attempting to meet up with. Also, when Tracie was speaking on the phone with her mom, JB asked Ms. Merritt for directions back to Dothan. JB was somewhat familiar with Ozark, but (MOO) she was confused about how to get back to Dothan from where they were. She probably only knew one way to drive back there, but she didn't know how to get to the road she was looking for. This also was a part of being "lost". Otherwise, it would have been no reason for her to ask for directions.
 
somequestions said:
F.Y.I. Another piece of information that I heard or read was that after police searched through the car J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett were in that night, a Boston Red Sox cap was missing. How true is this I do not know. I think I heard this information in the interview that J.B. Beasley's sister Jacqui gave to news reporter. Their dad liked the Boston Red Sox and I think it was either his cap or J.B. had bought it for him?

Whatever the reason for the Boston Red Sox cap being in the car, it seemed strange that the killer would take it. There was money, credit cards, and even the car that he could have taken. But what does he take, a Boston Red Sox cap?!

On a side note, the Boston Red Sox did have a good season in 1999. It is one of those clues(if true) that makes me think the killer was young. Another interesting side note to a strange mystery.
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The missing Boston Red Sox hat is true. No one missed it initially. Her step-dad was the one who remembered it was in her car and made LE aware it was missing. If you recall, there was a picture of JB, her step-dad and her aunt taken in Fenway Park. I believe they bought the hat that day.

It is assumed the killer took it, because it was missing. I guess there is a chance that she removed it from the car before the night she was killed, but it has not been located.
 
TedMac said:
I have always thoughtthat the getting lost part was the girls not being able to locate the two boys they were attempting to meet up with. Also, when Tracie was speaking on the phone with her mom, JB asked Ms. Merritt for directions back to Dothan. JB was somewhat familiar with Ozark, but (MOO) she was confused about how to get back to Dothan from where they were. She probably only knew one way to drive back there, but she didn't know how to get to the road she was looking for. This also was a part of being "lost". Otherwise, it would have been no reason for her to ask for directions.
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My thoughts exactly.
The girls were "lost."
 
J.B. picked up Tracie at 9 from work and then Tracie called her mom at 11:30 to say they were lost or "lost", between all the driving around would they have had time to go to a party? At first people were saying they never made it to the field party now they might have been at one in Skipperville. Does anyone know what time they were seen there?
 
somequestions said:
Yes, I meant maybe the killer had a pet as a way of creating conversation. It does not make a lot of sense because what would the killer do with the pet while he is committing his crime and driving around in J.B. Beasley's car? Then that would mean there were pet hairs in her car too. So that theory lacks a lot of common sense.
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For some reason when you animal scratches or bites I was thinking of something in the water they walked through. Or a reptile like snake or some lizard - I don't know why I thought of that. I didn't consider pet hair hopefully the police did.
 
The timeline has changed considerable since the Thread #1 was started and different information has come to light from several different sources.

This is what I believe the timeline to be IMOO and recollections:

1) JB and Tracie leave Tracie's house in Dothan around 10:00 pm; intent as we know it, go to the field party of one of JB's friends in Dance Class in Haleburg; part of the purspose of the party is in honor of JB's Birthday. A poster (I cannot remember their handle/screen name) towards the end of Thread #3 posted the handwritten/drawn directions/map. The handwritten directions & Map vs. google are not clear, so the girls never find this field party. It was supposedly off of a dirt road off of 95 in Haleburg.

2) JB and Tracie give up looking for the party and end up at the BP Station (I believe it's a Citgo now, but not sure) in Headland around 10:30. JB calls the Dance Class friend from the pay phone, but speaks to Dance Class friend's sister; they run into and speak with Bookie. They give Bookie the handwritten map and ask Bookie how to get to Midland City without going back to Dothan. JB and Tracie leave the BP Station in the direction that Bookie just gave them. A Law Enforcement Officer saw JB's car and the girls at this BP that night as he was on patrol.

3) The same poster from Thread #3 who posted the handwritten map to the Haleburg field party, also stated that the girls went to a party in Skipperville prior to arrival in Ozark and were at the party for a short time. The poster said Ozark police knew about this party and confirmed from people in attendance at the party that JB and Tracie were there briefly. I'm guessing this would be around 11:00 to 11:15, but have no way to confirm. ( so this depends on that poster having accurate information) But I think this was confirmed in the "Fear Based Life" podcast, same one below, as well, but I could be wrong.

4) JB and Tracie at the Big/Little Station in Ozark. The call to Tracie's mom from the pay phone was confirmed by police to be at 11:38. This is the station with the Mother and Daughter who give them directions to Dothan, the white truck is on the station surveillance camera, Tracie makes the Call to her Mom and the Mother/Daughter confirm that JB and Tracie leave in the direction she told them to go and that no one followed them. From the Podcast "Fear Based Life" when the Producer/Director of "Shined Rabbit" was a guest, we learned that Tracie asked her Mom in the phone call, if they could stop in Midland City on the way back to Dothan to meet the 2 boys. According to Silver, Tracie's Mom agreed to this but only that stop, no other stops, and they could not stop for long.

If anybody has additions or corrections, feel free.
 
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cherrymeg said:
Did Tracie's mom change her story? If you are going to meet someone else or other people that changes when you will be expected home compared to being lost and coming home. It also changes where you are going.
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I can only make guesses. My thought would be, that at first, as in many investigations, the Police wanted to keep some information to themselves that the public would never know. This not only protects the case for a possible trial, but also gives them info that they can use to sort out who really knows something, and who only read or watched the news. So maybe the Police instructed Tracie's Mom to keep this part of the call to herself.

And how the producer/director came to know this information, I will not make any guesses.

I really wish we could see the documentary. I would pay $$ to watch it by streaming it online. I get that they have to recoup their production costs and are trying to find an outlet for it, but I believe they could make a decent amount of money by making it available to stream. And I believe as they do, that this documentary could help keep awareness for this tragic crime and maybe jog someone's memory. But it has to be seen in order to do that.
 
SavageMarkIII said:
I can only make guesses. My thought would be, that at first, as in many investigations, the Police wanted to keep some information to themselves that the public would never know. This not only protects the case for a possible trial, but also gives them info that they can use to sort out who really knows something, and who only read or watched the news. So maybe the Police instructed Tracie's Mom to keep this part of the call to herself.

And how the producer/director came to know this information, I will not make any guesses.

I really wish we could see the documentary. I would pay $$ to watch it by streaming it online. I get that they have to recoup their production costs and are trying to find an outlet for it, but I believe they could make a decent amount of money by making it available to stream. And I believe as they do, that this documentary could help keep awareness for this tragic crime and maybe jog someone's memory. But it has to be seen in order to do that.
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I wouldn't blame the mother for downplaying the possibility of guys being in the picture. If you know your kid should be home in the morning and they aren't there you want police to look for them. It seems like the timeline keeps changing. Now it's a cold case and knowing where the girls went that night could help figure out who killed them. Alibis could change - what's important at 17 isn't going to be important 19 years later. If the documentary is about finding the killer/s of these girls why isn't it available?
 
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