MO MO - Loy Evitts, 29, Kansas City, 28 Feb 1977

[darkstar105]

I wonder about Tiny Mercer. He would have been 33 at the time. He was a motorcycle gang member who was executed in 1989 for the murder of a waitress in Belton, MO (Not far from Grandview.) His motorcycle gang buddies kidnapped her for him because he was about to go to prison for yet another rape. I wonder if Mercer and/or his buddies could have abducted Evitts. I don't think having a watch adjusted and going to get coffee and buying an umbrella sound too much like a woman about to run off and start a new life. But I could be wrong.

 

[Hurricane]

I wonder about Tiny Mercer. He would have been 33 at the time. He was a motorcycle gang member who was executed in 1989 for the murder of a waitress in Belton, MO (Not far from Grandview.) His motorcycle gang buddies kidnapped her for him because he was about to go to prison for yet another rape. I wonder if Mercer and/or his buddies could have abducted Evitts. I don't think having a watch adjusted and going to get coffee and buying an umbrella sound too much like a woman about to run off and start a new life. But I could be wrong.

That is a good theory. I never thought about Mercer or anyone from his gang concerning the Levitt's case. The Grandview caller could have been a member or someone close to a member of the gang having regrets or second thoughts. But it's probably not likely that they took her from the parking garage on the Plaza; so why go to the trouble to return the Corvette to its parking spot? If they followed her into the garage on her return to work why wipe the inside of the car down for finger prints?

 

[MaryLiz]

Bumping...

Here is an updated profile on Charley Project.

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/e/evitts_loy.html

 

[wfgodot]

More as a curiosity note than a similiarity of m.o., but the drugstore on Main & Westport, the last-known spot Evitts was, evidently, seen (though her car was recovered in the Plaza area), was only a few blocks from the location in Westport of Bob's Bazaar Bizarre, Bob Berdella's shop. Berdella was a serial killer operating in the area at the time. He is thought to have exclusively preyed upon area gays, however.

 

[Hurricane]

More as a curiosity note than a similiarity of m.o., but the drugstore on Main & Westport, the last-known spot Evitts was, evidently, seen (though her car was recovered in the Plaza area), was only a few blocks from the location in Westport of Bob's Bazaar Bizarre, Bob Berdella's shop. Berdella was a serial killer operating in the area at the time. He is thought to have exclusively preyed upon area gays, however.

Berdella's known victims only date back to 1984, and were all young gay men/boys. As I recall he attended the KC Art Institute sometime during the 1970's, which is just east of the Country Club Plaza. There may be unknown victims that he is responsible for, but I doubt that she is one of them.

I have always wondered if the key to her disappearance isn't with the law firm where she worked, and something that she may have known was going on there.

 

[wfgodot]

Berdella's known victims only date back to 1984, and were all young gay men/boys. As I recall he attended the KC Art Institute sometime during the 1970's, which is just east of the Country Club Plaza. There may be unknown victims that he is responsible for, but I doubt that she is one of them.

I have always wondered if the key to her disappearance isn't with the law firm where she worked, and something that she may have known was going on there.

You're exactly right on the KC Art Institute detail and, of course, on Berdella's predilections. I'd thought he had an earlier victim, but I think you're right---none discovered, anyway. I remember frequenting Westport during those days, and looking around in the Bazaar Bizarre. Berdella was a quiet sort, but had a malevolence about him. (I know that's easy to claim after the fact, but he really did---a dark character who rarely offered more than a begrudging hello.) I wonder if Loy Evitt's law firm did work for organized crime. KC was a hotbed of activity at various times during that era for o.c.

 

[Hurricane]

You're exactly right on the KC Art Institute detail and, of course, on Berdella's predilections. I'd thought he had an earlier victim, but I think you're right---none discovered, anyway. I remember frequenting Westport during those days, and looking around in the Bazaar Bizarre. Berdella was a quiet sort, but had a malevolence about him. (I know that's easy to claim after the fact, but he really did---a dark character who rarely offered more than a begrudging hello.) I wonder if Loy Evitt's law firm did work for organized crime. KC was a hotbed of activity at various times during that era for o.c.

It seems to me that the lawyer she worked for was indicted a few years after her disappearance, and it was something along the lines of a shady real estate or development deal, or some other type of money laundering scenario. I don’t recall exactly what it was but I have a media file on the case, if I can find it. KCPD has always said that the lawyer and her husband were both cleared as suspects. I recall that Loy’s mother died some years back (maybe 8-10 yrs) and a new but short lived emphasis was placed on the case then. Correction: Loy's mother died in 2008.

To her friends she was a woman of mystery. Some knew her as a woman who wanted a career and would let nothing stand in the way of that goal; some said she married her older husband for money and status. Others said she wanted to start a family. So who really knows?

If her abduction was a random event brought about by someone she might have encountered while at lunch that day, then why return her car to the garage to her exact parking spot, and then wipe it down of all finger prints inside and out?

If you know about Berdella’s case and his “head shop” in Westport then you probably know what he said he usually did with the bodies. The Westport merchants association used to have a pot luck luncheon (weekly or monthly, not sure) for themselves, and after this all came out in the media some of the merchants said that Bob used to bring some of the best stews!

 

[wfgodot]

It seems to me that the lawyer she worked for was indicted a few years after her disappearance, and it was something along the lines of a shady real estate or development deal, or some other type of money laundering scenario. I don’t recall exactly what it was but I have a media file on the case, if I can find it. KCPD has always said that the lawyer and her husband were both cleared as suspects. I recall that Loy’s mother died some years back (maybe 8-10 yrs) and a new but short lived emphasis was placed on the case then.

To her friends she was a woman of mystery. Some knew her as a woman who wanted a career and would let nothing stand in the way of that goal; some said she married her older husband for money and status. Others said she wanted to start a family. So who really knows?

If her abduction was a random event brought about by someone she might have encountered while at lunch that day, then why return her car to the garage to her exact parking spot, and then wipe it down of all finger prints inside and out?

If you know about Berdella’s case and his “head shop” in Westport then you probably know what he said he usually did with the bodies. The Westport merchants association used to have a pot luck luncheon (weekly or monthly, not sure) for themselves, and after this all came out in the media some of the merchants said that Bob used to bring some of the best stews!

Good Evitts update. I didn't know any of that. I remember when it happened as my small Kansas hometown did get the KC Times and the Star. Hilarious, too, about Berdella and the Westport merchants. I read the mass market paperback about the case, "Rites of Burial" I think it was called. After that case went down, I can recall sitting and drinking beer at Kelly's and pondering the meaning of it all, boozily! As for the bazaar, I usually love places like that and have spent many a happy hour browsing same---but Berdella's personality limited my time in there to a quick glance and then out into the hallway and out of the building.

 

[Hurricane]

Good Evitts update. I didn't know any of that. I remember when it happened as my small Kansas hometown did get the KC Times and the Star. Hilarious, too, about Berdella and the Westport merchants. I read the mass market paperback about the case, "Rites of Burial" I think it was called. After that case went down, I can recall sitting and drinking beer at Kelly's and pondering the meaning of it all, boozily! As for the bazaar, I usually love places like that and have spent many a happy hour browsing same---but Berdella's personality limited my time in there to a quick glance and then out into the hallway and out of the building.

Loy grew up in Coffeyville and I believe her mom was still living there when she passed away. If I remember correctly she was an only child so her background info came from her mom and her friends.

If the perp(s) were just hanging around in the parking garage with no plans of any kind, or if they saw her out at lunch and followed her back to the garage, what was the point of wiping down the inside of her car for finger prints? I can understand why a perp might have wiped down the outside for prints that might have gotten there during a struggle, but not the inside. KCPD said the car was clean and void of any prints. That tells me that someone else was in the car with her. Could it have been someone from work, or someone she otherwise knew?

 

[JulieR]

Wonder if her husband had a large life insurance policy on her? Very strange no prints found even in her own home, on personal belongings.........come on, heck if they came to my house for prints they would think I never cleaned.

It could also be a client of the law firm that knew her routine.

I also wonder if the car keys were found.

 

[Hurricane]

Wonder if her husband had a large life insurance policy on her? Very strange no prints found even in her own home, on personal belongings.........come on, heck if they came to my house for prints they would think I never cleaned.

It could also be a client of the law firm that knew her routine.

I also wonder if the car keys were found.

I don't know that it could be considered her routine. It was stated that she took a late lunch; shopped on the Plaza in a couple of stores including having her watch adjusted. Then proceeded to Katz Drug at Westport & Main where she drank her coffee and purchased an umbrella.

Good thought on the car keys. KCPD never said if the keys were inside her purse or not when it was found.

 

[wfgodot]

I don't know that it could be considered her routine. It was stated that she took a late lunch; shopped on the Plaza in a couple of stores including having her watch adjusted. Then proceeded to Katz Drug at Westport & Main where she drank her coffee and purchased an umbrella.

Good thought on the car keys. KCPD never said if the keys were inside her purse or not when it was found.

I also wonder if Loy's car seat was adjusted to fit the length of a taller driver; she's listed as being 5'5". And thanks, Hurricane, for that detail about her being from Coffeyville. I grew up about thirty miles from there, and knew there was a reason I was especially interested in this case when it was first reported, back in '77.

 

[Hurricane]

I also wonder if Loy's car seat was adjusted to fit the length of a taller driver; she's listed as being 5'5". And thanks, Hurricane, for that detail about her being from Coffeyville. I grew up about thirty miles from there, and knew there was a reason I was especially interested in this case when it was first reported, back in '77.

I found my file and Loy's mother lived to be 97 yrs old and just passed away last year. I corrected my error in post #27 above.

Good point concerning the setting of the driver's seat. I don't know how it was found.

If you know, would Halliburton Oil have been about the largest employer in Coffeyville in those days?

 

[Hurricane]

Another motive for her abduction that was looked into was blackmail. Her husband Don Evitts was an insurance auditor. A review of his audits was conducted to see if he had uncovered anything that might have led someone to kidnap his wife in order to blackmail Don to keep quiet. Nothing out of the ordinary was found.

 

[wfgodot]

I found my file and Loy's mother lived to be 97 yrs old and just passed away last year. I corrected my error in post #27 above.

Good point concerning the setting of the driver's seat. I don't know how it was found.

If you know, would Halliburton Oil have been about the largest employer in Coffeyville in those days?

Not sure, good question. I've googled around and haven't come up with anything. Coffeyville's right on the (oil rich) Oklahoma border, so it may have been; it's economy was much different than my hometown's (Parsons), because of that fact.

 

[Hurricane]

That summer the lower torso of a woman was found in a river in Arkansas near Little Rock, I think it was. The torso was from a woman about the size of Loy Evitts and was wearing maroon pants or slacks. The coroner examining the torso believed that it had been in the water approximately 10 months, and Evitts had been missing only 5 months at the time. I believe LE also used hair samples to determine that it was not Evitts. It was also determined that the pants from the torso were part of a maroon pant suit. I don't know if the torso was ever identified or not.

 

[Kat]

Making a notation here on Loy's thread.

http://blogs.kansascity.com/crime_scene/2006/03/email_inquiry_l.html

The above author states that the Kansas City Library has photocopied articles for Loy's case. JFYI for anyone researching or if we have members that are in KC.

 

[mincysangel]

My father was an investigator on this case. I always found it very interesting. When he retired from the department, I asked him about the case. He investigated the "person of interest" and cleared him. My father felt that one of two things happened. She either left on her on accord and was in a tropical climate, or was under the highway that was being built at that time. I asked him why he felt she left on her own. He just smiled and made a reference to clients of the law firm she worked at. I think that he did feel that she left on her own with outside help.

 

[MaryLiz]

My father was an investigator on this case. I always found it very interesting. When he retired from the department, I asked him about the case. He investigated the "person of interest" and cleared him. My father felt that one of two things happened. She either left on her on accord and was in a tropical climate, or was under the highway that was being built at that time. I asked him why he felt she left on her own. He just smiled and made a reference to clients of the law firm she worked at. I think that he did feel that she left on her own with outside help.

That's very interesting. When a young woman disappears like that, you always think the worst right away and I was sure something bad happened to her. I never really thought that she left on her own. But your father would definitely know since he investigated the case. Thanks for the info!

 

[Odyssey]

Hmm. This might make perfect sense to someone who is familiar with the area (which I'm not), but I'm a little curious as to how they knew that she walked to certain stores but drove to another. Is it possible that she did not drive to the drug store and that her car was actually in the garage the whole time? I did see a mention that she wouldn't choose to walk since she loved her car, so was the statement that she drove to the drug store based on that?

If it was raining that day, it might explain why she purchased an umbrella, if she planned to walk back to work... or if it had started raining, maybe she accepted a ride from someone?

I just thought it was odd that someone could describe exactly where she went and how she got there (though I realize the "where she went" could be due to things they found among her possessions), yet didn't see anything unusual.

I also think the "fingerprints wiped clean" thing is odd. Was there something found in the car that would have been used to wipe fingerprints from the steering wheel, door handles, seat belt, etc? That just doesn't sit right with me.