GUILTY OR - Whitney Heichel, 21, Gresham, 16 Oct 2012 #5

Status
Not open for further replies.

Knox

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 17, 2009
Messages
29,508
Reaction score
184,149
Missing woman's SUV found with busted window

GRESHAM, Ore. - A 21-year-old Gresham woman has disappeared under what police have labeled 'suspicious' circumstances.

Whitney Heichel did not show up to work Tuesday morning and her vehicle, a black 1999 Ford Explorer (pictured in the photo gallery), was later found abandoned in the parking lot of the Wood Village WalMart at 23500 N.E. Sandy Boulevard.

The vehicle's window was shattered and it appeared as if someone had rummaged around inside.

Gresham police are looking for leads in the case. At this point, investigators do not know if Heichel left of her own accord and is simply unaccounted for, or if she was a victim of foul play.

http://www.katu.com/news/local/Gresham-woman-Whitney-Heichel-missing-174489061.html

thread #1
thread #2
thread #3

Scanner thread
 
No more discussion about religion. This is not a forum for religious debating. I just posted this same warning about 3 days ago.

End it now. Thank you!
 
Please continue here.

Thanks,

Salem
 
This is one of those cases thats going to stick with me for a very very long time :rose:
 
After seeing that tribute video I truly feel that if Whitney's life flashed before her eyes in her last moments she had beautiful memories of a life well lived
 
I re-read the affidavit again today. So sad the story it is telling.

If I understand it correctly it seems that the forensic evidence in the car is going to tell the story of what happened.


Whitney (whether alive or not) seemed to be in the front passenger seat and the rear seat directly behind it. The front windshield had the brain matter and the seat behind it had the clump of hair. The floor in the backseat area had a large pooling of blood. That looked like its "source had been positioned near the center of the rear seat" thus causing the blood to flow down and pool on the floor. There was a white/silver earring back laying in the pooled blood on the floor.

The floor mat in the rear passenger side had been removed and ended up being found in the dumpster at Walmart.

The left side of the vehicle had the tooth laying on the drivers floor mat. Their were also evergreen needles noted there.

The seat behind the drivers, had blood that was described as "drips" and "spots" . There was also a smudge on that doors window and a white scrape mark on the doors interior down by the reflector.

The very back of the vehicle and the back bumper were described as having a fine white mist which was undisturbed. It sounds like road film or dust and seems to indicate that area wasnt used at all.

So it seems her body was in the front passenger seat and the seat behind it. It also sounds like the body was removed by JH by using the door behind the drivers door.

Does that make sense? Hope my wording isnt confusing.
 
I re-read the affidavit again today. So sad the story it is telling.

If I understand it correctly it seems that the forensic evidence in the car is going to tell the story of what happened.


Whitney (whether alive or not) seemed to be in the front passenger seat and the rear seat directly behind it. The front windshield had the brain matter and the seat behind it had the clump of hair. The floor in the backseat area had a large pooling of blood. That looked like its "source had been positioned near the center of the rear seat" thus causing the blood to flow down and pool on the floor. There was a white/silver earring back laying in the pooled blood on the floor.

The floor mat in the rear passenger side had been removed and ended up being found in the dumpster at Walmart.

The left side of the vehicle had the tooth laying on the drivers floor mat. Their were also evergreen needles noted there.

The seat behind the drivers, had blood that was described as "drips" and "spots" . There was also a smudge on that doors window and a white scrape mark on the doors interior down by the reflector.

The very back of the vehicle and the back bumper were described as having a fine white mist which was undisturbed. It sounds like road film or dust and seems to indicate that area wasnt used at all.

So it seems her body was in the front passenger seat and the seat behind it. It also sounds like the body was removed by JH by using the door behind the drivers door.

Does that make sense? Hope my wording isnt confusing.


Good post....I believe so Holt would'nt get more bloodied rather than carrying WH to the back seat he pulled her over the seat, maybe by her hair( the clumps of hair found backseat)....Or the gunshot took off some of her scalp...then on the drive from the Lake, Holt began pitching WH's clothes, other stuff off at various locations en route to the Mountain....

Then reaching the Mountain, Holt had to have picked up WH to carry her to her final resting place. So Holt likely was bloodied. Someone mentioned a comment hikers on the Mountain saw a young woman curled up near a rock. I can't understand why they didnt see if she was OK, whether it was WH or someone else, I mean it's a desolate area, you'd think it was odd to see this, most normal people would've checked to make sure she was OK? I just don't get that about some people, just walk the other way ignore helping...
 
Desdemona:
I did search for the information online.... Not doubting that it was possibly once put out there somewhere and has since been scrubbed, but as of today when I looked, the only search result for Whitney being "shot twice in the face" was PIM's post here at WS.

Xavier:
From the early findings when Whitney was discovered, there was "talk" in the news stories Whitney was shot twice in the face/head and twice in the chest.
Though lately, the news has kept alot of the "graphic stuff" out of the news and I think out of respect to the family, LE put a muzzle on the details of the crime scene.

Yes, Xavier is correct. The early news reports stated she'd been shot twice in the head/face area (I was trying to be brief in that last comment) and two times in the chest/torso. If I find the article I'll post the link but I'm guessing it may have been taken down.
 
Good post....I believe so Holt would'nt get more bloodied rather than carrying WH to the back seat he pulled her over the seat, maybe by her hair( the clumps of hair found backseat)....Or the gunshot took off some of her scalp...then on the drive from the Lake, Holt began pitching WH's clothes, other stuff off at various locations en route to the Mountain....

Then reaching the Mountain, Holt had to have picked up WH to carry her to her final resting place. So Holt likely was bloodied. Someone mentioned a comment hikers on the Mountain saw a young woman curled up near a rock. I can't understand why they didnt see if she was OK, whether it was WH or someone else, I mean it's a desolate area, you'd think it was odd to see this, most normal people would've checked to make sure she was OK? I just don't get that about some people, just walk the other way ignore helping...

bbm

I thought they did speak to her and she said she was heading to rehab or something? Anyone remember this?
 
I re-read the affidavit again today. So sad the story it is telling.

If I understand it correctly it seems that the forensic evidence in the car is going to tell the story of what happened.

Whitney (whether alive or not) seemed to be in the front passenger seat and the rear seat directly behind it. The front windshield had the brain matter and the seat behind it had the clump of hair. The floor in the backseat area had a large pooling of blood. That looked like its "source had been positioned near the center of the rear seat" thus causing the blood to flow down and pool on the floor. There was a white/silver earring back laying in the pooled blood on the floor.

The floor mat in the rear passenger side had been removed and ended up being found in the dumpster at Walmart.

The left side of the vehicle had the tooth laying on the drivers floor mat. Their were also evergreen needles noted there.

The seat behind the drivers, had blood that was described as "drips" and "spots" . There was also a smudge on that doors window and a white scrape mark on the doors interior down by the reflector.

The very back of the vehicle and the back bumper were described as having a fine white mist which was undisturbed. It sounds like road film or dust and seems to indicate that area wasnt used at all.

So it seems her body was in the front passenger seat and the seat behind it. It also sounds like the body was removed by JH by using the door behind the drivers door.

Does that make sense? Hope my wording isnt confusing.

I agree with you on the forensic evidence.

Thank you for this very good summary! Yes it makes sense, and you got through more of the affidavit than I could, so I really appreciate you posting so many of the key points.

Warning, graphic and some may want to skip this:

I'm sorry, this is so disgusting to think about. I'm not even entirely sure I want to know the answer to this question, but how long would it take someone to mostly bleed out? The reason I ask is it seems like "drips" and "spots" could only be from someone who was just barely cut/hurt, or someone who didn't have that much blood left in them at the time. It seems like she had to be in the back, at least the part of her that was bleeding a lot, either from the start or very quickly. The smaller marks also don't sound like something that could be created by one person dragging another - maybe I'm getting too technical but wouldn't that be called smears or smudges? So did he basically drive her around until he could move her without her dripping too much blood? Or maybe she inflicted some injury on him that was causing him to drip some blood? Or she was in the back from pretty early on?

Also wondering if he washed the front of the SUV off just enough to rinse away the worst of it so it wouldn't be so obvious in the parking lot, but didn't completely wash it for whatever reason - someone saw him, afraid someone would see into the tinted windows, blown out window, generally freaked out, really likes Febreze and thought that's all he needed...? (I'm kidding on that one, please forgive me for the sick humor). I know many of us noticed early on that some parts of the SUV seemed dirtier than other parts. I was assuming the difference was caused by road conditions, new tires, or possibly salt on the road, but there could be other reasons for sure. All speculation, nothing's been reported AFAIK about the cleanliness of the SUV at this point.
 
I believe so Holt would'nt get more bloodied rather than carrying WH to the back seat he pulled her over the seat, maybe by her hair( the clumps of hair found backseat)....Or the gunshot took off some of her scalp...then on the drive from the Lake, Holt began pitching WH's clothes, other stuff off at various locations en route to the Mountain....

My thoughts were similar

Then reaching the Mountain, Holt had to have picked up WH to carry her to her final resting place. So Holt likely was bloodied.

That is the puzzle. Unless he did go home and clean up and change (nothing indicates that so far) you would think there would have been blood on him or at least his clothes. If not when firing the shots, then at least when he moved the body out of the vehicle.

One thing the report contained that I forgot to mention....LE found undetermined stains on the hood. Said that most of them were round. All I could think of is if you laid someone on a hood and their head was bloody, would it leave a rounded mark?
 
bbm

I thought they did speak to her and she said she was heading to rehab or something? Anyone remember this?
I could be mistaken, but my understanding was that the girl who was out hunting who SAW the girl curled up on the tree was going to rehab, not the girl on the tree.

Does that make sense? I've already taken my sleeping meds,so sorry if not!
 
bbm

I thought they did speak to her and she said she was heading to rehab or something? Anyone remember this?

IMO and based partly on article comment that I haven't been able to find again:

What I recall is that the girl/woman who posted the comment was on her way to rehab and decided to go hiking with her boyfriend instead, then went to rehab a few days later. They saw the girl on the tree (who IMO may or may not have existed and may or may not have been Whitney) and they almost stopped but decided not to and kept going.

I might've missed it but I don't recall hearing anything about anyone speaking to the girl on the tree, not even rumors.
 
My thoughts were similar

That is the puzzle. Unless he did go home and clean up and change (nothing indicates that so far) you would think there would have been blood on him or at least his clothes. If not when firing the shots, then at least when he moved the body out of the vehicle.

<snipped for space>

Hm, this might be kinda out there but this does raise a question for me. How much hunting goes on in that area, at that time of year?

I'm not into hunting or fishing or anything but I remember staying in a motel in an area with tons of fishermen (and fisherwomen). So focused on fishing that the majority of the restaurants and motels had fishing as their theme. It was a gorgeous area! It was also the first or second weekend they were allowed to fish and everyone was super hyped up about it. I've never in my life seen so much blood on motel floors and walls. It was disgusting! (IMO and all). They cleaned up the rooms really well but if you went to get a bucket of ice or use the laundry room area, it was very gross. Someone could walk into that place with quite a bit of blood on them and not seem out of place at all.

I'm also thinking these same people must grab something to eat or drink now and then, so maybe it's not that weird to see people with some blood on their clothes at a gas station, convenience store, Walmart? I know, it's a stretch. I'm just trying to think of possibilities.

ETA: I wanted to clarify since I just realized how this post could've been easily misinterpreted. I didn't mean that those who hunt or fish are out killing people. I meant that for someone who doesn't hunt or fish, the amount of blood in the laundry/ice room at the motel I was at was both surprising (to me) and expected (to the locals).
 
I agree with you on the forensic evidence.

Thank you for this very good summary! Yes it makes sense, and you got through more of the affidavit than I could, so I really appreciate you posting so many of the key points.

Warning, graphic and some may want to skip this:

I'm sorry, this is so disgusting to think about. I'm not even entirely sure I want to know the answer to this question, but how long would it take someone to mostly bleed out? The reason I ask is it seems like "drips" and "spots" could only be from someone who was just barely cut/hurt, or someone who didn't have that much blood left in them at the time. It seems like she had to be in the back, at least the part of her that was bleeding a lot, either from the start or very quickly. The smaller marks also don't sound like something that could be created by one person dragging another - maybe I'm getting too technical but wouldn't that be called smears or smudges? So did he basically drive her around until he could move her without her dripping too much blood? Or maybe she inflicted some injury on him that was causing him to drip some blood? Or she was in the back from pretty early on?

Also wondering if he washed the front of the SUV off just enough to rinse away the worst of it so it wouldn't be so obvious in the parking lot, but didn't completely wash it for whatever reason - someone saw him, afraid someone would see into the tinted windows, blown out window, generally freaked out, really likes Febreze and thought that's all he needed...? (I'm kidding on that one, please forgive me for the sick humor). I know many of us noticed early on that some parts of the SUV seemed dirtier than other parts. I was assuming the difference was caused by road conditions, new tires, or possibly salt on the road, but there could be other reasons for sure. All speculation, nothing's been reported AFAIK about the cleanliness of the SUV at this point.
He had the vehicle from approximately 6:50am to 11:38am; nearly five hours. We know from the evidence inside the Explorer that Whitney had been injured by the time the car was abandoned at WalMart.

We know she was shot four times. We don't know how close in time those four shots occurred, nor where she was, nor where the vehicle was located, at the time each of the four shots occurred. We don't know what time she died.

If Whitney was killed where Holt said she was -- at Roslyn Lake -- then I'll be very surprised if he drove anywhere but straight to Larch Mountain with her body in the vehicle for disposal and a perfunctory clean-up of the vehicle before abandoning it. (As an aside, I won't be surprised to find that she was actually killed on the mountain instead of at Roslyn Lake.) JMO

I will also be very surprised if it is discovered that Holt took the time to wash off the outside of the vehicle before abandoning it. My guess would be that he killed her, got rid of her body, and got rid of the vehicle in short order, and that the longest parts of the crime were the parts where he had her alive in the vehicle, and the time that passed between abandoning the vehicle and when Judd picked him up and took him home. But you never know.

JMO
 
Good post....I believe so Holt would'nt get more bloodied rather than carrying WH to the back seat he pulled her over the seat, maybe by her hair( the clumps of hair found backseat)....Or the gunshot took off some of her scalp...then on the drive from the Lake, Holt began pitching WH's clothes, other stuff off at various locations en route to the Mountain....

The only problem, though, is that if you track the route on the map from Dodge Park/Roslyn Lake to Larch Mt. the items weren't pitched enroute to the mountain (except for the license plate when up there).

The sweater was found north of Dodge Park/Roslyn Lake up near Orient (before you get to Roslyn Lake), and the phone was nearer to the Shell station (Troutdale)...as though after coming back down the mountain it was pitched (possibly even a couple days later).
 
bbm

I thought they did speak to her and she said she was heading to rehab or something? Anyone remember this?

No, I have a screenshot (Neptune posted what she said in the last thread). She said she and her boyfriend didn't check her out, and regretted it once they came down the mountain. (They'd been hunting, if the story is true.) Then, after they got back down (according to the story) her boyfriend called police.
 
My thoughts were similar



That is the puzzle. Unless he did go home and clean up and change (nothing indicates that so far) you would think there would have been blood on him or at least his clothes. If not when firing the shots, then at least when he moved the body out of the vehicle.

One thing the report contained that I forgot to mention....LE found undetermined stains on the hood. Said that most of them were round. All I could think of is if you laid someone on a hood and their head was bloody, would it leave a rounded mark?

I think the killer did clean up at an undisclosed location after the killing and before the trip up the mountain.

Question--and I haven't seen this addressed yet...

In the video of the van at the Shell gas station (9:14AM), was the front right passenger window blown out, or was it still intact?
 
If Whitney was killed where Holt said she was -- at Roslyn Lake -- then I'll be very surprised if he drove anywhere but straight to Larch Mountain with her body in the vehicle for disposal and a perfunctory clean-up of the vehicle before abandoning it. (As an aside, I won't be surprised to find that she was actually killed on the mountain instead of at Roslyn Lake.) JMO

I thought that also, until I read that the license plate was visible on the car in the video taken at 9:14am at the Shell station. And since the license plate was found at Larch Mountain, he had to have been at Shell before that.

But I still find it hard to believe that he had her body in the car at a gas station (2 of them, apparently), when Oregon gas stations are attended and not self serve. What a huge risk, never mind it was 9am-ish when there is lots of traffic on a weekday. And I know there were tinted windows, but, really? That's seriously BOLD!

I also think it's possible that she may not have been killed at the spot on Thomas Road near Roslyn Lake as Holt told police.

I don't know what happened that morning, but all these circumstances taken together, including the miraculous search effort and Holt hiding the guns in plain sight of LE, are too strange for me to accept at face value...at least at this moment with the info that's been released so far.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Members online

Online statistics

Members online
200
Guests online
2,118
Total visitors
2,318

Forum statistics

Threads
589,955
Messages
17,928,266
Members
228,016
Latest member
ignoreme123
Back
Top