MO MO - Angela Hammond, 20, Clinton, 4 Apr 1991

[ACG2x]

That’s the same question I have. Are cops still working the case? Is it still being properly investigated?

I assume LE would say the same thing most often heard on cold cases - we continue to follow-up on tips and information as they are received. Please contact XXXX if you have any information regarding her disappearance.

Man what a horrific situation for both Angela and her boyfriend. To be that close to the guy who took her, have her screaming for help and have your car break down. All in a pre-cell phone era. Literally the perfect set of unfortunate events for her to just vanish.

 

[Georgia Swann]

Anybody see the comments on the Facebook about this being linked to the disappearance of 3 women in Springfield?

Missouri Missing

 

[terry67401]

Anybody see the comments on the Facebook about this being linked to the disappearance of 3 women in Springfield?

Missouri Missing

That's been discussed before as has possible connections between Angela's case and the disappearance of Cheryl Kenney and the murder of Trudy Darby. Those two cases were in close proximity and in closes time frame to Angela's abduction, but I don't believe that any connections have ever been made between Angela and any other crimes. There are similarities between Darby's murder, Angela's abduction, and Kenney's disappearance, but there is no hard evidence to link the cases, at least none that has ever made public. Half-brothers Jesse Rush and Marvin Chaney were later convicted of Darby's murder, but, as far as I know, have never been linked to any of the other cases. Kenney's disappearance, much like Angela's disappearance and the disappearance of The Springfield Three, all remain unsolved. Certainly a lot of strange cases in western Missouri around that time frame though.

 

[Scooby Doo 4U]

That's been discussed before as has possible connections between Angela's case and the disappearance of Cheryl Kenney and the murder of Trudy Darby. Those two cases were in close proximity and in closes time frame to Angela's abduction, but I don't believe that any connections have ever been made between Angela and any other crimes. There are similarities between Darby's murder, Angela's abduction, and Kenney's disappearance, but there is no hard evidence to link the cases, at least none that has ever made public. Half-brothers Jesse Rush and Marvin Chaney were later convicted of Darby's murder, but, as far as I know, have never been linked to any of the other cases. Kenney's disappearance, much like Angela's disappearance and the disappearance of The Springfield Three, all remain unsolved. Certainly a lot of strange cases in western Missouri around that time frame though.

It is disturbing that Jesse Rush made the statement of, "If they knew all the other stuff we did, they'd fry us for sure". To me that is a very interesting statement. I don't think he's talking about petty crime here. I think, if Rush wasn't just being braggadocios, that they committed more murders than police ever caught them on.

Personally, I don't know what to think about the boyfriend. They based everything that happened that night, from her dropping him off at his house, to the phone call, to his truck breaking down, on his statement with there being no other witnesses. He could have easily messed up his transmission on purpose. His story just doesn't seem right to me. Drops him off a his house, then goes 7-blocks away to call him from a pay phone, then she screams, and he just happens to have enough time to run out to his truck and get in it and make it down to the spot he claim she was, and then sees the man speeding off in a truck. I would think the guy would be long gone by the time he would be able to find his keys, get in his truck, and make it to the store. Even if it was just 7-blocks away. And, it also seems strange that if his truck was running, that he wasn't driving it that night as opposed to riding with her. Just doesn't seem like something a small town guy with a pick-up truck would do. I would think if his truck was running, he would have been driving that night. Its also been said that she was also pregnant. Possible motive? I don't know! But the story the boyfriend told just does nothing but send up red flags to me.

 

[AuntB]

Tonight I was watching ID's 'Welcome to Murdertown', Season 1: Episode 5 "Murder in Macks Creek" (aired 12/11/2018) about Trudy Darby's murder. My ears perked up at the mention of Angela's name. Trooper Jimmie Hayes of the Missouri Highway State Patrol who investigated the Darby case states that there is "no doubt in [his] mind" that Angela Hammond and Cheryl Kinney were the victims mentioned in Jess Rush's jailhouse letters. I wish Former Investigator Hayes would wander in here and talk to us. I'd ask him why he's convinced the cases are connected and how the one filthy guy Angela described to her boyfriend would actually be two guys Chaney and Rush, convicted of Trudy Darby's murder. He must be discounting that aspect of the boyfriend's account?

 

[kemo]

It is disturbing that Jesse Rush made the statement of, "If they knew all the other stuff we did, they'd fry us for sure". To me that is a very interesting statement. I don't think he's talking about petty crime here. I think, if Rush wasn't just being braggadocios, that they committed more murders than police ever caught them on.

Personally, I don't know what to think about the boyfriend. They based everything that happened that night, from her dropping him off at his house, to the phone call, to his truck breaking down, on his statement with there being no other witnesses. He could have easily messed up his transmission on purpose. His story just doesn't seem right to me. Drops him off a his house, then goes 7-blocks away to call him from a pay phone, then she screams, and he just happens to have enough time to run out to his truck and get in it and make it down to the spot he claim she was, and then sees the man speeding off in a truck. I would think the guy would be long gone by the time he would be able to find his keys, get in his truck, and make it to the store. Even if it was just 7-blocks away. And, it also seems strange that if his truck was running, that he wasn't driving it that night as opposed to riding with her. Just doesn't seem like something a small town guy with a pick-up truck would do. I would think if his truck was running, he would have been driving that night. Its also been said that she was also pregnant. Possible motive? I don't know! But the story the boyfriend told just does nothing but send up red flags to me.

“He could have easily messed up his transmission on purpose”

I have always thought the boyfriend has been given a bad rap on this. Obviously, anyone who’s pregnant girlfriend turns up dead becomes a “person of interest “ and must be checked out. The lynchpin of his version of events is his transmission failure. If his transmission was kaput, and his car was absolutely inoperable ( something the police must have checked out at the time), I would say he could pretty much be cleared. You can wreak a transmission through misuse but you can not make it fail “on demand”. To stage a murder in a manner that required that that a vehicle be driven to a planned spot and then arrange for the transmission to completely fail, is even a little far fetched for credible fiction.

 

[Ibiz]

It strange because I dont really feel the police were fourth coming as far as details about this case.

Was the phone booth investigated?

Was the boyfriend's car examined?

Not much emphasis on the sketch of the creepy man seen around town?

The whole case did not seem to get much publicity?

 

[BethAnn777]

2019 blog post about Angela. Nothing new I spotted, but figured I give this case a bump.


Abduction in a Small Town: Angela Marie Hammond

 

[jashrema]

William Reece was in prison at the time of Angela's kidnapping, so he's out as a suspect.

 

[jashrema]

Larry Hall is the suspect (and can be placed) in Indiana for 5 murders beginning 2-13-91 thru 9-6-91. Angela was kidnapped on 4-4-91. I suppose he could have ran to Mo. but there's really no reason why he would have. Missouri has only come up in regards to his name because of the Springfield Three of which there is no evidence he was involved there. I don't think he's good for Angela's kidnapping. JMO. Below is a PDF with a very detailed timeline and psych testing for Hall.
http://maamodt.asp.radford.edu/Psyc 405/serial killers/Hall, Larry DeWayne.pdf

 

[jashrema]

How about Tommy Lee Sells? He bore a resemblance to composite along with McDuff's partner at one time, Alva Hank Worley.

 

[charcoaldemons]

@jashrema Possible, although most of Tommy's killing grounds only came close to the Clinton, MO area in the case of Willie Cordt. It still takes roughly 2 hours to drive from Springfield up to Clinton and vice versa.

The thing about Clinton and Warrensburg is that it's they are both surprisingly busy for a smaller towns. Warrensburg, obviously for the University, but Clinton for the campsites and lake. People from the Kansas City Metro frequent the area for spending time by the lake, hunting season as far as goose and turkey was also during that time frame. Even back in 1991 I would imagine a lot of people would go into the town from the lake just to get provisions or make their way down to Springfield using HWY 13. There have also been very sketchy people living in or around that town- pedophiles, rapists, drug addicts. Seems like it would still be a little difficult to completely rule out someone within Henry County or even Johnson County. That is, IF it wasn't actually the boyfriend. Still would end up making him the local dirtbag., though. However, I do not find it completely abnormal for a scared woman to tell the person she was talking to what the stranger appeared to look like. Could still have some relation to the Cheiver brothers and I agree that Larry Hall could have a connection, but don't see Larry as having any connection. Boyfriend, in my opinion, could use another looking to see how much of his story still sounds the same. I can see how using the payphone would be unusual in this town when driving 10 minutes out to pick someone up is a long drive to most of them. Such a sad case, especially with the small size of the police department to the amount of local dirtbags they have to keep an eye on. Lots of meth labs and bored people.

 

[Kimberly81]

What is also odd is that apparently good information was not investigated promptly, that the public is made aware. I sent on to the department a good suspect in this actual case and never heard diddly squat back. When the public is kept in the dark for two decades it is hard to dial up much interest. This case has been looked at extensively by many people to no avail. As in many such cases, one never knows if these leads are ever actually looked at. That is what is frustrating to me.

I would like to know more about your suspect and your thoughts on this case if possible. <modsnip: Removed personal contact details.>

 

[Kimberly81]

Don't waste you're time. Richard (The Real One) AKA (Missouri Mule) et al, doesn't know anything about anything.
He's been playing backdoor games with the 3MW case for over 10-years now.
His stories have changed several times over the years.
His suspects have changed several times over the years.
He lies and manipulates.
And if you disagree with him, he is likely to start accusing YOU of being a suspect in the crime, something he has done to several people over the years.

BUYER BEWARE

Thank you for the info

 

[Rastus]

Hi All. New to this case.

I do not like the route Rob describes the truck taking.

She was abducted in and around the corner of Jefferson and 2nd Street.

Rob says he passed them headed south on 2nd, he turned around going after them and his transmission died making a right into 'Culvert Drive'. I see no Culvert Drive in Clinton (happy to be corrected) so I assume that's meant to read 'Calvird Drive' which does exist off 2nd Street.

So a right take them into W.Calvird Drive and Rob sees them drive off after that. Well, unless the abductor was thrown by Rob and going the back streets, W.Calvird seems like a very poor way to get out of town with Angela on board.

Basically, that road heads no where and the driver would need to track across the outskirts to Artesian Ave maybe to then leave Clinton. Why not just turn earlier, taking a right on W.Rogers to get out along there.

You've just abducted someone, you're surely not hanging around in Clinton any longer than required, it's a small town, you head straight out.

I"m just going off of Google Maps and looking at it from the point of view that I've just done a snatch and grab and want to leave town asap. Rob's route doesn't make sense, IMO.

 

[Scooby Doo 4U]

Hi All. New to this case.

I do not like the route Rob describes the truck taking.

She was abducted in and around the corner of Jefferson and 2nd Street.

Rob says he passed them headed south on 2nd, he turned around going after them and his transmission died making a right into 'Culvert Drive'. I see no Culvert Drive in Clinton (happy to be corrected) so I assume that's meant to read 'Calvird Drive' which does exist off 2nd Street.

So a right take them into W.Calvird Drive and Rob sees them drive off after that. Well, unless the abductor was thrown by Rob and going the back streets, W.Calvird seems like a very poor way to get out of town with Angela on board.

Basically, that road heads no where and the driver would need to track across the outskirts to Artesian Ave maybe to then leave Clinton. Why not just turn earlier, taking a right on W.Rogers to get out along there.

You've just abducted someone, you're surely not hanging around in Clinton any longer than required, it's a small town, you head straight out.

I"m just going off of Google Maps and looking at it from the point of view that I've just done a snatch and grab and want to leave town asap. Rob's route doesn't make sense, IMO.

I've personally never been comfortable with the whole "My Transmission went out because I accidentally threw it into reverse" story. Number one, that would be so easy to just do, if you just wanted to destroy your transmission to support your story.......if you had committed the crime.
Number two....why was she calling him from a pay phone, minutes after she had dropped him off? Were they fighting at the time? She was pregnant with what was presumed to be his child. I would look to the boyfriend FIRST. Don't care if police "Cleared Him". His story has never set well with me. My gut feeling is that there is much more to the story than he's told. I personally don't think they did a very good job investigating this crime right out of the gate. I also believe that that is the reason this crime hasn't been solved. Small town police department, not qualified to investigate this crime the Moment It Was Reported. By the time other agencies became involved, it was too late......evidence had already been lost, and/or people cleared that they may be shouldn't have cleared......etc.

 

[Rastus]

So to illustrate, please forgive my artwork.

Where it says 107 South 2nd Street is where Jefferson runs through, so that's roughly where she got taken from is my understanding.

All the way south and the right into Calvird is where Rob says his car stopped when chasing them. Where the arrow is.

So the blue route is the route taken to get out of town, the red route is the optimal route to go that direction. Doesn't look right. Plus they could have left town a lot earlier by going east or west on 18.

 

[Ibiz]

I just dont see how the filthy bearded man was able to subdue her and drive at the same time, yet she was able to see Robbey's truck and scream out his name... weird.

 

[Rastus]

I just dont see how the filthy bearded man was able to subdue her and drive at the same time, yet she was able to see Robbey's truck and scream out his name... weird.

Has that 1980s teen horror film feel about it.

And you'd think you'd want to get off the main road, 2nd Street, as soon as possible. He drove the length of it.

 

[Missouri Mule]

Dup post.