GA GA - Shirley, 87, & Russell Dermond, 88, Putnam County, 2 May 2014 - # 5

Shirley and Russell Dermond

Missing wife of decapitated Georgia man found dead in lake

By Chelsea J. Carter and AnneClaire Stapleton, CNN
updated 10:54 PM EDT, Fri May 16, 2014

Shirley Dermond's body was found in Lake Oconee, south of Athens, Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills told reporters Friday.

"We now, unfortunately, know that Shirley Dermond was murdered," Sills said. Sills declined to discuss the condition of the body other than to say, "the head was not removed or anything like that.

"We haven't even had a funeral for Russell because their kids wanted to wait. Now that we know about Shirley, we will start planning the funeral services for both.

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GA GA - Shirley Dermond, 87, Putnam County **Media Links***NO DISCUSSION*** - Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community



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Salem

Originally Posted by finine View Post
But Shirley did Friday's crossword, so it had to have happened after they received Friday newspaper.


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Boots says: "Yes, that's true, or at least we think Shirley did Friday's crossword. What if it was the perp that did the crossword to throw off the investigation? I don't believe we're being told the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth...

Has anyone looked at that crossword puzzle online? I don't have a subscription, but it looks like you can select puzzles from previous publication dates. If the perp did complete it instead of Mrs D completing it, then I wonder if the perp answered any questions with riddles.

I don't think any killer is going to sit there and work on a crossword puzzle after killing two people.

finine said:

Tried to quote Rhyolites post from thread #4 but didn't get in before lock.

I've seen this name peculiarity mentioned before (re the neighbor with similar name and possible mistaken identity), but when I search Carolyn Dr on Putnam county assesors site, there is nobody else on that street with a similar name to Russell. What am I missing?

Here's the assesor's website: http://qpublic7.qpublic.net/ga_search.php?county=ga_putnam

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white pages DOT com

it had dermond as the neighbors first name, no such name comes up on tax records

there was always a question in the Lauren Giddings case as to if the perp sent her last email or if it was LG

Never thought it was the perp, not sure if it ever came out later

Nuvolari Nuvolari is offline
Registered User Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 38

OBE, you're obviously a very good thinker, but how would you explain Mrs. Dermond's corpse being found without "glaring" signs of trauma yet the coroner determined cause of death was blunt force trauma? Did the sheriff say either had been hit with a crowbar or was that conjecture?

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I had to copy and paste your post Nuvolari since the other thread is now closed. I didn't want you to think I was ignoring your questions.

First, thank you for the compliment. Maybe some of the thinking comes from discussing true crime for many many years now.

You have to remember when Sills first saw Shirley when she had been submerged in deep water for some time.... and found on the surface on the 11th day, iirc. ......he really wouldn't be able to get a good look at her head injuries due to the bloating and decomposition. The police aren't suppose to examine or touch the body in any manner and are to just carefully make sure the body is transported correctly to the MEs office.

It seems when found Shirley was in a poor state of decomp. The water would have long washed away any blood that may have been present when she was submerged into the deep water. Her hair would also cover any injuries she may have sustained to her head. The bloating/decomp could have closed some of the wounds if they were gaping at the time of death.

But it is a much different story once the body is on the MEs table where there are bright lights, xray machines, scans, microscopes etc. Once the ME had shaved Shirley head to observe the wound injuries to her scalp he would have pretty good idea that she had most likely died from bludgeoning to the head. He may have seen compress fractures to the skull and depressed bone fragments if say the bludgeoning weapon was a hammer. When a hammer is used to bludgeon someone to death it will leave circular depressions in the skull in the pattern of the end of the hammer used.

A hammer would be an easier pattern to identify than a long cylindrical weapon. That would also leave pattern marks on the scalp and skull but it would be more generic as far as what type of weapon was used. It could have been a tire-iron, crowbar or even a long led pipe, etc..

I don't know if a crowbar is what they are really looking for. The reporter seemed to have been told that by an LE source though or that was the impression I got when she reported it. But if they are looking for a long cylindrical weapon the ME probably saw long cylindrical fractures to her skull.

I imagine her brain was also examined and photographed to show the trauma it sustained.

I think Shirley, just like Russ, had no other injuries or trauma to the rest of their bodies.

I hope I have made sense when answering your questions. If not I will try to clarify.

IMO

I have been very busy with work....have there been developments this week?


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OLDMACONBOY said:

I have been very busy with work....have there been developments this week?


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Just this:

Sills would not discuss details other than to say officers continued to pursue multiple leads in the case.

He emphasized the investigation continues to follow established patterns – interviewing property owners, service workers, checking surveillance tapes, chasing down phone or email messages about the case.

One tip being pursued Friday morning involved a man who reportedly went to the Huddle House in Greene County and said he needed to see surveillance tapes from the business.
Sills instructed detectives to check that, and if it were someone not an officer, to turn it over to Greene County Sheriff’s Office for an arrest.

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http://www.msgr.com/news_breaking_e...340-e2ab-11e3-a4a3-0019bb2963f4.html?mode=jqm

Investigators believe they were killed sometime between May 2 and 3rd. Though he wouldn’t elaborate, Keith Dermond said it’s likely the crimes happened during the day.

“They had a security system. And they always kept their doors locked,” Dermond said. “They were religious about that.”


http://m.chronicle.augusta.com/news...n-mystery-security-camera-wasnt-son-tells-ajc

Just looking at this article again, wondering why son would think it was during the day. also saying THEY ALWAYS KEPT THEIR DOORS LOCKED and had security system

does always mean "always" or does it mean "ALWAYS at night"

because if it means night and day, then why say it likely happened in the daytime, well either way, RD or SD would have had to unlock and turn off alarm

unless they wouldn't have opened it at night, but he likely did just before dark Fri

Marking my spot......

Hickory Born said:

I don't think any killer is going to sit there and work on a crossword puzzle after killing two people.

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I certainly don't think so either HB! And to do it in their own handwriting?

Nah, that is an unsubstantiated rumor and not even a believable one to me.

And we don't have a clue if 'he' ever clean the Dermond home either. Sills has never said once that either one of them were murdered inside of the home. So what would there be to clean up. We know he believes that Russ wasn't even killed in the garage but brought there afterwards.

Why would he kill Shirley inside and then take Russ off and kill him elsewhere and then bring the body back after he had decapitated the head?

I do think Sills was fully expecting to walk inside the Dermond home, and find a murder scene, but it didn't happen, and that is why he commented on it being immaculate. Imo, just how Shirley kept it.

IMO

Bootsctr said:

Or that familiar someone who might have know how to turn off the alarm too? :truce:

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With Shirley being found in everyday clothes I think the rumor we saw that Russ was in his PJs is just that ........an unsupported rumor. Imo, he too was in his everyday clothing just like Shirley.

I think the alarm had been turned off by the Dermonds that morning when they arose. Imo, this happened during the day and like many people they didn't set their alarm during the day.

I would drive myself nuts if I sat our alarm all day and night. During the day and all throughout until late evening I am constantly in and out one of our doors doing something outside. We always makes sure it is set when we start to bed though. We are religious about that.

I really don't see them setting the alarm during the day and evening until they went to bed.

IMO

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Also, some of you might want to find a thread in the Jury Room where jokes and funny smilies are appropriate. They don't belong here.

Thanks.

The only fact I know that is in fact a fact, is that if I'm found murdered in my home and the sheriff states that my home was immaculate... then they found me in the wrong home.

Bootsctr said:

Just this:

http://www.msgr.com/news_breaking_e...340-e2ab-11e3-a4a3-0019bb2963f4.html?mode=jqm

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Now wouldn't that be something? So he is sitting there day and night wondering what he may have missed and all of a sudden he thinks the HH may have him on video and that has got him worried for some reason.

This part is very interesting as well:

He emphasized the investigation continues to follow established patterns – interviewing property owners, service workers, checking surveillance tapes

So he sure isn't ready to let go of the property owners yet by any means or service workers in the area. He seems to still be concentrating on those who may live or work in the area.

IMO

oceanblueeyes said:

Now wouldn't that be something? So he is sitting there day and night wondering what he may have missed and all of a sudden he thinks the HH may have him on video and that has got him worried for some reason.

This part is very interesting as well:

He emphasized the investigation continues to follow established patterns – interviewing property owners, service workers, checking surveillance tapes

So he sure isn't ready to let go of the property owners yet by any means or service workers in the area. He seems to still be concentrating on those who may live or work in the area.

IMO

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Yes ma'am. That's what it looks like to me too. What is the Huddle House?

Bootsctr said:

Originally Posted by finine View Post
But Shirley did Friday's crossword, so it had to have happened after they received Friday newspaper.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Boots says: "Yes, that's true, or at least we think Shirley did Friday's crossword. What if it was the perp that did the crossword to throw off the investigation? I don't believe we're being told the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth...

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Sheriff Howard Sills, who was named "Sheriff of the Year" last year by his Georgia law enforcement peers, believes the couple were murdered sometime between Friday, May 2, after 4:30 p.m. (after the mailman delivered the mail) to Saturday, May 3, before 4:30 p.m. (when the mail would have been delivered again).

He may be basing this assumption on the fact that Mrs. Dermond had begun work on her crossword puzzle from Friday's newspaper, as her son Keith Dermond has said she was so talented at doing, but which may or may not prove to have been done by the victim on the last day of her life. That's because the sheriff now believes that the victims knew their killer, so he or she may be attempting to throw off the investigation timeline by having completed that daily newspaper puzzle.

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http://www.examiner.com/article/dou...st-update-on-russell-and-shirley-dermond-case