GUILTY FL - Cuc Thu Tran, 50, abducted, raped & murdered, Seffner, 13 Sept 2007

GIBSONTON - The body of a woman found inside of a burning van on Thursday was positively identified today as that of missing Seffner resident Cuc Thu Tran, Hillsborough County sheriff's spokesman J.D. Callaway said.
Tran, 50, left home at 5:30 Thursday morning for a jog. Her son reported her missing at 4 p.m. that afternoon, authorities said. Tran lived at 5212 Contata Court North, Lot 42.
Detectives do not yet know why Tran was killed or if she died because of the fire or another injury, he said. The cause of her death has not yet been released by the medical examiner.
Hillsborough County sheriff's deputies found the burning van shortly before 7 a.m. that morning in a vacant lot at 9414 Bullfrog Court, off East Bay Road. The body inside was burned so badly that authorities could not make out the victim's race or sex at the time, officials said.
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2007/sep/15/burned-body-in-van-could-be-seffner-woman/?news-breaking

There is definitely something wrong with that picture. They made it sound almost like they aren't expecting foul play. We will know a lot more after the ME is finished with his report. It sounds like someone is covering up a brutal crime.

If she went for a walk at 5:30 in the morning why wasn't she reported missing until around 4:00 in the afternoon? That is kind of strange. She went for a walk or jog....how did she end up in a burning van?

Her son/family may not of realized she was missing. Especially if he went to school during the day. Not seeing her in the am may have been the norm or not unusual but he may have realized she was gone all day when he got home that afternoon and everything was as it was when he left than morning.

The fact that she was not reported missing until 4pm does not sound suspicious to me at all! I would say I tend to be more on the cynical side of things. If she went out jogging at 5:30am (and let's say she went out jogging for an hour or so), it's very likely that her children would have been off to school or work before she returned home at times. Then when she did not return from work at a partcular time, that's when they started to worry and realized she never made it to work.

I think it is far more likely that someone saw a woman jogging alone at 5:30 am which can be pretty desolate out there and decided to take advantage. It's a sad fact that women these days women have to look over there shoulder. I live near this area now and I am separated from my hubby during the week and the fact is I don't feel safe to walk to my car or go out for a walk after dark. It's so hot here during the day that you are very limited in the time you can exercise outdoors (early morning like this poor victim which you run into very desolate streets) or twilight (which is a very small window of time). I used to live in Miami and felt much safer, but that just maybe because I had my husband around...

Lilybug1 said:

The fact that she was not reported missing until 4pm does not sound suspicious to me at all! I would say I tend to be more on the cynical side of things. If she went out jogging at 5:30am (and let's say she went out jogging for an hour or so), it's very likely that her children would have been off to school or work before she returned home at times. Then when she did not return from work at a partcular time, that's when they started to worry and realized she never made it to work.

I think it is far more likely that someone saw a woman jogging alone at 5:30 am which can be pretty desolate out there and decided to take advantage. It's a sad fact that women these days women have to look over there shoulder. I live near this area now and I am separated from my hubby during the week and the fact is I don't feel safe to walk to my car or go out for a walk after dark. It's so hot here during the day that you are very limited in the time you can exercise outdoors (early morning like this poor victim which you run into very desolate streets) or twilight (which is a very small window of time). I used to live in Miami and felt much safer, but that just maybe because I had my husband around...

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I didn't say that it was suspicious. That isn't what I meant. I just thought it was odd that she left that early in the morning and probably would have only walked or jogged for an hour at the most which would have put her back home by 6:30 in the morning. Maybe her son thought she was sleeping or something. Evidentally he wasn't used to seeing her in the morning or he would have realized that she wasn't at home when he got up. Or if she worked maybe she usually left for work before he got up.

SideNote - Gibsonton was the home of LobsterBoy as that is the town where the Carnival People call their own.

It really just makes me sick that we can't even enjoy a walk/jog anymore you know? This innocent lady was probably just out enjoying her God given right to jog and enjoy the cool morning weather and some disgusting pig more then likely took advantage of that.. (of course I am only assuming that is what happened here)

Bobbisangel said:

I didn't say that it was suspicious. That isn't what I meant. I just thought it was odd that she left that early in the morning and probably would have only walked or jogged for an hour at the most which would have put her back home by 6:30 in the morning. Maybe her son thought she was sleeping or something. Evidentally he wasn't used to seeing her in the morning or he would have realized that she wasn't at home when he got up. Or if she worked maybe she usually left for work before he got up.

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Sorry, suspicious was my word, not yours. Anyhow, it's true that most people wouldn't jog or run for more than an hour or so. Also, a lot of people don't head out for school or work until after 6:30 a.m. but, like you said, they might have been sleeping and assumed when they woke up she had already come and gone for her jog, etc. When it's that early, people aren't that vigilant, especially a child with respect to a parent....you just think oh maybe they woke up late this morning (as will be on the jog later) or maybe they left early for work...I'm not a morning person and my hubby goes to the gym before I even wake up...I'm not very cognizant of when he leaves and when he returns, what days he goes and when he doesn't...but if he goes to the gym at 10pm and takes longer, I do start to get worried.

To the other poster, it is sooo sad that women (and children) cannot be totally free for fear of falling prey to crime. When I moved up to this area, there were many apartments that were cheaper and closer to school, but I had to pay more and be farther because I am women living alone during the week...it's sad. Sometimes I wish I could go for a walk a night when it is not so dang hot and I'm scared.

There was a resolution a while back for this, her family wasn't involved. It was a stranger and he was convicted, helped by a DNA match. http://www.abcactionnews.com/news/h...illing-cuc-thu-tran-back-in-september-of-2007

Article from 2013...

TAMPA, Florida - A man found guilty of raping and murdering a Seffner mother of three back in 2007, has formally been sentenced to death.

Kenneth Jackson was found guilty last year (2012) for killing 50-year-old Cuc Thu Tran, and a jury then recommended the death penalty. Hillsborough County Judge William Fuente agreed, and handed down the same sentence in court Wednesday.

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http://www.wtsp.com/story/news/local/2014/03/11/2025018/