The Shorts & the Porch Light

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Bibliophile

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I'm also from Missouri and remember this case well. For several reasons, including because the police released so many details they shouldn't have, I simply don't give a lot of credibility to a lot of the rumors or van stories. Not saying they're impossible but they just don't carry a lot of weight with me. The drug connection stories are laughable at best.

One thing that has always stuck in my mind was Stacy McCall's shorts still being neatly folded with her jewelry in the pockets. My first thought when hearing that was that those three were taken out of that house very quickly and probably at gunpoint. I don't think it was a mere knock on the door about the dog or a possible gas leak. A teenage girl would have at least grabbed her shorts on the way out the door. The only way she didn't take them was if someone was near enough to her to prevent her from taking them.

Does anyone know if the light on the porch was a overhead, ceiling type fixture or one mounted on a vertical wall?

If it was near the door on the wall, it is possible it was broken in a struggle out the door. If it was on the porch ceiling, the perp could have been attempting to take off the outside globe to unscrew the light bulb so as not to be seen when they came to the door or when taking them out the door. If he dropped the globe and it shattered, that would explain the parted blinds.

Looking for other crimes where the lights were disabled might be a start.
 
Good points, Bibliophile. I totally agree. It only stands to reason that they were gotten out of their very quickly without time for Stacy to get her shorts. If they would have had time to grab things on their way out, surely Sherrill and Suzie would have at least taken their cigarettes.
 
Does anyone know of any other photos of the front of the house?

It appears from the video there is a light above the mailbox and one on a pole. The one on the wall appears to be just a bulb and the one on the pole looks intact.
 
Does anyone know of any other photos of the front of the house?

It appears from the video there is a light above the mailbox and one on a pole. The one on the wall appears to be just a bulb and the one on the pole looks intact.

There was a globe that surrounded the light bulb. The globe broke, but the bulb stayed intact. The yard light (pole) was not damaged/tampered with.
 
Good points, Bibliophile. I totally agree. It only stands to reason that they were gotten out of their very quickly without time for Stacy to get her shorts. If they would have had time to grab things on their way out, surely Sherrill and Suzie would have at least taken their cigarettes.

From the little that is known, I am guessing the original targets were the girls. The perp saw them somewhere (gas station, party, stop light, etc.) and followed them home. I'm guessing it was an impulse pick for him. I don't think it was overly planned.

It further seems, because of the parted blinds and TV still on, that the mother went to the door and was probably forced back inside. Stacey McCall had no time to dress or even grab her shorts. He got them out of their quickly - which also indicates experience. He's done similar things before.
 
porch.jpg
 

Thanks. The pic is so sad.

It looks like it is one of those clear, jar-type looking globes.

Does anyone know if the pole fixture worked or was operable from the house?

It still seems like he may have fumbled and broke the outside globe/cover in an attempt to unscrew the bulb. Unscrewing the porch light bulb is a very common tactic for experienced criminals and taught as something to look for in crime scene investigation classes.

If I recall correctly the bulb was intact; so he most likely never touched it and thus - no chance for prints.
 
I have put some thought to the broken globe and don't think it occurred when the girls were leaving the house. After all, if it fell during the time they left, I'd expect one of them to scream at that point... and maybe fight with their captor(s). Also, in order for this to happen during this time, the screws securing the cover would have to be very loose for it to fall... on a fixture like that there's usually 3 screws securing the glass..... unless the cover was struck with such force that it broke off the fixture, I don't think it was bumped loose.
 
I have put some thought to the broken globe and don't think it occurred when the girls were leaving the house. After all, if it fell during the time they left, I'd expect one of them to scream at that point... and maybe fight with their captor(s). Also, in order for this to happen during this time, the screws securing the cover would have to be very loose for it to fall... on a fixture like that there's usually 3 screws securing the glass..... unless the cover was struck with such force that it broke off the fixture, I don't think it was bumped loose.

I have just recently started looking at this case. The first thing that jumped out at me was the porch light. IMO outside lights tend to get the least amount of attention. I for one put off fixing the lamp at the front door held on by 3 screws.
I wonder if the perp went to disable the bulb only to find the globe barely attached, it fell and shattered but still went on to unscrew the bulb temporarily? Did they do a fingerprint test on the bulb? I have much reading to do, but was curious on this aspect.
 
There has been much discussion over the porch light, globe and glass left. No clear consensus on what to make of it, except, we're told from the 'First Responders' account, Janelle and her boyfriend cleaned it up. I believe it was established that LE did take the glass remains and has them in custody.

But, what has never been made clear to me was what was the typical traffic like at the Levitt house ? In one of the early video reports (presumed it was shot a couple days after the event, as all the cars are still there), you can see a tight shot of the carport. On the left is a door, with small steps, which would appear as another entrance. In my current home, and many others do the same, I use the entrance from the garage, and the 'regular door' to receive guests, pick up packages and the like. Was that the pattern at the Levitt house ? If so, and the two girls entered via the carport entrance, it is possible if there was broken glass at the time of their arrival, that they never even saw it, or made much of it yet. 'Clean it up tomorrow ?' But, back to the point of common entrance, I don't know if THAT door or the carport door, was the typical entrance for the family/friends.
 
Welcome to the forum Coldpizza.
In addition to the glass globe story, I have read in several places that Janelle cut her finger on the glass at 1717 E delmar... I don't recall the credibility of the sources I read it from, but it's another detail about the subject...
 
Nothing to say about the porch light, but one thing about the shorts that stands out to me is that the girls didn't expect to go home that night. They planned on staying in a hotel in Branson. I would assume that Stacy had extra clothes and a swim suit somewhere--in her car? At Suzie's house? I haven't heard if one was located anywhere. If a swimsuit for Suzi isn't located, to me, that would lean towards the abduction taking place later in the morning. Suzie & Stacy get ready to leave for white water, somebody they were with the night before comes to pick them up, and that is when the abduction occurs
 
Yeah, a while back we talked about the whole issue of a bag for Stacy. the planned to stay in a hotel, and then Janelle's, so she had to have basics: toothbrush, hair stuff, a sweatshirt or jacket if they planned to leave in the morning, and a swim suit, and most likely a towel, a cover up, flip flops, etc. Didn't her mother say something about her bag? I need to go back and look at that.
 
This may seem slightly OT, but, I'm trying to put myself back in time. In 1992, 18 year olds did not have debit and credit cards. Hotels took a harsh stance against booked rooms being no-showed.. As in, they'd be paying for a room they didn't use if they had one booked. I also really doubt they were planning on just finding a place with a vacancy and hoping to get a room. That seems very unlikely for the era... at least imo. Perhaps stacy used the hotel plan to allow herself the night out, as late as she wanted... if she thought her parents would be against her doing that.
Maybe there never were hotel reservations. Can anyone speak to this? We all have seen it in the news stories. I wonder if the SPD was too busy looking for the van to try and shoot holes in Kirby's story or perhaps even what Stacy told her mother.
You all bring up a GREAT point about the travel bags. It is worthy of much consideration.
However, since the purses and smokes were all left behind, I'm not sure how it would tie into the theories involving the bags being gone. After all, if they were en route to the water park or branson, with who they thought was a friendly person, surely they would have brought those vital things with them. I also doubt the perp went back to the scene to drop those things off... it would only increase the chance of being seen... again...
 
I have also wondered about the hotel. I hadn't thought that there might not actually be one. I had wondered if maybe someone's family had paid for it as a graduation gift and they had invited a bunch of friends to stay with them including Suzie, Stacy & Janelle. And either everyone decided to stay behind or for whatever reason, S, S & J decided not to go. I do find it odd that Janelle wouldn't realize there wasn't room for the girls at her house. And, maybe it's just the whole underage drinking/partying, but I can't help but feel like she's hiding something. Some reports say she started calling the house as early as 6 am, where other times she says she woke up around 9. Three hours in this case is huge.

I don't think they were en route to the park, but I believe there is the possibility that someone who the girls were with the night before (maybe old friends, maybe just met) made plans to pick them up in the morning. Maybe talked Sherril into going out for breakfast? Or something to get her into the vehicle, since she was probably up and may have recognized, or at least been able to describe, the abductors. I agree that the cigarettes and purse don't fit in well here, though the possibility that they were planted to throw the friends who stopped by throughout the day exists, it doesn't seem like a logical one. To me, having the purses with the victims would raise fewer questions, since it would appear that they went somewhere on their own.
 
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