WA - Mackenzie Cowell, 17, Wenatchee, 9 Feb 2010 - #15

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Salem

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Please continue here.

There is to be no discussion of sexual molestation. That is over the top. Period.

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Terms of Service - Short, Plain Language Version

We have a detailed, formal Terms of Service (TOS) posted separately, and that TOS is what you will be held to as a member here. It's long and detailed because it has to be in the world we live in, and you are expected to read it, understand it and abide by it. However, we can sum it up as follows:

1) Be a decent human being;
2) Treat your fellow posters as the decent human beings they are;
3) Keep in mind that whatever you post will likely live on forever, so think before you press "Submit Reply".
4) It's a big world. People will disagree with you. You will disagree with them. This can be done with respect, and that's what we expect.


Some specifics about being “a decent human being”:

Being rude to our new posters or any poster for that matter, is against our TOS. If they ask a question you think has already been discussed, just pass on by it. Do not tell them to get up to speed before posting. That is rude and against our TOS.

Do not drag any innocent persons--such as JF's relatives--into this discussion, and certainly do not post personal information (names, addresses, phone numbers, etc) of innocent parties.

Do not post about other WS members, whether or not they are present. Do not post about why or why not they are present. That is called gossip, and we don’t do that at WS. It’s rude.

It is against TOS to try to guess or sleuth the identity of another poster at WS.

There is to be absolutely no discussion here at WS of the details of MC's parents' divorce.

It's ok to go ahead and post rumors, but two things:

1. You must clearly label them as rumors. All posts that do not include facts should include the words speculation, theory or rumor.

2. They must not be so wildly outlandish that they are unbelievable.

We do not discuss minors, and in this particular case, we do not discuss poetry.

Links to social networking sites are allowed, but WS does not allow direct quotes or cut and pastes from them.

Please do not link to minors' pages.

If anyone has a problem with a post, please alert us to it using the alert button in the top right corner of each post. You will see a triangle with an exclamation mark in it there. Do not respond to a problematic post. That only compounds the problem and creates more work for the mods. Hit the alert button instead.

You are all experienced enough posters by now to abide by these rules. Please don't make us give more timeouts.

The complete TOS can be found here:

The Rules - Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community


Please read and follow them.

Thank you.
 
I'm going to bed. See you guys on Easter.
 
I'm saving this spot in case pufnstuf can send me her timeline to post!
Happy Easter, Ozz!
I wish you'd wait a sec!
I'd like your opinion on something!
 
Your picture confirms what we heard the missing poster said that MC left the Academy of Hair Design on a short 15 minute break. Is the thought that she was on a 15 minute break still valid, or did she leave for the day?

My GUESS would be that she was leaving for the day...I thought read she told JV she wasn't sure if she was even going to the Academy that day... (Am I right on that MelissaW)? Maybe she decided to go to the Acedemy after all because JV wasn't going to be off work until 4..I just DK.

:viking:
 
Thank goodness I didn't lose this post that I tried to submit on the last thread. That would've made me :mad: !!

I'm jumping in here and hope I'm not interrupting any great ongoing convos. Forget that... new thread. :)

I haven't been following much today, but something I read (and posted) yesterday has really gotten my curiosity piqued. I know there are some great minds amongst us and I'm hoping one of you can answer this for me.

Paragraph snipped from article at GLC.com:

Since the discovery of the body on Saturday afternoon, the lead role in the investigation moved from the Chelan County Sheriff's Office to Douglas County Sheriff's Office although the efforts of many agencies of law enforcement continues as the story began with an abandoned vehicle in Pitcher Canyon in Chelan County, and a nearly instant decision by Chelan County Sheriff Mike Harum to organize a high power task force to orchestrate an all out search and investigation in the circumstances of MacKenzie Cowell's disappearance.

Can anyone tell me *why* you think the sheriff made such an instantaneous decision to form this "high power task force"? What was it about an "abandoned vehicle" and "a missing teen", that caused the sheriff to make such a decision, almost instantly?

Am I missing something? :waitasec:

Locals ... is this normal procedure for the Chelan County Sheriff?
 
I am only on short time then to bed. Just wanted to say I had dinner at a local restaurant tonight and as we were leaving two men came in. There was a GMC pickup in the parking lot. When we got home I showed my granddaughter the picture that was posted recently just to make sure I was correct. It was him. With another man who looked like he could have been his brother. This man looked at me with eyes that were wicked and evil. Gave me chills I just wanted everyone to hurry up and get out of there.

ETA I want to clarify that it was not the brother who looked at me. It was very creepy.
 
Him? JF him?
 
MACKENZIE COWELL TIMELINE
Confirmed Info Only - No Rumors



09 February 2010 (Tuesday):

3:01 PM - Mackenzie leaves the Academy of Hair Design where she works for a 15 minute break, gets in her car, and drives away. She is supposed to only be gone for a fifteen-minute break, according to flyers being posted at businesses in Wenatchee, but she never returns.

3:40 PM - Mackenzie's phone data indicate that her phone is at/near the Riverfront Park boat ramp. While there, the phone receives an incoming text ("hey") and replies with the same message ("hey").

5:42 PM - A cell tower bounces a signal off of MacKenzie's phone. This is the final activity on McKenzie's phone. Location has not been released by investigators.

8:02 PM - Residents report to Rivercom finding a 1997 red Pontiac Grand Prix in Squilchuck area, 2395 Pitcher Canyon Road, parked near a cattle gate, and they tell deputies the car had been there for the previous hour. LE uses the registration info on the car to identify Reid Cowell as the owner, who confirms that his daughter has been out past curfew. One set of foot prints led away from the locked car toward road asphalt. "Somebody got the car there and parked it without anybody knowing about it.” Mackenzie's purse was inside the car, but her cell phone, debit card with $20 on it, and gas card were missing. Initially, Washington State Crime Lab processed the car, but found no indication of anything unusual, and computers at both parents' residences were checked with nothing unusual found. Later, local press says that some evidence has been discovered in the car and sent to the State Crime Lab.


11 February 2010 (Thursday):

FBI Child Abduction Rapid Deployment agents arrive Thursday afternoon to aid in the search for Mackenzie.


12 February 2010 (Friday):

Investigators fax warrants to Facebook, Myspace, and Verizon. A team of 10 detectives search the Pitcher Canyon area and interview and re-interviewing all of Mackenzie's friends and family. Mackenzie's mother and the mother's boyfriend are also being interviewed by the FBI.


13 February 2010 (Saturday):

Mackenzie's body is found near the Columbia River at 156 Crescent Bar Road just inside Douglas County by someone walking along the beach. She was fully clothed and her feet were in the water. The Chelan County Sheriff's spokesman said "It appears she was put there by someone....We've got to find this monster. Anybody who is willing to take a child and commit a crime with that child is a monster." Investigators find evidence of homicide at the scene and inside the vacant home. FBI profilers arrive late Saturday to assist with the investigation.

Sometime on the 13th: Jerry Moore from Chelan County does a radio interview in which he states that 3:15PM, Feb 9, was the last time anyone "heard from Mackenzie." He also says that the Douglas County Sheriff is responsible for gathering information from Myspace, Facebook, Verizon, Google, and other internet/phone providers used by Mackenzie.


15 February 2010 (Monday):

A task force made up of local law enforcement and FBI is formed to investigate circumstances surrounding Mackenzie's death. Mackenzie's mother tells NWCN (see video) that she's been instructed by investigators not to discuss the investigation with media.


16 February 2010 (Tuesday):

An autopsy performed by Dr. Gina Fino and witnessed by Dr Steve Clem, Douglas County prosecutor and coroner, and a State Patrol Crime Laboratory’s forensics team confirms that the body is that of Mackenzie Cowell. The autopsy also revealed that her death was a homicide, but the cause of death has not yet been released. Autopsy results will not be released until the person responsible is identified and charged.

Investigators ask that anyone who might have seen someone walking out of Pitcher Canyon on South Methow Street or Squilchuck Highway between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 9, call the tip line. Captain Jones of the task force looking into 17-year-old Mackenzie Cowell's death said the person who left Cowell's car in the canyon where it was later found likely walked on one of those two roads afterward.


18 February 2010 (Thursday):

Investigators released video footage of the last known sighting of homicide victim Mackenzie Cowell in a Wenatchee-owned parking lot in the hope that someone saw the teenager or her red 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix.

As law enforcement officials advise women to walk in pairs and be more aware of their surroundings, local gun stores report a spike in sales of tasers, mace, and handguns.


22 February 2010 (Monday):

1:36 AM - Someone at Mackenzie's mother's residence calls 911 to report "harassment/threat."

Police scale back task force and await DNA and fingerprint results from state crime lab. Evidence was collected from the Crescent Bar location and from Mackenzie's car. Wenatchee Police Sgt. Cherie Smith said, "But we still don’t know where she was killed,” Smith said. “So we may have another crime scene at some point.”


25 February 2010 (Thursday):

Memorial service is held for Mackenzie Cowell at Wenatchee Town Toyota Center. 1800 people attend. Mackenzie is remembered as "a bright, energetic girl who endured heartless teasing through much of her adolescence because of an underbite. She persevered, however, eventually becoming prom queen." Mackenzie's mother, maternal grandfather, father, father's fiance, two brothers, and boyfriend attend the memorial. Noticeably absent is Mackenzie's mother's boyfriend. Mackenzie's brother Trevor made the family's first statement to the media: "It's incredible. It meant the world to me because we all loved her. And that's what this all shows is how much everybody loves her."


26 February 2010 (Friday):

Task force states that cell phone data places Mackenzie Cowell’s phone near a Wenatchee boat launch on Feb. 9, the day she disappeared.


01 March 2010 (Monday):

The Cowell Task Force believes that Mackenzie's phone is a key piece of evidence and asks the public to call the tip line if it is found. The phone is a maroon LG EnV2.


03 March 2010 (Wednesday):

A local task force continues to work full-time on the Mackenzie Cowell murder case. Chelan County has four deputies and two administrative assistants assigned to the task force. Douglas County has four detectives, Wenatchee Police has three officers and East Wenatchee police has one officer assigned to the case. The FBI, U.S. Marshal’s Office and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement are assisting the Cowell Task Force.

05 March 2010 (Friday):

Local businesspeople unite and announce the creation of a new reward fund to help find Mackenzie's killer. The group, Wenatchee Valley Citizens Against Crime, has pledged $38000 to be added to the existing $7000 reward fund in the event that someone provides a tip that leads to a conviction of Mackenzie's murderer. “This case broke the camel’s back. For this one, we said, ‘Enough is enough. We want this valley to be a safe place.'"


12 March 2010 (Friday) :

Against the wishes of the Cowell Task Force, the Wenatchee World publishes Mackenzie's cause of death which was on the death certificate. The World withheld the cause of death for two weeks in accordance with the task force's wishes, but today published the information, as they've always published death certificate information related to murders and saw no reason to make an exception in this case.

Though the task force is tight-lipped in response to the World reporter's many questions about the circumstances of Mackenzie's death, several details emerge. Eight lie detector tests have been administered, though the task force refuses to say to whom. Numerous properties have been searched, though the task force will not identify them. Most important, the task force has not yet found the site where Mackenzie was killed.


15 March 2010 (Sunday):

Wenatchee World article about Crimestoppers Reward Fund. The ex-husband and father of Jack Owen Spillman III's victims has donated a substantial amount to the reward fund. Coincidentally, Wendy Cowell's boyfriend JF was married to Spillman's sister at the time of the murders and was called to testify at the trial. JF's second wife Mae was JOS's older sister. Spillman's address


22 March 2010 (Sunday):

KOZI radio interview with task force spokesman (podcast here; informal transcript here) reveals that the case is not cold yet, that the task force has not received any complete lab results and are awaiting more forensics results from the crime lab, that the task force has been thorough in interviewing and eliminating people, starting with those closest to MC and working outward. The most substantial bit of info was that the task force has no eye-witnesses placing Mackenzie at the boat ramp at the time that her boyfriend received the 3:24 "hey" text message. The spokesman stated that the Wenatchee World may have harmed the state's case against any future suspect by removing the cause of death information from the investigators' "tool box."

26 March 2010 (Friday, 7:30 PM - Midnight):

A dance was held at the Volcano Club's ballroom for Mackenzie Cowell, to "help raise money for the funds needed to catch her killer, and to go to the Mackenzie Cowell Memorial Fund." The dance was "headed up" by Wenatchee photographer Joshua Lusk. The event's admission was $10. It was attended by 450 people and raised almost $3000. It is not clear to exactly which fund(s) the money went, however.


CLICK HERE to see a map of points of interest in the Mackenzie Cowell investigation.


WHO'S WHO IN THE MACKENZIE COWELL MURDER INVESTIGATION:

MC - Mackenzie Nicole Cowell; decedant. 17 years old. Attended Wenatchee High School and Academy of Hair Design. Dancer with the Apple-ettes. Also took dance lessons and worked out at Gold's Gym.
WC - Wendy Cowell. Mackenzie Cowell's mother; real estate agent and home builder; divorced from RC since 2001, now dating JF.
RC - Reid Cowell. Mackenzie Cowell's father; construction industry; divorced from WC since 2001, now dating SF.
JF - Mackenzie's mother's boyfriend; construction industry; rumored to have been living with WC while married to/separated from another woman; was a witness in the trial of infamous murderer Jack Owen Spillman III; was married to JOS's sister at the time of JOS's arrest for the gruesome murders of a mother and daughter. Built WC's spec house located at 3635 Ridgeview Blvd, Wenatchee.
SF - Mackenzie's father's fiancee. (She is in no way related to JF.)
JV - Mackenzie's 21-year-old boyfriend.


BIT PLAYERS IN THE MACKENZIE COWELL CASE


BC - guy from Tacoma on whose FB page MC posted "mmmm u look good! :) sorry for everything." Date of FB post is January 26.
VDD - When Mackenzie was 12, WC took out a restraining order against VDD, who was 17 years old at the time.
JL - photographer in Wenatchee who seems to have inserted himself into the case, possibly for publicity for his fledgling photography business. "Headed up" the dance for Mackenzie that was held on March 26, 2010.
DFD and KMA - two women who post on their facebooks. Supposedly, KMA has a friend associated with the investigation who is feeding her info. She gives the info to DFD, who posts it publicly on her facebook wall.

If you have ANY information
about the murder of MacKenzie Cowell please call:
ANONYMOUS TIP LINE - 509-667-6848
Task Force Command Center - 509-888-4226
Public Tip Line - 509-663-9911



This timeline is a work in progress. If you have information to add to it or corrections to note, please PM me with the addition/correction and source link. I don't use Examiner as a source, because, quite frankly, our work is more investigative than the Examiner, and based on the same sources. Corrections may not appear until the next posting of the timeline, which I always try to insert on page 1 of any new thread about Mackenzie. Thanks for the teamwork in making this timeline a primary guide to the MC case!
 
Wow, thread #15. I hope this crime is solved before we reach thread 16.
 
Hey, guys... I'm still swamped. I'm sorry I haven't been around much. I've been ebaying, Eastering, and tending to pups, which now have their eyes open and are growling and barking... need to put up new pics... I haven't had time to go through my inbox, but will do so Monday. Tomorrow will be another busy day... gah!

So here's my request. Will everyone look at the timeline and if you see something that needs to be edited/added, then please post in green in this thread so that I can catch it easily and edit.

Thanks for your help... and I hope every single one of you, my WS friends all, has a wonderful Easter.
 
You made it here, on the first page!
Thank you, puf!! :)
 
waitin'4thewrld2chg said:
Going back to a post from last night, I don't think we have commented on the four-day wait before LE returned the call from the car wash attendant, if the carwash visit by MC (and ?), the call, and the four-day wait in fact did occur.

Four days seems like quite a span of time to let pass once a citizen has called LE to state they believe they have had an encounter with a missing person.]


My experience on another case, that is reasonable when you report to an LE tipline. Once a person, especially a young person is publically announced to be missing...calls flood LE.
 
Hey, guys... I'm still swamped. I'm sorry I haven't been around much. I've been ebaying, Eastering, and tending to pups, which now have their eyes open and are growling and barking... need to put up new pics... I haven't had time to go through my inbox, but will do so Monday. Tomorrow will be another busy day... gah!

So here's my request. Will everyone look at the timeline and if you see something that needs to be edited/added, then please post in green in this thread so that I can catch it easily and edit.

Thanks for your help... and I hope every single one of you, my WS friends all, has a wonderful Easter.

Hey Puf, we missed you! Please edit the part next to JV's name that says they broke up recently since you specifically say confirmed info, no rumors. The Tacoma guy was a pretty loose rumor and I heard first-hand from JV that they broke up & got back together 8 months ago, not recently.

Also, if you could please somehow add the communication timeline I posted about JV & MC on the day she went missing, that would be very helpful. There has been a lot of questions and confusion about who texted who and when. Maybe you could italicize it and put it right under what you have already? Then people could access it easily.

Thanks and Happy Easter to you as well!
 
Thank goodness I didn't lose this post that I tried to submit on the last thread. That would've made me :mad: !!

I'm jumping in here and hope I'm not interrupting any great ongoing convos. Forget that... new thread. :)

I haven't been following much today, but something I read (and posted) yesterday has really gotten my curiosity piqued. I know there are some great minds amongst us and I'm hoping one of you can answer this for me.

Paragraph snipped from article at GLC.com:

Since the discovery of the body on Saturday afternoon, the lead role in the investigation moved from the Chelan County Sheriff's Office to Douglas County Sheriff's Office although the efforts of many agencies of law enforcement continues as the story began with an abandoned vehicle in Pitcher Canyon in Chelan County, and a nearly instant decision by Chelan County Sheriff Mike Harum to organize a high power task force to orchestrate an all out search and investigation in the circumstances of MacKenzie Cowell's disappearance.

Can anyone tell me *why* you think the sheriff made such an instantaneous decision to form this "high power task force"? What was it about an "abandoned vehicle" and "a missing teen", that caused the sheriff to make such a decision, almost instantly?

Am I missing something? :waitasec:

Locals ... is this normal procedure for the Chelan County Sheriff?

I think it must have been the footprints. They probably weren't even close to MC size.
 
Hey, guys... I'm still swamped. I'm sorry I haven't been around much. I've been ebaying, Eastering, and tending to pups, which now have their eyes open and are growling and barking... need to put up new pics... I haven't had time to go through my inbox, but will do so Monday. Tomorrow will be another busy day... gah!

So here's my request. Will everyone look at the timeline and if you see something that needs to be edited/added, then please post in green in this thread so that I can catch it easily and edit.

Thanks for your help... and I hope every single one of you, my WS friends all, has a wonderful Easter.

Welcome back. Here's one to edit:

VDD - When Mackenzie was 12 (not 14), WC took out a restraining order against VDD, who was 17 years old at the time that he was involved with MC. TIA!
 
I must have missed this, too! Chief Jerry Moore (CCSO) did an interview on Feb 13th, the day she was found, and stated the body was Mackenzie Cowell.
I remember reading in the WW that it would be a couple days before the body was positively identified. Looks like the WW was scooped by GLC, in this instance, too!

Sat Feb 13th 2010
Seventeen Year Old MacKenzie Cowell Found Dead Saturday.
How and Why Remains a Mystery.
Exhausitve Searches Over - Investigations Begin
MacKenzie Cowell death now considered a Homicide.

The body of 17 Year Old MacKenize Cowell of Orondo has been found near Crescent Bar in Douglas County. Early information is absent any indication of where or how she was found, other than to say she was found fully clothed on the edge of the Columbia River near Crescent Bar, with her feet in the water.


There is a podcast, too:
http://www.golakechelan.com/?name=News&file=print&sid=10277
 
My experience on another case, that is reasonable when you report to an LE tipline. Once a person, especially a young person is publically announced to be missing...calls flood LE.

Yes, thanks, I can only imagine. But in Wenatchee---surely not that many people were claiming to have had MC visit their place of business that afternoon...? Maybe the power of suggestion would result in lots of calls, though, IDK.
 
Thanks everyone for the welcome back. Dang... I edited that last time in thread I think and forgot to edit it in my wordpad file.

Let's see...

Melissa, I haven't had time to really read what went on in that previous thread. Could you link me to the post with the timeline?

Thanks No More...will do that right now. Here it is Easter and I'm watching NBKs while waiting on my benadryl to kick in (freakin' pollen) and cuddling a pup. Does that make me warped?
 
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