AL AL - J.B. Beasley, 17, & Tracie Hawlett, 17, Ozark, 31 July 1999 #1

[DimeDetective]

Our soil here has a lot of clay in it ranging from a brownish tan color to bright orange. If the girls did get stuck, the did not do it inside of Ozark in the area of Broad St., Hwy 123, or 27 .That are is all paved- even where they would pull off of the road- there are curbs lining the roads and they would have had to have pulled into a parking lot or driveway if they left any of these roads inside of town.

Thank you for continuing to detail the area for us, KR. It's so helpful to have input from a sharp-eyed local.

I keep thinking about the killer being someone stationed at Ft Rucker. It is the army's training school for all their helicopter pilots. Most of the personel that are there are Warrant Officers. They have several other training schools, all related to flying and lots of soldiers come and go on TDY. We have pilots come here from other countries to get training.

It would be very interesting I think if someone with the time and research skills to check into it to find out if there have been similar murders around army bases.

You mentioned that lots of soldiers come and go on TDY, and in an earlier post you said, "Ft Rucker has a lot of TDY personnel so it's possible that the killer was in and out of the area rather quickly." I'm curious as to just how quickly this would have been. Long enough for someone to get to know Ozark well enough to have been able to pull off this crime without being seen or caught?

One of my very first thoughts when I began learning about this case was, I wonder if the killer was military? Your idea of investigating similar murders near Army bases is stellar.

I think there are 2 reasons why there have not been other, similar murders in the area- it was either someone who was not a permanent resident of the area, or it really was an execution style murder.

It definitely could have been a temporary resident (including, again, military) or someone just passing through the area. It's been reported many times over the years that the authorities were investigating out-of-state leads.

One thing I keep getting snagged on with the idea that these killings were somehow personal, and maybe I'm way off here, is that I keep thinking a friend or friends of the girls would have come forward, at least anonymously, to divulge a secret of J.B.'s or Tracie's that could have led to their murders. Maybe I've just watched too much Twin Peaks ("She's filled with secrets.").

 

[killarney rose]

What if the killer began to follow them when they stopped and made the phone call at the BP in Headland?

I have to wonder also, if the girls were that close to a party that was to celebrate the birthday of one of them, why they did not go and attend the party? Maybe being lost was a cover because they wanted to go to Ozark?


If the killer drove the car, and left no trace of himself behind , then I think that it was likely someone who planned to kill someone- whether it was a hit on the girls as some have suggested, or they had the misfortune to end up as random victims.

I don't think a tow truck was used.

 

[killarney rose]

DimeDetective- The post won't let me thank you- I think we posted too close together.

I am guessing most soldiers are at Rucker a year or less. But some are here long enough to settle in and buy homes.

 

[DimeDetective]

Tracie Jean Hawlett's birthday was this past Sunday, March 3.

She would have been 31 years old. She wanted to be a doctor and a missionary.

 

[DimeDetective]

Are the witnesses that saw the girls at the Big/Little store certain they took the route out of town via 27? If I were leaving, I would leave via Broad ST (Hwy 123)?

This archived news story from 2005 leads me to think you may very well be right about the girls taking Highway 123.

"Police began searching an area off Hwy 123 inside the city limits of Ozark last week, believing that it may have been the location where Tracie Hawlett and J.B. Beasley were murdered."

http://newsgroups.derkeiler.com/Archive/Alt/alt.true-crime/2005-08/msg03315.html

 

[DimeDetective]

From the same 2005 article:

"Thursday police were also seen quietly searching an area at the intersection of Depot Lane and James St. at an abandoned building. The area on Depot Lane has been previously searched by investigators in the case. It appears that the area is still under scrutiny by investigators. Depot Lane is very close to the Big Little store on Broad St. where the two teens were last seen by witnesses on the night of July 31."

http://newsgroups.derkeiler.com/Archive/Alt/alt.true-crime/2005-08/msg03315.html

KR, are you familiar with Depot Lane?

 

[shadowangel]

Is it possible they met up with someone else who also was going to the party, or had come from there (having left early)? Someone known to the girls, maybe not well-known but well enough to trust to a point?

Could the killer have undressed the girls after murdering them, deposited the semen in process, and then redressed them? This would indicate someone very inexperienced with (but very curious about) girls. Im just having a hard time constructing a timeline in my mind. Im thinking that its very possible there was more than once person involved (thus the question about anyone who may have been at the party but left early).

Im not buying the tow truck scenario. The 929 is RWD so it can be towed from the front (not necessitating a flat-bed tow) but there's stilll a lot of work involved. Lot of contact with the vehicle, tire prints, etc. The lack of DNA evidence in the cab doesnt really surprise me, prints are much more likely to be left behind than bodily fluids, tissue, etc.

 

[killarney rose]

I'm not familiar with that area. I could drive straight to it, but I couldn't describe it the way I have the other areas as I have only been out that way a few times, and not recently.

James St and Depot LN don't intersect, but Jones St and Depot Ln do. I wonder if that was a misprint?

I've got Google maps pulled up. Depot Ln is in the opposite direction the girls would have taken had they followed the directions given to them to get out of Ozark and back to Hwy 231. They would have turned left onto Broad St. when they left the Big/Little to get to Depot LN, and if they had followed directions to get to 231 whether it was via Hwy 27 or Hwy 123 they would have needed to turn right out of the Big/Little onto Broad St.

ETA- IIRC this is not a residential area, but an old commercial/industrial part of town with some old, empty buildings. It is also the general area of Carroll High School, the town's only high school.

 

[LR1]

Thanks DD for the effort in laying out most if not all the facts of this case in this thread, it was sorely needed.

I've got Google maps pulled up. Depot Ln is in the opposite direction the girls would have taken had they followed the directions given to them to get out of Ozark and back to Hwy 231. They would have turned left onto Broad St. when they left the Big/Little to get to Depot LN, and if they had followed directions to get to 231 whether it was via Hwy 27 or Hwy 123 they would have needed to turn right out of the Big/Little onto Broad St.

Merritt and her daughter then saw Beasley and Hawlett pull out of the parking lot and turn right toward the highway, as directed. It was the last time Beasley and Hawlett were seen alive.

I'm a little confused here killarney rose, looking at the map if they turned right (west) out of the parking lot onto east Broad st. (hwy27), Depot Ln. would be the first street they come upon, I don't see it being in the opposite direction of the way they were told to go.

 

[LR1]

This case is one of the first I became interested in when I was finally able to surf the internet, haha. Do they still use that phrase? anywho... I always thought it was just a matter of time before someone was arrested, convicted and no doubt executed. We are talking about Alabama after all and needless to say they don't take kindly to people killing their children.
Back then there were very few crime based websites. It was mostly just usenet newsgroup type sites nothing like we have now but the early version of what is now wiregrassdotcom, a Dothan area bulletin board/website had a lot of discussion from locals regarding this case. As you could imagine there was much speculation, rumor and innuendo involved in the discussions.
They switched the discussion format on the site around the middle of 02 and by then posts about the murders were tailing off anyway from the lack of new info about the case not to mention other local and global happenings creeping into the comment section. But never the less it was the place to go early on if you wanted to get caught up on the case and some of it can still be accessed via the wayback machine on archive.org. Im only able to view a fraction of the comments that were posted back then because for whatever reason many of the comments are not brought up when you click on them. The current version of the site has a forum as well but there have been very few posts in the last few years on there.
I bring this up because it was an early source for info, sometimes incorrect info but its just another place to check out if people run out of places to sleuth and are not aware of the site. not necessarily that there's anything helpful to be found there.

http://web.archive.org/web/20040409090629/http://www.wiregrass.com/ozark/chronology.html

 

[killarney rose]

LRI- I just pulled up Google Maps of that area and you are coorect about turning right from the Big/ Little store. I was trying to picture that area in my mind as I viewed the map, but I'm not real familiar with it- not like other parts of town. I know where it is- but not too good on the details.

I've read the newer version of wiregrass.com- its not an active forum at all. Those people discussing the case sure weren't accepting of new people coming to the forum wanting to discuss the case. Seems like a couple of them wanted to do all the talking and they welcomed no newcomers to the discussion.

 

[LR1]

No worries KR, were all here to keep each other straight on the details and I need to be kept straight pretty regularly. As for that site I haven't went there for awhile until this morning and only recognize a few names from the earlier version, which I never posted at either only lurked. I guess with the passage of time and the lack of new info all that's left is rehashing over and over whats already know, then with more internet users you get more trolls and the spirit of what brought everyone together gets lost.

 

[Kimster]

:rose: Our featured cold case from 3/10/2013 to 3/17/2013 :rose:

 

[Stella]

A few questions-Was the driver's license found on the car's dashboard real or a fake ID? Did they try to buy beer or cigarettes that night at any other convenience stores? If the ID was fake, perhaps they had it out on the dashboard to be handy for use to buy those items. Did they check the license for fingerprints other than the girls? Were the kids at the party questioned? I'm not convinced that JB or Tracie weren't there at some point. The lady who witnessed them drive away said the car was spotless yet when found, it was muddy. Were boyfriends spoken to? Were there jealous rivals at school?

 

[killarney rose]

Stella that is a good point. But from all that I have read- here, and in other forums, I've never seen mention of a fake ID.

 

[killarney rose]

This archived news story from 2005 leads me to think you may very well be right about the girls taking Highway 123.

"Police began searching an area off Hwy 123 inside the city limits of Ozark last week, believing that it may have been the location where Tracie Hawlett and J.B. Beasley were murdered."

http://newsgroups.derkeiler.com/Archive/Alt/alt.true-crime/2005-08/msg03315.html

Something has been bothering me since reading this.

Sometimes, when you read news items referring to certain areas, they are not clear and can be confusing. So I would like to put a few things out there. You guys pull up your maps, and any locals to the area, lets hear your take on this.

As I said earlier, I am not very familiar with the Deopt Ln area. I could drive to it, but to describe it accurately- not really, just a sense of what the general area is like.

But, this article says that they were searching an area of 123/Union Ave near Depot Ln. as a possible murder site. If you look at the map- Depot Ln and Union Ave don't really come close to intersecting.

I'm wondering if this was a mix up? Could they have bee checking out 2 seperate areas?

If you are leaving town, you would turn left onto Union/123 off of Broad St. You then proceed south intil you get to the intersection of Hwy 231 and would then turn left and drive straight into Dothan.

While traveling Union/123 toward hwy 231 about halfway inbetween downtown Ozark and the hwy 231 intersection there was another Big/Little convienence store on the left side of the road. There were 2 BL Stores in Ozark at the time of the murders.

At the intersection of Union/123 and 231, if instead of turning left onto 231 you cross 231 and stay on 123, it becomes rural right away. I am wondering if perhaps this area of hwy 123 is where they are saying a possible murder site was checked out? It seems to fit for me, and for some reason is just stuck in my head.

I also wanted to clarify that there were 2 BL stores at the time in the areas where the girls could have been.:twocents:

 

[jenstar]

Just a quick note of the evidence that no-one has yet mentioned. The girls pants were wet/damp up to the knee. Scenario being that they may have walked (willingly or un-willingly) through some tall grass, and that there was mud on the bottom of their shoes.

IMO/speculative as it may be, I see a sick killer on our hands. But the thing is..killers like this don't just cut and run. They do kill again. I'd say that by as amature as it was it was his first and there were more after.
JMHO of what happened that night. Also a profile of sorts.

The killer marches the girls out into a grassy area and forces one to take her clothes off, while holding the other hostage. (Maybe discharging his weapon to let them know he's serious) He takes his pants down because he's planning on raping them. He then trades positions, takes the unclothed girl hostage and deposits semen on her. This makes him angry. That he did this before completing the task. This guy is sick. It actually turns him on to have control, and he blew it.
What happens?
Did the girls scoff at him? Did they say something to anger him? Or does he just take it out on the girls because he was incompetent? Doesn't matter.
Theory 2.
How does he get them back to the car?
Can he shoot and carry them, each one, that far of a distance?
Did he make them walk back, make them get into the trunk of the car?<This sounds more like our guy. He makes them walk back and get into the trunk. He wont end their suffering yet. He drives the car back where he'd last seen them, maybe where his car isn't too far away. He opens the trunk and does the deed. Walking away without a scratch.

The soldier theory is a good one. I'd actually stick with that.
He'd be younger with daddy issues. But no older than mid 20s (Father also with prior military experience) And the kid is just dying to dominate. Slim build, probably nerdy. Not an average looking guy.
Older or only Sibling.

 

[LR1]

Something has been bothering me since reading this.

Looking at the march 12 2000 posting at the link I posted upthread there's a thumbnail of a map that shows the location on 123 south. Its where they took soil samples and found the shell casing. I've read where it was spent and also read where it hadn't been fired, so that's not clear to me.
Looking at that map the location appears to be about 3 miles give or take, south of 231.

The other march 12 posting has another thumbnail map that appears to show three locations, the b/l store, the location of the car and the Depot Ln. location which is at Jones st. and not James st. as the articles state. probably a typo as you suggested.

I'm not sure which side of 123 the location is, I cant see the buildings described from looking at the area from overhead. I want to say it was the west side but I could be totally off on that. The march 26 post shows a small photo of the location they were searching.

For the record, I have no way of knowing how accurate those thumbnail maps are.

 

[DimeDetective]

Is it possible they met up with someone else who also was going to the party, or had come from there (having left early)? Someone known to the girls, maybe not well-known but well enough to trust to a point?

Could the killer have undressed the girls after murdering them, deposited the semen in process, and then redressed them? This would indicate someone very inexperienced with (but very curious about) girls. Im just having a hard time constructing a timeline in my mind. Im thinking that its very possible there was more than once person involved (thus the question about anyone who may have been at the party but left early).

These are all certainly possibilities, in my humble opinion. There are those two huge unaccounted-for blocks of time that night — from when the girls left Dothan around 10:00 p.m. to when they were seen at the Big/Little Store at 11:30, and then between the time they left the Big/Little Store and when they were found the next morning at 8:00 — that leave a lot of things pretty wide open.

What we do know:

A couple things from the very useful Chronology of Events posted by LR1 (which I take to be one person's record of MSM reports concerning the case from August 1999 to mid-May 2002):

According to Henry County officials, J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett never attended the party in Headland. They have conducted several interviews of people who attended the party, held on a dirt road off Hwy 95 in Haleburg, and the attendees said that they didn't see the girls at the party.

Headland Police report seeing the girls at a pay phone in Headland earlier in the evening on Saturday, July 31, 1999.

A few early MSM articles reported that it wasn't clear if the girls attended the party, but the vast majority state clearly that the girls never made it. I tend to believe that the girls really did get lost — if not, why call friends from the BP in Headland trying to get clarification on the directions they were given? It seems to me an unnecessary step (like asking for directions from Ms. Merritt and her daughter later at the Big/Little Store) if the girls had other plans for the evening and knew what they were doing/where they were going.

It should be noted that the girls were seen by police at the BP and there was no mention of other parties that may have been with them. Also, the friends J.B. and Tracie called at this time apparently didn't report anything about the girls mentioning that they were in the company of a third party.

And then, later at the Big/Little Store, Ms. Merritt and her daughter saw and talked to the girls and again no mention was made of any additional parties clearly being with the girls. So if J.B. and Tracie did meet someone else at some point between Dothan and Ozark, that person just happened to go unobserved by witnesses (and unmentioned by the girls) in both Headland and Ozark.

On the other hand, there is the white pickup truck recorded on the Big/Little Store surveillance camera. Though it's unclear whether Ms. Merritt and her daughter reported seeing the white truck to LE, it was there at the same time as J.B. and Tracie and Ms. Merritt and her daughter, according to the Chronology of Events. (I'll get more into the Big/Little Store timeline in another post.)

So is it possible, then, that J.B. and Tracie knew the occupant(s) of the white truck, and were traveling in tandem with the occupant(s)? Definitely. (Though if the occupant(s) of the white truck was known by the girls, why didn't this person get out of the truck or communicate with the girls at any point?)

Could the same truck have been parked at the BP in Headland when the girls were observed there by the police? Definitely. Especially considering the BP stop was a little earlier in the evening and the BP may have been more crowded than the Big/Little Store, which was closed when the girls stopped there.

Im not buying the tow truck scenario. The 929 is RWD so it can be towed from the front (not necessitating a flat-bed tow) but there's stilll a lot of work involved. Lot of contact with the vehicle, tire prints, etc.

Good info, shadowangel. I agree, the tow truck scenario seems unlikely. Though I'm not sure if this theory originates with LE (who have all the facts regarding the crime scene) or as rumor.

James St and Depot LN don't intersect, but Jones St and Depot Ln do. I wonder if that was a misprint?

You're right, KR. James Street and Depot Lane don't intersect, and though the Chronology of Events says James Street, the map accompanying that entry (March 12, 2000) is labeled "Depot Lane & Jones St."

 

[killarney rose]

I think it is a good possibilty that the white truck could have followed the girls unobserved from the Headland BP to Ozark.

If the girls were confused, they could have left Headland and ended up on 27 in Ozark. Inside of Ozark 27 becomes Broad St. I'm not familialr with that route, but I do remember taking it once in the 80s. And if you leave Ozark on Broad St/27 it takes you into Henry County where Headland is located.

We've thrown out lots of theories here but I'm begining to believe the original where the girls got lost and ended up in Ozark where they were accosted by their killer works for me best of all of them.

I have still not ruled out one of the rumors as what happened- I would loved to know for sure if DNA ruled out this suspect, now deceased. The other scenario that seems likely is that it was a soldier.