Last Sightings of the 3-eight-year-old Boys

CR, all due respect, but you don't know that for certain (with regard to all the legal documents).

Whether they were nons or not is irrelevant.
 
CR, all due respect, but you don't know that for certain (with regard to all the legal documents).

Whether they were nons or not is irrelevant.

I didn't say I knew "for certain" but that I was pretty sure. The site has been updated many times over the years. I would think that, with a non involved, it would have insured a lack of bias. MOO, of course.
 
I'm not saying it's biased at all. I'm simply saying, there is no way that this site contains every piece of evidence pertaining to this case. This was a matter of a handful (3?) people going to the police department and "grabbing" anything they could; and one time, at that, I'd say -- because as you know, the WMPD eventually stopped letting visitors in entirely (even though it should be legal to view the evidence).
 
Yeah, Gitchell even mentioned that in the Pasdar deposition - that anyone could view the evidence. IIRC, they went more than once, though. After the wmpd disallowed visitors, they had to rely on the legal documents as they were made public. I still believe Callahan's is the most thorough and objective site about this case, though.
 
It is the most thorough and objective -- but whether it's entirely exhaustive and all-encompassing is impossible to know (for any of us, anyway).
 
I think that Callahan's contains all information on this case that has been made public. Of course, I believe there is information about the case that hasn't been made public. I'm anxiously awaiting its release, and I'm confident that the information, once released, will be on Callahan's.
 
I recently read Cynthia Rico's statement again, and it is very interesting. She says that she saw MM, SB and CB playing near the spot where the bayou goes under the I-10, somewhere between 18:15 and 18:30. I can't see when she made this statement, but I believe I once read that she called it in even before the bodies were discovered (but when the kids were missing).
Does anyone know if Cynthia Rico was an acquaintance of the three boys?
 
I don't think she was an acquaintance of the boys but I could be wrong.

The Rico sighting has always fascinated me, particularly the part where she places all three boys on the north side of the bayou with their bikes, riding in the east field. I believe this sighting, because (as you allude to) it was given even before the boys were discovered -- and it was all but corroborated once the boys were discovered, in terms of the proximity were they were last seen.

Lethalmatthew, when you say "I-10," do you mean "I-40"?
 
The original CR report (phone call to GG) stated the time of the sighting as 6:30 - 7:00 pm. Also, CR only identified CB and the time at which she called in is unclear,except it was 5/6/93. By the time it was "officially" written down (on May 12, 1993), her handwritten statement states the time as 6:00 - 6:30 pm and names all three boys. However the police statement doesn't state a time and doesn't mention the boys' names at all. So, just how accurate could it be?
 
I was wondering if there was anything to that egging incident that occurred the night the boys went missing? I know Truth and Justice is now just looking into it but that incident seems awful strange to me. it occurred less than 100 yards from the pipe bridge on Roy Pugh Dr on the very night the boys went missing.
Remember that there was a report from a Mrs. (Klutz) -not sure of the spelling- that her daughter Heather reported seeing the boys earlier that day and that they were throwing "rocks"...
Later the responding officer (who if Im remembering right, was the officer from Bojangles?) clearly reports talking to a James Lance who resided at 1004 Roy Pugh Dr. and he claimed that it was "some neighborhood boys" and he knows who they are, who were the ones throwing the eggs. But a few days later (I think it might have been close to two weeks later actually) when the police returner to do their neighborhood canvas, talking to all the residents about strange activity that occurred in and around the time of the boys disappearance, they clearly mark 1004 as "Vacant". NOT No Answer or Not Available (NA) as they had put for other houses but clearly as "Vacant"... Would this go to mean that James Lance moved within the two weeks since the night the boys first went missing? I mean clearly you'd think that the officer who wrote "vacant" wouldn't have just put that because no one answered the door, right? He or she must have looked into the window and seen it empty, is my guess.
I know when I was the boys' age throwing rocks and eggs was a favorite pastime for us and I do recall getting some SERIOUS responses from some of the "victims". I mean some people were beyond pissed! Scary mad! Could something have happened and someone went to far with one of the boys??
IMO, its definitely worth a look...
 
Great points, redbundy -- yes, Meeks was the same office that responded to both the Bojangles call and the egg-throwing call (she left Bojangles; it was the very next call; eerily-ironic, if you think about it).

That's the big question: why is there a discrepancy as to whether the egged-house was vacant or not? My only guess is, perhaps the house was a bit run-down, and when officers were canvassing the area after the murders, perhaps no one was home and due to the look of the house, simply assumed it was vacant. Perhaps they tried to look in the windows, but couldn't see inside.

Yes, this definitely could have spurred a rage killing. I remember throwing crab apples at apartment windows when I was young with some neighborhood kids; people were beyond mad and we got the cops called on us.
 
Thanks Userid for the response! I, like most folks subscribe to the Hobbs theory as to what most likely happened to the boys but I do think every other possible scenario should be exhausted before a definitive answer is accepted.
 
Thanks Userid for the response! I, like most folks subscribe to the Hobbs theory as to what most likely happened to the boys but I do think every other possible scenario should be exhausted before a definitive answer is accepted.

Agreed!!
 
I do have one hold up however dealing with the TH scenario where he possibly killed them in another location and then brought them to the spot they where found at. And that is, why would he carry the three boys over the pipe bridge and down the trail to the location they where found at but dump the two bikes by the pipe bridge? It seems to me it should have been vice versa, take the bikes to the body location and the boys by the pipe bridge. Or both the boys and the bikes at the pipe bridge. I mean what was the motivation behind carrying the boys the extra distance to hide them in the water there, versus just hiding them at the pipe bridge if the whole reason was to hide them in water in the first place? I mean, isn't one part of the water just as good as another? Technically, the boys where actually found first before their bikes so you could almost argue that the pipe bridge was a better location to hide them at.

It couldn't have been easy carrying three dead (well almost dead) 8 year old boys, so why make the extra trips with each trip increasing your time in the woods then also increasing your chance of being discovered? Given that, I do think its definitely possible or maybe even probable that the boys where killed where they where found. Therefore dumped there. And their bikes where most likely parked right at the pipe bridge so that why their bikes where discovered by the pipe bridge.

All that being said, TH could still have killed them at that spot, so in my mind he's still just as much a suspect. Or an egged neighbor who was extremely pissed off could have followed the boys down to the woods and got them there just as easily as anyone else could have. Or DE, JB and JM could have come upon them in the woods and did what they where convicted of in the first place. But given where the boys where found compared to where their bikes were, I do think it more probable that they where killed there in those woods early that night of the 5th than they were murdered elsewhere and then brought to the woods and dumped.
 
Interesting redbundy, the reason you think TH does not fit, is one of the reasons why TH fits best IMO.

Was the place where the bodies were found ?

A). The scene of the crime.
B). The disposal site.
C). A staged crime scene.

If it was the scene of the crime, where were the bikes at the time of the crime.

1). In the direct vicinity , hence the boys took the bikes into the woods via the service road or Blue Beacon truck wash, or from the Devils-den area, or over the pipe bridge (highly unlikely IMO). There were bike tracks in the woods, but I did not see any evidence that the bike tracks were directly linked to the boys bikes.

2). The bikes were hidden in the vicinity of the pipe bridge before the boys crossed the pipe bridge. Stevens bike was brand new, he kept it in the spare bedroom. Would he have left it unattended ? I don't think so. Christopher was even frightened to cross the pipe bridge as told by his stepbrother Ryan.

3). The bikes were at a totally different location as the boys were in the woods.

If the bikes were in the direct vicinity during the crime, I don't see a single reason to dispose the bikes at a different location. A stranger would not have anything else on his mind other than to get out of the place as quickly as possible. They would throw the bikes into the ditch with the bodies & clothes or just leave them where they are. Furthermore, a stranger coming in from the truck wash or truck stop would not even see the bikes if they were hidden over the other side of the pipe bridge.

If the bikes were hidden in the area of the pipe bridge then only someone who could associate the bikes with the boys would have a reason to throw them into the Bayou. There is also the possibility that some sort of prankster who had nothing to do with the crime just lobbed them in.

If the bikes were in a totally different location, only some one who could be linked to this location (and thus to the boys) would have a reason to move the bikes.

As far as the bikes go, I see some things that are quite unusual as far as Hobbs is concerned. A short time before the boys were murdered, Stevens bike was stolen from the Hobbs home. TH did not want to buy him a new bike, so his grandfather bought him a new one. In his police interview and on other occasions Hobbs was constantly referring to Stevens "new bike" in situations where it felt out of place. Hobbs had not seen the boys all day. The bikes were where the boys were, if he had not seen the boys then he had not seen the bikes.

My speculation: The bodies were placed in the ditch via the service road (eastern side of the ditch) and the bikes were later (or earlier) transported on a separate journey. The ditch scene was staged to make it look like someone from the truck wash/stop had killed the boys. It was too dangerous to access the ditch a second time so the bikes were thrown into the Bayou. If anyone had seen TH with the bikes he could have told the police he had just found them, after all one of the bikes was his stepsons. The ditch could be accessed directly with a truck, where as the pipe bridge had to be accessed via a short footpath from either side.

As far as staging things go, I've seen some find examples of this from Hobbs.

On the contrary to what some other posters are saying, TH was not investigated, and the Hobbs home was not searched. Only at a later stage were the Byer's or the Moore's home searched.

I don't deal in absolutes, these are just my thoughts.
 
Thanks Cher for your response! I hadn't really thought about the dumping starting from the service road. In my mind I had always thought that they had to have A: been dumped by coming across the pipe bridge or B: parked their bikes themselves and came across the pipe bridge and walked to the body location where they where attacked.

That is a great thought though because I had always wondered that whoever did it took a REAL chance by either parking and dumping or walking out of the woods by the small dead end there by the apartments. By coming in the other way they'd be definitely less likely to be seen by someone who knew them (or the boys) plus I'm sure there was a lot more traffic coming and going by the Blue Beacon so people would be less likely to take notice.

I do though feel that Hobbs is the best suspect in this case as to the person who most likely did it. The hair tied into the knot on MM's ligature is pretty damning. Buts thats not saying for certain that it couldn't have gotten there by transfer. If I had to pick someone for the crimes at this point Id pick TH but if I was on a jury Id never be able to convict him of the crime. Just as id never be able to convict the three that went to prison for it. Or any of the other suspects that have been named in the past.

That being said, it wouldn't surprise me if the three actually did do it just as it wouldn't surprise me if someone completely off the radar was in fact the actual killer. I guess all that REALLY says is that Ive got no idea who the real killer(s) is beyond all reasonable doubt.

Also Cher, I was just wondering if you are listening to the TRUTH & JUSTICE: THE WEST MEMPHIS 3 Podcast? If not you should definitely check it out. They're going deep into this case. Well currently they are on a vacation till Jan. 3rd but you still can listen to all their previous podcasts. Its starts with episode 501.
 
It's quite simple, really:

If you believe the JCB sighting (which I don't, but I digress), then the crime scene occurred at TH's residence, as TH was seen calling the boys back to the house. And yes, it would make zero sense for TH to NOT pick a better dump site, than one so close to his own neighborhood and one so utterly inconvenient, even if he did dump the bodies and the bikes via the service road.
 
Thanks Userid for the response! I, like most folks subscribe to the Hobbs theory as to what most likely happened to the boys but I do think every other possible scenario should be exhausted before a definitive answer is accepted.

most folk subscribe to the hobbs theory???
gosh that's rich.
just because the loudest voices on websleuths are pro doesn't mean their the strongest or the general consensus of the population.
just to be clear.
 
Also Cher, I was just wondering if you are listening to the TRUTH & JUSTICE: THE WEST MEMPHIS 3 Podcast? If not you should definitely check it out. They're going deep into this case. Well currently they are on a vacation till Jan. 3rd but you still can listen to all their previous podcasts. Its starts with episode 501.

Thanks redbundy, yes I will be checking those podcasts out. Yes, when the initial investigation is screwed up, and my, THIS ONE was screwed up, the list of suspects balloons out of all proportion. Sturdy evidence is scarce in this case and that's why the three convicted were wrongly convicted. They are not alone, there have been many wrongly convicted over the years, but thank heavens, these cases remain a minority, though this case was particularly blatant.
 

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