VA Margaret Thornton Lammers, 61, Deltaville, July 11 2017

[kelsie]

MARGARET THORNTON LAMMERS — FBI

On July 11, 2017, Margaret “Peggy” Thornton Lammers was found deceased inside her family’s vacation home on Stove Point in Deltaville, Virginia. A resident of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Lammers, who was a married mother of three adult children, was settling the estate of her parents in the Richmond and Middlesex County (Virginia) areas. Lammers departed Richmond for the Deltaville home on July 8, 2017. Her last known contact was the afternoon of July 10, 2017. After receiving a request for a welfare check, Middlesex County Sheriff’s Office arrived at the Deltaville home, where Lammers was found deceased, as a result of blunt force trauma. The FBI is asking for cooperation from the public regarding any information pertaining to Lammers’ death, people she was known to communicate with, or activity occurring near the residence.

Former Richmond woman’s homicide in Deltaville under investigation
The deputy also wrote on the search warrant that some handbags had been dumped out and a telescope had been knocked over. Several beer bottles, a knife blade and six DNA swabs were seized with the warrant.
Lammers was a graduate of Collegiate School in Richmond and she attended Mount Vernon College and Virginia Commonwealth University School of Art. She is survived by her husband, three children, and many relatives.

FBI now investigating 2017 murder of woman killed inside her family’s vacation home
When deputies arrived, they discovered that a sliding glass door was left open and found Lammers lying barefoot in a pool of blood, with one bloody shoe print on the floor nearby.
The state forensics lab in Richmond confirmed that some of the DNA belonged to a person other than Peggy.

No arrests two years after Virginia murder of Ohio mother Peggy Lammers
“We were very close. She was passionate about her family,” Anne (sister) said of Peggy. “She was just a big goof. Funny as could be.”

 

[organicircuitry]

I found a bizarre web page whilst doing a search on Margaret:
That Gordie has his own form of dementia – FG ARGENTINA
The page keeps mentioning "canada goose jackets" and has incomplete sentences. For some reason, there is a small section mentioning Margaret:
"canada goose jackets on sale The body of Margaret Thornton “Peggy” Lammers, a former Richmonder whose father founded what became LabCorp, was discovered after herhusband Tony contacted Middlesex deputies and asked for a welfare check. Lammers was not answering her cell phone or calls to the house. On July 11, he located an open sliding door and noticed items that appeared to be out of place.. canada goose jackets on sale"
My browser didn't alert me to it being a false web site or dangerous link. The first two paragraphs of this web site are in Portuguese (I think) and it appears to be some sort of fitness-related web page. It almost looks like a 'practice page' that coders will sometimes use. It's probably nothing, but it's very bizarre that this page would grab a paragraph about Margaret.

 

[kelsie]

no news but here's more links
No arrest yet, but woman’s murder in Deltaville ‘not a cold case’
FBI now investigating 2017 murder of woman killed inside her family’s vacation home

 

[mks762]

Very interesting new information being released
https://www.wtvr.com/news/local-new...rs-after-unsolved-killing-of-deltaville-woman

editing to add- is it new?? The news story was published late last night but it appears the video was the one released in September. I guess since it's the anniversary of her death they published the article but weird to call it a new video

 

[mks762]

Here's the video the FBI released September 25th 2020

 

[BearkinJessie]

New write up including pictures and details I hadn’t seen before. A Mother's Unsolved 2017 Murder Still Haunts a Family's Beloved Va. Vacation Beach House

While doing some research, I noticed that it seems she was in town, at least partially, to handle matters of estate vis-a-vis her father’s recent death. His funeral was held at the Country Club of Virginia.

Considering most murders are committed
by people the victim know, that the crime scene looked like a staged break in, and how little info there is, I feel like any nugget of information could be valuable in this case.

 

[Ssschu]

This is the first I have heard of this case. So terrible for the family to not have answers. It was overkill which makes it seem personal but it also could have been someone briefly passing through the area on a boat or vacation. This is a tough one. Hopefully her story gets more coverage now.

There was a shoe print found on the front door and the floor inside. It would be great if they could figure out what type of shoe based on the tread marks and release that info and the shoe size to the public.

 

[Ssschu]

This is the first I've heard that they have evidence pointing to a specific suspect but are still working on proving it. This gives me hope that it will be solved. I think it was most likely a neighbor who knew she was there by herself.

Cops Say Mom Murdered at Vacation Home Knew Her Killer

Police have a suspect in the 2017 bludgeoning death of Peggy Lammers in Virginia, as they told The Daily Beast they don’t believe a stranger carried out the brutal murder.

www.thedailybeast.com

 

[Ssschu]

DBM - duplicate post

 

[poirotlady]

This is the first I've heard that they have evidence pointing to a specific suspect but are still working on proving it. This gives me hope that it will be solved. I think it was most likely a neighbor who knew she was there by herself.

Cops Say Mom Murdered at Vacation Home Knew Her Killer

Police have a suspect in the 2017 bludgeoning death of Peggy Lammers in Virginia, as they told The Daily Beast they don’t believe a stranger carried out the brutal murder.

www.thedailybeast.com

I was also excited to hear that they have evidence pointing to a given suspect. However, I don't buy the neighbor theory.

Why? Because my family has a summer cottage on Stove Point too. I am one of her neighbors.

What people don't realize about Stove Point is that the properties there are waterfront and very expensive. Many lots alone (sans house) are worth ~$1M. We don't have random vagrant sketchy people walking around. People would notice and they would report it to police, because it's a private drive.

Also, most of the neighbors have owned their homes for decades. Everyone at least recognizes everyone, and everyone is very friendly to one another. Stove Point is a very long private drive, and even relatively young children roam the point. It's safe, and it's paradise for most.

This case has haunted me for years and I hope it's solved and the family gets closure soon.

 

[Ssschu]

I was also excited to hear that they have evidence pointing to a given suspect. However, I don't buy the neighbor theory.

Why? Because my family has a summer cottage on Stove Point too. I am one of her neighbors.

What people don't realize about Stove Point is that the properties there are waterfront and very expensive. Many lots alone (sans house) are worth ~$1M. We don't have random vagrant sketchy people walking around. People would notice and they would report it to police, because it's a private drive.

Also, most of the neighbors have owned their homes for decades. Everyone at least recognizes everyone, and everyone is very friendly to one another. Stove Point is a very long private drive, and even relatively young children roam the point. It's safe, and it's paradise for most.

This case has haunted me for years and I hope it's solved and the family gets closure soon.

Thank you for this insight. It must have been such a shock to the community! Do you have any theories?

 

[Sleuth307]

I was also excited to hear that they have evidence pointing to a given suspect. However, I don't buy the neighbor theory.

Why? Because my family has a summer cottage on Stove Point too. I am one of her neighbors.

What people don't realize about Stove Point is that the properties there are waterfront and very expensive. Many lots alone (sans house) are worth ~$1M. We don't have random vagrant sketchy people walking around. People would notice and they would report it to police, because it's a private drive.

Also, most of the neighbors have owned their homes for decades. Everyone at least recognizes everyone, and everyone is very friendly to one another. Stove Point is a very long private drive, and even relatively young children roam the point. It's safe, and it's paradise for most.

This case has haunted me for years and I hope it's solved and the family gets closure soon.

Thank you for your insight! IMO, I never thought it was a neighbor. My first instinct was someone she hired to do work around the house (handyman, lawn care, etc.) as it was a vacation home. I would think there would be DNA as it seems sloppy from the photos.

 

[poirotlady]

Thank you for this insight. It must have been such a shock to the community! Do you have any theories?

Anyone local would know that Stove Point is packed with families in the summer, like several cars in each driveway packed. Especially around Fourth of July — we have a huge party every year and the whole point is invited. My gut feeling is that it would have to be someone who hadn’t spent much time there and may not know that he/she committed a crime with lots of potential witnesses in the vicinity — especially because there is only one way in and out of the point.

 

[poirotlady]

Thank you for your insight! IMO, I never thought it was a neighbor. My first instinct was someone she hired to do work around the house (handyman, lawn care, etc.) as it was a vacation home. I would think there would be DNA as it seems sloppy from the photos.

The thing is, Deltaville is a very small town and most hired help is locally sourced. The year-round residents refer their family members with certain skills, and that’s how people figure out who to hire. I feel like if someone knew something, it would have come out by now through locals gossiping. But it’s possible.

 

[Ssschu]

The Murder Sheet Podcast. Death Comes to the River House: The Murder of Peggy Thornton Lammers

This is a really interesting podcast interview with 3 investigators on Peggy's case, including local LE and FBI. You should be able to find the podcast wherever you usually listen to podcasts.

It's definitely worth listening to the whole thing but here are a few points from the interview:

Her last phone call was at 5:14 pm on July 10th, last text at 7:13 pm, and last data usage 1:18 am July 11th. She liked to play games on her phone so it's very possible that's what the data usage was that late at night. Her phone was powered off or died shortly after.

Her phone was not at the scene and has never been found.

ME found blunt force trauma but not severe enough to fracture her skull or kill her. Her skull and brain were intact. She bled to death so she was alive when the killer left but the killer probably didn't realize it. No stab wounds. Her thumb was dislocated. No defensive wounds. Her death looked violent and quick.

DNA "relevant to the investigation" was found at the crime scene. He said they've been able to use the DNA to rule out certain lines of investigation.

They found a bloody shoe print but the investigator said he would not say anything more about the shoe print.

They do not believe it was a stranger. There is no evidence to show a stranger scenario.

They believe the scene was staged. For example, the telescope being knocked over. It was a staged ransacking of things like her purse and medicine cabinet but didn't take anything. A small flat screen tv near the front door was stolen. They think this is pertinent because it is the closest valuable object to the front door. They believe this is part of the staging to make it look like a random robber.

There is no murder weapon. One investigator stated his theory is she was kicked to death.

A bloody knife found in the sink DID have Peggy's blood on it but she did NOT have any stab wounds.

They confirmed they do have a main suspect.

These are new investigators since 2020. They have caught things the first investigators missed. Sounds like the first investigators got tunnel vision on one theory and didn't explore any other leads. The FBI got involved later and have been a huge help with forensics and insights.

They have developed motive. There is no doubt in their minds that they know the motive but wouldn't elaborate.

They are confident they will make an arrest.

 

[JnRyan]

The Murder Sheet Podcast. Death Comes to the River House: The Murder of Peggy Thornton Lammers

This is a really interesting podcast interview with 3 investigators on Peggy's case, including local LE and FBI. You should be able to find the podcast wherever you usually listen to podcasts.

It's definitely worth listening to the whole thing but here are a few points from the interview:

Her last phone call was at 5:14 pm on July 10th, last text at 7:13 pm, and last data usage 1:18 am July 11th. She liked to play games on her phone so it's very possible that's what the data usage was that late at night. Her phone was powered off or died shortly after.

Her phone was not at the scene and has never been found.

ME found blunt force trauma but not severe enough to fracture her skull or kill her. Her skull and brain were intact. She bled to death so she was alive when the killer left but the killer probably didn't realize it. No stab wounds. Her thumb was dislocated. No defensive wounds. Her death looked violent and quick.

DNA "relevant to the investigation" was found at the crime scene. He said they've been able to use the DNA to rule out certain lines of investigation.

They found a bloody shoe print but the investigator said he would not say anything more about the shoe print.

They do not believe it was a stranger. There is no evidence to show a stranger scenario.

They believe the scene was staged. For example, the telescope being knocked over. It was a staged ransacking of things like her purse and medicine cabinet but didn't take anything. A small flat screen tv near the front door was stolen. They think this is pertinent because it is the closest valuable object to the front door. They believe this is part of the staging to make it look like a random robber.

There is no murder weapon. One investigator stated his theory is she was kicked to death.

A bloody knife found in the sink DID have Peggy's blood on it but she did NOT have any stab wounds.

They confirmed they do have a main suspect.

These are new investigators since 2020. They have caught things the first investigators missed. Sounds like the first investigators got tunnel vision on one theory and didn't explore any other leads. The FBI got involved later and have been a huge help with forensics and insights.

They have developed motive. There is no doubt in their minds that they know the motive but wouldn't elaborate.

They are confident they will make an arrest.

I just heard this case on The Murder Sheet and wasn't aware of it. I live in SE VA, but about 2 hours away. When I was in public accounting the managing partner of the firm had a home in that general area. That is a very expensive area to live for what is almost a rural area. I can't imagine a murder in this area by a stranger.

 

[Ssschu]

I just heard this case on The Murder Sheet and wasn't aware of it. I live in SE VA, but about 2 hours away. When I was in public accounting the managing partner of the firm had a home in that general area. That is a very expensive area to live for what is almost a rural area. I can't imagine a murder in this area by a stranger.

That is excellent insight. The investigators agree with you. They sound very confident they know who did it and their motive. I'm hoping the exposure from the Murder Sheet will help push the investigation forward.