MI MI - Jeffrey Willis - Suspected SK in Muskegon County, MI

[otto]

Ha... Off topic but two degrees later and working as a teacher and my check is barely over that. [emoji20][emoji58] chuckles to myself at low level job. [emoji6]


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Thanks. My interest in his occupation relates to whether he has any reason to travel for his job. I'm also curious about where he calls home - whether he grew up in North Shore.

 

[colette]

He could always take a vacation to kill out of state.

 

[enzeder]

I hadn't seen this extended video before so posting it here for others who may not have seen it.

Kidnapping suspect Jeffrey Willis arraigned on murder charge (22:11)
WZZM 13 Grand Rapids: https://www.facebook.com/wzzm13/videos/10154206671264568/

 

[enzeder]

June 08, 2016

Jeffrey Willis judge in Rebekah Bletsch murder case discloses 'very limited contact' as prosecutor
Read more: http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2016/06/jeffrey_willis_judge_in_rebeka.html

Kostrzewa also adjourned Willis's preliminary examination on the murder case until June 22 at the request of the Muskegon County Public Defender's Office. That hearing had been scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 8.

Willis also had been scheduled for a preliminary exam Wednesday in two child *advertiser censored* cases. The judge adjourned those until July 5.

 

[enzeder]

June 10, 2016

Murder suspect Jeffrey Willis wanted out of jail to go to back to work on night of arrest
Read more: http://www.wzzm13.com/news/investig...-to-back-to-work-on-night-of-arrest/238866929

MUSKEGON, MICH. - An audio recording the 13 Watchdog team obtained indicates Jeffrey Willis, after his arrest, thought he would be able to get out of jail that night as he lead a friend, a Norton Shores police officer, to believe he was arrested for a domestic situation.

 

[enzeder]

June 10, 2016

PD: Jeffrey Willis called officer friend hours after arrest
Read more: http://woodtv.com/2016/06/10/pd-jeffrey-willis-called-officer-friend-hours-after-arrest/

MUSKEGON, Mich. (WOOD) — An audio recording of a phone call between accused killer and kidnapper Jeffrey Willis and an officer has been released – a call that took place just hours after Willis was arrested in connection to an April abduction attempt.

Norton Shores police say the first person Willis reached by phone while in the Muskegon County Jail was one of their own: Officer Shawn Stefanich. Prosecutors say after Willis called his wife dozens of times but failed to reach her, he called Stefanich.

 

[ZooSleuth]

More about the relationship between the officer and Willis:
http://fox17online.com/2016/06/10/n...onnection-between-officer-and-accused-killer/

Police say that once Stefanich learned that Willis was charged with the abduction attempt and the murder that he has cut off all contact with Willis. The department says that Stefanich is deeply disturbed about the allegations against Willis.

 

[Lmustang89]

Interesting comments on the find Jessica Heeringa FB (check 6/3 comments)

https://www.facebook.com/FindJessicaHeeringa/

 

[Lmustang89]

familytreenow.com - someone on fb said you can track JW address history on that page

 

[otto]

familytreenow.com - someone on fb said you can track JW address history on that page

I read in one of the articles that he graduated high school in the area, so he has lived in the area where Jessica was abducted at least since the time that he was a teenager.

He is 46 years old, and has worked at the Herman Miller facility for 18 years (since the age of 28). The gas station where Jessica Heerenga was abducted is between his place of work and his home.

 

[enzeder]

I read in one of the articles that he graduated high school in the area, so he has lived in the area where Jessica was abducted at least since the time that he was a teenager.

He is 46 years old, and has worked at the Herman Miller facility for 18 years (since the age of 28). The gas station where Jessica Heerenga was abducted is between his place of work and his home.

Here's a couple of high school pic's of JW.

High school portraits of Jeff Willis from 1988. (Courtesy photo)
Image: http://media.mlive.com/chronicle/news_impact/photo/jeffrey-willis-1988jpg-f22279b48912260e.jpg

Image from this link.
Who is Jeffrey Willis? What we know about sexual kidnapping suspect
http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2016/05/who_is_jeffrey_willis_what_we.html

 

[Owutatangledweb]

Good find, although those murders don't seem to fit the MO of Willis. It's still worth checking the ballistics though.

The I70 killer was my first thought to when Willis was arrested. How old is Willis right now?

 

[Owutatangledweb]

Here's a couple of high school pic's of JW.

High school portraits of Jeff Willis from 1988. (Courtesy photo)
Image: http://media.mlive.com/chronicle/news_impact/photo/jeffrey-willis-1988jpg-f22279b48912260e.jpg

Image from this link.
Who is Jeffrey Willis? What we know about sexual kidnapping suspect
http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2016/05/who_is_jeffrey_willis_what_we.html

Compare with sketch of I70 killer from 1993:

 

[thref23]

I just glanced at the I-70 killer's thread. Guy's victims were clerks who worked by themselves in small shops (i.e. Jessica Heeringa). He would shoot his victims in the head (i.e. Rebekah Bletsch). Wow. Jeffrey Willis is that guy. He has to be. What are the chances...

 

[stillwatersc]

http://woodtv.com/2016/05/25/sources-willis-frequented-heeringas-gas-station/

Baron said Willis was familiar with Heeringa as one of the gas station attendants. Her case, he said, was always talked about at work.
“Sometimes he (Willis) would ask how the case is going,” Baron said.

 

[ZooSleuth]

I just glanced at the I-70 killer's thread. Guy's victims were clerks who worked by themselves in small shops (i.e. Jessica Heeringa). He would shoot his victims in the head (i.e. Rebekah Bletsch). Wow. Jeffrey Willis is that guy. He has to be. What are the chances...

My main issue with him being the I-70 killer is that there were no sexual assaults in any of the killings, and they were all robberies. That also doesn't rule him out in any way though.

 

[gregjrichards]

http://woodtv.com/2016/05/25/sources-willis-frequented-heeringas-gas-station/

God if he is the perp the thought of him revisiting the scene of the crime and asking about the case is chilling.

 

[otto]

Another likely victim of Willis: Angela Thornburg; age 15, 1996

"Thursday, Angela’s family told 24 Hour News 8 that police have called them and pulled her case file as they investigate Jeffrey Willis, seeing if there’s any connection.

Angela was a freshman at Fruitport High School at the time of her death. Willis, 46, graduated from Fruitport High School in 1988 and worked in the school district from 1998 until 1999, when he was fired for accessing *advertiser censored* on a school computer.
...

When Angela went missing on Sept. 20, 1996, she was initially considered a runaway. Reports from the time said she ran out a back door at her boyfriend’s house when her mother came to pick her up.
...

At the time, police were looking for a serial killer who they believed had murdered at least 10 young women in the Grand Rapids area, but investigators in Muskegon determined Angela’s death was not related."​

http://woodtv.com/2016/05/26/family-police-looking-1996-death-in-willis-investigation/

 

[otto]

Willis was born in 1970. He may be responsible for the murder of a 15 year old girl in 1996, when he was 26 years old. He is now 46, and still active as a predator. There must be many more.

 

[enzeder]

June 15, 2016

Jeffrey Willis opts not to hold kidnap hearing; his attorney speaks
Read more: http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2016/06/jeffrey_willis_opts_not_to_hol.html

MUSKEGON, MI – Jeffrey Thomas Willis, on his attorney's advice, has opted not to hold a probable-cause hearing on the gunpoint kidnapping case against him.

That decision about what his lawyer calls "an already overpublicized case" means the case will move on to trial in Muskegon County Circuit Court.