Found Deceased MI - Venus Stewart, 32, Colon, 28 April 2010 - # 7 *D. Stewart guilty*

[Natal]

:cat:
I read where DS moved back to Michigan? Did he quit his job? Did LE search his house in Virginia? Maybe that is where she was killed and he doesn't want to stay there. Have they used luminol. I wish LE would be more open as to what measures they have taken.
Has DS parents been interviewed as to what they might know. Venus's dad mentioned DS sister, saying Venus could be there. Has LE checked her house. Maybe these are two many questions at one time, but these are questions I have been asking my self.

I doubt they have probable cause to search his sisters home. The main reason they would have been able to search the parent's home is because he was resident there at the time, so they could get a warrant based on that, and search the property in general as a result.

 

[pufnstuf]

In most places, domestic relations courts are private.

Yeah, but you can usually find the docket and at least see what the title of the case is.

They don't even have dockets online for ST. Joe County.

In the Mackenzie Cowell case, we were able to look online and see what actions had been filed in regards to the divorce, OPPs, custody, and such.

In some states, you can download the whole file, even divorce papers. In St. Joe County, nothing. They have nothing but property records online.

 

[pufnstuf]

That is for routine samples. High priority samples would get done a lot faster than that.

A current unresolved possible kidnapping/murder case is going to have a much higher priority than a burglary case or a case that has been resolved and the tests are confirmatory. The latter is what the backlog is, because LE investigations across the state are flooding the lab with samples to reinforce their cases. The vast majority of that is to confirm what they allready know.

You don't think that the shooting of three people that left a 9-year-old dead and was a big case in the media deserved "high priority?" It didn't get deemed such by MSP crime lab.

Preliminary DNA results are probably already back. But it will take much longer for the full DNA spreads to come back.

 

[cluciano63]

The reason I would think this should have been super-priority from the start is that it was an abduction-not a murder, as far as they knew, and every minute could have made a difference.

With the seemingly snail's pace of getting ducks in a row (pardon back-tback animal kingdom cliches) it makes me think that LE is 99% certain she is dead, if not completely certain. I believe that if they thought she was alive, they would have confronted him ASAP with some evidence in an effort to get him to tell them where she was, before he was facing murder charges. If he has killed her, he has nothing to lose by waiting it out to make them prove it. IMO that truck should/could have been brought up from VA as soon as the search warrant was executed, I never understood why they sent only photos of tires. Then they could have had at least that, if they match.

All in all, I fear that the pace of the investigation bodes ill for Venus and family; lack of urgency in an abduction case is never good. IMO, LE is being extremely cautious and meticulous, which is great, for a murder case.

 

[pufnstuf]

Well, since family members were apparently appealing to their church for toys and clothes for the children after VS dissappeared, the children may very well be in a state of neglect.

We don't know what child services are thinking here.

Evidently they aren't, since the court left them with the McCombs. The court would have taken them and placed them in foster care or with another family member if there was any evidence that they were neglected by their grandparents.

I don't see a thing wrong with anyone turning to their church and community for assistance for their children. I'm going to put some children's books in the mail for the kids soon. It's certainly not because I think that they're neglected--it's because I want the kids to have something to do to pass time, not because I think that they're being neglected.

Both of these grandparents are retirement age. They probably have a limited income--most people their age do. I'm sure they never foresaw that they'd be raising their young grandchildren because their daughter went missing. Under the circumstances, I think that they're doing the best they can and have done nothing to be considered negligent.

 

[pufnstuf]

The reason I would think this should have been super-priority from the start is that it was an abduction-not a murder, as far as they knew, and every minute could have made a difference.

With the seemingly snail's pace of getting ducks in a row (pardon back-tback animal kingdom cliches) it makes me think that LE is 99% certain she is dead, if not completely certain. I believe that if they thought she was alive, they would have confronted him ASAP with some evidence in an effort to get him to tell them where she was, before he was facing murder charges. If he has killed her, he has nothing to lose by waiting it out to make them prove it. IMO that truck should/could have been brought up from VA as soon as the search warrant was executed, I never understood why they sent only photos of tires. Then they could have had at least that, if they match.

All in all, I fear that the pace of the investigation bodes ill for Venus and family; lack of urgency in an abduction case is never good. IMO, LE is being extremely cautious and meticulous, which is great, for a murder case.

I do agree, cluciano. I would be shocked if she were still alive. The Walmart receipt for a shovel and tarp... I can't think of any other logical reason under the circumstances, than to dispose of a body. So sad...

DNA results won't help find Venus--but they will help with seeking further warrants, arrest, and prosecution.

 

[pufnstuf]

:cat:
I read where DS moved back to Michigan? Did he quit his job? Did LE search his house in Virginia? Maybe that is where she was killed and he doesn't want to stay there. Have they used luminol. I wish LE would be more open as to what measures they have taken.
Has DS parents been interviewed as to what they might know. Venus's dad mentioned DS sister, saying Venus could be there. Has LE checked her house. Maybe these are two many questions at one time, but these are questions I have been asking my self.

Doug did quit his job and, last we heard, is looking for a job in Michigan.

In the apartment in Virginia, the search warrant didn't mention that any kind of stains were found, and there was no mention in the warrant of anything tested with luminol. Investigators are going to head back to VA soon to do more testing on the vehicles there, and to bring the truck back. Maybe they'll look at the apartment again.

Since Doug is not cooperating with LE, I assume that the parents haven't agreed to be interviewed either. All contact with Doug by investigators is going through his lawyer only.

LE has not checked the sister's house that we know of. Unless something turns up or LE receives some info tying Doug to his sister's residence, I doubt that they will search it.

 

[Frank Black]

How can he be charged with neglect if the children were in Venus' custody---and she had left him to move to another state?

Agreed.

 

[believe09]

Civil action, rather than criminal. That's a bit confusing to me. Is CPS filing that? The only thing I can think of is if he was behind in his child support payments. I suppose that could be construed as neglect. I've not read anything to that effect in all the accusations against him.

Family court cases are civil, not criminal actions.

 

[believe09]

If the stains are from the alleged crime they would be fresh and viable enough. If they were not, and are old, degraded and heavily contaminated, they are irrelevant to the investigation.

I disagree natal-they can be deliberately contaminated. Just means that they require more work to get a viable sample from.

 

[Calliope]

Family court cases are civil, not criminal actions.

Aren't (at least some) "deadbeat dads" prosecuted criminally?

 

[believe09]

Aren't (at least some) "deadbeat dads" prosecuted criminally?

Sure, but that is because (typically) their arrears has reached a felony level.

 

[Natal]

I disagree natal-they can be deliberately contaminated. Just means that they require more work to get a viable sample from.

That isnt relevant in this case though, if he didn't take the time to clean the truck out it is extremley unlikely he would have taken the time to delibrately contaminate the samples (and still leave them there to be found).

 

[Natal]

Evidently they aren't, since the court left them with the McCombs. The court would have taken them and placed them in foster care or with another family member if there was any evidence that they were neglected by their grandparents.

I don't see a thing wrong with anyone turning to their church and community for assistance for their children. I'm going to put some children's books in the mail for the kids soon. It's certainly not because I think that they're neglected--it's because I want the kids to have something to do to pass time, not because I think that they're being neglected.

Both of these grandparents are retirement age. They probably have a limited income--most people their age do. I'm sure they never foresaw that they'd be raising their young grandchildren because their daughter went missing. Under the circumstances, I think that they're doing the best they can and have done nothing to be considered negligent.

We don't know where the children are at the moment.

 

[Natal]

You don't think that the shooting of three people that left a 9-year-old dead and was a big case in the media deserved "high priority?" It didn't get deemed such by MSP crime lab.

Preliminary DNA results are probably already back. But it will take much longer for the full DNA spreads to come back.

I have no idea what you are referring to, but, it doesn't take that long to do these things and in this case the apparent blood stains either match DS or VS, or they don't. It will not be difficult to determine that.

 

[thinkaboutthis]

http://www.examiner.com/x-1168-Crim...on-with-kids-after-allegation-of-sexual-abuse

Venus Stewart: Slain woman&#8217;s husband loses visitation with kids after allegation of sexual abuse <-------THIS IS THE TITLE OF THE NEWS ARTICLE....

IS SHE SLAIN OR ABDUCTED? COME ON PEOPLE!!!

 

[pufnstuf]

http://www.examiner.com/x-1168-Crim...on-with-kids-after-allegation-of-sexual-abuse

Venus Stewart: Slain woman’s husband loses visitation with kids after allegation of sexual abuse <-------THIS IS THE TITLE OF THE NEWS ARTICLE....

IS SHE SLAIN OR ABDUCTED? COME ON PEOPLE!!!

I don't trust Examiner. I never even read the articles on Examiner.

I don't even use Examiner as a source in the timeline. Examiner articles are not written by journalists or reporters. They're written by people who get paid on a hit by hit basis on their web page. They glean their information from secondary sources.

 

[pufnstuf]

I have no idea what you are referring to, but, it doesn't take that long to do these things and in this case the apparent blood stains either match DS or VS, or they don't. It will not be difficult to determine that.

LOL. Obviously you're arguing about an article that you didn't even read. The article opens with the murder case of the nine-year-old.

 

[pufnstuf]

Article from yesterday in the Three Rivers paper--many quotations from the court hearing:

The DHS petition contains a complaint alleging that Stewart committed sexual abuse against his daughter, and also contains a concern that Stewart is the only person of interest in the disappearance of Venus.

&#8220;We would recommend that there be no parenting time (for Stewart),&#8221; Pond testified at the hearing, adding that the children are under the supervision of the DHS.

Vogel pressed Pond about the whereabouts of the children.

&#8220;I&#8217;m not going to answer that,&#8221; Pond responded. &#8220;Obviously they&#8217;re not living with their mother because she&#8217;s missing.&#8221;

Do you have any idea of where they are living?&#8221; Vogel asked. &#8220;Yes, I do,&#8221; Pond replied, but said nothing more.

Vogel asked Pond whether her recommendation for no visitation was based on a presumption it would be harmful to the girls.

&#8220;Yes,&#8221; Pond said. &#8220;The children are very confused about where their mother and father are,&#8221; stating that any change in their current situation would make things worse.

MORE: http://www.threeriversnews.com/articles/2010/05/29/news/local_news/doc4c00448574b76080812437.txt

 

[believe09]

That isnt relevant in this case though, if he didn't take the time to clean the truck out it is extremley unlikely he would have taken the time to delibrately contaminate the samples (and still leave them there to be found).

I havent read anywhere that indicates a quantity-whoever attempted a cleanup (speculating) mayhave left behind enough that luminol reacted but not enough to get a nuclear DNA sample easily. JUST speculating here...