Identified! Mystery couple murdered in South Carolina, 1976 - Pamela Buckley & James Freund #9

[shellbee]

This clears up a lot.

Mystery couple murdered in South Carolina, 1976 - #3

 

[worm]

I thought James dad managed a nursery, I didn’t know it was a family business.

 

[Awsi Dooger]

It took quite a while but I believe I have solved the mystery of Locklair Road and the bodies location. The murders were on the Douglas Swamp Road end of Locklair. The reason we had trouble deciphering from the aerial views is that the 2006 aerial is severely misdated. Not even close. That 2006 aerial may be from 1976 itself...or thereabouts.

I'm glad I kept exploring this. I kept wondering why there was a 17 year gap from 1966 to 1983 without an aerial, and yet many bunched nearby like 2005 and 2006. That's not unheard of in a remote area, but let's just say it is rare.

Here is the 2005 aerial of Locklair and vicinity. Nothing extraordinary. You can see Locklair at center left as it intersects with Douglas Swamp Road:

imgur.com

Now let's look at nearly the identical perspective from supposedly one year later in 2006:

imgur.com

Gad, speaking of nurseries I wish I had fertilizer like that. Quite the growth spurt in one year. Not merely in the immediately vicinity of Locklair but also adjacent farmland as well.

That aerial view is the first one that makes sense of the 1976 crime scene photo from the Sumter County Item. Tree cover on both sides of Locklair on that end. Plus the trees on the left side hang very close to Locklair if not partially over the road in some spots. That is also evident in the 1976 photo.

My dad always said I was persistent. But now I'm annoyed I didn't figure this out prior to October 2019...when I aimed for the wrong end of Locklair and succeeded in filming a video 1.1 miles away from the murder site.

 

[shellbee]

I thought James dad managed a nursery, I didn’t know it was a family business.

I read James' dad was a car salesman and died in 1966.

 

[Andreee]

I read James' dad was a car salesman and died in 1966.

From that article above it said Pamela's dad and uncle were the ones who ran a nursery business.

 

[Andreee]

It took quite a while but I believe I have solved the mystery of Locklair Road and the bodies location. The murders were on the Douglas Swamp Road end of Locklair. The reason we had trouble deciphering from the aerial views is that the 2006 aerial is severely misdated. Not even close. That 2006 aerial may be from 1976 itself...or thereabouts.

I'm glad I kept exploring this. I kept wondering why there was a 17 year gap from 1966 to 1983 without an aerial, and yet many bunched nearby like 2005 and 2006. That's not unheard of in a remote area, but let's just say it is rare.

Here is the 2005 aerial of Locklair and vicinity. Nothing extraordinary. You can see Locklair at center left as it intersects with Douglas Swamp Road:

imgur.com

Now let's look at nearly the identical perspective from supposedly one year later in 2006:

imgur.com

Gad, speaking of nurseries I wish I had fertilizer like that. Quite the growth spurt in one year. Not merely in the immediately vicinity of Locklair but also adjacent farmland as well.

That aerial view is the first one that makes sense of the 1976 crime scene photo from the Sumter County Item. Tree cover on both sides of Locklair on that end. Plus the trees on the left side hang very close to Locklair if not partially over the road in some spots. That is also evident in the 1976 photo.

My dad always said I was persistent. But now I'm annoyed I didn't figure this out prior to October 2019...when I aimed for the wrong end of Locklair and succeeded in filming a video 1.1 miles away from the murder site.

You certainly are persistent! So are you saying that the photos and video you took are not of the murder site end of the road?

 

[Valiant]

That's what I thought as well. I thought "mud grips" were for off road vehicles. Who goes 4 wheeling in their van?

"Mud grips" in the South could be actually "snow tires" on a vehicle driven south from up north.

 

[branmuffin]

Mud grip tires seem more in line with a pickup rather than a van.

Do vans and trucks have the same wheelbase? Would farm vehicles have mud grips?

She wasn't a reporter. She worked in the sales dept. She resigned from The Item when she was elected coroner.

I live in Canada. All our coroners are licensed doctors trained in pathology. They aren't voted into their positions, they are hired based on education and experience. What background did Verna have to take on the role of coroner?

 

[Ajaygee11]

That's what I thought as well. I thought "mud grips" were for off road vehicles. Who goes 4 wheeling in their van?

Well some people do. 4WD Vans are not hard to find these days, but they were custom built back in the 1970’s and very rare by the looks of things.

 

[Ajaygee11]

I read James' dad was a car salesman and died in 1966.

That is correct.

 

[killarney rose]

Here in AL, our coroners are elected. They do not have to have a medical background. Our current coroner , serving his second term, is a plumber. Bodies are sent to the state crime lab for autopsy.

 

[Valiant]

Do vans and trucks have the same wheelbase? Would farm vehicles have mud grips?

There were multiple wheelbases for pickups and vans back then, even with the same manufacturer. A van and a pickup could share a wheelbase and track (tire mark width) or they could be entirely unique. From what I've read, law enforcement had databases of these.
For example, here are the specs for a 1976 Dodge (I only picked 1976 Dodge because I had the brochures for both for that year):
The van had wheelbase options of 109" or 127".
The pickup had wheelbase options of 115", 131",133", 149", 165".
The measurements that weren't specified is track. I'm guessing the combination of wheelbase and track caused them to say it was a van. And possibly the footprints could have shown an exit from the rear of the vehicle which would confirm witness reports of hearing a door?

 

[branmuffin]

Referring back to one of the articles, it mentioned that Lonnie Henry's gun matched the bullets found in ONE of the victims. Does that mean they assumed more than one killer? Or did they only have bullets collected from one victim? I have to assume the bullets remained in the victim's bodies, rather than through and through or were the injuries, chest and back, really only one gunshot?

Here in AL, our coroners are elected. They do not have to have a medical background. Our current coroner , serving his second term, is a plumber. Bodies are sent to the state crime lab for autopsy.

Just out of curiosity what are the requirements to be coroner?

Edited to add: So when Sumter county coroner sent the bodies to be autopsied at the university, would they attend or would they just get a report?

 

[Valiant]

If someone had 4 wheel drive, they'd put "mud grips" on all 4 wheels. Just having them on the rear means it was likely a 2 wheel drive vehicle.

 

[worm]

"Mud grips" in the South could be actually "snow tires" on a vehicle driven south from up north.

This is true. I remember my dad saying as much once when putting tires on a truck.

Here in AL, our coroners are elected. They do not have to have a medical background. Our current coroner , serving his second term, is a plumber. Bodies are sent to the state crime lab for autopsy.

They are elected in SC too and requirements are loose but most have some experience in the office already, LE, or funeral profession careers.

 

[branmuffin]

There were multiple wheelbases for pickups and vans back then, even with the same manufacturer. A van and a pickup could share a wheelbase and track (tire mark width) or they could be entirely unique. From what I've read, law enforcement had databases of these.
For example, here are the specs for a 1976 Dodge (I only picked 1976 Dodge because I had the brochures for both for that year):
The van had wheelbase options of 109" or 127".
The pickup had wheelbase options of 115", 131",133", 149", 165".
The measurements that weren't specified is track. I'm guessing the combination of wheelbase and track caused them to say it was a van. And possibly the footprints could have shown an exit from the rear of the vehicle which would confirm witness reports of hearing a door?

For anyone who is interested in tire tracks.

Tire Tracks - Crime Museum.

 

[branmuffin]

If someone had 4 wheel drive, they'd put "mud grips" on all 4 wheels. Just having them on the rear means it was likely a 2 wheel drive vehicle.

In Canada we are advised to put winter tires (snow tires) on all wheels regardless of whether you have 4 wheel drive or not. Since they are more expensive, a lot of people still just put them on the rear wheels. Since the murder weapon was found in Lonnie Henry's possession I guess we can assume that the vehicle wasn't from up north and the vehicle was fairly local.

 

[Valiant]

In Canada we are advised to put winter tires (snow tires) on all wheels regardless of whether you have 4 wheel drive or not. Since they are more expensive, a lot of people still just put them on the rear wheels. Since the murder weapon was found in Lonnie Henry's possession I guess we can assume that the vehicle wasn't from up north and the vehicle was fairly local.

The vehicle tracks might not be "local" if James drove it south. We don't know if he drove south, flew south, hitchhiked, whatever.

Snow tires today are not like snow tires of 1976. Now a set of 4 is recommended because new winter tires use a softer rubber compound that benefits traction, steering, and braking. 1976 vintage snow tires were just for the drive wheels to provide traction to get the car moving. In fact, putting those old snow tires on front wheels was discouraged.

 

[Betty P]

I thought James dad managed a nursery, I didn’t know it was a family business.

I think that was Pam's dad. Either way, not relevant. We can't discuss family members.

 

[Betty P]

"Mud grips" in the South could be actually "snow tires" on a vehicle driven south from up north.

Yes, snow tires were common in the midwest US, too. Back in the 70's, people often put a pair on their rear tires. Not everyone could afford all 4 tires, just for winter. When winter was over, you usually switched them back. This was before front wheel drive cars were common. You added some weight in the trunk for extra traction (bag of kitty litter, concrete blocks, etc.) Most vans of that era would have been rear wheel drive. If you lived near mountains, hilly, rough roads with lots of snow, you used chains. There were also studded snow tires, but some states didn't let you use them much.

Four wheel drive passenger vehicles weren't too popular yet. IIRC, Jeeps were just beginning to become popular for 4WD, but they were gas hogs. Because of the high price of gasoline, most people still preferred cars with better gas mileage. Things really changed a few years later when front wheel drive cars became more widely available.

So, it sounds possible the vehicle that left tracks at the crime scene came from a van owned by someone who drove it farther north, in the midwest, CO, PA, either of those states.

ETA: JMO