Found Deceased SD - Alicia Hummel, 29, found near boat ramp, Myron Grove / Meckling, 1 Jun 2015

[margarita25]

I found a pretty good article about the case and cell phone is mentioned

<<Howe’s recent admission that law enforcement located and possesses the cellphone is new information for the family and the public. While the cellphone was assumed to be missing on the sixth anniversary of Alicia Hummel’s murder, Howe would not give a definitive answer as to when, how or where the cellphone was found.

“We found a cellphone. It’s Alicia’s phone. Yes, we did discover the cellphone during the investigation,” Howe said.>>

Murder on the Missouri River: Alicia Hummel’s unsolved murder inches closer to justice | Duluth News Tribune

From the above link:

“More than six years ago, 29-year-old preschool teacher Alicia Hummel was murdered in broad daylight at a popular boating and fishing dock located 11 miles outside of quiet Vermillion, S.D.”

[...]

Her plans were well documented on social media, with Facebook posts the night before and that morning indicating she was excited to spend her first day of vacation fishing. Having accepted a new position, Alicia Hummel had one month free between jobs.

The events leading up to her death were pieced together through Snapchats and text messages sent to friends. In one Snapchat, she captured the image of her fishing rod sitting on the passenger seat of her car with the top of the pole sticking out of the sunroof.”

Alicia Snapchat photo 1

“Another message sent at around 1 p.m. indicated she was missing her tacklebox. Fifteen minutes later, she sent a message that she had stopped at Walmart in Vermillion to purchase a fishing license, making note of the kind, elderly man who sold her the license and wished her well.

By 1:30 p.m., a Snapchat message showed a photo of the Myron Grove boat landing dock, with a caption that read, “Finally I’ve been waiting since fall.” At 1:45 p.m., she fired off a text message to a friend indicating she saw two people in a car having sex.

Alicia Hummel snapchat photo 2

 

[margarita25]

Alicia Hummel was known for her love for fishing, a pastime she was pursuing at the time of her murder on June 1, 2015. Her body was found in the waters of the Missouri River near the Myron Grove River Access boating dock.

Murder on the Missouri River: Alicia Hummel’s unsolved murder inches closer to justice | Duluth News Tribune

“A year after her murder, Alicia Hummel’s purse was discovered by local college kids at an above-water sandbar located on the river — the contents of her purse, including cash and credit cards, remained intact. The cellphone, however, was not located in the purse.

Howe’s recent admission that law enforcement located and possesses the cellphone is new information for the family and the public. While the cellphone was assumed to be missing on the sixth anniversary of Alicia Hummel’s murder, Howe would not give a definitive answer as to when, how or where the cellphone was found.

“We found a cellphone. It’s Alicia’s phone. Yes, we did discover the cellphone during the investigation,” Howe said.

Howe would not comment as to whether Alicia Hummel’s fishing pole has been located.”

[...]

“On the investigative side, Howe and his team continue to march forward with the ultimate goal of putting together a case for prosecutors that ends in the conviction of Alicia Hummel’s killer — or killers.

“My goal is not only to arrest the killer but also to successfully prosecute. And there’s just so much I can’t discuss right now. I don’t want to jeopardize the case,” he said.”

 

[Charlot123]

Murder on the Missouri River: Alicia Hummel’s unsolved murder inches closer to justice

Maybe the same article reprinted.

I hope the ban on geocatching on a certain thread does not extend to geocatching in general? Alicia was a geocatcher and on her media, mentioned living catches in different states (IA? MI?). Also, one wonders if for the killer, boots or shoes were sort of a fetish.

 

[Charlot123]

It seems like in this link they know what the murder weapon was and may have possession of it.
I wonder if the black SUV was related to the people she witnessed having sex, were they responsible for her murder? Cutting her throat is a personal killing stating, 'we want you to be quiet'. Could be, the people she witnessed together didn't want any witnesses to their relations?

It is annoying that police only state 'black SUV' who was this witness? I understand that not everyone can get a year on a vehicle, but a ballpark on the year would be helpful, after all, 1990 suv is completely different looking than 2015. Also, mention of loud exhaust, the local police should be able to break this down fairly simply in my opinion.
Not sure if police checked gas station cameras, but checking gas stations by the major roads leading to the fishing area in Nebraska and South Dakota likely would have caught the suv coming and going one way or another.

The family thinks she fought for her life because she had bruises and a broken finger, they suspect that she was trying to keep her phone - another thought leading to she likely saw something that someone else did not want her to see. I agree with other poster, that they should check the water for her phone (or at least they should have checked it then) current may have taken it by now. Have they checked to see if her phone had a cloud?

I am not sure what to think about the husband, he has an 'alibi', I wonder more about the marriage though, what was the reason for divorce? Article I read stated that Alicia was upset by it and was trying to move on (thus her being out fishing etc). Was he cheating? About about his 'new wife'? Seems like he is happy in his new life that he moved on pretty quick. Did he know the new wife then?

I hope Alicia and her family get justice soon!

Link for reference: Murder at Myron Grove | KELOLAND.com

I can't but see some parallels with the Delphi case. Maybe they are very different, and perhaps we don't know much. But here is simply what stands out by looking at Alicia's SM.

- she was obviously a very open young woman who, as newly single, was vulnerable
- her hair changed color from reddish to blonde and back; on one photo, showing her round blue eyes, she looks much younger; I wonder if she is the killer's type
- I paid attention to her first visiting Iowa State Fair in 2015; for a while i have been thinking that a SK could attend these fairs, attracting young people from rather rural areas, and look for potential victims. Or maybe, the guy is one of expositioners? It is a job that provides much alibi, access to major highways, and the person constantly moves.
- she enjoyed geocatching
- she posts on snapchat of her visiting Myron Grove and inviting friends; no one comes, and she goes alone; she makes one stop in Walmart on her way, at 2, she posts about a couple having sex, half an hour later, her body is found. Her phone, as we now see, is not touched, and her purse, also untouched, is found much later
- as far as I understand, MOD, strangulation, bashing head with a heavy object, drowning
- they are not discussing the shoes left on the beach anymore, but two days ago, I ran into another case, in NY state, where a L shoe was sort of a fetish, it seems. I remembered the Delphi shoe, and then, this case. Could a fetish be triggered by a shoe post on SM? (Just an idea).

Obvious question, what happened to DNA in her case?

P.S. LE is looking for a dark sedan with loud exhaust.

 

[DeDee]

Murder at Myron Grove | KELOLAND.com

The sheriff says they have suspects that have not been eliminated. The estranged husband would be included in this list although he has an alibi for being 200 miles away in Pierre. He has since left and moved away from the area. Did the couple have many valuable assets to split? Was he known to be violent with Alicia?

Tony Hummel’s current wife, Sarah Hummel, known as Sarah Gallimore at the time of the murder, was also questioned by law enforcement.
“I won’t say she was considered a suspect, but she was questioned and interviewed multiple times,” Howe said. “She was cooperative.”

The killer struck Alicia with a known object hard enough to cause trauma - possibly a rock from the scene that occurred appx 8' - 10' from the water's edge. The killer slashed her neck as it has been described as an incised wound. Then, they allowed her to drown! So very horrible for her.

Did Walmart sell firearms in 2015? Someone may have followed her from the Walmart when she applied for her fishing license. The last fishing permit I purchased was in the firearms dept at Walmart ages ago.

Also, I wonder if the vehicle the anonymous employee with Game, Fish and Parks that saw the dark vehicle leave the area was the same vehicle Alicia saw the couple in. A dark and loud car should be huge clues for such a small community.

Her plans were well documented on social media, with Facebook posts the night before and that morning indicating she was excited to spend her first day of vacation fishing. Having accepted a new position, Alicia Hummel had one month free between jobs.

That leaves roughly 15 minutes between her last text message and the time her body was discovered.

It was the Game, Fish and Parks employee who provided the information that a dark-colored sedan with a loud exhaust was spotted driving away from the boat landing

Statements placed in quote boxes come from December 02, 2021
Murder on the Missouri River: Alicia Hummel’s unsolved murder inches closer to justice

What does it mean when a sheriff says we have suspects but we don't have a case?
moo

 

[Luckyzmom]

No physical evidence to link him to her killing for one

 

[Luckyzmom]

I always wondered if it was tied to the little gals murdered on Evansville

 

[imstilla.grandma]

On June 1, 2015, officials alleged Alicia Hummel was murdered. Ever since her death, her friends and family gather yearly to remember her.

“We don’t want anybody else to forget her, and we want the word out. Somebody knows what happened, and that somebody needs to come forward,” said Jan Folkers, Hummel’s grandmother.

Hummel’s killer still hasn’t been found, however, her loved ones still make sure to spread awareness for her case and other cold cases in South Dakota.

“I don’t want people to know her as another South Dakota cold case. I want her to be known as the person she was to all of us. You know, on her wedding day, she called me her wing woman, and I’ve taken that with me every step of the way, and I got someone up there watching over me,” said Hummel’s best friend, Bethany Svancina.

“I feel bad for people who have lost their family, and it’s been 20, 30 years, and they have no closure. We don’t want that. It’s already been 7,“ Folker stated.


In 2022, Hummel was remembered with a day of fishing as Hummel loved to fish.

“She hated water, but she loved to throw in a line and fish,” said Folkers.

“We don’t know if she was able to do or not, but we want to be able to celebrate and definitely catch a fish or two in her honor,” said Svancina.

Unsolved murder victim life celebrated through annual memorial

“I don’t want people to know her as another South Dakota cold case. I want her to be known as the person she was to all of us. You know, on her wedding day, she called me her wing woman, and I’ve t…

www.siouxlandproud.com

 

[Charlot123]

(Thanks to the keen eyes and minds who mentioned Alicia’s case in Abby’s and Libby’s thread. It’s because of this I learned about her case and was able to create a thread.)

Bringing this over from Abby’s and Libby's Thread:

The main thing that shocked me - when Alicia had her hair colored blond (her wedding photos are in Internet images), she looked very much like Libby.

 

[Ozoner]

The main thing that shocked me - when Alicia had her hair colored blond (her wedding photos are in Internet images), she looked very much like Libby.

It should be relatively easy to rule out a connection now that a perp has been arrested in the Delphi case. Hopefully law enforcement has looked into whether RA could have been in South Dakota at the time this crime occurred. A connection seems unlikely now that we now that RA is a long-time resident of central Indiana. Killers do travel, though, so LE should still do their due diligence and make absolutely certain that RA can be ruled out.

 

[Falling Down]

bump

 

[minazoe]

What does it mean when a sheriff says we have suspects but we don't have a case?
moo
[/QUOTE]


They mean they suspect certain individuals/individual but they don't have enough proof to make a case against them in a trial.

as for the loud car definitely they should look at all vehicles owned by RA and his wife and check the entire repair history of those vehicles... to look for the year and date of any exhaust repair work..and if he repairs his own cars then look for related purchases for parts. mOO

 

[Yemelyan]

One of the most interesting things to me about this case is that when her body was found her cell phone, purse, and fishing pole were considered "missing evidence" but subsequently at least the purse and phone were located and are in the hands of investigators (a detail that even the family did not know until much later on). The purse was found (with cash and credit cards intact) on an above-water sandbar on the river -- distance from crime scene not specified -- but investigators are not commenting on how they found the cell phone other than to say they have it, and they won't comment on the fishing pole at all. Source here: Murder on the Missouri River: Alicia Hummel’s unsolved murder inches closer to justice

Brainstorming on reasons that a victim's personal items might be removed from the scene:

1. To steal them (they are items of value - however, her cash and credit cards weren't taken/used)
2. To conceal the victim's identity a bit longer (doesn't really work well in this case because her car was left in the lot, but maybe the killer didn't think of that)
3. The items (phone etc) may contain a record that reveals the killer's relationship to the victim (aka, I'm the person who arranged to meet her there, or I'm one of the people having sex in the car and I think she documented what I was doing)
4. The killer wanted to take trophies/proof of the murder (yet these items were apparently either concealed or discarded)
5. It was just a spontaneous, idiosyncratic decision by the killer to take her belongings and as soon as he/she realized it's not good idea to retain them, they were dumped.
6. Someone who wasn't involved in the crime took them and as soon as they realized that they could be suspected of murder for doing so, they got rid of them. (However, the tight timeline would perhaps argue against this.)
7. Other thoughts??

I think that the cellphone and fishing pole were perhaps concealed in a unique way, not easily guessed, that only the killer would know, and perhaps reveals something about the killer's identity.

From the article:
"At the time Alicia Hummel’s body was discovered, law enforcement officials said her purse, cellphone and fishing pole were considered missing evidence.

"A year after her murder, Alicia Hummel’s purse was discovered by local college kids at an above-water sandbar located on the river — the contents of her purse, including cash and credit cards, remained intact. The cellphone, however, was not located in the purse.

"Howe’s recent admission that law enforcement located and possesses the cellphone is new information for the family and the public. While the cellphone was assumed to be missing on the sixth anniversary of Alicia Hummel’s murder, Howe would not give a definitive answer as to when, how or where the cellphone was found....Howe would not comment as to whether Alicia Hummel’s fishing pole has been located."

 

[Falling Down]

One of the most interesting things to me about this case is that when her body was found her cell phone, purse, and fishing pole were considered "missing evidence" but subsequently at least the purse and phone were located and are in the hands of investigators (a detail that even the family did not know until much later on). The purse was found (with cash and credit cards intact) on an above-water sandbar on the river -- distance from crime scene not specified -- but investigators are not commenting on how they found the cell phone other than to say they have it, and they won't comment on the fishing pole at all. Source here: Murder on the Missouri River: Alicia Hummel’s unsolved murder inches closer to justice

Brainstorming on reasons that a victim's personal items might be removed from the scene:

1. To steal them (they are items of value - however, her cash and credit cards weren't taken/used)
2. To conceal the victim's identity a bit longer (doesn't really work well in this case because her car was left in the lot, but maybe the killer didn't think of that)
3. The items (phone etc) may contain a record that reveals the killer's relationship to the victim (aka, I'm the person who arranged to meet her there, or I'm one of the people having sex in the car and I think she documented what I was doing)
4. The killer wanted to take trophies/proof of the murder (yet these items were apparently either concealed or discarded)
5. It was just a spontaneous, idiosyncratic decision by the killer to take her belongings and as soon as he/she realized it's not good idea to retain them, they were dumped.
6. Someone who wasn't involved in the crime took them and as soon as they realized that they could be suspected of murder for doing so, they got rid of them. (However, the tight timeline would perhaps argue against this.)
7. Other thoughts??

I think that the cellphone and fishing pole were perhaps concealed in a unique way, not easily guessed, that only the killer would know, and perhaps reveals something about the killer's identity.

From the article:
"At the time Alicia Hummel’s body was discovered, law enforcement officials said her purse, cellphone and fishing pole were considered missing evidence.

"A year after her murder, Alicia Hummel’s purse was discovered by local college kids at an above-water sandbar located on the river — the contents of her purse, including cash and credit cards, remained intact. The cellphone, however, was not located in the purse.

"Howe’s recent admission that law enforcement located and possesses the cellphone is new information for the family and the public. While the cellphone was assumed to be missing on the sixth anniversary of Alicia Hummel’s murder, Howe would not give a definitive answer as to when, how or where the cellphone was found....Howe would not comment as to whether Alicia Hummel’s fishing pole has been located."

My guess would be the purse was discarded after the murder, the fluctuations in the river level revealed the purse. I wonder about the phone, too.

 

[Yemelyan]

My guess would be the purse was discarded after the murder, the fluctuations in the river level revealed the purse. I wonder about the phone, too.

I would love to know how far away the purse was discovered from the crime scene. Close enough that the purse could have been thrown or discarded from the dock? Or miles away? And in what direction?

 

[minazoe]

My guess would be the purse was discarded after the murder, the fluctuations in the river level revealed the purse. I wonder about the phone, too.

that there was little to zero attempt to cover up this crime, take things far away from the crime..no robbery and her cell phone found...it is rather consistent. as with L&A the phone was found, but a couple of items were never found. It is very possible that items of Alicia's may very well have been missing, there is no way of truly knowing what she might have had on her person that day that could have been taken..a lipstick for example, a charm, a pack of gum..we just can't know.

I want to know what are the thoughts LE has about Lyric and Elizabeth... it's too much of a coincidence for me. mOO