GUILTY VA - Vanessa Pham, 19, found murdered, Fairfax County, 27 June 2010

[Melly53]

Wasn't there a case not too long ago about a young lady that answered an ad on Craigslist for a nanny or tutor job that ended up getting murdered? If she had just found a job, I wonder where it was advertised at? Do the police know anything about her new job, or where she interviewed for the job at? Makes me think the two are somehow related.

 

[KAE]

I created a Google Map of the area where Vanessa was killed
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=U...9819,-77.243414&spn=0.03104,0.066047&t=h&z=15

I took the info from the link fran posted earlier:
http://www.fcnp.com/news/6833-investigation-continues-in-sunday-murder-of-falls-church-woman.html

This a street view of the accident site. You can see the access road and the wooded area where her car was found:
http://maps.google.com/maps?t=h&hl=...=Qqrsu-29MDj9-oyykopEfg&cbp=12,142.09,,0,2.54

 

[KAE]

Here's another view of the accident site looking in the other direction:
http://maps.google.com/maps?t=h&hl=...=5SsNGqhf3D4MhIOe8pntdg&cbp=12,234.46,,0,-2.4

From Bing Maps, this is a Bird's Eye View of the same area:
http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=qg...5056&lvl=2&sty=b&where1=38.865509, -77.232224

Let me know if you find any errors on my Google Map - it's the first one I've made. I was also up pretty late last night celebrating the 4th so my head is still not quite clear yet. :angel:

 

[panthera]

I created a Google Map of the area where Vanessa was killed
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=U...9819,-77.243414&spn=0.03104,0.066047&t=h&z=15

I took the info from the link fran posted earlier:
http://www.fcnp.com/news/6833-investigation-continues-in-sunday-murder-of-falls-church-woman.html

This a street view of the accident site. You can see the access road and the wooded area where her car was found:
http://maps.google.com/maps?t=h&hl=...=Qqrsu-29MDj9-oyykopEfg&cbp=12,142.09,,0,2.54

Thanks so much ~ those are very helpful! I'm also trying to figure out where the hospital is. One of the articles said it was about a mile from the accident and I'm wondering if she could've been trying to get there ~ assuming she was already stabbed, and maybe lost consciousness or died when her car crashed. MOO

 

[FifthEssence]

VIDEO REPORT FROM THE NAIL SALON

http://cfc.news8.net/videoondemand.cfm?id=68763

 

[KAE]

Thanks so much ~ those are very helpful! I'm also trying to figure out where the hospital is. One of the articles said it was about a mile from the accident and I'm wondering if she could've been trying to get there ~ assuming she was already stabbed, and maybe lost consciousness or died when her car crashed. MOO

Do you mean the Inova Fairfax Hospital (the one where she was born)?
It's about 3/4 of a mile south of the crime scene.
I added it to the map:
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?t=h&...309402336490999288.00048a903b2c304279f42&z=15



I also found this while looking for the hospital:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/30/AR2010063005203.html

The area where Pham's car was found is close to three of Fairfax County's busiest mental-health facilities: the inpatient Northern Virginia Mental Health Institute, the outpatient Woodburn Center for Community Mental Health and Inova Fairfax Hospital. Homeless people set up camp in the area, police said. Detectives are considering the possibility that someone Pham didn't know simply climbed into her car at a stoplight.

But it's only one possibility.

There certainly are a lot of hospitals and clinics in the area!

 

[Lovejac]

Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community - View Single Post - Forensic Astrology - CASE BRIEFINGS only

 

[Lovejac]

So she was seen leaving the nail salon at 3:00 pm and then she posted on her FB page from her phone at 3:09 pm. That makes me think the perp snuck up on her when she was in her car on the phone. I don't recall it being said if her purse was missing or if they think she was robbed.

 

[Lovejac]

http://www.fcnp.com/news/6846-murdered-local-womans-funeral-set-for-wednesday.html

Murdered Local Woman's Funeral Set for Wednesday

this article has some info I hadn't read before.

http://www.fcnp.com/news/6833-investigation-continues-in-sunday-murder-of-falls-church-woman.html

 

[panthera]

VIDEO REPORT FROM THE NAIL SALON

http://cfc.news8.net/videoondemand.cfm?id=68763

Thanks! A couple of important things from the video ~ she wasn't a regular customer at the nail salon and video surveillance captured her in the parking lot.

 

[Lovejac]

Thanks! A couple of important things from the video ~ she wasn't a regular customer at the nail salon and video surveillance captured her in the parking lot.

That makes me wonder if she is still seen, on that video, in the parking lot at 3:09 when she updated her FB page.

 

[panthera]

Do you mean the Inova Fairfax Hospital (the one where she was born)?
It's about 3/4 of a mile south of the crime scene.
I added it to the map:
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?t=h&...309402336490999288.00048a903b2c304279f42&z=15



I also found this while looking for the hospital:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/30/AR2010063005203.html



There certainly are a lot of hospitals and clinics in the area!

Yes, I was thinking of the one she was born at, and I didn't realize how many others were around though. I'm still wondering where her cell phone is since I'd think she would've tried calling 911 after she'd been stabbed instead of driving somewhere.

 

[panthera]

Police Try to Determine When Pham Met Killer

VIENNA, Va. - One woman says she saw a local college student's car the day the student died and Fairfax County (web | news) police are hoping more people will come forward to say they saw something, too.

Monday, eight days after Vanessa Pham was found stabbed to death in her white Toyota crashed off Route 50, a woman says she saw the car on its side in the woods a week ago Sunday. She said she saw it before police were called to the scene.

"We left our house around 3:15 p.m. so it was probably about 3:20 when we passed by. We thought it was someone who had been racing down Route 50 and just abandoned their car there," said the woman, who prefers to protect her identity.

Fairfax County police say Vanessa Pham had been at a nearby Gallows Road nail salon less than a half hour before she was found dead. What detectives are trying to determine is if she encountered her killer in the parking lot -- a place that would have been very busy on a Sunday afternoon.

"I think it's fear you know, people like to be out of horrible situations like this. They don't want to give up what they know. So, hopefully somebody will just kind of step up and if they saw something come clean, because that's the only hope you really have," said Brimmer Atkins, a Vienna resident.

more at http://www.news8.net/news/stories/0710/752460.html

 

[joijoi12]

Video of her car in the shopping center from surveillance cameras...arriving and leaving the area. Just minutes before she was found. Very sad and kind of eerie.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/crime-scene/fairfax/video-shows-pham-driving-10-mi.html#more

 

[Lovejac]

Okay, this is what we know so far.

She was in the nail salon at 3:00 pm
She updated her FB from her phone at 3:09 PM
Her car was pulling out of the shopping center at 3:24 pm
She was found dead shortly after 3:30 pm

Her murderer HAD to be in her car when she pulled out of the shopping center, don't you think?

Rest in Peace, Vanessa.

I pray the surveillance video from the shopping center shows who took you.

 

[KAE]

So she was seen leaving the nail salon at 3:00 pm and then she posted on her FB page from her phone at 3:09 pm. That makes me think the perp snuck up on her when she was in her car on the phone. I don't recall it being said if her purse was missing or if they think she was robbed.

Video of her car in the shopping center from surveillance cameras...arriving and leaving the area. Just minutes before she was found. Very sad and kind of eerie.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/crime-scene/fairfax/video-shows-pham-driving-10-mi.html#more

Okay, this is what we know so far.

She was in the nail salon at 3:00 pm
She updated her FB from her phone at 3:09 PM
Her car was pulling out of the shopping center at 3:24 pm
She was found dead shortly after 3:30 pm

Her murderer HAD to be in her car when she pulled out of the shopping center, don't you think?

Rest in Peace, Vanessa.


I pray the surveillance video from the shopping center shows who took you.

Wow. Thanks for the link joijoi.
I agree Lovejac. She does seem to spend a lot of time waiting to turn onto Gallows (or she was just a very careful driver).
I thought she might have beeen waiting for signal lights, but there isn't even a stop sign there!

http://maps.google.com/maps?t=h&hl=...2&ll=38.870612,-77.227235&spn=0,0.016512&z=17

 

[lizzybeth]

One of the two things that I noticed in the video was the work van. There seem to be some men standing in front of a store; two seem to be at one of those outside cart things that sell hot dogs and drinks. There's one man that is standing there that looks like he has on coveralls. The van is parked in front of the store with the doors open when Vanessa pulls up in front of the store. Later in the video that same van is backing out of a parking space just as Vanessa is going by.

The other thing was the car that pulls into the loading dock and turns around as Vanessa goes by. All very innocent things I'm sure but they just stood out to me.

I think the only way this happened was that someone was hiding in her car. Probably saw her go inside and felt she was an easy target. She was a beautiful girl.

JMO

 

[joijoi12]

Wow. Thanks for the link joijoi.
I agree Lovejac. She does seem to spend a lot of time waiting to turn onto Gallows (or she was just a very careful driver).
I thought she might have beeen waiting for signal lights, but there isn't even a stop sign there!

http://maps.google.com/maps?t=h&hl=...2&ll=38.870612,-77.227235&spn=0,0.016512&z=17

Considering the time and how close she is to where she was found, someone could have definitely been in the car. She could have been waiting a long time if people weren't using their signals to take the right into the shopping area too. What you can see when you take a right in the Google map, is that she is approaching the very busy area of Gallows Rd, where there is another stoplight to turn into a shopping center on the left and then approaches the on and off ramps to Rt. 50. You can see Willow Oaks Corporate center in the distance (tall building).

I used to frequent that area a lot for lunch and errands when I worked near there a few years ago. Once you cross over Rt. 50 towards Willow Oaks, it's not as busy, even though the hospital is ahead- and on a Sunday when there are no employees from Willow Oaks and another corporate office nearby, I'm sure it's fairly quiet.

 

[Lovejac]

Thanks for the explanation, joijoi. It helps to have someone familiar with the area sharing that type of info.

BTW, Welcome to Websleuths!

 

[waltzingmatilda]

Hi all! My first post here. This link talks about the East Coast Rapist. There is information on page 3 about the woman attacked in Fairfax, VA in 1999 while carrying groceries home. I am suspicious that he may be responsible for Vanessa's murder and Morgan Harrington too as a couple of this guys composite pics resemble the composite pic in Morgan's case. It's a chilling article and I am afraid he has escalated.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dy...3/15/AR2010031501859.html?sid=ST2010031501850

Sorry if this has already been posted.

RIP Vanessa.

wm

this post has been edited for clarification and to add MOO.