Victim: Maureen Brainard-Barnes

[PreciousDust]

That sucks.... it's a 404 now...

DA: Norwich woman likely a victim of serial killer

The remains of a missing Norwich woman, who authorities said advertised herself online as a prostitute, were identified Monday by Suffolk County, N.Y., police. They said her death may have been the w…

www.norwichbulletin.com

 

[Mountain_Kat]

Thanks for the assist, Precious Dust. Wish I could actually read your reply, but I don't have my sunglasses handy.

 

[PreciousDust]

Thanks for the assist, Precious Dust. Wish I could actually read your reply, but I don't have my sunglasses handy.

Oh, my reply had no text, it was just a link to an unblocked version of the story in question. Maybe it shows up differently in different formats? Link is DA: Norwich woman likely a victim of serial killer

 

[Mountain_Kat]

Oh, my reply had no text, it was just a link to an unblocked version of the story in question. Maybe it shows up differently in different formats? Link is DA: Norwich woman likely a victim of serial killer

I was really just complaining about the bright orange text box that makes it impossible for me to read anything. ;]

 

[LR1]

So apparently from the information put out a few weeks ago, Maureen was last heard from on July 9, 2007 at 11:43 pm, which was a Monday night, and on that night she told her "friend" she would be going to meet someone outside of the motel on an out-call. I guess it should've been obvious that she took an out-call and it would have been if not for the now apparent incomplete story we were fed in the beginning that when last heard from she was simply looking for a ride home.

 

[wcasewatch]

Yea, her "last seen" location was at the motel. The story about her calling from a train station is also a bit misleading (confusing), as it gives people the impression that she traveled by train to meet the client.

In reality, the client picked her up outside of the motel in Manhattan on the night of July 9th.

Unsure why this wasn't made clear from the beginning.

 

[clear sky]

Yea, her "last seen" location was at the motel. The story about her calling from a train station is also a bit misleading (confusing), as it gives people the impression that she traveled by train to meet the client.

In reality, the client picked her up outside of the motel in Manhattan on the night of July 9th.

Unsure why this wasn't made clear from the beginning.

Maureen called her sister and brother from Penn Station. It's not a misleading story.
This is according to her sister and brother.

 

[DrQ]

IMHO it is a shame that information on the GB4, SG, and LISK which may all be absolutely or not at all related has been dribbled out by LE. Limited information, misleading information, and sketchy timelines don't help at all. Days of the week, times of the year, factual location's with accurate details on whereabouts all could have helped early on. I personally find it hard to believe that absolutely no one saw anything with any one of these young victims. It would not surprise me if people on LI have someone in mind for doing this. It's also quite possible someone was in the LE crosshair early on. Whoever did this had been doing it awhile. Not all serial killers are geniuses but if you do something long enough, you get good at it.

 

[wcasewatch]

Maureen called her sister and brother from Penn Station. It's not a misleading story.
This is according to her sister and brother.

Maybe "confusing" is the better word for it.

 

[LR1]

In reality, the client picked her up outside of the motel in Manhattan on the night of July 9th.

I don't know if we should jump to that conclusion necessarily. It's just as likely she did get talked into taking the train ride to LI after not getting someone to come get her at that late hour. We don't know who the friend is that she told about the outcall. Or do we? Maybe the plan was to do the date and be back around the time her ride would have shown up if someone were to have made the trip. There's obviously more to the story than we're being told. The narrative given is so unnecessarily convoluted and incomplete that it's probably a waste of time trying to further make sense of.

 

[EpiVox444]

source?

 

[Girlinterrupted]

(Sorry @EpiVox444 re your above post: no sources on any of that coming from me bc there aren't any afaik.)

I've started going back to the beginning on many of the GB4.
So, for Maureen, that brings up the question "What prompted Maureen to travel to Manhattan?"

I can only use secondary sources for this, because, unlike some of the other victims associated with this case, there are no primary sources - no handlers' court records to pull up, no federal court cases against drug/sex trafficking syndicates to track through (at least not when we start here), no depositions to read over.
In order of what i put most faith in, we have what Maureen's family and friends tell us, law enforcement, and media.

And from them, particularly her friends and family, we know a few things.
Maureen was a prolific writer. She wrote lyrics.
Maureen was initially doing outcalls in CT bc she was desperate for money.
At some point Maureen began making trips into Manhattan.
This is a big step for someone who isn't familiar with the city and doesn't seem to have any connections in Manhattan, particularly in sex work.
Eventually Maureen brought her friend Sarah into her Manhattan work situation once she'd somewhat established herself, mostly in the Times Square/midtown area.
Someone in Manhattan, a younger tech guy, would handle Maureen's ads for her, at least for a period of time.

But how did Maureen find herself in Manhattan?
Was she initially looking for sex work?
She didn't have an "Akeem Cruz" to convince her to follow him.

Maureen found Model Mayhem.

Through that site, Maureen began to make connections in Manhattan. Photographers, talent agents etc scour ModMay for "talent". It's not a sex work site.
In theory.
Maureen posted her profile on it and she got responses.

Sources? All secondary. The words of her friends and family as written in edited books/articles or given in produced podcasts.

But possibly there's something to go on there?
Model Mayhem does not vet the people who use it to look at uploaded profiles of aspiring models, singers, dancers etc.

More times than not if you respond to someone who sees your profile and offers you work, especially at that time, you're going to end up being used by promoters for clubs at best. Or a "talent agent" will contact you to ask to meet for an "audition" in some dirty cramped office. This, in my very humble opinion, is a very important part of Maureen's story - it's who she met through this process that set off a chain of events. And connects to one of the last people who claimed to have heard from Maureen. Again, secondary sources plus my opinion. Therefore not fact.

 

[wcasewatch]

I don't know if we should jump to that conclusion necessarily. It's just as likely she did get talked into taking the train ride to LI after not getting someone to come get her at that late hour. We don't know who the friend is that she told about the outcall. Or do we? Maybe the plan was to do the date and be back around the time her ride would have shown up if someone were to have made the trip. There's obviously more to the story than we're being told. The narrative given is so unnecessarily convoluted and incomplete that it's probably a waste of time trying to further make sense of.

The most recent update makes it very clear that she was heard from on the night of July 9th. That was the last time she was in contact with anyone. There was nothing after she met that client for an outcall. To me, it seems pretty certain that she was picked up by LISK in the same fashion as Amber and Megan.

 

[LR1]

The most recent update makes it very clear that she was heard from on the night of July 9th. That was the last time she was in contact with anyone. There was nothing after she met that client for an outcall. To me, it seems pretty certain that she was picked up by LISK in the same fashion as Amber and Megan.

You may be wrong but you may be right. Depends on the level of risk he was willing to take. He made sure the number of potential prying eyes were minimal with Megan and Amber but that would've been difficult to do in midtown. We also have Melissa's numerous pings, while not positively pointing to her taking the rails, seems to suggest that might've been the case. I wonder about the lack of pings with Maureen. We're only told about the one from the following weeks.

 

[wcasewatch]

You may be wrong but you may be right. Depends on the level of risk he was willing to take. He made sure the number of potential prying eyes were minimal with Megan and Amber but that would've been difficult to do in midtown. We also have Melissa's numerous pings, while not positively pointing to her taking the rails, seems to suggest that might've been the case. I wonder about the lack of pings with Maureen. We're only told about the one from the following weeks.

His previous victim, Jessica Taylor, was last spotted working at the Port Authority. We also know that he called Melissa's sister from the Port Authority and Penn Station.

It is very possible that he is familiar with that area and that he knew where to park his vehicle.

If he was a regular "john", he probably knew the area around Midtown Manhattan pretty well because it had a reputation for prostitution.

It wouldn't surprise me if Valerie Mack made her way to NYC and was picked up in that area as well (there are gaps in her last known whereabouts).

In other words, NYC may have been his original hunting ground.

Picking up someone in the the middle of Manhattan would have made sense in his eyes. A busy city where people mind their own business... a place where nobody knows him.

It seems like he changed M.O. for some reason after Maureen. The last 3 victims were either picked up on LI or seemingly lured there.

Perhaps he did realize that there was a risk of him being caught by a random CCTV camera. Or maybe he had a close call.

It's interesting that the police did not release this info about her meeting a client until now.

Perhaps they did have a lead that they didn't want to disclose.

 

[LR1]

It wouldn't surprise me if Valerie Mack made her way to NYC and was picked up in that area as well

Speaking of VM what's your take on the former police chief's comments in the linked video in the post linked below regarding Valerie between the 1:30 & 2:00 mark. Any thoughts you might have, reply in her thread. I too would have thought it more likely she was picked up in NYC if not for her comments.

IDENTIFIED! Valerie Mack - Jane Doe #6/Manorville Jane Doe - remains located Nov 2000 & April 2011

One of the things that stood out to me about Valerie is a particularly rough mugshot. It made me think of Jessica Taylor right off the bat, in that these 2 victims don't appear to be of the "escort" variety (if you catch my meaning). There is just no way, imo , that LISK would engage with...

www.websleuths.com

 

[wcasewatch]

Speaking of VM what's your take on the former police chief's comments in the linked video in the post linked below regarding Valerie between the 1:30 & 2:00 mark. Any thoughts you might have, reply in her thread. I too would have thought it more likely she was picked up in NYC if not for her comments.

IDENTIFIED! Valerie Mack - Jane Doe #6/Manorville Jane Doe - remains located Nov 2000 & April 2011

One of the things that stood out to me about Valerie is a particularly rough mugshot. It made me think of Jessica Taylor right off the bat, in that these 2 victims don't appear to be of the "escort" variety (if you catch my meaning). There is just no way, imo , that LISK would engage with...

www.websleuths.com

I replied in that thread. Basically, I still think it's very possible that Mack made her way to NYC.

If Mack, Taylor and Barnes were all picked up in Manhattan, then it tells us that that he may have frequented this area a lot. Especially if he was a regular john.

If he's a LI resident who picked up sex workers in Manhattan, then he probably did so because 1) it's a big city where everyone minds their own business and 2) nobody would recognize him there.

In my opinion, that points to someone who has a lot to lose if he is seen. For example, a family man.

He probably only murdered these women if he was sure that he had picked them up without being spotted. If he was seen or thought it was too risky, he probably used their services as normal.

In other words, there's a very good possibility that a lot of sex workers survived an encounter with LISK without even realizing how lucky they were.

 

[LR1]

there's a very good possibility that a lot of sex workers survived an encounter with LISK without even realizing how lucky they were.

No doubt about it.

 

[hafom8840]

In my opinion, that points to someone who has a lot to lose if he is seen. For example, a family man.

Assuming the theories surrounding the SCPD are true, he must have a colossal amount to lose.

 

[Sleuth_Noob]

Just wanted to bump this thread to rekindle discussion. Norwich police (detectives) travelled to NYC after missing report was filed (in CT), and discovery of info obtained from Maureen’s laptop that an i dividual identified as then a current member of NYPD had responded to her craigslist listing. The detectives notified NYPD Internal affairs, and that same day NYPD IA detectives showed up, took laptop and ‘took over investigation’…

That officer was never named, and was ultimately ‘cleared’ as a suspect. I would LOVE to know how he was cleared as a suspect. And did NYPD ever even acknowledge that he was, at the very least, a POI?