WY WY - Amy Wroe Bechtel, 24, Fremont County, 24 Jul 1997

[dogperson]

I saw this case on "Disappeared" the other night. Did anyone notice the husband shake his head "yes" as he verbally answered "no" to the question asking if he had anything to do with his wife's disappearance (or something along those lines)? I, unfortunately, cannot locate a link to the video online. I believe it was an interview he did for a television news station... And now wish I hadn't deleted the episode from my DVR. Was I seeing things?

I noticed that too! Isn't that supposed to be an indication the person is lying? On the other hand, in the latest news I could find about Amy online, LE seems fairly certain that Dale Wayne Eaton is responsible.

 

[Gtcomo]

I also noticed it and thought it was odd. I think the husband did it!

 

[JusticeWillBeServed]

I never really believed the husband had anything to do with her disappearance and after watching Amy's Disappeared episode, I'm so annoyed that they spent so much time focusing on him. Someone wrote on this thread that it seemed like LE was angry they could not find any clues in her case so they just tried to blame it on the husband and I completely agree.

If you compare Steve's behavior with other people who have wives/husbands missing where they are guilty in causing that disappearance, then his actions do not fit the "norm".

1. He reported her missing that very night. Usually it would take a few days or in some cases, a different family member will grow concern and file a report.
2. He participated in searches for her, set up his own "headquarters" to learn information.
3. He went on television and talked openly about the case even after being labeled a prime suspect.
4. He had no financial gain from her disappearance and there were no major issues in their marriage.

I remember when Pat Viola's husband was being interviewed in a different episode, he said he was shaken up (or something to that effect) after being interrogated by the police. It's simply scary to be thought of as a prime suspect in your wife's disappearance. I think Steve knew he wasn't going to get anywhere by talking to LE so he just went off on his own. I can't blame him for that.

The person who suffers the most from all of this is obviously Amy. We are approaching 18 years with no resolution and I'm hoping since there is a new lead investigator on the case, some progress can be made and her loved ones can get some closure.

 

[JusticeWillBeServed]

Still missing after 18 years. Hope she's found soon.

Dale Wayne Eaton was being investigated a couple of years ago. I wonder if they have made any progress with him.

 

[Gtcomo]

Still missing after 18 years. Hope she's found soon.

Dale Wayne Eaton was being investigated a couple of years ago. I wonder if they have made any progress with him.

Her husband Steve was investigated initially and should still be the main suspect..... Who lawyers up and doesn't help law enforcement find their spouse???? Somebody guilty in my opinion!!!

 

[kemo]

Her husband Steve was investigated initially and should still be the main suspect..... Who lawyers up and doesn't help law enforcement find their spouse???? Somebody guilty in my opinion!!!

He did talk to law enforcement and actively participated in the searches. I am not aware that he ever " Lawyered up" ( anyone have information to this effect?)

 

[JusticeWillBeServed]

Her husband Steve was investigated initially and should still be the main suspect..... Who lawyers up and doesn't help law enforcement find their spouse???? Somebody guilty in my opinion!!!

What kemo wrote; he did participate in searches. According to Amy's Disappeared episode, he even set up his own headquarters to search for her. According to Amy's Charley Project, Steve did lawyer up after investigators were solely focusing on him. I think his conclusion was that if they were working against him, not much progress was going to be made.

Steve's attorney advised him to stop cooperating with law enforcement and refuse a polygraph test. Steve maintains his innocence and believes that authorities focused on him due to a lack of suspects and evidence in Amy's disappearance. He was interviewed only once by authorities; he refused to speak with them further after he said the questions turned accusatory.

 

[Gtcomo]

What kemo wrote; he did participate in searches. According to Amy's Disappeared episode, he even set up his own headquarters to search for her. According to Amy's Charley Project, Steve did lawyer up after investigators were solely focusing on him. I think his conclusion was that if they were working against him, not much progress was going to be made.

We will agree to disagree, He refused to take a lie detector test when his wife is missing ??? If I didn't do it, I wouldn't care what my lawyer said,, I would be taking that lie detector test to prove my innocence and because I truly want to find her.... But hey, that's just me....
Also, being from Amy's home town I'm hearing all the pro Amy sentiment and anti Steve sentiment also....

 

[JusticeWillBeServed]

We will agree to disagree, He refused to take a lie detector test when his wife is missing ??? If I didn't do it, I wouldn't care what my lawyer said,, I would be taking that lie detector test to prove my innocence and because I truly want to find her.... But hey, that's just me....
Also, being from Amy's home town I'm hearing all the pro Amy sentiment and anti Steve sentiment also....

Agree to disagree

I should note that I understand why people think Steve is responsible. As this is still an unsolved case, I don't think he should be completely ruled out. Some of his behavior is suspicious.

It's nice to know people haven't forgotten about Amy and still talk about her.

 

[Gtcomo]

Bumping.... No new news for several years.... This case may never be solved

 

[CircuitGuy]

We will agree to disagree, He refused to take a lie detector test when his wife is missing ??? If I didn't do it, I wouldn't care what my lawyer said,, I would be taking that lie detector test to prove my innocence and because I truly want to find her....

I'm not sure what I would do, but I do not believe lie detectors work except perhaps for the guilty knowledge test where police have information known only to the perpetrator. Apart from that, its only value is to trick suspects. A lying suspect has to keep track of his lies and this machine that supposedly detects lies. The machine works by distracting the suspect from his lies and giving him the fear that maybe somehow the machine will work. Police are able to say, "we know from the machine you didn't commit the murder, so we're on your side with that regard. But we know you're lying about your alibi. Just admit that."

I don't think that's bad. Maybe it gets a murderer to admit his alibi is bogus, allowing police to get him convicted. But if I were a suspect, I would see no advantage to taking the test. I don't believe the test would detect my honesty. I don't think the police believe it's reliable to detect honesty. It's all a game to mess with my mind. If the police actually believe it works, that's even worse because they'll proceed based on what the machine says, which may or may not be right.

 

[kemo]

I don't think many defense lawyers would let their clients take a polygraph under any circumstances. Refusing to take a polygraph might look bad but attorneys are not in the business of protecting reputations, they are in the business of keeping people out of prison. It is too easy to show a false positive.

Generally, people will cooperate with LE and take a polygraph if the don't feel they are a suspect. Once folks perceive themselves as suspects, it is a real good idea to lawyer-up.

As I recall, the husband did cooperate at first but as the investigation started to focus on him, he did lawyer-up.

 

[Gtcomo]

its s sad case for sure... I bet this will never be solved.

 

[CircuitGuy]

As I recall, the husband did cooperate at first but as the investigation started to focus on him, he did lawyer-up.

I agree with this post. I do not particularly to make hiring a lawyer into the verb lawyer up. The police are trained to trick guilty suspects into confessing and/or leading them to important clues that will help convict the suspect. If they're trying this verbal judo and psychological manipulation on me, and I know I didn't do the crime so they're on the wrong track, I'm going to put a stop to it immediately. I wouldn't keep playing their game. I'd want them finding the real criminal and doing these techniques on him/her.

If I were guilty and trying to get away with it, I'd also hire a lawyer. So you just can't tell anything based on someone hiring a lawyer.

 

[Gtcomo]

I've been married over 30 years..... I love my wife and I would take the lie detector test if the roles were reversed.. The last thought on my mind would be that I would fail the test... Or that I would fail and they'd throw me in jail.. A innocent man who truly loved his wife and who wanted to find the truth would have taken the test...,,just sayin.., nobody's gonna change my mind on this...

 

[CircuitGuy]

The last thought on my mind would be that I would fail the test. Or that I would fail and they'd throw me in jail.. A innocent man who truly loved his wife and who wanted to find the truth would have taken the test.

What I'm saying is not about fear of failing the test or loving / not loving the victim. These are all straw men. I'm saying the test does not work. Here is a link to the post of mine we're talking about. Someone willing to take the test must think either a) the test works better than I think it does (could be true; I could be wrong.) or b) even though the test doesn't work, cooperating with an invalid test might somehow indirectly help the police find the perpetrator.

"b", in which the suspect does not believe in the test, is the more interesting one to me. I can think of a few subsets of it:

• The police don't believe in the test, but think that if they get the suspect stressed out an confused maybe he'll slip and disgorge some important evidence: In this case, an innocent suspect has reason to play along and let the police get them stressed and confused to show the police there's really nothing to find.
• The police do believe in the test and are using it "as advertised" to find out whether someone did it: In this case it's a gamble for the innocent suspect. If by chance the test says he's innocent, it helps the police focus on other people. If by chance it says he's guilty, it puts the police on the wrong track.
• The police don't believe in the test but think the suspect did it and are going to try to trick the suspect into making statements that fit with their theory of the case to increase their chances of getting a conviction: Obviously in this case, the innocent suspect should not take the test. The suspect does not know the police and prosecutor's narrative want to try to convict him on. Even if he did know, in this scenario the police are on the wrong track either way, so taking or not taking the test won't affect their ability to find the perpetrator.

The trouble with this is that the innocent suspect cannot know what the police think. If they say he passed one test and then failed another, clearly they don't believe the test works perfectly. It sounds like they're messing with him. That might turn out to be good if he's guilty. But if he knows he's innocent, there's no point in playing these psychological games with the police. At this point I would say no to the test because it's the logical thing to do to help the police find the perpetrator.

 

[Sleuthster]

I saw this on Unsolved Mysteries old episode today. There is no proof that Amy was ever at the site where her car was found. It is always possible that she went home and something happened, then the car was placed where it was found to throw off the investigation. This would throw off S.B. alibi IMO.

 

[JusticeWillBeServed]

The August issue of Runner's World has an excellent and in-depth look at this case. It retells the circumstances surrounding Amy's disappearance and the initial investigation. The author also talks to the current investigator (Zerga) to see where everything stands. Steve and a few members of Amy's family are also interviewed.

I don't think I've ever seen so much importance placed on a polygraph test than this case. Zerga doesn't believe Steve was involved but he still can't rule him out. He even tells him what the questions will be but Steve refuses to take it. Amy's family feel that Steve rejecting to take it stalled the investigation; something that has always bothered them. They believe that if he's innocent then he should just clear his name so that they can move on from there. The Wroe family and Steve remain estranged today. I blame the first two investigators for this divide. They could have still been working on other leads. I understand Steve's position and understand the family's reaction.

Steve's alibi (Sam) actually seems a little stronger after reading that they weren't very good friends. They had a falling out on a recent trip prior to Amy's disappearance although they were still rock climbing partners. Sam says that he was better friends with Amy and would not have covered up for Steve over her.

Dale Wayne Eaton was reported as a possible suspect by his brother in July of 1998. This angle wasn't explored fully until Zerga took over and talked with the brother. The evidence is fairly circumstantial though and not enough to press charges. Eaton refuses to meet with Zerga concerning Amy's case.


Quotes from the article (Long) Gone Girl, written by Jon Billman.

According to Detective Zerga, authorities had been to Lucky Lane with a search warrant within the last five years. “We’ve actually done luminol searches with the FBI in that building,” Zerga told me. “We brought in cadaver dogs. And luminol picks up any type of blood splatter, whether they paint over it or whatever.” The dogs found nothing and the luminol tests came out negative. Zerga even followed up on a rumor that Steve had buried Amy below the driveway of their would-be new home at 965 McDougal Drive before the concrete had set; he found nothing there, either

I ask him if he’ll take the polygraph to relieve Zerga of all doubt. “The polygraph is like one of those monkey traps,” he says. “Anybody who needs me to take that test—I don’t need them in my life.” He holds the relaxed confidence of an athlete, even while talking about a painful past. “I don’t need people to be looking at Eaton,” he says. “I don’t mind being a suspect, but to me everyone else is a suspect.”

If detective Zerga finds out, by way of an Eaton confession, we may also learn why Naomi Lee Kidder never came home. Why Belynda Mae Grantham never came home. Why Janelle Johnson never came home. Why perhaps at least nine other young women never came home. The question persists, obscured in a Great Basin haze.

Why didn’t the runner come home?

 

[Gtcomo]

I sure wish steve bechtel would take a lie detector test!! Something to hide steve?? I think so....

 

[JusticeWillBeServed]

Here's the entire story that was featured in Runner's World.

(Long) Gone Girl by Jon Billman

Nineteen years ago, Amy Wroe Bechtel, a 24-year-old Olympic Marathon hopeful living in Lander, Wyoming, went for a run and never came back, having vanished without a trace.

For years, her husband was the prime suspect. But more recently, an even darker possibility has emerged.

http://www.runnersworld.com/runners-stories/long-gone-girl