Maura Murray update - Remains found were not hers

 So recently I made a post about the Loon Mountain 3 theory in the Maura Murray case. I was going to write a little more on it while we waited on results. It was initially said that it was going to be several months, but that is apparently not the case. So I don’t think I’m going to be posting much more on the matter at this point.

I’m not saying this puts the LM3 theory dead in the water. Almost all theories in the Maura Murray case are beating the dead horse in the water. We are essentially right back where we started which is we don’t know shit.

Loon Mountain 3 and Maura Murray - part one

The following is basically an organized summation of some notes I have taken over the years about the theory that a group referred to the Loon Mountain 3 was responsible for the disappearance of Maura Murray. 

I feel like interest has been reignited on this theory given the recent findings of human remains on Loon Mountain. The problem is most of the forums on Maura have kind of scrubbed a lot of this info, and conversation has devolved into the Renner vs Larkin wars. If you know, you know. 

So basically how this theory would work would be like this:

She went there to meet people that she knew, which lead to some situation where she encounters these people. 

This would imply either the tandem driver idea or some sort of pick up. Of course there is the chance she either got there on foot or by hitch hiking.

Or, she does not know people and they either snatched her or offered a ride.

At this point you have some fucked up opportunity killing, accident, or an o.d. and dump.

However it happened, the theory works that thee people were shady and they did something intentionally to cause her disappearance. Either by killing her or dumping her out of some sort of mishap.

I've read it a few ways that this group is either 3 brothers, two brothers and someone else, or 3 unrelated people. But the commonality in the story is that they worked at Loon Mountain as snow makers and no one showed up to work the next day after the disappearance.

I'm not sure if I'm going to post the name or initials of the people at this time, since the remains are not confirmed to be her so I don't feel like it's right to put the names and things like that out here right now. I just want to build on what we know on the theory at this point.

Asha Degree : MISSING - part one of ?

Today we are going to talk about a missing person's case. This very well may be part one of ? because there is a lot of information to go over.

I'm going to talk about the disappearance of Asha Jaquilla Degree. She was born on the 5th of August 1990. She was nine years old when she went missing. She went missing from Shelby, North Carolina in the early am hours of the 14th of February, 2000. 

I actually first heard about her from a billboard that I saw on the way to Columbia SC a few years ago. Truly proof that billboards do help bring awareness about missing persons. 

It is generally agreed upon that she left from her home of her own free will. She packed a book bag and was actually spotted by several truckers as they traveled down the North Carolina Highway 18. 

One concerned trucker decided to turn around to go check on her. She must have noticed this as it is this point she left the road side and went into a wooded area near the roadside.

It was around a year and a half before a trace of her was discovered. Her still packed book bag was found during construction site near the highway. It was located on August 3rd, 2001. The book bag was intact and was wrapped in a plastic bag. 

The construction worker who found it saw that it had Asha's name and phone number inside. It also contained a Dr Suess book and a New Kids on the Block T-shirt.  The book was from her school library but the origin of the shirt is unknown. Asha was not known to own this t-shirt. I would like to know the size of the shirt and if appeared to be new, dirty, worn before, etc.

On the theory that she was groomed, it should be noted that her family was what many might consider strict or overprotected. They did not have a computer in their house. Activities centered around the church. Someone was almost always home with Asha and her brother. So essentially the common concern she met someone online seems low in this case.

The thing about this though, they did not notice she was missing until the next morning. This makes me wonder if she had snuck out before and we simply just do not know about it. 

We only know about this time because this was the time where something happened. She did share a room with her brother, but he did not even realize she had left the room until later.

It was 6:40 am when officers arrived on the scene after her mother phoned the police after discovering Asha was not home.

Candy wrappers where located at a shed nearby the highway. This was not too far from where she had been observed walking into the woods. A pencil and mickey mouse hair bow was also located. There was also a photo of an unknown black girl who appeared to be around Asha's age. We still do not know who the girl in the photo was. These items were located on February 15.

UNSOLVED: Suitcase Jane Doe

WHEN 

Her pieces were recovered in two separate discoveries. A burgundy suitcase was found that contained the torso and the arms. Her legs were later recovered.

Initial Find: July 11 1995  - a fisherman located a suitcase while culling at Valley Creek.

Second find: January 28 1996 - Core Creek Park in Langhome PA.

WHERE

Downington, PA

Langhome, PA

THE DISCOVERY

The fisherman found on July 11 1995 initially found a dark green trash bag in the creek. There is an area there called the Twin Tunnels and the bag was found on the north side of this area. He decided to open the suitcase and found a maroon/burgundy suitcase, smaller in size, and tape and wire were wrapped around the outside.

He observed a quilt and bed sheet inside, as well and a denim bottom down shirt. He continued to investigate what he had found. 

Wrapped in the quilt and sheet was a garment bag, The garment bag contained the head, torso, and arms of the Doe. The torso still had bloody bra on it. Legs were not present in the suitcase and the remains were partially decomposed. The fisherman called the police department at approximately 1 pm that day.

The second discovery was by a jogger at Core Creek Park. The leg or legs (unclear if the jogger came across both to just one.) were found in a wooded area.

The right leg was found hip to foot. There was no skin from upper thigh to the ankle. This has been attributed to possible animal scavenging. A left leg was found nearby in a shallow grave. It was also wrapped in a dark green trash bag like the suitcase.

Additional clothing was discovered and the sizing was consistent with the sizing of the torso in the first find.

EVIDENCE AND FINDINGS

Clothing found on body: Light blue, long sleeved denim shirt with a collar, with light colored bands across the chest and copper colored buttons.

Clothing found with legs: Mickey and Minnie Mouse sweatshirt - blue, black and pink in color. A denim jacket. A denim skirt. A small black sweatshirt. 

A white blouse with gold and black buttons was found near the trash bag during the second discovery. 

Estimated age was 25-35

Estimated height - 4'11" to 5'3"

Estimated weight is about 125

Dark brown hair, worn in the shorter end, around 6 inches in length.

Eye color is brown 

Ears are pierced

She is believed to be either white or Hispanic.

Apparently they were not able to 100% match the legs to the torso via DNA, but it was determined that the remains were from the same person as the leg bone was able to fit into the socket of the hip of Suitcase Doe. However according to suitcasejanedoe.com, DNA is in the system. Fingerprints are available as well. 

The initial autopsy on the first find could not determine a cause of death. They did not observe any signs of sexual assault. The coroner did observe a bruise to her right eye. They also saw two smaller bruises on her back. They believed that lends to that this was perhaps a domestic violence situation and that she had attempted to run away from her killer. 

No drugs were found in her system. Alcohol levels were consistent with 1-2 beverages being consumed before death.

The Coroner believed the body had probably been there for 3-7 days. The DA would later state he believed it could have been there for 1-2 weeks. No definite time of death has been determined. 

On the second autopsy, it was determined that the range of time of death was consistent with the range of time of death of the torso remains. 

Both the leg bone and torso had 15 cut marks cause by a small sharp blade. These cuts were consistent and therefore matched.

RESOURCES

suitcasejanedoe.com

this website has pretty much everything that is known about the case for those looking to deep dive and learn more information that is not covered in this blog post. 

CONTACT

PA State Police - Embreeville Station

Trooper Chad Roberts 717-299-7650

Chester Co Coroner's Office 610 344 6165

Case IDs: NCIC# U-853071055

NamUS UP # 13616

Kyron Horman

Kyron Horman

Kyron was last seen at his school. That day he had a presentation on red eye tree frogs. His stepmother has been the main suspect in the public eye since his disappearance.

So let’s break this down into the possible scenarios: 

1: Stepmom took him

2: Crime of opportunity  - snatched by an unknown

3: Left the school willingly and was either snatched from there or got lost and died of exposure

Now apparently the marriage between Tammy and Kyron’s dad was not going great. The pair had one child together and Tammy apparently didn’t treat her stepson well. The most common version of this theory is Tammy let that Byron was getting in the way.

It is also said that after Kyron’s disappearance, Tammy attempted to hire a handyman to kill her husband but this has been debated. Apparently the person who she tried to hire didn’t really speak English. And Tammy herself was not particularly skilled in Spanish. So this could be total bullshit and a rumor that got out of hand enough to the point where the police looked into it.

Now, here’s another theory. Apparently behind the school there is some rough terrain. Could it be that Kyron went back there on his own? Maybe he wanted to see if he could find a real frog to go with his frog science project. Then he slipped and fell or got lost and died from injury and exposure. What a horrible thought. I heard someone, I think maybe his mother, say in an interview that he already feared the idea of not being able to find his way home. 

Next we look at the possibility that someone snatched him from the school. This would involve someone in the know that the science fair was taking place that day. Kids would be running around everywhere. Much easier to take a child when the normal structure of the school day is disrupted. 

Not a piece of him has ever been found. No clothing, no footage, nothing. 

People also question Tammy’s timeline for that day. She dropped him off and left per her. She then went riding around with her daughter in the car. She states that the baby had an ear infection and the car ride seemed to help. That makes sense, I’ve heard of plenty of people driving babies around for some kind of soothing effect. But then, she also went to the gym apparently. I’m not sure why one would ride over to the gym with a sick baby. 

Personally I believe what happened to him is most likely the stepmother, with the next most likely being him wandering on his own. Either way, I feel like chances are good his parents will one day be able to bring him home. Hopefully with all the answers they need. 

Brianna Maitland: Primer

Brianna Maitland went missing from Vermont on March 19 2004. She was born on October 8, 1986 and was 17 at the time of her disappearance. 

There is an element here where many people believe her case is drug related. The drug in question specifically being crack. A rumor existed that she was disposed of at a pig farm. This theory’s motive is that she either owned some drug dealers money or had fronted them money and was demanding her money back. 

Now, apparently there were checks in her car that had not been cashed. These were her paychecks. Now, most people are quick to cash any check they get, especially a pay check.

It has also been stated that she had spoken with someone at the mall earlier. The conversation appeared to have been upsetting or stressful as her mother said. It was rumored that someone had told or wanted her not to go to work that night.  

A few weeks before her disappearance on February 27, 2004, she had attended a party. She was in attendance with her boyfriend and was is described as high school friends.  Apparently at some point it was viewed that she was acting flirtatious with the boyfriend of another girl named Keallie Lacrosse. 

The story goes that while Brianna was wanting in the car to leave, there was a knock on the window. She rolled the window down and was punched in the face by Keallie. The “punch” was enough to break her nose and give her a concussion. That to me personally sounds a bit extreme for a window punch, it sounds more like a beat down. Brianna was eventually convinced by her mother to report this to police report. I think maybe Brianna minimized what had happened out of fear, embarrassment, or both. I believe she was more likely beat prior to her leaving the party which prompted her to leave. I don’t think she was actually in the process of already leaving when this occurred.

If the interaction with the boyfriend was infuriating enough for Keallie to want to beat her, I doubt she waited. If she wanted to beat the hell out of her, she would have just done it right then and there. And there very well may be more people involved. 

TIMELINE

March 19 2004

This morning, Brianna took her GED exam which she passed. Afterwards she went to have lunch with her mother Kellie. Lunch seemed normal and Brianna was in good spirits. She was making plans for her futures, discussing things like college. The pair went shopping after.  At some point Brianna stepped away and had a change in mood upon her return. 

She then excused herself as she needed to go home and get ready for work. She had a shift that night at the Black Lantern in. 

She finished up working around 11:20 PM. She had been invited out that night by co-workers. She declined as she was to work at her second job the next day. 

Now here’s the sightings of her car between this point in the timeline and when LE arrive to the scene. 

11:30 -12:00 A man drove by and thinks he may have see the headlights on, but did not see anyone around the car. 

12:00-12:30 Another man drives by and believes he saw the turn signals flashing on the car. 

4 am - A former boyfriend drives by and sees the car. He thinks it looks familiar. Once again, he too sees no one around the car. 

March 20 2004

A Vermont state trooper is dispatched to the area. Specifically a place called the the Dutchbarn farmhouse. This is an abandoned building that has it’s own back story. Her car had been backed into the side of the house. Items observed in the car include loose change, water bottle, unlit cigarette outside the car.

It is believed at the time that this was just simply someone abandoning the car after a drunk driving episode. The car was towed to a local garage. 

It is also to be noted that this car was registered to her mother, and he mother was not notified. 

March 23 2004

Jillian Stout was Brianna’s roommate at the time. The last time she had heard anything from her was just a note she had left saying she was going to work and then would be coming home straight after. Apparently she made the assumption Brianna had decided to go back to her parents, but as more time passed the concern grew. 

March 25 2004

Missing person’s report is filed by her mother at this time. It is not until they start searching that it is realized her car had been towed. 

SUMMARY

Brianna has never been seen again, and many rumors and theories have been brought forward since.  I’ll do some posts on that at another time. The most prevalent one is that it was something drug related. A few people think she chose to go missing, which I just don't see. here. There is also the chance of an opportunity killer.

The Dutchburn House

So recently, I’ve been sort of deep diving into the case of Brianna Maitland from Vermont. I’m sure if you’re searching on this topic then you’re familiar with that case to some extent. The location her car was found backed in to was an abandoned house called the Dutchburn house. It’s been demolished at this point but there is a history to that house that I found interesting and wanted to know more about.

The year was 1986 and two farmers lived at the farmhouse. There was Myron and Harry, though it appears Myron went by Mike. I have seen their ages listed as 75/77 and 76/79 respectively. 

The early morning of January 31st, Harry heard a voice calling him by name. It was a stranger, and he was asking for help stating he had run out of gas. The brothers told them they had none, at which point this person begun beating on the door of the home. The initial inquiry wasn’t such a strange request; they where known in the area to assist drivers that had car trouble in the area.

Mike decided to leave his bed and go downstairs to address the issue, and at this point the door to the home was already being kicked in. 

At this point the fight began. Mike was punched in the face by what he thought were probably brass knuckles. He tried to put the assailant in a headlock but was overpowered. Around this time a second person entered the home. Harry came to Mike’s aide but he ended up being beaten with his own cane. 

The brothers had a tendency to keep large amounts of cash in the house and this fact seemed to be the motive for these two attackers. The brothers were brutally beat and should never recover. It seems the attackers made off with about $6,000-$7,000.

The pair laid injured and bloody in the floor for over 3 hours before Mike found the strength to get up. He managed to drive himself to the home of a neighbors. It is said that the injuries to their faces made them unrecognizable. 

Harry needed 10 stitches to close the would to his head, and his right eye was permanently damaged.

The pair became reclusive and and understandably no longer trusted people around them. They quickly sold off their cows and retired. They rarely left their home. Any noise at night would startle them, terrified of suffering another attack. They sealed themselves in the home. The installed new dead bolts. And it prompted them to open a check account, no longer wanting to keep their cash close.

Eventually they ended up in nursing homes. Mike passed in 1991 followed by Harry in 1999.

Darrell L. Clark and Louise R. Gilbeau were late arrested and sentenced for the crime. They had cash that reeked of the musty barn smell. The cash they came to steal lead to their downfall. 

The brothers were previously known for helping people having car trouble in the area. People would often get stuck or spin out. I find it a weird thought that if they had been alive and there, they might have helped Brianna Maitland.

Apparently the house was set on fire by teenagers in 2016, and the Dutchburn house no longer stands. 

It would appear that Darrell Clark actually lived down the road from the house when Brianna went missing. So clearly he didn’t get life. He resided there from 2001-2006. The time line fits, maybe there is more to this. It would certainly be a different approach to Brianna’s case. He would change his home address to a business address 2 years after her disappearance. I’m sure I will have more posts and thoughts on this later. 

Bryce Laspisa: Theories

I think no matter which theory you go with there is one common thread: he did drive that car off the side of the road. He did it on purpose. He intended to kill himself, whatever happened after the wreck is the mystery. His actions previously point to him having some sort of mental breakdown, and the giving away of objects that were important shows that he wasn’t planning on coming back. 

I do however think there was some level of hesitancy on Bryce’s part. Him sitting in that parking lot for hours shows this. Circling of the car shown on CCTV also shows he was having trouble making up his mind. But then he made a choice, and he ran his car off the side of the road.

From here, once we accept this as a probably fact, we can feed into the other theories. 

Clearly he didn’t die in the car or around the immediate area. 

One thought would be he suffered a head injury, wandered out of the car, and died somewhere else.

However, dogs tracked his scent to a gas station. So perhaps he made it out there and then attempted to get a ride, regretting his choice and seeking assistance.

If he came upon someone at the truck stop, here are the options we have:

• He ran into the wrong person and met foul play.
• He asked for a ride to a different location and thats where he is now.
• He got a ride to another location and then died from head injury, as head injuries can take some time to actually kill you depending on the type and severity..

So this leaves with three options: he’s someone dead and hidden somewhere, he died due to injuries and his body hasn’t been located, three, he is alive but either won’t come forward or perhaps no longer remembers. 

These options are the clearest outcomes making them the most likely outcome. Of the three, it is most probably he died somewhere further out and just hasn’t been found yet. Perhaps he passed not far from the gas station.

To go further into the gas station situation, there are theories that come to mind that are more complex but still possible:

• Someone hit him in the parking lot, and concealed the body
• He was abducted and put into sex trafficking 
• Possible involvement of drug dealers and foul play as the result 

I don’t think he was in the place of mind to try to fake his own disappearance. This also would be in conflict with him giving away a diamond pair of earrings and the xbox. He would need cash if he had plans of running somewhere. I will go deeper into some of these theories at a later date and will also be compiling a list of media about the case. More resources the better. 

Bryce Laspisa : Primer

Welcome and hello. 

The first case I will be covering on this blog is the disappearance of Bryce Laspisa. He went missing after wrecking his car. He has never been officially sighted and no body has been found. Many theorize he is still alive. He possibly walked away from the scene with a head injury. He may have been trying to take his life, or just trying to set things up so he could disappear.

Here's some small info bits:

• Date of birth: April 30, 1994 (19 at time of disappearance.)
• Parents: Karen and Michael Laspisa
• Graduated from Naperville High, Naperville IL in 2012
• He is an only child .
• Was attending Sierra College at the time of his disappearance.
• His parents where living in Laguna Niquel, California at this time.
• There is approximately 450 mile distance between the college and his parents.
• Last seen in person August 30, on CCTV August 31

Now let's start getting into the timeline of events

August 27

Right before his disappearance, people close to him had noted what has been generalized as "odd behavior."  Apparently this shift in behavior was notable enough to be a cause for concern to his girlfriend, Kim Sly. At some point he told her that he had taken a pill called Vyvanse. It's sort of a newer medication but is similar to taking something a long the lines of Adderall. It appears he was not prescribed this medication. 

Stimulate medications are something that is frequently abused, especially by college students. However,  it might go a little deeper than that. Bryce apparently had a history of using various substances.People who knew him have spoken out to say that he did have some drug issues. Substance use had been a part of his life as early as high school.

His roommate, Sean Dixon, stated that the two of them had taken the medication while staying up all night to play video games. He also said they had been drinking liquor that day. Honestly, this doesn't sounds like anything unusual for two college aged boys to do. I wouldn't consider this statement as indication of anything odd. So on this day, it seems to be only the girlfriend observing out of character behavior.

It is also to note that it is said that he was giving away items to friends, one item being a pair of diamond earrings. These earrings had been a gift from his mother. I did not see any confirmation as to what day this occurred. 

Giving away items of value is known to be a precursor for suicide attempts. This is one of the info bits that indicated he possibly was planning to kill himself. Of course, this could also be because he was planning to leave. The diamond earrings seem to be very significant. 

August 28

At some point, the roommate Sean was concerned enough with the behavior to the point where he contacted Bryce’s mother. Sean also said that Bryce had also broken up with his girlfriend the night before. So this is the point where we can see that the roommate is also seeing an odd side to him and was concerned. And a break up is considered a stressor, especially for young college students. The break up seems to me to almost be the catalyst. Things were building up for Bryce and perhaps this was the final thing.

Later that evening, Bryce contacted his mother. At this time he was at the home of his girlfriend. Kim also spoke to Karen and informed her that Bryce wasn’t acting himself. She also stated she thought that he wasn’t safe to drive.

His mother told him that she could be there the next day to talk to him about things, but Bryce declined the offer. At the end of this call, Karen told Kim to give Bryce his keys back on the condition that he promised to call her in the morning.

This is where I start to get frustrated and concerned with the mother's actions. She's been called by the roommate, and the girlfriend. Both are saying something is odd. The girlfriend who is with him thinks he is not safe to drive. However the mother basically controls the situation and gets the keys returned to Bryce. 

August 29

Karen missed a call around 1 am in the morning. At this time she disregarded this. She was under the impression at the time that her son had already made it back to her apartment. It would later be discovered that Bryce had actually made this call from an area about an hour way from Rocklin, where his apartment was located.  

I can’t imagine being in her shoes. She was at home assuming everything was fine while he son was clearly going through something. 

Personally I don’t understand how she wasn’t freaking out and blowing his phone up after the events earlier in the day. But, we don’t know her. (most of us, anyway.)

August 30

About 11 am the Laspisa family were notified that Bryce had used their roadside assistance plan. He had ran out of gas just west of Bakersfield. Three gas cans where delivered to Bryce at his car. Bryce paid for this gas with his parent’s credit card. At this point Bryce was about 3 hours away from home. 

These gas containers where brought by a man named Christian who was employed by Castro Tire and Gas.

Several hours passed and their son still had not arrived home. The called Castro Gas and Tire and Christian went back to check on Bryce. He was still where the gas had been dropped off and was just sitting in his car which had not moved. The family continued to wait several hours for Bryce to make it home. At some point he started ignoring his family’s phone call.

At the end of 9 hours, Bryce had only made it 8 miles. California Highway Patrol where contacted at this time. His car was check at this time. No drugs were found, and Bryce passed a sobriety test. The police dialed his mother from Bryce’s phone. The time was 10 pm.

At 11 pm, Bryce was still in the same general area. He bought a drink from a gas station. He informed his mother he was on the I-5 South, but would not elaborate further. He also purchased gas at a Valero.  He later would contact the roadside assistance again. He had been in this same area for around 13 hours at this point. It was at this point Bryce was followed onto the interstate and is was seen that he was going in the right direction finally. 

August 31

At 1:50 am Bryce made a call to his mother saying he had gotten off the interstate but had got back on.

2:08 Bryce spoke with Karen again. It is at this point he stated he was getting off the interstate again. He also informed her he was planning to sleep in his car. At this point, he said he had been awake for 48 hours. Karen did not press this issue. She did not know that this would be the last time she would speak to her son.

The Laspisa family where visited hours later at 8 am by an office with California Highway Patrol. The office wanted to confirm that they owned a Toyota Highlander, beige, 2003.

This vehicle had been found abandoned at 5:30 am at Castaic Lake, not far from an access road to the State Recreation Area. This located was only two hours away from the family home. The car had crashed and was on it’s side at the bottom of an embankment. Bryce was not located in or near the vehicle. 

It appeared he may escaped from the car by breaking out the back window, as it had been broken out. Some blood was noted on the passenger side and backseat but not in amount indicative of serious injury. His unzipped duffle bag was located in the vehicle, along with his laptop, cellphone, and wallet.

Apparently there was some CCTV footage of Bryce making three separate trips up and down the road near Castiac lake.  The the times for this footage appears to be 2:15 am, right after he spoke with his mother, and 4:29 am. This leaves about an hour of time between the discovery of the car wrecked and the vehicle last seen in operation. It appears that he came off the embankment at a high rate of speed and also didn’t hit the breaks. It was assumed that Bryce had tried to kill himself by driving into the lake.

Aftermath 

Search parties began for Bryce. During the search, a fire was reported and a man’s body was found burning. This man was not Bryce. The man had been shot multiple times and was set ablaze over a debt. He was identified as Lamondre Deon Miles. He was 35 years old. I have some thoughts on this and will discuss further in future posts.

On day 9 of the search, bloodhounds were able to track Bryce’s scent from the car to a truck stop. There have been no confirmed sightings of Bryce and the official search ended. In the next few posts, I'll be going into the possible theories.