Questions left behind By Hayli Fellwock, hfellwock@bgdailynews.com — 270-783-3240

Sunday, December 12, 2004

About 33 percent of all unsolved murder cases nationwide occurred in the South, according to a 26-year compilation of national statistics in a 2002 FBI study.

In Warren County, there are 10 unsolved murder cases three are being investigated by the Warren County Sheriffs Department, the other seven by the Bowling Green Police Department.

The 10th unsolved murder case was added earlier this year. The body found Sept. 1 in an outbuilding in the county was so badly decomposed from heat and time that he was impossible to identify. Beyond the man being a Hispanic migrant worker, nothing is certain, resulting in baffled and frustrated detectives with no investigative leads.

If we could establish some type of identity on him, then we could find out who hes been associated with and possibly find the motive for his death, Sheriffs Detective B.B. Davis said.

He said the lack of new leads is a common thread running through unsolved murder cases.

Well get a thousand leads and well be lucky if one or two of them pan out, he said. But if we close the door, then those people who do come forward would not do so. Its really a frustrating thing.

Major Joe Manning, supervisor over investigations for city police, agreed that a lack of new leads is common in unsolved homicides, but that doesnt mean the case is closed.

In drug roundups or other major crime crackdowns, detectives will often ask the arrestees if they have any information to help with any of the departments ongoing investigations.

There are people in the crime element who are aware of what goes on and whats being done so were always open to new information, he said.

The victims

The Susie Dumore murder is the oldest unsolved case in Warren County. Dumore, a single mother of two, was found dead in her Bryant Way apartment in the early 1990s.

Morgan Violi, who would be in her mid-teens now, was abducted at age 7 while playing with friends outside an apartment complex in July 1996. Three months later, her body was found near White House, Tenn. The case has been turned over to the FBI.

Tony Lemons was shot to death in his Beauty Avenue home in March 1997.

Police discovered Carol Neals blood-spattered home in Shawnee Estates on Nov. 10, 1998. They found her skull five years later in Daniel Boone National Forest in McCreary County. They have yet to find her body, but issued a death certificate based on the amount of blood found in the home.

Neals boyfriend, Tony Sawyer, was found guilty in December 2002 of tampering with physical evidence after cleaning up blood inside Neals home and letting two hours lapse before calling Neals mother, Barbara Smith. Sawyer was sentenced to five years in prison.

Kevin Ragland was fatally shot in October 1999 outside his Chestnut Street home. His girlfriend told police she found Ragland bleeding and that his dying words were that he had been robbed. She also said Raglands necklace was missing.

Abner Lightfoot, 33, was found dead in February 2000, in his Wilson Street home. His death was investigated as a homicide, but the investigation didnt go far. Lightfoots front door appeared to have been kicked in, police said.

Walter Greg Fowler, 44, disappeared June 20, 2000, after leaving home for a fishing trip on the Barren River. After an intensive search failed to find a body or any new information, police decided to investigate the case as a homicide.

Darrell and James Campbell were found in their Skyline Trailer Park home Oct. 28, 2000, the victims of a brutal bludgeoning. James, 68, was pronounced dead at the scene. Darrell, 51, died 11 days later in the hospital. The brothers were known for being friendly and were held in high esteem by neighbors.

The bloody body of Jessie Marie Twilight Song Crooks, a 15-year-old Greenwood High School student, was found Sept. 10, 2001 in a field off Old Matlock Road, a few miles from her home.

The May 2002 drowning death of 2-year-old Robert Mosley Jr. near his parents home in northern Warren County is not quite closed yet. It is one sheriffs department investigation that remains partially unsolved, because information potentially leading to an arrest has not yet been presented to a grand jury.

The coroner has ruled it as being a homicide, but it has not been brought before a grand jury and nobody has really been charged, Davis said.

Commonwealths Attorney Chris Cohron was hesitant to comment on the case.

It is an ongoing investigation and, at this point, I feel it would be inappropriate for me to comment, he said.

The emotional toll

For the families left behind, unsolved murder cases leave more questions than answers.

Bobby and Linda Crooks, father and stepmother of Twilight Crooks, said they would like to know why their daughter was the victim of such a horrendous crime.

We all want to know why, but theres a protective layer in not knowing why or how, Bobby Crooks said. We know now that Twilight suffered and I dont know if I could take it, but yes, Id like to know why.

He said he has not asked to see the pictures of his daughters body at the crime scene, preferring to remember her as the vibrant, fun-loving teenager who shared his love of classic rock.

Theres that protective coating its very painful, but how much more painful would it be seeing her in that condition?

Crooks said his daughter is every bit as integral a part of his life as she was before her murder, although he said her brutal death has changed his perspective on daily life, including gristly crime-based programs.

We dont watch CSI, he said. We dont watch that TV show, Cold Case. We pay more attention now to the Amber Alert. It brings us chills because we know what that means.

For Carol Neals mother and stepfather, Gilbert and Barbara Smith, the most pressing question is not why, but where. The couple still doesnt know where Carols body is located, or if it will ever be found.

The murderers still walking around free and nobodys got any closure, Gilbert Smith said. We havent even had Carols body to bury. We live with it every day.

Barbara Smith added that her daughter would be celebrating her 37th birthday this Christmas, which makes this time of year especially difficult.

Neals two sons, now ages 7 and 12, are being raised by the Smiths. The boys saw the bloody crime scene and are now undergoing counseling.

Theres no way to forget it or put it on a shelf because we have these two boys with us and we want it that way, but its hard on them, Barbara Smith said. We didnt let them watch the news in all this. We took them from Bowling Green and put them somewhere else until it died down, but now that theyre older, probably what they didnt know, theyve overheard.

Theres no way we can bring her back. Theres no way we can change anything. Theres one thing that can change and thats for the person whos responsible be prosecuted for it, and yes, we want that.

Getting proactive

Both the sheriffs department and city police have unique ways of handling ongoing homicide investigations.

The sheriffs department relies heavily on the Regional Organized Crime Information Center in Nashville.

They are an asset to all of us, Davis said. If we needed someone to come in and draw to scale a crime scene and put it on a board and prepare it for court, we could send it to them. They have those capabilities. They make us look good because they give us capabilities we normally wouldnt have.

The sheriffs department also looks to the center for a fresh perspective on cold cases, mailing files to Nashville as a last resort to get suggestions on any undiscovered leads.

City police also seek fresh perspective, but from a different, nongovernmental entity. A committee of about four or five people consisting of alumni from the Citizens Police Academy or retired police officers is formed occasionally to review cold homicide cases.

Normally, it becomes a cold case when you have no more leads, BGPD Major Doug Hawkins said. Youve checked up on everything that its reasonable to check up on.

He added, however, that the committee sometimes helps generate new leads, as does the advancement of technology. Though no cases have ever been solved as a result of a committees work, cold cases are never closed cases, Hawkins said.

Theyre always open, he said. Its not a closed case.

If you have any information on any of these cases, contact the Warren County Sheriffs Office at 842-1633 or Bowling Green Crimestoppers at 781-CLUE.  Daily News ·813 College St. ·PO Box 90012 ·Bowling Green, KY ·42102 ·270-781-1700