Читать книгу Hometown Killer - Carol J. Rothgeb - Страница 7

FOREWORD

The events of processing the crime scene behind 17 Penn Street are just as vivid to me today as they were then—over ten years ago. All the people involved in the case worked extremely hard to bring it to a successful closure. It was the most intensive and emotional case that I worked on during my career with the Springfield Police Division.

It began as a typical August day in Ohio—sunny, hot, and humid. I was floating in our swimming pool, seeking relief from the afternoon heat. I was enjoying my vacation and anticipating another few days home with my family.

What transpired next would shock the community and produce the largest criminal investigation in the history of the Springfield Police Division. That lazy Sunday afternoon was suddenly shattered by a single phone call. The evening-shift supervisor abruptly canceled my vacation: “We have a mess out here.”

My unit, Crime Scene/Evidence Collection, was needed to process the scene.

I did not realize just how bad it would be until I arrived at the scene and saw it for myself. It was bad—real bad.

Captain David Walters informed me that two female bodies had been found on a small area of land adjacent to a small pond. They were, possibly, those of Phree Morrow and Martha Leach, two young girls who had gone missing the day before.

The missing girls happened to be the same age as my daughter, Heather, and I began to think, How am I going to handle this?

As the coroner’s investigator and I waded across the pond and approached the bodies, thoughts raced through my mind about the victims, their families, and my own daughter: What were the victims doing to get themselves in this situation and how were they murdered? The anguish and grief the family members must be feeling now—and of the days to come. The safety of my own daughter and of the other children of the community.

I put those thoughts behind me and began to process the scene—carefully, methodically, and with dignity for the victims.

As I was photographing the scene, I thought, How can one person lure, control, and murder two girls? How did one person manage to spend so much time concealing their bodies? And yet, not be seen? How did one person dispose of all the evidence?

It would take years of relentless investigation by the Crimes Against Persons Unit before I got my answers.

The hardest thing I had to deal with was removing the young girls’ bodies from their positions, placing them in body bags, and carrying them through the pond to waiting officers. The vision of those girls is etched in my mind forever. What could these girls have done to be brutally murdered this way?

No parent should have to go through this ordeal. The scene was hard on all the officers who were there—but especially those who had children.

In all, over 450 items of evidence—and possible evidence—were collected. To this day, all the items collected are in the custody of the Springfield Police Department or the Clark County Common Pleas Court.

Over time—through other criminal investigations and the exhaustive work of the Crimes Against Persons Unit—the perpetrators of these murders were apprehended and charged. I cannot speak highly enough of the dedication these officers had in resolving this case and bringing those involved to justice.

I think about the girls’ murders from time to time—and how it changed my life. As my daughter was growing up, I kept an “extra eye out” for her safety and well-being. Today she is a grown woman and a young mother and I still have contact with her on a daily basis to check on her. I am sure other parents in this community have done the same—since the incident.

Whenever I drive by Penn Street, I have vivid memories of that day in August 1992—the scene, the girls, and all the lives that have been forever changed by the cruel actions of others.

Sergeant Michael J. Haytas (retired),

Springfield Police Division,

Crime Scene/Evidence Collection Unit