Chicago woman found dead

CHICAGO — A badly decomposed body found behind several vacant businesses in Calumet City this week is that of a Chicago woman reported missing nine days ago, authorities said Friday.

Dental records were used to identify the body of Nailah Franklin, 28, who was reported missing Sept. 19 after she didn't show up for a work meeting, Chicago police spokeswoman Monique Bond said.

The cause of death has not been determined, though forensic evidence was still being processed, Bond said.

The woman's unclothed body was discovered Thursday not far from where her car was found in Hammond, Ind., last week.

Telephone messages left Friday with family members were not immediately returned.

Bond said investigators have not determined where the woman died, and department investigators are working with the FBI and Calumet City police. She said the case is being characterized as a death investigation, not a homicide investigation, because the cause of death had not yet been determined.

Franklin, a sales representative for Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly, had recently filed a police report about threatening phone calls she received from a man she dated briefly. Chicago police have said they have interviewed someone Franklin dated, but have not named a suspect in her disappearance.

Her disappearance triggered a frantic search. Family members and volunteers papered the city with fliers, took out a newspaper ad seeking the publics help and launched a Web site. The family also offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to her whereabouts.

Pepper Spray Inc.

Girl seen on sex tape found safe

LAS VEGAS - A young girl who was seen being sexually assaulted in a homemade videotape has been found and is safe with relatives and sheriff's officials, an investigator said Friday

"We found the victim. She's safe," Nye County sheriff's Detective David Boruchowitz told The Associated Press.

Widespread media accounts of the case led to the crucial tip that helped find the girl, Boruchowitz said. He did not provide details of her identity, where she lives or how she was located, but a news conference was planned later Friday.

A man being sought for questioning, Chester Arthur Stiles, remains at large, said Nye County Sheriff Tony DeMeo.

"For us, he is a person of interest. We want to talk with Mr. Stiles about the identity of the female victim," DeMeo said in a telephone interview with the AP.

Earlier in the day, authorities put the name "Madison" to the haunting face of the young girl authorities believe was 4 or 5 years old when she was raped and sexually assaulted in the video.

Stiles, 37, whose last known address was Las Vegas, is wanted on an unrelated state warrant on a charge of lewdness with a minor younger than 14 and a federal charge of being a fugitive, DeMeo said.

Investigators determined that the video of the attack was recorded over the video of an 11-year-old girl taped in October 2005 through a window of a Pahrump home, DeMeo said.

Officials identified that girl, now 13, after releasing photos taken from the video and matched to records of a "peeping Tom" report at her home. No one was found outside the girl's home when deputies arrived, and the girl wasn't assaulted, authorities said.

A 26-year-old Pahrump man, Darren Tuck, surrendered the tape to Nye County sheriff's investigators Sept. 8 and told investigators he found it in the desert, Boruchowitz said.

Tuck was arrested on suspicion of promoting child pornography and possession of child pornography, both felonies, and released without bail pending an appearance Nov. 26 in Pahrump Justice Court. The top charge carries a possible sentence of up to life in prison.

Tuck's lawyer Harry Kuehn stressed that the Nye County district attorney had not filed formal charges against his client. He said the tape was found wrapped in a plastic shopping bag and hidden beneath a fallen sign used as a launch pad for jumps and tricks by dirt cyclists.

Another lawyer for Tuck, Thomas Gibson, has characterized his client as an innocent middleman who should be credited for giving the tape to authorities.

The staff at Pepper Spray Inc. is very happy that the girl was returned safely to her family.

Pepper Spray Inc.

Nevada Deputies Looking For 5-Year-Old Girl

September 26,2007

NYE COUNTY, NV. The Nye County Sheriff's Office is seeking the publics help in identifying a young girl who is seen in a video being victimized by an unknown male suspect.

On September 8, a man identified as Darren Tuck, 26, surrendered the videotape to sheriff's deputies after another individual reported viewing it. According to Nye County Sheriff's Detective David Boruchowitz, the tape, which is approximately 30 minutes long, shows an unidentified male sexually assaulting and raping a girl believed to be 4 or 5 years old.

"This is probably the most disgusting thing we've ever seen, especially videotaped as a record of it, it's even worse," Boruchowitz said in an interview with 11alive.com.

Tuck told police he found the tape about six months ago in the desert outside of Pahrump. While investigators do not believe Tuck was involved in the making of the video, they do not feel he is being completely honest about how he obtained it, considering there was no evidence to suggest it had been exposed to the elements.

Due in part to lack of cooperation on his part, Tuck was arrested on September 19 and charged with possessing and promoting child pornography. Tuck was released from jail last week without bail, pending a November 26 arraignment before a Pahrump Justice Court. If convicted on all counts, he could receive a life sentence.

Sheriff's deputies are now focusing all of their investigative efforts on identifying the young girl on the tape and the sick individual who is seen assaulting her.

"Our concern is if this little girl is still in that situation," Boruchowitz told FoxNews.com yesterday. "Our concern is to get her out of the nightmare that she's been living in."

However, Boruchowitz admits the search will not be easy.

"The problem is the unknowns," Boruchowitz said. "We have no idea where he's from, where she's from, and no idea who they are or where they are."

Police are urging anyone with any information regarding the identities and/or whereabouts of either the young girl or the adult perpetrator to immediately contact the Nye County Sheriff's Office at (775) 751-7000 or CrimeStoppers at (702) 385-5555. You can remain anonymous.

Pepper Spray Inc.

9-Year-Old's Killer Gets Death Sentence

INVERNESS, Fla. John Evander Couey looked straight ahead as a judge told him he should be executed for crimes that led to new laws in many states cracking down on convicted sex offenders. The 49-year-old convicted sex offender was sentenced to death Friday for kidnapping 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford, raping her and burying her alive in his yard.

Sheriff's deputies hustled the handcuffed inmate out of the crowded courtroom.

The girl's father, Mark Lunsford, teared up as he listened to Circuit Judge Ric Howard read a detailed history of the case for nearly an hour. He hugged relatives after the sentence was read.

Outside court, Lunsford had a message for Couey: "Skip all these appeals. Take your punishment. Stand up and be a man."

The jury that convicted Couey in March recommended 10-2 that he die for his crimes, but the decision was left to Howard.

An attorney for Couey, 49, had argued that he couldn't legally be executed because he is mentally retarded, but Howard brushed aside that claim in a strongly worded ruling earlier this month. Mentally retarded people cannot be executed under a 2002 U.S. Supreme Court decision.

The jury convicted Couey of taking the girl in February 2005 from her bedroom to his nearby trailer, sparking a massive search. The third-grader's body was found about three weeks after she disappeared in a grave in Couey's yard, about 150 yards from her own home.

Couey, already a convicted sex offender when he committed the crime, was arrested in Georgia and confessed to the killing. That confession was thrown out as evidence because Couey did not have a lawyer present.

Despite the confession being tossed, Couey incriminated himself other times. Jail guards and investigators testified that he repeatedly admitted details of the slaying after his arrest, insisting that he hadn't meant to kill the third-grader but panicked during an intense, nationally publicized police search.

Prosecutors also had overwhelming physical evidence, including DNA from the girl's blood and Couey's semen on a mattress in his room as well as her fingerprints in a closet where investigators said she was hidden.

Howard recounted the evidence in detail, including Couey wrapping her in two garbage bags, putting her alive into a hole then piling a foot of dirt on top of her.

"His actions crushed the very breath and life out of Jessica Marie Lunsford," Howard said.

Pepper Spray Inc.

Police Find Missing Chicago Woman's Car Near Abandoned Building

CHICAGO -- Police have stepped up their search for a missing pharmaceutical company sales representative after finding the 28-year-old woman's car near an abandoned building.

Nailah Franklin was last heard from Tuesday, when she sent an uncharacteristically vague text message to friends and family saying that she was having dinner and that she'd call later. She never did.

Franklin's sister, Lehia Franklin Acox, said the family is trying to stay positive as police search the 2005 Chevrolet Impala for clues that could shed light on her disappearance.

Being positive "is our only option," Acox said Saturday afternoon ahead of a prayer vigil that evening.

"We're all just trying to keep our spirits up, but it's a challenge," she said.

"This is really taking a toll on us, with every day that passes. We're not sleeping well, we're not eating well," she said.

When Franklin didn't turn up for an important meeting Wednesday morning with her boss at Eli Lilly and Co., where she's a pharmaceutical sales representative, co-workers called family, and family called police. Eli Lilly is based in Indianapolis. Franklin's sales territory covered Chicago's suburbs, her sister said.

Acox said it's unusual for Franklin not to contact her friends or family, leading them all to fear that she didn't leave willingly. Last week, Franklin filed a police report about threatening phone calls she'd received, but she declined to file an order of protection against the alleged offender, a man she'd once dated.

Franklin's car, along with some personal items, was found Friday night near an abandoned building in Hammond, Ind., said Chicago Police spokeswoman Monique Bond. She said the car is being transported to Chicago for forensic and evidence processing.

Several jurisdictions, including Chicago, Hammond, Ind., and the Cook County Sheriff's department are searching for Franklin, Bond said. Divers have also been involved in the search.

As cox said the discovery of the car was heartening because it could yield some clue to Franklin's whereabouts, but "on the other hand, it's still maddening because we do not have (her) back with us."

Pepper Spray Inc.

Matthew R. McCombs Pleads Guilty in Ashton Glover's Murder

September 24, 2007

RICHMOND, TX.— On Friday, Matthew R. McCombs, 19, stood before state District Judge Cliff Vacek and entered a guilty plea for his part in the July 2006 murder of 16-year-old Ashton Glover. As part of his plea agreement, McCombs was sentenced to 50 years in prison.

"I was glad that he took the plea," Ashton's father, Terry Glover, said in an interview with the Houston Chronicle. "I was worried about my actions when I started hearing every little detail that went on. I knew I wouldn't be able to handle that."

Ashton's mother, Sue Smith, is also happy the ordeal is over, but admits that the plea does nothing to help her deal with the loss of her daughter.

"We just prayed for justice," Sue stated. "But no amount of justice or anything will ever bring Ashton back to us...There is no amount of time, there is nothing that can bring Ashton back to us and that is our greatest loss."

According to McCombs' confession, he and Sean H. Brown, 19, met Ashton at a coffee shop on July 7, 2006 and invited her to go "mudding" with them. Ashton agreed, and the trio drove to a construction site off Oil Field Road west of Missouri. Once there, everyone exited the vehicle, and McCombs pulled out a handgun and shot Ashton in the head, killing her. There was no rhyme or reason for the murder. McCombs later told authorities Ashton's murder ! was intended to satisfy a "morbid curiosity."

After killing Ashton, McCombs and Brown left the scene and ate breakfast. When they were finished, they returned and buried Ashton's body.

Pepper Spray Inc.

Missing Brooklyn Girl

09/19/2007


STEPHA HENRY (22) - recent graduate of John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York; last seen in Miami on 05/29/07
FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida
Brooklyn girl missing since May trip to Florida--(New York Daily News)--She's a Brooklyn girl who loves Coney Island rides and stepdancing with her East New York church troupe, and she volunteered to help clean up Prospect Park.
If you have information about Stepha Henry, call Miami-Dade County Police Department at (305) 471-TIPS.

Pepper Spray Inc

Real Estate Agents shot at model home

09/19/2007

LORI K. BROWN (21) and CYNTHIA WILLIAMS (33) - real estate agents shot multiple times at a model home 11/03/03
Stacey Ian Humphreys (34) - ex-convict charged with murder; death penalty sought; currently on trial
POWDER SPRINGS, Georgia
Juror dismissed in double murder trial--(The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)--A juror in the murder trial of Stacey Ian Humphreys was excused Wednesday morning. The man, one of three on the panel, flashed a thumbs up gesture to a deputy while looking out a second floor window of the Glynn County courthouse.

Pepper Spray Inc.

Home Invasion

JENNIFER HAWKE-PETIT (48); and daughters HAYLEY; (17) and MICHAELA (11) - all murdered during a home invasion and robbery
DR. WILLIAM A. PETIT JR. (50) - husband and father survived the beating
Joshua Komisarjevky (26) and Steven Hayes (44) - each charged with three counts of capital felony murder; death penalty sought; Bail has been set at $15 million each
CHESHIRE, Connecticut
Unforgettable Lives--(Hartford Courant)--Nearly two months after a brutal home invasion left a mother and her two young daughters dead, the pain and shock still resonate deeply in this quiet bedroom community.

Pepper Spray Inc.

Vancouver Serial Murders

60 MISSING VANCOUVER WOMEN - presumed murdered and buried on a pig farm
Robert (Willy) Pickton (57) - accused serial killer; charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of 26 women; charged on six counts of first-degree murder; currently in trial
PORT COQUITLAM, British Columbia, CANADA
Witness outlines defendant's simple life--(The Globe and Mail)--Sandra Humeny has seen a lot of Robert Pickton over the past 35 years. She was in a common-law relationship with his brother Dave and lived at the family farmhouse for five years in the 1970s. She worked for Dave after they broke up in the late 1980s and continuously since 1996.
Former sister-in-law cross-examined at Pickton trial--(Vancouver Sun) The former sister-in-law of Robert (Willie) Pickton admitted under cross-examination today that she is critical of the police investigation into the missing women and is still biased towards the accused.
Robert Pickton On Trial--(Vancouver Sun)

Pepper Spray Inc.

Missing Mother of 3

PAIGE BIRGFELD (34) - mother of three and escort service owner last seen on 06/28/07
Lester Ralph Jones (56) - has also been identified as a person of interest; among others; police said though no more names have been released
GRAND JUNCTION, Colorado
Uphill battles--(Grand Junction Sentinel)--After more than two months of searching, tears and endless media interviews, the days now bleed together for Frank and Suzanne Birgfeld, who literally stopped what they were doing when their daughter, Paige Birgfeld, inexplicably disappeared in late June.

Pepper Spray Inc.

Missing Wisconsin Student

KELLY K. NOLAN (22) - missing college student was last seen 06/23/07; remains found 07/09/07
MADISON, Wisconsin
Police: No suspects in Nolan killing--(The Capital Times)--Madison police on Monday said they believe Kelly Nolan 's killer is still somewhere in the area, but maintained they have no suspects in the investigation. How both of those things could be true -- how detectives can have a hunch about the location of someone they say they have not identified -- was not fully explained in the first public briefing on the case since July 12.
Reviving the Kelly Nolan murder case--(Wisconsin Radio Network) The family of Kelly Nolan has stayed out of the media spotlight ever since Nolan's body was discovered in a wooded area of Dane County two months ago. But now that the case has dropped from the media spotlight and police have no known suspects, they're back asking for help.
Family, Police Raise Reward To $12K In Nolan Slaying--(WISC-TV) The reward for information in the search for who killed the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater student who disappeared from downtown Madison earlier this summer has increased to $12,000.

Pepper Spray Inc.

*Man pleads guilty to kidnapping girl, 14, sexually assaulting her in bunker

BEAUFORT, S.C. — A man accused of kidnapping a 14-year-old girl and raping her in an underground bunker pleaded guilty Tuesday, moments before his trial was to begin.

The girl was rescued after more than a week when she talked her abductor into letting her play games on his cell phone and instead sent a text message for help.

Vinson Filyaw, 37, stood in court Tuesday with his arms clasped behind him as he quietly answered "Yes sir" when the judge asked him if he was freely pleading to the charges. The victim sat with family members, her mother's arm around her.

Filyaw could spend the rest of his life in prison. He pleaded guilty to kidnapping and all 10 counts of criminal sexual conduct, one for each day prosecutors said he held the girl captive a year ago in Kershaw County. Each criminal sexual conduct charge carries a sentence of up to 30 years in prison.

He also pleaded guilty to impersonating an officer and possession of an incendiary device.

Prosecutors said Filyaw wore a homemade uniform when he led the girl away from a school bus stop by telling the teen she was under arrest. They also said he placed what he claimed to be a necklace of explosives around her neck that he said would detonate if she tried to escape.

Judge G. Thomas Cooper told Filyaw that he faces a possible 421 years in prison. Sentencing was set for Wednesday.

The victim, her family members and friends exchanged hugs after the guilty plea. They declined to speak with reporters.

Opening arguments in the trial had been scheduled for Tuesday morning, but on Monday evening WLTX-TV reported that Filyaw had sent a manuscript that said he stalked the girl and admired her ingenuity in gaining his trust to get his cell phone.

On Tuesday morning, Cooper ruled that the manuscripts could be used during the trial. One of Filyaw's attorneys said that influenced the decision to plead guilty.

"It all cascaded from there," attorney Jack Duncan said. "Vinson did express than he did not want to force the young lady to take the stand. Since he has been receiving his psychotropic medications, he is a new man."

In the writings, Filyaw allegedly said he had watched the girl walk from her bus stop to her Kershaw County home before deciding to kidnap her. "I actually felt guilty for what I knew she was about to endure," he wrote, according to WLTX.

Prosecutors said Filyaw kept the girl in a hidden bunker built into the side of a hill for 10 days. According to the manuscript, he wrote that he felt a bond growing between them and started to trust her enough to let her out of the bunker to help him wash clothes and dishes.

The girl asked Filyaw if she could play games on his cell phone, and he let her, according to the manuscript. The girl sent a text message to her mother which rescuers were able to use to find the bunker, authorities said.

"After a year of careful, meticulous planning I had let her win. I literally gave her the phone to call the police. It was as simple as that," Filyaw allegedly wrote. "I couldn't be mad at her. She had done what any person in her situation would have done and probably better! She had won my trust and defeated me."

Filyaw had left the bunker before police arrived. He made it several miles away before deciding to surrender. "If I gave up, I would have full medical coverage, three meals a day and never have to work again," the manuscript said.

The case was moved nearly 200 miles to Beaufort County, in the state's southern tip, for fear publicity would interfere with Filyaw getting a fair trial.


Pepper Spray Inc.

Campus Safety Tips

Most college students are living away from home for the first time. Often they assume they have the same level of security on campus or in their off campus apartment that they have at their parent’s home.

The truth is, college students are the targets of criminals just because of that naivety. Dorms can be broken into and apartments can be invaded. Thousands of students each year become the victim of various types of crime.

Students must take measures to protect themselves and their valuables in order to have a safe, productive and happy campus life. For more information about staying safe on and off campus, check out: Safe Campuses Now.

Please be safe from the staff at Pepper Spray Inc.

Missing College Student found dead

September 10, 2007

PROVO, UT (Crime Library) — At 3:31 p.m., yesterday, a search and rescue team found the body of 22-year-old Camille Cleverley at the base of a 200-foot tall cliff, approximately 1,000 yards east of Bridal Veil Falls. Investigators identified Camille by her clothing and other items found on her person.

"We had hoped to find her alive," Provo City Police Chief Craig Geslison said at a press conference yesterday evening. "It's regrettable, but at least we can ! bring the family some closure."

According to Geslison, members of the search and rescue team spotted Camille's body when they were repelling down a cliff approximately 1,000 yards east of Bridal Veil Falls.

"If she had been 10 feet to the right, they may not have seen her," Geslison said, adding, "There's a sense of relief. This brings some sort of closure."

Camille's family took the news very hard. For the last ten days, they have held on to the hope that she would be found alive.

"They are so strong and they have so much faith," family spokesman Robert Grossman told Kutv.com. "They were all locked in an embrace... and they were inseparable, and I could see they just gained strength from each other. They are going to get through this."

This turned out to be a tragic ending. The staff at Pepper Spray Inc. would like to extend our condolences to Camille's family and friends.

College Student comes home to man in her room

August 2007

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Officers responded to a call at 815 University St. An employee of Place Properties advised that a student had informed her that she came home from class on Aug. 20 and discovered a man standing in her apartment. The man claimed to be with maintenance and left after talking with the student. Police spoke with Place Properties and they advised that no one should have been inside the apartment. Police told Place Properties to call them if they see anyone suspicious hanging around the apartments.
It's better to be safe than sorry. Always carry Pepper spray or stun guns for good non-lethal protection. This incident could have easily turned into a tragedy. Thank goodness it didn't. This student was lucky.

Missing College Student

September 5, 2007

PROVO, UT (Crime Library) ?— Last week, 22-year-old Camille Cleverley left her apartment south of the Brigham Young University campus and has not been seen since. She left with her pocketbook, keys, and a silver and purple Schwinn mountain bike. Where she was heading is unknown, and her whereabouts since that time remain a mystery.

On Saturday, September 1, Camille's roommates called her family to report that they had not seen her since Thursday afternoon. Concerned, Camille's sister-in-law, Staci Cleverley, filed a missing persons report with the Provo Police Department. When investigators went to Camilla! 's apartment, they found no signs of a struggle, and nothing struck them as out of the ordinary.

"I think she probably went out on her bike and either had an accident or somebody took advantage of her because she's trusting," Staci reportedly told ABC's Provo affiliate yesterday.

Provo Police Chief Craig Geslison initially told ABC News that he had no reason to suspect foul play, but in an interview with FoxNews.com yesterday, he said his department was open to all possibilities.

Crime still happens everyday, and everywhere this is a good example why it is always good to carry some form of protection with you such as pepper spray.