 It also became more apparent from his explanations that due to the
size and extent of the crime scene, which was extraordinary, it took
an extensive amount of time to begin the assessment phase and then
the collection of evidences.
Below is a summary of the key questions and answers:Q: Were there
more injuries to the victims than just the blunt force trauma?
A: "We will not talk about any other injuries other than what the
pathologist has told us, which is that each victim's cause of death
was by blunt force trauma."
It was asked if one person could have inflicted these types of
wounds on five people, to which the sheriff answered, "We can't
comment on that just yet."
The timeline of the crime also was not made available. "That is
information that we can put together, but we cannot comment on
either," he said.
Q: Since the killer is still on the loose, is there a possibility
that the killer was someone the family knew or had some connection
with?
A: "Well, again, that is information again that I can't comment upon.
I know in reference to your question yesterday about the 18-hour
delay, I believe I tried to explain yesterday, the crime scene
itself was still being processed. We had to wait to see if we had a
murder scene or a possible murder-suicide scene. We weren't able to
digest that information until the early morning hours of Tuesday.
And at that point, at that time, I believe we took the steps
necessary to protect the residents of Beason. Also, we had a heavy
police presence in Beason during that time (meaning the first hours
of the investigation).
"At no time would I ever put the public of Logan County or anybody
else in jeopardy by not saying something. That's why we waited so
long. We had to know what had happened before we could make any
decisions in that regard."
Q: Were there signs at the scene that it was a break-in?
A: "At this point in time, that is information we can't give out."
Q: What is the medical status of the 3-year-old?
A: "The status of the 3-year-old today is she is still in
critical condition, but she is stable in that condition. Right now,
the information we are being given is that we expect her to recover."
Q: Time of death for the victims?
A: "That is information I am not going to release."
When another reporter asked why, he said, "Because I'm not." Then
he explained: "That's part of the investigation which still has to be
analyzed. As I said, we just concluded the scene yesterday
afternoon. All the evidence has been taken to be analyzed, and I'm
not going to speculate just to put something out there. When I put
something out, I want it to be factual."
Q: Since the house has been marked off as "no trespassing," have
people attempted to get into the home or around the home?
A: "I'm not saying that at all. It's just at this point and time to
give people an opportunity to know that if we do catch somebody
there, we will arrest them."
Q: It was asked how much police presence the area will see
for now.
A: "Well, we have always had a police presence in the area and we
are going to continue. But we will intensify (the presence) simply
because we want to catch whoever is out there. We have always had a
police presence (in Beason)."
Q: It was asked if there had been any progress on locating the
gray-primered truck that is a vehicle of interest, having been seen
by area residents on late Sunday and early Monday in the town.
A: "Yes, as I have said, we have had over 100 calls, and we have
stopped some vehicles, but they did not fit the description." The
sheriff went on to explain that the vehicles fit a partial description of
the truck they were seeking but did not fit the description
completely. The sheriff also used a Ford truck as an example of tips
that led nowhere, but confirmed again that the truck is either a
Ford Ranger or a Chevy S-10.
[to top of second column] |
Q: The sheriff was asked if he believed there was any link to
the death in Mason City a month ago.
A: "I don't know the specifics to the death in Mason City, but right
now, personally, I would say no… If it is, we will look at it. But
right now I am going to say no."
Q: What involvement does the FBI have in the case?
A: " They're just bringing their expertise to the table. (They
provide) more eyes to try and analyze everything we are trying to
look at."
Q: It was brought up that the FBI Behavioral Unit was involved.
A: Nichols explained: "Well, it's going to be whatever unit we ask
for. The call was made, and we just want more eyes and more bodies to
try and solve this crime."
Q: Are child support and parenting issues with the family as a
possible motive?
A: "If you are talking about any past cases that the family may have
had with DCFS, I have no comment or information."
Q: Have Logan County authorities had any contact with the family
before this incident?
A: "That is information that we have that we are going to use with
our investigation, so I'm not going to release any information on
that matter."
Q: How has the investigation changed since it has been 72 hours
since the crime had been reported, and how have the tactics changed?
A: "Right now I don't believe our tactics have changed. We are going
to continue to run down every tip and lead we get, and then we are
also going to continue to work with whatever information that we get
from the supporting services that are here. I mean, our tactics
haven't changed. We are going to continue to go forward with a
strong effort until we resolve this incident."
Q: How many law enforcement officials were working on the case?
A: "We have several dozen at this time working on the case. I don't
have an exact number, but it is several dozen."
Q: How wide is the search for the pickup truck of interest
due to the length of time since it was sighted?
A: "That is information that we are not going to give out."
Q: It was asked what the sheriff would say to the citizens
who have little information to go by and to ease their worries that
there is a killer walking around the streets. A: "Like I said yesterday, the people just have to be practical in
what they do. Lock your doors at night, know where your kids are, be
aware of the surroundings around your house, and take care of your
neighbors too, and just keep an eye out.
I think people know me well enough to know that if I felt there was
reason for me to say something and that they are in harm's way, I
would come out and say that. But at this point in time, we are going
to let the evidence of the case lead us to where we need to be, and
everyone needs to just take the same precautions that they always
do." The sheriff concluded by saying that the Friday press conference
would be at noon.
[LDN staff]
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