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"Ongoing Investigation?"
December 13, 2011
10:35 pm
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Baffled
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I have recently become extremely interested and bothered by Jodi's disappearance as a result of stumbling upon this website... I have read the majority of the forum and am simply amazed at the amount of interest and drive you all have in solving this case. I have a few questions that stand out and was hoping someone has some information to share...

1) Are there any laws (state or federal) that will force information being held by MCPD authorities under the pretense the case is still an "ongoing investigation" to be made readily available to appropriate information seekers? Such as the determined individuals that created this site and keep the search alive for Jodi.

2) Considering the events over the past few months involving a terminated MCPD officer, are there any active investigations underway outside of MCPD and/or DCI? Based on what I can tell in these threads, most of the information pointing towards a "no" to this question appear to be opinion or speculation. I certainly hope in light of these recent events there is someone of authority taking the beginning steps to confirm or deny the claims, even if those steps are not being actively publicized.

There are a lot of things that "bother" me about this case, as I'm sure they do you all as well.

Does the buck really stop with the MCPD and DCI in Iowa???

I applaud you all for your ongoing review and determination of someday finding resolution for Jodi and her family. I hope and pray that your efforts help bring closure to many people, including those that did not know Jodi, very soon.

December 14, 2011
9:35 am
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Ann 777
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Glad to have you on the forum!

I have no answers to your questions, but, because you are so interested in Jodi, I encourage you to read Dead Air by Beth Bednar. The forum is not universal in its acceptance of the book, but I personally found it to be extremely compelling and well written. I've been watching the case closely since Jodi disappeared and I learned a lot of background information from the book.

December 14, 2011
9:44 am
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Closure
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Your questions are valid ones:

Basically the answer is no to both, from what I have read and seen about cold cases.

Your first question relates to giving others access to the evidence in this case. In a perfect world this would be great. This could compromise key evidence that could close this case. The world we currently live in, this evidence could be used to direct the investigation the wrong direction (media has its good and evils) or even worse tip off the culprit. Often investigators keep a couple pieces of information out of the public’s knowledge. This information generally is the “case closer” to guarantee the accused is the actual person and also to guarantee the proper retribution for the crime. Now I have heard of agencies giving information to accredited private investigators from time to time.

Your second question deals with the unknown. Do I believe there are people in Law Enforcement still looking at this case? Yes. Again, if too much is given, you can tip off the culprit or open doors for unfound evidence to be hidden or compromised.

And no, this doesn’t stop at the MCPD or DCI (which I believe many are pushing conspiracy theories to say both agencies are involved), the FBI is aware of this (as disclosed by recent media buzz, if accurate). Cold cases are tough, people are still trying, but it has to be done in a way that gives complete closure.

It would be unfair for someone to be accused falsely and have everyone turn against them, to be found that they had no involvement or even possibly couldn’t have even been a part of it. It tends to haunt someone for life, even though they are found innocent, people still hold on to the false theories they have created (case and example the falsely accused Olympic bomber many years ago)

I also commend those not giving up, and those that keep looking for the facts to bring all closure to this.

December 14, 2011
6:40 pm
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Baffled
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Thanks so much....

I definitely agree with you with regard to protecting the integrity of the evidence that could secure justice when the day comes. Handing information out willy nilly is certainly not something I would advocate in the slightest. Couldn't agree with you more regarding false accusations... Tips and leads should be handled with the utmost care but should be handled all the same. Hopefully they are.

I am hoping this case is someday assigned to a qualified/authorized cold case team. Is there anything Jodi's family can do to push this agenda?

I am definitely going to read the BB book recently published and can tell there are a lot of mixed emotions and opinions. All in all it sounds like it is worth the read.

Thanks for taking the time to entertain my curiosity. I'll continue to follow along and contribute as I can. Hopefully continued advocacy on Jodi's behalf will materialize into something one day.

December 14, 2011
7:01 pm
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Baffled
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I think what has me compelled to want to see this assigned to a cold case squad is the mention by MCPD that they are not any closer to solving this than they were the day Jodi went missing. Sixteen years is a significant amount of time to pass to not have progress. Maybe they have done what they can at this point. Much has been mentioned about mis-handling of the situation in the beginning (quite plausibly unintentional) that can't be changed.

In my opinion, a good faith step would be to organize a serious cold case squad with un-biased parties to make an attempt. Maybe it moves the case forward, maybe it doesn't. Protecting the integrity of the evidence could be maintained just as done in many other situations where cases are handled by cold case units.

Those of us not employed in the law enforcement field certainly don't know all the red tape and challenges with making this step. However, on the surface it doesn't seem unreasonable for people to want or expect this to be done. False accusations can and should be avoided.

December 15, 2011
11:42 pm
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Simon
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I have been saying that for a while now, Baffled. The authorities are no closer today than when Jodi disappeared in resolving this case. They should make some of the case files available to the public in hopes they will jog someone's memory that would lead to a viable suspect. Welcome to the board.

:laugh: Bwaaahahahahahahaha. Sorry, Closure. I know that's the official position and I'm not laughing at you, just the officials. There has been NO progress on this case, and like Baffled noted, it would be nice to get a cold case squad together to go over the records with "fresh eyes." LE screwed up this case from the start, in my opinion. Why don't they release some of the records? It's been 16 years, for crying out loud. Let the public review some of the records. It certainly can't hurt. If records pertaining to Jodi's disappearance are being withheld from the public because they may "compromise key evidence," then shame on LE for sitting on "key evidence" all this time and not making any headway. One would have to assume LE HAS key evidence, which I doubt. Sorry, but I don't subscribe to keeping such info from the public because it could hurt the case. Many cold cases are solved because LE gets the public involved. That should happen in Jodi's case!

December 16, 2011
6:53 am
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janette
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TOTALLY AGREE with Simon !!

December 16, 2011
8:57 pm
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Muskgrove
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I would love to dig up a couple of sites. However, private and public property rights get in the way. Checking out a few places off limits could bring results, but coming up with probable cause to search an area is hard to come by. So for now she may be within reach out of limits.

How do you get permission to dig?

I still think the strangest thing was when I went to MC with my sister 1998. We had never been there before and about 5 or 10 miles before we got to the city limits my sister asked for a piece of paper. She drew roads, river, trees and numbers that neither of us knew existed.

When we got to town everything was as she had drawn it. When we walked to where she thought we found a pile of strange gravel shaped in a mound like a kinda grave. She started digging with her hands and I stopped her. I said we should go get a shovel, but we were too scared to go back and dig.

A couple of years later I went back and someone had piled more dirt and gravel on it. It was among some trees by moving water.

I would kick myself if I find out I should I let her dig.

December 16, 2011
9:30 pm
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janette
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If You ever go digging Muskgrove...I'd be more than eager to go with You !!

What have We got to loose....unless one of us goes missing??

December 16, 2011
9:47 pm
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Muskgrove
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Ok, lets go next spring. I dont search during deer season or winter. Spring before the weeds start to grow.

December 16, 2011
10:02 pm
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janette
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OK, sounds Good to Me!

Never Ever Give Up Hope! I Can't Imagine if this would of been My Daughter!

December 17, 2011
10:28 am
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vinny
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I agree Simon, if law enforcement is serious about solving this case they could easily work closer with the Josh and Gary who have been trying to look at their files for some direction. They could easily show them the file and request ANY information they deemed vital to be kept confidential as only the abductors or killer would know.

Both Josh and Gary have been as discrete as possible and yet LE refuse any assistance. Do I think they are working on this case, after all these years they give a cursory look, they assign someone to put "fresh eyes" on it but we will never know what is actually being done if anything.

The older this case gets the less chance it will be solved obviously so the key question the police should ask themselves is what can we do to get this case moving, what can we divulge that will not jeopardize our case but may jar memories?.

Allowing Josh and Gary in to review the file, would be a major step and a good one politically, IF, they want it solved.

December 18, 2011
10:01 am
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Curious too
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By now the police woundn't want the case to become solved, as it would make them look even worse.

9 yrs. ago a man was acquitted of murder because the police jacked up the investigation. The guy had the smoking gun in his possession and set free because of the MCPD.

I agree with Simon and If I lived closer I would like to go dig with Vinny.

Drug money and corruption in the police force is my assumption. Get rid of the "whistle blowers" mentality.

December 18, 2011
10:18 am
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Ann 777
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Hi Curious,

I would like to read about the case from 9 years ago. Can you provide either a link to an article or a keyword/name so I could search for myself?

December 18, 2011
9:00 pm
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curious too
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ANN 777, Eric Esse was convicted of murder. He was then retried and set free for the murder of Timothy Mammen, supposedly due to the way the investigation was handled.Some questioning done by the police was given to the jury and they shouldn't have seen it. There were drugs involved. The murder took place on Thanksgiving Day. Mammen told his girlfriend that Esse was coming by his house before he left to go to her house for Thanksgiving Dinner. When he never showed up she became worried. A neighbor went to check, found him dead shot in the back of the head at point blank several times.
The Mammen family was failed by the MCPD miserably.

In my opinion: Minn./Ia. borders, Biker's vs. Mexican drug territories, hummm, easier for the police to look away as to becoming involved in such a hornets nest.

December 18, 2011
9:03 pm
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Ann 777
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Thanks, Curious. I'll look into it. A deeper understanding of the context of Jodi's story is always helpful.

December 18, 2011
9:17 pm
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curious too
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completely unrelated....although the MCPD is the same.

December 18, 2011
10:14 pm
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Ann 777
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Curious Too, re Mammen murder.

I'm getting DCI from the Esse/Mammen story, not MCPD. According to the articles, Esse was interviewed by DCI agents McCleary and Jacobson. I've heard of McCleary and I think he's from the Des Moines area.

Also, since this shooting took place two miles south of Plymouth, which is a little town north and east of Mason City, I think the investigation would have been a county/state matter, not under the jurisdiction of the Mason City Police Department.

Imho, the judge definitely should have issued an instruction that the jury was to consider only Esse's taped statements, not the taped contentions of the DCI guys. I read one article where the defense atty in the first case specifically asked for him to issue that instruction.

Again, imho, this is a case of slick lawyering and not so slick judicial judgments, not more proof of the incompetence of the MCPD.

Curious, thanks for mentioning this case. It was an interesting read.

December 19, 2011
10:48 am
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Closure
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Thank you Ann for bringing the details to us on that.

December 20, 2011
5:05 pm
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Ann 777
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I have a question for Vinny. Do we KNOW that the MCPD is NOT working with Josh and Gary? It's been my experience that the public is never told everything that goes on behind the scenes.

I really don't mean to sound as if I'm challenging your post!!! I always find your viewpoint interesting. It's just that I've never seen anything directly from Gary or Josh about the police completely shutting them out. I'm not saying it doesn't happen -- I just personally have not read anything to that effect.

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