Scared Monkeys Discussion Forum

25 Year Old Jessica Heeringa Missing Since 4/26/13 in Norton Shores, Michigan

http://scaredmonkeys.com/2013/04/27/25-year-old-jessica-heeringa-missing-since-42613-in-norton-shores-michigan/

(https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS6Zw947p55A9M-iw20YMgGF1-1Me_2AKmHJGugsHGMGLu-_wqQJg)


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Jessica is a 25-year-old female, 5’1 tall, approximately 110 lbs., with blonde shoulder-length hair. She has blue eyes and wears wire-rimmed glasses. She may be wearing a blue collared shirt that says “Sternberg Exxon”.

If anyone knows of Jessica Heeringa’s whereabouts or may have witnessed suspicious activity near the Exxon Mobil gas station is asked to contact Silent ******* at 231-72-CRIME (231-722-7463) or call 911.

Norton Shores PD look for missing woman

http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/local/muskegon_county/norton-shores-pd-look-for-missing-woman

.

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Help sought locating Norton Shores woman

http://www.grandhaventribune.com/article/policefire/376166

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Missing woman case now 'abduction' case

http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/local/muskegon_county/missing-woman-case-officially-abduction

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Obviously this was not a robbery as her belongings and the money from the cash register would have been gone. No sign of real struggle in the station. Could it be some one she knew or someone armed that forced her to leave in a hurry?

http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/local/muskegon_county/missing-woman-case-officially-abduction

Missing woman case now 'abduction' case
Police looking for silver van and driver
Updated: Sunday, 28 Apr 2013, 3:24 PM EDT
Published : Sunday, 28 Apr 2013, 12:18 PM EDT

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The driver of the van is described as a heavy white man between the ages of 30 and 40 with broad shoulders, light brown wavy hair parted in the middle and longer on top. He may have also been wearing a bright red or orange sweatshirt.

24 Hour News 8 was told that task force has been assembled to investigate.

The Norton Shores Police Department has cleared four persons of interest and are now seeking the driver.

Norton Shores Police Department said there were no security cameras at the gas station, but that no money was stolen.

Police said they have made a composite sketch of a suspect but they are "not confident" in releasing it yet.
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(http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KSEATxY69SI/UXyLqoT00JI/AAAAAAAAMNY/UWXdd5FEFqE/s1600/jessicaheeringaposter.tiff)

http://www.missingpersonsofamerica.com/2013/04/jessica-heeringa-employee-disappears.html (http://www.missingpersonsofamerica.com/2013/04/jessica-heeringa-employee-disappears.html)

http://abcnews.go.com/US/michigan-mother-disappears-late-night-shift-gas-station/story?id=19061637#.UX2I5L4o7IV

Michigan Mother Disappears From Late Night Shift at Gas Station
April 28, 2013

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The gas station was not outfitted with surveillance cameras, so investigators are relying on tips to help them zero in on what happened during the 15 minute time frame Heeringa went missing.

Shaw said authorities are looking for a silver minivan, possible a Chrysler Town and Country, that was seen in the area prior to Jessica's disappearance.

Shelly Heeringa said someone saw her daughter "walk out of the store with this guy like there was no problem," but when they got to his van, a struggle ensued.
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http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2013/04/norton_shores_missing_persons.html (http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2013/04/norton_shores_missing_persons.html)

Norton Shores missing person's mom: Jessica Heeringa is 'loved by everyone'
Delal Pektas | dpektas@mlive.com By Delal Pektas | dpektas@mlive.com
on April 28, 2013 at 4:45 PM, updated April 28, 2013 at 6:02 PM

NORTON SHORES, MI -- Shelly Heeringa, mother of the missing gas-station employee whose disappearance is being investigated as an abduction by Norton Shores Police, tried hard to hold back her tears as she talked about her daughter Sunday, April 28.

Just outside the Exxon Mobil gas station, located at 1196 E. Sternberg Road, where her daughter Jessica Heeringa, 25, went missing during a shift late on Friday night, Shelly Heeringa was passing out fliers with her daughter’s picture on them to help get the word out.

“I’m doing better today than I was yesterday. It feels good to be out,” Shelly Heeringa said. “Yesterday, I didn’t want to do anything. This scenario kept playing in my mind, so it’s good to be out here and see support.”

Shelly Heeringa said she believes someone who came to the gas station regularly “lured (Jessica Heeringa) out the back and shoved her in the back of the van.”

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(http://media.mlive.com/muskegonchronicle/photo/2013/04/12650619-large.jpg)

http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/local/muskegon_county/missing-woman-case-officially-abduction

Police: Woman abducted from gas station
Jessica Heeringa went missing Friday night
Updated: Sunday, 28 Apr 2013, 7:05 PM EDT
Published : Sunday, 28 Apr 2013, 12:18 PM EDT

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The Norton Shores Police Department has cleared four persons of interest and are now seeking the driver. Police said they have made a composite sketch of a suspect but they are "not confident" in releasing it yet.

Shaw said it's possible Heeringa may know her abductor. He said he "can't remember anything like this in western Michigan," in his nine-year career in Norton Shores.

"She's very helpful and I think that's how he lured her out of the gas station -- that he needed help of some kind or something," Shelly Heeringa said.

Shelly Heeringa told 24 Hour News 8 that disappearing would be completely out of character for her daughter.

"She loved her son. She would never leave her son," she said. "She was a good worker. She wouldn't have left the gas station open, unattended."

She said Jessica's son is still too young to really understand what's happening, but that she's sure he wonders where his mother is.

A task force that includes the FBI has been assembled.
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Facebook site for Jessica

https://www.facebook.com/FindJessicaHeeringa

http://fox17online.com/2013/04/28/family-of-jessica-heeringa-searching-for-answers/#ixzz2Ro4kNCVd

Family Of Jessica Heeringa Searching For Answers
43 mins ago

NORTON SHORES, Mich.– As detectives continue to work the case, family members are waiting for any trace of Jessica. As you can imagine, as the time ticks they’re getting worried. It’s why they say they’re not resting until they find her.

Jessica’s mom, Shelly Heeringa went door to door Sunday around Norton Shores passing out fliers, posting them anywhere she could find room. The community came out to help, picking up fliers they could pass out themselves, just asking the family if there was anything they could do.

Derek Alton who just knew Jessica only from seeing her at the gas station every once in a while said he would offer a $500.00 for any information leading to an arrest. “The need for the community to get involved is of utmost importance. I mean without anybody getting involved then what’s going to happen?”

Shelly Heeringa says her daughter is the kind of person that would help anyone, always smiling. Her family says she has a lot she still wants to do, she’s working towards going to college and has dreams of being an accountant.

“Right now she was just at this job to support her and her little boy and her family. Her boyfriend had recently been laid off so she was taking on extra shifts and trying to do what she could.”
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http://www.wzzm13.com/news/article/254656/5/Police-believe-Jessica-Heeringa-was-abducted

Police believe Jessica Heeringa was abducted
8:09 PM, Apr 28, 2013

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Police are now going off one big new clue, and they hope the public will help them out. Chief Shaw says a Chrysler Town and Country was reported to have been seen in the area of the Exxon station prior to Jessica's disappearance.

The Chrysler minivan raised suspicion because it may have been there in the past.

"Other people have contacted them from other gas stations about a gray van pulling up to their gas station and just sitting there staring at the girls who are working inside. And then they take off," said Shelly.

Herringa and Chief Shaw believe the person was probably a past customer. They say Jessica's a friendly girl, and there were no signs of a struggle.

"She's very helpful, that's why I think he lured her out of the gas station," said Herringa.  "He knew there wasn't security cameras."

And though store employees told WZZM 13 on Sunday that they had security in place before Friday, Herringa says that's not what the owner told her.
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http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/local/muskegon_county/missing-woman-case-officially-abduction

Police: Woman abducted from gas station
Updated: Sunday, 28 Apr 2013, 10:29 PM EDT
Published : Sunday, 28 Apr 2013, 12:18 PM EDT

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Norton Shores Police Chief Daniel Shaw said Heeringa helped a customer at 10:50 p.m. and a call to 911 reporting the empty gas station was made at 11:15 p.m. In that 25 minutes, Shaw said, "something very bad happened."

"Between the time that last purchase was made and the time that the customers came in and found the store empty is when Jessica was abducted," Shaw said. "We have spoken with the person who made the purchase there and cleared them of any wrong. And unfortunately, they didn't see anything that would lead them to believe there was something going on at the store that was leading to that abduction."
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Fiance Dakota Quail-Dyer -- also the father of Jessica's son -- told 24 Hour News 8 Saturday that he talked to her an hour before she disappeared. He said she was looking forward to coming home.

"Just hoping she's OK and she'll come home and be with me and my son. I just want her home," he said.
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I bolded an interesting "wording" -- I would think he would have used the term "our" ---- just saying....

I can see what you're saying, but I wouldn't put much into it at this point.   I've used "my" in regard to children, car, house, pet, and all of those are shared.  That said, we've seen so many times the husband, boyfriend or ex  are responsible for the deaths or disappearance of so many women.  So often it's someone known to the victim who commits the foul deed. ::MonkeyNoNo::  I'm really afraid for Jessica Heeringa.  I hope she can be found safe and soon.  Thank you for the update ka8lhi.

This just doesn't sound good at all.   ::MonkeyNoNo::

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/29/jessica-heeringa-missing_n_3178201.html
Jessica Heeringa Missing: Michigan Mom Disappears From Gas Station, Cops Say She Was Abducted
Posted: 04/29/2013 11:07 am EDT  |  Updated: 04/29/2013 11:42 am EDT

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ABC News reports that cops believe there was foul play in the disappearance of 25-year-old Jessica Heeringa, who was last seen at a Norton Shores Exxon Mobile Friday night.

Fifteen minutes after Heeringa made her last recorded sale at 11 p.m., a costumer called police to say there was no one working at the still-open gas station.

The 25-year-old's mother, Shelly Heeringa, told Michigan Live she thinks someone her daughter had seen before at the station “lured [her] out the back and shoved her in the back of [a] van.”

Cops are looking for a silver minivan, possibly a Chrysler Town and Country that authorities believe could have something to do with Heeringa's disappearance.

“I’m sure she was abducted,” Shelly Heeringa said. “She was cleaning a machine, she left her car keys, no money was taken from the gas station.”
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Videos at Link

http://fox17online.com/2013/04/28/suspect-vehicle-described-in-jessica-heeringa-abduction/#axzz2RpN0R4QK

Suspect, Vehicle Described In Jessica Heeringa Abduction
14 hours ago

NORTON SHORES, Mich. — A minivan and a white male are now being sought in the abduction case of a Norton Shores mother.
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“A passerby had observed this vehicle near the store, parked near the store, and observed the vehicle driving away,” Norton Shores Police Chief Dan Shaw said.

Police are also looking for a white male between 30 and 40 years old, medium to heavy build with broad shoulders and with light brown or sandy blonde hair.

Police say the station did not have security cameras at the time of the incident. ”We all were well aware that there were no cameras, and we would be working alone,” Kristen Wilder, a co-worker, posted on Facebook Sunday.

Heeringa was working by herself.

FOX 17 went into the store on Sunday and saw that cameras had been installed since the abduction.

There’s a chance Heeringa knows her abductor. Investigators say no money was taken from the store’s cash register, and Heeringa’s possessions were untouched.

“As a store clerk, she has contact with a lot of people,” Shaw said. ”Most of the people who have talked to us so far have indicated that she’s a very pleasant person – very sociable – so she engages in conversation with all of her customers. So, it’s very possible that she may have known this person.”

Wilder agreed on Facebook, citing that the store typically has the same customers regularly: “This was also NOT just some random person that took her,” she posted. ”It was someone she knew.”
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http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2013/04/grandfather_of_missing_jessica.html

Grandfather of missing Jessica Heeringa as concern grows: 'It's been too long'
on April 29, 2013 at 7:55 AM, updated April 29, 2013 at 10:57 AM

NORTON SHORES, MI – “It’s been too long.”

Those were the words of Jessica Heeringa’s grandfather this morning, Monday, April 29, days after his granddaughter was allegedly abducted from a Norton Shores gas station.

Roman Homrich said his granddaughter has been missing “too long” and the concern among her family and friends is growing. The 25-year-old mother and late-night gas station clerk has been missing since Friday, April 26.

Authorities have been combing the area for days and fielding tips coming in from across the country in an effort to find her.

But as of early this morning, the family heard nothing new regarding her whereabouts.

“We haven’t heard anything, nothing since last night. We were at the police station. But nothing has changed since then,” Homrich said.
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Norton Shores Police Chief Dan Shaw is urging the public for more information this morning.

“We need tips,” he said in an email to MLive and The Muskegon Chronicle.

“If someone saw or heard anything, they need to call us, even if they have read or heard the same information in the media. They may have that one shred of information that will help us find Jessica."

Homrich said Heeringa’s young child is currently staying with the child’s father.
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http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2013/04/friends_family_of_missing_jess.html

Missing person Jessica Heeringa's grandmother: Holding out hope 'little pixie girl' is found unharmed
on April 29, 2013 at 11:51 AM, updated April 29, 2013 at 1:02 PM

NORTON SHORES, MI – Dozens of friends and family members of missing Jessica Heeringa gathered Monday, April 29, to pass out flyers, console each other and offer any assistance in the plight to find the free-spirited young mother who vanished Friday.
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As of early Monday, four persons of interest had been cleared, police said. No new suspects had yet been identified.

Jessica Heeringa, the youngest of three daughters, had worked at the gas station about a year before Friday’s alleged abduction from that gas station that occurred shortly before closing time – 11 p.m. – while she worked alone in the building.

She was a “conscientious worker” who would have never left the building unsecured, Homrich said. That's another reason they suspect Heeringa didn't leave on her own will.

“She’s very scrappy. She would have put up a fight,” Homrich said at the idea of someone trying to force her from the store. “She can take care of herself."

Heeringa regularly worked the night shift as a clerk, police said. The business didn’t have surveillance video at the time of the incident.
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Video at link (gas station, fiancé, etc)

http://abcnews.go.com/US/jessica-heeringa-missing-gas-station-attendant-knew-abductor/story?id=19065157#.UX68yr4o7IU

Jessica Heeringa: Police Say It's Possible Missing Gas Station Attendant Knew Her Abductor
April 29, 2013

A Michigan mother who disappeared while working the late shift at a gas station may have known her abductor, police said today.

Jessica Heeringa, 25, was working alone Friday night at a Norton Shores, Mich., Exxon station around the time police believe she was abducted.

"There is no sign of a struggle in the store, so it's possible she knew who the person was as a customer or as an acquaintance," Norton Shores Police Chief Daniel Shaw told ABCNews.com.

Heeringa's purse and keys were found inside the store, he said, and robbery didn't appear to be a motive since the store's cash drawer was left untouched.

Shaw said his team of investigators has fielded tips from around the country. Police are seeking the driver of a gray minivan that was seen in the area at the time of Heeringa's disappearance, he said.

The gas station was not outfitted with security cameras on the night of Heeringa's disappearance, Shaw said, making tips even more crucial.

Jessica's mother, Shelly Heeringa, told ABC News that someone saw her daughter "walk out of the store with this guy like there was no problem," but when they got to his van, a struggle ensued.

On Friday night, Heeringa spoke to her fiance, Dakotah Dyer, between 10 and 10:15 pm and told him she planned to be home early from her shift, he said.
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http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/local/muskegon_county/flyers-passed-out-for-jessica-heeringa

Flyers passed out for Jessica Heeringa
Updated: Monday, 29 Apr 2013, 1:53 PM EDT
Published : Monday, 29 Apr 2013, 1:44 PM EDT

NORTON SHORES, Mich. (WOOD) - Family and friends of a missing woman, and complete strangers, have set up an unofficial command post near her workplace where she disappeared three days ago.
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Police said they have made a composite sketch of a suspect but they are "not confident" in releasing it yet.

Polices said it is possible Heeringa may know her abductor. The Norton Shores Police Department has already cleared four persons of interest. Police said the Exxon owner and manager are not persons of interest.

Police are searching for a silver minivan, possibly a Chrysler Town & Country, that was spotted in the area around the time of the abduction. Police would like to speak to its driver, described as a heavy-set, white man between 30 and 40 years old, and having broad shoulders, and light, brown, wavy hair parted in the middle and longer on top. He may have also been wearing a bright red or orange sweatshirt.

"I would tell him to let her go, to do the right thing and let her go," Heeringa's mother pleaded. "We don't care about him, we just want her back. I don't know what his reasons were, but whatever reasons he had, they're wrong. There's' something wrong with him, and just please just do the right thing now and let her go. Don't let this go on any longer. Let her come home to her family. There are so many people who love her. She has a 3-year-old child that is missing his mother. And we would just like him to let her go."

"We think somebody lured her out the back door and then grabbed her and threw her in that SUV, or that Town & Country that they have on the flyer," said Heeringa's grandfather, Roman Homrich.
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http://www.hollandsentinel.com/newsnow/x715750432/Police-talk-to-associates-of-clerk-who-disappeared

Police talk to associates of clerk who disappeared
Posted Apr 29, 2013 @ 02:05 PM

Norton Shores —
Police say they've ruled out several family members, friends and acquaintances in connection with the disappearance of a 25-year-old gas station clerk.

Norton Shores Police Chief Daniel Shaw said today that those associated with Jessica Heeringa have been interviewed and investigators are "no longer really concerned with their activities from that night."
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http://www.freep.com/article/20130429/NEWS06/304290118/Jessica-Heeringa-Missing-woman-abducted-gas-station-North-Shores

Michigan mother abducted, 911 caller says 'something was up'
3:02 PM, April 29, 2013

Craig Harpster said he knew something was wrong.

The gas station clerk was gone, but the door was unlocked.

The 54-year-old Muskegon man called 911 after 11 p.m. Friday when he pulled into the Exxon Mobil gas station and found the business empty, he said. The clerk, identified by police as 25-year-old Jessica Heeringa, was missing.

Three days later, there has been no trace of Heeringa.

She is believed to have been abducted that night, according to WZZM TV in Grand Rapids. Norton Shores Police Chief Daniel Shaw, who couldn’t immediately be reached by the Free Press today, announced at news conference Sunday that police have a suspect, the news station reported.

Police have interviewed and cleared four people of interest, including the woman’s fiance, her boyfriend, a regular customer of hers who works at Rabid Rooter and one other person, according to a source familiar with the law enforcement investigation. They underwent polygraph tests, and their alibis were checked out, the source said.

Harpster said he stopped at the gas station after getting off of work about 11 p.m. When he walked inside the station, no one was there. He checked the building, including the cooler, he said. The clerk’s purse was still by the cashier’s station, and nothing appeared to be disturbed inside of the station, Harpster said.

“I really felt something was up right away,” he said. “Not good.”
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https://www.facebook.com/FindJessicaHeeringa

Find Jessica Heeringa
about an hour ago via mobile.

Candlelight vigil is scheduled for Tuesday night at 6pm. Hal Pearson will lead us in a prayer for Jessica's safe return. Location is at the Points Mall on Sternburg by the Exxon gas station. Please bring a candle, or a few! We need your support & presence! Sound off..... Who's coming?

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2013/04/jessica_heeringa_remains_missi.html

Jessica Heeringa's fiancé offers details to help identify her as search continues
on April 29, 2013 at 5:19 PM, updated April 29, 2013 at 5:55 PM

(http://media.mlive.com/chronicle/news_impact/photo/12654947-large.jpg)

NORTON SHORES, MI – The fiancé of Muskegon’s Jessica Heeringa, who has been missing since Friday, was understandably tense Monday afternoon as a large crowd rallied in a Norton Shores parking lot in an effort to find the young mother.

“I’m very nervous,” said Dakotah Quail-Dyer, who has lived with Heeringa and their 3-year-old son, Zevyn, in Muskegon for three years.

The couple has been together for five years, he said.

“I think Jessica is going to come home. I know so," Quail-Dyer said.
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Quail-Dyer can't help but be on edge, he said. He's called every number in the couple's shared cell phone in hopes someone has heard something from her since Friday.
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Quail-Dryer said she also has the following characteristics:

• Heeringa has a “lazy eye” when she doesn’t have her glasses on.

• She was wearing a black tank top under her Exxon shirt, blue jeans and high-heeled boots at the time of the incident.

• She has several tattoos, including, a music note and a peace sign on her left ankle, a star on her back, sleeping Z's on her left foot and a sun and moon on her right calf.
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Video of the report of the video announcement

http://fox17online.com/2013/04/29/breaking-surveillance-video-released-of-suspects-van-in-missing-mom-case/#axzz2RpN0R4QK

BREAKING: Norton Shore Police Has Surveillance Video of Suspect’s Van In Missing Mom Case
11 mins ago

NORTON SHORES, Mich. – The Norton Shores Police Department has surveillance video of the suspect’s van in the missing mom case the night of the abduction at 11:15 p.m. Friday night.

The van is believed to be a silver Chrysler mini-van town and country.
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http://fox17online.com/2013/04/29/911-calls-released-for-missing-mother-jessica-heeringa/#axzz2RpN0R4QK

911 Calls Released For Missing Mother Jessica Heeringa
59 mins ago

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The call was from a man at the Exxon Mobile Gas station on E. Sternberg Road who said that there was no one inside the gas station at around 11:15 p.m. Friday night.

The 911 dispatcher asked the man if he yelled for the clerk, but there was still no response.

The witness said he was trying to pay for gas, but there was no clerk in sight. He also reported that there were two cars in the parking lot; one parked by the building and one Honda SUV.

The dispatcher then asked the witness to remain at the gas station until an officer arrived on the scene.

Other 911 calls from the Norton Shores Police Department reported suspicious activity at around 11:16 p.m. and assistance from a key holder or manager at around 11:32 p.m.

Video at the link

Hmmm...it looks like the van is stopped/parked by the business. There might be more video or another video?  :smt102

http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/local/muskegon_county/surveillance-video-of-minivan-in-jessica-heeringa-case

Video of van in Jessica Heeringa case
Updated: Monday, 29 Apr 2013, 8:43 PM EDT
Published : Monday, 29 Apr 2013, 8:27 PM EDT

NORTON SHORES, Mich. (WOOD) - The minivan that authorities are searching for in connection to the abduction of 25-year-old Jessica Heeringa was seen by a surveillance camera from a nearby business.

Heeringa disappeared from the Exxon Mobil gas station on Sternberg Road between 10:50 p.m. and 11:15 p.m. April 26. Her purse and car were left behind. Authorities say she was abducted and may know the person who took her.

They have been searching for a minivan -- possibly a Chrysler Town & Country -- and its driver in connection with the case.

The surveillance camera at the Old Homestead Tavern captured the gray or silver minivan headed north on Grand Haven Road away from the Exxon.

That video can be seen above. The time stamp on the video is not correct.
 ::snipping2::

Looked at the site again and found a picture.  The van of interest is circled. It can be seen driving by from left to right.

http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/local/muskegon_county/surveillance-video-of-minivan-in-jessica-heeringa-case

Video of van in Jessica Heeringa case
Heeringa, 25, disappeared Friday from gas station
Updated: Monday, 29 Apr 2013, 9:24 PM EDT
Published : Monday, 29 Apr 2013, 8:27 PM EDT

(http://media2.woodtv.com//photo/2013/04/29/picture001_20130429203905_640_480.JPG)

Thank you grace-land.  I hope there will be a break in the case soon. 

Actually, it's a vehicle driving by on the road in the video.  If you pause the video it looks like there is body damage to the van on the passenger side door.  The comments section states (and gives the name of which I'm not going to post here) that a known local man who drives a Town and Country minivan and matches the suspect description is taking a week off of work right now.

If you watch the video and pause just a tiny bit after this picture you can see the damage on the van.  Makes me wonder if Jessica was kicking the door to prevent the perp from forcing her into it.  I hope this pretty lady will be found safe and returned to her family.

I think I see what you are talking about.  I captured the frame right after and enlarged:

(http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a306/klaasend/Herringa_zpsf91d9d17.jpg)

Thank you Klaas.

You're welcome, MuffyBee.  I hope there's a break in the case, too; and that there is enough evidence to bring justice.  Also, this case reminds me of Mickey Shunick.  :sad:

Thanks klaas and Amys Sister for your information and enlargement of the vehicle.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7i70OmrEXOA

Jessica Heeringa Abduction Suspect Vehicle 
NortonShores PD
Published on Apr 29, 2013 

Video clip of the suspect vehicle possibly involved in the abduction of Jessica Heeringa. Video shows a grey/silver minivan traveling northbound on Grand Haven Road away from the Exxon Mobil gas station. Vehicle passes by the surveillance video at 22:46:25.

http://www.grandhaventribune.com/article/policefire/376926

Search continues for missing store clerk
Shelly Heeringa moved away from the Muskegon area about six months ago, and she said not having family around was hard on her daughter, Jessica Heeringa.
Apr 29, 2013

Now that Jessica is missing, Shelly is cherishing the last moments they spent together.

“I’m so glad I seen her that Wednesday,” Shelly said as television crews and volunteers milled about in the parking lot of The Pointes shopping plaza in Norton Shores. “I was able to tell her how much I loved her.”

Shelly — who now lives in Nashville, Mich. — and her boyfriend, Bob Kirkland, are among the many family members, friends and strangers who continue to pound the pavement to do what they can to find Jessica.
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Jessica did not have a cellphone with her.
“Her fiancé, Dakotah Quail-Dyer, had their only cellphone since she could use the phone at the store," said Diane Homrich, Jessica’s grandmother.

Quail-Dyer was at home with the couple's 3-year-old son, Zevyn, at the time of the presumed abduction.

Shelly said Zevyn has been staying with his paternal grandparents and does not yet know that his mother is missing.
 ::snipping2::
Police update

A task force of officers from the Norton Shores and Muskegon police departments, state police, Muskegon County Sheriff’s Department, Muskegon Prosecutor’s Office, and the FBI is continuing to sort through leads, Norton Shores Police Chief Dan Shaw said Monday evening.

State police conducted a helicopter search during the day Monday but didn’t come up with anything, Shaw said. Previous ground searches in the area were also fruitless, he said.
 ::snipping2::
Shaw expects another sketch artist to come into town today to work on a drawing of the driver of a van that was seen on the gas station property Friday night.

Shaw said police reviewed a video Monday evening supplied by a nearby business on Grand Haven Road that shows the vehicle of a possible suspect. He said a grey or silver minivan, possibly a Chrysler Town & Country, is shown traveling north on Grand Haven Road.

Authorities are looking for the driver, who is described as a white man, age 30-40, about 6 feet tall, with center-parted light brown wavy hair.

Police are asking anyone with possible leads to call Silent ******* at 231-722-7463. They are also checking tips left on the Jessica Heeringa Facebook page.

A reward fund has been set up as “Reward for Jessica.” Donations may be made by check or money order to the Community Foundation for Muskegon County, care of Silent *******.

Donations may be mailed to or dropped off at the Norton Shores Police Department, 4814 Henry St., Norton Shores, MI 49441.

http://www.wnem.com/story/22120137/chief-police-believe-they-can-find-missing-clerk

Chief: Police believe they can find missing clerk
Posted: Apr 30, 2013 1:24 PM CDT Updated: Apr 30, 2013 1:24 PM CDT

NORTON SHORES, Mich. (AP) -
A West Michigan police official says he believes authorities will find a 25-year-old gas station clerk who went missing last week while working the night shift.

Norton Shores Police Chief Daniel Shaw said Tuesday it gets harder as time passes to solve the case involving the disappearance Friday of Jessica Heeringa. But he says investigators continue to pursue leads and examine limited evidence.

Among the evidence is surveillance video from a nearby tavern in the Muskegon suburb where police say the mother was abducted. The short clip shows a silver or gray Chrysler minivan driving away from the scene and traveling north.
 ::snipping2::

 

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2013/04/identifying_jessica_heeringas.html

Identifying Jessica Heeringa's alleged abductor focus of investigation as police field more tips
on April 30, 2013 at 12:18 PM, updated April 30, 2013 at 1:02 PM

 ::snipping2::
Shaw said today, April 30, that investigators are going to “chase down” those tips today and hopefully tap into new information that may identify the driver of a vehicle seen near the gas station around the time Heeringa was allegedly taken.

Witnesses had described a minivan in that area, silver or gray in color, the night of Heeringa’s alleged abduction.

As of Tuesday morning, Heeringa had not yet been located and a suspect or suspects hadn’t been identified.
 ::snipping2::

http://fox17online.com/2013/04/30/sketch-released-of-van-driver-in-missing-heeringa-case/#axzz2RrVUB46W

Sketch Released of Van Driver in Missing Heeringa Case
21 mins ago

(http://tribwxmi.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/norton-shores-pd-02569-13.jpg?w=540)

NORTON SHORES, Mich. -  Investigators looking into the disappearance of Jessica Heeringa of Norton Shores have released a composite sketch of the driver of a suspicious van
 ::snipping2::

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2013/04/is_this_jessica_heeringas_abdu.html

Is this Jessica Heeringa's abductor? Police release sketch of man possibly linked to her disappearance
on April 30, 2013 at 3:39 PM

NORTON SHORES, MI – The wavy hair, square chin and distinctive way the man parts his hair, just may be enough detail in a police sketch to help nab the alleged Jessica Heeringa abductor.

Authorities sure hope so.

The sketch, released by the Norton Shores Police Department today, April 30, was developed after witnesses met with a second artist through the Michigan State Police, said Norton Shores Police Department Chief Dan Shaw.

The driver is described as a white male, approximately 30 to 40 years old, 6 feet tall, medium to heavy build with broad shoulders, light brown or sandy blond wavy hair parted in the middle and slightly longer on top. He was last seen wearing a bright red or orange sweatshirt, police said.
 ::snipping2::

Notice that the van isn't "traveling", seems to be parked.  Girl smoking cigarette and people walking into club is several seconds long.........or is it stopped for a light signal that isn't visable?

BabsKats, look at the van in the circle that is travelling on the road--that's the van of interest in the case.  When viewing the video, a van is shown moving from left to right at the 50 time marker--that's the van, not the parked van.  Hope my explanation made sense. lol

http://www.freep.com/article/20130430/NEWS06/304300104/1008/news06/Police-released-sketch-today-man-seen-driving-silver-gray-minivan-near-gas-station-state-s-west-side-around-time-25-year-old-Jessica-Heeringa-vanished-during-her-shift-late-Friday-night-

Police release composite sketch of man in Jessica Heeringa case
4:55 PM, April 30, 2013

Police released a sketch today of a man seen driving a silver or gray minivan near the gas station on the state’s west side around the time 25-year-old Jessica Heeringa vanished during her shift late Friday night.

Investigators worked with a witness who saw the man — described as about 30-40 years old, about 6 feet tall, and wearing a bright red or orange shirt — near the Exxon Mobil in Norton Shores, police said.

“This witness did not see a struggle,” Norton Shores Police Chief Daniel Shaw said today. “She did not see somebody getting placed in the back of the van.”

She saw the van and person, and called police when she heard Heeringa was missing.

“Our job is to find (Heeringa),” Shaw said. “Then we’ll solve the crime.”

Police believe Heeringa was abducted from her job at the Exxon Mobil by a person who may have known her because there were no signs of a struggle, and Heeringa’s belongings —including her wallet with more than $400 in it, keys and vehicle — were left behind.

Police also are analyzing spots found on the concrete outside the gas station that may be blood, Shaw said.

“If it is blood, then we’re going to have to test it for DNA,” he said.
 ::snipping2::

http://abcnews.go.com/US/jessica-heeringa-video-minivan-sought-police-911-call/story?id=19073171#.UYB0Db4o7IU

Jessica Heeringa Disappearance: Witness Says Suspect 'Being Real Flirty' With Missing Mom
April 30, 2013

Police investigating the disappearance of Jessica Heeringa have now released a sketch of the man they are looking for, while an eyewitness tells ABC News that another man who approached the gas station attendant the night she vanished was "being real flirty" with her.

An employee at a store adjacent to the gas station saw the 25-year-old mother there only hours before she vanished last Friday night. The witness watched a man in a silver minivan approach Heeringa when she was at a gas pump.

"He was just like, 'Hey, what are you doing over here? Aren't you supposed to be inside?' Just kind of being real flirty, weird about it," the witness told ABC News.

"It was just bizarre that he seemed to be actively looking for her, like he knew her and then had this attitude that he wanted to have a conversation with her and then conduct business, and that is what seemed really out of place to me," he said.

RELATED: Jessica Heeringa: Police Say It's Possible Missing Gas Station Attendant Knew Her Abductor

The witness who saw the man approach Heeringa Friday night said that during the encounter, she remained calm.

"Jessica was always one of those people that even if she was uncomfortable with somebody, she always had a sense of grace," he said. "You see all sorts of people in retail, and her being in a different kind of retail, you can always sense when somebody is uncomfortable, or this is inconvenient for me. But she always had a sense about her to always be courteous and kind to that person and take care of things."
 ::snipping2::

http://www.wzzm13.com/news/article/254899/2/Police-release-sketch-of-Heeringa-abductor

Jessica Heeringa abduction: Suspect sketch released
8:49 PM, Apr 30, 2013

NORTON SHORES, Mich. (WZZM) -- On a scale of one to ten, a witness says the sketch of a possible suspect in the abduction of Jessica Heeringa is a ten.

Investigators released the drawing Tuesday. They say a witness saw this man drive away from the gas station where Heeringa was working when she disappeared Friday night.
 ::snipping2::
"With the sketch, now we are retracing some of our steps," says Norton Shores Police Chief Daniel Shaw. "We are taking the sketch out to some of those individuals we've already talked to, and are showing them the sketch."

Officers believe the sketch -- and other released clues -- will lead them to Heeringa's abductor.

"Someone knows this person," says Shaw. "That is a very good drawing. Someone is going to know who that is."
 ::snipping2::
The effort to find Jessica Heeringa has spread across West Michigan. There are 28 digital billboards across the area drawing attention to her disappearance, including one on the east side of U.S. 131 near 10 Mile Road near Rockford.

http://www.wzzm13.com/news/article/254910/14/Heeringa-abduction-Police-scour-sex-offender-registry?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Cbc%7Clarge

Jessica Heeringa abduction: Police scour sex offender registry
6:28 PM, Apr 30, 2013

NORTON SHORES, Mich. (WZZM) -- In the search for Jessica Heeringa, investigators are checking and rechecking police reports as well as the Michigan Sex Offender Registry.

Norton Shores Police Chief Daniel Shaw says the minute police started putting evidence together about Heeringa's disappearance, they turned from the Exxon Mobile gas station, to their computers.

Shaw says in abduction cases, it makes sense to scour the list.

"We have access to vehicles registered to that person's name and plates," said Shaw.

State law requires sex offenders to register four times per year. According to the registry, there are 11 sex offenders in Norton Shores; three men fit at least three of the characteristics police are looking for in the Heeringa abduction case, and four live within a two-mile radius of the Exxon Mobil gas station.

If the search is broadened to nearby Muskegon, 82 people are on the sex offender registry and 10 fit at least three characteristics.

"The registry is sorted by zip code, that's what's hardest for us," said Chief Shaw.
 ::snipping2::
You can search the Michigan Sex Offender Registry (http://bit.ly/PwICn) to find if offenders are living on your street or nearby.
--------------
Link to the Michigan Sex Offender Registry: http://www.mipsor.state.mi.us/

Video at the link

http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/local/muskegon_county/cleared-jessica-heeringa-person-of-interest

'They asked me if I took' Heeringa
Man saw Jessica Heeringa at gas station on Friday
Updated: Tuesday, 30 Apr 2013, 11:33 PM EDT
Published : Tuesday, 30 Apr 2013, 10:36 PM EDT

NORTON SHORES, Mich. (WOOD) - A man who was cleared as a person of interest in the abduction of Jessica Heeringa  was at the gas station where she works less than an hour before she vanished.

Jesse Ammerman, who is a regular customer at the gas station and knows Heeringa well, said he was at the Sternberg Road Exxon Mobil between 10:15 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Friday. That would have made him one of the last people to see Heeringa before she disappeared. Heeringa's last transaction of that night was 10:50 p.m. A 911 call reporting the station empty  was made at 11:15 p.m.

He said he was called to the police station the night Heeringa disappeared and was questioned as a person of interest.

"They asked if I took her somewhere. They asked if I knew who did," Ammerman said.

He said detectives asked him if Ammerman would just take off.

"She talked so much about her son and about her fiance and I thought, 'There's no way,'" said Ammerman.

Ammerman said he took a polygraph test over the weekend. He is one of four persons of interest who have been cleared in the case.
 ::snipping2::

http://www.wzzm13.com/news/article/254926/14/Family-100-belief-Heeringa-will-be-returned

Family: 100% belief Heeringa will be returned
9:26 PM, Apr 30, 2013

NORTON SHORES, Mich. (WZZM) -- Members of Jessica Heeringa's family say they are not giving up hope of finding her.

Members of her family, friends and people they never met held a vigil for Heeringa Tuesday night in a grassy lot near the Exxon station where the 25-year-old mother worked.

Heeringa disappeared Friday night as her shift at the gas station was nearing its end.  A customer who discovered the station unattended told WZZM 13 News he found her purse and other belongings at the store before calling police.

On Sunday, Norton Shores Police announced they considered Heeringa's case an abduction.

Organizers of Tuesday's event say they were very careful to call Tuesday's gathering a "vigil," not a memorial or a wake.

"We have 100% faith and belief she is going to be returned to us."

Heeringa's family offered their gratitude to the people who attended.

"We can't thank you enough for turning out to support us as a family," says Diane Homrich, Heeringa's grandmother.
 ::snipping2::

Video at the link.  I wrote up some of the information from it, however, please view it.

In the video, the reporter confirmed information about a crime that Jessica witnessed that may be linked to her disappearance.  Back in January, three or four men used a stolen credit card to purchase multiple LOTTO tickets from stores in Grand Haven and Coopersville and then turned around and took the winning tickets and tried to return those to stores across west Michigan including the Exxon Mobil station where Jessica worked.  She was one of the witnesses trying to bring justice.

http://wwmt.com/news/features/featured/stories/vigil-jessica-heeringa-wraps-up-police-continue-search-648.shtml

Vigil for Jessica Heeringa wraps up as police continue search
Updated: Tuesday, April 30 2013, 11:45 PM EDT

NORTON SHORES, Mich. (NEWSCHANNEL 3) - At this hour, hundreds of people are in Norton Shores, joining the frantic search for a young mother who police say was kidnapped from work.

A vigil for 25-year-old Jessica Heeringa wrapped up at around 9:00 p.m. Tuesday.
 ::snipping2::

http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/story/22129210/police-2nd-video-shows-van-in-missing-woman-case

Police: 2nd video shows van in missing woman case
Posted:  May 01, 2013 9:07 AM CDT Updated:  May 01, 2013 9:07 AM CDT

NORTON SHORES, Mich. (AP) - 
A West Michigan police chief says there's a second surveillance video showing a van that's believed to be connected to the disappearance of a 25-year-old woman from her job as a gas station night clerk.

Norton Shores Chief Daniel Shaw tells MLive.com the video may help investigators fill in the timeline of events the night Jessica Heeringa was last seen. Shaw says he plans to release a copy of the new video on Wednesday.
 ::snipping2::

(Bolded by me)
Thank you grace-land.  Perhaps that's the motive for her abduction.   ::MonkeyNoNo::

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2013/05/police_jessica_heeringas_alleg.html#incart_river_default

Police: Jessica Heeringa's alleged abductor's van likely seen on second video
on May 01, 2013 at 7:56 AM, updated May 01, 2013 at 8:15 AM

NORTON SHORES, MI – A second surveillance video showing a van that police believe was used in the abduction of Jessica Heeringa on April 26 has been obtained and may help investigators fill in the “timeline” of events that night.

Norton Shores Police Chief Dan Shaw said this morning, May 1, that he intends to release that video today.

It’s slightly better than the earlier clip released by the department recently that showed what police believe is the same van used in Heeringa’s alleged abduction from the Exxon Mobil gas station in Norton Shores.

That first video was obtained from The Old Homestead Tavern, about a mile from where Heeringa, 25, was allegedly taken.

The new video was taken from Coin Zone on Grand Haven Road, Shaw said.

“The video shows the silver minivan continuing to drive north on Grand Haven Road, less than a minute after passing the Homestead. We're not able to see the plate number or the driver, but it does help us by filling in more of the timeline of Jessica's abduction,” Shaw said in an email.
 ::snipping2::

You're welcome, MuffyBee.  It could be a motive if there is a connection--premeditated abduction?  It might make this situation more serious. imo

that poor young woman. I pray and pray she is still alive.

I hope so, too, Kermit.  A sad situation.  I hope that there is a good outcome.  Praying for Jessica's safe return.  ::MonkeyAngel::

Video at the link.  The witness was about to drive off when he saw a man in a silver mini van drive up to her.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/jessica-heeringa-disappearance-person-interest-guy-hitting/story?id=19082176#.UYE-6b4o7IU

Jessica Heeringa Disappearance: Person of Interest Seemed Like 'Just Another Guy Hitting on Her'
May 1, 2013

An employee at a store adjacent to the gas station where Jessica Heeringa worked the late shift said he noticed a man in a minivan talking to the missing Michigan mother, but didn't think much of the interaction until he learned she had been abducted.

"It just seemed to me that this was just another guy hitting on her, or whatever, because she was an attractive girl," Christian VanAntwerpen said of the Friday night incident.

"It was just an afterthought I almost didn't think about mentioning," he said. "[But] I thought it was my responsibility to say something about it."
 ::snipping2::

VanAntwerpen said he watched a man in a silver minivan approach Heeringa when she was at a gas pump, preparing to close the Norton Shores, Mich., Exxon station where she had been working alone on the late shift.

"He was just like, 'Hey, what are you doing over here? Aren't you supposed to be inside?' Just kind of being real flirty, weird about it," VanAntwerpen said.

"It was just bizarre that he seemed to be actively looking for her, like he knew her and then had this attitude that he wanted to have a conversation with her and then conduct business, and that is what seemed really out of place to me," he said.
 ::snipping2::

Video at the link.  When I tried to view it, it skipped over to another video.  ::MonkeyMad::

http://fox17online.com/2013/05/01/coin-shop-owner-has-valuable-surveillance-video/#axzz2S0GE6mwK

Coin Shop Owner Has Valuable Surveillance Video
19 mins ago

NORTON SHORES, Mich.– New surveillance video is surfacing that could help police find missing mother, Jessica Heeringa.

With merchandise like rare coins, Keith Boyer, president of Coin Zone in Norton Shores, has a lot of reasons to keep a lot of eyes on his store. But Boyer never thought one of his surveillance cameras would be crucial in helping solve a missing person’s case.

It was actually Jessica Heeringa’s fiance that noticed the surveillance cameras on the front of the Coin Zone, with a clear view of Grand Haven Road. He thought maybe they could help find her. Sure enough, police took a look and agreed.

“It catches traffic both ways on Grand Haven Road,” said Boyer. “It catches traffic heading southbound. It can actually, with the help of police and their sophisticated equipment, can probably pull the license plate of a vehicle. But northbound, which our camera catches a better view of, there’s no plate in the front. Therefore, it can probably catch who is driving the car.”

His video is one of the only images of Jessica might have been taken the night she disappeared.
 ::snipping2::

http://fox17online.com/2013/05/01/new-surveillance-video-of-van-in-store-clerks-disappearance/#axzz2RtWWcBhS

New Surveillance Video of Van in Store Clerk’s Disappearance
2 hours ago

(http://tribwxmi.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/heeringa-surveillance.jpg?w=640)

NORTON SHORES, Mich. -  Norton Shores Police have released newly uncovered surveillance video of a van that could be connected to the disappearance of a gas station gas clerk who went missing during her shift.

A camera at Coin Zone, 4300 Grand Haven Rd., Norton Shores, captured what is believed to be the van in question late Friday evening.
 ::snipping2::

There is a guy who lives 3 minutes from the Exxon station and even a shorter distance from the coin place.

There are 11 RSO living in Norton Shores and 3 of them match the descriptions of the sketch and 4 of them live within a two mile radius of the Exxon gas station.

Are we able to link RSO info here?

i think since the RSO info is public,yes you can post it,we have in the past
if im wrong a mod will chew me out LOL

http://www.bustedoffenders.com/michigan/grand-haven/sex-offenders/luke-lafate-louks/13282207

go to google and type in his full name, there will be 4 mugshots.

He currently lives in Norton Shores, MI. he is 3 minutes away from the Exxon station and even less away from the coin place.

(http://www.bustedoffenders.com/michigan/grand-haven/sex-offenders/luke-lafate-louks/13282207.jpg)

Video at the link.

http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/local/muskegon_county/jessica-heeringa-minivan-seen-on-2nd-surveillance-camera

2nd surveillance cam captures minivan
Updated: Wednesday, 01 May 2013, 4:20 PM EDT
Published : Wednesday, 01 May 2013, 3:06 PM EDT

(http://media2.woodtv.com//photo/2013/05/01/picture003_20130501150109_640_480.JPG)

NORTON SHORES, Mich. (WOOD) - Images of the minivan connected to the abduction case of Jessica Heeringa were captured on a second surveillance camera.

Heeringa, 25, vanished April 26 from the Sternberg Road Exxon Mobil where she works between her last transaction at 10:51 p.m. and 11:15 p.m., when a call was made to 911 reporting there was no clerk at the gas station.

The minivan -- possibly a Chrysler Town and Country -- was first caught on surveillance camera at the Old Homestead tavern.  It was headed north on Grand Haven Road about a mile from the gas station.

The second surveillance video police released Wednesday (above) is from the Coin Zone on Grand Haven Road just south of Airport Road. It shows the minivan (just behind the black van) continuing north on Grand Haven Road at 11:04 p.m., according to Norton Shores Police Chief Dan Shaw.
 ::snipping2::

Klaas, would you be able to put the sketch and the mugs hot side by side? TIA

Hope LE is checking this guy out. 

(http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a306/klaasend/LukeLoukCompare_zps7b50994a.jpg)

Also these images:

(http://www.mugshotsworld.com/photos/2012/8/6/LUKE-LAFATE-LOUKS.jpg)

(http://www.mugshotsworld.com/photos/2012/11/29/LUKE-LAFATE-LOUKS-2.jpg)

(http://www.sorarchives.com/fullsize/0b/45/0b4562a67146f49612d87db382be91e4e1e32a53.jpg)

If you notice, looks like he was shaving his eyebrows so they didn't come together in the first mugshot photo I used in the comparison. 

Also this guy lives on Airport Rd too.

He also has a brother, Marc Anthony Louks convicted of attempted incest.

if you google his name a mugshot will come up.

357 Offenders found in the Norton Shores Area
from homefacts
http://www.homefacts.com/offenders/Michigan/Muskegon-County/Norton-Shores.html

Comments from two witness--

http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/local/muskegon_county/witness-minivan-scouted-exxon-before-jessica-heeringa-abduction

Witness: Van 'scouted' before abduction
Updated: Wednesday, 01 May 2013, 5:45 PM EDT
Published : Wednesday, 01 May 2013, 5:09 PM EDT

 ::snipping2::
VanAntwerpen said he stopped at the Exxon around 9 p.m. Friday to get gas on his way home from his job at the nearby Firehouse Guitar. He said Heeringa was there working alone.

"One of the most incredibly friendly, helpful people you would ever meet," VanAntwerpen said. "Unfortunately, that makes her susceptible to creepy people that want to do bad things to her."

As VanAntwerpen was leaving, a silver minivan pulled up just after Heeringa went outside to do some paperwork at the pumps.

He said he heard some of the conversation between her and the man. But the man remained in his van and VanAntwerpen said he never saw his face.

"The general banter was like, 'Hey, I thought you were supposed to be inside, not out here,' Kind of joking, almost like he was a regular kind of guy that would come in there and talk with her," VanAntwerpen recalled.

He said Heeringa and the man acted as if they knew one another.

"It seemed almost like construction worker banter," said VanAntwerpen. "You hear about the old construction workers that would do catcalls and stuff like that; try to hit on the pretty ladies."

He said he doesn't recall exactly what Heeringa said in response.

"Something to the effect of, 'Yeah, I'm trying work,' or 'I'm out here doing this. I can help you inside in a minute,'" he said.

VanAntwerpen said he believes the man went inside the station as VanAntwerpen was leaving.

Heeringa disappeared two hours later.
 
A second witness spotted the minivan going through the parking lot of the strip mall next door, Norton Shores Police Chief Dan Shaw said. Shaw said police believe Heeringa was already in the minivan at that time.

"The van left and drove down this alleyway or roadway (in the strip mall)," Shaw said. "And as the van went by, she was able to see the driver's face."

That witness aided in the creation of the sketch of the possible suspect that was released Tuesday.

The van was later spotted headed north on Grand Haven Road by two separate surveillance cameras.

Yeah he's a dirt bag too but I think LUKE looks like the sketch alot more than Marc does. 

http://ottawamugshots.com/mug/mark-anthony-louks (http://ottawamugshots.com/mug/mark-anthony-louks)

http://www.bustedoffenders.com/michigan/grand-haven/sex-offenders/mark-anthony-louks/15972926 (http://www.bustedoffenders.com/michigan/grand-haven/sex-offenders/mark-anthony-louks/15972926)

http://www.homefacts.com/offender-detail/MI15972926/Mark-Anthony-Louks.html (http://www.homefacts.com/offender-detail/MI15972926/Mark-Anthony-Louks.html)

http://fox17online.com/2013/05/01/police-have-a-renewed-focus-after-getting-more-tips-in-the-heeringa-case/#axzz2S0GE6mwK

Police Have A Renewed Focus After Getting More Tips In The Heeringa Case
2 hours ago

 ::snipping2::
Police say they have a renewed focus from tips received about the sketch.

·         There are persons of interest right now.

·         The gas station owner has officially been cleared as a suspect

He also gave police a list of vendors who come into the gas station which they are now looking into.

·         Jessica’s family wants to conduct a ground search, police aren’t organizing one because they don’t have an area to zero   in on but they are going to help the family organize a legal ground search possibly this weekend.

·         Police are working on getting more surveillance video from further north down the street.

·         Right now, state police are working with the surveillance video trying to get a higher quality picture.

Luke's facebook account has just been deleted.

There's a Video at the link above with the witness who placed the 911 call.

And a timeline--

10:50 -- last transaction at station
11:03 -- first video of van
11:04 -- second video of van
11:07 -- witness arrives at station after work

http://fox17online.com/2013/05/01/police-have-a-renewed-focus-after-getting-more-tips-in-the-heeringa-case/#axzz2S0GE6mwK

What name was it under?  Do you have the old link?

it was under some weird name. I'm sure facebook took it down.

also, We have persons of interest now.

http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/local/muskegon_county/exxon-mobil-and-distributors-donate-to-jessica-heeringa-reward-fund

Exxon, distributors donate to Jessica
Jessica Heeringa abducted from gas station Friday
Updated: Wednesday, 01 May 2013, 7:17 PM EDT
Published : Wednesday, 01 May 2013, 7:14 PM EDT

NORTON SHORES, Mich. (WOOD) - Exxon and Mobil distributors in Michigan, along with the Exxon Mobil corporation, are donating $15,000 to a reward fund in the search for Jessica Heeringa.
 ::snipping2::

maybe he is out on bail,can you get bail on a PV

LUKE LAFATE LOUKS
Arrested On: 11/29/2012
Charge:
•ASSAULT - AGGRAVATED
•DISORDERLY PERSON-JOSTLING
•PROBATION VIOLATION
http://www.mugshotsworld.com/LUKE-LAFATE-LOUKS-2

https://www.facebook.com/fox17online

FOX 17
47 minutes ago near Grand Rapids, MI.

BREAKING NOW: A man named in a tip as being connected to the abduction of Jessica Heeringa is being questioned at Norton Shores PD

Wouldn't shock me if it were Luke Louks.

it must be a local because you would have gotten off of Highway 31 to get out of town.

http://fox17online.com/2013/05/01/tip-leads-police-to-man-in-heeringa-case-questioning-underway/#axzz2S5dpCHGV

What about this guy?

http://www.homefacts.com/offender-detail/MI9509788/Daniel-Lavern-Gardner.html

Tip Leads Police to Man in Heeringa Case; Questioning Underway

NORTON SHORES, Mich. -  FOX 17 News has learned that one of the several persons of interest in the Jessica Heeringa disappearance was being questioned Wednesday night at the Norton Shores Police Department.

FOX 17′s Ann Marie LaFlamme reports the man was named in a tip, then was pulled over while driving and brought into the police department for questioning.

Several people were being looked at after Heeringa went missing Friday night during her shift at the Exxon gas station in Norton Shores.  As FOX 17 first reported during its 6:00pm newscast Wednesday, the owner of the gas station was cleared as one of the persons of interest in the case.  Heeringa’s fiance was also given a polygraph test and is not considered a suspect.
 ::snipping2::


Read more: http://fox17online.com/2013/05/01/tip-leads-police-to-man-in-heeringa-case-questioning-underway/#ixzz2S5fctmzU

At this point we may as well wait and see if anything comes of the person they are questioning. 

http://www.wzzm13.com/news/article/255018/14/Witness-Man-in-van-flirting-with-Heeringa-at-Exxon (http://www.wzzm13.com/news/article/255018/14/Witness-Man-in-van-flirting-with-Heeringa-at-Exxon)


Witness: Man in van flirting with Jessica Heeringa at gas station
8:14 PM, May 1, 2013

NORTON SHORES, Mich. (WZZM) -- A customer at the Exxon gas station says he overheard a man in a van talking to Jessica Heeringa before she was allegedly abducted.

Christian VanAntwerpen was buying gas about three hours before Heeringa was reported missing. He works at a store within sight of the station and told police just as he was leaving Exxon Friday night, a van pulled into the parking lot.

VanAntwerpen says he overheard the man in the van talking lightheartedly with Heeringa about being in the parking lot and not inside the store behind the cash register.
 ::snipping2::

A man is being questioned at the PD right now and he does have a silver van and It is going to be going on for 2 hours +. (I guess they just started questioning him).

https://twitter.com/WOODTV

https://twitter.com/AnnMarieLaFlamm

Ann Marie LaFlamme Ann Marie LaFlamme ‏@AnnMarieLaFlamm  18m 
UPDATE: Man still being questioned in #JessicaHeeringa abduction. Police say 2+ more hours of questioning. He DOES have a silver van @@FOX17

The poor family--waiting, waiting for news.

https://www.facebook.com/FindJessicaHeeringa

Find Jessica Heeringa
43 minutes ago.

I know everyone wants updates. The most unfortunate situation in this tragedy is the reporters are hearing & getting updates first. Down at the command center, I've seen Shelly Heeringa's heart break each time something is released and she is last to know. Most of you know before the family & volunteers. Shelly has asked Chief Shaw to bring the info to her first. Maybe it's policy or tactical. We just try hard not to impede the investigation, and leave crime fighting to the professionals. Much love.

http://fox17online.com/2013/05/01/tip-leads-police-to-man-in-heeringa-case-questioning-underway/#axzz2S5lCESEp

Tip Leads Police to Man in Heeringa Case; Questioning Underway
1 hour ago

UPDATE:  FOX 17′s Ann Marie LaFlamme reports at 9pm that the man is still being questioned; in fact, he may be questioned for another couple of hours.  The man does have a silver van.  She is meeting with the chief shortly.  More to come on FOX 17 News at 10.  https://twitter.com/AnnMarieLaFlamm
 ::snipping2::

https://twitter.com/AnnMarieLaFlamm

Ann Marie LaFlamme ‏@AnnMarieLaFlamm  6m 
Email me all your questions for Chief Shaw about the abduction of #JessicaHeeringa to alaflamme@fox17online.com @FOX17

http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/local/muskegon_county/police-continue-questioning-in-jessica-heeringa-abduction

Questioning in Heeringa case continues
Person connected to tip taken in for questioning
Updated: Wednesday, 01 May 2013, 9:07 PM EDT
Published : Wednesday, 01 May 2013, 8:47 PM EDT

NORTON SHORES, Mich. (WOOD) - Norton Shores police continue to question people based upon tips from the public, but have not developed a suspect in the abduction of Jessica Heeringa.

Heeringa, 25, vanished from the Sternberg Road Exxon Mobil where she worked on Friday night. Police believe she was abducted by a person driving a gray or silver minivan  -- possibly a Chrysler Town and Country.

They have continued to receive tips as more surveillance footage of the minivan was released Wednesday afternoon. 

For instance, officers received tips Wednesday about a man who drives a silver van. At about 6 p.m., the man was pulled over and taken in for questioning.

"It is what we have been doing since Saturday," Norton Shores Police Chief Dan Shaw told 24 Hour News 8.

But none of the questioning so far has gotten police any closer to identifying a suspect.
 ::snipping2::

Fox 17 News Alert:  the man questioned moved to a new location; may be polygraphed

Sounds like they are getting closer

http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/local/muskegon_county/lawmakers-drafting-bills-after-jessica-heeringa-abduction (http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/local/muskegon_county/lawmakers-drafting-bills-after-jessica-heeringa-abduction)

Bill in works after Heeringa abduction
No surveillance cameras at Sternberg Exxon Mobil

Updated: Wednesday, 01 May 2013, 10:01 PM EDT
Published : Wednesday, 01 May 2013, 9:30 PM EDT

    By Heather Walker

NORTON SHORES, Mich. (WOOD) - The lack of surveillance cameras at the Norton Shores gas station from which police sa y Jessica Heeringa was abducted has prompted an effort for new legislation.

The lack of cameras at the Sternberg Road Exxon Mobil has slowed the investigation into who took the 25-year-old mother, though the minivan that is investigator's only lead was captured on surveillance cameras from other nearby businesses.

Rep. Collene Lamonte (D-Montague) thinks cameras could have stopped Heeringa's abduction and Wednesday submitted legislation to be drafted to encourage the use of surveillance cameras.

 ::snipping2::

Hope so, klaas.  They did question him for a long time--considering that they picked him up at 6.

http://www.freep.com/article/20130501/NEWS06/305010162/Jessica-Heeringa-Norton-Shores-man-questioned

Police question, release sex offender in Jessica Heeringa case
11:03 PM, May 1, 2013 

NORTON SHORES, MICH. — Police questioned and released a man in connection with the alleged abduction of Jessica Heeringa.

The 25-year-old gas station clerk disappeared around 11 p.m. Friday from the Exxon gas station on Sternberg Road.

Around 6 p.m. Wednesday, police pulled over the driver of a silver minivan and brought him into the Norton Shores Police Department for questioning.

WZZM was the only media outlet on the scene when the driver was stopped near the intersection of Getty and Hume in Muskegon Heights.

WZZM 13's Phil Dawson reports the man, who is a registered sex offender, left the police station with investigators around 8 p.m. He was transported in an unmarked police vehicle without handcuffs.

Norton Shores Police Chief Daniel Shaw says the man was being questioned further "off site." He was not named as a suspect.
 ::snipping2::

 ::MonkeyNoNo::

http://www.wzzm13.com/news/article/255036/2/Police-Dont-share-fake-suspect-sketch-

Police: Don't share fake suspect sketch
10:04 PM, May 1, 2013 

NORTON SHORES, Mich. (WZZM) -- Police say a Photoshopped version of the sketch they released Tuesday in the Jessica Heeringa case is circulating around the internet.

The image is altered to make the composite sketch look like the owner of the Exxon gas station where Heeringa was allegedly abducted Friday night.

Norton Shores Police have already questioned the owner and say he is not a suspect. Officers say the Photoshopped sketch is not helping their investigation.
 ::snipping2::
 

The one posted here is the REAL one right?  

Answer:  Yes it is

From the Norton Shores Police Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/NORTONSHORESPOLICE (https://www.facebook.com/NORTONSHORESPOLICE)

Below is a composite sketch of the man suspected to have abducted Jessica Heeringa. He is described as a white male, age 30-40, about 6 feet tall, with center-parted light brown wavy hair. This suspect is believed to have been driving the silver mini van.

Anyone with information that will assist in the investigation is asked to call Silent ******* at 231-72-CRIME or NSPD at 231-733-2691.

(https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/p480x480/603589_368361259935336_1341376247_n.jpg)


NOTE:  THE SKETCH ABOVE IS THE CORRECT ONE CIRCULATED BY LE

Wow, a person posted the photoshopped photo on the Police facebook page  ::MonkeyShocked::

Yes it is. The photoshopped version of the sketch is made to look like the owner of the gas station.

I just saw it on the police facebook page.   ::MonkeyShocked::  The thing is, you don't change a sketch.   ::MonkeyNoNo::

I watched a video when a reporter came to the gas station for an interview, and the owner didn't look like the real sketch that was released after that interview.

Video at the link

--person was questioned
--he was taken to second location, maybe undergoing polygraph
--his car was impounded for the time being

http://fox17online.com/2013/05/02/watch-inside-the-search-for-jessica-heeringa/#axzz2S0GE6mwK

Watch: Inside The Search For Jessica Heeringa
57 mins ago

NORTON SHORES, Mich.- Dozens of people are working around the clock to find Jessica Heeringa.  Norton Shores Police Chief Daniel Shaw gave Fox 17 an inside look at how investigators are tackling this case.
 ::snipping2::

Luke Lafate Louks stands 6'2".  A witness had him pegged at 6'.

http://www.homefacts.com/offender-detail/MI13282207/Luke-Lafate-Louks.html

His address is 4.5 miles from the Exxon station where Jessica was abducted.

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&tab=wl


Did I read he drives a silver minivan?  If so I would say there is a real possibility they have her abductor. 
The parents/caregivers of Luke and his brother must be 'off' to have raised two sexual deviants.   ::MonkeyEek::

My google map didn't come through on the link.  Sorry Monkeys.

I requested directions from 1196 W Sternberg Rd, Norton Shores MI (the Exxon) to 1122 Airport Rd, Norton Shores MI (Luke's last known address) and this will show the route and distance.

Maybe a kind Monkey will post the correct link or image of the map?

Thank goodness for the assistance of the witnesses!   ::MonkeyAngel::  Hope they can bring Jessica home.

http://www.wzzm13.com/news/article/255209/2/Police-Latest-person-of-interest-cleared

Police: Latest person of interest cleared in Jessica Heeringa's disappearance
11:53 AM, May 3, 2013

NORTON SHORES, Mich. (WZZM) - Norton Shores Police Chief Daniel Shaw has told WZZM 13's Jon Mills that an earlier person of interest in the case of Jessica Heeringa's disappearance has been cleared.

The person had been interviewed by police over the last couple of days.

Also, police tell WZZM that Jessica's parents have submitted DNA samples to police so investigators have her DNA on hand if needed.

Police said at a morning news conference that they are also checking the vendors who regularly visit the gas station making deliveries.  They are checking some spots of spilled fluid in the parking lot of the gas station to see if that can lead to any clues.
<snipped>

http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/local/muskegon_county/jessica-heeringa-search-at-pj-hoffmaster-state-park

Nothing found in Heeringa park search
Fiance: Glasses not Jessica Heeringa's
Updated: Thursday, 02 May 2013, 11:31 PM EDT
Published : Thursday, 02 May 2013, 4:13 PM EDT

NORTON SHORES, Mich. (WOOD) - Authorities searched PJ Hoffmaster State Park Thursday as part of their investigation into the abduction of Norton Shores mother Jessica Heeringa, but came up with nothing.

Heeringa, 25, was abducted from the Sternberg Road Exxon Mobil between 10:51 p.m. and 11:15 p.m. April 26, police say. Police have been trying to find her ever since.

Police started searching the park, which is in southwest Norton Shores, at 5 p.m.

"We are going to clear some wooded areas with the canines, just to see if there might be any evidence of the search for Jessica or anything that might be of interest to the investigators," a Michigan State Police trooper said.
<snipped>

http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/local/muskegon_county/jessica-heeringa-son-wheres-mom

Jessica's son: 'Where's mom?'
3-year-old doesn't know mom is missing
Updated: Thursday, 02 May 2013, 11:38 PM EDT
Published : Thursday, 02 May 2013, 9:27 PM EDT

(http://media2.woodtv.com//photo/2013/05/02/quail_dyer_and_zevyn_20130502212324_320_240.JPG)
Jessica Heeringa's son Zevyn, 3, follows his father Dakotah Quail-Dyer at Wolf Lake Park. (May 2, 2013)

NORTON SHORES, Mich. (WOOD) - As police worked the Jessica Heeringa case Thursday and some family members gathered at a makeshift command center, a 3-year-old boy played at a park.

He was there with his dad and his grandpa. He doesn't know that his mom is missing, the victim of what police are calling an abduction.

"We always go to the park," said his dad Dakotah Quail-Dyer, who is engaged to marry Jessica Heeringa. "He loves playing at the water, playing in nature. We go for hikes, just to be outside. He loves being outside. Jess loved being outside."
 
Their son's name is Zevyn, named by Jessica after a reality TV character. They call him Zev.

"It's Hebrew for wolf, which kind of fits his spunky personality," his dad said. "He loves howling at the moon."
<snipped>

http://fox17online.com/2013/05/03/update-jessica-heeringa-investigation/#axzz2S0GE6mwK

Update: Jessica Heeringa Investigation
2 hours ago

NORTON SHORES, Mich.– The entire task force, made up of agencies from across the county has committed to another week in the search for Jessica Heeringa. Friday, there were even new investigators briefed and added to the team.

Norton Shores Police Chief Daniel Shaw says the man with the silver min-van that was being questioned for the past two days is no longer the focus of the investigation, adding that from his understanding he did not look like the man from the sketch. “Investigators are quite certain that he is not involved, so they’re moving past him onto the next name or the next tip.”

Shaw says “the new focus is the other 500 or so tips that we have and we’re prioritizing those. So they are now going to the next higher priority lead that they have.”
Read more...

"Where's Mom?"    ::crymonkey2::  What was once a charming photo of a mom and her young son enjoying a walk along the edge of the lake is now an image of sadness with her abduction.  Bittersweet.  It just doesn't look good for Jessica, but there's still hope she will be found alive. 

Video at the link. 

http://www.wzzm13.com/news/article/255278/2/Nothing-unusual-before-Jessica-went-to-work

Nothing unusual before Jessica went to work
9:18 PM, May 3, 2013

NORTON SHORES, Mich. (WZZM) -- Norton Shores Police say they have not uncovered anything unusual about the hours before Jessica Heeringa reported for work one week ago.

Grandmother, Diane Homrich says Jessica visited an Aldi store for groceries last Friday. "Jessica went in and Dakotah stayed in the car with their son."

Detectives are working to see if store video could show what Jessica looked like last week. The two photos used on her missing flyers show Jessica does have different looks; with her hair down or pulled back, as well as with or without glasses.
<snipped>

A clearer image of the van

https://www.facebook.com/woodtv

WOOD TV8
about an hour ago.

The hunt for the getaway car. A silver minivan wanted in connection with the abduction of Jessica Heeringa. Tonight at 11 p.m., we're going on the hunt, finding out how many of those vehicles there are in the area and why it's been so tough for police to track them down.

(https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc1/p480x480/577521_10151531294276236_47868041_n.jpg)

https://twitter.com/AnnMarieLaFlamm

Ann Marie LaFlamme ‏@AnnMarieLaFlamm  51m 
Chief- Man questioned earlier has been released for the day. Not cleared, yet. #JessicaHeeringa @FOX17

Ann Marie LaFlamme Ann Marie LaFlamme ‏@AnnMarieLaFlamm  1h 
A sign at the pump at Exxon Mobile where #JessicaHeeringa was abducted. Police say cameras were installed Sat. @FOX17 pic.twitter.com/hIEKABGoWk
View photo
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BJYfv54CMAAqVbG.jpg)   

Ann Marie LaFlamme Ann Marie LaFlamme ‏@AnnMarieLaFlamm  2h 
HAPPENING NOW: Police are questioning someone at Norton Shores PD in the search for #JessicaHeeringa  @FOX17

http://www.freep.com/article/20130503/NEWS06/305030127/jessica-heeringa-norton-shores-missing-police-abduction

Police: Minivan owner no longer the focus in missing mom case
8:15 PM, May 3, 2013

<snipped>
Norton Shores Police Chief Daniel Shaw said the minivan owner was questioned Wednesday and Thursday. That man and several other persons of interest who were questioned are no longer a focus of the investigation, Shaw said.
<snipped>
He said police believe Heeringa’s abductor knew her.

Shaw said samples from a substance found on the concrete outside of the gas station were sent for testing. If it’s blood, Shaw said, investigators have already collected the necessary samples to determine whether it is from Heeringa.
<snipped>

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2013/05/jessica_heeringa_case_still_ve.html

Jessica Heeringa case still very much solvable, Norton Shores police chief says
on May 04, 2013 at 10:02 AM, updated May 04, 2013 at 10:06 AM

Editor's note: This is the second in a three-part series providing an in-depth look into the investigation of Jessica Heeringa's alleged abduction.

NORTON SHORES, MI -- Norton Shores Police Chief Dan Shaw – like the dozens of investigators working around the clock to locate 25-year-old Heeringa – is tired, anxious and feeling a bit frazzled these days.

The pressure is on, he said, to find the young mother who disappeared without so much as leaving a scent behind for K-9 units, who were on the scene the same Friday night she vanished.

“It is a lot of pressure. If this fails and this goes wrong, which we hope it doesn’t, it will fall on my shoulders,” Shaw said.

The current task force that includes detectives from various law enforcement agencies, with heavy Michigan State Police involvement is set up to allow Shaw deal with media inquiries so they can be focused on finding Heeringa.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/local/muskegon_county/ns-residents-get-posters-before-leaving (http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/local/muskegon_county/ns-residents-get-posters-before-leaving)

NS Chief: 14 tips investigated Saturday
Cops investigate tips; residents hand out posters

Updated: Saturday, 04 May 2013, 6:42 PM EDT
Published : Saturday, 04 May 2013, 3:48 PM EDT

NORTON SHORES, Mich. (WOOD) - While speaking live to 24 Hour News 8 Saturday evening, Norton Shores Police Chief Daniel Shaw said law enforcement agents spent Saturday investigating over a dozen tips.

"We have been tracking down numerous tips and leads.  Today I know, for example, we had approximately 14 people we interviewed; most of which had nothing to do with this case. But we're moving on, we're getting closer," Shaw said.

When asked if 14 was the normal amount of people interviewed, Shaw said, "Sometimes more; it depends on the distance. We're not just staying in Norton Shores. We're going to Whitehall, we're going to Ottawa County and other places."
 ::snipping3::

http://fox17online.com/2013/05/04/400-dollars-found-in-heeringas-wallet-and-register-untouched/#axzz2SNJ9eWy6

400 Dollars Found In Heeringa’s Wallet And Register Untouched

NORTON SHORES, Mich. – FOX 17 has learned more than $400 was found inside Jessica Heeringa’s purse left behind at the Norton Shores gas station where she went missing eight days ago.

Investigators initially said there was money left behind in Heeringa’s purse along with cash in the register but this is the first time we know how much.

“It just strengthens the case being an abduction and not a robbery,” said FOX 17′s Ann Marie LaFlamme who broke the new details about the case Saturday morning following a conversation with sources.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/local/muskegon_county/ns-residents-get-posters-before-leaving

NS Chief: 14 tips investigated Saturday
Cops investigate tips; residents hand out posters
Updated: Saturday, 04 May 2013, 6:42 PM EDT
Published : Saturday, 04 May 2013, 3:48 PM EDT

NORTON SHORES, Mich. (WOOD) - While speaking live to 24 Hour News 8 Saturday evening, Norton Shores Police Chief Daniel Shaw said law enforcement agents spent Saturday investigating over a dozen tips.

"We have been tracking down numerous tips and leads.  Today I know, for example, we had approximately 14 people we interviewed; most of which had nothing to do with this case. But we're moving on, we're getting closer," Shaw said.

When asked if 14 was the normal amount of people interviewed, Shaw said, "Sometimes more; it depends on the distance. We're not just staying in Norton Shores. We're going to Whitehall, we're going to Ottawa County and other places."

As the investigation into the abduction of Jessica Heeringa continues, residents of Norton Shores are helping to get the word out any way they can.
 ::snipping3::

 ::MonkeyShocked::

http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/local/muskegon_county/ns-chief-secret-service-investigating (http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/local/muskegon_county/ns-chief-secret-service-investigating)

NS Chief: Secret Service investigating
Norton Shores Police working around the clock

Updated: Saturday, 04 May 2013, 11:44 PM EDT
Published : Saturday, 04 May 2013, 11:44 PM EDT

NORTON SHORES, Mich. (WOOD) - As the search for Jessica Heeringa continues, Norton Shores Police Chief, Daniel Shaw, tells us United States Secret Service Agents and detectives with the Ottawa County Sheriff's department have been called in to help find the 25-year-old woman.  The additional investigators plan to be in Norton Shores helping with the case for as long as possible.

The additional investigators haven't changed the way employees at the Norton Shores Police Department are handling the case.  Chief Shaw says,  "We haven' reduced the number of investigators we have it's just different people in different roles."

 ::snipping3::

mmmmmmmmm.......interesting   :scratch: :2thinky:

Any active investigations of credit card fraud in the Michigan area?  SS also investigates credit card fraud.  Any connection to the abduction of Jessica to these investigations?

http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/local/muskegon_county/police-50-new-tips-in-heeringa-case
Sketch in Heeringa case released
Updated: Tuesday, 30 Apr 2013, 11:57 PM EDT
Published : Tuesday, 30 Apr 2013, 7:37 AM EDT


And an unrelated case of credit card fraud by a man from Michigan in January--

http://www.freep.com/article/20130118/NEWS06/130118078/Tyhkan%20S.%20Brunson%20credit%20card%20fraud%20Kentucky
Michigan man gets 57 months after credit card fraud in Kentucky
6:55 PM, Jan. 18, 2013

COVINGTON, Ky. - A Michigan man has been sentenced to 57 months in federal prison for using other people's credit card information to make purchases at retail stores in three northern Kentucky counties.

U.S. District Judge David L. Bunning on Friday sentenced 34-year-old Tyhkan S. Brunson for the use of unauthorized credit cards and aggravated identity theft. Bunning also ordered Brunson and his co-defendants to jointly pay $5,478.76 in restitution.

Prosecutors said Brunson and three others used counterfeit credit cards bearing real numbers from 32 people and, in one day, drove from Michigan to Kentucky to purchase thousands of dollars in gift cards and other merchandise.
 ::snipping3::

http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2013/05/05/police-get-1000-tips-in-gas-station-clerk-abduction/

Police Get 1,000 Tips In Gas Station Clerk Abduction
May 5, 2013 1:47 PM

NORTON SHORES (WWJ) – Tips are still pouring in now more than a week since the disappearance of a Muskegon County woman.

In a live interview on WWJ Newsradio 950 on Sunday, Norton Shores Police Chief Daniel Shaw said they’ve received more than 1,000 tips in the case of 25-year-old Jessica Heeringa, who was abducted from a gas station where she had been working.

“We’re taking the high priority tips first; we’re tracking down the people, or the vehicle that’s been described to us, and then making sure that that vehicle or person was not involved. And if they were, trying to find out more about what they know about this incident,” Shaw said.
 ::snipping3::

update: I do not know what kind of vehicle Luke Louks drives.

He does look very much like the sketch and he lives 3 minutes away from the gas station.

And I also don't know if he was the RSO that has been cleared.

 ::MonkeyGavel::

http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/local/muskegon_county/jessica-heeringa-abduction-investigation-update-may-5-2013

'Around the clock' search for Jessica
Updated: Sunday, 05 May 2013, 7:18 PM EDT
Published : Sunday, 05 May 2013, 6:52 PM EDT

NORTON SHORES, Mich. (WOOD) - Investigators continue to "work around the clock" to find Jessica Heeringa, who has been missing for more than a week, according to the chief of the Norton Shores Police Department.
 ::snipping3::

Shaw said investigators continue to interview witnesses and possible persons of interests. Tips also continue to come in. Several Sunday tips were classified as "high-priority," Shaw said and were looked into.

No suspect has been identified.

Authorities continue to focus their investigation on a suspect sketch and surveillance images of a silver minivan  he is believed to have been driving. That van is their only lead at this point, Shaw said.

Shaw said going into the second full week of the investigation, the Norton Shores Police Department will continue to work with the other law enforcement agencies that make up the task force looking into the case.

Investigators have put in long hours, Shaw said, and a few extra people are expected to come in to help in the coming days, giving others a day off to rest before they return to the investigation "rejuvenated."

The US Secret Service  is also aiding in the search. Shaw said the federal agency offered to help and local investigators agreed. An analyst is now helping sort through cell phone records, the state sex offender registry, vehicle data and data of people who match the description of the possible suspect seen in the sketch.

Video at the link

http://www.wzzm13.com/news/article/255484/14/Secret-Service-analyzing-cell-phones-to-find-Jessica-Heeringa

Cell phone data crucial to finding Heeringa's alleged abducter
9:01 PM, May 5, 2013

 ::snipping3::
If Heeringa had her phone on her, Chief Shaw says they would have been able to track her immediately. But instead, they're trying to track down the suspect's phone, if he has one.

If so, they hope he made a call or sent a text at some point Friday, because all of the cell phone towers in the area could provide those clues to police.
 ::snipping3::
It didn't take Norton Shores Police long to locate Heeringa's cell phone, left inside the Exxon Mobile Gas Station.

Now, locating her -- or her alleged abductor -- will take the work of multiple other cell phones, all powered by one small machine. Norton Shores Police has a cell phone data tracking unit, which they received last year through a grant from Homeland Security.

"It basically takes a mirror image of the phone itself," said Chief Shaw. "It would download all the data through this device onto the computer."

The process starts with cell phone towers themselves. Shaw's team asked phone carrier immediately for access to all area data following Heeringa's disappearance. Shaw says they've retrieved about a dozen phones -- all from people who voluntarily brought them in -- and now police have hundreds of contacts to sift through.

"We're looking to cross reference it with other elements we're looking for in this case," he said
 ::snipping3::
Chief Shaw says the Secret Service agent came from the Detroit office, but is originally from the Muskegon County area and wanted to help with the case.

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2013/05/jessica_heeringas_abduction_in.html

Jessica Heeringa's abduction case now includes help of U.S. Secret Service with cell phone analysis
on May 06, 2013 at 8:45 AM, updated May 06, 2013 at 9:29 AM

 ::snipping3::
Shaw said if they can run the vehicle plate number they can get access to a driver’s license photo. The department will work with the Michigan Secretary of State and the agent analyzing the cell phone information.

But it may take some time, he said. Thousands of silver minivans travel that area, he said.

The police department has a cell phone data tracking unit – something obtained through grant money last year – that can basically “mirror” an individual’s cell phone.

Investigators have asked cell phone service carriers for access to all area data following Heeringa's disappearance. Several phones were voluntarily brought in to be analyzed, Shaw said, and hundreds of contact numbers will have to be looked through.

“What we are trying to find is connections with the people we talked to and Jessica, because we think it’s an acquaintance of hers, possibly. We want to trace it back to anyone we might not have talked to,” Shaw said.

“We’ve downed-loaded the phones and we’re going through all the data. The agent was interested in the case and he has ties here so he wanted to help," Shaw added.

Shaw said, to clarify, they are not “tracking” phones. 

“We copied information from the phones with the device. We copy it like copying a hard drive. We go through it with the tools and try to connect any phone numbers,” Shaw said.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2013/05/post_255.html

Lead Jessica Heeringa investigator Dan Shaw to take questions about the case during live chat on Tuesday
on May 06, 2013 at 3:42 PM, updated May 06, 2013 at 4:17 PM

MUSKEGON COUNTY, MI -- Norton Shores Police Chief Dan Shaw, leading the investigation into Jessica Heeringa’s alleged abduction, is expected to take questions from the public at 11 a.m. Tuesday, May 7, during a live chat on MLive.
 ::snipping3::
As of late Monday afternoon, Heeringa had not yet been located and a suspect or suspects had not yet been identified.

So prepare your questions for Shaw and join us at 11 a.m. Tuesday on MLive.com.

Shaw said, barring any break in the case, he plans to be at MLive and The Muskegon Chronicle to answer questions readers may have.

While he can’t answer questions that could compromise the investigation, he plans on answering as many questions as he can within the hour timeframe.

Hope to see you there! Or you can post your questions in the comments below.

https://twitter.com/AnnMarieLaFlamm

Ann Marie LaFlamme ‏@AnnMarieLaFlamm  2m 
#FirstOnFox @NSPDChiefShaw 'additional evidence' other than the suspicious substance collected and sent to lab-still awaiting results @fox17

https://twitter.com/AnnMarieLaFlamm

Ann Marie LaFlamme ‏@AnnMarieLaFlamm  8m 
We're learning investigators sent SEVERAL items & samples from the scene the night #JessicaHeeringa vanished @FOX17 pic.twitter.com/7xMqXPfaZr

https://twitter.com/AnnMarieLaFlamm
 
Ann Marie LaFlamme ‏@AnnMarieLaFlamm  2m 
Investigators are still working to find more information on what #JessicaHeeringa did earlier the day of her abduction. @fox17 #FindJessica

Ann Marie LaFlamme Ann Marie LaFlamme ‏@AnnMarieLaFlamm  5m 
@NSPDChiefShaw says MORE than a dozen people interviewed today in the abduction of #JessicaHeeringa throughout multiple counties @FOX17

Ann Marie LaFlamme ‏@AnnMarieLaFlamm  14m 
Today 2 analysis from the Michigan Intelligence Operations Center or MIOC added to the team in the search for #JessicaHeeringa @FOX17

https://twitter.com/AnnMarieLaFlamm

Ann Marie LaFlamme Ann Marie LaFlamme ‏@AnnMarieLaFlamm  1h 
Police are checking phone records at the gas station in addition to nearby cell phone tower hits in the search for #JessicaHeeringa @FOX17

Daniel Shaw Daniel Shaw ‏@NSPDChiefShaw  1h 
#jessicaheeringa Evening debriefing completed. Intel analysts are combing through digital and cellphone data. pic.twitter.com/p3IjQAeSaI

 Retweeted by Ann Marie LaFlamme 
   View photo     

Ann Marie LaFlamme Ann Marie LaFlamme ‏@AnnMarieLaFlamm  2h 
Lots of questions about #JessicaHeering's cell phone. Police say her fiancé had the phone they share  the night of the abduction

https://twitter.com/AnnMarieLaFlamm

Ann Marie LaFlamme Ann Marie LaFlamme ‏@AnnMarieLaFlamm  16m 
@NSPDChiefShaw says police are asking for witness input in identifying possible suspects. #JessicaHeeringa @FOX17 #FindJessica

http://www.wzzm13.com/news/article/255571/14/Police-Someone-knows-something-about-Jessicas-abduction

Police: "Someone knows something" about Jessica Heeringa's abduction
7:50 PM, May 6, 2013

 ::snipping3::
"We know everything in my opinion except for the who right now," he said. And that's what's eating at Sergeant Kasher. "Disappointed in yourself and disappointed in how things have turned out-- it's always around you."

But Kasher is more disappointed in who he believes may be withholding information. "Somewhere along the line, that time around 11 p.m., the disappearance-- I truly believe someone knows something," he said.

"And I don't know the reason, but they don't want to come forward. Maybe it's their son, nephew, and they don't want to be involved." Or Sgt. Kasher says, maybe they have a record of their own. "We're not looking to get someone on some other charge, we're looking to get Jessica," he said.

"I guess if you don't have the heart to do that, and you're still worried about the police coming after you, let's not fear that part of it," said Kasher.

On the flip side, Kasher says there is information police won't share with the public because it may hinder their investigation.

"You start leaking things out and you start getting some false tips. And then we get someone in custody, we do want to go over that fine timeline or we want to go over that evidence because they'll know about that evidence."

But until police track down that evidence on their own, or through the help of someone else, the paperwork pile will continue to grow. And Jessica's family will continue to wait, and hope.
 ::snipping3::

http://fox17online.com/2013/05/06/jessica-heeringa-investigation-what-you-need-to-know/#axzz2S0GE6mwK

Jessica Heeringa Investigation: What You Need To Know
3 hours ago

 ::snipping3::
As each day passes and new details emerge, what is the most important thing you need to know about this case? Norton Shores police Chief Daniel Shaw says there’s three key things to keep in mind.

“Number one, we are still looking for a sliver minivan, a Town and Country minivan. We believe that van had something to do with this incident so we really need to find that minivan.”

“Number two, we are still looking for this person based on our witness description of the driver of the minivan, we want to talk with this guy.”

While the chief believes Jessica may have known this person, maybe from working at the gas station they are confident she didn’t leave willingly. They also strongly believe that van and the man in the sketch will lead to answers.

“The State Police K-9 team did search the entire area around the store, we did have clothing to provide a scent, they did a complete 360 look around and there was no scent of her, that indicates to us that she was transported away in a vehicle.

So, number three keep calling in those tips. “If someone can identify this person that’s all were going to need to put all the pieces together. We’re pretty sure we know how this happened, pretty sure we know when this happened but we don’t know who is involved.”

The chief also says while they appreciate every single tip that comes in, he wants people to know they just don’t have enough time to call people back to let them how it panned out. So he says please be patient as they sort through them all.

http://wwmt.com/shared/news/features/top-stories/stories/wwmt_-police-searching-near-drawbridge-missing-mom-9846.shtml

Police search near drawbridge for missing mom
Updated: Tuesday, May 7 2013, 01:22 PM EDT

 ::snipping3::
Tuesday Chief Shaw tells Newschannel 3 that crews were searching the Grand Haven area. They were looking around the drawbridge area after receiving some tips, but didn't locate Heeringa.

Around 25 investigators are working around the clock searching for Heeringa.

Norton Shores police say they are still conducting interviews and investigating "high-priority" tips.

Anyone with information on her disappearance is asked to call 911 or Silent *******.

http://www.wzzm13.com/news/article/255616/2/Police-searching-Grand-Haven-for-Jessica-Heeringa

Police search Harbor Island in Grand Haven for Heeringa
4:47 PM, May 7, 2013

 ::snipping3::
Norton Shores Police Chief Daniel Shaw says besides Harbor Island investigators also visited the John's To Go business. The company is one of several in the area that maintains a fuel account at the Exxon station where Heeringa disappeared April 26. Investigators have been visiting those companies and talking with employees.

"Routine follow up, if you will, to track down possible customers of the store to see if anyone may have witnessed anything," said Shaw.

Chief Shaw says four men: Heeringa's former boyfriend, current fiancé, and two acquaintances have all spent time with investigators. "We did run down those four people and have eliminated them from our current investigation."

The four men took polygraph tests and turned over belongings to police. "I believe all of those individuals voluntarily gave us their cell phone to freely download all of the data," said Shaw.

Even after another public search, Chief Shaw believes his team of investigators is making progress in private and will eventually find Heeringa. "We are one step closer to Jessica every day."
 ::snipping3::

http://wkzo.com/news/articles/2013/may/07/cell-phone-records-scoured-in-heeringa-search/

Cell phone records scoured in Heeringa search
Tuesday, May 07, 2013 5:17 p.m. EDT

 ::snipping3::
Heeringa's fiancé shared a phone with her and has agreed to let police go through those records along with a few acquaintances.  The U.S. Secret Service and Michigan Intelligence Operations Center are assisting with the cell phone work.

Oh, no...  This doesn't look good.

http://www.freep.com/article/20130508/NEWS05/305080102/Heeringa-blood-missing-woman

Jessica Heeringa's blood found outside gas station where she vanished
2:22 PM, May 8, 2013

The substances investigators found outside a gas station where a 25-year-old employee vanished more than a week ago turned out to be blood of the missing woman, Jessica Heeringa.

Officials used DNA analysis to determine the blood was that of the west Michigan mother, who has been missing since April 26, Norton Shores Police Chief Daniel Shaw said.

“There was only a small amount of blood located,” Shaw said in a news release issued this afternoon. “The family has been notified of this information.”

Police declined to say the exact location of where the blood was found outside the Exxon Mobil on East Sternberg Road.
 ::snipping3::

TY for the updates grace-land

You're welcome, cw618.  Since there was only a small amount of blood found, maybe it's a minor injury; and she is still ok but being held captive?  Just keeping hope alive.

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2013/05/jessica_heeringas_fianc_in_res.html

Jessica Heeringa's fiancé in response to her blood being discovered: 'I'm always hopeful'
on May 08, 2013 at 1:47 PM, updated May 08, 2013 at 7:19 PM

MUSKEGON COUNTY, MI – The blood of his fiancée, Jessica Heeringa, found outside the Exxon gas station where police said she was abducted, isn’t enough for Dakotah Quail-Dyer to lose hope.

The Muskegon man and longtime boyfriend of Heeringa, with whom he has a 3-year-old son, said despite the news about the blood sample, he remains hopeful.

“I’m always hopeful,” Quail-Dyer said Wednesday afternoon.
 ::snipping3::
Norton Shores Police Chief Dan Shaw indicated that the blood sample didn’t give investigators additional clues as to what may have happened to Heeringa.

When asked whether there were any illegal substances detected in the blood sample, Shaw said there wasn’t enough blood to check for anything other than DNA.

Shaw had said the task force had been prepared to compare the blood sample to DNA they had collected from Heeringa’s parents and Heeringa’s toothbrush and hairbrush.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the woman remained missing and a suspect hadn’t yet been identified.

Anyone with information is being urged to contact 911, Silent ******* at 72-CRIME or the Norton Shores Police Department at (231) 733-2691.

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2013/05/jessica_heeringa_abduction_cas.html

Jessica Heeringa abduction case nets new tips involving possible persons of interest, police say
on May 09, 2013 at 11:23 AM, updated May 09, 2013 at 11:51 AM

MUSKEGON COUNTY, MI – As the search for Jessica Heeringa is nearing its second week, authorities continue to sift through fresh tips, additional video clips and cell phone data, police said.

Several new names of possible persons of interest have been whispered into the ears of law enforcement recently through anonymous tips, and Norton Shores Police Chief Dan Shaw said today, May 9, investigators will continue to look into those.

“We are continuing with the tips. We got quite a few tips after 6 p.m., until about 8 p.m. last night. As far as the quality, I don’t know. We are getting a lot of repeat tips and we’re putting them off to the side as we’re looking into fresh ones,� Shaw said.
 ::snipping3::
“All the tips involve possible persons of interest. We’ve contacted hospitals to find out if anyone that would resemble Jessica has been treated recently as well,� Shaw said.
 ::snipping3::
Other items at the gas station were sent to the crime lab as well, Shaw said, including Heeringa’s personal items found inside the business.
 ::snipping3::
On Thursday, Shaw said investigators were trying to get more “enhanced video� of the van in question. They are also working on getting more surveillance video from surrounding businesses.

As of late Thursday morning, Shaw said there were no plans for a new search – by helicopter or on the ground.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/local/muskegon_county/2-interviewed-no-person-of-interest-

2 interviewed, no person of interest
Police talk to suspicious men at area gas station
Updated: Thursday, 09 May 2013, 1:40 PM EDT
Published : Thursday, 09 May 2013, 1:40 PM EDT

NORTON SHORES, Mich. (WOOD) - Thursday afternoon, Norton Shores Police Chief Dan Shaw said that while two more "suspicious" men had been interviewed, neither had been named a person of interest in the abduction of Jessica Heeringa.

Shaw said that both men had been spotted at area gas stations.
 ::snipping3::

::rhino::

the bad of that area is the highway,could have been anyone going to coming from
and prob has stopped there b4,that small town mentality,nothing like that could
happen here,we have the tech,lets use it to our advantage,owner of the station
has a not so good ins. agent,the agent should have told him/her,lower your rates
if you have anti theft devices installed,guess its about the $$ sometimes

http://www.wzzm13.com/news/article/255961/2/Family-prepares-for-Mothers-Day-without-Jessica

Jessica Heeringa's family prepares for Mother's Day without her
5:53 PM, May 9, 2013

NORTON SHORES, Mich. (WZZM) -- Police in Norton Shores hope Michigan State Police can enhance two pieces of surveillance video in the Jessica Heeringa case.

The goal is to determine the make and year of the minivan they believe was used to take Heeringa from the Exxon station where she was working almost two weeks ago. Investigators are waiting on the video to narrow their search.

Police and Heeringa's family know if Jessica is still missing on Sunday, it will be a difficult day.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2013/05/more_details_about_van_suspect.html

Jessica Heeringa investigation: Police pursue more details about van suspected in alleged abduction
on May 10, 2013 at 11:38 AM, updated May 10, 2013 at 1:15 PM

NORTON SHORES, MI – Grainy video of a minivan suspected to be involved in the abduction of Jessica Heeringa has been enhanced in an attempt to provide more specific details about the vehicle, including its make, model and year, according to police.

But enhancement efforts are only as good as the original video, which is not very high quality, said Norton Shores Police Chief Dan Shaw. Review of video from surveillance cameras at a bar and a coin shop on Grand Haven Road are continuing as police also respond to citizen tips, 50 of which were provided on Thursday, Shaw said.
 ::snipping3::

checking to see where the coin shop and bar are from gas station
there is 2 coin shops at the plaza

Sternberg Exxon
1196 E Sternberg RD, Muskegon, MI 49444

Old Homestead Tavern
4814 Grand Haven Rd, Norton Shores, MI 49441

Coin Zone Inc
BOYERTOWNE COINS & JEWELRY
4300 Grand Haven Rd, Norton Shores, MI 49441
http://goo.gl/maps/G8lUF

.yellowpages
http://www.yellowpages.com/norton-shores-mi/exxon-gas-stations?g=Norton+Shores%2C+MI&q=exxon+gas+stations

http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/local/muskegon_county/police-image-doesnt-reveal-van-detail

Police: Image doesn't reveal van detail
Two weeks since Jessica Heeringa was last seen
Updated: Friday, 10 May 2013, 4:56 PM EDT
Published : Friday, 10 May 2013, 1:48 PM EDT

NORTON SHORES, Mich. (WOOD) - Friday marks two weeks since a Norton Shores mother went missing, and a development police were hoping could shed more light on a van possibly connected to the case fell through.

Norton Shores Police Chief Dan Shaw said that he was hoping that enhanced video of the van of interest, a gray or silver minivan caught on two different surveillance cameras just after Jessica Heeringa was abducted, would show more detail on the van.

However, the image still didn’t reveal enough detail. Friday afternoon, Shaw said it would be sent to vehicle experts to be analyzed.

"Still hoping to narrow down the make, model, year of the silver minivan," Shaw said in an email. "More than anything, we're hoping to find Jessica and bring her home before Mother's Day."

Shaw also said he hoped to have Michigan State Police profilers working on the case on Monday.
 ::snipping3::

https://www.facebook.com/FindJessicaHeeringa

Find Jessica Heeringa
13 minutes ago.

Tomorrow the "Little Brown Jug" in Fruitport is hosting a fundraiser for Jessica! Organized by Samantha Heeringa (Jessica's sister), Derek Antol & Sharon Pennell! They will have vehicle stickers there for $1, or any donation! Stop by between 1pm - 4pm! Music , silent auctions, and more!

(https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/p480x480/480205_199945436796593_641134569_n.jpg)

https://www.facebook.com/FindJessicaHeeringa

Find Jessica Heeringa
31 minutes ago.

This year on Mothers Day, Please hug your Daughters, Sisters, Moms, Wives & Grandmas a little tighter! Jessica Heeringa's family will be spending Mothers Day with their family at home. They will not be at the command center on Sunday. They appreciate all you've done for their family, and want you to spend Mothers Day at home with your family. Much Love from their family to yours! One Mission ~ Find Jessica Heeringa

(https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/p480x480/935524_199944416796695_1021912050_n.jpg)

http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/local/muskegon_county/heeringa-posters-put-up-near-indiana

Heeringa posters put up in Indiana
Updated: Saturday, 11 May 2013, 7:31 PM EDT
Published : Saturday, 11 May 2013, 6:14 PM EDT

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. (WOOD) - As investigators continue to look into the abduction of a missing Norton Shores mother, those helping to spread the word about her disappearance have put up posters beyond West Michigan.

People have spotted posters asking for help in the Jessica Heeringa case in Berrien County and at a rest stop in Indiana.

Last week, Norton Shores residents picked up posters with Jessica's face on them and said they would put them up in areas outside of Norton Shores, hoping the posters would help bring awareness to the case and bring Jessica home
 ::snipping3::

http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/local/muskegon_county/week-three-of-search-for-jessica-heeringa-begins

Week 3 of search for Heeringa begins
Updated: Sunday, 12 May 2013, 4:57 PM EDT
Published : Sunday, 12 May 2013, 4:57 PM EDT

NORTON SHORES, Mich. (WOOD) - The task force investigating the disappearance of Jessica Heeringa hopes to get Michigan State Police profilers to review the case.

Heeringa vanished April 26 from the Sternberg Road Exxon Mobil where she works. Police say the 25-year-old mother was abducted and a task force has been searching for her ever since. After more than two weeks, there is still not a suspect.

Norton Shores Police Chief Dan Shaw told 24 Hour News 8 in a Sunday email that the task force will start off Monday by reviewing status and talking about objectives for the upcoming week. They will continue to track tips.

The task force is working to bring in MSP behavioral analysts -- profilers -- to review the case, Shaw said.

Last week, Shaw said the team was awaiting a profile from the FBI. 
 ::snipping3::

http://wwmt.com/news/features/featured/stories/police-profilers-brought-heeringa-search-794.shtml

Police profilers brought in for Heeringa search
Updated: Monday, May 13 2013, 12:48 PM EDT

NORTON SHORES, Mich. (NEWSCHANNEL 3) – There is new information Monday afternoon in the search for Jessica Heeringa.

Michigan State Police profilers are coming in to assist in the search.

We spoke with North Shore Police Chief Daniel Shaw and he tells us the state police profilers are expected in West Michigan Monday. They are hoping to help identify the person who took Jessica Heeringa.

Police believe Heeringa likely knew her abductor, which is why they are bringing in this new team.

The chief tells us behavior analysts are also joining the investigative team this week.

Heeringa disappeared April 26th while working alone in the gas station near Muskegon.
 ::snipping3::
Chief Shaw says they are still getting tips in on a daily basis and are investigating every one that comes in.

http://fox17online.com/2013/05/13/jessica-heeringa-ad-on-the-big-screen/#axzz2TDhgR1B0

Jessica Heeringa ‘Flyer’ On The Big Screen
1 hour ago

MUSKEGON, Mich.– As each day passes it gets harder and harder for Jessica Heeringa’s family, but one thing that keeps hope alive, the continued out-pouring of support from the community.

Steven Mayes doesn’t know Jessica or her family, he met them just recently at their command center.“I guess it was their pain of not knowing where their loved one is, I mean that`s what drew me to it” said Mayes.

Like so many, since the news of Jessica’s disapperane broke, Mayes knew he had to do something.  “That was the thing I didn`t expect a call back really, I was just spit balling out ideas.” He thought, what better way to reach people than the big screen?

Mayes worked with the V.P. of Marketing for Celebration Cinemas  over the past week. “He let me know right of the bat that this would be a stretch but he was going to put his all into making it happen and when everybody gets together and does that usually it happens.”

Mayes was sent over a few different ideas for slides until they came up with one. A big and clear picture of the suspect, the van and Jessica.

“My thought is how can it not bring some sort of useful information, somebody knows him, somebody knows where she is.” It’s now being played in every Celebration Cinema in Muskegon and Grand Rapids, during the pre-show before each PG-13 and rated R movie. 
 ::snipping3::

Video at the link

http://fox17online.com/2013/05/13/exclusive-fox-17-sits-down-with-jessica-heeringas-dad/#axzz2TEL8Xj5p

Exclusive: Fox 17 Sits Down with Jessica Heeringa’s Dad
3 hours ago

KENT CITY, Mich.-  We’ve seen Jessica Heeringa’s family out at their command center for the past two weeks but no one’s heard from her father, until now.

The past two weeks have been excruciating for Jessica’s Dad and Stepmom, Pete and Christina Jenkins.  Pete says, “My daughters gone and nobody knows where she is.”  He hasn’t seen Jessica in seven months saying distance and losing touch are to blame. “I just want her back, that’s all.” Pete says.

Police say Jessica was abducted while working at the Exxon Gas Station in Norton Shores.  Pete and Christina didn’t know she was working alone.  Pete says, “There should have been somebody there with her.  She worked at the Sparta Gas Station, but she was never alone.”

Jessica lived with Pete and Christina from ages 12-17, then moved back in when she found out she was pregnant with Zeven.  The Jenkin’s say that was a special time for them, “Going to doctors appointments with her, ya know and being there when the baby was born, it was great,” Pete says.

Pete says Jessica gets her love for music, especially The Beatles, from him.  He says he spends time in his music room to feel closer to her, “I feel helpless, my hands are tied.”
 ::snipping3::

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2013/05/police_chief_on_jessica_heerin.html

Police Chief on Jessica Heeringa case: Now is not the time for independent ground searches
on May 14, 2013 at 9:27 AM, updated May 14, 2013 at 9:32 AM

 ::snipping3::
Shaw respectfully asks that the public holds off on canvassing the area for clues to Heeringa’s whereabouts.

“Our concerns about conducting ground searches at this point are, number one, we don’t have a defined area to begin a search. Based on the evidence we have, we believe she was transported from the scene, so where do we start?,” Shaw said. “The ground search would probably not be a good use of resources at this time.”

There are bigger issues behind conducting ground searches as well, he said.

“The other thing we need to consider, is if ground searches are being conducted, we need to do them legally. We can’t go tramping through people’s property. And if anything is found, we have to preserve the evidence,” he said. “If people do it themselves, those issues won’t be address properly. Valuable evidence could be ruined and we could lose the opportunity to find Jessica or her abductor.”
 ::snipping3::

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2013/05/police_chief_jessica_heeringas_1.html

Police Chief: Jessica Heeringa's abduction task force to remain intact as long as 'credible leads' come in
on May 15, 2013 at 4:09 PM, updated May 15, 2013 at 4:18 PM

NORTON SHORES, MI – It will take weeks before the Michigan State Police profilers can piece together solid information in the Jessica Heeringa abduction case, but local task force investigators remain hopeful that the added assistance will make a difference.

That’s according to Norton Shores Police Chief Dan Shaw, who said the task force remains intact, still consisting of around 25 law enforcement officials – some of whom will soon return back to their own departments as the case progresses
 ::snipping3::
The profilers are based at the Michigan State Police headquarters in Lansing. They are a special unit that often gets involved in hard-to-solve cases like Heeringa’s.

“We don’t know how long the profiling process will take,” Shaw said. “It could take several weeks to review all the data that we’ve provided them. They have all the reports written so far. They have videos of interviews of people and everything else. They are reviewing everything they have from us.”

Authorities don’t yet have a motive pinned down for Heeringa’s apparent abduction, Shaw said. As of Wednesday, May 15, a person of interest or suspect hasn’t yet been identified.
 ::snipping3::

http://fox17online.com/2013/05/16/people-may-be-cashing-in-on-jessica-heeringas-name/#axzz2TVEpSrHK

People May Be Cashing In On Jessica Heeringa’s Name
3 hours ago

MUSKEGON COUNTY, Mich. – Police in Muskegon County say they are investigating at least two incidents in which people may be using a missing mother’s name to collect money.

Susan Adams, 56, was charged Wednesday for trespassing at the Meijer store in Norton Shores on May 2.  FOX 17 is told police are investigating whether Adams committed fraud.

Norton Shores Police Chief Daniel Shaw said Thursday there was another incident which took place earlier in the week.  He said a person committed fraud at the Wal-Mart store in nearby Roosevelt Park.
 ::snipping3::
Police say they are two valid funds you can donate to to help the  family. The Muskegon County Silent *******-Jessica Heeringa Reward. Care of the  Norton Shores Police Department at 4814 Henry Street, Norton Shores, Michigan  49441.

The other is the Jessica Heeringa Family Fund-PNC Bank. Care of Jessica  Heeringa Family Fund, P.O. Box 0077, Fruitport, Michigan, 49415. You can  also donate directly to the family at the Family Command Center at Points Mall  Parking Lot.

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2013/05/jessica_heeringas_abduction_ca_1.html

Jessica Heeringa's abduction case nets 'high priority tips' over the weekend
on May 20, 2013 at 10:16 AM, updated May 20, 2013 at 10:55 AM

NORTON SHORES, MI – Investigators are chasing down “high priority tips” they received over the weekend in connection to the Jessica Heeringa abduction case, said Norton Shores Police Chief Dan Shaw.

Shaw declined to give details about the information authorities received, but said they consider it “high priority” and on Sunday, May 19, investigators began to actively investigate them.

“We just have to figure out what’s true and what’s not. There are a couple tips that the guys are actively investigating since Sunday. Hopefully, we’re getting closer. Every piece of information we get is beneficial,” Shaw said.

“We are starting to get more information this morning. We’re moving forward. It’s all we can do," he added.
 ::snipping3::

http://wkzo.com/news/articles/2013/may/21/norton-shores-police-continue-search-for-jessica-heeringa/

Norton Shores police continue search for Jessica Heeringa
Tuesday, May 21, 2013 12:11 p.m. EDT

NORTON SHORES (WKZO) -- Norton Shores Police Chief Dan Shaw says they still don't have anything major in the search for 25-year-old Jessica Heeringa, but they have some "high-priority tips."
 ::snipping3::
Shaw would not go into details on what those "high-priority" tips are.

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2013/05/chuck_e_cheese_funds_for_jessi.html (http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2013/05/chuck_e_cheese_funds_for_jessi.html)

Second woman accused of fraudently raising funds to send Jessica Heeringa's son to Chuck E. Cheese

By Justine McGuire | justine_mcguire@mlive.com
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on May 21, 2013 at 6:14 PM, updated May 21, 2013 at 6:34 PM
   
   
ROOSEVELT PARK, MI – A second woman has been accused of fraudulently attempting to raise money in Jessica Heeringa's name.

The Roosevelt Park Police Department has forwarded the woman's case to the Muskegon County Prosecutor's Office for review to decide whether any criminal charges will be filed, according to Police Chief David Boone.

He said Joanne Vaughan, a 56-year-old Fruitport resident, and the second woman, whose name was not released on Tuesday, May 21, were attempting to raise money to send Heeringa's 3-year-old son to Chuck E. Cheese. Boone said both women have denied the allegations.

Boone said the two are claiming that they weren’t working together, but he said he isn’t sure if that’s true. Both women were standing outside the Wal-Mart on Henry Street in Roosevelt Park collecting money, police said.

Joann Vaughan, who lives in the 6600 block of Hile Road in Fruitport, has been charged with larceny by false pretenses, less than $200. A warrant for her arrest was signed last week, said Muskegon Chief Assistant Prosecutor Timothy Maat.

“She was seeking funds from anyone who would pass by,” Maat said. “She indicated that the money was being raised to support the son. That turned out not to be true at all.”
 ::snipping3::

http://wwmt.com/news/features/featured/stories/one-month-since-heeringa-disappearance-930.shtml

One month since Heeringa disappearance
Updated: Thursday, May 23 2013, 07:30 PM EDT

NORTON SHORES, Mich. (NEWSCHANNEL 3) - It's been nearly one month since the search for Jessica Heeringa began.

The 25-year-old missing mother is believed to have been abducted from her place of work--the Exxon Mobil gas station in Norton Shores, and police are still looking for clues into her disappearance.

The Chief says the investigation hasn't really changed since day one, as they've uncovered pieces of evidence along the way, but nothing that's really brought them any closer to answers.
::snipping3::
But he hopes evidence will come, and says that even though the investigation is slow-going, he plans to bring Jessica home.

"I'm confident we will; it's just, I don't know when, and that's the hard part," said Chief Shaw.

The reason he believes there is someone out there who knows what happened is because there is talk of the case on social media and people who aren't using their real names have information that police haven't released.

Note to those with knowledge of this case they haven't shared with LE:  Keep on posting on social media.  You just can't stand it, you've gotta let folks know you know something we don't. You can share it on FB or twitter or whatever, but you can't share it with LE.  If you were really worried or scared, you would be absolutely quiet.  But you aren't.  Since you don't seem to have a conscience and can't do the right thing, you share a certain amount of guilt.  I hope you reap what you sow.  Even if you didn't have a hand in her disappearance and you saw, heard or know something or even stronly suspect something, then  you have a responsibility.  I hope LE catches up with you and not only gets information to find Jessica, but has enough to prosecute  you too!  JMHO  I can't imagine what it would be like to have a loved one missing and someone out there is posting on FB (or whatever) about it.  The term "lower than dirt" comes to mind.  Again, JMHO Rant over.

http://fox17online.com/2013/05/24/the-latest-on-jessica-heeringa-investigation/#axzz2UFoQmxUD

The Latest On Jessica Heeringa Investigation
3 hours ago

NORTON SHORES, Mich.– It was 4 weeks ago Friday, Jessica Heeringa went missing. She was working the late shift at the Exxon mobile gas station in Norton Shores when police say she was abducted. Investigators have been working around the clock, pouring over thousands of tips but still no sign of the missing mother.

Norton Shores Police Chief Daniel Shaw says they continue to take it day by day, tip by tip.Shaw says they are just forging ahead and every morning they come in, they rededicate themselves to this case.

Investigators are still focused on that silver minivan and the man in the sketch. The chief says the task force, made up of agencies all across the state is still together and will be next week again.
 ::snipping3::
Shaw says someone knows something that could break the case wide open and that is what is most frustrating, that someone isn’t stepping forward. You can call Silent ******* and leave an anonymous tip at 231-72-CRIME.

http://fox17online.com/2013/05/24/heeringa-search-renewed-over-memorial-day-weekend/#axzz2UFoQmxUD

Heeringa Search Renewed Over Memorial Day Weekend
5 hours ago

NORTON SHORES, Mich.– It’s been 4 weeks since the 25-year-old mother from Norton Shores went missing. Police say Jessica Heeringa was abducted from the Exxon Mobile Gas Station while working the late shift on April 26th. Since then thousands of tips have poured in but still no break in the case.

Jessica’s family though is hoping the holiday weekend will spark a renewed interest in the investigation.It’s the first time Jessica’s family has been out at the make-shift command center in over a week. Jessica’s Grandma Diane Homrich says “I genuinely feel that they missed us being here.”

They decided Friday would be a perfect opportunity to spread the word. “With the holiday weekend coming up we are hoping that people will stop by and pick up a whole bunch of flyers and if they’re going out-of-town take them with them and pass them out wherever they go. A lot of out of towners, wear your t-shirts and talk to them about it lets keep her face out there and keep things moving.”
 ::snipping3::

http://www.freep.com/article/20130527/NEWS06/305270012/jessica-heeringa-missing-abduction-norton-shores-police-minivan

Who abducted Michigan mom Jessica Heeringa?
6:20 AM, May 27, 2013

 ::snipping3::
Time line of case

Heeringa vanished the night of April 26 near closing time. She was working alone.

Somehow she was drawn out to the back of the building, where a small spot of her blood was found, Kasher said.

The garbage hadn’t been taken out, the cash drawer was left on the counter, her purse was left behind and nothing in the station had been disturbed, police said.

A fellow Exxon Mobil employee was driving past when she saw a minivan drive behind the station, Kasher said. The woman turned around, drove past the station again and saw a man — who has been described as being about 30 to 40 years old — getting into the van, Kasher said.

Police have said Heeringa’s last sale was made at 10:50 p.m. Less than a half hour later, a customer called 911 to say the station was open, but no one was there, police have said.

Police say they believe Heeringa knows her abductor. Investigators are looking into the possibility that more than one person is involved in her disappearance, Kasher said.

He said the names of three men, who have been considered persons of interest, continue to surface through the course of the investigation. Kasher said the men are customers and acquaintances of Heeringa and some of the information they provided to police didn’t add up.

The blood outside of the station indicates she was injured, but maybe not severely, police said.

Police said they are still operating under the belief that Heeringa is alive.

“We’re still focused on the No. 1 goal that we had from day one,” Shaw said, “and that is to find Jessica.”
 ::snipping3::

http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/local/muskegon_county/heeringa-investigation-one-month-later

Heeringa investigation: One month later
Updated: Monday, 27 May 2013, 6:07 PM EDT
Published : Monday, 27 May 2013, 5:45 PM EDT

NORTON SHORES, Mich. (WOOD) - More than one month after a Norton Shores mother went missing from her job, her family told 24 Hour News 8 that they never expected the search would last so long.

Monday, police said the body that was found on the east side of the state did not belong to 25-year-old Jessica Heeringa, who was last seen on April 26 at the Exxon Mobile gas station on Sternberg Road in Norton Shores.

But while Heeringa’s family said they were relieved about that news, they said they were still searching for answers about where she is.

Memorial Day marked the one-month anniversary since police upgraded Heeringa’s disappearance from a missing persons case to a criminal investigation, saying that they believed she had been abducted.

Heeringa’s fiancé, Dakota Quail-Dyer, said it had also been long enough that it was time to explain to the couple’s 3-year-old son, Zevyn, that Heeringa was missing. He went to counseling and found an age-appropriate way to explain the situation.

“My son picks me up every day,” Quail-Dyer said. “He knows what's going on now and he keeps telling me, ‘We'll find her.’ That helps a lot. Other than that, I'm really down in the dumps about it.”
 ::snipping3::

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2013/05/jessica_heeringa_remains_missi_1.html

Jessica Heeringa investigation a month later: Police re-interviewing people
on May 28, 2013 at 9:07 AM, updated May 28, 2013 at 9:09 AM

 ::snipping3::
“There isn’t anything new (with the case),” said Norton Shores Police Chief Dan Shaw, whose department is leading the investigation. “We are continuing with interviews and re-interviewing some people, some of the first people we talked to, just to make sure we didn’t miss anything.”
 ::snipping3::
Authorities have focused largely on a silver or gray min-van – believed to be a Town & Country, maybe a 2005 – seen leaving the scene around the 11 p.m. time that Heeringa was allegedly abducted. A witness had reported seeing the van in the area, driven by a man that police have described as 30 to 40 years old.

But Shaw said investigators aren’t certain the van is connected. At this point, it’s just a hunch, he said.

“I need to be clear: We don’t know if that van was involved. We really don’t know that,” he said.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2013/05/jessica_heeringa_task_force_of.html

Jessica Heeringa abduction case task force whittled down due to lack of new tips
on May 30, 2013 at 9:06 AM, updated May 30, 2013 at 9:20 AM

 ::snipping3::
Norton Shores Police Chief Dan Shaw, whose agencies is heading up the investigation, said the task force now includes only Norton Shores Police Department and Michigan State Police investigators. The Michigan Intelligence Operations Center is also assisting investigators by phone on occasion, he said.

Shaw said “reduction in staffing” was due to a “decrease in the volume of new tips.” Shaw said the task force is still “actively investigating this case” but there are no new developments as of today, May 30.
 ::snipping3::

http://wwmt.com/shared/news/features/top-stories/stories/wwmt_chief-heeringa-rumors-false-10605.shtml

Chief: Heeringa rumors are false
Updated: Monday, June 3 2013, 12:06 PM EDT

NORTON SHORES, Mich. (NEWSCHANNEL 3) - Rumors are circulating in the midst of the search for missing mom, Jessica Heeringa.

Norton Shore Police Chief Daniel Shaw responded to a Facebook rumor that Heeringa was found and in police custody.

Chief Shaw tweeted "false rumor circulating on Facebook that Jessica Heeringa was located. The task force is actively investigating.”
 ::snipping3::

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-57587547-504083/jessica-heeringa-update-body-found-in-lake-doesnt-match-description-of-missing-mich-mom-police-say/

June 4, 2013 11:10 AM
Jessica Heeringa Update: Body found in lake doesn't match description of missing Mich. mom, police say

(CBS/AP) PARK TOWNSHIP, Mich. - Police officials say a man on a personal watercraft found a body floating in a western Michigan lake Monday, but the body does not match the description of Jessica Heeringa, the 25-year-old woman who disappeared April 26 from her job at a gas station in Norton Shores.

PICTURES: Mich. mom vanishes from gas station

The Holland Sentinel and MLive.com report the body was discovered Monday afternoon on Lake Macatawa in Ottawa County, and the Coast Guard pulled it from the water.

The sheriff's department says an autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday in an effort to identify the body.

"Based on the description I got from Ottawa County authorities, I don't believe it's Jessica," Norton Shores Police Chief Dan Shaw said, according to MLive.com
 ::snipping3::

Jessica Heeringa abduction Facebook page administrator pushes for color sketch; gets
no support from fiance, police
By Heather Lynn Peters | hpeters@mlive.com
Follow on Twitter
on June 12, 2013 at 5:28 PM, updated June 12, 2013 at 7:32 PM
 ::snipping3::
NORTON SHORES, MI – An effort by a Norton Shores woman to tweak a police sketch of the possible alleged abductor of Jessica Heeringa, the Norton Shores gas station clerk who disappeared on April 26, isn't getting support from the missing woman’s fiancé or police heading up the investigation.
 ::snipping3::
Mitchell said she’s raised $450 on the Facebook page to hire a woman in Houston to add color to a black-and-white sketch of a possible suspect released by the Norton Shores Police Department.
 ::snipping3::
In a statement emailed to MLive/Muskegon Chronicle, Norton Shores Police officials said this:
more at link
http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2013/06/jessica_heeringa_abduction_fac.html

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1306/14/ijvm.01.html
JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL
Michigan Mom Vanishes While Working Night Shift
Aired June 14, 2013 - 19:00   ET

http://www.wzzm13.com/news/article/259133/2/Private-investigator-reveals-clues-in-Heeringa-case

Jessica Heeringa missing two months, private investigator reveals new clues
7:21 PM, Jun 18, 2013

NORTON SHORES, Mich. (WZZM) -- It's been 54 days since Jessica Heeringa disappeared from her job at a Norton Shores gas station. The national media attention has gone away and tips are coming in at a much slower pace. If police have a strong theory or even just a solid hunch, they're not saying.

Truth is not much more is known about Jessica's disappearance today than almost two months ago. WZZM 13 has dedicated multiple journalists to the story but as the mystery grew we asked what more could we do to uncover clues?

That's why WZZM hired a licensed private investigator to go beyond what our reporters were doing. We are not identifying her so as to not jeopardize her work. Lee VanAmeyde spoke with her.

Q: You've been doing this for a month now, take me through the process, how you investigate, who you talk to.

A: I came here several nights to get the lay of the land, as to what would be occurring at 11 at night, what I found is that there are several businesses that are open at 11 and quite a bit of traffic that might use the Exxon station.

Many of those businesses are located in the nearby strip mall and WZZM 13's investigator was able to talk to workers and customers who are accustomed to being in the area. They told her that on the night Jessica Heeringa disappeared there were, at the time, what seemed like minor things out of the ordinary.

One example; The back of the Exxon station was totally dark. Two large security lights on the back wall normally on, were off. The back door which was normally closed, was open. This is where police say Jessica was taken and where a small amount of Jessica's blood was found.
 ::snipping3::
 

http://www.grandhaventribune.com/article/548241

Two months later
Jessica Heeringa’s 3-year-old son, Zevyn, looks for his mother wherever he goes.
Jun 22, 2013

“Isn’t that heartbreaking?” asked the boy’s great-grandmother, Diane Homrich.

It’s been nearly two months since Jessica Heeringa, 25, was abducted from a Norton Shores gas station and convenience store where she worked. She remains missing.

“They talked to a counselor and decided they needed to tell him something,” Homrich said of Zevyn. “They told him his mommy is lost. That is something he can understand.”

Massive police efforts have gone into the investigation and search for Heeringa, including a multi-agency task force. Norton Shores Police Chief Dan Shaw said that task force has since been downsized, but he still has four full-time officers working exclusively on the case.

“It’s a high-priority case for us,” he said.

Shaw said the department receives 10-15 Silent ******* tips each day, but only a handful of those receive priority treatment. Many of the calls are about rumors, he said, and some are about people they’ve already investigated for the case.

The Silent ******* reward is at more than $16,000, the chief said.

Police are still looking for a silver Chrysler Town and Country van that was seen in the area on the night of April 26 when Heeringa was abducted. A drawing of the man believed to be driving the van has been widely circulated, but the suspect has yet to be identified, Shaw said.

“We have lots of names, but we still don’t know who he is,” the chief said.

Shaw said he is convinced that somebody knows Heeringa's whereabouts, but he or she is not talking.

Shaw also believes Heeringa is still in the area, and the missing woman's grandmother still hopes she will be found alive
 ::snipping3::

Video at the link

http://www.wzzm13.com/news/article/260000/14/Jessica-Heeringas-fianc%C3%A9-We-need-her-home

Jessica Heeringa's fiancé: "We need her home"
11:14 PM, Jun 27, 2013

NORTON SHORES, Mich. (WZZM) -- It has been just over two months since Jessica Heeringa was last seen. She vanished late on the night of April 26 at the Exxon gas station on Sternberg Road where she worked.

On April 29, police released surveillance video of the van seen at the time of her alleged kidnapping. The next day police released a sketch of the man believed to have kidnapped her. On May 3, police searched Muskegon State park, but found nothing.

Since WZZM 13's update on the story, including our own investigation over a week ago, there still have been no new leads.
 ::snipping3::
Although the story is fading in the public's mind, it is the only thing on Dakota's mind. He believes the abductor was someone Jessica knew.

"It was very quick, her being outside. Not sure what happened, it's just a feeling I have."

Dakota says he still feels in the dark with all theories he hears from people in the community, although he does speak with investigators regularly.

"I talk to the police about twice a week, at least. We're pretty much on the understanding that they won't tell me anything until they have something," says Dakota.

Also left to wonder three-year-old Zevyn.

"He asks questions everyday-- everywhere we go he asks questions. Is mom here? Constantly looking for her asking if she's there," says Dakota.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/local/muskegon_county/10-weeks-since-heeringa-went-missing

Police: Tips continue in Heeringa case
Updated: Friday, 05 Jul 2013, 1:49 PM EDT
Published : Friday, 05 Jul 2013, 1:49 PM EDT

NORTON SHORES, Mich. (WOOD) - It has been 10 weeks since Jessica Heeringa was abducted while working at a gas station in Norton Shores, but police said there are fewer investigators working the case.

According to Norton Shores Police Chief Dnaiel Shaw, there are still detectives working the case,but the task force made up from investigators from around the area is no longer together.
 ::snipping3::
There is still no suspect in the kidnapping, but police said they are still receiving five to 10 tips each day.

Glad to know there are tips still coming in.
(http://i380.photobucket.com/albums/oo242/Brandi-Monkey/WEATHER/Animation1b.gif)

Happy Birthday, Jessica.   :smt113

http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/local/muskegon_county/heeringa-still-missing-on-26th-birthday

Heeringa still missing on 26th birthday
Updated: Tuesday, 16 Jul 2013, 3:51 PM EDT
Published : Tuesday, 16 Jul 2013, 3:51 PM EDT

MUSKEGON, Mich. (WOOD) - As Jessica Heeringa's 26th birthday passes, police still don't know who abducted the Norton Shores mother more than two months ago -- and they are running out of leads.

Heeringa was working at a Sternberg Road gas station in Norton Shores the night of April 26 when, police say, she was abducted. In the days following her disappearance, a multi-agency task force was convened to find her.

At first, there were some leads -- a silver mini-van and a composite sketch -- but those leads have led to dead-ends.

"#jessicaheeringa still missing on her 26th birthday. No new developments in the abduction case," Norton Shores Police Chief Dan Shaw tweeted Tuesday.

The task force looking into her abduction has been disbanded. Norton Shores Police Department detectives are now working the case on their own.

Police say it has been weeks since they have gotten any new tips.
 ::snipping3::

Doesn't it seem odd another woman has gone missing from the area?  Her name is Amy Sue Depoy and she went missing on Monday, allegedly.

She has been found safe:

http://fox17online.com/2013/07/25/missing-woman-amy-duck-found-safe/#ixzz2a4RDCN4T

http://wwmt.com/shared/news/features/top-stories/stories/wwmt_allday-prayer-vigil-held-family-jessica-heeringa-12084.shtml

All-day prayer vigil held for family of Jessica Heeringa
Updated: Tuesday, July 23 2013, 07:49 PM EDT

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (NEWSCHANNEL 3) - Even those who have never met Jessica Heeringa can sympathize with her story.

"It could have been my daughter," said Nancy Harriman, who was at the vigil Tuesday. "It could have been anybody's daughter."

Harriman says that's why she decided to approach Bridge Bible Church about an all-day prayer vigil for Jessica and her family.

"I knew they'd be all about it," Harriman said. "Because they not only opened the sanctuary for me, they also did all my flyers for me."

But she knew she had to reach out to the Heeringa family first.

"I wanted them to put a face with the person who was doing it," she explained. "I wanted her to know my intentions were genuine."

And for eight hours Tuesday, like minded people like Carrie Mitchell cycled through.

Mitchell has been trying to help the Heeringa family bring Jessica home with the help of social media, ever since she went missing.

Norton Shores Police say the tips they're getting now are largely based in theory rather than fact, and every suspect and lead has been examined and exhausted.
 ::snipping3::

So sad...no new concrete leads...

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2013/08/jessica_heeringa_abduction_cas_2.html

Jessica Heeringa abduction case: Grandparents 'disheartened' as 100th day since disappearance nears
on August 01, 2013 at 6:46 AM, updated August 01, 2013 at 6:58 AM

 ::snipping3::
Investigators press on

The case hasn’t yet gone cold, but it has become a “frustrating” investigation with very few solid leads and more questions than answers, said Norton Shores Police Chief Dan Shaw.

“We have a lot of pieces to the puzzle already, based on just the first few days. We do have different theories of who may be involved, but we don’t have anything concrete to connect people to this case. It will take just the right piece of information to make that happen,” Shaw said.

Shaw said there isn’t any piece of evidence to suggest Heeringa isn't alive, but then again “we have nothing to say she is.”

Police have not publicly identified a suspect in the case.

However, that’s not to say there aren’t individuals who police are keeping an eye on, Shaw said.

“There was no one taken into custody,” he said. “But we are still watching more than one (person). We follow evidence, we don’t go based on hunch. We have theories and all sorts of ideas.”

RELATED: Check out MLive's entire coverage of the Jessica Heeringa case

A task force once put together specifically for the Heeringa case has been dismantled at this point, Shaw said, but can easily be put back in place if there is a “solid” piece of information for the team to explore. As it stands now, there is one Norton Shores Police Department detective assigned to the Heeringa case on a daily basis. The rest of the department focuses on day-to-day incidents, Shaw said.

In the meantime, Shaw said the only real solid piece of evidence they have – the very small droplet of blood discovered outside the Exxon station that was determined to have belonged to Heeringa – didn’t really answer anything.

“Nothing has really changed with the investigation. There have been a lot of people giving us theories. That’s what we have been getting lately is just theories, not, ‘This is what we saw and this is what we heard,'" Shaw said.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.woodtv.com/news/local/muskegon-county/jessica-heeringa-abducted-4-months-ago

Jessica Heeringa abducted 4 months ago
Updated: Monday, August 26, 2013, 7:07 PM EDT
Published: Monday, August 26, 2013, 6:16 PM EDT

 ::snipping3::
But despite tips about the sketch and minivan pouring into the Norton Shores Police Department, nothing panned out.

In July, Heeringa's 26th birthday passed  and she remained missing. Police said the flow of tips had started to slow and that the task force had been disbanded, though NSPD detectives continued to work the case.

Aug 26, four months after Heeringa vanished, police said they are still seeking tips in the case.

Anyone with information is urged to call NSPD at 231.733.2691 or Silent ******* at 231.72.CRIME (231.722.7463).

There is a $15,160 reward for information in the case. Anyone who wishes to make a donation to the reward fund can mail or drop off a check or money order to:

Muskegon Community Foundation
C/O Silent *******
Norton Shores Police Department
4814 S Henry St
Norton Shores MI 49441

Donations can be made directly to Silent *******. Those who wish their donation returned if not used should mark it "Reward for Jessica."

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2013/08/4_months_later_donations_for_j.html

Donations for Jessica Heeringa reward fund, information about her whereabouts still sought by police
on August 27, 2013 at 8:56 AM, updated August 27, 2013 at 8:57 AM

 ::snipping3::
Norton Shores Police Chief Dan Shaw issued this statement this morning:

"The Norton Shores Police Department continues to actively investigate Jessica's abduction on a daily basis. We would like the community to remember that Jessica is still missing and know that we need information directly connected to her abduction," he said.

"Though we continue to receive 30-50 calls per week, most of the information is speculative in nature and not based on direct knowledge of the events of April 26, 2013. As I've stated from the start of this investigation, we believe that someone has personal knowledge of who abducted Jessica and/or her whereabouts. We need those people to come forward, so we can bring her home to her family."

The reward is up to $15,160, police said, and donations are being accepted to add to that amount.
 ::snipping3::

This is so sad. I suspect that she will be found this fall when people go to the woods for hunting.  ::MonkeyNoNo::

I agree TBM.   ::MonkeyNoNo::

 ::rhino:: ::MonkeyNoNo::

Not sure if this is related to this case but it is the first thing I thought of when I read this story:
http://www.wnem.com/story/23383213/arenac-co-children-find


Children find human remains behind grocery store

The Arenac County Sheriff's Department says a discovery by three children of human remains has led to the Michigan State Police deploying their mobile crime lab.

Authorities didn't state exactly when the remains were found, but earlier Monday WNEM TV5's Facebook page had several posts about children having discovered part of a human skull. Police later confirmed that the kids did find part of a skull.

 ::snipping3::

https://www.facebook.com/FindJessicaHeeringa

Find Jessica Heeringa
September 4.

Michigan families with missing loved ones have an opportunity to gather in the greater Lansing area for the third annual Missing In Michigan event; everyone is welcome from anywhere in the state – families, advocates, law enforcement, interested persons, whomever wants to be a part of supporting families with missing loved ones.

 o This year the event is at the Eagle Eye Golf Club on Sunday, September 8th, 2013, 15500 Chandler Rd, Bath, MI
 o (517) 641-4570

The main event will be in the Grand Garden Room from 1-5pm, and new to this year’s event will be a Family of Missing Persons ONLY Session from 9-11:30 am in the Eagle's Nest Room with Duane T. Bowers, a licensed therapist assisting families with their grief over the loss of a family member.

Speakers include:

Duane Bowers http://www.duanetbowers.com/
Carol Ryan http://www.spcoalition.org/ryan.html of NCMEC.
Beth Holloway http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beth_Holloway as the keynote speaker-Natalee Holloway's mother.
 ::snipping3::

https://www.facebook.com/FindJessicaHeeringa

Find Jessica Heeringa
11 hours ago.

Grandma Diane & Angel attended "Missing In Michigan" event in Lansing, Mi, Sunday 9/8/13. The Mich State Police had a large display of their equipment, their helicopter, mobile Forensic lab, bomb truck, S&R Team w/dogs, etc. Quite an impressive display. We learned that there are thousands missing in Michigan and 100,000 in the USA. We met many families of missing people. It helps being able to talk to people in the same situation we are. It was a very emotional day for us. The event closed with a candlelight ceremony in memory of our missing loved ones. Our thanks go out to Sarah Krebs & Mi State Police for putting on this event. God Bless All of You! ONE MISSION!!

https://www.facebook.com/FindJessicaHeeringa

Find Jessica Heeringa
9 hours ago.

The riders should be going by Hot Rod Harley around 12:30ish! Stop by, it's a awesome sight!

Bike belongs to one of our long time friends .... Ken n T
Ken is driving Jessicas bear!

(https://scontent-b-iad.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/p480x480/600835_217344151723388_36627156_n.jpg)

http://wkzo.com/news/articles/2013/oct/04/ride-for-jessica-heeringa-set-for-saturday/

Ride for Jessica Heeringa set for Saturday
Friday, October 04, 2013 3:02 p.m. EDT

NORTON SHORES (WKZO) -- A group is holding a weekend ride to raise money to help investigators find a missing Norton Shores woman.
 ::snipping3::
A 15-thousand-dollar reward is being offered in the case.
 

Video at the link

https://www.facebook.com/FindJessicaHeeringa

Find Jessica Heeringa
5 hours ago.

Today was a AWESOME sight!

There's still lots of time to get out to Cancun Connection and Support Jessicas family.
Stop by until 6! Raffles, taco bar, and more!

Video is a little shaky. It was hard to record and hold back the tears! Such a overwhelming show of Love & support!

Jessica's ride was started by a mother/daughter duo from Midland Michigan. With help from Lakeshore riders they were able to put together a fabulous event to raise money for a new investigative team!

Bikers came from Zeeland, Holland, Grand Rapids, Midland, Detroit!

A huge thanks to all that made it out today. I know Jessicas family are eternally Greatful for the love & support!

One Mission

http://www.wzzm13.com/news/article/269921/2/Ride-for-Jessica-Heeringa

Police no closer to finding Jessica Heeringa
7:00 PM, Oct 5, 2013

MUSKEGON, Mich. (WZZM) - It's been over five months since 26 year-old Jessica Heeringa disappeared, and Norton Shores Police say they are no closer to finding her. Now her family says it's time to ramp up the investigation.

Heeringa vanished on the night of April 26th, at the Exxon gas station in Norton Shores, where she worked. Norton Shores Police Chief Daniel Shaw told WZZM 13 Saturday there are no new leads in the investigation, but says his department gets about 40 calls a week related to the Heeringa case.

Now friends and volunteers from all over Michigan are doing their part to keep the search alive. 200 motorcycles left the same Exxon station Jessica Disappeared from, driving across the Lakeshore and arriving at the Hot Rod Harley Davidson in Muskegon.

"If Jessica was here, that's where we would put her today," said Theresa Smith, pointing to the back seat of her husband's motorcycle. "This is her bear, and he's riding for Jessica today."

Hot Rod Harley Davidson was one stop on their fundraising ride to Cancun Connection in Muskegon. The family hopes to raise enough money for private investigators.
 ::snipping3::
Chief Shaw says the task force has disbanded, right now there's just two police detectives working the case.

Anyone who thinks they might be able to help should call Norton Shores Police at 231-733-2691 Silent ******* at 231-72-CRIME.

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2013/10/jessica_heeringas_investigatio.html

Jessica Heeringa investigation 6 months later: Fiance, police chief remain hopeful
on October 25, 2013 at 6:45 AM, updated October 25, 2013 at 7:59 AM

 ::snipping3::
But a multi-jurisdictional task force, state and federal assistance and thousands of tips haven’t yet put a dent in the case, said Norton Shores Police Chief Dan Shaw, whose department is heading up the investigation.

“Obviously the odds are not in our favor at this point. Typically, the longer the time goes, the less likely there is for a successful outcome,” Shaw said.

“We hope to be on the outliers in that statistic and we hope to bring her home. But that’s not how we’re addressing the case. We are continuing to operate as if she is alive. We keep telling ourselves every day that she is out there and we have to go find her," he said.

However, nothing about the case has essentially changed, Shaw said.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.wzzm13.com/news/article/272053/2/Vigil-to-mark-6-months-since-Jessica-disappeared

Vigil for Jessica Heering to mark 6 months since her disappearance
8:40 PM, Oct 25, 2013

 ::snipping3::
Saturday evening, family and friends will hold a vigil to pray for her return and renew efforts to find her. The event begins at 6:00p.m. at the strip mall across the street from the gas station.

Since her disappearance, Norton Shores Police have received many tips, but have not come up with new leads. There is a $15,000 reward for anyone who can help in the investigation.

http://www.woodtv.com/news/local/muskegon-county/6-months-since-jessica-was-abducted

Crews search for clues in Heeringa case
Crews searched Muskegon Lake
Updated: Friday, October 25, 2013, 9:51 AM EDT
Published: Friday, October 25, 2013, 5:43 AM EDT

 ::snipping3::
24 Hour News 8 spoke to the Norton Shores Police Chief, Daniel Shaw. Shaw said detectives are still working the case, but have not gotten any solid tips in months. Shaw said the majority of calls are speculation.

Last week, crews sent a dive team into Muskegon Lake to check it out after a fisherman called saying he snagged a heavy tarp in his line. However, crews were unable to find anything.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2013/10/dozens_gather_in_norton_shores.html

Dozens gather in Norton Shores to pray, reflect on 6-month anniversary of Jessica Heeringa disappearance
October 26, 2013 at 9:17 PM, updated October 26, 2013 at 9:34 PM

NORTON SHORES, MI – Jill Sloma used to rock Jessica Heeringa to sleep.

Sloma, a best friend of Heeringa’s mother Shelly Heeringa for more than 30 years, was one of a few dozen gathered at The Pointes Mall plaza parking lot on a chilly Saturday evening right before dusk.

The informal gathering, arranged through Facebook groups dedicated to finding the missing mother of a toddler, acknowledged the six-month anniversary of Heeringa’s disappearance.

Heeringa, 26, went missing in April after she was allegedly abducted at the end of her shift at the Sternberg Road Exxon gas station.

Sloma, who now lives in Lowell, said the gathering was important because it will keep Heeringa in the news and help raise awareness about the family’s tragedy.

“I will not give up hope,” Sloma said. “We all honestly believe we will find her. We will never stop looking.”
 ::snipping3::

http://wwmt.com/shared/news/features/top-stories/stories/wwmt_remembering-jessica-heeringa-six-months-after-disappearance-15038.shtml

Remembering Jessica Heeringa, six months after disappearance
Updated: Saturday, October 26 2013, 07:19 PM EDT

 ::snipping3::
Shelly Heeringa, Jessica's mother, now wants the Norton Shores Police Department to turn the case over to investigators with the Michigan State Police: "I want them to turn the case over to state police. I want a new set of eyes to look at it. They've had six months and they haven't done anything, as far as I'm concerned, but look at the same people over and over again. There's questions about the witnesses, there's questions about people who were up there that night and somebody needs to do something about it."

The family hopes this vigil will help spread the work to keep looking for Jessica as they try to find peace in the meantime.

http://fox17online.com/2013/11/04/user-accusations-create-controversy-on-find-jessica-heeringa-page/#axzz2jjZIX0MF

User Accusations Create Controversy on ‘Find Jessica Heeringa’ Page
3 hours ago

NORTON SHORES, Mich. — It’s been six months since Jessica Heeringa was abducted from a gas station in Norton Shores, and now the Facebook page created to raise awareness about her disappearance is heating up as accusations fly throughout the threads.

More than 21,000 people like the ‘Find Jessica Heeringa’ Facebook page.  Many of them come to the site from across the world to express their condolences to the family.

Recently, though, people are being accused of knowing more information about her disappearance than they’re coming forward with. Commenters, are telling specific people to come forward with what they know, usually by writing out their initials.

“I don’t want people accusing anybody of anything, and we aren’t accusing anyone.  We just want people to speak up and that’s all we ask for,” said Carrie Mitchell, the Find Jessica Heeringa Facebook page administrator. “Most of that does not come from us. Most of that comes from the general public: people that follow Jessica’s case. People that know what’s going on.“
 ::snipping3::
The family has created a petition to move Jessica’s case from the NSPD into the hands of Michigan State Police. Shaw said their department has been working with MSP from the beginning and are still investigating the case on a daily basis.

https://www.facebook.com/FindJessicaHeeringa

Find Jessica Heeringa 
about an hour ago.

Of Course.... They would like us to go away. I'm sure they'd like this whole case to just go away! They are no closer than day 1.... How is bringing Jessica's case to the World hindering his investigation? What I do know is there are tips that go cold because they aren't checked out! Last week, a tip was sent to NSPD. When called and asked about it ......response was "what picture"? They will not hand this investigation over to the MSP because they've had it since day 1.....
 Day 1.... Why wasn't the gas station finger printed? Jessica was a clean freak! Prints could've been found on the door jams! Why wasn't the gas station closed down? There was blood found on the property, so why did it take 3 days to change this case from a missing persons to Abduction?

 We won't go away! We will stay forever vigilant on Jessica's behalf until we bring her home!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jon-leiberman/adults-dont-vanish_b_4239883.html

Adults Don't Vanish -- Where Is Jessica Heeringa?
Posted: 11/13/2013 12:03 pm

 ::snipping3::
Witnesses have been reluctant to come forward, though sources confirm at least one co-worker stopped into the gas station several times that night and may know what happened. Speculation has abounded about who may have wanted Jessica dead but there have been no strong leads.

Police have searched, and dug into the case but I am convinced without a tip from the public this case may never be solved. In this era of "stop snitching," often people are afraid to come forward with information out of fear of retaliation. But in an email from the family to me, they say this: "We need help pulling out the truth, Jon! We need answers. Please help!"
 ::snipping3::

Tomorrow is the start of firearm deer season. For the family's sake I hope she can be found.

http://www.examiner.com/article/fundraiser-to-be-held-saturday-for-family-of-missing-michigan-woman

Fundraiser to be held Saturday for missing Michigan woman
November 29, 2013

(http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width/hash/fa/87/fa8751fb914e5aa82bdfb60c919c8122.jpg?itok=DwqoWimI)

 ::snipping3::
Very little information has been released regarding the disappearance of Jessica Heeringa, which is currently being handled by the Norton Shores Police Department. In May 2013, Newser.com reported a small amount of blood belonging to Jessica had been identified by law enforcement, giving her family hope that she fought her alleged abductor, was not mortally injured, and is still alive. The information is providing hope to her loved ones that Jessica is still out there, and they are asking for an intensified search and investigation, hoping "fresh eyes" will lead them to finding her.

Jessica's family is now asking for the case to be transferred to the jurisdiction of the Michigan State Police (MSP) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). For those wishing to support that request, the petition may be signed here.
 ::snipping3::

I don't know how long the firearm deer season lasts in Michigan; but I hope she is found, too.

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2013/12/rep_lamonte_unveils_jessicas_l.html

'Jessica's Law,' named after missing Jessica Heeringa, unveiled by officials, family
on December 09, 2013 at 11:17 AM, updated December 09, 2013 at 2:38 PM

NORTON SHORES, MI – State Rep. Collene Lamonte on Monday unveiled a bill, named after missing Jessica Heeringa, she said would help to protect late-night workers at gas stations and convenience stores.
 ::snipping3::
Lamonte said she hoped to introduce the bill to the Michigan Legislature on Tuesday. The bill would:

•Require gas stations and convenience stores operating between 11 p.m.-5 a.m. to schedule at least two workers on that shift, or require gas stations and convenience stores to install and maintain a security camera that would record attacks, robberies or other crimes that threaten workers.
•Establish a civil fine of not more than $200 for each violation of this law.
 ::snipping3::

http://fox17online.com/2014/01/28/chief-shaw-heeringa-rumors-are-false/#axzz2rrNwv3d0

Police Chief: Jessica Heeringa Rumors are False
1 day ago

NORTON SHORES, Mich.- Chief Daniel Shaw of the Norton Shores Police Department says recent rumors regarding the disappearance of Jessica Heeringa are false.

Shaw says there is no one in custody and no updates to the case.

They’re continuing to search for leads and tips in the investigation.
 ::snipping3::

http://fox17online.com/2014/02/24/missing-in-west-michigan-the-search-for-jessica-heeringa/#axzz2uU1UwvzD

Missing in West Michigan: The Search for Jessica Heeringa
2 days ago

NORTON SHORES, Mich. (Feb. 24, 2014) – The same plea has been sent out for nearly 10 months: “Bring Jessica Heeringa home.”

The young mother who police believe was abducted from work is still missing.

Although out of the spotlight, Jessica Heeringa is still fresh on a lot of people’s minds.

“We`re just hoping and hoping, and it’s just a nightmare.  Nothing prepares a family for this.” Jessica’s grandma Diane Homrich said.

The case has been a dead-end, from the surveillance video showing a silver van possibly involved in her abduction to the sketch from witness descriptions of the man behind the wheel. Jessica’s purse and money were left behind, and police found drops of her blood behind the gas station where police believe she was abducted.

“We don’t have the information we need to find Jessica or find her abductor and bring them to justice at this point,” Norton Shores Police Chief Daniel Shaw said.

But that’s not good enough for the family of the now 26-year-old mother. “We hope and we have hoped for several months now that Norton Shores would turn it over to the Michigan State Police,” Homrich said.

Chief Shaw said the tasks force investigating Jessica’s disappearance, including members of the Michigan State Police, still keeps in contact, meeting every few months. “We discuss the case with other jurisdictions to see if there`s connections with any of their open cases, or similar cases that they may have had whether it be an abduction or a rape type case,” Shaw said.

Detective Sgt. Mike Kasher of the Norton Shores Police Department has been exclusively working the case every day since Jessica was abducted.

Both family and police believe those involved in the disappearance are from the Norton Shores area, that’s why their focus has remains the area around the gas station where Heeringa worked.

The Heeringa family says they’ve hired a private investigator with money raised at various fundraisers.

Jessica’s 4-year-old son, Zeven, is no longer in contact with her family. “That just breaks my heart because he’s such a cute little guy and of course he`s our one connection left for Jessie and vice versa,” Homrich said.
 ::snipping3::
--------------------
This post might explain why Jessica's grandmother (Horich) made the statement above.

https://www.facebook.com/FindJessicaHeeringa

Find Jessica Heeringa
February 24

The truth shall set you free!
 Justice will Prevail

 ONE MISSION-FIND JESSICA HEERINGA
..
Find Jessica Heeringa Amanda Harris-Clark, the father "Jessica's fiancée" has moved on with his life. He has a live in girlfriend. He will only let them see Zevyn if they come to his house. That's just too uncomfortable for them. They miss him everyday! Look at his beautiful face, he looks just like his Mommy
February 24 at 8:27pm

Keeping the grandson from his grandparents is cruel in my opinon. What a spiteful thing to do.

Yes, I agree with you that keeping the grandson from his grandparents is cruel.  In some states, there has been a movement for the rights of grandparents to be able to see their grandchildren.  Here are some links regarding grandparents rights in the State of Michigan.  It would be almost overwhelming to me to have my adult child missing and being denied seeing my grandchild, and having to fight in the courts for visitation.  ::MonkeyNoNo::

http://grandparents.about.com/od/grandparentsrights/qt/Grandparent_Rights_in_Michigan.htm
Michigan Grandparents' Rights
New Laws Enacted After Troxel v. Granville

http://www.legislature.mi.gov/(S(zau4wx55zhftvd55x2mrjf45))/mileg.aspx?page=getobject&objectname=mcl-722-27b
Section 722.27b
CHILD CUSTODY ACT OF 1970 (EXCERPT)
Act 91 of 1970
722.27b Order for grandparenting time; circumstances; acknowledgment of parentage; commencement of action; procedures; affidavit; basis for entry of order; best interests of child; alternative dispute resolution; frequency of filing complaint or motion seeking order; attorney fees; order prohibiting change of domicile of child; effect of entry of order; modifying or terminating order; record; termination of grandparent's right to commence action.
More...
Sec. 7b.

http://woodtv.com/2014/04/02/target-8-a-new-twist-revealed/

Jessica Heeringa: A new twist revealed
Updated: Wednesday, April 2, 2014, 11:31 pm
Published: Wednesday, April 2, 2014, 3:00 pm

NORTON SHORES, Mich. (WOOD) — The woman who provided police with their biggest clue in the Jessica Heeringa disappearance — the description that led to the sketch of a possible suspect — has a close relationship with a person later identified as a person of interest in the case, Target 8 has learned.

They are brother and sister — and the brother, his family said, had recently dated Heeringa.

Their father told Target 8 that detectives harassed his son, who is not being named due to his connection to the investigation, early on in the investigation.

“They just kept calling him in, calling him in,” said the father, who is not being named by Target 8. “At one time, I guess, he was the No. 1 suspect.”

The brother, according to his father, had recently rented an apartment, hoping Heeringa would move in with him.

“And she didn’t move in,” the father said.

It’s another twist in a case that has led to a dozen persons of interest but no solid leads, no sign of what really happened to Heeringa on April 26. 2013.
 ::snipping3::

Video and photos at the link

http://fox17online.com/2014/04/23/fox-17-exclusive-jessica-heeringa-case-file-and-crime-scene-photos-unveiled/#axzz2zmdRcQY (http://fox17online.com/2014/04/23/fox-17-exclusive-jessica-heeringa-case-file-and-crime-scene-photos-unveiled/#axzz2zmdRcQY)

6 hours ago
FOX 17 EXCLUSIVE: Jessica Heeringa Case File and Crime Scene Photos Unveiled

 ::snipping3::
Below is an amended and expanded timeline that we have constructed based on the investigation to date:

April 26, 2013

2:44 pm: JESSICA purchased groceries at Aldi, 2715 Henry Street.

4:35 pm: JESSICA begins her shift at the Exxon store.
•JESSICA was aware the store did not have video cameras, as she had advised customers of this and the fact she was working alone.
•She was not worried about the lack of cameras.
•It was not uncommon for JESSICA to prop open the rear door and turn off the store’s rear security light so she could smoke cigarettes behind the store or allow friends to enter via the rear door.

7:30 – 8:15 pm: JESSICA’s reported boyfriend arrived at the Exxon station in a work vehicle, a silver full-size van. The two reportedly had a discussion regarding their relationship.
•A customer advised that JESSICA appeared to be upset after the conversation with the male subject.

7:40 – 8:50 pm: A female friend entered the store through the front door to visit JESSICA. Nothing suspicious was noticed at that time.
•Both the female friend and a male customer observed a bluish silver van pull up to JESSICA while she was changing the receipt paper in one of the pumps. It appeared that the male driver and JESSICA were having a friendly conversation.

10:55 pm: A female customer entered the store and purchased a lighter. She advised that JESSICA was alone in the store and did not appear to be nervous or distressed. The customer did not see anyone in the store or in the parking lot.

11:00 pm (apx.): An Exxon manager and her husband were riding their motorcycles eastbound on Sternberg Road.
•She saw a silver minivan slowly enter the north drive of the Exxon station from the service drive of the Points Mall.
•The van drove behind the Exxon station, did a u-turn and extinguished its headlights as it pulled behind the store facing west.
•The manager suspected JESSICA may be in the process of stealing from Exxon, so she turned around on Harvey Street to return to the store.
•The manager and her husband drove to the Points Mall, west of the Exxon station, and parked in the lot with a view of the north and west sides of the Exxon station.
•The minivan was parked on the north side of the Exxon station.
•There were no other vehicles in the lot except for JESSICA’s.
•The manager saw a figure standing at the rear of the van and noticed the van’s rear hatch was open.
•The figure shut the rear hatch and quickly opened it again.
•It appeared as though the figure was adjusting something in the rear of the van, and then closed the hatch again.
•She noted that the figure’s head was just above the roof of the van.
•The figure then walked to the driver’s door, got into the van and began driving westbound on the service drive.

The manager made the following observations:
•The store’s rear security light was not on.
•The store’s rear door did not open at any time.
•She never saw a struggle or heard anyone yell for help.
•She did not see JESSICA outside of the store.

As the van drove closer to their location in the parking lot, the manager and her husband started their motorcycles and pulled up to the service drive.
•As the van passed, she looked at the driver, a male subject wearing a red or orange sweatshirt.
•Her husband stated that he did not see the subject well, but did see that he had “crazy” or wavy hair.
• Neither of them saw JESSICA or anyone else in the van.

The manager and her husband pulled onto the service drive and followed the van until it stopped at Grand Haven Road.
• The manager’s husband stated that he was positive the van was a Chrysler Town and Country van, silver in color, as it was the same type a relative owned (Note: This vehicle was located and was in Traverse City, MI at the time of the abduction).
• He clearly remembered the town and country logo on the rear hatch door.
• Neither obtained the license plate number, as they had no reason to believe a crime had occurred.

The van turned northbound on Grand Haven Road, while the manager and her husband turned southbound on Grand Haven Road and went home.

11:02 pm: Surveillance video from inside of a closed store in the Points Mall captured a silver minivan turning northbound onto Grand Haven Road.

11:03 pm: Surveillance video from the Homestead Tavern captured a silver minivan driving northbound on Grand Haven Road.

11:05 pm: Surveillance video from the Coin Zone captured a silver minivan driving northbound on Grand Haven Road.

11:10 pm (apx): A male customer arrived at the gas station, pulled up to the pump and attempted to purchase gasoline. He but was unable to do so as the pump would not activate.
• When the pump did not activate, he entered the store believing that the clerk (JESSICA) may have been in the back room and not aware of his presence at the pump. He was unable to locate JESSICA.
• Upon exiting the store, he spoke with a female customer and called 9-1-1
 ::snipping3::

http://woodtv.com/2014/04/24/heeringas-family-investigator-weighs-in/ (http://woodtv.com/2014/04/24/heeringas-family-investigator-weighs-in/)

Heeringa’s family investigator weighs in
Updated: Thursday, April 24, 2014, 10:01 am
Published: Thursday, April 24, 2014, 9:36 am

NORTON SHORES, Mich. (WOOD) — Authorities have received a lot of tips into the case of missing Norton Shores mother Jessica Heeringa, but still no one knows what led up to her disappearance.

Heeringa’s family hired private investigator Ken Cote to work on the case, in addition to police efforts.

Cote told 24 Hour News 8 he is disappointed with the Norton Shores Police Department and how they have dealt with tips.

“I believe some tips are falling through the cracks,” said Cote. “There were multiple tips that people have come up to me and said I have reported and left my name and number about what I’ve seen and heard and no one bothered to contact them.”

Cote also believes there could be more than one suspect in the case. He sent out a warning to those involved in her abduction to come forward and confess.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.monroenews.com/news/2014/apr/24/police-make-new-appeal-tips-abduction-case/ (http://www.monroenews.com/news/2014/apr/24/police-make-new-appeal-tips-abduction-case/)

Police Make New Appeal For Tips In Abduction Case
As of Thursday, April 24, 2014, 10:09 a.m

NORTON SHORES, Mich. (AP) — Police investigating the disappearance of a mother from her job at a western Michigan gas station nearly a year ago issued a fresh appeal Thursday for tips in the case.

Norton Shores police Chief Dan Shaw said efforts to find Jessica Heeringa continue. He also released an updated timeline on the case and details about investigative efforts, noting the work of a task force comprising 15 local, state and federal agencies.

After one year of intensive investigation, we have not received or discovered the necessary information leading us to Jessica or her abductor," Shaw said in a statement.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.freep.com/article/20140424/NEWS06/304240084/Jessica-Heeringa-Norton-Shores-abduction-case (http://www.freep.com/article/20140424/NEWS06/304240084/Jessica-Heeringa-Norton-Shores-abduction-case)

Mystery minivan: A year later, Jessica Heeringa's abduction still unsolved
9:01 PM, April 24, 2014

Nearly a year after a young mother was abducted from her job at a western Michigan gas station, police and her family are still looking for answers.

But what happened to Jessica Heeringa, who police say was driven away from a Norton Shores gas station in a silver minivan, remains a mystery.

“It’s still a nightmare,” said Diane Homrich, Heeringa’s grandmother, who said she believes her granddaughter is alive.

Police today released a time line revealing information from their investigation, including details reported by a manager from the gas station and the manager’s husband. The woman said she saw a silver minivan — which her husband described as a Chrysler Town & Country — parked behind the Exxon Mobil on East Sternberg Road in Norton Shores about 11 p.m. on April 26, 2013.

It was around that time — closing time at the station — when police say Heeringa vanished.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.wzzm13.com/story/news/investigations/13-on-your-side/2014/04/25/police-chief-search-jessica-heeringa/8160531/ (http://www.wzzm13.com/story/news/investigations/13-on-your-side/2014/04/25/police-chief-search-jessica-heeringa/8160531/)

Police chief reflects on year of searching for Jessica
7:31 p.m. EDT April 25, 2014

NORTON SHORES, Mich. (WZZM) - It has been one long year since Jessica Heeringa disappeared from a Norton Shores gas station.

"It seems just like yesterday," for Daniel Shaw, Norton Shores Police Chief.
 ::snipping3::
Police have used 33 search warrants around Muskegon, Traverse City, and even this month, at a house near Detroit. Shaw says they received a tip just two weeks ago and they searched the house near Detroit and seized some evidence which is still being analyzed.

A dozen people have been looked at as "persons-of-interest." The chief says that not all of those "persons-of-interests" are male.

Shaw also says that the investigation does not focus on Heeringa's fiance' Dakotah Quail-Dyer or the reported boyfriend who visited Jessica at the station earlier that day. Alibis for both men have checked out.
 ::snipping3::

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=245845938873209&set=a.198477870276683.1073741826.198476393610164&type=1

http://fox17online.com/2014/04/26/one-year-anniversary-of-jessica-heeringas-abduction-police-offering-reward-of-more-than-21000/#axzz3014qmCC3

One Year Anniversary of Jessica Heeringa’s Abduction: Police Offering Reward of More than $21,000

NORTON SHORES, Mich. (April 26, 2014) – The reward for information leading to the location of Jessica Heeringa has increased to more than $21,000, Norton Shores Police Department Chief Dan Shaw told Fox 17. Chief Shaw said an anonymous donation of $6,000 was made over the weekend.

According to the Help Find Jessica Heeringa Facebook page, there will be a vigil held at 3 P.M. Saturday, near the Exxon gas station where Jessica was abducted, on East Sternberg Road near Grand Haven Road in Norton Shores.

Earlier this week, the Norton Shores Police Department released new information in the case, including an extensive timeline of events beginning in the afternoon the day Jessica was abducted, along with two pictures of the gas station that night. Officials said investigators have worked more than 12,000 hours on this case, and are still searching for necessary clues to find Jessica. Chief Shaw said as of now there are about 12 persons of interest in this case, including a few who are being regularly monitored.

 ::snipping3::

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2014/04/jessica_heeringas_mother_my_li.html (http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2014/04/jessica_heeringas_mother_my_li.html)

Jessica Heeringa's mother: 'My life has basically ended without her'
on April 26, 2014 at 6:44 AM, updated April 26, 2014 at 6:49 AM

NORTON SHORES, MI -- Life as Shelly Heeringa knows it, is over.

For the grieving, sleepless mother of Jessica Heeringa -- the 26-year-old Muskegon woman who went missing a year ago -- her world remains turned upside down.

“My life has basically ended without her,” said a tearful Shelly Heeringa over the phone from her Nashville, Mich., home.

“The hardest part is waking up in the morning and trying to fall asleep at night,” she said. “That’s when your mind wanders. It’s another day that she hasn’t been found.”
 ::snipping3::
1 year later and no closer to finding “Jess”

This year Shelly Heeringa is requesting that no vigil is held for her missing daughter. It’s just too much to endure, she said.

One group of women, who apparently have a Facebook page supporting Jessica, offered to have a memorial for Jessica by throwing flowers all over a field on the date of her disappearance.

But a memorial represents death, Shelly Heeringa said, and she refuses to think that way about her daughter.

“I don’t like to talk about her in the past tense,” she said of Jessica. “She’s alive. Until I’m shown different, I am not going to believe anything else. I’ve waited for spring and I’ve waited for summer. Deer hunting has gone by. If she had passed already, I think she would have been found.”
 ::snipping3::
Authorities have considered several theories behind Jessica Heeringa’s disappearance. Police have consistently said they believe Jessica knew her alleged abductor.

Her mother doesn’t disagree with that, but her gut tells her she knows who might be involved.

“I basically have two theories: One is that a complete stranger did it, maybe someone who had been in the gas station before. He would have at least went in there and could see there were no cameras. I think he could have watched across (Sternberg Road) in the G&L parking lot,” she said.

“He had a 12-minute window and went into the store, maybe. He was lucky enough to get that window.”

Or good old-fashioned jealousy might be behind the disappearance, she said.

Without giving too much information, Shelly Heeringa said Jessica -- described as pretty, friendly, smart and hard-working -- wasn’t well-liked by everyone.

Female co-workers had it out for her, she said, but the customers at Exxon adored her.
 ::snipping3::
Having her grandson back in her life helps, too, she said.

She said she is thankful that a recent court ruling allows her to have contact with her grandson, Zevyn. Seeing his face helps soften the blow of not having his mother around.

“We are very happy we can see him and we are just as important to him as he is to us. I love him very much," she said.

"We are a piece of his mama. He is our piece of Jessie.”

http://fox17online.com/2014/04/29/reward-for-jessica-heeringa-fund-exceeds-25000/#axzz30P6bFRAG (http://fox17online.com/2014/04/29/reward-for-jessica-heeringa-fund-exceeds-25000/#axzz30P6bFRAG)

Reward for Jessica Heeringa Fund Exceeds $25,000
20 hours ago

NORTON SHORES, Mich. (April 29, 2014) – The reward to help find Jessica Heeringa has surpassed $25,000 this week.

Heeringa was abducted from work at a Norton Shores gas station on April 26, 2013.

Great Lakes Ford of Muskegon donated $4,000 to the Silent ******* “Reward for Jessica” fund.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2014/06/father_of_jessica_heeringas_ch.html (http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2014/06/father_of_jessica_heeringas_ch.html)

Father of Jessica Heeringa's child arrested for drug charges
on June 19, 2014 at 12:49 PM, updated June 19, 2014 at 2:35 PM

(http://media.mlive.com/chronicle/news_impact/photo/15241396-small.jpg)
Dakotah Quail-Dyer    Muskegon County Jail

NORTON SHORES, MI –  The fiancé of Jessica Heeringa, the Muskegon woman who has been missing for over a year, has been charged with three felony drug charges.

Dakotah Wakan Quail-Dyer, 30, was arraigned in Muskegon County 60th District Court Thursday, June 19, on three counts of controlled substance delivery/manufacturing, marijuana, a felony.

A judge set a $20,000 cash or surety bond for each charge. A preliminary examination is slated for 1:30 p.m. July 2.

According to court documents, he is accused of the drug activity in March and was arrested on June 18 by the Michigan State Police.

Heeringa has been missing since April 26, 2013, after she was allegedly abducted while finishing her shift as a night clerk at the Sternberg Road Exxon gas station in Norton Shores, shortly before 11 p.m. A suspect or suspects haven't been publicly identified by police, and Heeringa remained missing as of Thursday, June 19.

Quail-Dyer and Heeringa have a young son together who has been in Quail-Dyer's custody since Heeringa went missing. The couple was engaged at the time of her disappearance.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.wzzm13.com/story/news/crime/2014/06/20/jessica-heeringa/11128637/ (http://www.wzzm13.com/story/news/crime/2014/06/20/jessica-heeringa/11128637/)

Jessica Heeringa's sister seeks emergency custody of boy
7:18 p.m. EDT June 20, 2014

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WZZM) -- A day after the father of Jessica Heeringa's son was arrested on drug charges, the missing woman's sister is seeking temporary custody of the boy.

Samantha Heeringa says she is concerned about the welfare and safety of little Zevyn Heeringa, the son of Jessica Heeringa and Dakotah Quail-Dyer.

Quail-Dyer, 30, is charged with three counts of selling marijuana. A Kent County Probate Court judge in May granted him custody of Zevyn following a protracted legal battle with the Heeringa family.
 ::snipping3::

Quail-Dyer either managed to hide his illegal activities well or someone didn't do their background work in granting custody.  I doubt this is the first time hhe's been involved in the drug trade nor do I think he just started doing this in the last couple months.  I realize very often there's an emphasis on placing children with their immediate family, but what happened here?  Zevyn's mother has been missing over a year and now his father is in jail on felony drug charges.   ::MonkeyNoNo:: Quail-Dyer was just granted custody last month.   What kind of home life could he have offered the little boy?  I guess it's all a matter of priority. The article says he got custody after a protracted legal battle.  After gaining custody just last month, he  royally blew it.   ::MonkeyNoNo::
I hope Zevyn can be in a home where he is safe and cared for. 

http://www.wzzm13.com/story/news/2014/07/02/dakotah-quail-dyer-keeps-custody/12123261/ (http://www.wzzm13.com/story/news/2014/07/02/dakotah-quail-dyer-keeps-custody/12123261/)

Father of missing woman's son keeps custody of boy
1:26 a.m. EDT July 3, 2014

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WZZM) -- The fiance of Jessica Heeringa will retain custody of their four-year-old son, Zevyn.

Dakotah Quail-Dyer, 30, was arraigned last month on three felony drug charges.

At the same time, Samantha Heeringa, Jessica's sister was seeking temporary custody of Heeringa's son.

Wednesday, a judge ruled in favor of Dakotah.

The judge also allowed Samantha to spend time with Zevyn.
 ::snipping3::

http://woodtv.com/2014/07/29/heeringas-boyfriend-pleads-to-drug-charges/

Heeringa’s boyfriend pleads to drug charges
Published: July 29, 2014, 7:55 pm | Updated: July 30, 2014, 8:14 am   

MUSKEGON, Mich. (WOOD) — The boyfriend of missing Norton Shores woman Jessica Heeringa has admitted to three felony drug charges.

Dakotah Quail-Dyer pleaded guilty Friday to one count of possession of a controlled substance and two counts of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, all as a second-time habitual offender, according to Muskegon County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Tim Maat.

Quail-Dyer was arrested on the charges in June. Authorities say he sold marijuana to an undercover officer on March 5, May 5 and May 29.
 ::snipping3::
Quail-Dyer has been fighting to keep custody of his son Zevyn. In court records, he said he has kept his son from Heeringa’s family, in part, because they have falsely accused him of abuse and neglect and threatened to take the boy away.

The status of that case was not immediately available Tuesday evening.

Quail-Dyer is scheduled to be sentenced for the drug crimes in September.

http://woodtv.com/2014/10/01/heeringas-boyfriend-sentenced-for-drug-charges/

Heeringa’s boyfriend sentenced for drug charges
Published: October 1, 2014, 4:18 pm   

MUSKEGON, Mich. (WOOD) — The boyfriend of missing woman Jessica Heeringa has been sentenced for three felony drug charges.

Dakotah Quail-Dyer was sentenced Monday to six months in jail, followed by six months on an electronic tether.

He was arrested in June and pleaded guilty in July to three charges: one count of possession of a controlled substance and two counts of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, all as a second-time habitual offender.
 ::snipping3::
Quail-Dyer has been in a court battle to keep custody of his and Heeringa’s son. Heeringa’s family claims he’s an unfit parent, but Quail-Dyer said that’s not true.

It’s not yet known how Quail-Dyer’s sentence will affect the custody battle.

http://www.grandhaventribune.com/article/policefire/1704766

Mystery unsolved
Jessica Heeringa case to appear on ‘Unsolved Mysteries’ webisode.
BECKY VARGO
NORTON SHORES
APR 23, 2015

 ::snipping3::

Jessica’s missing

Jessica Heeringa was 25 when she was abducted two years ago from the gas station where she worked at 1196 E. Sternberg Road in Norton Shores.

Police narrowed down the abduction time to between 10:55 and 11:10 p.m., when the last customers reported being at the station located just east of U.S. 31. A customer called for help when he couldn’t get gas, walked into the building and found no one around.

Police soon realized they had more than a simple disappearance.

“They realized that night that she didn’t just walk away,” said former Norton Shores Police Chief Dan Shaw. “I was notified before midnight that this was something more.”

Under normal circumstances, police would not become involved until a person had been missing for more than 24 hours.

But police noticed Jessica’s coat and a purse containing more than $400 left behind in the store. A cash drawer, already counted out for the night, was sitting on top of the safe. A garbage can was next to the back door, ready to be dumped.

Police also found a 2-by-3-inch bloodstain on the concrete outside the back door.
The blood was later determined, by DNA analysis, to be Heeringa’s.

Over the next couple of weeks, a task force composed of 15 federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, as well as 14 separate specialized units, worked full time to follow tips and search for Heeringa.

Family members, including Heeringa’s grandmother, Diane Homrich, manned a volunteer center for weeks at the nearby Pointes Mall, distributing fliers, coordinating searches of their own and doing everything they could to keep people looking for Heeringa.

 ::snipping3::

Still searching

A “Find Jessica Heeringa” Facebook page is kept up to date and the family also monitors its own tip line at 231-222-0278. They still have the services of a private detective when they need him, Homrich said.

An interview with Jessica’s mother, Shelly Heeringa, is scheduled to start airing this weekend on the “Unsolved Mysteries” website.

“We’re always searching Facebook and the Internet,” Shelly Heeringa said. “We’re always looking for tips, leads.”

Homrich said it’s very discouraging to see people going on with their daily lives.

“Ours stopped two years ago,” she said. “I don’t think it will ever be the same.”

Both Homrich and Kasher believe Jessica is still alive.

“We haven’t learned anything that would prove otherwise,” Homrich said.

“There’s nothing to suggest she is deceased,” Kasher said. “I go on the same premise as I have since day one — she is alive, she is still out there, maybe held captive.”

Kasher said his police department continues investigating tips, although nothing has led them to a true suspect. There are “people of interest” who have not been completely ruled out, he said, but they are not officially suspects.

“One guy was high on our list until his alibi and phone records put him in a different location,” Kasher said. “The polygraph agreed with him.”

The lieutenant said they have talked to or investigated more than 100 people over the past two years, including prison inmates who have been incarcerated on drug charges.

 ::snipping3::


http://unsolved.com/node/1298

What happened to Jessica?
Check back this Friday, 4-22-15 to see the new video.

https://www.facebook.com/FindJessicaHeeringa/posts/319708654820270

Find Jessica Heeringa
4 hrs ·

Post from Jessica's mom, Shelly Heeringa;

Just wanted to write a quick Thank you to everyone who messaged the show "Disappeared", we did the show last week, we did a interview at my mom's house (Grandma Di, Angel, Samantha, and me), we also went to the strip mall (we were not allowed on the gas station property) and also went to Lake Michigan and filmed. The crew from Disappeared said it will air on the Discovery Channel the beginning of 2016, when I have an exact date I will let everyone know, and again thank you to everyone for your support, prayers, and faith that we will find Jes.

 ::justice2nj2::

http://www.wzzm13.com/news/local/muskegon/heeringa-investigation-featured-on-investigation-discoverys-disappeared/128625176

Heeringa investigation featured on Investigation Discovery's 'Disappeared'
5:28 PM. EST April 11, 2016

 ::snipping3::
For nearly three years, Kasher and other detectives have been working to find Heeringa, or the person who took her. They've used search warrants to enter homes and seize computers and cell phones. Multiple individuals have taken polygraph tests.

"I can say that, but I can not tell you individuals who, and I can not tell you the results of those individuals," Kasher said.

Police still want to find the driver of a van captured by a camera a short distance from the Exxon station, and shortly before a customer reported Heeringa missing.

"Between a couple of minutes to 11 to five after 11, in that time frame, that van came in there and left," said Kasher, "I have to assume that that van is a key piece of this puzzle."
 ::snipping3::

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2016/04/tv_show_identifies_possible_su.html

TV show identifies possible suspects in Jessica Heeringa's disappearance
on April 12, 2016 at 3:29 PM, updated April 12, 2016 at 6:28 PM

NORTON SHORES, MI – Possible suspects named during a recent TV show on the disappearance of Jessica Heeringa are among a half dozen who police haven't been able to rule out, according to the Norton Shores Police chief.

"Disappeared" on the Investigation Discovery channel focused its one-hour show Monday night on the disappearance of Heeringa three years ago from the Norton Shores gas station where she worked.
 ::snipping3::
The show depicted Heeringa as lonely and unhappy with her paycheck-to-paycheck life and romantically involved with two other men, both of whom had asked her to move in with them. One of them, Jess Ammerman, a plumber, had an "emotional discussion" with Heeringa the night she disappeared, according to the show.

Ammerman said he was talking to his then wife on his cell phone while sitting in a nearby parking lot at the time Heeringa disappeared, and his story checked out, Gale said. Ammerman's wife, from whom he's now divorced, knew and didn't care about Ammerman's relationship with Heeringa, according to "Disappeared."

Ammerman and his ex-wife refused to be reinterviewed by police, and can't be ruled out as suspects, according to the show.

"There's still lingering questions about Jess Ammerman and his wife," Kasher said on the show.

Other suspects early on, including her fiancé Dakotah Quail-Dyer and another man who had romantic links to Heeringa, have been for all intents and purposes ruled out, according to the show.

However, Gale said there remain a half dozen or so suspects who have not been completely cleared in Heeringa's disappearance. They include Brad Mason of Kalamazoo, who is suspected of abducting and sexually assaulting two women. Mason was shot and killed by police after he pointed a gun at them that turned out to be fake.

Mason's victims looked like Heeringa and he had connections to Norton Shores, the show points out. Police were able to determine he had visited the gas station where Heeringa worked more than once, and haven't been able to definitively rule him out, Gale said.

There are others like Mason who have been accused of violent crimes who are among possible suspects, he said.
 ::snipping3::

http://woodtv.com/2016/04/25/after-3-years-jessica-heeringas-family-keeps-hope/

After 3 years, Jessica Heeringa’s family keeps hope
Published: April 25, 2016, 10:50 pm  |  Updated: April 25, 2016, 11:38 pm

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Tuesday marks three years since the beginning of a mystery that still haunts West Michigan: the disappearance of Jessica Heeringa.

The young mother vanished from what was then Exxon Mobil gas station on Sternberg Road in Norton Shores. She was working the night shift alone when she vanished around 11 p.m. on April 26, 2013. Three years later, though there have been some promising leads and they are still investigating, police don’t know what happened to her.

While the initial shock of her disappearance has passed, the sting of not knowing still lingers for Heeringa’s family.

“It’s like I have a hole, a hole in my chest that is always there. And even though sometimes I can push it aside a little and go on with my life … every morning when I wake up, it’s there,” Diane Homrich, Heeringa’s grandmother, said.

Homrich said she believes her granddaughter is still alive. She wants Heeringa to know she can call if she’s able and that the family still thinks about her every day.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/rebekah-bletsch-jessica-heeringa-michigan-kidnap-suspect-eyed-in-one-cold-case-charged-in-another/

May 25, 2016, 3:13 PM
Mich. kidnap suspect eyed in one cold case, charged in another

MUSKEGON, Mich. -- A western Michigan man accused of abducting a 16-year-old girl last month has been charged with murder in the shooting death of a 36-year-old jogger in 2014, prosecutors announced Wednesday.

Jeffrey Willis, 46, of Muskegon Township, is charged with open murder and using a firearm in a felony in the death of Rebekah Bletsch. He's also facing several child pornography charges and prosecutors have said he is being investigated in the 2013 disappearance of gas station clerk Jessica Heeringa.

"Today is still a sad day for many people, but is a happy day for law enforcement," prosecutor D.J. Hilson said at a news conference.

Ballistics matched a handgun seized from Willis' minivan with bullets found in Bletsch's body and shell casings found at the scene of her death, according to investigators. As far as authorities know, Willis and Bletsch didn't know each other before she was killed, Hilson said.

Willis had been under investigation in the death since he was charged in April with kidnapping and other crimes in an incident involving a 16-year-old girl in Muskegon County's Fruitland Township.
 ::snipping3::

http://woodtv.com/2016/05/25/sources-willis-frequented-heeringas-gas-station/

Co-workers: Willis frequented Jessica Heeringa’s workplace
Published: May 25, 2016, 6:26 pm  |  Updated: May 26, 2016, 9:23 pm

NORTON SHORES, Mich. (WOOD) — Jeffrey Willis, the man accused of murdering a woman and trying to abduct a teen in Muskegon County, frequented the gas station from which Jessica Heeringa vanished in 2013, some of his co-workers told 24 Hour News 8 Wednesday.

Police say Heeringa, then 25, was abducted from the gas station on Sternberg Road in Norton Shores where she worked on April 26, 2013. They have named Willis, 46, a person of interest but so far haven’t found any evidence linking him to the case.

Willis’s co-workers say they all went to the Sternberg Road gas station and knew Heeringa. Now, they think Willis is the one who took her.
 ::snipping3::

I keep hoping there will be answers in Jessica Heeringa's case.   

http://woodtv.com/2016/06/01/willis-relatives-did-you-take-jessica-heeringa/

Willis’ relatives: Did you take Jessica Heeringa?
Jeffrey Willis could spend life in prison for 2014 murder, April kidnapping
Published: June 1, 2016, 5:56 pm  |  Updated: June 1, 2016, 7:21 pm

MUSKEGON, Mich. (WOOD) — Relatives of accused kidnapper and killer Jeffrey Willis say they want to ask him one question: Did he take Jessica Heeringa?

“I’d just ask him, you know, if you know where Jessica is, if you could just please let us know and bring her home,” said Terrie Umlor, a cousin through marriage who has known Willis for 40 years and used to babysit him.

Her husband, Gary Umlor, is Willis’s first cousin, shared grandparents with him, grew up in the house next to Grandma and Grandpa Willis — the house recently searched by police.
 ::snipping3::

http://woodtv.com/2016/06/02/source-willis-not-at-work-after-heeringa-abduction/

Source: Willis not at work after Heeringa abduction
Published: June 2, 2016, 4:53 pm  |  Updated: June 2, 2016, 7:05 pm

NORTON SHORES, Mich. (WOOD) — A man now accused of murder and kidnapping wasn’t at work in the days after Jessica Heeringa vanished, a law enforcement official close to the investigation confirmed to 24 Hour News 8.

Jeffrey Willis is considered a person of interest in Heeringa’s disappearance.

Police say Heeringa was abducted from the gas station on Sternberg Road in Norton Shores around 11 p.m. on April 26, 2013. That may have been around the time Willis would have been headed to the Herman Miller facility in Spring Lake for his job if he was scheduled to work third shift that day.

Co-workers previously told 24 Hour News 8 that Willis frequented the Sternberg Road gas station and knew Jessica. The gas station is south of his home and about nine minutes north of Herman Miller.
(https://lintvwood.files.wordpress.com/2016/05/willis-investigation-map.jpg?w=650&h=370)
Surveillance cameras at businesses near the gas station captured images of a silver minivan that may have been involved in Heeringa’s disappearance. Willis owns a silver minivan.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2016/06/jeffrey_willis_opts_not_to_hol.html

Jeffrey Willis opts not to hold kidnap hearing; his attorney speaks
on June 15, 2016 at 12:47 PM, updated June 15, 2016 at 1:32 PM

MUSKEGON, MI – Jeffrey Thomas Willis, on his attorney's advice, has opted not to hold a probable-cause hearing on the gunpoint kidnapping case against him.

That decision about what his lawyer calls "an already overpublicized case" means the case will move on to trial in Muskegon County Circuit Court.

Willis on Wednesday, June 15, waived his preliminary examination in Muskegon County District Court on a charge of kidnapping a 16-year-old girl with the intent of sexually assaulting her. He's also charged with felony firearm and assault with a dangerous weapon in that case.

The preliminary hearing had been scheduled for Thursday.
 ::snipping3::

The tip was regarding Jessica.

http://fox17online.com/2016/06/17/police-woods-near-jeffrey-willis-home-searched-after-tip/

Police: Woods near Jeffrey Willis’ home searched after tip
Posted 1:49 PM, June 17, 2016

MUSKEGON COUNTY, Mich. —  A wooded area near the home of accused murderer Jeffrey Willis was searched by police Friday following a tip.

Officials searched a wooded area near Willis’ home in the 1800 block of S. Sheridan from roughly 6:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.  Friday.   Investigators and a K-9 unit did not find anything during the search, according to Norton Shores Police Chief Jon Gale.
 ::snipping3::
He’s scheduled to be back in court for the Bletsch murder case June 22.

http://fox17online.com/2016/06/20/jeffrey-willis-cousin-charged-with-obstructing-murder-investigation/

Jeffrey Willis’ cousin charged with obstructing murder investigation
Posted 10:21 PM, June 20, 2016, by Cassy Arsenault, Updated at 10:30pm, June 20, 2016

MUSKEGON, Mich. — The cousin of accused killer and kidnapper Jeffrey Willis was charged Monday with obstruction of justice.

According to court documents, 47-year-old Kevin Bluhm is accused of lying during a police interview connected to the 2014 killing of Rebekah Bletsch.

Willis is charged with Bletsch’s murder as well as with the April kidnapping of a 16-year-old.  He's also considered a person of interest in the 2013 disappearance of Jessica Heeringa.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.wzzm13.com/news/local/muskegon/cousin-connects-willis-to-heeringa/250646447

Cousin of accused killer Jeffrey Willis connects dots to Jessica Heeringa
11:18 PM. EDT June 20, 2016

MUSKEGON, MICH. - If she could confront and question him, a cousin of Jeffrey Willis thinks she might get him to tell what he knows about the disappearance of Jessica Heeringa from three years ago.

“We were friends,” Terri Umlor said. “If there is any way I could go in and speak to him, I would like to do that.”

Willis, 46, is charged with trying to kidnap a 16-year-old girl, the 2014 shooting death of jogger Rebekah Bletsch and the production of child pornography.
• First cousin of accused killer Jeffrey Willis charged with lying to police

After his arrest, Umlor says she started connecting the dots linking her cousin to the 2013 disappearance of Herringa from the Norton Shores gas station where she worked.

“I would like to see him open up and tell us,” she said.

Willis had a job at the Herman Miller factory less than five miles from the gas station where Heeringa worked the night shift. Umlor says Willis would stop in during breaks to chat and smoke with Heeringa.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2016/06/high_bail_for_prison_officer_o.html

High bail for prison officer charged with lying about Jessica Heeringa case
on June 21, 2016 at 2:36 PM

A Muskegon County district judge has set a high bond for prison corrections officer Kevin Lavern Bluhm on Bluhm's charge of lying to police about his cousin Jeffrey Thomas Willis's involvement in the disappearance of Jessica Heeringa.

Muskegon County District Judge Andrew Wierengo III set bond at $100,000 cash or surety Tuesday afternoon, June 21, at Bluhm's arraignment on his second lying- to-police case. That's a maximum four-year felony.

The judge also set a condition that Bluhm be kept on electronic tether so his whereabouts can be monitored if he is able to post bail.

The arrest warrant in the new case alleges Bluhm lied to a Michigan State Police detective that "he had no knowledge about Jeffrey Willis' involvement in the abduction of Jessica Heeringa."

Wierengo set a high bond at the request of Matt J. Roberts, chief trial attorney for the Muskegon County Prosecutor's Office, who stressed the seriousness of the cases about which Bluhm is accused of lying to police.
 ::snipping3::

http://woodtv.com/2016/06/21/neighbor-police-search-2nd-property-tied-to-jessica-heeringa-case/

Neighbor: Police search 2nd property tied to Jessica Heeringa case
Published: June 21, 2016, 12:40 pm  |  Updated: June 21, 2016, 2:16 pm

DALTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) – A neighbor confirms to 24 Hour News 8 that police said they searched another piece of property in Muskegon County in connection to the disappearance of Jessica Heeringa.

24 Hour News 8 witnessed a large police presence Tuesday morning in Dalton Township on Beattie Road between E. Riley-Thompson Road and Bard Road, northeast of Muskegon. Police have since left the property.

Multiple police agencies have not yet confirmed details around the search.
 ::snipping3::

http://fox17online.com/2016/06/22/judge-jeffrey-willis-will-stand-trial-for-womans-murder/

Judge says Jeffrey Willis will stand trial for Rebekah Bletsch’s murder
Posted 10:50 AM, June 22, 2016, by Josh Sidorowicz, Updated at 05:46pm, June 22, 2016

MUSKEGON, Mich. — A judge Wednesday afternoon said that there is enough evidence to send Jeffrey Willis to trial for the 2014 murder of Rebekah Bletsch.

Investigators have linked Willis to several crimes, including the killing of Bletsch, who was shot dead while jogging near her home two years ago in rural Muskegon County. Willis is also accused of kidnapping a 16-year-old girl in April and  remains a person of interest in the 2013 disappearance of Jessica Heergina.

Prosecutor D.J. Hilson presented evidence suggesting the gun used in the Bletsch murder was the same weapon found in Willis' van after his arrest. Investigators also produced evidence of a folder found in one of Willis' external hard drive labeled 'vics' — as in victims.  In the folder, there was a sub-folder labeled 'RSB', which are Bletsch's initials.
 ::snipping3::

http://woodtv.com/2016/06/22/file-on-willis-computer-labeled-with-jessica-heeringas-name/

File on Jeffrey Willis’ computer labeled with Jessica Heeringa’s name
Published: June 22, 2016, 4:05 pm  |  Updated: June 22, 2016, 5:31 pm

MUSKEGON, Mich. (WOOD) — In a file titled “vics” on one of Jeffrey Willis’ hard drives, there was a folder labeled with Jessica Heeringa’s name, a source close to the investigation told 24 Hour News 8 on Wednesday afternoon.

The existence of the “vics” — short for “victims” — file was made public in court earlier Wednesday during Willis’s preliminary hearing in the murder case of Rebekah Bletsch. Also in the file was a folder labeled “RSB” — Bletsch’s initials — and a code that worked out to the date of her murder. The folder contained photos of Bletsch, photos of a woman who looked similar to her on a bed wearing only underwear and wanted posters in the Bletsch case.

24 Hour News 8 is still working to learn what was in the Jessica Heeringa folder.
 ::snipping3::
MSP: INVESTIGATORS THINK WILLIS KILLED HEERINGA

Also Wednesday, 24 Hour News 8 obtained a Michigan State Police report that states “investigators believe Jessica was murdered by Jeffrey Willis, but her body has not been located to date.”

Willis has been named a person of interest in the Heeringa case; authorities have so far not called him a suspect. A police source told 24 Hour News 8 on Tuesday investigators don’t have enough evidence to charge him.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2016/07/jeffrey_willis_cousin_kevin_bl.html

Jeffrey Willis' cousin, Kevin Bluhm, headed to trial on lying charge
on July 05, 2016 at 12:19 PM, updated July 05, 2016 at 12:57 PM

MUSKEGON COUNTY, MI -- Kevin Lavern Bluhm, accused of lying to police during their investigations of his cousin Jeffrey Willis, appeared in court briefly Tuesday.

In one of two lying cases, Bluhm waived the preliminary examination scheduled for Tuesday morning and District Court Judge Raymond Kostrzewa bound him over for trial in circuit court.

That case concerns allegations Bluhm lied to police about his contact with Willis while police were investigating Willis for the shooting death of Rebekah Bletsch and kidnapping of a teenager. Willis has been charged in both those cases.

In the second lying case, having to do with Willis and the disappearance of Jessica Heeringa three years ago, Kostrzewa agreed to adjourn the preliminary examination until 9:30 a.m. Aug. 9. The preliminary exam originally was scheduled for Wednesday before District Court Judge Harold F. Closz, but on Tuesday the case was reassigned to Kostrzewa.
 ::snipping3::

http://woodtv.com/2016/07/21/msp-reports-say-store-clerk-worried-jessica-heeringa-had-stalker/

MSP reports: Store clerk worried Heeringa had stalker
Published: July 21, 2016, 5:06 pm  |  Updated: July 21, 2016, 7:25 pm

LANSING, Mich. (WOOD) — In nearly 300 pages of police reports obtained by 24 Hour News 8, there is no information that directly connects accused murderer Jeffrey Willis to the abduction of Jessica Heeringa three years ago.

The reports from Michigan State Police, obtained Thursday through the Freedom of Information Act, are heavily redacted. However, they reveal some new details about the investigation into Heeringa’s April 26, 2013 disappearance from the Norton Shores gas station where she worked.

Among them is a tip from a store cashier that she thought Heeringa may have had a stalker. In the tip labeled No. 440, a cashier from Kmart on Apple Avenue reported she had seen a man with Heeringa at the store in February 2013 and Heeringa later said he was one of her customers from the gas station. Police had hoped to find the man’s image on store surveillance video, but it had already been erased by the time the tip came in.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2016/08/willis_cousin_kevin_bluhm_head.html

Willis' cousin Kevin Bluhm headed to trial for allegedly lying in Heeringa disappearance probe
on August 09, 2016 at 10:24 AM, updated August 09, 2016 at 1:08 PM

MUSKEGON, MI -- Jeffrey Willis' cousin Kevin Lavern Bluhm, accused of lying to police during their investigation of the disappearance of Jessica Heeringa, was bound over to trial Tuesday morning.

Bluhm waived his preliminary examination before 60th District Judge Raymond Kostrzewa. He is facing a charge of lying to police during a violent crime investigatiion, a four-year felony.

Bluhm, 47, of Muskegon Township,  earlier waived his preliminary examination on a similar charge: lying to police during the investigation of the Rebekah Bletsch homicide.

Willis, has been charged with open murder in the death of Bletsch, who was found in June 2014 shot to death alongside rural Automobile Road.

Willis also is a "person of interest" in the disappearance of Heeringa in April 2013 from her job at a Norton Shores gas station.
 ::snipping3::

thank you for all the updates, grace-land.

 ::HelloKitty::
You're welcome, Sister.
Hopefully recent developments in this case lead to justice for Jessica.  ::justice2nj2::

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2016/08/jeffrey_willis_cousin_pleads_g.html

Jeffrey Willis' cousin pleads guilty to lying to police about Heeringa disappearance
on August 26, 2016 at 2:01 PM, updated August 26, 2016 at 2:19 PM

MUSKEGON, MI – Kevin Lavern Bluhm on Friday entered a guilty plea to two charges he lied to police about the disappearance of Jessica Heeringa.

Bluhm entered the pleas Aug. 26 before Judge William C. Marietti of Muskegon County's 14th Circuit Court.

Bluhm pled guilty to two separate charges of lying to a police officer during a violent crime investigation, a four-year felony.

He admitted to lying to a police about his cousin, Jeffery Willis, who was being investigated in connection with the shooting death of Rebekah Bletsch and the disappearance of Heeringa.

In the course of the Bletsch investigation, Bluhm on May 18 said he had not seen Willis for about a year, and said he had never seen Willis in possession of a handgun. But in an interview a month later – June 17 -- he told police he had seen Willis with a gun May 3 or May 4.

Also during that interview, he told police that "Jeffery Willis did do it" when talking about Heeringa's disappearance, but later contradicted himself, saying he made it all up.
 ::snipping3::
Bluhm's sentencing hearing has been set for Sept. 20.

http://www.wzzm13.com/news/local/muskegon/new-search-at-home-with-connections-to-jeffrey-willis/312615760

New search at home with connections to Jeffrey Willis
8:16 PM. EDT September 01, 2016

NORTON SHORES, MICH. - Police spent the day looking for new evidence in the case of accused killer Jeffrey Willis.

Early Thursday morning detectives returned to the home of Willis's grandfather.  The home is on Bailey Street near the Getty Four Drive-in.   

Jeffrey Willis remains at the Muskegon County Jail. 

He last appeared in court in July.  Prosecutors asked a judge for permission to use evidence from the alleged attempted abduction of a 16-year-old girl at the murder trial for Rebekah Bletsch.

The judge has not ruled on the request.  And the court has not set a date for the murder trial.

Thursday's search of the home that once belonged to Willis' grandfather is proof the investigation into Willis is still active.

Norton Shores Police Chief John Gale released a statement saying "we continue on a daily basis working the Willis case for any possible connections to the Heeringa investigation." 

Muskegon County's prosecutor D.J. Hilson added that detectives used different forensic techniques that had not been used at the Bailey home when it was searched in May.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2016/09/jeffrey_willis_cousin_who_admi.html

Jeffrey Willis' cousin, who admitted lying, said he saw Jessica Heeringa restrained
on September 07, 2016 at 9:58 AM, updated September 07, 2016 at 1:03 PM

MUSKEGON, MI – Jeffrey Willis' cousin, who has pleaded guilty to lying to police, made some shocking claims regarding the Jessica Heeringa missing person case based on a court document made public Tuesday.

The extent of his claims, which he later recanted as part of a longer statement to police, turned up in a police detective's sworn affidavit as part of the investigation into Willis' cousin Kevin Lavern Bluhm. Willis is an accused murderer and kidnapper.

Willis has been named a person of interest by Norton Shores Police in the Heeringa case. Willis has also been charged with the murder of another woman, Rebekah Bletsch, and the abduction of a 16-year-old girl.
 ::snipping3::
On Aug. 26, Bluhm pleaded guilty to both counts of lying to police officer during a violent crime investigation, a four-year felony. His sentencing is set for Sept. 20.

Muskegon County Prosecutor D.J. Hilson said he had no comment to Blum's earlier statements about Heeringa in the affidavit

Bluhm has resigned as a sergeant with the Michigan Department of Corrections, said Chris Gautz, spokesman for the Michigan Department of Corrections. Corrections, which had suspended Bluhm, received the resignation letter June 22, 2016.

Heeringa was 25 years old at the time of her April 2013 disappearance from the Norton Shores gas station where she was working.

http://woodtv.com/2016/09/20/prosecutor-to-give-update-on-jessica-heeringa-case/

Jeffrey Willis charged with murdering Jessica Heeringa
Published: September 20, 2016, 9:30 am  |  Updated: September 20, 2016, 11:19 pm

MUSKEGON, Mich. (WOOD) — More than three years after Jessica Heeringa vanished from a Norton Shores gas station, Jeffrey Willis has been charged with abducting and killing her.

Shackled hand and foot, Willis walked into a Muskegon County courtroom around 2:45 p.m. Tuesday to be arraigned on charges of kidnapping and open murder in Heeringa’s case. He spoke only a few words to his attorney, who entered a not guilty plea to the new charges.

While listing the charges, Muskegon County Judge Raymond Kostrzewa said investigators believe Willis restrained Heeringa with the intent to commit sexual assault.

The judge denied Willis bond due to the seriousness of the crimes he’s charged with and the potential danger he could pose to the public.

Willis seemed to smirk at prosecutors as he entered the courtroom. Muskegon County Prosecutor D.J. Hilson’s response to that smirk: “Challenge accepted,” he told 24 Hour News 8.

>>WATCH: Willis arraigned in Heeringa case

Only a few minutes later, Willis’ cousin Kevin Bluhm walked into the same courtroom in chains. He’s charged with being an accessory after the fact in Heeringa’s kidnapping and murder.
 ::snipping3::
Willis’ next court hearing is scheduled for Sept. 28; his preliminary hearing is scheduled for Oct. 4. Hilson requested half of the day in the courtroom for the preliminary hearing, saying he would need several hours to present all of the evidence against Willis.

Bluhm’s probable cause hearing is scheduled for Oct. 12; his prelim is set for Oct. 18.

http://www.wzzm13.com/mb/news/local/muskegon/details-in-heeringa-willis-case-emerge-in-new-court-transcripts/323031007

MUSKEGON
Jeffrey Willis' phone records, gun reveal possible link to Jessica Heeringa murder

Jon Mills , WZZM
1 day ago

MUSKEGON, MICH. - Jeffrey Willis, 46, faces charges of open murder and kidnapping in connection with the disappearance of 25-year-old Jessica Heeringa.

Now, details from the newly released court transcripts help shed some more light on this tragic case.

Police found accessory parts of a Walther P22 gun at the Exxon where Heeringa worked. A witness told police that a white male approximately 5' 10" tall was behind the Exxon, with minivan lights off and his tailgate open.

When police investigated, Heeringa's wallet had $400 and money in the till, leading them to conclude it was not a robbery.

When police interviewed the cousin of Jeffrey Willis, Kevin Bluhm, he said he was asked by Willis to come by his grandfather's vacant home on Bailey Street, because, "there would be women there."

Bluhm then told police there was a nude woman, face down in the basement. He also told a detective he helped Willis, "get rid of the body."
Bluhm told detectives that Heeringa's body was placed in a hole that was already dug along Sheridan Drive.

According to Bluhm, Willis had been following and watching Heeringa for a period of time before her disappearance. Cell phone records place Willis at his grandfather's home after the alleged abduction.

Willis's credit card shows 15 to 16 transactions at the Exxon station. A detective also told the judge Willis was at the store at 10:30 p.m. the night before Heeringa went missing.

The detective told the judge that Willis purchased a 2006 Dodge Caravan in the end of March 2013, one month prior to the alleged abduction.

Police received a tip which led them to interview Willis in May 2013. Willis claimed to have been at his home from 9:30 p.m. to 12:35 a.m. the night Heeringa went missing. The detective told the judge that cell phone records indicate Willis was not at home, but near his grandfather's vacant home during that time.

A key to the case has been a missing piece of the gun found at Exxon, the same unique accessory missing from the P22 discovered in Willis's van.
Police located the owner of the P22 found in Willis's van, who identified the gun and said the accessory found at the Exxon belonged on the gun.

The 16-page transcript from Monday in Muskegon District court ends with judge saying, "there is probable cause to issue warrant," on Bluhm and Willis.

http://woodtv.com/2016/09/21/after-murder-charge-question-remains-where-is-jessica-heeringa/

After murder charge, question remains: Where is Jessica Heeringa?
Search continues for Jessica Heeringa's body more than 3 years after she vanished

Heather Walker and 24 Hour News 8 web staff
Published: September 21, 2016, 7:13 pm  Updated: September 21, 2016, 7:21 pm

MUSKEGON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — A murder charge, but no body.

Jeffrey Willis has been charged with kidnapping and murdering Jessica Heeringa, who went missing from her workplace in Norton Shores in April 2013, but investigators haven’t found her remains. Authorities say the Norton Shores Police Department is dedicated to bringing her home.

“Both Lt. (Michael) Kasher and Chief (Jon) Gale have made that commitment to the Heeringa family that this doesn’t end the saga, so to speak,” Muskegon County Prosecutor D.J. Hilson told 24 Hour News 8 Wednesday. “We’re going to continue to look and follow any leads that we get in order to bring her home.”

According to court documents, Willis’ cousin, Kevin Bluhm, told investigators that he helped Willis bury Heeringa off Sheridan Road north of E. Laketon Avenue in Muskegon Township. Investigators say they’re sure her body was there at one time.

The area in question, which is about a third of a mile from Willis’ home, is the site of old train tracks that make a path through the woods. Police first searched there in June on the same day they interviewed Bluhm.

“We were pretty excited of the fact that we might in fact make that discovery, only obviously not to make that discovery,” Hilson told 24 Hour News 8 Wednesday.

Since then, they’ve searched twice more.

“We spent a lot of time out there, used some forensic techniques in order to determine whether or not there was a dead body buried there and ultimately came up with nothing,” Hilson said.

“It’s our belief that she has been moved and we are in the process of trying to find where she’s at,” he continued. “Is she in Muskegon County? Absolutely could be. Is she outside of Muskegon County? Sure, that’s a possibility.”

When asked if Bluhm said anything about moving the body or if authorities think he was involved in doing so, Hilson said he couldn’t comment on Bluhm’s statement.

But he added, “I guess you can kind of put two and two together for yourself. I would find it very hard to move a body by myself. And whether it was Bluhm or Bluhm and somebody else, whatever the case is, certainly I think Mr. Willis had some help.”

But as to whether a third person could have been involved, Hilson said, “we have no evidence to suggest that.”

When asked if Bluhm was involved in anything before helping to move the body, Hilson said, “Even if he was, I couldn’t comment on that.”

“Certainly, we’ve charged him with … what we believe we have evidence to prove,” he continued.

But if Willis killed Heeringa, surely he would know where her body is. So does Hilson think he’ll ever tell?

“I don’t know,” Hilson said. “That’s for Mr. Willis to decide.”

 ::snipping3::

Bluhm has been charged with being an accessory after the fact in Heeringa’s murder.

Anyone with any information about where Heeringa’s remains may be is asked to call NSPD at 231.733.2691 or Muskegon County Silent ******* at 231.722.7463.

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2016/09/how_cops_say_jeffrey_willis_st.html

How cops say Jeffrey Willis' story for Jessica Heeringa mystery fell apart
By  Stephen Kloosterman | sklooste@mlive.com   
Follow on Twitter
on September 21, 2016 at 5:45 PM, updated September 21, 2016 at 8:11 PM

MUSKEGON, MI – Jeffery Thomas Willis was interviewed by police roughly a week after Jessica Heeringa went missing April 26, 2013.

Three and a half years later, investigators say the story doesn't hold up under closer scrutiny. This week, Willis was charged with Heeringa's kidnapping and murder. The details of the case were laid out by a Norton Shores Police detective Sept. 19, 2016 in Muskegon's 60th District Court.

Det. Michael Kasher testified that two law enforcement members interviewed Willis about May 5-6, 2013.

At that time, he was just a guy with a van.

"He was not a suspect at that time, he was just a person that a tip came across. And at that time frame we probably took in 1,500 tips," Kasher said, according to a court transcript. "He had a gray van, somebody called it in. They went out and talked to him."

Willis' story at that time was pretty low key.

"He made the statement, and our officers will testify to it, that he said from about 9:30 to 12:30 he was home with his wife on South Sheridan. At about 12:30 or 12:35 he left and went over to his grandfather's house, 3038 Bailey, and he was looking for wood for his dog kennel, and then decided to go to Taco Bell located on East Sternberg in Fruitport to get some food before it closed."

But, Kasher said, Willis' story wasn't in step with his cell phone records – he was in the area of 3038 Bailey at 11:23 p.m., 11:59 p.m. and 12:05 a.m., according to phone records.

"The same time he says he was home it shows that his phone was hitting in – right at the area of 3038 Bailey, which ... it's about seven minutes away from the Pointes Mall or the gas station going northbound on Grand Haven, right onto Getty, to Summit, Bailey," Kasher said. "His statements to our officers was that he was home at that time, and we know that to be false."

By 11:20 p.m., police were already responding a call of a "suspicious circumstance" at the gas station where Heeringa worked. What they found was an empty station, a blood spot and accessory gun parts that would later be tied to a gun found in Willis' van, according to police testimony.
 ::snipping3::

slow but methodical.  I don't know how the family endures it.

 ::MonkeyTears::

It seems that it was a good investigation.  The family worked so hard and never have up.  Hope they find Jessica.  ::MonkeyTears::

http://woodtv.com/2016/10/03/judge-denies-request-to-step-down-from-heeringa-murder-case/

Judge denies request to step down from Heeringa murder case
Published: October 3, 2016, 1:02 pm  |  Updated: October 3, 2016, 6:36 pm

MUSKEGON, Mich. (WOOD) — The lawyer defending the man charged with murdering Jessica Heeringa has lost his bid to get a new judge in the case.

Jeffrey Willis was in court Monday for the hearing. His defense lawyer asked for a different judge because he said Judge Raymond Kostrzewa worked in the prosecutor’s office before 2014, which created an “appearance of impropriety.”

However, Muskegon County Prosecutor D.J. Hilson said Kostrzewa was never involved in the Heeringa case, which the judge confirmed.

The defense lawyer admitted he had no personal knowledge to support the judge was involved in the Heeringa case while working in the prosecutor’s office.

Kostrzewa said he “respectfully declined” to grant the defense’s request to step down from the Heeringa case and rescheduled Willis’ preliminary hearing for Oct. 25. It’s anticipated that court proceeding could take all day.
 ::snipping3::

http://woodtv.com/2016/10/06/willis-attorneys-move-for-closed-prelim-exam/

Willis’ attorneys move for closed prelim exam
Published: October 6, 2016, 11:42 pm

MUSKEGON, Mich. (WOOD) — Jeffrey Willis’ defense team wants his preliminary hearing in the murder case of Jessica Heeringa to be held behind closed doors.

Wednesday, the defense filed a a motion for a closed preliminary exam. Willis’ attorneys say the Muskegon County case has received too much local and national media attention and they want some of the court proceedings to be held without news cameras present.

The motion will be discussed on Oct. 19. The hearing is scheduled for Oct. 25.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.wzzm13.com/news/crime/jeffrey-willis-defense-seeks-to-remove-judge-from-case/337571025

Jeffrey Willis defense seeks to remove judge from case
6:39 PM. EDT October 18, 2016

MUSKEGON, MICH. - A motion to determine whether the judge in the Jeffrey Willis case is qualified to oversee is likely to be determined in the coming weeks.

Willis' attorney earlier this month asked Judge Raymond Kostrzewa to step aside because he used to work in the Muskegon County prosecutor's office during the Jessica Heeringa murder investigation. A decision on this latest motion has not been set, according to a court official Tuesday, Oct. 18.

A judge from outside Muskegon County will be assigned to review the motion and make a decision, they said.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2016/10/which_judge_should_oversee_jes.html

Which judge should oversee Jessica Heeringa case? Hearing Nov. 3 could decide
on October 26, 2016 at 5:45 PM, updated October 26, 2016 at 5:47 PM

GRAND HAVEN, MI -- A hearing set for Nov. 3 could settle a dispute over what District Court judge could oversee the beginning of Jeffrey Thomas Willis' trial for the abduction and murder of Jessica Heeringa.
 ::snipping3::
Court rules require the matter to be passed on for further review to the State Court Administrative Office. The administrative agency of the Michigan Supreme Court gave Ottawa County judge Bradley S. Knoll the job of reviewing the defense's motion for a new judge.

Knoll is set to hold a hearing on the matter 3 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 3 at the Muskegon County courthouse, said Muskegon County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Timothy M. Maat.

"Parties and court agree there is no need to supplement the record and a hearing will be held," Maat said.

Thank you for all the updates, grace-land.   ::bee::

MuffyBee!  ::HelloKitty::

You're welcome!  Hopefully, the court hearings speed up and we get to the trial.   ::justice2nj2::

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2016/11/hold_-_willis_post.html

Judge OK'd to hear start of Jessica Heeringa case against Jeffrey Willis
on November 03, 2016 at 3:20 PM, updated November 03, 2016 at 4:09 PM

MUSKEGON, MI – A Muskegon County District Court judge who was once a prosecutor may oversee a high-profile kidnapping and murder case, a judge appointed by the Michigan Supreme Court ruled Thursday.

Jessica Heeringa is presumed dead by law enforcement after disappearing April 26, 2013 from a Norton Shores gas station where she worked. Jeffrey Willis, 46, of Muskegon Township, has been charged with her kidnapping and murder.
 ::snipping3::
Willis is charged in five separate cases in addition to Heeringa's. He's been charged with open murder and possessing a firearm while committing a felony in the June 2014 shooting death of jogger Rebecca Bletsch. He faces a kidnapping charge, and two firearm charges in the spring 2016 abduction of a 16-year-old girl. Three other charges against Willis relate to manufacturing child pornography, downloading child pornography, and surveying unclothed persons without consent.

Willis' cousin, Kevin Bluhm, has been convicted of lying to police in the Heeringa and Bletsch investigations, and is also charged with being an accessory to Heeringa's murder after the fact.

http://www.wzzm13.com/news/crime/jeffrey-willis-defense-seeks-to-bar-media-public-from-jessica-heeringa-case/354536506

Jeffrey Willis defense seeks to bar media, public from Jessica Heeringa case
5:45 PM. EST November 21, 2016

MUSKEGON, MICH. - The attorney for accused murderer Jeffrey Willis was in front of a Muskegon County judge this morning, arguing the press and public should not be allowed access to a preliminary hearing involving Willis and the Jessica Heeringa case.

Lawyers representing numerous different media outlets, including WZZM 13, were also at the hearing. They contend this is a process that normally is open to the public and should remain as such.

More than a month ago, Willis' attorney asked that the media not be allowed to cover a pre-trial related to the charges Willis faces relating to Heeringa.

Willis is charged with murder in that case.
 ::snipping3::
After hearing arguments from both sides, Judge Raymond Kostrzewa said his decision would be coming "quickly."

The preliminary hearing is scheduled for Dec. 6.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2016/11/alleged_cousin-accomplices_exa.html

Alleged cousin-accomplice's exam adjourned in Jessica Heeringa murder case
on November 29, 2016 at 1:05 PM, updated November 29, 2016 at 1:23 PM

MUSKEGON, MI - Kevin LaVern Bluhm is charged with being an after-the-fact accomplice to the murder of Jessica Heeringa, but his preliminary exam in district court will wait until after that of Jeffery Thomas Willis.

Willis, 46, is accused of kidnapping and killing Heeringa, who disappeared from a Norton Shores gas station in April 2013. Willis and Bluhm, age 48, are first cousins. Both resided in Muskegon Township.

Bluhm's preliminary exam in Muskegon County's 60th District Court, had been scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 29 but adjourned at the agreement of both prosecution and defense lawyers, said Muskegon County's Chief Assistant Prosecutor Timothy G. Maat. He said the agreement had been made at a routine meeting between the lawyers, a probable cause hearing the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.

"The reason for the adjournment was to let the preliminary examination in Jeffrey Willis go first," Maat said.

Willis' preliminary exam is scheduled for Dec. 6. At the preliminary exam, the prosecution must prove there is enough evidence and probable cause for the case to go to circuit court.

But Willis' preliminary exam has had a complicated start.

As of 11 a.m. Tuesday morning, Kostrzewa had yet to rule on a defense motion to close the courtroom during the preliminary exam. Willis defense attorney Brian Hosticka argued last week an open exam could allow ongoing media coverage of what's become a high-profile case, possibly tainting the pool of future jurors. Media lawyers argued the courtroom stay open in order to educate and inform the public.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2016/11/courtroom_to_stay_open_for_sta.html

Courtroom to stay open for start of Jessica Heeringa murder case
on November 30, 2016 at 7:26 PM, updated December 01, 2016 at 10:25 AM

MUSKEGON, MI - Muskegon District Court Judge Raymond Kostrzewa ruled Wednesday that a preliminary examination in the high-profile Jessica Heeringa case will stay open to the public.

Jeffrey Thomas Willis, 46, of Muskegon Township is accused of kidnapping and killing Heeringa, who disappeared from a Norton Shores gas station in April 2013.

Willis' preliminary exam is scheduled for Dec. 6. At the preliminary exam, the prosecution must prove there is enough evidence and probable cause for the case to go to circuit court.
 ::snipping3::

http://woodtv.com/2016/12/05/judge-to-allow-bletsch-murder-evidence-in-heeringa-hearing/

Judge to allow Bletsch murder evidence in Heeringa hearing
Published: December 5, 2016, 12:50 pm  |  Updated: December 5, 2016, 8:43 pm

MUSKEGON, Mich. (WOOD) —  The man accused of murdering Jessica Heeringa was back in court Monday, as his defense team argued against allowing evidence from the Rebekah Bletsch murder case they’re fighting to have thrown out.
 ::snipping3::
After hearing about an hour of arguments Monday, Kostrzewa ruled he would allow some evidence in the Bletsch case, which he called extrinsic but relevant in the Heeringa case.

The judge said both cases had significant similarities that require the court to submit the evidence.

Willis is expected back in court for the Heeringa preliminary hearing Tuesday.
 ::snipping3::

http://fox17online.com/2016/12/06/accused-killer-of-jessica-heeringa-in-court-for-preliminary-hearing/

Accused killer of Jessica Heeringa in court; teen who escaped abduction testifies
Posted 9:31 AM, December 6, 2016, by Bob Brenzing, Updated at 08:25pm, December 6, 2016

MUSKEGON, Mich. - The preliminary hearing for the man accused of killing Jessica Heeringa began Tuesday.

Jeffrey Willis is accused of killing the gas station clerk who has not been seen since April 2013.  She disappeared from the Exxon station on Sternberg Road while working the night shift.

Willis was arrested this spring after allegedly abducting a teen girl.  That girl got away, but investigators found evidence in his home and vehicle that allegedly ties him to Heeringa's disappearance.  Willis has also been charged with the 2014 murder of Rebekah Bletsch.

The hearing that is underway is to determine if there is enough evidence to bring Willis to trial.

Late Tuesday afternoon, the girl who Willis allegedly tried to abduct in April 2016 took the stand. She jumped from Willis' van after he pointed a gun at her.  She testified that she was lost and Willis offered to give her a ride home.  The girl's escape eventually led police to Willis and the discovery of the evidence in the Rebekah Bletsch murder and the Jessica Heeringa disappearance.
 ::snipping3::
The hearing will resume Friday at 9 a.m.

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2016/12/willis_cell_phone_at_vacant_ho.html

Willis' cell phone pings near vacant house 1/2 hour after Heeringa vanished, cop says
on December 09, 2016 at 1:19 PM, updated December 09, 2016 at 5:17 PM

MUSKEGON COUNTY, MI -  Jeffrey Willis' cell phone was in the vicinity of his late grandfather's vacant house within a half hour of Jessica Heeringa's disappearance late on April 26, 2013, a state police detective testified during a Heeringa murder preliminary exam Friday.

Michigan State Police Detective Sgt. James MacDonald, a phone records expert, was among several police detectives who testified Friday morning during the second day of Willis' preliminary examination on charges he kidnapped and murdered Heeringa.

Heeringa disappeared from the Norton Shores Exxon gas station where she worked and hasn't been seen since. Muskegon County District Judge Raymond Kostrzewa is holding the preliminary exam that began Tuesday to determine if there's enough evidence to try Willis on the charges.

Also Friday morning, a different State Police detective repeated testimony he gave during an earlier Willis preliminary examination that bullets that killed jogger Rebekah Bletsch were fired by a handgun found in Willis' van.
 ::snipping3::

http://woodtv.com/2016/12/09/jeffrey-willis-jessica-heeringa-preliminary-hearing-day-two/

Prosecutor: Jeffrey Willis ’emulating’ The Toolbox Killers
Jeffrey Willis charged with kidnapping, murdering Jessica Heeringa in April 2013
Ken Kolker
Published: December 9, 2016, 8:45 am  |  Updated: December 9, 2016, 6:52 pm

MUSKEGON, Mich. (WOOD) — The Muskegon County prosecutor said he has evidence that Jeffrey Willis was a copycat killer who was following the lead of a pair of murderers from decades ago.

That theory is based, in part, on a list of serial killers found in a camera bag in Willis’s shed.

“On that list were a couple of individuals who in 1979 abducted and killed five girls,” Hilson told a judge while arguing to allow the list as evidence. “They were called the Toolbox Killers.”

“Now, we’ve got some evidence to suggest that the defendant is trying to emulate the Toolbox Killers, in my opinion. I think it’s really relevant.”

But defense attorney Brian E. Hosticka argued against it.

“All it does is prejudice the already prejudiced pool against Mr. Willis,” the defense attorney said.

District Judge Raymond Kostrzewa allowed it.

The judge is holding the preliminary hearing for Willis, 46, of Muskegon Township. Willis is accused of kidnapping Jessica Heeringa, 25, from the Norton Shores gas station where she worked on the night of April 26, 2013, and then killing her.

The young mother’s body has not been found.

The hearing started Tuesday and continued Friday without conclusion. It will resume on Monday.

Norton Shores Detective Ryan Pieske testified he found the list of serial killers during a search of Willis’s shed in May, after his arrest.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2016/12/jessica_heeringa_dna_absent_in.html

Jessica Heeringa DNA absent in Jeffrey Willis investigation, scientist testifies
on December 12, 2016 at 3:19 PM, updated December 12, 2016 at 4:08 PM

MUSKEGON COUNTY, MI - Jessica Heeringa's DNA was found only at the gas station from which she disappeared, and not on any evidence collected from the investigation into Jeffrey Willis, a forensic scientist testified on Monday.

Muskegon County Prosecutor D.J. Hilson called Michigan State Police scientist David Hayhurst to the stand during the third day of a preliminary examination to determine if there's enough evidence to try Willis for kidnapping and murdering Heeringa.
 ::snipping3::
Hayhurst testified about the very high probability that Willis' DNA was on panties found in his shed and on a .22-caliber handgun investigators seized. But there was no DNA connection of Heeringa to Willis, Hayhurst testified under cross examination by defense attorney Brian Hosticka.

Willis' co-worker at Herman Miller testified that the panties were hers, as well as the gun, which she had stored in a closet next to a dirty clothes basket. She testified that Willis would snowmobile around her house when she wasn't there, and that she kept her house unlocked unless she was leaving town. She also said she and Willis talked several times at work about her gun.
 ::snipping3::
 

The preliminary hearing will continue Tuesday.

http://wwmt.com/news/local/willis-preliminary-hearing-enters-day-three-for-heeringa-killing

Willis preliminary hearing enters day three for Heeringa killing
by Logan Crawford|
Monday, December 12th 2016
 ::snipping3::
The witnesses that prosecutors called to testify on Monday focused on the gun found in Willis's minivan when he was arrested, women's underwear found in his shed, and an external hard drive found in Willis's house.

A computers expert from the Michigan State Police said he found a folder labeled "vics,” or victims, on the hard drive.

In that folder was a folder labeled with Jessica Heeringa's initials and the date she disappeared and another folder that had Rebekah Bletsch's initials and the date she died.
 ::snipping3::
Prosecutors also say police found thousands of videos and images on Willis's hard drive of people being killed.
 ::snipping3::

http://woodtv.com/2016/12/13/jeffrey-willis-jessica-heeringa-preliminary-hearing-day-4/

Willis ordered to stand trial for Heeringa murder
Published: December 13, 2016, 8:32 am  |  Updated: December 13, 2016, 6:55 pm

MUSKEGON, Mich. (WOOD) — Jeffrey Willis has been ordered to stand trial for the kidnapping and murder of Jessica Heeringa, who vanished more than three years ago.

Heeringa, 25, disappeared from the Norton Shores gas station where she worked on the night of April 26, 2013. Her body has not been found.

Judge Raymond Kostrzewa decided Tuesday that there is enough evidence to show that Heeringa is dead and to send the case against Willis on to trial.

“Next, it’s circuit court. Obviously, this was just a small taste of what the evidence is. We’ve got a lot of work to do as investigators and as prosecutors to prepare this case … for trial,” Muskegon County Prosecutor D.J. Hilson told 24 Hour News 8 after the hearing.

At trial, he’ll face a higher standard of proof to prove that Willis killed Heeringa.

“There’s going to be a lot more evidence that we’re going to have to bring forward to show the jurors,” Hilson said.
 ::snipping3::

 ::justice2nj2::

http://www.wzzm13.com/news/crime/charges-against-jeffrey-willis-held-up-by-unresolved-legal-issues/385255613

Charges against Jeffrey Willis held up by unresolved legal issues
6:38 PM. EST January 11, 2017

MUSKEGON COUNTY, MICH. - The two most significant felony charges against accused murderer Jeffrey Willis have moved into Muskegon County's Circuit Court from District Court, but two significant unresolved legal issues are holding up the cases -- trial likely is several months away.

The murder charges against Willis relating to the deaths of Jessica Heeringa and Rebekah Bletsch now are in the pre-trial stage. It's a time when, almost daily, Muskegon County Prosecutor D.J. Hilson works to get evidence in order.

"I have always prided myself on preparation, you can never be over prepared in a case like this," Hilson said Wednesday, Jan. 11.
 ::snipping3::
Before the circuit court trial, a judge must resolve two pending legal issues relating to the Heeringa and Bletsch investigations. One is to decide if evidence from the Heeringa case can be used during the trial relating to the death of Bletsch -- and vice-versa.

A judge in district court previously approved a similar ruling in preparing for a pre-trial.

The second issue relates to the defense motion claiming Willis' rights were violated by jail guards. 
 ::snipping3::
The prosecution and defense can only speculate as to when the first trial will begin. At this time, both sides believe this summer at the earliest. 

The charges relating to the attempted kidnapping of the teenage girl and those relating to secretly taking photographs of other teenage girls will likely not happen until after the two murder trials end.

The cousin of Willis, Kevin Bluhm, is charged as a co-defendant in the Heeringa case. 

Bluhm remains in the Muskegon County Jail waiting for a preliminary hearing on the felony charge of accessory after the fact. His' attorney is waiting on numerous court transcripts to review before scheduling a preliminary hearing on the charge.

http://woodtv.com/2017/02/02/prosecutor-taking-jail-cell-notes-didnt-violate-williss-rights/

Prosecutor: Taking jail cell notes didn’t violate Willis’s rights
Jeffrey Willis has asked for dismissal of Rebekah Bletsch murder case
Ken Kolker
Published: February 2, 2017, 9:06 pm  |  Updated: February 2, 2017, 11:08 pm

MUSKEGON, Mich. (WOOD) — The Muskegon County Prosecutor’s Office says detectives did not violate the constitutional rights of suspected serial killer Jeffrey Willis when they took notes from his jail cell.

Willis’s defense team filed a motion in Muskegon County Circuit Court to dismiss the Rebekah Bletsch murder case, claiming police had violated attorney-client privilege when they took the notes.
 ::snipping3::
It’s not clear when Muskegon County Judge William C. Marietti will rule on the dispute. Both sides said they expect the case won’t go to trial until at least this summer.

In the meantime, the judge has ruled that prosecutors in the Bletsch case can use evidence — including the gun and tools from Willis’s van — found in the kidnapping and in the Heeringa disappearance. The defense had argued the evidence would unfairly prejudice a jury against Willis.

Prosecutors argued that evidence from all three cases “completes the story” and shows Willis had a “common plan.”

http://www.wzzm13.com/news/crime/cousin-of-jeffrey-willis-in-court-for-charge-in-jessica-heeringa-case/415445407

Jeffrey Willis' cousin to go to trial for alleged involvement in Heeringa case
6:51 PM. EST February 27, 2017

MUSKEGON, MICH. - A Muskegon County judge found enough evidence to send Kevin Bluhm, the cousin of accused murder Jeffrey Willis, to trial on a charge related to allegations he was involved in Jessica Heeringa's death.

The court proceeding lasted for several hours Monday, Feb. 27, to determine whether Bluhm would be tried on a felony charge of accessory after the fact in connection to Heeringa's kidnapping and murder.

More: Judge rules Jeffrey Willis' rights not violated but defense will appeal

Bluhm plead guilty to two charges of lying to police last summer. He was accused of telling a detective, "Jeffrey Willis did do it," in reference to killing Heeringa, the clerk who disappeared from a Norton Shores gas station in 2013.

He also told police he helped take care of her body. Later, Bluhm told investigators he made the story up.
 ::snipping3::

"Judge Raymond Kostrzewa decided Tuesday that there is enough evidence to show that Heeringa is dead and to send the case against Willis on to trial." I am moving this thread.

http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2017/03/11/jeffrey-willis-rebekah-bletsch/99076280/

Trial scheduled for Jeffrey Willis in fatal shooting of jogger
8:28 p.m. ET March 11, 2017

MUSKEGON, Mich. — A trial has been scheduled for a man accused of fatally shooting a jogger in western Michigan.

The Muskegon Chronicle reports Jeffrey Willis is set for trial starting June 13 in the 2014 slaying of 36-year-old Rebekah Bletsch in Dalton Township. He's also awaiting trial on murder and kidnapping charges in the 2013 disappearance of gas station clerk Jessica Heeringa.
 ::snipping3::
http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2017/03/jeffrey_willis_headed_for_june.html
Jeffrey Willis headed to June trial for Rebekah Bletsch murder

http://www.wzzm13.com/news/crime/jeffrey-willis-trial-could-be-delayed-past-june-as-defense-files-appeal/426125268

Jeffrey Willis trial could be delayed past June as defense files appeal
8:37 PM. EDT March 28, 2017

MUSKEGON, MICH. - Accused murderer Jeffrey Willis' defense team wants the Michigan Court of Appeals to find in their favor that jail guards went through Willis' belongings and violated his rights.

As expected, defense attorney Brian Hosticka on Monday, March 27, appealed the ruling made in February by Muskegon County Circuit Court Judge William Marietti: the judge denied the defense's motion to dismiss the murder and felony firearm charges in connection to the killing of jogger Rebekah Bletsch.

The defense's arguments were heard following the disclosure of video showing Willis placing notes into an envelope inside his jail cell. Willis later would leave the cell while guards entered to conduct a search.

One deputy appears to remove papers from the file marked as confidential attorney mail.

Although Willis' defense could not get the judge to dismiss any charges, the judge ordered some of the items removed and inspected by guards not be used at trial.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2017/04/bail_lowered_for_man_accused_o.html

Bail lowered for man accused of helping to hide Jessica Heeringa's body
on April 07, 2017 at 1:50 PM, updated April 11, 2017 at 10:45 AM

MUSKEGON, MI - A Muskegon County judge on Friday substantially lowered the bail bond of Kevin Lavern Bluhm, who's accused of helping to dispose of the still-missing body of Jessica Heeringa after she allegedly was murdered.
 ::snipping3::
Jefferey Thomas Willis - Bluhm's cousin -- has been charged with murdering Heeringa, while Bluhm has been charged as an accessory after the fact in the case.  In addition to the high-profile Heeringa case, Willis has also been charged with the murder of Rebekah Bletsch, abduction of a 16-year-old girl and several pornography-related charges.

Both men have been in custody at the Muskegon County Jail awaiting trials.

Muskegon County Circuit Court Judge William C. Marietti reduced Bluhm's bond from $250,000 to $150,000 at a hearing Friday morning, April 7. If Bluhm posts bail, he will be subject to monitoring by GPS tether, Marietti said.
 ::snipping3::

http://woodtv.com/2017/04/27/judge-to-decide-on-fate-of-jeffrey-willis-trials/

Judge to decide on fate of Jeffrey Willis trials
Heather Walker
Published: April 27, 2017, 6:02 pm  |  Updated: April 27, 2017, 6:08 pm

MUSKEGON, Mich. (WOOD) — A motion has been filed in Muskegon County Court to consolidate three separate cases against suspected serial killer Jeffrey Willis into one.

Prosecutors want to combine the trial for the 2013 kidnapping and the murder of Jessica Heeringa, the 2014 murder of Rebekah Bletsch and the attempted abduction of a teenage girl.

The motion will go before a judge Friday. The prosecution is arguing it will save time and money but the defense disagrees, saying it will endanger justice.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2017/06/19/jeffrey-willis-trial-date/409259001/

Jeffrey Willis gets trial date in Jessica Heeringa murder case
Published 1:47 p.m. ET June 19, 2017

MUSKEGON, Mich. — The trial of Jeffrey Willis will begin on September 12th, 2017.

The crimes for which Willis is on trial include:

• The 2013 kidnapping and murder of Jessica Heeringa, a Norton Shores convenience store worker.

• The 2014 shooting death of jogger Rebcca Bletsch north of Muskegon

•The attempted kidnapping of a teenage girl on River Road.
 ::snipping3::

https://www.facebook.com/FindJessicaHeeringa/posts/588470954610704

Find Jessica Heeringa
2 hrs ·
Hi everyone, this is Jes's mom, Shelly, everyone has been asking for updates. LE still has NOT found Jes, LE has not found any DNA, a hair, clothes, movie. LE has found NOTHING, NOTHING, NOTHING!!! If you look at all three cases, two of the case have similar circumstances, one does not, my daughters. I have been heavily involved in my daughters case. As far as I'm concerned if Willis did this he did not act alone, and I refuse to accept nothing more than a LE theory, this is LE way of shoving my daughters case under the rug, and a way for Hilson to further his career, let's face it, murder happens every day, convicting a serial killer, I'm sure will further his career, let's face it in Hilson's eyes they have wasted enough money on a gas station clerk. My family has been threatened with a felony because of some info. we have and made public, that we were not suppose to make public, we have been asked repeatedly to "get on board". I'm asking all parents out there would you accept the above? Also for argument sake, let's say my daughter is still alive and seen Hilson wonderful BS announcement, what do you think she is thinking? She's been fighting for her life for over 4 years, if she can see this message, I want her to know that her family will never give up, we love you so much, LE can give up, but her family will never give up, so if you are out there Jes keep fighting because we keep fighting for you, until you are found and brought home.

http://woodtv.com/2017/08/04/willis-trial-delayed-judge-keeps-prosecutor-on/

Willis trial delayed, judge keeps prosecutor on
Evan Dean
Published: August 4, 2017, 6:07 pm  |  Updated: August 4, 2017, 6:44 pm

 ::snipping3::
The trial was originally scheduled to start in June. It was then pushed back to September. It has now been delayed until Oct. 16.

“My mind is telling me that this all needs to be over,” Winberg said.

Willis’ new lead attorney, Muskegon County Public Defender Fred Johnson, asked for the delayed start.

Johnson took over the case after a former member of his office and Willis’ previous attorney, Brian Hosticka, was hired by the Muskegon County Prosecutor’s Office.

Johnson said he needs more time to go through the case file, which he said is about 5,000 pages.

“Nobody is sleeping. Everybody is working. There’s things that need to be done. This is an extremely complicated case,” Johnson said.

Johnson also filed a motion to remove Muskegon County Prosecutor D.J. Hilson from the case, citing conflict of interest concerns in the hiring of Hosticka.

On Friday, a judge denied that motion. Hilson will stay on the case and has insisted that Hosticka will work in family court and not discuss the Willis case.
 Johnson said he’s still concerned over the switching of sides.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2017/08/judge_refuses_to_toss_jeffrey.html
Judge refuses to toss Jeffrey Willis' prosecutor, grants trial extension
Updated on August 4, 2017 at 3:27 PM,  Posted on August 4, 2017 at 3:07 PM

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2017/08/jeffrey_willis_in_court_for_he.html

Jeffrey Willis in court for hearing on disputed underwear evidence
Updated on August 18, 2017 at 2:12 PM,  Posted on August 18, 2017 at 2:10 PM

MUSKEGON, MI - Jeffrey Willis, charged in the murders of Rebekah Bletsch and Jessica Heeringa, was back in court Friday to listen to arguments about the admission of his co-worker's underwear as evidence.

Prosecutor D.J. Hilson wants the fact that the underwear belonging to the former co-worker, Michelle Schnotala-Adams, was found in Willis' shed during a search of his property be discussed during Willis' upcoming trial on the Bletsch homicide.

Muskegon County Circuit Judge William C. Marietti already ruled that the underwear would not be admissible. However, that was before the Heeringa preliminary examination when Schnotala-Adams testified about the proximity of the underwear to a pistol that she, and the prosecution, believes Willis stole from her home in February 2013.

Hilson argues that the pistol was used to kill Heeringa and Bletsch. The gun had been in Schnotala-Adams' closet as was a laundry basket containing the underwear, she testified earlier. She testified that Willis repeatedly asked for a pair of her underwear, and other evidence presented in court indicated that Willis' DNA was found on one of the pairs of underwear.
 ::snipping3::
Marietti on Friday said he would consider the arguments and provide a ruling fairly quickly.

Willis' trial for Bletsch's murder is scheduled to begin Oct. 16.

Willis also has been charged with the kidnapping and murder of still-missing Jessica Heeringa and the sexually-motivated kidnapping of a teen girl. Other cases pending against him involve manufacturing and copying child pornography and videotaping unclothed, underage girls without their knowledge.

http://fox17online.com/2017/09/21/mi-supreme-court-denies-jeffrey-willis-appeal-murder-trial-will-proceed/

MI Supreme Court denies Jeffrey Willis appeal; murder trial will proceed
Posted 11:11 AM, September 21, 2017, by Bob Brenzing, Updated at 11:15AM, September 21, 2017

MUSKEGON, Mich. – A Michigan Supreme Court ruling issued Wednesday means the trial of Jeffrey Willis in the murder of Rebekah Bletsch will soon begin.

The court upheld a Court of Appeals ruling saying that notes seized by guards while Willis was in custody can be used in his trial in the 2014 murder of Bletsch.  Willis is also charged with the murder of Jessica Heeringa in 2013 and an abduction of a teen in 2016.
 ::snipping3::

http://woodtv.com/2017/10/03/500-potential-jurors-called-for-jeffrey-willis-trial/

500 potential jurors called for Jeffrey Willis trial
Willis to stand trial starting Oct. 17 for the murder of Rebekah Bletsch
Evan Dean   Published: October 3, 2017, 6:18 pm

MUSKEGON, Mich. (WOOD) — In just two weeks, Jeffrey Willis is expected to stand trial for the 2014 murder of Rebekah Bletsch.

But even before testimony begins, the prosecution and defense are already facing a major challenge: seating a jury.

“Normally in a homicide case, which is this, we’d bring in about 75 jurors to pick from, to pick a jury. In this case, we have plans to bring in as many as 500 people,” Muskegon County Public Defender Fred Johnson, who represents Willis, told 24 Hour News 8 Tuesday.

The court has expanded the jury pool because of the massive attention given to the cases against Willis.

He’s facing multiple charges in Muskegon County, including the 2016 attempted abduction of a teenage girl who escaped, the 2013 kidnapping and murder of Jessica Heeringa, and the murder of Bletsch in June 2014.
 ::snipping3::
There have already been at least two delays in this case, and there could be another depending on what happens at an evidentiary hearing next week. The defense has filed a motion to get some evidence thrown out, claiming investigators obtained it during a search of Willis’ property without probable cause.

Hilson said he is confident the case will move forward as planned.

Willis, 47, of Muskegon Township, will be tried separately for the attempted abduction and Heeringa murder. No trial dates have yet been set in those cases.

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2017/10/photos_of_willis_with_naked_wo.html

Photos of Willis with naked women found in his van, testimony indicates
Updated on October 10, 2017 at 5:58 PM,  Posted on October 10, 2017 at 4:42 PM

MUSKEGON COUNTY, MI - Among the items seized from accused murderer Jeffrey Willis' van were photographs of him and two naked women, according to testimony in a Muskegon County courtroom Tuesday.

Muskegon County Sheriff's Detective Lisa Freres testified about the items seized during searches of Willis' home and van following his arrest for the abduction of a teenage girl in 2016. Testimony at earlier hearings described items found in the van, including a handgun, handcuffs, chain, rope and syringes but not the photographs.

Freres' testimony was part of a hearing on a motion to disallow the introduction of evidence seized during the search of Willis' home at his upcoming trial for the murder of Rebekah Bletsch. Circuit Judge William Marietti said Defense Attorney Fred Johnson's argument that there was not probable cause to search the home was a "moot point" because the officer who obtained a signed search warrant from a magistrate was acting in "good faith."

Marietti denied Johnson's motion, opening the prosecution up to presenting scads of evidence during the Bletsch homicide trial that is scheduled to start Tuesday in Marietti's court

In addition to the murder of Bletsch and the kidnapping of the teen, Willis is accused of the abduction and murder of gas station clerk Jessica Heeringa.
 ::snipping3::
The trial next week will begin with the selection of a jury. Marietti discussed the challenge of finding impartial jurors, and agreed to allow potential jurors to fill out a questionnaire composed by Johnson. Johnson has filed a motion to move the trial out of Muskegon County, but he agreed with Marietti that a ruling on that motion only will be proper after attempts have been made to seat one in Muskegon County.

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2017/10/jeffrey_willis_trial_scenes_fr.html

Jury selection moves slowly on first day of Jeffrey Willis trial
Updated on October 17, 2017 at 4:54 PM,  Posted on October 17, 2017 at 4:53 PM

MUSKEGON COUNTY, MI - Jury selection for Jeffrey Willis' trial for the murder of Rebekah Bletsch proceeded slowly Tuesday with individual questioning of each potential juror.

The sixth floor of the Muskegon County courthouse was practically given over to the selection process, with more than 130 people called to report for jury duty. The entire pool of people who could potentially be called is 326, officials said earlier.

Muskegon County Prosecutor D.J. Hilson and Willis attorney Frederick Johnson took turns questioning jurors individually as Willis, his defense team, Bletsch's family and police investigators looked on.

Cameras were not allowed inside the courtroom for jury selection.

Willis looked markedly different from his previous court appearance, trading in his orange jumpsuit reserved for high-risk jail inmates for a dark suit and yellow tie.

Willis is accused of shooting Bletsch several times in the head alongside Automobile Road in rural Muskegon County on June 29, 2014. Prosecutors say the motive was to kidnap, sexually assault and kill Bletsch as they say he did to Jessica Heeringa. Willis is also charged in the kidnapping and murder of Heeringa, who disappeared from her gas station job, in April 2013. Her body has never been found.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2017/10/family_remembers_becky_bletsch.html

Family remembers Becky Bletsch as Jeffrey Willis murder trial begins
Updated on October 18, 2017 at 2:14 PM,  Posted on October 18, 2017 at 2:13 PM

MUSKEGON COUNTY, MI - More than three years after Rebekah Bletsch died, her family waits with trepidation, sorrow and anger for a jury to be chosen to decide the fate of her accused murderer, Jeffrey Willis.

Some of Bletsch's family members have been in the Muskegon courtroom the last two days to watch the painstakingly slow process of interviewing prospective jurors. They vow to be there on Thursday, when jury selection will continue, and every day of the trial estimated to last three weeks.
 ::snipping3::
Once the Bletsch murder trial is over, Willis is expected to next face trial for kidnapping and murder in the disappearance of Jessica Heeringa on April 26, 2013. After that, he is expected to face trial for the kidnapping of a teenager on April 16, 2016, who escaped from her abductor by jumping from his moving minivan.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.wzzm13.com/news/jury-selected-for-jeffrey-willis-trial/484574408

Testimony begins in Jeffrey Willis trial
7:21 PM. EDT October 19, 2017

MUSKEGON COUNTY, MICH. - Testimony is underway in the murder trial of Jeffrey Willis. He's accused of killing Rebeka Bletsch in June of 2014.

Muskegon County Prosecutor D.J. Hilson started the trial with his opening statement, telling jurors they would learn Willis had hundreds of videos on his home computer described as rape, torture, and kill videos. He also said gloves found in Willis' van had the suspects DNA on the inside and Bletsch's on the outside, adding, "We are alleging that during the course of this particular murder that Mr. Willis was attempting to kidnap and abduct Rebekah Bletsch, prior to shooting her dead."

Willis' attorney Fred Johnson told jurors Willis' cousin Kevin Bluhm killed Bletsch.

"We believe that the police will indicate that he was a person of interest to them, that he had details about Mrs. Bletsch's murder that weren't released to the public, in other words he had inside information," Johnson said Thursday in court. "We believe that Mr. Bluhm had both the motive and the opportunity to do this shooting and he id in fact the person that did."
 ::snipping3::

Postings during the trial
Please begin reading information from the bottom to the top.

http://woodtv.com/2017/10/19/jury-seated-in-jeffrey-willis-trial-for-rebekah-bletsch-murder/

911 call heard in Willis trial for Bletsch murder
Published: October 19, 2017, 12:33 pm  |  Updated: October 19, 2017, 5:48 pm

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2017/10/jeffrey_willis_trial_bletschs.html

Jeffrey Willis trial: Bletsch's killer moved around as he shot 3 times
Updated on October 20, 2017 at 6:22 PM,  Posted on October 20, 2017 at 6:20 PM

MUSKEGON COUNTY, MI - Rebekah Bletsch suffered four gunshot wounds to her head, and the placement of those and of shell casings indicate her killer probably moved around while shooting, according to testimony in Jeffrey Willis' murder trial Friday.

The forensic pathologist who conducted Bletsch's autopsy testified during the second day of Willis' trial in Muskegon County circuit court. Willis is being tried for the murder of Bletsch, who was fatally shot as she jogged along a rural road in Muskegon County on June 29, 2014.

Willis also is being charged with the 2013 kidnapping and murder of Jessica Heeringa, and later testimony on Friday focused on the investigation into her disappearance. The investigation included an interview of Willis just weeks after Heeringa disappeared and more than a year before Bletsch's death.

Prosecutor D.J. Hilson contends that the Bletsch and Heeringa homicides and the kidnapping of a 16-year-old girl who escaped, and for which Willis is also charged, are all the result of Willis' desire to abduct and sexually assault them.
 ::snipping3::
Testimony in the Bletsch homicide case is scheduled to resume at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 24.

Updates posted during the trial session on Friday.

http://woodtv.com/2017/10/20/testimony-continues-in-jeffrey-willis-rebekah-bletsch-murder-trial/

Day 2 of testimony ends in Willis trial for Bletsch murder
Published: October 20, 2017, 8:00 am  |  Updated: October 20, 2017, 4:52 pm

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2017/10/jeffrey_willis_trial_kidnapped.html

Jeffrey Willis trial: Kidnapped teen testifies, terrifying 911 call heard
Updated on October 24, 2017 at 3:57 PM,  Posted on October 24, 2017 at 12:54 PM

MUSKEGON COUNTY, MI - The teen who escaped a kidnapper, who allegedly was accused murderer Jeffrey Willis, took the witness stand Tuesday morning, but the most harrowing account of her ordeal came from a 911 call played in court.

The 17-year-old, identified by her initials MJN, identified Willis as the man who kidnapped her in April 2016 while she was walking down a rural Muskegon County road. The girl jumped from the man's moving minivan, ran to a nearby home for help and later identified Willis out of a photo lineup, she said.

Willis is being tried by Muskegon County Prosecutor D.J. Hilson for the June 29, 2014, murder of Rebekah Bletsch, who was shot in the head several times while she was jogging on a different rural road in the county.

Willis has also been charged in the kidnapping of MJN as well as the kidnapping and murder of Jessica Heeringa in 2013. Hilson has characterized the crimes as sexually motivated.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.wzzm13.com/news/local/muskegon/cousin-of-jeffrey-willis-in-court-in-court-asking-judge-to-dismiss-felony-charge/485374665

Cousin of Jeffrey Willis in court asking judge to dismiss felony charge
5:09 PM. EDT October 23, 2017

UPDATE: The court denied both the lowering of Bluhm's bond and the dismissal of his felony "accessory after the fact" charge.

Read More: Live updates from Bluhm's hearing

MUSKEGON COUNTY, Mich. - Jeffrey Willis' cousin Kevin Lavern Bluhm is charged with one felony count of accessory after the fact relating to the Jessica Heeringa investigation.

A motion filed Oct. 16, 2017, is asking Muskegon Circuit Judge William Marietti to dismiss the accessory charge. The motion states, "the felony complaint for the accessory charge was based solely on statements Mr. Bluhm made during an interrogation interview on June 16, 2016."

Bluhm pleaded not guilty to the charge in September 2016. He has been in jail ever since.

In August 2016, Kevin Bluhm plead guilty to lying to police and served three months in jail. Bluhm was charged with accessory after the fact on the day he was set to be released from jail on the lying conviction. In that case, Bluhm told detectives he hadn't seen Willis for several months and didn't know Willis had a handgun.

At a second interview with police, Bluhm said he saw Willis with a lifeless body of a women he believed to be Heeringa in the basement of a vacant Muskegon home. Later, during the same interview, Bluhm told police he made the whole story up.

Prosecutors believe Bluhm helped Willis remove the body from the home, put it in a van and eventually move it to a pre-dug hole near Willis' home on Sheridan Street.

Police later searched the wooded area and could not find Heeringa's body.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2017/10/jeffrey_willis_trial_ex-wife_s.html

Jeffrey Willis trial: Ex-wife says he wrote her about day Bletsch died
Updated on October 25, 2017 at 5:46 PM,  Posted on October 25, 2017 at 5:44 PM

MUSKEGON COUNTY, MI - Jeffrey Willis tried to manipulate his ex-wife's memory of the day Rebekah Bletsch was killed, according to the ex-wife's testimony in Willis' murder trial Wednesday.

Charlene Bishop, who restored her last name after divorcing Willis last year, took the stand as a prosecution witness and testified against her ex-husband who is being tried for Bletsch's death.

Also testifying in Muskegon County Circuit Court was a computer crime expert who described thousands of abduction, rape, torture and kill videos found on Willis' computer, as well as homemade videos of unknowing women in parking lots and one of girls at a bus stop.

Willis is accused of the shooting death of Bletsch on June 29, 2014, as she jogged along a rural road. He's also been charged with the kidnapping and murder of Jessica Heeringa who disappeared in 2013 and last year's abduction of a teenager who managed to escape.
 ::snipping3::

http://fox17online.com/2017/10/26/willis-trial-thursday-focusing-on-dna-evidence/

Day 5 of Willis trial focusing on DNA evidence and ballistics
Posted 10:53 AM, October 26, 2017, by FOX 17 News, Updated at 06:16PM, October 26, 2017

MUSKEGON, Mich. - The trial of Jeffrey Willis continued Thursday with testimony from DNA experts who worked on the Rebekah Bletsch murder.

Willis is on trial for the murder of Rebekah Bletsch in 2014.  He is also accused of killing Jessica Heeringa in 2013 and abducting a teen in 2016, but those cases have not yet been tried.

Thursday, Katherine Meredith and Sarah Rambadt, both Michigan State Police forensics scientists testified about DNA found at the scene and in the Willis home and his grandfather's home.

In the grandfather's home, they found water damage and mold throughout the home.  Meredith testified they did not find DNA of Kevin Bletsch, Rebekah's husband, on her belongings, but did find DNA of an unknown male.   She also testified that bleach and other cleaning products can break down DNA.

Rambadt testified to finding another person's DNA on Bletsch's shoulder, but not enough to identify.

In afternoon testimony, experts said the Willis' DNA was found on the gun that was found in his van and that no DNA of Kevin Bluhm was found on the gun.  Bluhm is Willis' cousin and is in custody for being an accessory after the fact in Jessica Heeringa's alleged kidnapping and murder.  The defense floated a theory in earlier testimony that Bluhm had shot and killed Bletsch, not Willis.
 ::snipping3::
The prosecution has at least one more witness to call, who will be a forensics expert and likely answer many DNA questions raised Thursday. When the prosecution rests their case, the defense will start calling their witnesses if any. Testimony resumes at 9:30 a.m. Friday.

http://fox17online.com/2017/10/27/prosecution-rests-in-willis-case-defense-to-start-calling-witnesses/

Prosecution rests in Willis case; defense delays trial until at least Tuesday
Posted 2:08 PM, October 27, 2017, by FOX 17 News, Updated at 07:16PM, October 27, 2017

MUSKEGON, Mich. - The prosecution rested their case against Jeffrey Willis and the defense was expected to call an important witness Friday afternoon, but instead created an unexpected delay.

Willis is accused of murdering Rebekah Bletsch while she was jogging June 29, 2014.  He is also accused of kidnapping and murdering Jessica Heeringa in April of 2013, then abducting a 16-year-old girl in April of 2016, which led to his arrest.  The trial has lasted almost two weeks

The prosecution's final witness was Michelle Schmitt, a Michigan State Police DNA and forensics expert.  She testified that Bletsch's DNA was found on a black Rebok glove and a sex toy that were found inside Willis' minivan.

The defense was expected to start calling witnesses Friday afternoon, but instead asked Judge William Marietti for time to prepare portions of some 18 hours of transcripts from Kevin Bluhm.  Bluhm is Willis' cousin who is in custody, charged with being an accessory after the fact in Jessica Heeringa's murder case.

Before the delay Friday afternoon, the defense brought Bluhm into the courtroom while the jury was absent. Bluhm pleaded his Fifth Amendment rights and will not testify in this trial.

Following this, Willis' attorney Fred Johnson asked Judge Marietti to introduce additional evidence, transcripts of Bluhm's prior testimony, statements and police interviews which still needs to be prepared. Judge Marietti expressed disappointment and said at this point he's heard "no evidence" that Bluhm was involved in the murder of Bletsch, which the defense suggested during opening statements
 ::snipping3::

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2017/10/jeffrey_willis_trial_testimony.html

Jeffrey Willis trial: Defense testimony to begin Wednesday
Updated on October 31, 2017 at 3:22 PM, Posted on October 31, 2017 at 3:21 PM

MUSKEGON COUNTY, MI - Jeffrey Willis' trial for the murder of jogger Rebekah Bletsch will resume Wednesday after a break in testimony needed for the judge to rule on a police interview of Willis' cousin.

Muskegon County Circuit Judge William Marietti is expected to release his opinion on whether the defense can admit as evidence transcript of portions of the 18-hour interview with Willis' cousin, Kevin Bluhm.

During the police interview conducted last year, Bluhm implicates Willis in the 2013 kidnapping and murder of gas station attendant Jessica Heeringa, according to testimony at earlier hearings.

The trial will resume at 10:30 a.m. Nov. 1 in Marietti's court. Defense attorney Fred Johnson has said he plans to call three to four witnesses, and that Willis could be among them.
 ::snipping3::
Included in the testimony presented by the prosecution:
•Bletsch's DNA was found on a dildo and pair of gloves that investigators found in Willis' minivan.
•Bullets recovered from Bletsch's body and casings found at the scene were fired from the gun found in Willis' van.
•Willis' DNA was found on the trigger and grip of the gun. Bluhm's DNA was not on the gun or anywhere in Willis' van.
•Willis had a file on his computer inside a folder labeled VICS (for victims) that contained photos of Bletsch. Her initials and a code for the date of her death were used to title the file. He also had a photo of Bletsch on his work computer.
•Willis wrote his ex-wife from jail in 2016 reminding her of what he did and the shirt he wore on June 29, 2014, which was the day Bletsch was killed.
•Bluhm was at his daughter's soccer tournament in Grand Haven at the time of Bletsch's murder.
•Thousands of kidnap, rape and kill videos were found in Willis' home that showed women bound with chains, ropes, handcuffs and ball gags. Those same items were found in Willis' van. One of the videos tiled "The Jogger" showed the abduction, rape and murder of a woman who had been jogging along a rural road.

http://www.wzzm13.com/news/local/muskegon/judge-permits-willis-defense-to-use-some-of-cousins-statements-at-trial/487740718

Judge permits Willis defense to use some of cousin's statements at trial
11:20 PM. EDT October 31, 2017

MUSKEGON COUNTY, MICH. - Tuesday afternoon Muskegon Circuit Judge William Marietti ruled small portions of statements Jeffrey Willis’ cousin made to police can be used by the defense in Willis’ trial for the murder of Rebekah Bletsch.

The statements are from an 18-hour interview Jeffrey Willis' cousin Kevin Bluhm made with investigators around the time Willis was arrested.

Marietti is permitting public defender Fred Johnson to introduce statements Bluhm made relating to handling a gun, Bluhm's knowledge of where Bletsch lived, and that he thought she was attractive.

Other statements determined to be admissible include Bluhm connecting with Bletsch on her Facebook page. And also an admission Bluhm made relating to dumping memory from his cellphone and home computer hard drive around the time Jeffrey Willis was arrested.

Of the statements the defense requested permission to use only one is not admissible. That one relates to Bluhm's alibi the day Rebekah Bletsch was shot and killed while jogging along Automobile Road in June 2014.
 ::snipping3::

http://fox17online.com/2017/11/01/jeffrey-willis-trial-to-resume-after-delay-defense-begins-case/

Jeffrey Willis takes the stand in Rebekah Bletsch murder trial
Posted 9:55 AM, November 1, 2017, by FOX 17 News, Updated at 04:40PM, November 1, 2017

MUSKEGON, Mich. -- As the defense presented their case in day seven of testimony in the Rebekah Bletsch murder trial, her accused killer Jeffrey Willis took the stand.

Willis denied killing Bletsch or being involved with the 2013 disappearance of Jessica Heeringa.

Bletsch was shot and killed while jogging near her home June 29, 2014.  Willis was arrested in May of 2016, after an alleged attempted abduction of a 16-year-old teen girl lost, walking home from a party.  Willis is also accused of kidnapping and murdering Jessica Heeringa in 2013, but her body has never been found.

At times the exchange between Willis and Muskegon County Prosecutor D.J. Hilson were snarky and a bit heated, with Hilson telling him not to be "cute" and answer the questions.

First, Willis says his former Herman Miller co-worker Michelle Schnotala sold her Walther P22 gun to him in 2013, with its serial number already scratched off. Experts testified that gun matched ballistics to the bullets found in Bletsch and at the murder scene in June 2014.  He also said Schnotala gave him her underwear.

Both attorneys asked Willis about the tens of thousands of gory "rape capture kill" videos of real women's murders saved on his hard drives.  Willis testified that he downloaded those videos, though says he did not watch them all.

When the prosecutor asked why would he have these, Willis explained that his wife at the time, who testified last week, had an abortion, that their sex life stopped and that these brutal videos were his "outlet."

Willis slightly tripped over his words when testifying about the MJN case, where a 16-year-old previously testified that Willis tried to abduct her and held a gun to her in April 2016.

"At first I thought I should stop, but she wasn't quite where I needed--she was on the other side of the road.  So I turned down Weber and thought 'Well, I'll go and see if she needs any help,'" Willis testified on Wednesday.

The jury could hear Willis stop himself after saying the teen, who FOX 17 is identifying only as MJN, was not "quite where he needed," turning back around to see if she needed a ride.  MJN previously testified that she did not ask for a ride but to use his phone because she was lost.

There were several discrepancies in Wednesday's testimony between Willis and previous experts.  At one point while discussing the MJN case, Prosecutor Hilson told Willis he knew he was lying to police, but Willis said no, that he was just being "evasive."  At that point, there was a muffled laugh in the courtroom when Hilson said that though Willis calls it evasive, he calls it lying.
 ::snipping3::

Updates during trial today...

http://woodtv.com/2017/11/01/jeffrey-willis-rebekah-bletsch-murder-trial-day-7-of-testimony/

Jeffrey Willis testifies in his trial for the murder of Rebekah Bletsch
Published: November 1, 2017, 4:30 am  |  Updated: November 1, 2017, 11:10 pm

MUSKEGON, Mich. (WOOD) — The latest in the Jeffrey Willis trial for the murder of Rebekah Bletsch:

4:15 p.m. – The defense has rested its case. The prosecution will call its rebuttal witnesses Thursday before the case finally goes to the jury.

>>App users: Listen to Jeffrey Willis’ testimony here

The investigator points out Bluhm reset his phone the day after Jeffrey Willis was charged with Bletsch’s murder, and Bluhm had said he handled the gun used in her shooting.

However, Bluhm insists he reset his phone because there was porn on it.

“That was it. I had regular porn on there and I didn’t want to get caught with it,” he said.

“I didn’t want to be a part of it,” Bluhm says in reference to Willis.

Bluhm said he thought Bletsch was a “beautiful lady” when he met her at soccer.

“I looked her up on Facebook and stuff like that, but I would never hurt her,” Bluhm said. He said he never “hit on her” and they were just friends.

“I wouldn’t hurt her. I wouldn’t kill anybody. I’m the most honest guy in the world and I wouldn’t kill her,” he said in the transcript.

He said he would say “hi” to Bletsch on occasion at school after soccer season.

“After she died, I was so shocked,” Bluhm he said.

Bluhm later said he had saved “no more than 10” pictures of Bletsch on his phone after she died and he reset his phone because of the pictures and the porn.

Bluhm said two years after the murder, Willis told him he wanted to get rid of the gun he used to kill Bletsch.

“I told him no, I handed it back,” Bluhm said.

The investigator questions why Bluhm would show up at Willis’ house if he’s afraid of him.

“He’s trying to set me up and I said no. I handed it back. He killed those people,” Bluhm said.

“You’re a State of Michigan employee working for the Michigan Department of Corrections, you’d be the last person he’d go to, you know what I’m saying?” The investigator says.

Bluhm agreed he lied earlier when he said Willis handed him the gun to clean it.

Bluhm said Bletsch told him she lived on Automobile Road.

Bluhm said Willis tried to “lasso” Bletsch while driving and she got out of it, but fell.

4 p.m. – The court is now hearing a recitation of parts of Bluhm’s interview with police.

In the transcript, Bluhm said he handled Willis’ gun, looked at it and handed it back.

“I had no part of Becky’s or any of this,” Bluhm said in the transcript.

Bluhm said he learned about Bletsch and Heeringa’s cases through the news.

Bluhm said he knew Bletsch was shot with small .22-caliber type ammunition, and that there were marks on her body based on the media, but not what she was wearing.

In the transcript, Bluhm said he and Bletsch “crossed each others’ paths in the past” – that their children played soccer together.

Bluhm said he reset his phone on May 26 to clear out pornography.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2017/11/jeffrey_willis_trial_bletsch_m.html

Jeffrey Willis trial: Bletsch murder case in jury's hands
Updated Nov 2, 2017; Posted Nov 2, 2017

MUSKEGON COUNTY, MI - Did Jeffrey Willis kill Rebekah Bletsch? The answer to that question now rests with the 12-member jury following two weeks of testimony.

Final witnesses were called Thursday morning followed by the closing arguments of the prosecution and defense. Two of the original 14 jurors were excused, and the rest of the jury was handed the case around 3:40 p.m. Thursday.

They are to decide whether Willis purposely shot and killed Bletsch as she was out for a jog on Automobile Road in rural Muskegon County on June 29, 2014.

If they decide he did kill her, they must then determine if the murder was first or second degree. For first-degree murder, which carries a mandatory life-without-parole sentence, the jurors must determine Willis either planned out the murder beforehand, or that he murdered her while committing or attempting to commit another crime such as kidnapping.

Muskegon County Prosecutor D.J. Hilson claims Willis tried to lure Bletsch into this van and killed her as she ran away from him. The motive was to kidnap, sexually assault and then kill her, Hilson said. The time was just minutes after 6 p.m., he said.

Defense attorney Fred Johnson said it was Bluhm who pulled up to Bletsch and shot her, having stalked her, followed her to her address and learned her exercise routine. He didn't offer a motive for Bluhm's actions.
 ::snipping3::

Live updates during the trial today...

http://www.wzzm13.com/news/local/muskegon/live-blog-day-10-of-jeffrey-willis-trial/488368629

LIVE BLOG: Day 10 of Jeffrey Willis' trial
3:38 PM. EDT November 02, 2017

MUSKEGON COUNTY, MICH. - The trial of Jeffrey Willis for the murder of Rebekah Bletsch continues Thursday, Nov. 2, 2017 marks the tenth day of court.

The judge ordered no cameras be permitted into the court room, however, we were still able to provide audio. You can listen to it on our Facebook.

3:38 p.m.

Judge wraps up jury instructions, sends them to deliberate.

3:06 p.m.
 
Judge begins giving jury instructions.

3:03 p.m.

Prosecutor says not only does Willis have a willingness to lie but he has no problem killing people. Prosecutor rests.

3:02 p.m.

Prosecutor  says law enforcement did make attempt to ping Bluhm's phone but his records did not go back that far. The Prosecutor says  details of MJN and Heeringa was just there to upset the jury if that were the case is not correct, the judge would not have allowed it.

3:01 p.m.

Prosecutor has rebuttal statement. Prosecutor says defense argument is attacking his character. "For him to suggest that I'm invested in this case so much, bothers me," Hilson said
 ::snipping3::

Guilty!   ::justice2nj2::

https://twitter.com/DanaChicklas?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Ffox17online.com%2F2017%2F11%2F02%2Fwillis-trial-continues-as-defense-tries-to-pin-murder-on-cousin%2F

Dana Chicklas‏Verified account @DanaChicklas · 3m3 minutes ago 
Someone from back of courtroom yelled “rot in hell” as Willis was escorted out of court room

Dana Chicklas‏Verified account @DanaChicklas · 3m3 minutes ago 
Willis to be sentenced Dec. 18

Dana Chicklas‏Verified account @DanaChicklas · 3m3 minutes ago 
Family erupted with cheers, tears, sighs

Dana Chicklas‏Verified account @DanaChicklas · 3m3 minutes ago
Willis guilty of felony firearm

Dana Chicklas‏Verified account @DanaChicklas · 41s41 seconds ago 
Jury finds Jeffrey Willis guilty of first degree murder

http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2017/11/02/jeffrey-willis-convicted-2014-murder-jogger-muskegon-county/827787001/

Jeffrey Willis convicted in 2014 murder of jogger in Muskegon County
Associated Press and WZZM Published 9:13 p.m. ET Nov. 2, 2017 | Updated 9:29 p.m. ET Nov. 2, 2017

MUSKEGON, Mich. — Jurors quickly convicted a man Thursday of fatally shooting a woman who was jogging in 2014, one of two murder cases filed against him in Muskegon County.

Jeffrey Willis denied any role in Rebekah Bletsch’s death in Dalton Township, but jurors determined the evidence against him was strong. The jury met for less than two hours before returning a guilty verdict on the charge of first-degree murder.

The verdict brought sobs and cheers throughout the courtroom on Thursday afternoon. Emotions were raw as the reality of Rebekah's death struck her family members and the man responsible for the crime, sitting just feet away.

“We’re pleased that now we can heal up somewhat and move on,” said Nick Winberg, Bletsch’s father.

Willis faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison with no chance for parole when he's sentenced on Dec. 18. Two other cases still are pending, including the 2013 murder of a Muskegon-area gas station clerk whose body hasn’t been found.
 ::snipping3::

http://woodtv.com/2017/11/03/prosecutor-says-more-trials-ahead-for-jeffrey-willis/

Prosecutor says more trials ahead for Jeffrey Willis
Barton Deiters
Published: November 3, 2017, 5:51 pm  |  Updated: November 3, 2017, 6:37 pm
 ::snipping3::
Although Willis will be sentenced next month to life in prison without the possibility of parole, this prosecutor believed justice demands convictions in the 2013 presumed homicide of Jessica Heeringa and the attempted abduction of a teenage girl in 2016.

“I don’t see any need whatsoever to get rid of any of the cases against Mr. Willis, in my opinion, he deserves no break,” Hilson said.

Hilson said the family of Jessica Heeringa has been waiting too long for justice and deserves to see Willis convicted in that case.

But with Willis never leaving prison, will there be any incentive for him to cooperate with revealing where her body is located?

“He knows exactly where her body is, whether or not he wants to tell us that or tell anybody that matter, that’s on him and if he did, we would be willing to listen,” Willis said.

After the trial, Willis’s defense attorney Fred Johnson said there are many grounds for an appeal.

“This case is not over, this case is gonna be going on for 10 years. They’re gonna be appealing this stuff,” Johnson said.

Hilson said a year in appeals is more like it.

“We will be certainly ready to respond accordingly,” Hilson said. “I don’t anticipate that taking 10 years.”

Throughout the case, the defense contended that it was Jeffrey Willis’ cousin Kevin Bluhm who killed Rebekah Bletsch.

The prosecution demonstrated to the jury that there was no way Bluhm could have committed the crime.

.Bluhm already admitted lying about the case and now faces trial Nov. 28 on charges of being an accessory after the fact, he faces a maximum of five years in prison

“There’s nothing as of right now anyway, any evidence that suggests he was involved in the Jessica Heeringa murder, so until evidence or leads point us in that direction, It is what it is with Mr. Blum and we’re gonna pursue that charge to the fullest,” Hilson said.

Hilson said when the trial for Heeringa would take place is still some time away.

He said the publicity of the Bletsch trial needs to wane first.

He said the next trial will look very similar to this one.

“The three cases, that being Jessica’s case, Rebekah’s case and MJN’s case are so interconnected, ther’s so many similarities and interconnections you really can’t try one of these cases without introducing evidence form the other two,” Hilson said.

Willis will be back in court Dec. 18, where he will receive the mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

http://www.wzzm13.com/news/local/muskegon/prosecutor-and-lawyer-weigh-in-on-whats-next-for-willis/488824373

Prosecutor and lawyer weigh in on what's next for Willis
Jon Mills, WZZM 5:33 PM. EDT November 03, 2017

 ::snipping3::
Muskegon County prosecutor D.J. Hilson is seeking conviction on all the crimes WIllis is charged with

"Whatever Mr. Willis doesn't plead to I will try," Hilson said. A trial for the murder of gas station clerk Jessica Heeringa has not been scheduled. It will likely happen in 2018.

"He knows exactly where her body is," Hilson said. "Whether or not he wants to tell us, we would be willing to listen."

And Hilson expects appeals will be filed. "Anybody convicted in a jury trial has the automatic right to an appeal at the court of appeals level," Hilson said. "We will certainly be ready to respond accordingly."
 ::snipping3::

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2017/11/kevin_bluhm_enters_plea_in_jes.html

Kevin Bluhm enters plea in Jessica Heeringa murder case
Updated Nov 28, 6:59 AM; Posted Nov 27

MUSKEGON COUNTY, MI - Jeffrey Willis' cousin, Kevin Bluhm, has pleaded no contest to being an accessory after Jessica Heeringa's murder.

Bluhm entered the plea in Muskegon County Circuit Court Nov. 27, according to Matt Roberts, chief trial attorney for the Muskegon County Prosecutor's Office.

Bluhm was accused of knowing Willis had committed murder and/or kidnapping and that he protected Willis from law enforcement. The charge is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine.

Bluhm's trial was set to begin Tuesday. His plea is not an admission of guilt, but is treated as such at sentencing.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2017/11/28/man-charged-jessica-heeringa-plea/900510001/

Cousin of man charged in Jessica Heeringa's death enters plea
Published 7:22 a.m. ET Nov. 28, 2017

MUSKEGON — A cousin of a man charged in the slaying of a 25-year-old western Michigan gas station clerk is expected to avoid additional jail time for helping him afterward.

Kevin Bluhm pleaded no contest Monday to being an accessory after the fact of murder. He's been jailed since September 2016 on the charge. A no contest plea isn't an admission of guilt but is treated as such for sentencing, which is scheduled Jan. 9.
 ::snipping3::

http://fox17online.com/2017/12/08/prosecutor-jeffrey-willis-to-be-tried-for-heeringa-murder-in-march-2018/

Prosecutor: Jeffrey Willis to be tried for Heeringa murder in March 2018
Posted 4:48 PM, December 8, 2017, by Bob Brenzing, Updated at 04:51PM, December 8, 2017

MUSKEGON, Mich. – The murder case of Jessica Heeringa will go to trial in March 2018, almost five years since she disappeared from a Norton Shores gas station.

Muskegon County Prosecutor DJ Hilson tells FOX 17 that the trial of Jeffrey Willis will begin on March 6, 2018 at the Muskegon County Courthouse.  Hilson says he expects the trial to last about 12 days.

Willis was convicted of the 2014 killing of Rebekah Bletsch in November.  He is to be sentenced on December 18 for that murder.  Willis is also accused of abducting a teen in 2016.  He has not yet been tried for that crime.
 ::snipping3::

 ::MonkeyNoNo::
http://woodtv.com/2017/12/18/willis-blows-kiss-leaves-court-before-bletsch-murder-sentence/

Willis blows kiss, leaves court before Bletsch murder sentence
Published: December 18, 2017, 10:19 am  |  Updated: December 18, 2017, 6:26 pm

MUSKEGON, Mich. (WOOD) — Jeffrey Willis was sentenced Monday morning for the murder of Rebekah Bletsch, but not before an unusual exit from a Muskegon courtroom.

Shortly after Willis entered the courtroom, he asked to leave.

Muskegon County Prosecutor D.J. Hilson called the request “unprecedented,” but Judge William Marietti pointed out there is no law that requires Willis to be present for his sentencing.

“It’s unfortunate that he’s choosing this cowardly way of doing it. That certainly he’s been convicted, the family deserves the right to address the court which they intend to do and they also in some respects deserve the right to address the person convicted of killing their daughter and sister. But, that being said, whatever the court decides, the court decides,” said Hilson.

As Willis was being escorted out, he turned and blew a kiss to the people in the courtroom, some of which were calling him a coward.
 ::snipping3::
The judge sentenced Willis to life in prison without the possibility of parole for felony first-degree murder as well as a consecutive three-year sentence on a felony firearm charge.
 ::snipping3::
The judge declined to comment during Willis’ sentencing because of the defendant’s pending cases in the kidnapping and murder of Jessica Heeringa and the attempted abduction of a 16-year-old girl.
 ::snipping3::
In March, Willis will be back in court to stand trial for Heeringa’s disappearance and death. She vanished from a gas station in Norton Shores during her shift on the night of April 26, 2013.

Her body has never been found, but prosecutors say a file titled “VICS” found on one of Willis’ hard drives and containing a subfolder labeled with Heeringa’s initials and a code indicating the date of her disappearance is evidence she’s dead. Another subfolder in that “VICS” file was labeled with Bletsch’s name and a code for the date of her death.

Bletsch’s family also wants Willis’ cousin, Kevin Bluhm, locked up. Bluhm was arrested for lying to police and eventually pleaded no contest to being an accessory after the fact in Heeringa’s murder. Bluhm told police he helped Willis dispose of Heeringa’s body, then told investigators he lied.

Bluhm will be sentenced in January.
 ::snipping3::

thank you for the updates grace-land

 ::HelloKitty::

You're welcome, cw618!

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2018/01/kevin_bluhm_walks_free_for_his.html

Kevin Bluhm walks free for his role in Jessica Heeringa's murder
Updated Jan 9; Posted Jan 9

MUSKEGON COUNTY, MI - Jeffrey Willis' cousin, Kevin Bluhm, was to be set free Tuesday following sentencing for his involvement in the murder of Jessica Heeringa.

But he won't be free from prying eyes, as he will be required to wear an electronic GPS tether to monitor his whereabouts for at least a year.

Bluhm, 49, was sentenced Jan. 9 by Muskegon County Circuit Judge William C. Marietti to time he has already served in the Muskegon County Jail, where he has been lodged since Sept. 20, 2016.

Marietti also ordered Bluhm to serve the maximum of five years probation and to wear the monitor, which the judge said he would review in a year. Matt Roberts, chief trial attorney for the Muskegon County Prosecutor's Office, requested the tether, saying Bluhm may have information about where Heeringa's body is located.

Bluhm, dressed in jailhouse blues, sat with his back to the gallery, which included his wife and daughter.

Bluhm pleaded no contest on Nov. 27, 2017, to being an accessory after the fact in the murder of Heeringa, who disappeared in April 2013 from her night job at a Norton Shores gas station. Willis has been charged in her murder, and the trial is scheduled for early March.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.wzzm13.com/news/local/muskegon/williss-next-trial-in-march-may-be-delayed-judge-to-decide/508891507

Willis's next trial in March may be delayed, judge to decide
5:55 PM. EST January 17, 2018

MUSKEGON, MICH. - The man who's serving a life prison sentence for the death of Muskegon County mother Rebekah Bletsch is scheduled to go to trial for the death of store clerk Jessica Heeringa in March.

However, a new motion filed in the case could delay the trial for weeks, if not months.
 ::snipping3::
The motion may delay the trial scheduled to begin on March 6.

Johnson says he and other attorneys at the public defenders office have too much to review before trial. Johnson is also waiting for transcripts from Willis' first trial.
 ::snipping3::
Muskegon County Prosecutor D.J. Hilson say he opposes the motion, will ask the judge to deny it, and he'll continue preparing for the trial to start in March.

Judge Marietti will hear the motion on Jan. 26 at 10 a.m.

http://www.wzzm13.com/news/local/muskegon/prosecutors-seek-to-combine-willis-criminal-cases/509246344

Prosecutors seek to combine Willis criminal cases
6:05 PM. EST January 18, 2018

MUSKEGON, MICH. - Muskegon prosecutors are asking a judge to put two outstanding cases together against convicted killer Jeffrey Willis.

County Prosecutor DJ Hilson is asking a judge to join the case of the April 2013 kidnapping and murder of Jessica Heeringa in Norton Shores, and the 2016 attempted abduction of a 16-year-old girl north of Muskegon.

Prosecutors are arguing the crimes are the continuation of a pattern of behavior by Willis. Prosecutors say that pattern also fit Willis' murder of Rebekah Bletsch in 2014.
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http://woodtv.com/2018/01/26/judge-delays-willis-trial-for-jessica-heeringa-murder/

Judge delays Willis trial for Jessica Heeringa murder
Published: January 26, 2018, 11:51 am  |  Updated: January 26, 2018, 6:46 pm

MUSKEGON, Mich. (WOOD) — Convicted murderer Jeffrey Willis will have more time to prepare for his trial in the April 2013 kidnapping and murder of Jessica Heeringa.

In a 15-minute hearing on Friday, Judge William Marietti agreed to delay Willis’ trial, which was slated to start March 6. It’s now expected to begin in early May, which was the time period public defender Fred Johnson was requesting.
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Hilson wants to move forward faster — so he again filed a motion to combine the Heeringa murder case and the attempted abduction of a teen girl in 2016 into one trial. Hilson said much of the evidence against Willis in those cases is the same.

>>Inside woodtv.com:  Complete coverage of the Jeffrey Willis investigation

Marietti previously denied the same request before the Bletsch trial.

“It just makes sense,” Hilson said. “It’s going to become harder and harder to find individuals in Muskegon County who can objectively view the evidence.”

Johnson, on the other hand, wants to keep the two trials separate.

“This isn’t about economy — this isn’t about efficiency. This is about justice. And if takes multiple trials to get justice in this matter, that’s what we should do,” Johnson said.

Marietti is expected to rule on whether or not to combine the cases sometime within the next few weeks.
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http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2018/01/jeffrey_willis_trial_delayed_f.html
Jeffrey Willis' trial delayed for murder of Jessica Heeringa
Updated 10:40 AM; Posted 10:11 AM

http://woodtv.com/2018/02/04/willis-claims-innocence-im-not-going-quietly/

Willis claims innocence: ‘I’m not going quietly’
Jeffrey Willis changed passwords to 'JLH42713' after Jessica Heeringa vanished
Heather Walker, Target 8 investigator
Published: February 4, 2018, 11:56 pm  |  Updated: February 5, 2018, 12:07 am

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — When asked if he is a serial killer, Jeffrey Willis laughed.

“No,” he told Target 8.

But if convicted in May of the murder of Jessica Heeringa, Willis will meet the FBI’s definition of one: someone guilty of killing at least two people in separate events.

Three times of the course of three days, Willis spoke to Target 8 from the Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility in Ionia, where he’s being held on a life sentence for the murder of Rebekah Bletsch.

The interviews were scheduled after Willis reached out to Target 8, claiming in a letter that he’s innocent, that he was framed in both murder cases and that he has proof. The conversations took place over the phone because that was the only way the prison would allow Target 8 to record them.

When asked if he killed Heeringa, Willis replied, “No.” When asked if he had anything to do with her 2013 disappearance, he again replied, “No.”
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http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2018/04/willis_returns_to_court_for_he.html

Willis returns to court for hearing on upcoming Heeringa murder case
Updated April 23, 2018 at 3:01 PM; Posted April 23, 2018 at 12:30 PM

MUSKEGON COUNTY, MI - Convicted murderer Jeffrey Willis was back in court for a hearing on whether he will face just one trial for the murder of Jessica Heeringa and the kidnapping of a teen girl.

The judge ruled he won't, with the Heeringa case set to begin May 2 in the courtroom of Muskegon County Circuit Judge William C. Marietti. The kidnapping case has not been scheduled.

Muskegon County Prosecutor D.J. Hilson had asked that the cases be combined since they are "almost identical" with most of the same witnesses.

"To me, it's common sense because they're so intertwined with one another that they be tried together," Hilson said.

Willis was convicted last November of killing Rebekah Bletsch, and is serving a life sentence.
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 :sad:
http://www.woodtv.com/news/jeffrey-willis-investigation/heeringa-family-holding-hope-5-years-after-disappearance/1143613346

Heeringa family holding hope 5 years after disappearance
By: Heather Walker
Updated: Apr 26, 2018 07:11 PM EDT

NORTON SHORES, Mich. (WOOD) — It has been five years since Jessica Heeringa disappeared from a Norton Shores gas station. She hasn’t been seen since, but investigators and prosecutors believe that she was murdered by Jeffrey Willis.

Willis will stand trial for Heeringa’s kidnapping and murder next week.

On Friday, a post on the “Find Jessica Heeringa” Facebook page appearing to be from Heeringa’s mom said, “I will never quit looking for my daughter, the police have, let’s make this the year, Jes comes home. she is alive she is out there….”

The Norton Shores Police Department says they haven’t stopped searching despite the charges.
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http://www.mlive.com/expo/erry-2018/04/d946ad94d47505/jeffrey_willis_goes_on_trial_f.html

Jeffrey Willis goes on trial for Jessica Heeringa's murder, abduction
By Lynn Moore | lmoore8@mlive.com | Posted April 30, 2018 at 10:13 AM


MUSKEGON, MI - Five years after Jessica Heeringa disappeared, the trial of her alleged murderer, Jeffrey Willis, will begin in a Muskegon County courtroom this week.

Willis, already convicted of first-degree murder, will be tried in the abduction and murder of Heeringa, 25, who disappeared from the gas station where she worked in April 2013.

The road to justice has been a long one. Willis was arrested in May 2016,  almost exactly one month after the abduction of a teenager who identified him as the man who tried to shoot her when she ran from him.

His arrest was the missing piece to a puzzle investigators had been trying to solve for years. It included the unsolved murder of Rebekah Bletsch, also along a Muskegon County road in 2014.

Willis was convicted of killing Bletsch as part of a "scheme" to kidnap, rape and kill vulnerable women, the prosecutor has alleged. As a result, the kidnapping of the 16-year-old and the murder of Bletsch  will figure prominently in the Heeringa trial.

An estimated 300 people will be on standby to serve as jurors in the upcoming trial. Pre-trial publicity of the Heeringa case could make it difficult to seat an impartial jury. Jury selection begins Tuesday, and is expected to last several days

Heeringa disappears
Jessica Heeringa, the single mother of a 3-year-old boy, disappeared while working the late shift at the Exxon gas station on Sternberg Road in Norton Shores on April 26, 2013.

A customer called police after he arrived at the station to find no one working. Arriving officers found Heeringa's purse and coat and evidence she was preparing to close the station for the evening.

They also found evidence outside the back of the gas station near an exit door: small batteries, a battery cover from a gun sight and a drop of blood that testing later would show was Heeringa's.

But Heeringa was nowhere in sight.

A gas station manager would tell police later that night that she had been riding her motorcycle past the station and had seen a suspicious silver van behind the station around the time Heeringa disappeared. Concerned, the manager parked her bike nearby and watched as a man drove off.

Flyers with images of Heeringa, the silver van and a drawing of the suspect driver were circulated throughout the community. Though investigators followed up on thousands of tips, the case remained unsolved for years.

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Evidence
When police searched Willis' home and van following his arrest on May 17, 2016, they came up with evidence that tied Willis not only to MJN, but to Heeringa and Bletsch.

On his computer they found a folder labeled as "VICS," or victims, with subfolders containing information related to Heeringa and Bletsch. In his van, they found a gun -- missing its sight -- and ammunition, and a toolbox filled with bondage items and sex toys.

Also on his computer, police found thousands of violent videos depicting abductions, torture and rape of women. Other items included a list of serial killers and stolen panties belonging to a co-worker from whom police said Willis also stole the gun.

The gun itself is the piece tying Willis to all three crimes, police have said. In the Heeringa trial, material evidence will be critical due to the lack of witnesses.

However, there is one witness who has already been convicted of helping Willis after the murder of Heeringa. That's Willis' cousin, Kevin Bluhm, who was sentenced in January to time served -- 476 days -- for being an accessory after the fact to murder. Bluhm in an interview with police on June 16 and 17 of 2016, told them Willis had called him over to their grandfather's home on Norton Shores.

There, Bluhm told police, he saw a nude dead woman, identified by Willis as "Jessica, the gas station girl," who was tied up and a video camera on a table next to her, according to law enforcement testimony. She had injuries to her head and consistent with a sexual assault, he told police, officers testified. He also said he helped get rid of Heeringa's body, though he later recanted everything he said.

Heeringa's body has never been recovered.

Willis' trial for Heeringa's abduction and murder is scheduled for 12 days -- through May 18 and not on Mondays -- in the courtroom of 14th Circuit Judge William C. Marietti. It's the same courtroom in which Willis was tried, convicted and sentenced for Bletsch's murder.

Prosecuting the case will be Muskegon County Prosecutor D.J. Hilson, who only tries major cases, leaving others to his assistants. Representing Willis will be Fred D. Johnson, director of Muskegon County's Public Defender office.

Among the witnesses expected to be called are teenage kidnapping victim MJN, the woman to whose house she ran, the man who found the gas station empty the night Heeringa disappeared, the woman whose panties and gun Willis allegedly stole, and numerous law enforcement officers and lab technicians.

Bluhm could also be called to testify, but he invoked the Fifth Amendment against self incrimination in the Bletsch case and may do so again.

Willis may also take the stand, as he did in the Bletsch trial.

The public is allowed to attend the trial, which will start each day around 9:30 a.m. once the jury is seated. The trial will be broadcast live on MLive's Facebook page, and live commentary will be provided on the MLive website.

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http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2018/05/testimony_in_jeffrey_willis_tr.html

Testimony in Jeffrey Willis trial to begin Tuesday for Heeringa murder
Updated 3:52 PM; Posted 3:51 PM

MUSKEGON COUNTY, MI - Testimony in the trial of Jeffrey Willis for the kidnapping and murder of Jessica Heeringa is expected to get underway on Tuesday.

Attorneys continued one-on-one questioning of potential jurors Thursday and expected to move to a large-group format Friday afternoon. The trial is not scheduled for Mondays, so Tuesday is the anticipated day for opening statements and the beginning of the prosecution's case, court officials said.
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http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2018/05/evidence_that_jeffrey_willis_j.html
Evidence that Jeffrey Willis jury will, will not hear in Heeringa case
Updated 9:09 AM; Posted 9:09 AM

http://fox17online.com/2018/05/04/jury-seated-in-willis-trial-for-heeringa-murder/

Jury seated in Willis’ Heeringa murder trial, which begins Tuesday
Posted 6:27 PM, May 4, 2018, by FOX 17 News, Updated at 12:15PM, May 5, 2018

MUSKEGON, Mich. — A jury has been set for the trial of Jeffrey Willis.

Prosecutors and defense attorneys came to an agreement on jurors on Friday, according to Muskegon County Prosecutor D.J. Hilson.  The court took four days to find the jurors.
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The trial is expected to start on Tuesday, May 8. We’ll have updates from court throughout the week.  The trial is expected to last about two weeks.

https://www.wzzm13.com/article/news/first-witnesses-to-testify-tuesday-in-jeffrey-willis-trial-for-death-of-jessica-heeringa/69-549700792

First witnesses to testify Tuesday in Jeffrey Willis trial for death of Jessica Heeringa
Author:   Jon Mills 
Published:   4:56 PM EDT May 7, 2018 
Updated:   5:19 PM EDT May 7, 2018 
 
MUSKEGON COUNTY, Mich. - A jury has been selected and now it's on to opening statements Tuesday morning, May 8 at the trial of Jeffrey Willis for the murder of Jessica Heeringa.

Muskegon County Prosecutor D.J. Hilson is expected to call more than 30 witnesses. The trial should last all of this week and stretch into part of next week too.

The first witness is expected to take the stand following opening statements by Hilson and Willis' attorney, Muskegon County Public Defender Fred Johnson.
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The trial

Eight women and six men make up the jury. Eventually two will be considered alternate jurors.

Prosecutor Hilson has the added burden of proving Heeringa is dead, because her body has never been found. Evidence includes computer files on Willis' computer titled VICS, presumably short for "victims." And there is a subfolder JLH—Jessica Heeringa's initials.

Jurors may also hear about a handwritten note police found in a trash can at Willis' grandfather's home. That is the location investigators believe Heeringa was killed. The note is believed to be written by Willis, and it lists a number of items including restraints that were located in a locked tool box hidden in Willis' van.
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