Print Page - Erin Corwin, 19yrs - 3mo Pregnant Missing Twenty Nine Palms CA 6/28/14

TWENTYNINE PALMS: Search underway for missing pregnant woman
July 1, 2014 by Nikie Johnson

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Authorities say there are “definite suspicious circumstances” surrounding the disappearance of a pregnant Twentynine Palms woman who was last seen leaving home to go to Joshua Tree National Park on Saturday.

San Bernardino County sheriff’s detectives are asking for the public’s help locating 19-year-old Erin Corwin, who is white, 5-foot-2 and about 120 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes. She was driving a blue 2013 Toyota Corolla with California license plate 7CJX519. She has no history of medical or psychological issues, the Sheriff’s Department said in a news advisory issued Tuesday, July 1.

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Corwin left her home for the park at 7 a.m. Saturday, and her husband reported her missing the next day, the Sheriff’s Department said in a news advisory. Deputies, search-and-rescue teams and other volunteers searched the area on the ground and by air, but were not able to find her.

The sheriff’s Specialized Investigations Division-Homicide Detail is now assisting in the investigation.

“The specialized division was asked to assume the investigation because they felt that there were definite suspicious circumstances,” sheriff’s spokeswoman Cindy Bachman said. The division has advanced investigative skills, including interviewing techniques, and is well-suited “when it comes to investigations that involve the possibility of foul play.”

Update: http://blog.pe.com/breaking-news/2014/07/02/twentynine-palms-missing-womans-vehicle-found/ (http://blog.pe.com/breaking-news/2014/07/02/twentynine-palms-missing-womans-vehicle-found/)

Car Found

The vehicle belonging to a pregnant woman who disappeared under suspicious circumstances from Twentynine Palms has been found, sheriff’s officials said.

They could not release the exact location for fear of compromising the investigation, said sheriff’s Cpl. Randy Naquin on Wednesday, July 2, but “there was no indication of her direction of travel or current whereabouts,” in the vehicle, a news release stated.
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Search Continues for 19 Year Old, Pregnant Military Wife Erin Corwin Missng Since 6/28/14 in San Bernardino County, CA (Update: Erin Corwin’s Car Found)

http://scaredmonkeys.com/2014/07/05/search-continues-for-19-year-old-pregnant-military-wife-erin-corwin-missng-since-62814-in-san-bernardino-county-ca-update-erin-corwins-car-found/

(http://scaredmonkeys.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Erin-Corwin_missing_SBCPD-300x300.jpg)

UPDATE I: Missing military wife’s car found; still no sign of pregnant 19-year-old.

Quote

According to the police, Corwin’s 2013 blue Toyota Corolla was found in Twentynine Palms on Monday. San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said, “They felt it was necessary for those investigators to get involved early on. They said there were some suspicious circumstances.”

California police recovered a missing pregnant woman’s car — but they’re still not sure where she is.

Erin Corwin’s Toyota Corolla was spotted close to her Twentynine Palms home on Monday after the 19-year-old Marine wife went missing on Saturday, KTLA reported.

Corwin, who is three months pregnant, was last seen Saturday morning when she left the Marine base where she lives with her corporal husband to drive to Joshua Tree National Park.

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San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department updates.
http://cms.sbcounty.gov/sheriff/MediaCenter/SheriffPressReleases/PressReleasesfor2014/July/UpdateTwentyninePalmsMissingPerson.aspx

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/mom-of-missing-pregnant-woman-doesnt-suspect-son-in-law/
Mom of missing pregnant woman doesn't suspect son-in-law
July 8, 2014

TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. - The mother of a missing pregnant woman in Southern California says she does not suspect her son-in-law in her daughter's disappearance, reports CBS Los Angeles.

Erin Corwin, 19, was last seen at her home just before heading to Joshua Tree National Park on June 28 around 7 a.m., according to the station. She is three months pregnant.

Corwin's husband, Marine Cpl. Jonathan Wayne Corwin, reported her missing the following morning, the station reports. He is based at the Twentynine Palms Marine base, near where Erin's 2013 Toyota Corolla was found.

Lore Heavilin, Erin's mother, said she does not believe her son-in-law could be linked to any possible foul play, according to CBS Los Angeles. Police have called the disappearance "suspicious."

The station reports there has been no phone, bank or social media activity on any of the missing woman's accounts. Homicide detectives have taken the lead role in investigating, though the disappearance is still considered a missing persons case.
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http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2014/07/mystery-deepens-in-case-of-missing-pregnant-woman-erin-corwin/
Mystery Deepens in Case of Missing Pregnant Woman Erin Corwin
July 8, 2014

Authorities today continued their search for 19-year old Erin Corwin, who went missing at Joshua Tree National Park on June 28, amid speculation about the circumstances of her mysterious disappearance.
The mother of Erin’s Marine husband Jonathan Corwin said she’s particularity concerned about the attention that has focused on Jonathan.
“I know that it’s everyone’s first thought that it’s the spouse,” Sheila Braden told ABC News, “but if they knew John and Erin, and the relationship they had, they would know he’s not capable of this.”
Homicide investigators are leading the search after police announced last week that there were “suspicious circumstances” surrounding her disappearance.
The San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department has not named any suspects in the case.
Multiple users were blocked from Praying for Erin, the Facebook group aimed at spreading the word about Corwin’s disappearance.
The group, despite being flooded with supportive messages, also attracted speculative comments from strangers, particularly about the husband. An update posted yesterday acknowledged the “suspicions, doubts, and questions,” but asserted that “conspiracy theories” are not helpful.
San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputies say LErinance Cpl. Jonathan Corwin reported his wife missing on June 29, a day after she was last seen leaving their home headed for the park. She is three months pregnant, police said.
Police helicopters and ground forces have spent the last week searching without any success. Some 50 volunteers searched over the holiday weekend.
Police located Corwin’s 2013 Toyota Corolla in Twentynine Palms on June 30, but there was no indication of her whereabouts.
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Video with Erin's mom speaking.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/07/08/mystery-surrounds-disappearance-pregnant-military-spouse-erin-corwin/
Mystery surrounds disappearance of pregnant military spouse Erin Corwin
July 8, 2014

Lance Cpl. Jonathan Corwin said there was nothing out of the ordinary when his 19-year-old pregnant wife left their California home for a vast national park nine days ago -- sparking an all-out search for the missing woman Tuesday using "every resource possible," authorities told FoxNews.com Tuesday.

Erin Corwin, who is three months pregnant, was last last seen around 7 a.m. on June 28 at the couple's Twentynine Palms home as she was setting out to explore Joshua Tree National Park, her Marine husband told investigators with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.

Jonathan Corwin reported his wife missing the next day. Police located her 2013 Toyota Corolla in Twentynine Palms on June 30 but declined to say whether any potential evidence had been removed from the vehicle.
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"We're not naming any persons of interest or suspects until we're convinced a crime has been committed," Naquin said. "Right now we're treating this as a critical missing person case."

Naquin described the vast desert park as roughly the size of Rhode Island with sandy and rocky terrain and temperatures in the triple digits.

Naquin said authorities, including a team of homicide detectives, are investigating "various leads" that have come in since Corwin's disappearance.

Naquin described Jonathan Corwin as cooperative but declined to comment on whether his home, car and computer had been examined by authorities.

"If my wife didn't show up for dinner, I’d report her missing sooner but I don’t know what the family dynamic is between Erin and her husband," Naquin said. "I don't know if they were used to spending a lot of time apart. And I also don’t know if there were problems between Erin and her husband."

According to local media reports, Corwin told investigators his wife -- a volunteer horse rescue worker -- wanted to scout out the park in advance of a planned family visit. The Corwins are originally from Oak Ridge, Tenn., and Erin Corwin's mother had planned to visit her for her birthday in the coming weeks. Mother and daughter had already purchased tickets to visit SeaWorld, authorities said, and Erin Corwin had no known medical or psychological issues.
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http://cms.sbcounty.gov/sheriff/MediaCenter/SheriffPressReleases/PressReleasesfor2014/July/UpdateTwentyninePalmsMissingPerson.aspx

San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department

Press Release

DATE/TIME: Sunday, June 29, 2014 UPDATE - July 11, 2014

INCIDENT: Missing Person Investigation

LOCATION: Twentynine Palms

VICTIM: Erin Corwin, 19-year-old, 5'02", 120 lbs, Brown hair, Blue eyes

Summary

UPDATE - July 11, 2014:

The Specialized Investigators, along with Sheriff’s Search & Rescue volunteers continue the search for Erin Corwin. The search area is concentrated around the Joshua Tree National Park and has covered more than 200 square miles of remote desert.

The information released during this search has been minimal due to the suspicious nature of Erin’s disappearance. The search has shown no sign of Erin and her disappearance does not appear to be voluntary. When conducting investigations like these, Investigators must keep in mind the potential for this search to turn into a criminal investigation at any time. Therefore, the information released about the search techniques, search areas and interviews will be minimal.

The search will continue as necessary, throughout the weekend using search and rescue volunteers from San Bernardino County, Los Angeles County and Kern County Sheriff’s Departments and Joshua Tree National Park Service Rangers.

Anyone with information about Erin Corwin is urged to contact the Sheriff’s Specialized Investigation Division at (909)387-3589 or Sheriff’s dispatch at (909)387-8313. Callers wishing to remain anonymous can contact the WeTip Hotline at 1-800-78-CRIME (27463) or go to www.wetip.com

Updates will be released as new information becomes available.

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http://www.people.com/article/erin-corwin-missing-pregnant-family-prays-returns

Family of Missing Pregnant Woman Erin Corwin Prays for a Miracle

By Elaine Aradillas

07/11/2014 at 07:00 PM EDT

Erin Corwin was preparing for her mother to visit, and was planning to surprise her with the news that she was two months pregnant.

On June 28, while her husband, U.S. Marine Cpl. Jon Corwin, stayed home, Erin, 19, got into her car at about 7 a.m. and drove to Joshua Tree National Park, near her home in Twentynine Palms, California. She was looking for ideas for things to do with her mom. She hasn't been seen since.

"Jon kept trying to call her, and figured there was no cell service at the park," says Jon's mother, Sheila Braden. "By the evening, he started to get worried and started calling around. Maybe she had gone to a friend's house or whatever."

The following morning, June 29, there was still no sign of Erin. "Then, he finally called the police," says Braden.

For the past 10 days, instead of celebrating their good news, Jon and Erin's parents have watched the San Bernardino Sheriff's Department scour the park for clues. Officials found her blue 2013 Toyota Corolla abandoned about two miles from the military base, says Braden. In the Press-Enterprise newspaper, a sheriff spokeswoman said there were "definite suspicious circumstances."

Jon Corwin, who hasn't been able to comment per the military's orders, has been fully cooperative and is not a suspect, his mother says.

"He wants her home. He talks about things they're going to do when she gets home," Braden says. "He's handling it better than I would expect from a 21-year-old, but it's still really hard on him."

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Sad if true. ::MonkeyNoNo::

http://www.z1077fm.com/breaking-news-in-case-of-missing-twentynine-palms-woman/

BREAKING NEWS IN CASE OF MISSING TWENTYNINE PALMS WOMAN
By Z107.7 News, on July 11th, 2014

Z107.7 News has learned that investigators have developed key information in the case of the wife of a Twentynine Palms Marine who was reported missing Sunday morning, June 29. A source close to the Sheriff’s investigation revealed that Corwin, who is three months pregnant, had apparently been having an affair with another married Marine and investigators believe that pregnancy was from her lover, not her husband. The source noted that investigators have interviewed all the parties involved and said while their stories have checked out, the other Marine’s story is full of contradictions, and they do not believe they will find Erin Corwin alive. Saturday morning, June 28, Erin Corwin, 19, told her husband she was going to scout locations in Joshua Tree National Park in preparation for her mother’s visit. When she did not return, Corporal Jonathon Corwin reported her missing to the County Sheriff’s Department. Her car was found the next day by a Twentynine Palms Water District employee at Valle Vista and Ranch Road, according to KFMB-TV in San Diego. Sheriff’s Captain Dale Mondary said in interviews with other media that detectives and search-and-rescue personnel have narrowed their search to a few specific areas in the Morongo Basin, but would not say where.

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http://www.z1077fm.com/radio-story-led-to-missing-womans-car/

RADIO STORY LED TO MISSING WOMAN’S CAR
By Z107.7 News, on July 12th, 2014

A Twentynine Palms Water District employee—who heard coverage of the disappearance of a Twentynine Palms woman on Z107.7—is believed to be responsible for finding Erin Corwin’s missing car. Corwin left home on Saturday, June 28, telling her husband she was going to Joshua Tree National Park to scope out locations to take her mother who was coming for a visit. Corwin’s husband reported her missing the next day, Sunday, June 29. Z107.7 News broke the story of Corwin’s disappearance on Monday, June 30. According to the Water District’s General Manager Tamara Alaniz, the employee was out doing field work Monday morning, when he spotted a blue Toyota Corolla that matched the description of Corwin’s car at Valle Vista and Ranch Road, several miles from the Marine Base’s Condor gate, and called the Sheriff’s Department to report it.

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http://www.cbs8.com/story/25971456/timeline-emerges-in-marine-wifes-mysterious-disappearance

Timeline emerges in Marine wife's mysterious disappearance near Joshua Tree
Posted: Jul 08, 2014 9:49 PM CST Updated: Jul 11, 2014 12:02 AM CST
By David Gotfredson, Field Producer

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CBS News 8 reviewed sheriff scanner traffic recorded on the morning the 19-year-old went missing:

Scanner Traffic Audio - Sunday, June 29, 8:30 a.m.:

In dispatch radio traffic recorded at approximately 8:30 a.m. on Sunday, June 29, an unidentified deputy in the field is in communication with his sergeant.

“Hey Sarge, I made contact with the RP (reporting party) over the phone. He says his wife left yesterday around 0700 and was supposed to return 1600,” the deputy reported. “She has no family. They’re from Tennessee. She’s less than two months pregnant.”

Investigators now say Corwin is three months pregnant.

At the time of the recording, Corwin had been missing for 16 hours. The deputy had just gotten off the phone with the pregnant woman’s husband, U.S. Marine Corporal Jonathan Corwin.

The husband did not provide the deputy with a description of the clothing his wife was wearing when she disappeared, according to the radio audio.

Conway reportedly left her home on the Twentynine Palms Marine base that Saturday morning and failed to return Saturday afternoon.

The husband reported his wife had gone to nearby Joshua Tree National Park to scope out locations to visit with her mother, Lore Heavilin, who was planning on flying in from her home in Tennessee.

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At the time of the June 29 call, the deputy on the radio is already driving into Joshua Tree National Park to look for the young mother-to-be; but he is called off by his sergeant in favor of a much larger search effort.

“Okay, well, we have a myriad of park rangers and search & rescue volunteers for the national park that can go do what you're attempting to do; so come on back out of there and as soon as you get cell service give me a call,” the unidentified sergeant instructs the deputy.

On Monday, June 30, deputies located the missing wife’s 2013 Toyota Corolla just a couple blocks from the Marine base but more than eight miles from the Joshua Tree park entrance, her reported destination.

Based on the sheriff dispatch recordings, a timeline of Corwin’s disappearance emerges as follows:
Saturday, June 28 @ 0700:    Wife leaves home at Marine base
Saturday, June 28 @1600:    Corwin fails to return home to base
Sunday, June 29 @ 0830:    Husband speaks with deputy on phone
Monday, June 30:    Corwin’s vehicle found near Marine base, miles away from Joshua Tree

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Even though the Marine wife's vehicle was found outside the park, search & rescue teams continue to focus their efforts inside Joshua Tree National Park.

Entrances to the park are equipped with multiple surveillance cameras. Reached by telephone Tuesday, a Joshua Tree chief ranger declined to comment on whether Corwin had been spotted entering or exiting the park on surveillance.

The ranger referred all questions to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department did not respond to a voice mail message seeking comment on the case. It has been two days since sheriff's investigators have posted an update on their search.

No suspects have been named but investigators said the circumstances of the Corwin's disappearance appear suspicious.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/07/16/erin-corwin-search-search-warrants-issued-in-case/
Authorities issue search warrants in Erin Corwin case
July 16, 2014

Four search warrants have been issued in the disappearance of a Marine's pregnant wife who has been missing for more than two weeks in California.

Meanwhile, a man who lives near the location where the missing woman's car was found told a local television station that he saw her rendezvous with a man in a red car the morning she disappeared.

Erin Corwin, who turned 20 on Tuesday and is three months pregnant, was last seen at 7 a.m. on Saturday, June 28, leaving her home on the base and heading for Joshua Tree National Park, her husband, Marine Cpl. Jonathan Corwin, told investigators.

Corwin reported his wife missing the next day. Police located her 2013 Toyota Corolla in the Twentynine Palms Marine Base on June 30, but have declined to say whether any potential evidence had been removed from the vehicle.

Authorities have obtained four search warrants in the case, two to search two vehicles, one of which is Corwin's car, and two apartments in Twentynine Palms.

The warrants, which all contained identical language allowing investigators to search for clues such as hair and fibers, DNA and electronic records, were signed by a judge on July 1, CBS8.com reported.

Michael Beasley, who lives near the location where Erin Corwin's abandoned car was found, told CBS8.com that the woman met a man at a nearby intersection and appeared to voluntarily enter his car before the two drove away.

“They were just sitting and chatting. If she wanted to get out of the car and say, ‘I don't want to be in this car,' she could have,” Beasley told the station. “When I came back a half hour later, just the (blue) car was sitting there. Next thing, I hear the weekend goes by and Monday morning the sheriffs are there looking for this girl because she ain't home yet."

Beasley described the man as shorter than 5-foot-9 and had short hair.
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http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/2014/07/17/erin-corwin-search-ncis-investigation-missing/12808449/

NCIS joins Erin Corwin investigation
Denise Goolsby, The Desert Sun 4:15 p.m. PDT July 17, 2014

TWENTYNINE PALMS – The Naval Criminal Investigative Service is assisting the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department in its investigation into the disappearance of Erin Corwin, an NCIS spokesman told The Desert Sun on Thursday.

"We're assisting them as far as some of the more military aspects of the investigation," said Ed Buice, NCIS public affairs officer at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia. "The military world is sometimes very confusing to non-military investigators. We help them connect the dots and find a way through the red tape."

The NCIS maintains an office at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, where Corwin was last seen June 28.

According to a resident in Oak Ridge, Tenn. — the hometown of Erin Corwin and her husband, Marine Cpl. Jonathan Corwin — the NCIS had been there to interview at least one person.

The 20-year-old Marine wife, found out she was pregnant just two weeks before she vanished, has been missing for nearly three weeks.

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Quote from: MuffyBee on July 18, 2014, 08:27:32 AM

Thank you for the updates texasmom. I hope Erin can be found.

You're welcome Muffybee! ::HelloKitty:: ::bee::

I hope they find her too. I've gone over many possibilities in my head of what may have happened to her, and although some of them would mean she's ok; they just don't seem likely. Would hope she wouldn't intentionally put her family through this regardless of whatever else may have been going on in her life. It also seems unlikely from what we know of a vehicle with an Alaska license plate possibly also connected to an apartment near Erin's would have the resources to hide her from everyone and hold her this long (and her be ok). Surely that person has been under surveillance as well. I'm having issues with my Wifi and haven't been able to read the search warrant documents yet. So I'm still hoping for the best...while fearing the worst.

I unloaded and loaded the dishwasher while a single page loaded last night. :gaah:

http://cms.sbcounty.gov/sheriff/MediaCenter/SheriffPressReleases/PressReleasesfor2014/July/UpdateTwentyninePalmsMissingPerson.aspx

San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department

Press Release

DATE/TIME: Sunday, June 29, 2014 UPDATE - July 18, 2014

INCIDENT: Missing Person Investigation

LOCATION: Twentynine Palms

VICTIM: Erin Corwin, 19-year-old, 5'02", 120 lbs, Brown hair, Blue eyes

Summary

UPDATE - Friday, July 18, 2014

The missing person investigation and search for Erin Corwin continues. Throughout the week, Specialized Investigators have been in Twentynine Palms and in and around Joshua Tree National Park searching and flying the remote areas. The ground search will resume through the weekend.

There is no information being released regarding possible witnesses, witness statements or investigative techniques used during this search. At this time, the search for Erin Corwin has not been classified as a criminal investigation. Additionally, there are no suspects or 'persons of interest' identified.

We appreciate your patience as investigators work tirelessly on this search. Updates will be provided as new information becomes available.

Investigators are continuing to ask anyone who may have information regarding the whereabouts of Erin Corwin to contact the Specialized Investigation Division (909) 387-3589 or Sheriff's dispatch at (909) 387-8313. Callers wishing to remain anonymous can contact the We-Tip Hotline at 1-800-78-CRIME (27463) or go to www.wetip.com

________________________________________________________________________________

UPDATE - Monday, July 14, 2014

The search for Erin continued throughout the weekend with Search & Rescue volunteers in the field continuing to search more than 200 square miles of remote desert. On Saturday, July 12, 2014 and Sunday, July 13, 2014, over 60 personnel were involved in the search including teams from San Bernardino, Los Angeles and Kern County Sheriff's Department. San Bernardino County Sheriff's air support also assisted in the search.

________________________________________________

UPDATE - July 12, 2014:

The search for Erin resumes today with 68 total personnel involved. Ground teams involved are from San Bernardino, Los Angeles and Kern County Sheriff's Departments. SB Co. Sheriff's air support are also on scene.

No new developments at this time. Updates will be released as new information becomes available.

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http://www.people.com/article/missing-marine-wife-erin-corwin-left-with-man-witness

Witness Says Erin Corwin Voluntarily Drove Off with Another Man Before Vanishing

By Jeff Truesdell

07/18/2014 at 06:20 PM EDT

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Meanwhile, warrants made public this week reveal investigators sought permission to search two apartments on the Marine base that is home to Corwin, whose 20th birthday was Tuesday, and her husband, Marine Cpl. Jon Corwin.

The warrants also mention a 2013 blue Toyota sedan with California license plates, and a dark-colored Jeep Cherokee with Alaska license plates.

In each case, the otherwise identical documents indicate authorities are looking for items such as DNA and hair samples, latent prints, anything "soiled with bodily fluids," and electronic devices, including computers.

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While acknowledging "it's an active investigation that, at some point, could turn into a criminal investigation," Cindy Bachman, a spokeswoman for the San Bernardino Sheriff's Department, tells PEOPLE: "We haven't located any solid evidence that has established this as a criminal investigation. We haven't identified anyone as a suspect or a person of interest."

"At this time," she adds, "it's a missing-person investigation and a search for a missing person."

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http://www.wbir.com/story/news/2014/07/21/ex-marine-who-knew-erin-corwin-arrested/12975351/ (http://www.wbir.com/story/news/2014/07/21/ex-marine-who-knew-erin-corwin-arrested/12975351/)

Erin Corwin's neighbor arrested, suspected of affair
Brett Kelman, The Desert Sun 11:43 p.m. EDT July 21, 2014

High Desert law enforcement believe that a pregnant Marine spouse who has been missing for more than three weeks may have been shot while hunting with a Marine veteran with whom she was having an affair.

On the day she disappeared, Erin Corwin, 20, had planned to meet with her neighbor, Christopher Brandon Lee, 24, to spend a "special day together" on a hunting trip, according to documents filed in a Joshua Tree courthouse.
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The investigation has come to focus on Lee, who may have been the father of her child, according to an affidavit filed by Detective Corey Emom. In the affidavit, Emom wrote that he had reviewed text messages — sent by Corwin to a friend — confirming her romantic relationship with Lee, and that the couple had taken a day trip on the day she disappeared.

When questioned by detectives, Lee said he had kissed Corwin but that they never had sex, according to the affidavit.

Miller would not say whether Lee's arrest was related to the search for Corwin. However, when asked for an update on the search for the missing woman, Miller's first response was to mention the arrest of Lee.

When pressed, Miller said Lee was arrested as a result of a search warrant in "an ongoing investigation." She repeatedly refused to say whether that was the investigation of Corwin's disappearance.
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http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/crime_courts/2014/07/21/erin-corwin-christopher-lee-arrest/12961823/ (http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/crime_courts/2014/07/21/erin-corwin-christopher-lee-arrest/12961823/)

Erin Corwin lover Christopher Lee arrested, freed
Brett Kelman, The Desert Sun 7:33 p.m. PDT July 21, 2014

High Desert law enforcement believe that a pregnant Marine spouse who has been missing for more than three weeks may have been shot while hunting with an ex-Marine with whom she was having an affair.

On the day she disappeared, Erin Corwin, 20, had planned to meet with her neighbor, Christopher Brandon Lee, 24, to spend a "special day together" on a hunting trip, according to documents filed in a Joshua Tree courthouse.

The day trip was meant to celebrate Corwin's pregnancy, but detectives said Lee was afraid his wife would discover their affair.

"It is highly likely that Erin could have been harmed by an unknown firearm," detectives wrote in court documents. "Sometime after Erin left with Lee, her phone was deactivated (turned off). Detectives believe if Erin was injured and left at an undisclosed location, she would not (be) able to call for help."
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http://www.wbir.com/story/news/2014/07/21/ex-marine-who-knew-erin-corwin-arrested/12975351/

Erin Corwin's neighbor arrested, suspected of affair
Brett Kelman, The Desert Sun 11:43 p.m. EDT July 21, 2014

High Desert law enforcement believe that a pregnant Marine spouse who has been missing for more than three weeks may have been shot while hunting with a Marine veteran with whom she was having an affair.

On the day she disappeared, Erin Corwin, 20, had planned to meet with her neighbor, Christopher Brandon Lee, 24, to spend a "special day together" on a hunting trip, according to documents filed in a Joshua Tree courthouse.

READ: Statement of probable cause

The day trip was meant to celebrate Corwin's pregnancy, but detectives said Lee was afraid his wife would discover their affair.

"It is highly likely that Erin could have been harmed by an unknown firearm," detectives wrote in court documents. "Sometime after Erin left with Lee, her phone was deactivated (turned off). Detectives believe if Erin was injured and left at an undisclosed location, she would not (be) able to call for help."

Lee told detectives he was not with Corwin on the day she disappeared, but confirmed he went hunting in Joshua Tree National Park.

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Lee moved to Alaska last week, according to a friend.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department has repeatedly said the case is not criminal and that they have no suspects, but court documents obtained by The Desert Sun on Monday show otherwise.

The investigation has come to focus on Lee, who may have been the father of her child, according to an affidavit filed by Detective Corey Emom. In the affidavit, Emom wrote that he had reviewed text messages — sent by Corwin to a friend — confirming her romantic relationship with Lee, and that the couple had taken a day trip on the day she disappeared.

When questioned by detectives, Lee said he had kissed Corwin but that they never had sex, according to the affidavit.

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Although Miller would not confirm the link between Lee's arrest and Corwin's disappearance, court documents leave no doubt as to why deputies searched the house on Geronimo Trail. The affidavit filed in the Joshua Tree courthouse — which revealed the affair, the hunting trip and the bullet casings — was filed in court to justify the search of the house.

Authorities searched this house because Lee had been living there temporarily, said Isabel Megli, the homeowner. Megli, a mutual friend of both Lee and Corwin, owns the White Rock Horse Rescue Ranch in Yucca Valley. Both Lee and Corwin volunteered at the ranch, and Megli said they knew each other, but she never saw any signs that they were having an affair.

Megli said Lee and his family moved out of his apartment and into the house on Geronimo Trail on July 3. Law enforcement searched the house on day later.

"We had no idea what they were looking for," Megli said.

Megli said Lee left for Alaska last Wednesday.

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Lee joined the Marine Corps in July 2008 and received an honorable discharge earlier this month, on July 7, three days after his arrest. He was a corporal and served as a rifleman with 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division. Lee is currently serving in the Individual Ready Reserve.

The Desert Sun has also confirmed that Lee and Corwin both worked at the White Rock Horse Rescue Ranch in Yucca Valley. The ranch has said that Corwin was a volunteer who worked with horses. Photos on the ranch website show Lee working with a horse at the ranch.

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"Investigators are working around the clock, tirelessly, in respect to this investigation. They are following up on any and all leads, speaking to numerous people, in an effort to find Erin."

Authorities have also served at least four other search warrants in relation to the case: Two for apartments D and F at 6650 Jasmine Drive on the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, one for Erin Corwin's car and one for a dark-colored Jeep with Alaska license plates.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2014/07/21/marine-palm-springs-corwin/12970339/

Ex-Marine who knew missing California woman arrested
USA Today Network Brett Kelman, The Desert Sun 7:30 p.m. EDT July 21, 2014

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. — An ex-Marine who is an acquaintance of missing Marine wife Erin Corwin has been arrested on suspicion of possessing a destructive device, but authorities won't say whether the arrest is related to the Corwin search.

Christopher Lee, 24, was arrested on Friday, July 4, after the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department searched a home in the 700 block of Geronimo Trail in Yucca Valley.

::snipping3::

Lee joined the Marine Corps in July 2008 and received an honorable discharge earlier this month, on July 7, three days after his arrest. He was corporal and served as a rifleman with 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division. Lee was serving in the Individual Ready Reserve.

Although the Twentynine Palms resident was arrested more than two weeks ago, the sheriff's department did not release information about his arrest until Monday. The release announcing the arrest said the detectives attached to the search worked in the homicide department.

::snipping3::

Another link can be found in High Desert court documents. According to a search warrant filed in the Joshua Tree Superior Court, authorities have hunted for clues in a dark-colored Jeep Cherokee with Alaska plates as part of the Corwin investigation. Lee's home of record is Anchorage, said Capt. Cheryl Dengler, a Marine spokeswoman.

The sheriff's department news release issued Monday doesn't say why sheriff's deputies were searching the Geronimo Trail home. The release also claims that Lee had a "destructive device," but it doesn't say what the device was. Miller said she couldn't be more specific.

http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/crime_courts/2014/07/21/erin-corwin-christopher-lee-arrest/12961823/

Erin Corwin lover Christopher Lee arrested, freed
Brett Kelman and Tatiana Sanchez, The Desert Sun 9:27 p.m. PDT July 21, 2014

::snipping3::

Emom's affidavit also reveals that investigators searched Lee's home, an apartment on the Marine base, for firearms but found none. Deputies did find 10 spent .40-caliber bullet casings in Lee's Jeep. Tire tracks found behind the Twentynine Palms Marine base link the Jeep to Corwin's car.

Corwin's car, a blue Toyota sedan, was found near the base's back gate on June 30, two days after she disappeared.

According to the newly released court documents, police found a single set of shoe tracks at Corwin's abandoned vehicle. The tracks led from the driver side door of her Toyota and then disappeared next to a set of tire tracks. The court document states that tracks found at the scene are "consistent" with the tire tracks left by Lee's Jeep.

Finally, the affadivit states that Lee's wife, Nichole, admitted to a friend that the couple had something to hide. According to the court document, Nichole Lee berated her husband for not having an alibi and for "not being able to keep his lies straight." The friend interviewed by deputies was Isabel Megli, owner of the White Rock Horse Rescue Ranch in Yucca Valley, where both Lee and Corwin own horses.

"Nichole made statements to Isabel about the detectives having missed something at their residence when it was searched because detectives did not search the garage," the affadavit states. "Nichole told Isabel that without a body the detectives did not have a case against them and the detectives would never find the body."

When contacted Monday evening, Megli told The Desert Sun she and Nichole Lee weren't specifically talking about the Corwin case, but similar cases.

Despite the contents of these court documents, Christopher Lee has not been arrested — at least, not in the Corwin case.

::snipping3::

According to a department news release, Lee was arrested on July 4 on suspicion of possessing a "destructive device." Lee was booked into the Morongo Basin Jail, then released on July 6 after posting bail.

Sheriff's department spokeswoman Jodi Miller refused to say what the destructive device was, but said it was found during a search of a home in the 700 block of Geronimo Trail in Yucca Valley. However, court documents suggest the device was a potato gun found in a car parked at the house.

A search warrant receipt included in the documents lists additional items taken from a white Ford truck in Lee's possession. Items include a pair of tan boots, a black Pelican case containing several .223 rounds, one Springfield .45 calibre magazine with rounds, a Gerber utility knife and one blue latex glove.

In addition, the affidavit lists retrieval of a rifle belonging to Lee from a closet in the back of Megli's residence.

Megli, however, denies any knowledge that the rifle was in her home.

"I had nothing to do with that," Megli said Monday evening. "I wasn't even involved. If it was here, they took it and they left."

::snipping3::

(http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/4c515a0b5f5ddcfa070f5bd7e7a20d8e628b8cbc/c=0-1-359-480&r=537&c=0-0-534-712/local/-/media/PalmSprings/PalmSprings/2014/07/21/1405989802000-chris-lee-1.jpeg)

Christopher Brandon Lee is seen working with a horse in this photo provided by Yucca Valley’s White Rock Horse Rescue.(Photo: Provided by Yucca Valley’s White Rock Horse Rescue)

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/marine-who-knew-missing-pregnant-california-woman-arrested/ (http://www.cbsnews.com/news/marine-who-knew-missing-pregnant-california-woman-arrested/)

Marine who knew missing pregnant California woman arrested

Last Updated Jul 22, 2014 3:20 PM EDT

TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. - A recently discharged Marine who volunteered at a horse ranch with Erin Corwin, the missing pregnant wife of another California-based Marine, was arrested on suspicion of possession of a destructive device, authorities said Monday.
::snipping3::
Jessica Trenthan, Corwin's friend in Tennessee, told authorities that Corwin may be pregnant with Lee's child and that Lee was worried if his wife Nicole discovered the pregnancy, she would divorce him and keep him from their child, the affidavit says.
::snipping3::
During the search, .223 caliber ammunition, a .45 caliber magazine with rounds, a Canon digital camera, a utility knife, a Samsung cell phone, a blue latex glove, tan boots, "camo" pants, a U-haul truck with contents, an iPod touch and a homemade destructive device known as a potato launcher were recovered, reports KFMB.

Documents obtained by the station also indicate that Isabella Megli, the owner of the Yucca Valley ranch, told authorities that Nicole Lee told her that "without a body, the detectives did not have a case against them and the detectives would never find the body."

When contacted Monday evening, Megli reportedly told the Desert Sun newspaper that she and Nicole Lee weren't specifically talking about the Corwin case, but similar cases.

The affidavit alleges Megli told authorities that she heard Nicole Lee berate her husband about "not being able to keep his lies straight when he was interviewed by detectives because he was dumb."
::snipping3::

Lee's wife could have killed her, IMO ::MonkeyNoNo::

http://cms.sbcounty.gov/sheriff/MediaCenter/SheriffPressReleases/PressReleasesfor2014/July/UpdateErinCorwinMissingPersonInv.aspx

San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department

Press Release

DATE/TIME: June 29, 2014 **UPDATE – July 22, 2014**

INCIDENT: Missing Person Investigation – UPDATE

LOCATION: Twentynine Palms

VICTIM(S): Erin Corwin, age 19 of Twentynine Palms

Summary

Detectives have received information regarding possible locations to be searched for potential evidence of foul play regarding the disappearance of 19-year-old Erin Corwin. The information is the result of an extensive three-week investigation.

“We are looking for a crime scene,” said Leland Boldt, the captain of the Sheriff’s Specialized Investigation Division.

Investigators from the Sheriff’s Specialized Investigation Division have spoken to numerous persons who knew Erin prior to her disappearance looking for any and all information that may lead them to Erin’s whereabouts. It is imperative investigators determine whether or not there was foul play, Sgt. Trevis Newport said. Search warrants have been executed as part of this investigation to assist investigators in determining what may have occurred.

Further information regarding the facts outlined in the search warrant will not be discussed. It is unfortunate such extensive details were released regarding this investigation because it can affect the outcome of the case. The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department has a responsibility to Erin’s family, her loved ones and her unborn child to provide answers regarding her disappearance. It is essential the integrity of the investigation be maintained in order for justice to be served.

Christopher Lee was known to Erin Corwin prior to her disappearance and as a result of their contact, a search warrant was issued in the 700 block of Geronimo Trail in Yucca Valley. Investigators located a destructive device and arrested Lee for its possession, per PC18710(a). Lee was arrested for a felony charge not related to the disappearance of Erin Corwin. The case regarding the arrest for the destructive device has been completed and forwarded to the District Attorney’s office for filing.

Although suspicious circumstances have existed from the inception of this investigation there is still not enough evidence to rule out that Erin Corwin could be voluntarily missing. It is crucial all acquaintances be contacted and interviewed, in an effort to solve the case.

Investigators continue to ask anyone with information about Erin Corwin is urged to contact the Sheriff’s Specialized Investigation Division at (909) 387-3589 or Sheriff’s Dispatch at (909) 387-8313. Callers wishing to remain anonymous can contact the We-Tip Hotline at 1-800-78-CRIME (27463) or you may leave information on the We-Tip Hotline at www.wetip.com

Refer: Sergeant Trevis Newport or Detective Daniel Hanke

Station: Specialized Investigations Division – Homicide Detail

Phone No. (909) 387-3589

Case No.: 201400900

John McMahon, Sheriff-Coroner

San Bernardino County Sheriff-Coroner Department

John McMahon, Sheriff-Coroner

San Bernardino County Sheriff-Coroner Department

Sheriff’s Public Affairs Division

655 E. Third Street

San Bernardino, California 92415-0061

Telephone: (909) 387-3700

http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/crime_courts/2014/07/22/erin-corwin-missing-marine-wife-timeline/13008419/ (http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/crime_courts/2014/07/22/erin-corwin-missing-marine-wife-timeline/13008419/)

Timeline:

June 30: Erin Corwin's car, a 2013 blue Toyota Corolla, is found outside a rear entrance – called the "Condor Gate" – at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center at Twentynine Palms, where the Corwins lived. A single set of footprints leads away from Corwin's car and to another set of vehicle tire tracks. The tracks are "consistent" with the tracks of Christopher Brandon Lee's Jeep.

July 1: Four search warrants are issued authorizing police to search twoapartments in Twentynine Palms, the Corwins' and an apartment occupied by Christopher Brandon Lee and his wife Nichole, and two cars: Corwin's Toyota and a dark-colored Jeep with Alaska license plates belonging to Christopher Lee. They find 10 .40-caliber fired cartridge casings in the Jeep.

Detectives talk to Christopher Lee and his wife, Nichole. Christopher Lee said he didn't see Erin Corwin on June 28 or June 29, despite reports from a close friend of Erin's that Lee had told her he was taking her "somewhere special" to hunt and celebrate Corwin's pregnancy.

July 3: Christopher Lee and his wife and young daughter move in with Isabel Megli, owner and operator of the White Rock Horse Rescue in Yucca Valley. She says the family is preparing to move to Alaska as soon as Lee is discharged from the Marine Corps.

July 4: Police execute another search warrant, this time at Megli's home in Yucca Valley and two vehicles believed have been in Lee's possession: a white Ford truck and a green Honda Civic. Police find a potato launcher belonging to Lee and book him on suspicion of possessing a "destructive device."

July 6: Christopher Lee released on bail.

July 7: Christopher Lee receives an honorable discharge from the Marines.

July 15: Erin Corwin's 20th birthday.

July 16: The Desert Sun obtains and publishes the search warrants for the two apartments on the base and the two vehicles.

July 21: Police issue press release on arrest of Christopher Lee on suspicion of possessing a "destructive device." Included in the documents obtained by the Desert Sun along with a search warrant related to the "destructive device" charge is a "Statement of Probable Cause" that suggests Corwin was having an affair with Lee and that Lee and his wife may have hidden something from police.

July 22: A police press release suggests that new information has led them to new sites where they are now actively searching for a "crime scene" and evidence of "foul play."

Quote from: klaasend on July 22, 2014, 09:12:47 PM

http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/crime_courts/2014/07/22/erin-corwin-missing-marine-wife-timeline/13008419/ (http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/crime_courts/2014/07/22/erin-corwin-missing-marine-wife-timeline/13008419/)

Timeline:

June 30: Erin Corwin's car, a 2013 blue Toyota Corolla, is found outside a rear entrance – called the "Condor Gate" – at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center at Twentynine Palms, where the Corwins lived. A single set of footprints leads away from Corwin's car and to another set of vehicle tire tracks. The tracks are "consistent" with the tracks of Christopher Brandon Lee's Jeep.

July 1: Four search warrants are issued authorizing police to search twoapartments in Twentynine Palms, the Corwins' and an apartment occupied by Christopher Brandon Lee and his wife Nichole, and two cars: Corwin's Toyota and a dark-colored Jeep with Alaska license plates belonging to Christopher Lee. They find 10 .40-caliber fired cartridge casings in the Jeep.

Detectives talk to Christopher Lee and his wife, Nichole. Christopher Lee said he didn't see Erin Corwin on June 28 or June 29, despite reports from a close friend of Erin's that Lee had told her he was taking her "somewhere special" to hunt and celebrate Corwin's pregnancy.

July 3: Christopher Lee and his wife and young daughter move in with Isabel Megli, owner and operator of the White Rock Horse Rescue in Yucca Valley. She says the family is preparing to move to Alaska as soon as Lee is discharged from the Marine Corps.

July 4: Police execute another search warrant, this time at Megli's home in Yucca Valley and two vehicles believed have been in Lee's possession: a white Ford truck and a green Honda Civic. Police find a potato launcher belonging to Lee and book him on suspicion of possessing a "destructive device."

July 6: Christopher Lee released on bail.

July 7: Christopher Lee receives an honorable discharge from the Marines.

July 15: Erin Corwin's 20th birthday.

July 16: The Desert Sun obtains and publishes the search warrants for the two apartments on the base and the two vehicles.

July 21: Police issue press release on arrest of Christopher Lee on suspicion of possessing a "destructive device." Included in the documents obtained by the Desert Sun along with a search warrant related to the "destructive device" charge is a "Statement of Probable Cause" that suggests Corwin was having an affair with Lee and that Lee and his wife may have hidden something from police.

July 22: A police press release suggests that new information has led them to new sites where they are now actively searching for a "crime scene" and evidence of "foul play."

Marine who knew missing pregnant California woman arrested
July 22, 2014, 1:49 PM

<snipped>

The affidavit obtained by KFMB indicates that Erin Corwin told her friend, Jessica Trenthan, that she was going on a day trip with Lee to celebrate her pregnancy on June 28, the day she disappeared. She said Lee told Corwin that they were going to go hunting at an undisclosed location, about two hours from where they lived.

"It is highly likely Erin could have been harmed by an unknown firearm," the affidavit says. "Sometime after Erin left with Lee, her phone was de-activated (turned off). Detectives believe if Erin was injured and left at an undisclosed location, she would not [be] able to call for help."

When Lee was contacted by authorities again after learning about their alleged planned rendezvous, Lee admitted he became a close friend of Corwin and said they had kissed but never had sexual intercourse, the affidavit says. Lee also allegedly told police that his wife knew he and Corwin were becoming "too close."

According to the affidavit, Lee went on to tell police that he went hunting at Joshua Tree National Park on June 28 but said he was not with Corwin.

<snipped>

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/marine-who-knew-missing-pregnant-california-woman-arrested/

Quote from: klaasend on July 21, 2014, 11:28:19 PM

http://blinkoncrime.com/2014/07/21/missing-marine-wife-erin-corwin-breaking-news-husband-was-not-on-duty-the-day-she-disappeared/ (http://blinkoncrime.com/2014/07/21/missing-marine-wife-erin-corwin-breaking-news-husband-was-not-on-duty-the-day-she-disappeared/)

Missing Marine Wife Erin Corwin Breaking News: Husband Was NOT On Duty The Day She Disappeared

If Blink's source is credible ... it appears that Christopher Lee and Jon Corwin both lied to authorities regarding their whereabouts on the morning of June 28, 2014.

Janet

+++++

"In an exclusive development in the case, through a source that agreed to speak to BOC on the strict condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak officially on the investigation, a review of Cpl. Corwin’s duty roster shows that he was NOT on duty Saturday June 28th ; the morning after he attended a neighbor’s outside gathering that Erin Corwin left early." Blink - July 21, 2014

Missing Marine wife Erin Corwin may be 'voluntarily missing'
July 23, 2014

San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department deputies already have searched broad swathes of open desert, several homes, a Yucca Valley horse farm and at least four cars in the ongoing investigation.

"We are looking for a crime scene," said Leland Boldt, captain of San Bernardino's Specialized Investigation Division, in a press release. The sheriff's department refused to describe the new areas that would be searched.

Although deputies are looking for "potential evidence of foul play," the department also said there is not enough evidence to rule out the possibility that Corwin ran off on her own accord and may be "voluntarily missing."

<snipped>

On the day she disappeared, Corwin told a friend she was with Lee, according to the affidavit filed in Joshua Tree. Corwin and Lee had planned a "special day together" — a hunting trip. The day trip was meant to celebrate Corwin's pregnancy, but detectives said Lee was afraid his wife would discover their affair.

"It is highly likely that Erin could have been harmed by an unknown firearm," detectives wrote in the affidavit. "Sometime after Erin left with Lee, her phone was deactivated (turned off). Detectives believe if Erin was injured and left at an undisclosed location, she would not (be) able to call for help."

<snipped>

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2014/07/23/marine-wife-missing-twentynine-palms-erin-corwin/13031505/

Could it be be that both Christopher and Nicole Lee were involved in the disappearance of Erin Corwin?

Janet

+++++

Neighbor allegedly said body of Marine's missing wife won't be found
July 23, 2014

The wife of a man who is suspected of having an affair with the missing pregnant wife of a U.S. Marine allegedly told a witness "detectives would never find her body," according to a search warrant made public this week.

The wife of Christopher Lee told the witness, Isabella Megli of Yucca Valley, who was subsequently interviewed by detectives, that without 19-year-old Erin Corwin's body, investigators "did not have a case against them," according to a search warrant issued July 8 in San Bernardino County Superior Court.

Corwin, who was last seen June 28, was allegedly having an affair with Lee before she disappeared, apparently on her way to Joshua Tree National Park, according to the warrant. Lee also may have been the father of Corwin's child, according to the warrant, which cited an interview with a friend.

Corwin reportedly told her husband she was heading to Joshua Tree National Park to scout trails for the upcoming visit of her mother. When she didn't return home the next day, she was reported missing. Her phone had been turned off, according to authorities.

Lee, who was Corwin's neighbor, had reportedly planned to take Corwin on a hunting trip the same day she disappeared. But in an interview with investigators, he said he ended up going alone.

He also acknowledged being "romantically involved" with Corwin, but denied any sexual relationship, according to the warrant.

On June 30, authorities found Corwin's car abandoned a couple of minutes away from her home. Near her car, detectives found a shoe print and a set of tire marks, which they said matched those on Lee's vehicle, according to the warrant.

<snipped>

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-neighbor-marine-missing-wife-body-20140723-story.html

July 23, 2014 Tweets
https://twitter.com/TDSbrettkelman

Retweeted by Brett Kelman
Liz Kelly Nelson @lizkellynelson · 4h

Husband Jonathan Corwin finally makes a statement re: missing wife Erin Corwin. http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/nation/california/2014/07/23/erin-corwin-family-reward-fund/13074147/ … via @MyDesert @TDSbrettkelman

http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/nation/california/2014/07/23/erin-corwin-family-reward-fund/13074147/

Erin Corwin family begins raising funds for reward
Brett Kelman, The Desert Sun 6:31 p.m. PDT July 23, 2014

(http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/7cfed58ca83acc62086af2f5d6c6dfa7b45bc6ba/c=54-0-906-639&r=x404&c=534x401/local/-/media/PalmSprings/2014/07/23/erincorwin.jpg)

::snipping3::
On Wednesday, the Marine Corps issued a statement on behalf of Cpl. Corwin, requesting that the media and the public respect his privacy, but adding that the he "appreciates the support he has received from the military and civilian communities." Relatives of the Corwin couple have also been hesitant to talk to journalists in recent weeks.

The "Bring Erin Home" donation drive is hosted on the website GoFundMe.com, and anyone can give money to the effort.

"The GoFundMe donations will be used to offer a reward to anyone who has information that leads investigators to Erin, and to assist in expenses related to this current situation," said Sheila Braden, the mother of Jonathan Corwin, in a statement on Wednesday.

SEARCH WARRANTS - PROBABLE CAUSE STATEMENT

Details emerge in woman’s disappearance
Posted Jul. 23, 2014

<snipped>

The court documents were filed by Detective Corey Emom of the Sheriff’s Department and include search warrants and the probable cause statement.

In the probable cause statement, Emom wrote that tire tracks were found near Erin’s car when it was found abandoned off of Ranch Road and Valle Vista Drive in Twentynine Palms on June 30.

Emom further writes that there were tracks leading from the driver’s door of Erin’s car to the nearby tire tracks.

On July 1, a search warrant was reportedly served at Lee’s residence and a Jeep Cherokee was found in the carport. According to Emom’s statement, the tires on the Cherokee were “consistent with the tire tracks located by Erin’s vehicle.” Emom wrote that the Cherokee tires had a “similar tire width, tread pattern, and wheelbase.”

Lee reportedly admitted that he and Erin were close friends, but denied a sexual relationship. According to Emom’s statement, Lee said he and Erin had kissed.

Emom also wrote that while searching Lee’s residence, his wife, Nicole, described a .22-caliber rifle as belonging to Lee. The rifle was not located during the search and when asked, Nicole said it had been taken to “the ranch.”

The ranch is located at 733 Geronimo Trail in Yucca Valley, Calif., and is owned by Isabella Megil, the statement said.

On July 3, Lee’s Jeep Cherokee was processed for evidence by technicians at the Sheriff’s Department. During this processing, 10 fired .40-caliber shell casings were found in the vehicle. Emom wrote that no .40-caliber weapons were found during the search at Lee’s house.

After finding the shell casings, Emom spoke again with Megil, owner of the ranch. She reportedly told detectives that Lee and Nicole were taking their belongings to her ranch and storing them in preparation for a move to Alaska. Megil told Emom that Nicole said detectives “missed something” when they searched their house because they did not search the garage, according to the probable cause statement.

Nicole also told Megil that Lee was concerned about June 29 because he did not have an alibi for that day. She also told Megil that “without a body the detectives did not have a case against them and the detectives would never find the body,” the detective wrote in the statement. Megil also told Emom that Nicole had berated Lee in front of her because he was not able “to keep his lies straight when he was interviewed by detectives because he was dumb.”

Emom then wrote that while detectives were interviewing Megil that Nicole pulled up to the vehicle gate at the ranch in a white U-haul moving van and Lee drove up in a cream-colored Ford F-250 pickup. Megil had loaned the pickup to Lee to help with the couple’s move.

Emom wrote in the probable cause statement that when Lee saw detectives he “quickly grabbed a black duffel bag from the vehicle and took it inside the main residence” at the ranch. When Lee came out, Nicole ran up to him and began to talk with Lee, Emom wrote.

Because of this behavior by the couple, Emom wrote that detectives “believed they were concealing evidence and discussing further plans of action to likely conceal or destroy evidence.”

The statement of probable cause then said that “Lee and Nicole are being detained on the belief that they were about to conceal and/or destroy evidence that may lead to the location where Erin is hidden.”

<snipped>

http://www.oakridger.com/article/20140723/NEWS/140729933/1388/FRONTPAGE/?Start=2

http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/crime_courts/2014/07/26/erin-corwin-isabel-megli-investigation/13202339/

Erin Corwin friend: Police 'put a spin' on her remarks
Brett Kelman, The Desert Sun 10:33 a.m. PDT July 26, 2014

A High Desert woman who was questioned as part of the search for a missing Marine wife has insisted that detectives exaggerated her statements in court documents, twisting her words to shift suspicion onto the neighbors of the missing woman.

Isabel Megli, owner of the White Rock Horse Rescue Ranch in Yucca Valley, said Friday that she never told detectives that Nichole Lee said police had "missed something" when they searched her garage. Megli said several other statements attributed to her by detectives were taken out of context.

"They put a spin on it," Megli told The Desert Sun. "I'm am not going to say I didn't say it, but it definitely wasn't the whole of what I said."

::snipping3::

Since Corwin vanished, High Desert law enforcement have combed the desert for clues. The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department has also used warrants to search Corwin's on-base apartment and the apartment of their neighbors, Christopher and Nichole Lee. Deputies also searched the horse ranch, where the Lee couple stayed for a few days after moving out of their apartment in early July.

In order to justify the search of this ranch, the sheriff's department had to file an affidavit at the Joshua Tree courthouse, detailing the inter-workings of the Corwin investigation. That affidavit revealed the investigators have to come to focus on Christopher Lee, an ex-Marine who may have been having an affair with the missing woman.

According to a search warrant affidavit, Corwin had planned to take a hunting trip with Lee on the day she disappeared. Sometime after Corwin left with Lee, her cell phone shut off. Detectives said in the court affidavit it is "highly likely" she may have been shot.

It was this same affidavit that included comments by Megli, which cast suspicion on the Lee couple. According to the affidavit, Megli told detectives that:

• Nichole Lee said she was concerned her husband did not have an alibi and would "not be able to keep his lies straight."

• Nichole Lee said that detectives did not have a case "without a body," and that "detectives would never find the body."

• And that police had "missed something" while searching Lee's apartment because they did not search the garage.

When interviewed by The Desert Sun on Friday, Megli said the first two statements were misconstrued by detectives who wrote the affidavit. Nichole Lee made these statements while chatting casually at the horse ranch, discussing the Corwin disappearance and similar mysteries, comparing them to the clichès of television crime drama.

Megli said Nichole Lee was worried her husband would accidentally incriminate himself — even if he hadn't done anything wrong — if he was grilled by detectives.

Finally, Megli insisted that Nichole Lee never said police "missed something" in the garage, but actually remarked that police had simply not searched the garage at all. Nichole Lee was thankful police skipped the garage because the couple had packed their belongings in preparation to move out of the apartment, and deputies would have torn through the packaging during the search.

There was no conversation about a clue being missed, Megli said.

"I never said that," Megli said Friday. "If I would have heard that there was 'something' in the garage, don't you think I would have called the police?"

It is unclear if the sheriff's department actually searched the Lees' garage or not. The search warrant for the apartment did give deputies authority to search the garage.

The sheriff's department has repeatedly declined to comment on the search warrants or the contents of the affidavit.

http://www.z1077fm.com/still-no-evidence-of-a-crime-in-erin-corwin-disappearance/

STILL NO EVIDENCE OF A CRIME IN ERIN CORWIN DISAPPEARANCE
By Z107.7 News, on July 25th, 2014

27 days after Erin Corwin, 20, the wife of a Twentynine Palms Marine, was reported missing, Specialized Sheriff’s investigators are still trying to find out what may have happened on June 28th, the day she told her husband she was going to Joshua Tree National Park.
::snipping3::
Just Tuesday investigators said they are focusing on looking for a crime scene, any evidence that Corwin had come to harm, or that a crime was committed. Mondary said they are continuing the search, identifying areas to look during the week, and then physically searching weekends, when trained volunteers are available. He added that a Specialized Sheriff’s team is looking into abandoned mines in the area, again primarily looking for any evidence of a crime. Captain Mondary said they are getting some assistance from the FBI, who offered their assistance the first day and have been involved in the investigation. Mondary told Z107.7 News he understands the media and public’s frustration with the seemingly slow pace of the investigation but said they have to have hard evidence and real clues to work from and are working tirelessly to find that proof of a crime before any accusations or arrests are made. The Captain reminded us, quote, “It is not a crime to go missing, and right now it is a missing persons case.

http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/crime_courts/2014/07/26/erin-corwin-isabel-megli-investigation/13202339/ (http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/crime_courts/2014/07/26/erin-corwin-isabel-megli-investigation/13202339/)

Erin Corwin friend: Police 'put a spin' on her remarks
Brett Kelman, The Desert Sun 10:33 a.m. PDT July 26, 2014

A High Desert woman who was questioned as part of the search for a missing Marine wife has insisted that detectives exaggerated her statements in court documents, twisting her words to shift suspicion onto the neighbors of the missing woman.

Isabel Megli, owner of the White Rock Horse Rescue Ranch in Yucca Valley, said Friday that she never told detectives that Nichole Lee said police had "missed something" when they searched her garage. Megli said several other statements attributed to her by detectives were taken out of context.

"They put a spin on it," Megli told The Desert Sun. "I'm am not going to say I didn't say it, but it definitely wasn't the whole of what I said."

::snipping3::

According to the affidavit, Megli told detectives that:

• Nichole Lee said she was concerned her husband did not have an alibi and would "not be able to keep his lies straight."

• Nichole Lee said that detectives did not have a case "without a body," and that "detectives would never find the body."

• And that police had "missed something" while searching Lee's apartment because they did not search the garage.

When interviewed by The Desert Sun on Friday, Megli said the first two statements were misconstrued by detectives who wrote the affidavit. Nichole Lee made these statements while chatting casually at the horse ranch, discussing the Corwin disappearance and similar mysteries, comparing them to the clichès of television crime drama.

Megli said Nichole Lee was worried her husband would accidentally incriminate himself — even if he hadn't done anything wrong — if he was grilled by detectives.

Finally, Megli insisted that Nichole Lee never said police "missed something" in the garage, but actually remarked that police had simply not searched the garage at all. Nichole Lee was thankful police skipped the garage because the couple had packed their belongings in preparation to move out of the apartment, and deputies would have torn through the packaging during the search.

http://www.examiner.com/article/updates-on-missing-horse-whisperer-erin-corwin-cops-now-looking-for-crime-scene (http://www.examiner.com/article/updates-on-missing-horse-whisperer-erin-corwin-cops-now-looking-for-crime-scene)

Updates on missing horse whisperer Erin Corwin, cops now looking for crime scene

July 26, 2014

::snipping3::

According to the search warrants, on June 28 Erin told her husband she was heading to the park to search for hiking trails she could enjoy with her mother who was expected to be making a visit from Tennessee within a matter of days. Erin did not come home that evening, and her husband called the police the next day.

A friend that has known Erin for 8 years spoke highly of Erin with ABC,

"She loved her horses and loved her family. She just always was laughing and having fun and trying to cheer people up."

The friend also talked to ABC about a miscarriage that Erin had suffered earlier this year, after posting on Facebook in January that she was pregnant.

"She was really sad about it. She wanted kids. She loves kids and she thought she was really positive about it."

The latest search warrants on the case suggest that the lead detectives investigating the disappearance of Erin Corwin suspect that her neighbor, a man named Christopher Lee who is also a Marine, may be the father of her current unborn child. Until recently, no persons of interest had been named in the case, the warrants recently released by the San Bernardino Sheriff's however suggest that this may no longer be the case.

Investigators from the San Bernardino Police Department have stated in this warrant that their suspicions began to rise against Christopher Lee as a possible persons of interest after he was first contacted by police.

Upon first point of contact by the police following the disappearance of his next door neighbour Erin Corwin, Chris Lee told the police that he barely knew Erin. According to the search warrant at this first point of contact,

"Lee denied knowing much about Erin and said he and his wife [Nicole] only knew her as an acquaintance. The last time he spoke to Erin was approximately two months ago."

Police would later find out that not only was this not the case, but that Lee had also supposedly seen Erin the day she disappeared, according to text messages forwarded from one of Erin's closest friends. About this development in the case, the warrant against Chris Lee and Nicole Lee reads,

"Jessica Trenthan, Erin's friend in Tennessee, confirmed Erin and Lee were romantically involved and Erin may be pregnant with his child. Erin told Jessica that Lee was worried if his wife discovered Erin was pregnant, the wife would divorce him and keep him from his child. Jessica knew Erin were going on a hike together on June 28 for a celebration of Erin's pregnancy."

The warrant goes on to say that Lee was going to be taking Erin hiking that day, according to text messages written by Erin herself, to celebrate her pregnancy. At some point after Erin left with Lee, her phone was turned off and it is not known if it has been turned on since. Investigators have also recovered Erin's vehicle, and tracked her footprints from that vehicle to a set of tire prints consistent with the tire prints of Christopher Lee's Jeep.

After this information was recovered, law enforcement visited Chris Lee again and his story changed on his relationship with Erin. He told law enforcement she was slightly more than an acquaintance, and that they had "previously kissed each other but never had sexual intercourse."

Media outlets have been reporting that the police do not have any suspects in this case, but the warrant suggests otherwise.
July 1 the police paid a visit to both Lee and his wife Nicole, and the warrant details a conversation about the firearms the couple owned. Nicole admitted the couple owned a .22 caliber rifle.

::snipping3::

Quote from: texasmom on July 27, 2014, 01:01:31 PM

Read a lot about this case yesterday.

Now if I only knew for sure how much of it is true. ::MonkeyWaa::

Was Jon on duty Saturday or not? Blink's piece says no, but others say he wasn't on the duty roster for that day but worked to cover for someone else.

Did Jon and Erin attend a neighborhood party the night before Erin disappeared and did she leave early?

If they did attend the party, were Chris and Nichole Lee there also; and was Chris' trip to Joshua Tree the next morning discussed?

If the party rumors are true, both couples were there, and if Chris was really asking others if they'd like to go to Joshua Tree the next day with him; the timing of the texts sent to Erin's friend about plans with Chris for that day become extremely important imo.

This case confuses me also TexasMom

IF Jon worked that sat. how did he get there as I'm reading they only had one car,the one Erin drove.
Also:They actually only lived together a few months....so like newlyweds,so would Erin really be messing around with other men cause all I'm reading about her....seems like she's not that way.
To me it's a lot of conflicting info,right down to Erin supposedly telling Jon she was pregnant with C.Lee's baby to her supposedly texting her GF that C.Lee was taking her to JT to celebrate her having his baby when other texts to same GF states C.Lee was worried about HIS wife finding out about the pregnancy.

I also don't understand Jon waiting all that time to notify police that she was missing and him just assuming she stayed over on the horse ranch.Why assume that when she could have broke down in the car somewhere or fell in JT park or really anything.Jon didn't at least try and call her?I know they say her phone was turned off right after she left but.....wouldn't that be enough to make him worry more?

Strange case with hardly any info.
::MonkeyEek::

Quote from: KarmaRoundUp on July 27, 2014, 01:28:07 PM

Quote from: texasmom on July 27, 2014, 01:01:31 PM

ITA, karmaroundup! I've had all the same thoughts, the late reporting still really bugs me and that he couldn't describe what she was wearing when he saw her last. If he wasn't on duty why wouldn't he go with her, especially if they only have one car? The possibility that he may have been drunk and destroying the house after reporting her missing just doesn't sit well with me either, especially considering the destruction and clean up would have taken place before the search warrants were executed.

If a red car is connected, who does it belong to and how are they involved? I don't think I've read any speculation about who that might be.

Quote from: texasmom on July 27, 2014, 03:00:17 PM

Quote from: KarmaRoundUp on July 27, 2014, 01:28:07 PM

Quote from: texasmom on July 27, 2014, 01:01:31 PM

Oh,I forgot about the rumors of a party the night before.Don't they live like right next door to each other....the Lee's and the Corwin's?

I find this all so strange...living next door or a couple of apts away from a man that you are having an affair with and pregnant by him,possibly and his wife nor your hubby suspect anything???

Maybe the red car belongs to one of Jon's or Chris's friends.
:2brickwall:

http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/local/2014/07/30/erin-corwin-people-magazine/13359369/

Erin Corwin case featured on People Magazine cover
Denise Goolsby, The Desert Sun 6:17 p.m. PDT July 30, 2014

(http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/6795c352338d257a237bd6cdf1ad1349eb7bcb1f/c=0-4-744-996&r=537&c=0-0-534-712/local/-/media/PalmSprings/2014/07/30/erincorwinpeoplecoverhi-res081114noupc.jpg)

::snipping3::

People's cover features a familiar photo of the couple, he in Marine dress blues, she in a midnight blue gown. It also includes an inset photo of Christopher Lee, a Marine now in the reserves. According to court documents, police suspect Lee and Erin Corwin were having an affair and Corwin was carrying his child.

People details how the Corwins became "chummy" with Christopher Lee and his wife Nichole when they moved to Twentynine Palms last fall. The Lee's lived next door with their daughter Liberty, 7.

The couple shared a loved of dogs and horses and often spent time together at the horse rescue ranch.

"Erin and Nichole had dogs, and they went to the dog park together," horse rescue owner Isabel Megli told People Magazine. "Jon and Christopher were friends, too. They came out here and took the dune buggy out."

But by February, Megli says she'd noticed the couples' friendship had cooled. "I would say to Nichole, 'Where's Erin?' and Nichole would say, 'I don't know,'" she says. "She never said a word."

Megli said the Lees typically visited the ranch on weekends, but not the Saturday when Erin went missing. Still, "Sunday they came and had fun," she told People. "They seemed fine."

::snipping3::

Megli, who said she's known the Lees for about a year and a half, said the couple left the ranch on July 16. Their horses, Mac and Humorous, were shipped to Alaska on July 23.

"They're up there with their family," Megli said, alluding that the horses are now back with the Lees, who have also returned to home in Alaska.

Erin's horse, Cassy, remains at the ranch.

"I've decided to keep her until Erin comes back," Megli said. "I won't adopt her out."
::snipping3::

No new leads in Erin Corwin case
August 9, 2014

There are no new updates in the case of Erin Corwin, the wife of a Twentynine Palms Marine who went missing on June 28, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.

<snipped>

The last official update released on the search for Corwin was released July 22 by the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department. At that time, detectives announced they had received information regarding possible locations to be searched for potential evidence of foul play.

"We are looking for a crime scene," Capt. Leland Bolt, head the sheriff's Specialized Investigation Division, said.

"Although suspicious circumstances have existed from the inception of this investigation, there is still not enough evidence to rule out that Erin Corwin could be voluntarily missing," he said.

Corwin's case has been included in the California Missing Persons database. She is reported as a "Voluntary Missing Adult."

<snipped>

http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/2014/08/10/erin-corwin-new-leads/13855929/

No new leads in Erin Corwin case
August 9, 2014

On Saturday, a community event and fundraiser in support of Corwin and her family was held at the Little Ponderosa Zoo and Rescue in Clinton, Tenn., which is 11 miles from her hometown of Oak Ridge, Tenn.

A portion of Saturday's zoo admissions are going to Corwin's family for a reward and expenses incurred as part of the ongoing investigation, according to a post on the Little Ponderosa Zoo and Rescue Facebook page.

"This is an event to bring the community together and show support for Erin, who shared a special love for animals," the post said.

Activities included pony rides, face painting, cotton candy, refreshments and photos with animals.

Evening events included a bonfire with s'mores, and a candlelit vigil dedicated to Corwin.

A gofundme.com account established to help the family with expenses related to Corwin's disappearance has raised $3,060 to date.

<snipped>

http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/2014/08/10/erin-corwin-new-leads/13855929/

https://www.facebook.com/LocateErin/posts/1550890281806308

Locate Erin
1 hr ·

Hi everyone! First, please continue to pray for the search efforts that the SBSD is leading this weekend. Pray that this is the day we bring Erin home!
Second, we are continuing to only ask for assistance in the investigation into Erin's disappearance from local law enforcement. They are working ceaselessly to find Erin and have brought in others they believe are best qualified to assist in the investigation and search. If you want to offer any services in the case or if you have any information regarding Erin's disappearance, please contact the San Bernardino Sheriff's Department directly at 909-884-0156. Otherwise, we ask that everyone continue to respect our wishes that the ongoing, active investigation that the Sheriff's Department is leading be left undisturbed by the public's interference. Thank you all for the support. Please keep the search in your prayers throughout the weekend!

http://www.hidesertstar.com/news/article_f03d7ad6-24e9-11e4-a81e-001a4bcf887a.html (http://www.hidesertstar.com/news/article_f03d7ad6-24e9-11e4-a81e-001a4bcf887a.html)

Disappearance lingers in locals’ minds

Erin Corwin case puts 29 Palms in national spotlight

Posted: Friday, August 15, 2014 7:06 pm

By Alexis Cubit Hi-Desert Star | 0 comments

TWENTYNINE PALMS -— In a city with a population size of about 30,000, something like a disappearance or abduction doesn’t happen often. That’s why when 19-year-old Erin Corwin disappeared on June 28, it came as a surprise to Twentynine Palms residents.

“It was a topic of discussion probably every day at breakfast, when you’re out for lunch,” said Cynthia Truitt, the executive director of Twentynine Palms Chamber of Commerce. “The question in the community here was where’s Erin? Where’s Erin?”

The question has yet to be answered, although some have formed their own opinions.

“Different stories and different people sharing ideas of what they thought had happened or what could’ve happened or occurred,” Truitt said, “just like it would be in any small community, especially when you’re close to the people that are missing.”

Fear also began to enter the minds of the women in the small city, causing them to put their actions into perspective.
::snipping3::

Quote from: BabsKats on August 18, 2014, 02:51:56 PM

http://abc7.com/news/arrest-in-disappearance-of-ie-pregnant-woman/268697/

Monday, August 18, 2014

The alleged lover of a missing 19-year-old pregnant woman from Twentynine Palms has been arrested in Alaska, sources tell the Associated Press.

Erin Corwin, wife of a U.S. Marine, was last seen leaving her home in Twentynine Palms on June 28. The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said at the time that there were suspicious circumstances surrounding her disappearance. ::snipping3::

Cpl. Christopher Brandon Lee, Corwin's neighbor, was arrested at 10 p.m. Sunday, according to Cynthia Kott, a booking clerk at the Anchorage Correctional Complex. Court papers show Lee was Corwin's lover.

They must have just updated the article.. when I went to it it now says:

MISSING TWENTYNINE PALMS PREGNANT WOMAN'S BODY FOUND; ARREST MADE
Monday, August 18, 2014
::snipping3::
Her body was discovered in a 140-ft mine shaft Saturday, San Bernardino County sheriffs said. Her body was recovered a day later and positively identified through dental records.
::snipping3::

http://abc7.com/news/arrest-in-disappearance-of-ie-pregnant-woman/268697/

http://www.myfoxdfw.com/story/26308026/body-of-marines-missing-wife-found-in-mine-shaft
Body of Marine's missing wife found in mine shaft
August 18, 2014

::snipping3::
The remains of 20-year-old Erin Corwin were found Saturday 140 feet down an abandoned mine shift on federal land near Twentynine Palms after authorities spent nearly two months searching 300 square miles in the remote area east of Los Angeles, San Bernardino County Sheriff John McMahon said.

Her remains were identified Sunday through dental records, he said.

Her alleged lover and former neighbor, Christopher Brandon Lee, was arrested around 9 p.m. Sunday in Anchorage, Alaska, on suspicion of homicide on an extradition warrant from California, said Jennifer Castro, a spokesman for the Anchorage Police Department.
::snipping3::
Corwin told her husband when she left that day that she was going to scout out hiking trails that she and her mother could explore when her mother visited a few days later. But the friend showed authorities text messages that said Corwin was planning to go on a special hunting trip with Lee the day she disappeared to celebrate.

"It is highly likely that Erin could have been harmed by an unknown firearm," investigators wrote in the documents. "Sometime after Erin left with Lee, her phone was deactivated (turned off). Detectives believe if Erin was injured and left at an undisclosed location, she would not (be) able to call for help."

Other evidence was found in the shaft - one of more than 100 in the area - but McMahon declined to discuss what it was.

Authorities also declined to release the manner of death.
::snipping3::

http://www.sfgate.com/news/crime/article/Alleged-lover-of-Marine-s-missing-wife-arrested-5695969.php
Body of Marine's missing wife found in mine shaft
August 18, 2014
Updated 5:07 pm, Monday, August 18, 2014

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (AP) — For nearly two months, Southern California sheriff's deputies and a legion of volunteers scoured the vast, rough terrain peppered with abandoned mine pits and deep bodies of water where the 19-year-old pregnant wife of a U.S. Marine disappeared.

The search finally ended Saturday when a body was spotted with a video camera 140 feet down a mine shaft on federal land near Twentynine Palms, where she had been living.

In a little more than 24 hours, authorities had recovered and identified the remains of Erin Corwin and arrested her former neighbor and alleged lover, 24-year-old former Marine Christopher Brandon Lee, in Anchorage, Alaska, on suspicion of homicide.

"The manner of death has been determined to be homicide," San Bernardino County Sheriff John McMahon said Monday, adding that deputies searched many of the 100 mine shafts in a 300 square mile area before zeroing in on the one that contained Corwin.
::snipping3::
Two days after Corwin disappeared, investigators found her car abandoned off a road near her home. A single set of footprints led from the driver's side door and disappeared next to a set of vehicle tracks that matched the tires on Lee's Jeep. They found 10 spent casings from a .40-caliber gun in the Jeep, the court papers say.

Other evidence was found in the shaft — one of more than 100 in the area — but sheriff's officials declined to give details.

Authorities also declined to release the exact manner of death and said they could not confirm Corwin's pregnancy until an autopsy was completed.

Corwin would have been 20 if alive, but authorities say she likely died before her birthday.

Lee told investigators he was not with Corwin that day and had been hunting in Joshua National Park. He told police that although the two had kissed, they had never had intercourse.

The investigation found that Lee and Corwin did have an "intimate relationship" dating back to at least February, San Bernardino County Sheriff's Sgt. Trevis Newport said.

It wasn't immediately clear if Lee, who has yet to make a court appearance or arrive in California, had retained an attorney.

"Let's just wait until the facts come out before jumping to conclusions," Bob Lee, Christopher's father, told an Associated Press reporter during a brief interview outside the family's home in a working class neighborhood in Anchorage. He said the arrest came as his son and daughter-in-law, Nichole Lee, were returning home.

San Bernardino County District Attorney Michael Ramos said he expected to charge Lee with murder, but charges have not yet been filed.

Lee was arrested in July on suspicion of possessing a destructive device after a search warrant on a Yucca Valley home where he was temporarily living. He was taken into custody after the July 4 search and released on bail two days later.
::snipping3::
Law enforcement agencies including the FBI helped search for Corwin, whose body wasn't recovered until Sunday due to poor air quality conditions in the shaft. One firefighter was injured in the recovery effort, San Bernardino County Fire Chief Mark Hartwig said.

Corwin was found in a remote area some 130 miles east of Los Angeles, Newport said.

"It is very rough terrain out there. One would have a difficult time, even in a four-wheel drive vehicle," he said.

Slide show at link.

D.A. files murder charges against man accused of killing Erin Corwin
Aug 19, 2014

Today District Attorney Michael Ramos announced the filing of murder charges against 24-year-old Christopher Brandon Lee who is charged with killing 19-year-old Erin Corwin.

The District Attorney's Office also filed the special circumstance allegation of "lying in wait," increasing the potential penalty to life without parole or death. "The decision regarding which penalty will be sought will be made after a full review of the facts and evidence in the case," District Attorney Michael Ramos said.

Lee was arrested on Sunday by officers in Alaska on suspicion of murder and is currently awaiting extradition to California. He is due in court in Alaska today at 3:30 for his initial hearing.

If Lee waives extradition, he can be returned to San Bernardino County immediately. However, if he fights extradition, it may take four to six weeks.

This case was investigated by the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department and the investigation is ongoing. Deputy District Attorney Sean Daugherty is prosecuting the case.

"Once again, we are faced with a terrible crime that shows absolutely no regard for the value of human life," Ramos said. "Make no mistake that this office will fight to see that justice is carried out for our victim and her family."

This is an active investigation. No further details will be released at this time.

<snipped>

http://www.kesq.com/news/sb-county-sheriff-calls-news-conf-today-to-update-corwin-case/27584566

Murder charges filed in case of missing Marine's wife
Tue August 19, 2014

<snipped>

Lee had been a suspect from the beginning.

Corwin didn't go to Joshua Tree National Park on the day she disappeared, police said in a statement of probable cause written in July. Instead her car was found a few miles from where she lived next door to Lee and his wife, Nicole.

Detectives found footprints next to Corwin's abandoned car that led to tire tracks. Investigators said those tire tracks were the same width and same width apart as the tires on Lee's Jeep.

According to the court document, several people, including a friend of Erin Corwin's in Tennessee, told investigators that Corwin and Lee were having an affair. He admitted to kissing her but told detectives the two had never had sexual intercourse.

Lee also told police that on the day Corwin disappeared he had gone hunting.

More than 100 mine shafts were searched before a sheriff's team found Corwin's body. Authorities used cell phone information to narrow the search area to 300 square miles.

<snipped>

http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/19/us/california-missing-marine-wife/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/08/18/erin-corwin-missing-marine-wife-arrest-lee/14240493/

Missing Marine wife's body found in mineshaft
Colin Atagi and Brett Kelman, The Desert Sun 8:01 p.m. EDT August 18, 2014

Ex-Marine Christopher Lee was arrested Sunday night in the killing of Erin Corwin, a Marine wife who was found crumpled at the bottom of a 140-foot mine shaft in a remote desert area of Southern California.

Authorities have also said that Lee's wife, Nichole Lee, is a "person of interest" in the death.

Corwin's body was located Saturday afternoon by specialized mine search teams, who used cameras to explore more than 100 mine shafts and bodies of water in the remote desert, police said Monday. An urban search and rescue team recovered the body on Sunday, and dental records were used to ensure it was Corwin.

The mine was on federal land, a few miles southeast of Twentynine Palms, outside of Joshua Tree National Park, in the desert east of Los Angeles.

::snipping3::

During a press conference on Monday, sheriff's Sgt. Trevis Newport said volunteers were critical in the massive search. Nearly 5,000 volunteer hours were dedicated to the search.

"There is no way that Erin … would have been located without their assistance," Newport said.

::snipping3::

On the day Corwin was found, search teams were focused on the areas of the Rose of Peru Mining District, Brooklyn Mining District and Los Angeles Mining District. Authorities said the area was remote, rough terrain — difficult for even a four-wheel vehicle to traverse — speckled with dangerous mine shafts.

One firefighter was injured while searching the mines, said Mark Hardwig, San Bernardino County fire chief. The firefighter's arm was struck by a rock as he descended into a mine.
ChristopherLeeErinCorwincase

::snipping3::

The sheriff's department said it could not yet release information about Corwin's cause of death because her autopsy was not complete. It is also undetermined if Corwin's killing was pre-meditated.

Anchorage police said Lee was arrested without incident during a traffic stop.

Lee's arrest comes about a month after he was first identified as a focal point in the investigation.

Quote from: klaasend on August 18, 2014, 04:09:44 PM

IMO they need to consider his wife as well.

RIP Erin ::MonkeyTears::

The alleged words of Nicole Lee in the following article created huge red flags for me regarding her involvement in the disappearance of Erin Corwin.

Janet

+++++

Neighbor allegedly said body of Marine's missing wife won't be found
July 23, 2014

<snipped>

The wife of a man who is suspected of having an affair with the missing pregnant wife of a U.S. Marine allegedly told a witness "detectives would never find her body," according to a search warrant made public this week.

The wife of Christopher Lee told the witness, Isabella Megli of Yucca Valley, who was subsequently interviewed by detectives, that without 19-year-old Erin Corwin's body, investigators "did not have a case against them," according to a search warrant issued July 8 in San Bernardino County Superior Court.

<snipped>

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-neighbor-marine-missing-wife-body-20140723-story.html

Quote from: BabsKats on August 18, 2014, 05:20:39 PM

It was either luck that she was found in that shaft or someone broke down and finally said where she was. Joshua Tree Natl. Park is massive and this time of year it would be extremely warm out there. I know there are plenty of people that roam through there but it isn't the most welcoming atmosphere. My dad lived in Yucca Valley for many years.

RIP Erin

BabsKats

When the words in the following articles are considered ... could it be that Lee's wife was afforded a plea deal for the truth? Could it that lesser charges will be forthcoming ... lesser charges than those that were filed against her husband? Just speculating.

+++++

Neighbor allegedly said body of Marine's missing wife won't be found
July 23, 2014

<snipped>

The wife of a man who is suspected of having an affair with the missing pregnant wife of a U.S. Marine allegedly told a witness "detectives would never find her body," according to a search warrant made public this week.

The wife of Christopher Lee told the witness, Isabella Megli of Yucca Valley, who was subsequently interviewed by detectives, that without 19-year-old Erin Corwin's body, investigators "did not have a case against them," according to a search warrant issued July 8 in San Bernardino County Superior Court.

<snipped>

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-neighbor-marine-missing-wife-body-20140723-story.html

Missing Marine Wife Erin Corwin Found Dead; Alleged Lover Arrested
08/18/2014

<snipped>

With assistance from the FBI, officials from the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department found the body about 140 feet inside a mine shaft. Due to the depth and air quality of the mine shaft, Corwin's body was not recovered until 6:30 p.m. the following day. Lee was arrested at 10 p.m.

Officials say that there is "potential for more arrests," adding that other evidence was found in the shaft.

<snipped>

http://www.people.com/article/pregnant-woman-marine-wife-erin-corwin-found-dead

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/08/19/erin-corwin-case-marine-charged-in-killing-inquired-about-body-disposal-sheriff/

Erin Corwin case: Former Marine charged in killing inquired about body disposal, sheriff says
Published August 19, 2014

SANTA ANA, Calif. – A former Marine charged Tuesday with murder after the body of his alleged lover was found in an abandoned California mine shaft had been looking into how to dispose of a human body, a sheriff's investigator said.

Christopher Lee, 24, admitted conducting Internet searches on human body disposal, and a witness told detectives that Lee asked him "what was the best way to dispose of a human body," a sheriff's investigator wrote in a document filed in San Bernardino County Superior Court in support of an arrest warrant.

In addition, .22-caliber fired casings and rebar were recovered from the scene where the body of 19-year-old Erin Corwin was found late Saturday in an abandoned mine shaft. The head stamp from the casings matched those on casings found in Lee's vehicle and home, the document said.

::snipping3::

Prosecutors in California charged Lee with murder with a special circumstance allegation of lying in wait, which enables them to potentially seek the death penalty, the San Bernardino County district attorney's office said in a statement.

Corwin was in the early stages of pregnancy when she disappeared on June 28, according to earlier court filings. Her husband, Marine Cpl. Jonathan Corwin, reported her missing the next day.

Erin Corwin's friend told investigators that Corwin and Lee were having an affair and that the unborn child might be Lee's, according to the earlier filings. Corwin told the friend that Lee was worried his wife might divorce him and prevent him from spending time with his child if she knew Corwin was pregnant, the papers say.

::snipping3::

Quote from: Tamikosmom on August 19, 2014, 06:23:30 PM

This is huge!!

Erin Corwin death: Christopher Lee charged with murder
3:24 p.m. PDT August 19, 2014

The ex-Marine accused of killing Erin Corwin admitted searching the Internet about how to dispose of a body, and .22-caliber cartridge casings at the mine shaft where she was found matched those found in his Jeep and home, according to an arrest warrant filed in California Superior Court.

Christopher Brandon Lee also asked a witness about the best way to dispose of a body and told investigators he was collecting tires the morning Corwin disappeared. A tire and pieces of rebar also were found at the mine shaft.

A murder charge was filed Tuesday against Lee in Corwin's death, according to the San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office.

<snipped>

Who is the witness? Could it be wife? In a plea deal ... did Nicole Lee spill the beans regarding her knowledge encompassing the murder of Erin Corwin?

I do believe that justice will prevail in the Erin Corwin case.

Janet

http://www.wbir.com/story/news/local/oak-ridge-anderson/2014/08/20/accused-erin-corwin-killer-researched-how-to-dispose-of-a-body/14334397/

Accused Erin Corwin killer researched how to dispose of a body
Lorraine Whetstone, The Desert Sun 11:20 a.m. EDT August 20, 2014

::snipping3::

A murder charge and a special circumstance allegation of "lying in wait" were filed Tuesday against Lee, who is eligible for the death penalty.

His wife, Nichole Lee is a "person of interest" in the investigation, according to San Bernardino County sheriff's officials.

"We are looking at that to see what his wife's role actually was," District Attorney Michael Ramos said during an interview on Los Angeles-based "The John and Ken Show." "As you know, there's a penal code section that we can charge individuals with assisting or covering up serious crimes such as this, so we are investigating that. They are doing that part of the investigation right now."

Lee, 24, made his first appearance in court in connection with the case Tuesday in Alaska.

The state of Alaska filed a fugitive from justice charge against Lee and he is being held on $2 million bail at the Anchorage Correctional Complex.

During the hearing at the complex, Lee said he would like to speak to his lawyer before making a decision on whether he will waive or fight extradition to San Bernardino County. Family members at the hearing declined to comment.

If Lee waives extradition, he can be returned to San Bernardino County immediately. If he fights extradition, it may take four to six weeks.

::snipping3::

http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/crime_courts/2014/08/21/erin-corwin-christopher-lee-alaska-court-extradition/14389327/

Erin Corwin death: Christopher Lee waives extradition process
Elizabeth Nelson, PalmSprings 2:15 p.m. PDT August 21, 2014

Lee will return to California to face first-degree murder charge

Christopher Lee, the former Marine accused of killing 19-year-old Erin Corwin and dumping her body in a high desert mine shaft, will return to California to face charges in her death.

Lee appeared Thursday morning in an Alaska courtroom and, according to the San Bernardino County District Attorney's office, waived his right to extradition proceedings. That means he can be immediately returned to California where he faces a murder charge in Corwin's death.

Investigators are in Alaska, said Cynthia Bachman with the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department, and will bring Lee back to California within a few days.

::snipping3::

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/suspect-in-marine-wife-killing-could-face-2nd-murder-charge/

ByCrimesider StaffCBS/APAugust 21, 2014, 12:03 PM
Suspect in Marine wife killing could face 2nd murder charge

SANTA ANA, Calif. - The former Marine charged with killing his alleged lover, Erin Corwin, could face an additional murder charge if an autopsy determines that Corwin was pregnant, San Bernardino County District Attorney Michael Ramos reportedly told The Desert Sun newspaper on Wednesday.

::snipping3::

District Attorney Ramos reportedly told The Desert Sun that authorities are still trying to determine whether Corwin was pregnant and if so, how far along she was. He said an additional murder charge "is a possibility," reports the paper.

A murder charge can be filed for an unborn child of just four to six weeks development, according to the paper.

Lee appeared in court in Anchorage on Tuesday, where he was ordered held on $2 million cash bail. His wife, Nichole, and his mother attended the hearing, but declined comment. The San Bernardino Sheriff's Department, who is leading the investigation, said Nichole Lee is considered a "person of interest" in the case, according to the paper.

::snipping3::

http://**/general-news/20140821/christopher-brandon-lee-to-be-extradited-in-case-of-erin-corwins-murder

Christopher Brandon Lee to be extradited in case of Erin Corwin’s murder

By Doug Saunders, The Sun

Posted: 08/21/14, 2:44 PM PDT | Updated: 47 secs ago

SAN BERNARDINO >> The man accused of murdering Erin Corwin is set to return to California from Alaska to face murder charges.

Christopher Brandon Lee waived his extradition at a hearing in Anchorage, Alaska, Thursday morning, according to San Bernardino County District Attorney’s office spokesman Christopher Lee, allowing authorities to bring him to San Bernardino County.

::snipping3::

He could be returned to San Bernardino County within a matter of days, sheriff’s officials said Thursday.

Sheriff’s officials tasked with returning Lee to San Bernardino County are not releasing his itinerary, but said he will more than likely be transported on a commercial aircraft.

“When we have to go bring someone back we utilize the means necessary to get the job done safely for everyone involved,” sheriff’s Cpl. Randy Naquin said. “If the person has been convicted of the crime and is being transferred back to our county from another state we’ll put them on the Federal “ConAir”, but in this situation he hasn’t been convicted so we’ll escort him back on a civilian airplane.”

Naquin added that every precaution necessary is taken to ensure the safety of passengers during the extradition process. The state of California will pay Lee’s transportation costs.

::snipping3::

http://www.kpbs.org/news/2014/aug/21/marine-vet-murder-erin-corwin-pregnant-fetus/

Marine Vet Could Face 2nd Murder Charge In Death Of Erin Corwin’s Fetus

Thursday, August 21, 2014

By Beth Ford Roth

The final results of Erin Corwin's autopsy could determine whether or not Marine veteran Christopher Lee is charged with murder in the death of Corwin's fetus.

Lee has already been arrested and charged with murdering Corwin, 19, who may have been pregnant with his child.

San Bernardino County District Attorney Michael Ramos told the Desert Sun an additional murder charge against Lee is possible if the autopsy can determine whether or not Corwin was actually pregnant, and how far along she was in her pregnancy.

Ramos said California law allows a murder charge to be filed in the death of an unborn baby just four to six weeks into the fetus's development.

Corwin's sister-in-law, DeeAnna Heavilin, was interviewed by the Desert Sun last month about Corwin's pregnancy:

"We don't know exactly how far along she is with this pregnancy. She only found out about the pregnancy two weeks before she went missing and a doctor hasn't confirmed a due date yet."

::snipping3::

http://www.adn.com/article/20140821/waiving-extradition-suspect-marine-wife-murder-will-be-transported-california

Waiving extradition, suspect in Marine wife murder will be transported to California
Jerzy Shedlock
August 21, 2014

(http://www.adn.com/sites/default/files/styles/full_width_620/public/ChristopherLee1.JPG?itok=YNDx9mBB)

During a Thursday morning hearing in Anchorage, Christopher Brandon Lee (shown here on Tuesday, Aug. 19) waived his rights against extradition to California, where he’s accused of murdering 19-year-old Erin Corwin.
Marc Lester

During a Thursday morning hearing at the Anchorage Correctional Complex courtroom, ex-Marine Christopher Brandon Lee waived his rights to fight extradition to California, where he’s accused of murdering 19-year-old Erin Corwin.

Assistant district attorney Heather Nobrega said Lee, 24, made the decision after consulting with his attorney in California. The state of California will pay for his transfer, she said.

On Tuesday, San Bernardino, Calif., District Attorney Michael Ramos announced that a murder charge was filed against Lee. The felony complaint says that Lee killed his alleged lover "intentionally ... by means of lying in wait."

Defendants wanted for charges in other states generally choose to waive extradition rights, Nobrega said.

“They sit here in jail and nothing happens with the case,” she said. “Their speedy trial rights aren’t started yet because they’re not in the state where they’re facing the charges.”

::snipping3::

http://www.kesq.com/news/corwin-murder-suspect-waives-extradition-process/27661664

Corwin murder suspect to return to California soon
24-year-old Christopher Lee will be brought to San Bernardino County in next few days
KESQ & CBS Local 2 News Staff, newsline3@kesq.com
Chris Clough, News Producer - CBS Local 2, christopher.clough@kesq.com
POSTED: 10:21 AM PDT Aug 21, 2014 UPDATED: 10:21 AM PDT Aug 21, 2014

::snipping3::

Lee, 24, initially told authorities in Alaska he wanted an attorney to fight the process of extradition that would bring him back to California, but Anchorage Deputy District Attorney Clint Campion said Lee seems to have changed his mind.

The decision could avoid weeks of court dates and legal meetings to get the accused murder back into the state where he allegedly killed 19-year-old Corwin, then dumped her body 140 feet down a mineshaft near the Twentynine Palms Marine Corps Base.

Lee was being held on $2 million bail in Alaska, but now there's no bail because he will be in custody in San Bernardino County.

::snipping3::

This article gives the specific mining district where Erin was found, hadn't read that before.

http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20140821/NEWS06/308210037/DA-Christopher-Lee-could-face-2nd-murder-charge

DA: Christopher Lee could face 2nd murder charge
Aug. 21, 2014 - 02:36PM

By Lorraine Whetstone
The (Palm Springs, Calif.) Desert Sun

::snipping3::

California law is very clear about the murder of an unborn child, San Bernardino County District Attorney Michael Ramos told The Desert Sun on Wednesday.

In addition to a murder charge for the death of the mother, a murder charge can be filed for an unborn child of just four to six weeks development.

Whether Erin Corwin, whose body was found 140 feet down a mine shaft Saturday in the Rose of Peru Mining District east of Joshua Tree National Park, was pregnant and how pregnant is an ongoing "part of the investigation," Ramos said. The additional charge "is a possibility."

::snipping3::

Quote from: texasmom on August 21, 2014, 06:38:29 PM

So sad. They are so young. They had their whole lives ahead of them. Choices made in the heat of passion can have huge consequences. It appears no one was able to talk rationally about the baby on the way, they just got rid of the baby along with the mother.

I wonder if the intended target was the baby who was on the way, and if the baby never existed, if this would not have happened or if the intended victim was the mother because she had an affair with Lee and it would have happened whether she was pregnant or not. I tend to think the baby was the catalyst here. Was she intending to leave her husband or stay with him? Why would she 'celebrate' her pregnancy with her boyfriend if she was not intending to leave her husband? Was Lee leading her to believe he was suddenly happy about the pregnancy? Did he tell his wife and she got involved and convinced him to kill her before her pregnancy was discovered? It did not appear that he wanted to lose contact with his 7 year old daughter, was murder the price requested of him to see his daughter?

So sad.

::MonkeyTears::

Quote from: Bearlyhere on August 22, 2014, 01:05:45 PM

Quote from: texasmom on August 21, 2014, 06:38:29 PM

I've wondered about the same things. So sad, and senseless. What did murdering Erin and her baby accomplish? If Nichole was involved too, it will more than likely mean their precious daughter will grow up only knowing her parents through prison letters and visits. If either of them are convicted, she'll forever be the daughter of a murderer. How sad it that?! That little girl is just another innocent victim of this crime. If it was because Chris was afraid Nichole would leave him and not let him see their daughter, how different would that be from spending the rest of his life in prison or even on death row? If he was anything resembling the kind and caring man described by some, how does he live every day with the knowledge that he murdered this young beautiful woman that may have been carrying his child?! How will his daughter feel about that when she's grown up? Erin never knew the feeling of holding her baby in her arms, and a multitude of other moments stolen from her and her loved ones when she was murdered. She made a mistake, but it takes two. If Nichole was the catalyst and/or participated in the crime, would Chris have eventually been next if they'd gotten away with this? Maybe when she caught him when he cheated again?

Erin was so young, far away from her family/friends/comfort zone, often left alone, and apparently so very naive to have believed these people were actually her friends...

::MonkeyNoNo:: ::MonkeyTears::

JMO

Quote from: texasmom on August 23, 2014, 02:01:30 PM

Quote from: Bearlyhere on August 22, 2014, 01:05:45 PM

Quote from: texasmom on August 21, 2014, 06:38:29 PM

Why do they think murder is the answer? ::MonkeyNoNo::

::MonkeyAngel::

http://www.kesq.com/news/vigil-to-honor-erin-corwin-on-monday/27704902

(http://www.kesq.com/image/view/-/26990938/medRes/1/-/maxh/360/maxw/640/-/5p0ngmz/-/07-16-CORWIN-SEARCH-jpg.jpg)

Vigil to honor Erin Corwin on Monday

Candlelight vigil from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Luckie Park in Twentynine Palms

Laura Yanez, KESQ News Channel 3 & CBS Local 2 Reporter, Laura.Yanez@cbslocal2.com

POSTED: 09:38 AM PDT Aug 24, 2014 UPDATED: 09:41 AM PDT Aug 24, 2014

TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. -

A community candlelight vigil will be held Monday evening to honor and celebrate the life of 19-year-old Erin Corwin.

Corwin's family said women who live on the Twentynine Palms Marine Base are planning the vigil from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Luckie Park, 5885 Luckie Ave, Twentynine Palms.

The community is invited to celebrate Erin and support the search and rescue crews who spent nearly eight weeks and 5,000 volunteer hours looking for her since she disappeared June 28.

Corwin's family encourages people to wear purple in her memory and continue to wear a purple ribbon until there is justice in her murder, according to DeeAnna Heavilin, Corwin's sister-in-law.

::snipping3::

Heavilin said Corwin's family is finalizing plans for a memorial in Tennessee, but they are waiting for Erin's body to be released and brought home to them.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/08/26/erin-corwin-husband-jon--closure/14606791/

Erin Corwin: Marine husband Jon Corwin has 'closure'
Brett Kelman, The (Palm Springs, Calif.) Desert Sun 1:59 a.m. EDT August 26, 2014

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. — As the search dragged on and on, Jonathan Corwin clung to a dark kind of hope.

His wife, Erin, had been missing for weeks. She had vanished without explanation, launching a mystery in the High Desert, where vast empty spaces remain wild and dangerous.

And while Jonathan never lost hope that Erin would be found, he admitted to himself that she would not be found alive. Answers were the best he could hope for. When her body was finally discovered, crumpled in an abandoned mineshaft, Jonathan felt more relief than loss.

"I had some hope, but overall, I expected the worst. It's basically the only thing you can do after so much time," Jonathan Corwin said Monday, during an exclusive interview with The Desert Sun. "I have closure now. I know she is in heaven, now. She is in a better place, in no more pain."

::snipping3::

Jonathan Corwin, a 21-year-old Marine corporal, sat down with The Desert Sun to discuss his wife's death on Monday afternoon, shortly before a vigil was held in Twentynine Palms. As many as 100 mourners, both friends and strangers, trickled through the vigil at Luckie Park, offering condolences to Erin's family and their thanks to the search teams that found her.

Many mourners wore purple, Erin's favorite color. Others tied small purple ribbons to a fence on the southeast corner of the park.

Jonathan has previously declined all interview requests, insisting he was not emotionally unprepared to talk about Erin. On Monday, the mourning husband said he believed finally speaking publicly — coupled with the vigil — would help him heal and move on.

The Corwins first met in middle school, and started dating a few years later. They were married in November 2012, and Erin moved to the high desert last September, while Jonathan was deployed in Okinawa.

Jonathan said Erin was a quiet young woman who loved animals — especially horses — and dreamed of raising children. She was also extremely shy, and would have been terrified by the media spotlight that was drawn to the mystery of her disappearance.

On the day Erin disappeared, she woke about 7 a.m., then prepared for a trip into the desert. Erin told him she was headed to nearby Joshua Tree National Park to take pictures. Jonathan was still in bed.

"I said 'OK. I love you,' " Jonathan said Monday. "She gave me a kiss. And then she left."

The next morning, Erin had not returned. Jonathan called 911, launching a search that would span about 300 square miles and more than 100 mine shafts.

In the days after Erin vanished, high desert law enforcement questioned and re-questioned Jonathan about his wife, scrutinizing whether he might be behind her disappearance. Jonathan said Monday he held no ill will toward these detectives, who were simply following the most likely leads.

::snipping3::

Lee has been charged with first-degree murder, but could face an additional murder charge if an autopsy confirms that Erin was pregnant at the time of her death.

On Monday, Jonathan said he had once called Lee a friend.

The Lees had been neighbors of the Corwins since last fall, when Jonathan and Erin moved into an apartment building on the Twentynine Palms base. Jonathan and Lee shared a passion for off-roading and recreational shooting, and their wives both volunteered at the same horse ranch, so the neighbors became fast friends. They hung out "almost every day," Jonathan said.

In March, Jonathan discovered Chris and Erin had a brief affair. However, Jonathan believed the fling was over, and so he had made amends with his wife and tried to forgive his neighbor. Jonathan didn't discover the affair had continued until after Erin had disappeared.

Even now, Jonathan tries to forgive.

"Obviously, I hate the actions that he did. But I feel like, if I let him bring hatred to my mind every time I see him, he is just going to pull me down," Jonathan said Monday. "When I first figured out about the affair, and everything, he was still my next-door neighbor. There was a part of me that wanted to go take care of him. But if I did that, I would be in the same boat as him — I would be a bad guy. And that is just not me."

More pictures at the link:

(http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/1a6cb31cd9f119812af257d39beea1c587ebe02d/c=126-0-990-650&r=x513&c=680x510/local/-/media/PalmSprings/PalmSprings/2014/08/25/1409023879001-webtdsCorwinVigil0826-02.jpg)

http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20140825/NEWS06/308250032/Former-Marine-suspected-Erin-Corwin-murder-returned-California

Former Marine suspected in Erin Corwin murder returned to California
Aug. 25, 2014 - 06:00AM

By Colin Atagi
The (Palm Springs, Calif.) Desert Sun

Christopher Lee, who is the suspect in the death of Marine wife Erin Corwin, has returned to California and is scheduled to appear in San Bernardino County Superior Court Tuesday, jail records show.

He was taken into custody at 12:03 a.m. Monday and his court appearance is set for 1:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Joshua Tree courthouse, 6527 White Feather Road.

Lee was arrested in Alaska on Aug. 17 shortly after a body found in a 140-feet deep mine shaft near Joshua Tree was positively identified as Corwin.

He now faces a charge of first-degree murder with special circumstance allegation of “lying in wait” and is eligible for the death penalty.

::snipping3::

http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/crime_courts/2014/08/26/erin-corwin-christopher-lee-court-plea/14646713/

Erin Corwin death: Christopher Lee pleads not guilty

Brett Kelman, The Desert Sun 6:07 p.m. PDT August 26, 2014

An former High Desert Marine who is accused of killing his neighbor's wife, Erin Corwin, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder.

Christopher Lee, 24, made his first appearance in a California courtroom on Tuesday after being extradited from Alaska. He wore a gray prisoner's jumpsuit and had full beard and finely combed hair. The hearing lasted only a few minutes, and Lee barely spoke.

Lee's attorney, David Kaloyanides pleaded not guilty on his client's behalf. During a brief interview outside the courthouse, Kaloyanides said he expected Lee's court case to last "a long time."

"It's going to take a while, in a case of this magnitude, to get any information from the DA's office, so we can evaluate the evidence is," Kaloyanides said. "There are a lot of different angles to investigate, and (we need) to see what they have."

Lee's wife, Nichole, did not attend the arraignment hearing. Erin's husband, Marine Cpl. Jonathan Corwin, sat quietly in the back of the room with his father Tom.

Lee is schedule to return to court for another hearing on Sept. 16.

::snipping3::

Erin's cause of death has not been released.

In addition to murder, Lee has been charged with a special circumstance of "lying in wait." This allegation, which argues that Lee planned Erin's death and then lured her into a trap, makes the suspect eligible for the death penalty, if convicted.

::snipping3::

http://www.people.com/article/erin-corwin-murder-how-detectives-located-her-body

Erin Corwin Murder Suspect Pleads Not Guilty

By Johnny Dodd
@Johnny_Dodd

updated 08/26/2014 at 08:30 PM EDT

•originally published 08/26/2014 06:55PM

::snipping3::

The cave specialist instrumental in locating Corwin's body is still scratching his head over the San Bernardino Sheriff's Department's success in finding the teenage murder victim.

"I kept telling them, 'She's not in a mine shaft. Who's going to dump a body in a mineshaft in 2014? This isn't a movie,' " says Doug Billings, who was called in to assist in the search when detectives learned of his extensive knowledge of the hundreds of old mines near the rugged national park.

"They just kept saying, 'She's in a shaft somewhere and you're going to find her,' " says Billings, who started exploring the 130-year-old mines around the park as a teenager. "She just happened to go missing in an area that I'd spent 30 years searching. I knew every canyon, trail, mine shaft and road in that area."

Working with evidence provided by detectives, Billings went through his old notes, studied satellite photos and put together a list of possible locations where Corwin's body might be found.

For the next six weeks, dozens of volunteers from caving clubs throughout southern California looked alongside search and rescue crews and braved 117-degree heat while searching 85 different shafts identified by Billings.

Corwin's body was eventually found in a 140-foot deep mine.

"This particular mine was number two on my list," recalls Billings. "I was standing 50 feet from it on our second day out, but the temperatures were so bad that we had to leave because the dogs couldn't handle the heat."

::snipping3::

http://www.kesq.com/news/erin-corwin-remembered-at-candlelight-vigil/27729316

Erin Corwin remembered at candlelight vigil

Natalie Brunell, KESQ News Channel 3 & CBS Local 2 Reporter, Natalie.Brunell@kesq.com

POSTED: 12:46 AM PDT Aug 26, 2014 UPDATED: 12:30 AM PDT Aug 26, 2014

TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. -

A candlelight vigil served as a tribute to Erin Corwin and the mark she left in her short time in Twentynine Palms.

Friends, family and strangers touched by her story offered prayers, lit candles and tied purple ribbons, Erin's favorite color, in her memory.

"Tonight is about celebrating Erin and celebrating Jon's love for Erin," said Michelle Doute, Erin Corwin's close friend and neighbor at the Marine base.

"It's a way to show we care about her and we miss her, and our way of saying goodbye since she'll be going home to Tennessee," said Aisling Malakie, another of Erin's friends and neighbors.

::snipping3::

Those close to Erin want people who followed her story to now focus on her life, rather than speculations and negativity.

"She's a person first: a daughter, a wife, a friend and so much more to so many people. And that's what she needs to be remembered as," Doute said.

"She was a good girl, she was a good friend and I wish people would have a little more compassion," Malakie said.

For her husband, Marine Cpl. Jonathan Corwin, tonight was one step closer to getting closure.

He didn't want to speak on camera, but shared with News Channel 3 his most cherished memory of Erin:

He said he'll never forget their high school prom; the first night he saw her all dressed up. And even though they had known each other since middle school, he remembers there was just something about the way she looked that night.

He said he believes she's now in a better place.

"They loved each other and you looked at them and knew they loved each other," Doute said.

Cpl. Corwin said a funeral service will be held for Erin in Tennessee in September.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2014/08/28/erin-corwin-marine-wife-murder-gold-mine/14741271/?utm_source=feedblitz&utm_medium=FeedBlitzRss&utm_campaign=usatoday-newstopstories
Untapped gold mine was site of Erin Corwin body
August 28, 2014

A cave rescue team said the gold mine where Erin Corwin was found is little more than "an anonymous hole in the desert" that has not been worked for decades and is not marked on any maps.

The mine, a 100-foot vertical shaft, drops abruptly from an open desert plain. It sits on federal land southeast of Twentynine Palms, in the desert outside Palm Springs, Calif., surrounded by hundreds of other mines. Toxic air fills the shaft.

If not for the relentless searching of the San Bernardino County Cave and Technical Rescue team, Corwin's body would have lain at the bottom of this mine until there was nothing left to find. Instead, the rescue team discovered her body on Aug. 16, seven weeks after she vanished in the high desert.
"There was a sense of relief that we had found something," Sonny Lawrence, a member of the rescue team, said Monday. "But we knew we were not done."

Specialized firefighters were called in the following day to recover Corwin's body. The recovery of her body allowed authorities to arrest Christopher Lee, who has now been charged with murder.
::snipping3::
The Desert Sun spoke to several members of the cave rescue team on Monday evening, during a vigil held for Erin in Twentynine Palms. Many mourners tied purple ribbons to a fence in the corner of Luckie Park, saying goodbye to Erin, then shook the hands of the cave team members, thanking the men who found her.
The cave team was assisted by Doug Billings, a cave and mine specialist, who cataloged mines to assist in the search for Erin. Billings said Monday that detectives showed him an area where they believed Erin may be found, then he drafted a map of the mines in the region, highlighting the mines that were most likely places to try to hide a body.

"There was so much evidence pointing in so many directions, I decided I was going to catalog every mine within a reasonable area," Billings said. "It ended up being 600, and still climbing, and these were just the large and modern mines. … But really, even with blind sight, we hit it almost dead on right in the beginning."

More than 100 mines were explored as part of the search for Erin, but many of these mines were searched before detectives showed the cave team where to prioritize. The sheriff's department used some form of electronic tracking — likely pings from a cell phone — to zero in on the area of the Rose of Peru Mining District, the Brooklyn Mining District and the Los Angeles Mining District.

Some mines were searched with dogs, who sniffed for the scent of human remains, and others were searched with customized camera rigs, lowered into the dark on cables. A few mines were short or shallow, and could be explored by a single team member in a matter of minutes. Other mines were large, requiring a spelunker to climb or rappel into the depths, combing every inch for clues.

In the end, Billings' theory turned out to be correct. Erin's body was found in one of the highlighted mines in the highest prioritized area. It was a gold mine, dug sometime in the '70s, last worked in the '80s, Billings said. The mine is not on any mine map because the map was drawn up in the late '60s.

"It's just an anonymous hole in the desert, with no name," said John Norman, one cave team member. "It requires four-wheel drive just to get into that area."

"And on the way to getting there, there were a dozen mines just like it," Lawrence added. "It is like a table, perfectly flat, and then all of the sudden, there is a hole in the ground 100 feet deep."
::snipping3::

Quote from: klaasend on August 18, 2014, 04:09:44 PM

IMO they need to consider his wife as well.

RIP Erin ::MonkeyTears::

Could it be that investigators made an immunity plea deal with Nicole Lee ... an immunity plea deal for the truth regarding her knowledge of the happenings encompassing the disappearance of Erin Corwin and ... the location of Erin's body?

Janet

+++++

Neighbor Says Body of Missing Marine Wife Will Never Be Found: Court Documents
July 22, 2014

<snipped>

While interviewing Isabella Megli, the owner of a ranch where Corwin and Lee volunteered, authorities learned that Lee’s wife Nicole had made several comments to her about the investigation, the affidavit stated.

“Nicole told Isabella that without a body the detectives did not have a case against them and the detectives would never find the body,” the affidavit stated.

Nicole also said investigators had searched her residence but missed something because they didn’t go through the garage.

She also “berated Lee in front of Isabella about not being able to keep his lies straight when he was interviewed by detectives because he was dumb.”

<snipped>

http://ktla.com/2014/07/22/missing-marine-wife-planned-to-see-man-she-was-having-an-affair-with-the-day-she-went-missing-court-documents/

Gold miner shows mine shaft where Erin Corwin's body was found
Aug 21, 2014

Tom Koch drives nearly two dozen miles from his home in Twentynine Palms to the Dale Group Mining District near Joshua Tree to look for gold.

He took us along for the nearly two-hour, slow, bumpy and often dangerous ride through the Mojave Desert to the Rose of Peru mine Thursday. It's a mine that's southeast of Twentynine Palms, one Koch hadn't visited in almost seven years.

"This last mile is really nasty," said Koch. "It's out here in the middle of nowhere. We're in no man's land."

<snipped>

"I'm surprised they found her. I really am," said Koch.

The gold mine operated from 1939 to 1941. There are thousands of abandoned ones like it throughout the desert. It's about 20 miles from the Cottonwood south entrance and Oasis entrance of the Joshua Tree National Park.

"I think he did his homework. How do you find a place like this in the middle of nowhere? I think he checked it really good before he decided on this one," said Koch.

<snipped>

http://www.kesq.com/news/gold-miner-shows-deep-mine-shaft-where-erin-corwins-body-was-found/27674404

::MonkeyNoNo::
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/08/31/erin-corwin-search-checks-stolen/14914321/
Checks to Erin Corwin's rescue team stolen from mailbox
August 31, 2014

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. — Two checks made out to the search and rescue team who discovered Erin Corwin's body in an unmarked gold mine north of Joshua Tree National Park have been found in a dumpster in a San Bernardino park.

The checks had been stolen from a mailbox in Redlands days after the funds were given to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Cave and Technical Rescue Teamduring a vigil for Corwin on Monday at Luckie Park in Twentynine Palms.
::snipping3::

Harold Stallberg stumbled across the stolen checks when he visited the park at the corner of Wier Road and Harwick Drive early Thursday morning.
Sonny Lawrence, a member of the search and rescue team, had mailed the checks to the group's treasurer from his home in Redlands. Lawrence put the envelope in the mailbox in front of his house and pulled the red flag up to alert the carrier there was outgoing mail.

"The next day, the red flag was still up and I thought, 'That's odd, why didn't the mail carrier put the flag down?'" Lawrence said.

On Thursday, he received a call from Stallberg, who had retrieved the trash about eight miles from Lawrence's home in Redlands.
"He had the checks with him, so I drove over there and he gave me the checks and explained the story," Lawrence said.

"It seems he rides his bike a lot — every day — and he goes to this one park quite a few miles from his house," Lawrence said Friday. "And he was sitting there early in the morning, like 7, 7:30 and this black SUV pulls up and the fellow gets out and dumps a bunch of mail in the trashcan. Then, as this fellow is pulling out of the parking lot, he throws more trash out of his window onto the pavement."

Stallberg told The Desert Sun he was sitting on a park bench when the SUV pulled up and as soon as it drove away, he walked over to pick up the litter and throw it in the trashcan.

"I saw all of this mail to all of these different people," Stallberg said. "My heart sunk. I feel for them ...I'd had my ID stolen before."

"I thought, 'Harry, do you want to get involved?' I thought, 'I'll just reach down and grab one letter' and that's the one I called on," Stallberg said.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Cave and Technical Rescue Team operates under the umbrella of the sheriff's department, but is responsible for providing its own equipment and is a strictly volunteer organization. The group is not paid for its missions.

https://www.facebook.com/LocateErin/photos/a.1527425760819427.1073741827.1527424624152874/1567905170104819/?type=1

(https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xap1/v/t1.0-9/10624691_1567905170104819_4013593950930274344_n.jpg?oh=852be420d408a661f9845cfe33d16c42&oe=5492F099&__gda__=1419449248_8178cb567ea53061b8157d086f6046bd)
Locate Erin
2 hrs ·

Erin Renae (Heavilin) Corwin of Twentynine Palms, CA went to be with the Lord on August 16, 2014. Erin, originally from Oak Ridge, was a doting wife, daughter, granddaughter, sister, aunt, niece, cousin and friend. Erin’s friends remember her as being a great confidant who was always willing to go above and beyond to help anyone she knew. Erin’s love for animals, especially horses, will live on in the memories of those closest to her. Erin’s nurturing soul led her to become the mother of dozens of animals in her short life. Her “children” ranged from fish and guinea pigs to cats and dogs. Before her husband Jon’s career in the United States Marine Corps took them to California, Erin worked at Tractor Supply in Oak Ridge and spent most of her free time with her horse or checking out the latest yard sales with her mom and brother. Though Erin enjoyed being in California, she and Jon were looking forward to being able to move back to East Tennessee next year.

Erin is preceded in death by her youngest sister Trisha Heavilin and father-in-law Michael Braden. Erin will be greatly missed by her loving husband USMC CPL Jonathan Corwin, parents William and Lore Heavilin of Oak Ridge, mother-in-law Sheila Braden of Oak Ridge, parents-in-law Tommy and Patricia Corwin of Sevierville, sisters Kristy and Taylor, brothers Keith, Jon, and Alex, multiple grandparents, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that contributions be made to the search teams that assisted in the search and location of Erin. www.caverescue.net or checks made payable to: Inland Empire Search and Rescue Counsel, 655 E. 3rd Street, San Bernardino, CA 92415 ATTN: Volunteer Forces.

There will be a candlelight vigil in Erin’s memory on Friday, September 19, 2014 at 7:30PM at the East Tennessee Riding Club in Oak Ridge: 470 Tuskegee Dr.

http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/crime_courts/2014/09/16/christopher-lee-erin-corwin/15723159/

Erin Corwin case: Christopher Lee hearing rescheduled
12:19 p.m. PDT September 16, 2014

A court appearance was rescheduled Tuesday so an attorney could review hundreds of pages of evidence involving his client, a former High Desert Marine suspected of killing another Marine's wife and dumping her body into a mine shaft.

Christopher Lee appeared in San Bernardino County Superior Court in Joshua Tree as a formality in advance of a preliminary hearing, but discussions were pushed back to Oct. 29.
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Sean Dougherty, a San Bernardino County deputy district attorney, told Judge Rod Cortez that the delay was necessary because he had just provided the defense with 1,494 pages of documents.

The prosecutor declined to comment further following the hearing, which was attended by Lee's family, including his wife, Nichole. They also declined to comment to the media.

Lee, who sat silently during the brief hearing in a green jumpsuit, was extradited from Alaska last month and pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder.
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http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/crime_courts/2014/10/29/christopher-lee-erin-corwin/18107327/

Christopher Lee hearing rescheduled in Erin Corwin case
12:16 p.m. PDT October 29, 2014

Isabel Megli was in San Bernardino County Superior Court on Wednesday to deal with a livestock citation when she noticed a shackled Christopher Lee sitting just a few feet away in the jury box.

It was the first time the Yucca Valley woman saw her former tenant since he was arrested two months ago on suspicion of killing Erin Corwin, whose disappearance sparked a massive search that ended when her body was found in a mine shaft.

"This was very difficult for me to see him," said Megli, who rented a home to Lee and his wife, Nichole. "When you see someone like that in court, you reflect on good times. It's a conflict."

She wanted to hug Lee as she sat in the Joshua Tree courtroom, but she couldn't even say hello since it's against court rules for audience members to communicate with defendants in custody.

Megli, who owns White Rock Horse Rescue Ranch, was cited on July 7 for letting five horses run loose. She said they escaped through a broken fence and she's fighting the citation.

Her hearing lasted a minute and she exited the room shortly before Lee's hearing, which also was brief.

He was in court for a formal appearance that precedes a preliminary hearing. However, it was rescheduled to Dec. 2 so the defense could review evidence.
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http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/crime_courts/2014/12/02/erin-corwin-christopher-lee-hearing/19786821/

Trial of Chris Lee may move out of High Desert
5:08 p.m. PST December 2, 2014

An attorney for homicide suspect Christopher Lee said Tuesday he may try to move his client's trial out of the High Desert because the jury pool has been saturated by widespread media coverage of Erin Corwin's death.

David Kaloyanides said details of the case released by law enforcement and publicized by journalists during the search for Corwin irreversibly tainted potential jurors.

However, moving a trial can be "very difficult," Kaloyanides said. To do so, he must convince a judge that Lee simply cannot get a fair trial in the High Desert.

"We are considering that because of the pre-trial publicity that is already out there," Kaloyanides said. "But I haven't made that decision, yet."
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During the court hearing Tuesday, Judge Rod Cortez approved a request to release Corwin's body, which has been held for months for an independent forensic examination. The body will now be returned to Corwin's mourning family.

Lee made a brief appearance during the hearing, but said nothing. He wore the orange jumpsuit of a prisoner, was unshaven and had longer hair than when he was arrested.

Lee has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder. Prosecutors have yet to decide if they will pursue the death penalty. The court case is likely to go to a preliminary hearing in March. Lee's next appearance is scheduled for Jan. 6.

Although Corwin's body was found over three months ago, authorities have still yet to reveal her cause of death, and have refused to say if she was pregnant. Corwin told friends she was pregnant shortly before her disappearance.
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http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/crime_courts/2015/01/06/christopher-lee-erin-corwin/21326885/

Christopher Lee to return to court in March
12:14 p.m. PST January 6, 2015

A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for a former Marine accused of killing Erin Corwin, a woman whose 2014 disappearance sparked a massive search that ended when her body was found in a mine shaft.

Christopher Lee's hearing is scheduled to take place March 4 in San Bernardino County Superior Court in Joshua Tree.

Superior Court Judge Rod Cortez set the date Tuesday during a routine court appearance that Lee attended. Lee's attorney had requested the preliminary hearing take place the first week in March.

"That'll work for me," said Lee's attorney, David Kaloyanides.

Lee, whose hair has grown longer and beard is thicker, sat silently during the brief hearing. He only said "yes" when Cortez asked if he understood what had been discussed.

A motion hearing also is scheduled for March 4. The details of what will be discussed wasn't shared during Tuesday's brief hearing, and Kaloyanides was not immediately available after the appearance.

Sean Dougherty, a San Bernardino County deputy district attorney, told The Desert Sun he anticipated two motions could be presented, one to suppress evidence and another to move Lee's trial out of the high desert.
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http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/crime_courts/2015/04/02/chris-lee-erin-corwin-hearing/70822386/

Erin Corwin expected proposal the day she disappeared
4:20 p.m. PDT April 2, 2015

Erin Corwin thought she was being taken into the desert for a marriage proposal. Excited, she texted a friend in Tennessee, eager to share the big news.

"The location is only half the surprise," Corwin texted. "He said he's honestly not sure how I'm going to react … Seriously, I don't know why he would drag me to a very special place … for a big dumb surprise."

Corwin's texts about Chris Lee were happy, sprinkled with emoticons and "LOLs."

She was oblivious to the fact that she was about to die.
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New details about Corwin's death, including her oblivious text messages, were revealed during a lengthy court hearing on Thursday at the courthouse in Joshua Tree. The "preliminary hearing" determined that the case against Lee was strong enough to proceed towards trial.

Testimony included the first-ever information about Corwin's cause of death and the physical evidence against Lee.

Corwin's text messages were read aloud during the testimony of Jessica Trentham, a close friend who spoke with her shortly before her disappearance. When Corwin told her about the desert trip, Trentham asked Corwin if she was expecting Lee to give her an engagement ring.

"She said maybe," Trentham. "With lots of exclamation points."
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Corwin's texts included one more foreboding detail. According to Trentham's testimony, Corwin said that Lee had planned the desert trip as a romantic getaway, but he also expected to do some hunting, so he would bring a gun, and he might have to pull it out "for a few minutes."

Lee has pleaded not guilty to all charges. During the hearing on Thursday, he sat shackled at the defendant's table, but did not speak.
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Jonathan Woods, a homicide detective with the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department, testified that an autopsy revealed that Corwin had likely been strangled with a homemade garrote. The garrote, which was made from rebar and nylon rope, was found in the mine shaft with her body.

Woods said police found a similar garrote in Lee's Jeep. Police also found colorful climbing rope in both the mine shaft and Lee's Jeep, further linking the suspect to the crime scene.

Due to decomposition, the autopsy was unable to confirm whether or not Corwin was pregnant, despite the fact that Corwin believed she was pregnant when she went missing. If Corwin had been confirmed pregnant, Lee would likely face a second murder charge.
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From months ago, but a good interview imo.

Video at the link:

http://wate.com/2015/04/24/mother-of-oak-ridge-woman-murdered-in-california-opens-up/

Mother of Oak Ridge woman murdered in California opens up
WATE 6 On Your Side Staff
Published: April 24, 2015, 6:11 pm Updated: April 24, 2015, 11:37 pm

OAK RIDGE (WATE) – The mother of a young woman, originally from Oak Ridge and murdered in California, is sharing her feelings openly for the first time.

Her daughter, Erin Corwin, was a young military wife who went missing last year. Weeks later, searchers found her remains in a mine shaft in a California desert. The man accused in her death, Christopher Lee, has pleaded not guilty. His lawyer is hoping the trial will be moved to another town.

Corwin’s family still lives in East Tennessee and her mother Lore Heavilin is now sharing her ordeal.

“She was happiest on the back of a horse,” said Heavilin.

Heavilin said Erin’s second home was the East Tennessee Riding Club in Oak Ridge. It’s now become a place of comfort for her as she copes with her daughter’s death.

“She was sweet, kind, very naive. She would get upset if I killed a spider in the house,” Heavilin said.

The 19-year-old moved across the country to be with her husband Jonathan Corwin, who lived at the Marine Corps base in Twentynine Palms, California. Jonathan Corwin reported his wife missing last June after she didn’t come home from Joshua Tree National Park.

Days before search teams found Erin, her mother received a message from her.

“I had a dream and she walked up to me in that dream and said, ‘Mom, it wasn’t supposed to be this way. I had so many plans for my life,’ and she walked away.”

Erin Corwin’s body was found in a desolate part of the Mojave Desert weeks after she was reported missing

“I felt like she was probably in a mine shaft somewhere. I really kind of felt like we might be waiting years to find her,” said Heavilin.

What some don’t know is that this isn’t the first time the Heavilins have lost a child. Their 3-year-old daughter Trisha passed away in 2003 from sepsis, or blood poisoning.

“Losing one is hard enough. Having to lose the second one is even harder and with the way she was taken from us, it makes it much harder because it just doesn’t make sense,” Heavilin said.

::snipping3::

Just this month in court, text messages between Corwin and a friend revealed she thought Lee was going to propose during a planned trip to the desert.

“In a way, it helped me know deep down in my mom’s heart what I knew that he had manipulated her and lured her,” said Heavilin.

Corwin’s mother is hoping to piece together every part of the story. A purple horse tattoo on her forearm along with purple ribbon stickers on cars are a daily reminder to get justice for Erin.

“There she is. That’s my girl,” she said, looking at the tattoo.

Lee’s recent not guilty plea was not a surprise to Heavilin, but rather a message that there’s a long road ahead before she can get the answers she needs.

“Not only did the emotional scab get ripped off, but somebody was rubbing salt in that wound, but then I start thinking about salt is healing, so I can heal from this.”

Heavilin says Corwin’s husband moved back to Oak Ridge and is going to school for welding.

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Scared Monkeys Discussion Forum

Missing, Exploited and True Crime => Missing Found or Presumed Deceased => Topic started by: klaasend on July 04, 2014, 02:39:43 PM