25 Year Old Jessica Heeringa Missing Since 4/26/13 in Norton Shores, MI Presumed Deceased

[grace-land]

http://woodtv.com/2016/04/25/after-3-years-jessica-heeringas-family-keeps-hope/

After 3 years, Jessica Heeringa’s family keeps hope
Published: April 25, 2016, 10:50 pm  |  Updated: April 25, 2016, 11:38 pm

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Tuesday marks three years since the beginning of a mystery that still haunts West Michigan: the disappearance of Jessica Heeringa.

The young mother vanished from what was then Exxon Mobil gas station on Sternberg Road in Norton Shores. She was working the night shift alone when she vanished around 11 p.m. on April 26, 2013. Three years later, though there have been some promising leads and they are still investigating, police don’t know what happened to her.

While the initial shock of her disappearance has passed, the sting of not knowing still lingers for Heeringa’s family.

“It’s like I have a hole, a hole in my chest that is always there. And even though sometimes I can push it aside a little and go on with my life … every morning when I wake up, it’s there,” Diane Homrich, Heeringa’s grandmother, said.

Homrich said she believes her granddaughter is still alive. She wants Heeringa to know she can call if she’s able and that the family still thinks about her every day.
 

[grace-land]

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/rebekah-bletsch-jessica-heeringa-michigan-kidnap-suspect-eyed-in-one-cold-case-charged-in-another/

May 25, 2016, 3:13 PM
Mich. kidnap suspect eyed in one cold case, charged in another

MUSKEGON, Mich. -- A western Michigan man accused of abducting a 16-year-old girl last month has been charged with murder in the shooting death of a 36-year-old jogger in 2014, prosecutors announced Wednesday.

Jeffrey Willis, 46, of Muskegon Township, is charged with open murder and using a firearm in a felony in the death of Rebekah Bletsch. He's also facing several child pornography charges and prosecutors have said he is being investigated in the 2013 disappearance of gas station clerk Jessica Heeringa.

"Today is still a sad day for many people, but is a happy day for law enforcement," prosecutor D.J. Hilson said at a news conference.

Ballistics matched a handgun seized from Willis' minivan with bullets found in Bletsch's body and shell casings found at the scene of her death, according to investigators. As far as authorities know, Willis and Bletsch didn't know each other before she was killed, Hilson said.

Willis had been under investigation in the death since he was charged in April with kidnapping and other crimes in an incident involving a 16-year-old girl in Muskegon County's Fruitland Township.
 

[grace-land]

http://woodtv.com/2016/05/25/sources-willis-frequented-heeringas-gas-station/

Co-workers: Willis frequented Jessica Heeringa’s workplace
Published: May 25, 2016, 6:26 pm  |  Updated: May 26, 2016, 9:23 pm

NORTON SHORES, Mich. (WOOD) — Jeffrey Willis, the man accused of murdering a woman and trying to abduct a teen in Muskegon County, frequented the gas station from which Jessica Heeringa vanished in 2013, some of his co-workers told 24 Hour News 8 Wednesday.

Police say Heeringa, then 25, was abducted from the gas station on Sternberg Road in Norton Shores where she worked on April 26, 2013. They have named Willis, 46, a person of interest but so far haven’t found any evidence linking him to the case.

Willis’s co-workers say they all went to the Sternberg Road gas station and knew Heeringa. Now, they think Willis is the one who took her.
 

[MuffyBee]

http://woodtv.com/2016/05/25/sources-willis-frequented-heeringas-gas-station/

Co-workers: Willis frequented Jessica Heeringa’s workplace
Published: May 25, 2016, 6:26 pm  |  Updated: May 26, 2016, 9:23 pm

NORTON SHORES, Mich. (WOOD) — Jeffrey Willis, the man accused of murdering a woman and trying to abduct a teen in Muskegon County, frequented the gas station from which Jessica Heeringa vanished in 2013, some of his co-workers told 24 Hour News 8 Wednesday.

Police say Heeringa, then 25, was abducted from the gas station on Sternberg Road in Norton Shores where she worked on April 26, 2013. They have named Willis, 46, a person of interest but so far haven’t found any evidence linking him to the case.

Willis’s co-workers say they all went to the Sternberg Road gas station and knew Heeringa. Now, they think Willis is the one who took her.
 

I keep hoping there will be answers in Jessica Heeringa's case.   

[grace-land]

http://woodtv.com/2016/06/01/willis-relatives-did-you-take-jessica-heeringa/

Willis’ relatives: Did you take Jessica Heeringa?
Jeffrey Willis could spend life in prison for 2014 murder, April kidnapping
Published: June 1, 2016, 5:56 pm  |  Updated: June 1, 2016, 7:21 pm

MUSKEGON, Mich. (WOOD) — Relatives of accused kidnapper and killer Jeffrey Willis say they want to ask him one question: Did he take Jessica Heeringa?

“I’d just ask him, you know, if you know where Jessica is, if you could just please let us know and bring her home,” said Terrie Umlor, a cousin through marriage who has known Willis for 40 years and used to babysit him.

Her husband, Gary Umlor, is Willis’s first cousin, shared grandparents with him, grew up in the house next to Grandma and Grandpa Willis — the house recently searched by police.
 

[grace-land]

http://woodtv.com/2016/06/02/source-willis-not-at-work-after-heeringa-abduction/

Source: Willis not at work after Heeringa abduction
Published: June 2, 2016, 4:53 pm  |  Updated: June 2, 2016, 7:05 pm

NORTON SHORES, Mich. (WOOD) — A man now accused of murder and kidnapping wasn’t at work in the days after Jessica Heeringa vanished, a law enforcement official close to the investigation confirmed to 24 Hour News 8.

Jeffrey Willis is considered a person of interest in Heeringa’s disappearance.

Police say Heeringa was abducted from the gas station on Sternberg Road in Norton Shores around 11 p.m. on April 26, 2013. That may have been around the time Willis would have been headed to the Herman Miller facility in Spring Lake for his job if he was scheduled to work third shift that day.

Co-workers previously told 24 Hour News 8 that Willis frequented the Sternberg Road gas station and knew Jessica. The gas station is south of his home and about nine minutes north of Herman Miller.

Surveillance cameras at businesses near the gas station captured images of a silver minivan that may have been involved in Heeringa’s disappearance. Willis owns a silver minivan.
 

[grace-land]

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2016/06/jeffrey_willis_opts_not_to_hol.html

Jeffrey Willis opts not to hold kidnap hearing; his attorney speaks
on June 15, 2016 at 12:47 PM, updated June 15, 2016 at 1:32 PM

MUSKEGON, MI – Jeffrey Thomas Willis, on his attorney's advice, has opted not to hold a probable-cause hearing on the gunpoint kidnapping case against him.

That decision about what his lawyer calls "an already overpublicized case" means the case will move on to trial in Muskegon County Circuit Court.

Willis on Wednesday, June 15, waived his preliminary examination in Muskegon County District Court on a charge of kidnapping a 16-year-old girl with the intent of sexually assaulting her. He's also charged with felony firearm and assault with a dangerous weapon in that case.

The preliminary hearing had been scheduled for Thursday.
 

[grace-land]

The tip was regarding Jessica.

http://fox17online.com/2016/06/17/police-woods-near-jeffrey-willis-home-searched-after-tip/

Police: Woods near Jeffrey Willis’ home searched after tip
Posted 1:49 PM, June 17, 2016

MUSKEGON COUNTY, Mich. —  A wooded area near the home of accused murderer Jeffrey Willis was searched by police Friday following a tip.

Officials searched a wooded area near Willis’ home in the 1800 block of S. Sheridan from roughly 6:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.  Friday.   Investigators and a K-9 unit did not find anything during the search, according to Norton Shores Police Chief Jon Gale.
 
He’s scheduled to be back in court for the Bletsch murder case June 22.

[grace-land]

http://fox17online.com/2016/06/20/jeffrey-willis-cousin-charged-with-obstructing-murder-investigation/

Jeffrey Willis’ cousin charged with obstructing murder investigation
Posted 10:21 PM, June 20, 2016, by Cassy Arsenault, Updated at 10:30pm, June 20, 2016

MUSKEGON, Mich. — The cousin of accused killer and kidnapper Jeffrey Willis was charged Monday with obstruction of justice.

According to court documents, 47-year-old Kevin Bluhm is accused of lying during a police interview connected to the 2014 killing of Rebekah Bletsch.

Willis is charged with Bletsch’s murder as well as with the April kidnapping of a 16-year-old.  He's also considered a person of interest in the 2013 disappearance of Jessica Heeringa.
 

[grace-land]

http://www.wzzm13.com/news/local/muskegon/cousin-connects-willis-to-heeringa/250646447

Cousin of accused killer Jeffrey Willis connects dots to Jessica Heeringa
11:18 PM. EDT June 20, 2016

MUSKEGON, MICH. - If she could confront and question him, a cousin of Jeffrey Willis thinks she might get him to tell what he knows about the disappearance of Jessica Heeringa from three years ago.

“We were friends,” Terri Umlor said. “If there is any way I could go in and speak to him, I would like to do that.”

Willis, 46, is charged with trying to kidnap a 16-year-old girl, the 2014 shooting death of jogger Rebekah Bletsch and the production of child pornography.
• First cousin of accused killer Jeffrey Willis charged with lying to police

After his arrest, Umlor says she started connecting the dots linking her cousin to the 2013 disappearance of Herringa from the Norton Shores gas station where she worked.

“I would like to see him open up and tell us,” she said.

Willis had a job at the Herman Miller factory less than five miles from the gas station where Heeringa worked the night shift. Umlor says Willis would stop in during breaks to chat and smoke with Heeringa.
 

[grace-land]

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2016/06/high_bail_for_prison_officer_o.html

High bail for prison officer charged with lying about Jessica Heeringa case
on June 21, 2016 at 2:36 PM

A Muskegon County district judge has set a high bond for prison corrections officer Kevin Lavern Bluhm on Bluhm's charge of lying to police about his cousin Jeffrey Thomas Willis's involvement in the disappearance of Jessica Heeringa.

Muskegon County District Judge Andrew Wierengo III set bond at $100,000 cash or surety Tuesday afternoon, June 21, at Bluhm's arraignment on his second lying- to-police case. That's a maximum four-year felony.

The judge also set a condition that Bluhm be kept on electronic tether so his whereabouts can be monitored if he is able to post bail.

The arrest warrant in the new case alleges Bluhm lied to a Michigan State Police detective that "he had no knowledge about Jeffrey Willis' involvement in the abduction of Jessica Heeringa."

Wierengo set a high bond at the request of Matt J. Roberts, chief trial attorney for the Muskegon County Prosecutor's Office, who stressed the seriousness of the cases about which Bluhm is accused of lying to police.
 

[grace-land]

http://woodtv.com/2016/06/21/neighbor-police-search-2nd-property-tied-to-jessica-heeringa-case/

Neighbor: Police search 2nd property tied to Jessica Heeringa case
Published: June 21, 2016, 12:40 pm  |  Updated: June 21, 2016, 2:16 pm

DALTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) – A neighbor confirms to 24 Hour News 8 that police said they searched another piece of property in Muskegon County in connection to the disappearance of Jessica Heeringa.

24 Hour News 8 witnessed a large police presence Tuesday morning in Dalton Township on Beattie Road between E. Riley-Thompson Road and Bard Road, northeast of Muskegon. Police have since left the property.

Multiple police agencies have not yet confirmed details around the search.
 

[grace-land]

http://fox17online.com/2016/06/22/judge-jeffrey-willis-will-stand-trial-for-womans-murder/

Judge says Jeffrey Willis will stand trial for Rebekah Bletsch’s murder
Posted 10:50 AM, June 22, 2016, by Josh Sidorowicz, Updated at 05:46pm, June 22, 2016

MUSKEGON, Mich. — A judge Wednesday afternoon said that there is enough evidence to send Jeffrey Willis to trial for the 2014 murder of Rebekah Bletsch.

Investigators have linked Willis to several crimes, including the killing of Bletsch, who was shot dead while jogging near her home two years ago in rural Muskegon County. Willis is also accused of kidnapping a 16-year-old girl in April and remains a person of interest in the 2013 disappearance of Jessica Heergina.

Prosecutor D.J. Hilson presented evidence suggesting the gun used in the Bletsch murder was the same weapon found in Willis' van after his arrest. Investigators also produced evidence of a folder found in one of Willis' external hard drive labeled 'vics' — as in victims.  In the folder, there was a sub-folder labeled 'RSB', which are Bletsch's initials.
 

[grace-land]

http://woodtv.com/2016/06/22/file-on-willis-computer-labeled-with-jessica-heeringas-name/

File on Jeffrey Willis’ computer labeled with Jessica Heeringa’s name
Published: June 22, 2016, 4:05 pm  |  Updated: June 22, 2016, 5:31 pm

MUSKEGON, Mich. (WOOD) — In a file titled “vics” on one of Jeffrey Willis’ hard drives, there was a folder labeled with Jessica Heeringa’s name, a source close to the investigation told 24 Hour News 8 on Wednesday afternoon.

The existence of the “vics” — short for “victims” — file was made public in court earlier Wednesday during Willis’s preliminary hearing in the murder case of Rebekah Bletsch. Also in the file was a folder labeled “RSB” — Bletsch’s initials — and a code that worked out to the date of her murder. The folder contained photos of Bletsch, photos of a woman who looked similar to her on a bed wearing only underwear and wanted posters in the Bletsch case.

24 Hour News 8 is still working to learn what was in the Jessica Heeringa folder.
 
MSP: INVESTIGATORS THINK WILLIS KILLED HEERINGA

Also Wednesday, 24 Hour News 8 obtained a Michigan State Police report that states “investigators believe Jessica was murdered by Jeffrey Willis, but her body has not been located to date.”

Willis has been named a person of interest in the Heeringa case; authorities have so far not called him a suspect. A police source told 24 Hour News 8 on Tuesday investigators don’t have enough evidence to charge him.
 

[grace-land]

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2016/07/jeffrey_willis_cousin_kevin_bl.html

Jeffrey Willis' cousin, Kevin Bluhm, headed to trial on lying charge
on July 05, 2016 at 12:19 PM, updated July 05, 2016 at 12:57 PM

MUSKEGON COUNTY, MI -- Kevin Lavern Bluhm, accused of lying to police during their investigations of his cousin Jeffrey Willis, appeared in court briefly Tuesday.

In one of two lying cases, Bluhm waived the preliminary examination scheduled for Tuesday morning and District Court Judge Raymond Kostrzewa bound him over for trial in circuit court.

That case concerns allegations Bluhm lied to police about his contact with Willis while police were investigating Willis for the shooting death of Rebekah Bletsch and kidnapping of a teenager. Willis has been charged in both those cases.

In the second lying case, having to do with Willis and the disappearance of Jessica Heeringa three years ago, Kostrzewa agreed to adjourn the preliminary examination until 9:30 a.m. Aug. 9. The preliminary exam originally was scheduled for Wednesday before District Court Judge Harold F. Closz, but on Tuesday the case was reassigned to Kostrzewa.
 

[grace-land]

http://woodtv.com/2016/07/21/msp-reports-say-store-clerk-worried-jessica-heeringa-had-stalker/

MSP reports: Store clerk worried Heeringa had stalker
Published: July 21, 2016, 5:06 pm  |  Updated: July 21, 2016, 7:25 pm

LANSING, Mich. (WOOD) — In nearly 300 pages of police reports obtained by 24 Hour News 8, there is no information that directly connects accused murderer Jeffrey Willis to the abduction of Jessica Heeringa three years ago.

The reports from Michigan State Police, obtained Thursday through the Freedom of Information Act, are heavily redacted. However, they reveal some new details about the investigation into Heeringa’s April 26, 2013 disappearance from the Norton Shores gas station where she worked.

Among them is a tip from a store cashier that she thought Heeringa may have had a stalker. In the tip labeled No. 440, a cashier from Kmart on Apple Avenue reported she had seen a man with Heeringa at the store in February 2013 and Heeringa later said he was one of her customers from the gas station. Police had hoped to find the man’s image on store surveillance video, but it had already been erased by the time the tip came in.
 

[grace-land]

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2016/08/willis_cousin_kevin_bluhm_head.html

Willis' cousin Kevin Bluhm headed to trial for allegedly lying in Heeringa disappearance probe
on August 09, 2016 at 10:24 AM, updated August 09, 2016 at 1:08 PM

MUSKEGON, MI -- Jeffrey Willis' cousin Kevin Lavern Bluhm, accused of lying to police during their investigation of the disappearance of Jessica Heeringa, was bound over to trial Tuesday morning.

Bluhm waived his preliminary examination before 60th District Judge Raymond Kostrzewa. He is facing a charge of lying to police during a violent crime investigatiion, a four-year felony.

Bluhm, 47, of Muskegon Township,  earlier waived his preliminary examination on a similar charge: lying to police during the investigation of the Rebekah Bletsch homicide.

Willis, has been charged with open murder in the death of Bletsch, who was found in June 2014 shot to death alongside rural Automobile Road.

Willis also is a "person of interest" in the disappearance of Heeringa in April 2013 from her job at a Norton Shores gas station.
 

[Sister]

thank you for all the updates, grace-land.

[grace-land]

thank you for all the updates, grace-land.

 
You're welcome, Sister.
Hopefully recent developments in this case lead to justice for Jessica. 

[grace-land]

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2016/08/jeffrey_willis_cousin_pleads_g.html

Jeffrey Willis' cousin pleads guilty to lying to police about Heeringa disappearance
on August 26, 2016 at 2:01 PM, updated August 26, 2016 at 2:19 PM

MUSKEGON, MI – Kevin Lavern Bluhm on Friday entered a guilty plea to two charges he lied to police about the disappearance of Jessica Heeringa.

Bluhm entered the pleas Aug. 26 before Judge William C. Marietti of Muskegon County's 14th Circuit Court.

Bluhm pled guilty to two separate charges of lying to a police officer during a violent crime investigation, a four-year felony.

He admitted to lying to a police about his cousin, Jeffery Willis, who was being investigated in connection with the shooting death of Rebekah Bletsch and the disappearance of Heeringa.

In the course of the Bletsch investigation, Bluhm on May 18 said he had not seen Willis for about a year, and said he had never seen Willis in possession of a handgun. But in an interview a month later – June 17 -- he told police he had seen Willis with a gun May 3 or May 4.

Also during that interview, he told police that "Jeffery Willis did do it" when talking about Heeringa's disappearance, but later contradicted himself, saying he made it all up.
 
Bluhm's sentencing hearing has been set for Sept. 20.