Gerald Stomps, 60, missing after fishing trip 2/6/09 Oregon (remains found/wife charged)

[bleachedblack]

I bet this happens a whole lot, cases such as this. Can you say mountains, cruise ships, etc
Hope they find this guy soon.

+++++++++++++++



Corbett man remains missing after fishing trip gone bad

Saturday February 07, 2009, 9:49 AM
Search and rescue workers resumed the hunt this morning for Gerald Stomps, 60, of Corbett, whose wife was injured after getting shoved or thrown off a bridge in an altercation Friday morning near the Sandy River.

Crews with dog teams searched the area where Gordon Creek flows into the Sandy until about midnight Friday with no success, said Multnomah County Deputy Sheriff Paul McRedmond.

The search began late Friday morning after Stomps' wife, Lynn Stomps, was found injured in the area, which is across the Sandy River from Oxbow Park.

Lynn Stomps, 55, managed to hail a passing motorist after someone forced her off the narrow bridge over Gordon Creek in the early morning hours Friday.

She had accompanied her husband to the site; he was meeting one or two other men to go fishing, McRedmond said.

An altercation ensued, and a firearm was displayed, but there are no indications any shots were fired, McRedmond said.

She was listed in serious condition Saturday in Legacy Emanuel Hospital in Portland. She fell about 19 feet off the bridge but landed on soft earth, narrowly missing rocks and the river, which limited her injuries, McRedmond said.

It took her two hours to scramble back up the embankment.

Gerald Stomps is considered missing, endangered and a person of interest, McRedmond said. He was wearing waders and a camouflage shirt.

Search and rescue crews from the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office as well as the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office are conducting searches of the Sandy River and banks.

Officials ask anyone who may have been on the Sandy River or in the area of Southeast Gordon Creek Road between 6 and 8:30 a.m. to call 503-251-2420 if they have information about this incident.

The acquaintances who met the Stompses were driving a newer bronze-color Chevrolet or GM four-door pickup, sheriff's officials said.

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/02/corbett_man_remains_missing_af.html

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Police release sketches of men sought in missing man case

Story Updated: Feb 8, 2009 at 6:17 PM PST
MULTNOMAH COUNTY, Ore. - Authorities on Sunday released two sketches of men being sought in the bizarre disappearance of a Corbett man three days ago.

Authorities said Gerald and Lynn Stomps met someone to go fishing between 6 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. Friday near a bridge on Southeast Gordon Creek Road, but somehow an altercation started. Someone pulled out a gun and pushed Lynn Stomps over a guardrail, causing her to fall nearly 20 feet to the ground.

Investigators said she suffered broken bones but was still able to somehow crawl up the embankment. It took her two hours to get to the point where a passerby could see her, and that person called 911.

Her husband, however, was gone, and she later told investigators she couldn't remember exactly what happened before she was pushed.

Her condition improved over the weekend. She was upgraded from serious to fair condition at Legacy Emanuel Hospital in Portland.

The couple's son told KATU Sunday his parents are very caring and trusting people and they were meeting someone his father had recently befriended, but he declined to say more.

The Multnomah County Sheriff's Office on Sunday evening released two sketches based on descriptions given by Lynn Stomps.

One was of an acquaintance of Gerald Stomps that she knew only as "Dave," who was described by authorities as a "person of interest" in the case. The sheriff's office said he is white, in his 40s, about 5 feet 8 inches tall with a medium build. SEE THE SKETCH

Investigators were searching for his gold-colored, newer model GMC or Chevrolet pickup with an extended cab and no canopy.

The second sketch was of a stranger who was described as a suspect in the case. Authorities described him only as a white man of undetermined age, about 6 feet tall with a stocky build. SEE THE SKETCH

Meanwhile, crews spent the entire weekend searching in vain for the 60-year-old victim, who was described as an avid outdoorsman last seen wearing fishing waders, a red sweatshirt and a camouflage jacket.

Authorities did not plan to resume the search after Sunday.

"We haven't found any of his clothing," said Multnomah County Sheriff's Deputy Keith Bybee. "We really haven't found anything. That's the mystery behind this whole thing."

If you have any information on the case, call the sheriff's office tip line at (503) 261-2847.

http://www.katu.com/news/39290697.html

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Corbett man still missing after violent attack at Oxbow Park
His wife described an assault by two men who threw her off a bridge

Feb 9, 2009
A 60-year-old man is still missing this morning, despite a search that lasted all weekend near Oxbow Park.

Gerald Stomps of Corbett vanished following a strange confrontation Friday morning.

According to Multnomah County Sheriff's office, Stomps and his wife Hazelynn, 55, were planning to go fishing with one or two acquaintances.

Deputies say there was some sort of altercation, during which a gun was displayed. At one point, Hazelynn Stomps was either thrown or pushed off a bridge over Gordon Creek near the Sandy River.

It took her two hours to crawl back up to the road where a passerby called 9-1-1. Gordon Stomps hasn't been seen since. The sheriff's office considers him a victim.

Hazelynn Stomps, who is being treated for injuries at the hospital, was able to give investigators a description of two men. One is named "Dave" and is apparently an acquaintance of Gerald Stomps. He is a white man in his 40s, 5-foot-8 to 5-foot-9 with a medium build. He could be driving a gold colored newer model GMC or Chevrolet pickup with an extended cab but no canopy.

The second man, a stranger to Hazelyn Stomps, is 6 feet tall with a stocky build.

Anyone with information in this case should call the sheriff's office Tip Line, 503-261-2847.

http://www.theoutlookonline.com/news/story.php?story_id=123418883853399900

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Gorge Search Yields Few Clues In Attack

POSTED: 6:50 am PST February 9, 2009
CORBETT, Ore. -- Sketches of two men were released Sunday in connection with an attack last week in the Columbia River Gorge.

The men met Gerald and Lynn Stomps on Southeast Gordon Creek Road near Corbett early Friday morning, according to the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office. Deputies said one of the men flashed a gun and pushed Lynn Stomps over a guardrail. She fell 19 feet to the ground and was seriously injured. It took Stomps two hours to climb up to the road, where she called for help, deputies said.

Over the course of three days, search teams scoured the woods and the Sandy River for Stomps' husband and for the two men being sought in the attack.

Detectives said search and rescue crews have exhausted all possibilities in their search for Gerald Stomps. With no witnesses, investigators hope two forensic sketches can generate new leads in the case.

Lynn Stomps remains hospitalized in Portland in fair condition, and her husband is still missing.

>>>>the complete article
http://www.kptv.com/news/18672024/detail.html#-

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Something is hinky with this whole scenario IMO.

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Corbett man still missing, wife in hospital after mysterious altercation
Police call off extensive two-day search around Sandy River

Feb 9, 2009
A 60-year-old Corbett man remains missing, and his wife hospitalized, after the couple’s mysterious confrontation with two men at Gordon Creek near the Sandy River on Friday morning, Feb. 6.

Multnomah County Sheriff’s officials called off an extensive search of the area, which encompasses Oxbow Regional Park, for Gerald E. Stomps on Sunday evening, Feb. 8. The investigation of the case is ongoing.

Stomps vanished following a strange confrontation in which his wife, Hazelynn “Lynn”, 55, was pushed or thrown over a guardrail and tumbled down a 20-foot embankment. She managed to claw her way back up to the road around two hours later to discover no sign of the men – one of whom she knew as “Dave” – or her husband, except for his red pickup with keys in the ignition, said Sheriff’s Deputy Paul “Mac” McRedmond.

As of Tuesday evening, Feb. 10, Lynn Stomps was in good condition at Legacy Emanuel Hospital in Portland, according to Kathy Gorman, Legacy spokeswoman. Gerald Stomps is considered a missing endangered person, and the two men persons of interest in the case, McRedmond said.

Gerald and Lynn Stomps apparently planned to go fishing on Friday with one or two acquaintances. They met near milepost 2 on Southeast Gordon Creek Road, a popular access spot to the Sandy River for anglers and swimmers, at around 6:30 a.m., Sheriff’s officials said. Some sort of altercation ensued, during which a gun was displayed, police reported.

At one point, Lynn Stomps was either thrown or pushed off a bridge over Gordon Creek. It took her two hours to crawl back up to the road, where a passerby came to her assistance and called 9-1-1. Gerald Stomps hasn't been seen since the altercation. A white male with blue eyes and short grey hair, Stomps weighs approximately 200 pounds and was last seen wearing fishing waders, a red sweatshirt and a camouflage jacket. Sheriff's investigators consider him a victim, McRedmond said.

Lynn Stomps described the two men to investigators. “Dave,” whose last name was not known or released, is an apparent acquaintance of Gerald Stomps, described as a white male in his 40s, approximately 5-feet, 9-inches tall with a medium build. He could be driving a newer model gold GMC or Chevrolet pickup with an extended cab, but no canopy.

The second man, a stranger to Lynn Stomps, was described as 6 feet tall with a stocky build. Beyond those descriptions, detectives are releasing no additional information regarding the incident, McRedmond said.

“Officially, we don’t know the connection between the two groups,” he said, referring to the Stomps and the other two men. “We don’t know what their connection is or why they decided to meet.”

McRedmond indicated, however, that Lynn Stomps portrayed herself as a victim of the two strangers, rather than her husband, who, he added, has no previous arrest record.

“She’s pointing the finger at ‘Dave’ and the stranger,” he said, adding she had cooperated with detectives.

The weekend-long search for Gerald Stomps was called off after detectives “exhausted all possibilities,” McRedmond said. Search crews used boats, dogs and ground teams to scour miles of the Sandy and surrounding areas.

“They searched the entirety of Oxbow Park, miles of river into Clackamas County, multiple times going over and over the same ground. There was no sign of him in that area.”

He added that the search dogs would’ve been able to detect Stomps if he was injured, even if he had fallen into the Sandy River.

“The dogs would’ve gone right to the spot,” he said. “There was no indication he went into the river.”

There is no evidence to back up reports that Stomps met the men to consummate a fishing boat sale brokered on the craigslist Web site.

“That’s something that’s been bandied about,” McRedmond said, adding that Stomps’ “boat is at his residence.”

The case, he admits, leaves a “lot of mystery. But we will find out. We almost always find out.”

Anyone with information in this case should call the Sheriff's office Tip Line at 503-261-2847.

http://www.theoutlookonline.com/news/story.php?story_id=123424135671379600

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The whereabouts of Gerald Stomps continues to perplex deputies

Wednesday, February 11, 2009
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1234320903271080.xml&coll=7

[Nut44x4]

Story Updated: Feb 12, 2009 at 11:30 PM PST
Wife of missing man arrested

PORTLAND, Ore. - The story surrounding the bizarre disappearance of a Corbett man took another turn Thursday evening as police announced the arrest of the man's wife on charges of murder and abuse of a corpse.

Gerald E. Stomps, 60, has been missing since last week after his wife, Hazelynn Stomps, was found injured near the Sandy River.

Stomps told police she and her husband had met a man at the Gordon Creek Bridge to go fishing and during the meeting was either pushed or thrown over a guardrail. She said it took her nearly two hours to crawl to a road where a passerby assisted her and called 911. She said she last saw her husband being chased toward the Sandy River by the man, known only to her by first name.

Investigators with the East County Major Crimes Team said their investigation revealed inconsistencies in her statements and that evidence was found at the couple's home that led to her arrest.

While police did not release information that Gerald E. Stomps had been found, they did charge his wife with abuse of a corpse, murder and filing a false police report.

Anyone with further information about the case is asked to call the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office Tip Line at (503) 261-2847.

http://www.katu.com/news/local/39540097.html

[Nut44x4]

Detectives with the East County Major Crimes Team arrested 55-year-old Hazelynn Stomps Thursday night and charged her with the murder of her 60-year-old husband, Gerald.

Detectives said inconsistencies in Hazelynn Stomps’ story about an attack last week by two men near the Gordon Creek Bridge at the Sandy River and evidence found at the Stomps’ residence led them to arrest her at about 7 p.m.

Few other details about her arrest were released by detectives.

Gerald Stomps has been missing since Friday morning, Feb. 6, when he and his wife reportedly met with two men – one an acquaintance named Dave and another a stranger who was not identified – at the Gordon Creek Bridge to go fishing.

Hazelynn Stomps told Multnomah County sheriff’s deputies that there was some sort of altercation, during which one of the men pulled a gun. Hazelynn Stomps claimed that she was thrown off the bridge and injured.

It took her two hours to crawl back up to the road where a passerby called 9-1-1. Gordon Stomps hasn't been seen since. The sheriff's office considers him a victim.

Hazelynn Stomps was treated for injuries at a local hospital, and gave investigators descriptions of two men, who detectives tried to track down.
http://www.theoutlookonline.com/news/story.php?story_id=123418883853399900

[Nut44x4]

Remains found at home of wife, missing Ore. man

CORBETT, Ore. (Map, News) - Investigators say they've found human remains on the 14-acre property of a woman accused of killing her husband.

Multnomah County sheriff's deputies arrested Hazelynn Stomps on Thursday, saying they found inconsistencies in her story and evidence at the home she shared with 60-year-old Gerald Stomps.

On Friday, deputies said they found remains Thursday on the premises east of Portland near Corbett. Investigators say there is a Christmas tree farm on the heavily wooded property.

Deputy Joe Graziano says the investigators aren't saying more about the identity of the remains, their condition or exactly where they were found. He says investigators continue to search the property.

http://www.examiner.com/a-1850585~Remains_found_at_home_of_wife__missing_Ore__man.html?cid=rss-Oregon_Headlines

Will wait for postive ID before mark/move

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WOW, now that is a twist! Thanks for the update Nut44x4..

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Wife of missing man arrested, remains found at their home

Story Updated: Feb 13, 2009 at 6:02 PM PST
PORTLAND, Ore. - The story surrounding the disappearance of a Corbett man took another turn Friday as police announced they had found human remains at the man's home and the arrest Thursday of the man's wife on charges of murder and abuse of a corpse.

On Friday, police also said human remains were found at the Stomps' home, but they did not confirm that the remains were that of Gerald Stomps.

Gerald E. Stomps, 60, has been missing since last week after his wife, Hazelynn Stomps, was found injured near the Sandy River.

Stomps told police she and her husband had met a man at the Gordon Creek Bridge to go fishing and during the meeting was either pushed or thrown over a guardrail.  She said it took her nearly two hours to crawl to a road where a passerby assisted her and called 911.

She said she last saw her husband being chased toward the Sandy River by the man, known only to her by first name.

nvestigators with the East County Major Crimes Team said their investigation revealed inconsistencies in her statements and that evidence was found at the couple's home that led to her arrest.

Hazelynn Stomps was charged with abuse of a corpse, murder and filing a false police report.

She remains in a hospital and is under 24-hour watch. Upon her release she will be handed over to law enforcement.

Anyone with further information about the case is asked to call the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office Tip Line at (503) 261-2847.

http://www.katu.com/news/39574622.html

[Nut44x4]

Prosecutor says Corbett woman staged husband's death

11:45 AM PST on Sunday, February 15, 2009

CORBETT, Ore. -- New details are emerging in the bizarre case of a Corbett woman charged with killing her husband.

The prosecutor in the case tells the Portland Tribune newspaper, the murder of Gerald Stomps may have happened as early as January 30, well before 55-year-old Hazelynn Stomps allegedly staged her husband's disappearance.

Thursday night Hazelynn Stomps was charged with aggravated murder, abuse of a corpse, and filing a false police report from her hospital bed at Legacy Emanuel Hospital, according to the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office.

She was transferred to the jail Friday.

Investigators also said they found human remains at the couple's property, but they have not elaborated on the possible cause of death or exact location where the remains were found.

Criminal psychologist Dr. frank Colistro is not involved in the case. Those accused are innocent until proven guilty. But, he said, typically, suspects who plan, stage and then execute a murder have a predatory mindset. “

"This is a cold, calculated, unemotional means to an end kind of a thing. It tells us, in these kinds of cases that the perpetrator has really shut off the conscience and is just thinking about themselves and has objectified the victim as just something that needs to be gotten rid of,” said Colistro.

http://www.nwcn.com/topstories/stories/NW_021509ORN-sandy-missing-man-SW.1bbf5501.html

[Nut44x4]

Stomps pleads not guilty

Deputy DA: Remains could be identified by week’s end

Feb 17, 2009

Hazelynn Stomps entered a not-guilty plea on charges of first-degree murder at her arraignment before a packed Multnomah County Circuit courtroom in downtown Portland on Tuesday afternoon, Feb. 17.

Finding probable cause in the alleged murder of her husband, Gerald E. Stomps, 60, who has been known to be missing since Feb. 6, Judge Pro Tem Christopher Larsen ordered Hazelynn Stomps, who turns 56 on Saturday, held without bail in the Multnomah County Detention Center.

The Larch Mountain-area resident was barely visible to courtroom onlookers as she was taken in a wheelchair to a transparent security enclosure, from which she never emerged during the brief proceeding. Her attorney, Amy Elkanich of Portland, entered Stomps’ plea to Judge Larsen, who set a another court date on Monday, Feb. 23, after the grand jury has met.

“This is certainly a tragedy,” Elkanich said immediately after the proceeding. “Other than that I have no comment and ask that (members of the news media) respect the family’s privacy.”

Stomps, a Larch Mountain resident, has been jailed since Friday afternoon, Feb. 13, the day after she was arrested at Legacy Emanuel Hospital & Health Center where she was being treated for orthopedic injuries, according to Multnomah County Sheriff’s officials. She claimed she was thrown from a bridge into Gordon Creek during an altercation involving her husband and two acquaintances the couple met ostensibly to go fishing Thursday morning, Feb. 6.

An exhaustive search of the Sandy River area for Stomps eventually led to the couple’s 14-acre property near Larch Mountain, where investigators found human remains. The discovery, coupled with inconsistencies in Hazelynn Stomps’ story and descriptions, led to her arrest, investigators said.

In addition to murder, Hazelynn Stomps faces charges of abuse of a corpse and filing a false police report. The crimes may have taken place as early as Jan. 30, said Kirsten Snowden, Multnomah County deputy district attorney.

Multnomah County Sheriff’s Deputy Paul McRedmond said investigators came across burn piles and barrels as they scoured the Stomps property, but was unable to elaborate on what exactly was found where. The body parts found on the property have yet to be identified.

Officials hope for an identification by week’s end, Snowden said.

William Hooker, who identified himself as Hazelynn Stomps’ nephew, said he believes in her innocence in this case.

“She practially raised me,” he said of his aunt outside the county Justice Center. “She’s never told me a lie. I believe she’s innocent. I’m not at liberty to say anything else.”
http://www.theoutlookonline.com/news/story.php?story_id=123492533903227000

[Nut44x4]

Multnomah Co. Sheriff's Office
News Releases
Multnomah County Grand Jury returns 'true bill' in Stomps Case - 02/23/09
Today, Feb 23d at about 5:00 pm, after two full days of testimony and deliberations, the Multnomah County Grand Jury returned a 'true bill' in the Stomps case. A true bill is the agreement that the suspect in this case, Hazelynn Stomps, be held for trial in the murder of her husband, Gerald Stomps. The indictment is awaiting final entry and signing by the District Attorney's Office and the Grand Jury. The human remains found on the Stomps property on NE Haines Road in Corbett have been examined by a forensic anthropologist and forensic ondontologist (dental remains expert) and, according to the medical examiner's office, found to be "consistent" with the identity of Gerald Stomps. Further details about the investigation, including evidentiary details, are being kept confidential at this time. Ms. Stomps is being held without bail at the Multnomah County Detention Center. Her arraignment is scheduled for this Wednesday, Feb 25, the time yet to be determined.
http://www.flashalert.net/news.html?id=1276

[Nut44x4]

The Oregonian (Portland, Oregon) 
May 9, 2009 Saturday
 
Wife ordered held until murder trial

Prosecutors said Friday that a 56-year-old Corbett woman shot her husband, then spent several days burning his body before calling police with a phony story about his disappearance.

Investigators found blood splatters from Gerald Stomps on a gun in the rural home he and Hazelynn Stomps shared. They also found jaw and tooth fragments that matched the 60-year-old's dental records in a burn pile there.

"He was almost completely incinerated," said Deputy District Attorney Kirsten Snowden.

After more than five hours of testimony and arguments, Multnomah County Circuit Judge Richard Baldwin agreed with prosecutors that the evidence was "clear and convincing" enough to keep Hazelynn Stomps in jail until trial in her husband's death.

A trial date has not been scheduled.

Stomps' attorneys sought to have her freed with electronic monitoring. They contended prosecutors lacked a motive, a crime scene and DNA evidence that the remains belonged to her husband.

Stomps was charged in mid-February with murder, abuse of a corpse and initiating a false police report. Investigators estimated that Gerald Stomps died as early as Jan. 30.

Hazelynn Stomps spurred a massive search for her husband after telling police Feb. 6 that the couple had been attacked by two men after agreeing to meet one of them near Oxbow Park. One of the men purportedly answered a Craigslist ad to buy the couple's $40,000 boat.

Stomps said her husband disappeared down a path to the water and screamed at her to run. She told detectives that the other man chased her and flung her off a bridge over Gordon Creek.

She suffered a broken pelvis and other injuries. She told police that she slowly crawled back to the road and flagged down passers-by for help.

More than 180 people joined the four- to five-day search for Gerald Stomps but found no trace.

Investigators grew suspicious as they noticed inconsistencies in Stomps' story about the attack and her recounting of the previous week.

Prosecutors said the last time family or neighbors remembered seeing Gerald Stomps was Jan. 30.

Hazelynn Stomps gave investigators a list of places her husband had been or people he'd talked to in the days leading up to Feb. 6. None of that turned out to be true, said Snowden, the deputy district attorney.

"Quite simply, nobody had seen Gerald Stomps the entire week," Snowden said.

During that time, Hazelynn Stomps was pretending that life was normal, prosecutors said. She got a haircut. She baby-sat the grandkids.

When Gerald Stomps' brother called one day to talk to him, Hazelynn said that he was out talking to a neighbor. That evening, she told another family member that he was heading to feed livestock on the couple's Washington farm, prosecutors said.

Multnomah County sheriff's Detective Jay Pentheny testified that investigators scanned days of transportation video from a Columbia River bridge that Gerald Stomps would have crossed to reach the farm, but his car never appeared.

Defense attorney Amy Elkanich countered that Hazelynn Stomps was heavily sedated when detectives interviewed her.

Elkanich also argued that Gerald Stomps could have died by accident or at someone else's hands. Another possibility, she said, is that the numerous bits of spine, ribs, skull and pelvis found in the burn pile or a nearby trash can belong to someone else.

Elkanich said Gerald Stomps didn't like people coming onto his land and was well armed --implying that the remains could be from someone he killed.

Because the remains were so charred, investigators haven't yet been able to extract DNA for identification.

Those who knew the couple, married for 39 years, described them as very happy, "as two peas in a pod," Elkanich said.

Ultimately, she said, prosecutors lack key elements to prove murder.

"We don't know where, we don't know when, we don't know why," Elkanich said.

Family members --including the couple's two adult sons and the Stompses' siblings --crowded into the courtroom to watch, wearing ribbons and crosses in honor of Gerald Stomps.

Afterward, two of his siblings said they supported the judge's decision to keep Hazelynn Stomps in jail.

They haven't held a memorial service for their brother, but they said they plan to next week.
http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=574&topicId=100020825&docId=l:969381926&start=1