Venus Rose Stewart 32, msg 5/3/10 - Colon Township, MI (Hubby Convicted)

[Sister]

My prayers continue for the searchers.  I hope they find her body -- first for her family and second to put the nails in the coffin of this POS.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.wwmt.com/articles/mich-1380666-county-newschannel.html
(video)
Holding out hope of finding Venus
August 24, 2010



KALAMAZOO COUNTY, Mich. (NEWSCHANNEL 3) – Volunteers are not giving hope that they'll find the body of a missing St. Joseph County mother.

On Tuesday another search was organized for Venus Stewart. This time the search was in Kalamazoo County.

The group involved in Tuesday's search was not made up of law enforcement, instead about ten volunteers headed into the thick brush. It was the second time a volunteer search team went to the spot near Scotts in Kalamazoo County.

Organizer Denny Olson says a property owner there requested they take a look after noticing a gate had been removed.

Olson says the site at 29th and QR Avenue are familiar to Douglas Stewart, Venus' estranged husband who is charged in her death.

“We'll probably search again in October when the leaves start to fall,” said Olson. “At this point we are talking about bringing in scuba divers to search the pond.”

State Police and other law enforcement teams have conducted numerous searches on property in St. Joseph County and southern Kalamazoo County. So far neither volunteers nor police have found anything.

Doug Stewart is scheduled to go on trial in early November.

COMMENTS

 marilyn60

6:45 PM on August 24, 2010

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iT'S HIS SISTERS PROPERTY-SHE RUNS A LOCAL DAY CARE ON THE CORNER THERE-
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acolddayinkazoo

3:48 AM on August 25, 2010

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The search yesterday was near his sisters property, not on her property
It was on land that Doug had hunted in the past and the property owner gave his permission for the searcher to search his land and then asked them to check it again and expand their search because of new information recieved
MSP have been in the neighborhood asking questions and talked to the sisters husband but have not searched her property that anyone knows of
There is another search scheduled next week for property off "R" Ave that Doug has history with too
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skain416

6:59 AM on August 25, 2010

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Can someone please tell me how waiting until the leaves start falling will help with this search? Not being smart, just asking...seems once they are on the ground covering things it would be more difficult...
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tellmeitisntso

9:45 AM on August 25, 2010

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Let me try and explain.
It was four months ago tomorrow on April 26th that Venus disappeared from her parents home.
At the time the ground was dry, little brush and foliage and this entire area was under a fire warning.
A body could be buried and then have dead leaves and brush thrown on top of it to cover it and it would be easier to find.
Since then we have recorded record rainfalls and we now may have 6" to 3' of water standing there.
Along with rain, heat and humidity comes major growth and what was bare 4 months ago can now have plants 4 feet high and higher.
Where you could see 50 feet before, now your lucky if you can see 3 feet.
When the leaves die off we will be able to get thru the woods better and see further, but then we have the added danger of turkey and deer hunters. But then the hunters become the extra eyes that we need in the woods to help locate Venus.
Several hunters have found missing people over the years including Andre Bossey here in Michigan.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.sturgisjournal.com/community/colon/x1258726237/Officials-cover-two-areas-in-search-for-Venus-Stewart
Officials cover two areas in search for Venus Stewart
September 9, 2010
(Photos at link)
Colon, Mich. —

Yet another origanized search by area law enforcement failed to turn up the remains of Venus Stewart Thursday.
Venus, a mother of two, has been missing since April and is presumed dead.
(snip)

Several areas of interest were marked and will be further investigated.
(snip)

[MuffyBee]

http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2010/09/michigan_state_police_seek_pub.htm
Michigan State Police seek public's help in search for Venus Stewart
September 14, 2010

COLON TOWNSHIP — As hunting season and the fall harvest get under way, Michigan State Police investigators are asking hunters and farmers to be on the lookout for clues that may help them find Venus Stewart.

Stewart, a 32-year-old mother of two, has been missing since April 26 and four large-scale searches for her by police have been unsuccessful. Police have said they are convinced Stewart is dead and her estranged husband, Douglas Stewart, has been charged with murdering her.
In a statement released Tuesday, police ask “farmers currently working the fields and hunters who will soon be in the woods and fields” to keep an eye out for areas of disturbed earth that are suspicious and could have been dug “some time within the past four to five months.”

Police also asked people to keep an eye out for specific items of evidence related to the case, including: a gray T-shirt; pajama bottoms; Croc shoes; male swimming trunks; a male pullover-style shirt with long sleeves and a collar; a long-handled shovel; a camouflage-colored baseball hat; a blue-colored tarp; and gloves.

Douglas Stewart, 29, is charged with open murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree premeditated murder in connection with his wife’s slaying. He is being held in the St. Joseph County Jail on $4 million bond and is scheduled to stand trial Nov. 1 in St. Joseph County Circuit Court.

Police ask anyone who may have information about the case to call the state police post in White Pigeon at 269-483-7611 or the Regional Dispatch Center in Rockford at 1-866-866-6666.

[Sister]

Thanks Muffy for the updates.
I continue to pray Venus is recovered . . . it's so important to her family.

[Nut44x4]

Well, if we were allowed to use torture methods.....she'd have been located a long time ago, but I suppose that wouldn't be prudent

[Sister]

Well, if we were allowed to use torture methods.....she'd have been located a long time ago, but I suppose that wouldn't be prudent

That's the problem . . . it would be too prudent . . . I believe firmly in victim's rights first!!!

[theboyzmom]

Gale St. John is at it again:  http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2010/09/psychic_takes_up_case_of_wife.html

[Nut44x4]

Looking for help in finding Venus Stewart
Comments 0

September 29, 2010 5:19 PM
WEST MICHIGAN (NEWSCHANNEL 3) – A group searching for a missing West Michigan mother is asking hunters for help.

Friends of Venus Stewart posted fliers on Wednesday in the Fulton State Game Area. Deer season starts Friday, and the group, along with Michigan State Police, want all hunters to keep an eye out for any signs of Stewart.

Stewart went missing in April from her parents' home in Colon Township.

While investigators have not found her body, prosecutors have charged her estranged husband, Doug Stewart, with her murder.

He's scheduled to go to trial on November 1st.

http://www.wwmt.com/articles/finding-1382123-venus-help.html

[Sister]

Looking for help in finding Venus Stewart
Comments 0

September 29, 2010 5:19 PM
WEST MICHIGAN (NEWSCHANNEL 3) – A group searching for a missing West Michigan mother is asking hunters for help.

Friends of Venus Stewart posted fliers on Wednesday in the Fulton State Game Area. Deer season starts Friday, and the group, along with Michigan State Police, want all hunters to keep an eye out for any signs of Stewart.

Stewart went missing in April from her parents' home in Colon Township.

While investigators have not found her body, prosecutors have charged her estranged husband, Doug Stewart, with her murder.

He's scheduled to go to trial on November 1st.

http://www.wwmt.com/articles/finding-1382123-venus-help.html

Thanks Nut for the update -- there are so many people who need to be found.  My heart aches for them.  But I believe in hope and I pray for courage for all.

[Nut44x4]

10.22.10

COLON (WTVB) - The Doug Stewart Murder Trial will be pushed back. He is charged with the abduction and killing of his wife, who vanished last spring. Her body has not been found. It seems lawyers on both sides have some issues to work thru before they will be ready to present their cases to the jury.

At a pre-trial hearing yesterday, both handed motions to the judge introducing and challenging evidence. The Defense wants to tour the scene of the alleged abduction, and the judge wants to hold an evidentiary hearing on November 5th to determine if statements made by Venus before her abduction are admissible. It will all take time, apparently more than the initial trial date of November 1st. No new date has been set.
http://wtvbam.com/news/articles/2010/oct/22/motions-presented-stewart-pre-trial-hearing/

more of the same here:
http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2010/10/murder_trial_postponed_in_venu.html

[Nut44x4]

Police ask hunters to be on the lookout for Venus Stewart's body

November 15, 2010 5:39 PM

MICHIGAN (NEWSCHANNEL 3) – As firearms deer season gets underway, Michigan State Police want all hunters to help in a murder investigation.

Police want all eyes open for the body of Venus Stewart.

Anyone heading into the woods is asked to look for a gray t-shirt, pajama bottoms, and Croc-style shoes. That's what Venus had on when she was last seen.

Investigators think Venus' husband, Doug Stewart, kidnapped her from her parents' home in April, then killed her and buried her body.

Doug Stewart is currently in custody awaiting his trial.
http://www.wwmt.com/articles/venus-1383852-lookout-michigan.html

[MuffyBee]

http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2010/11/trial_in_venus_stewart_disappe.html
Trial in Venus Stewart disappearance to proceed after appeals court denies disqualification of St. Joseph County judge
November 26, 2010

LANSING — The Michigan Court of Appeals has denied a motion filed by the attorneys for Doug Stewart seeking to disqualify the judge from the case.

St. Joseph County Circuit Judge Paul Stutesman had postponed proceedings pending a decision on the appeal.
The trial is now scheduled to begin in January, according to the court of appeals website.
Stewart, 29, is charged with felony murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree premeditated murder in connection with the April 26 abduction and slaying of his estranged wife, Venus Stewart.

Venus Stewart, 32, is presumed dead but Michigan State Police investigators have not found her body.

In an order issued Wednesday, the court of appeals said a motion for leave to appeal filed Oct. 25 by Jeffrey M. Schroeder and Kymberly R. Schroeder “is denied for lack of merit in the grounds presented.”

The Schroeders had filed their appeal seeking the disqualification of St. Joseph County Circuit Judge Paul Stutesman from presiding over the case.

The appeal followed a motion they filed in September that was denied by Stutesman. Van Buren County Circuit Judge Paul Hamre, who was asked to review the motion, also denied it.

Stewart’s attorneys alleged that Stutesman provided assistance to St. Joseph County Prosecutor John McDonough “in an effort to help the prosecution improve its case over the defense.”

The defense lawyers say they overhead a conversation between Stutesman and McDonough in which they claim the two discussed specifics of the case and that Stutesman also gave advice to McDonough.

Meanwhile, Doug Stewart remains in the St. Joseph County Jail on a $4 million cash/surety bond. Police allege he abducted Venus Stewart from her parents’ Colon Township home, killed her and disposed of her body.

Stewart faces up to life in prison on each felony count.

[MuffyBee]

http://wtvbam.com/news/articles/2010/nov/27/doug-stewart-trial-one-step-closer/
Doug Stewart Trial One Step Closer
November 27, 2010

KALAMAZOO (WKZO) - One of the obstacles to bringing suspected murderer Doug Stewart to trial has been removed by the Michigan Court of Appeals. They denied a motion from Stewart's attorney that Judge Paul Stutesman be disqualified because of an alleged conversation he had with the prosecutor over the case that showed bias. The three-judge panel ruled the motion had no merit. Unless the defense comes up with some other motions or appeals this ruling, the trial is set to take place in January.

Stewart is charged with coming up with an elaborate scheme to kidnap and murder his estranged wife, Venus, after she charged him with molesting their daughter. The Bronson High School graduate vanished in April. The murder plot unraveled after that, and even though they have never found her body, the prosecutor has moved forward with the charges.

[Sister]

http://wtvbam.com/news/articles/2010/nov/27/doug-stewart-trial-one-step-closer/
Doug Stewart Trial One Step Closer
November 27, 2010

KALAMAZOO (WKZO) - One of the obstacles to bringing suspected murderer Doug Stewart to trial has been removed by the Michigan Court of Appeals. They denied a motion from Stewart's attorney that Judge Paul Stutesman be disqualified because of an alleged conversation he had with the prosecutor over the case that showed bias. The three-judge panel ruled the motion had no merit. Unless the defense comes up with some other motions or appeals this ruling, the trial is set to take place in January.

Stewart is charged with coming up with an elaborate scheme to kidnap and murder his estranged wife, Venus, after she charged him with molesting their daughter. The Bronson High School graduate vanished in April. The murder plot unraveled after that, and even though they have never found her body, the prosecutor has moved forward with the charges.

I pray by trial time, she has been found.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.thedailyreporter.com/state_news/x1790519811/Stewart-trial-could-begin-in-Jan
Stewart trial could begin in Jan.
Defense request denied

December 4, 2010

Centreville, Mich. —

A trial for Douglas Stewart could be rescheduled for as soon as January now that the Michigan Court of Appeals has rejected an application for a hearing by Stewart’s attorneys.

In an order issued Wednesday in Lansing, the Court of Appeals denied a motion by attorneys Jeffrey Schroeder and Kymberly Schroeder for “lack of merit in the grounds presented.”

On Oct. 25, the Schroeders filed a motion for leave to appeal, seeking the disqualification of St. Joseph County Circuit Judge Paul Stutesman from the case.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.wlkm.com/?p=17295
Search continues for missing woman
December 13, 2010

An aerial search for evidence of Venus Stewart was conducted last Wednesday, but investigators gained no new leads or information about the missing Colon Township woman.

State Police Lt. Mike Risko, commander of the White Pigeon post, said it was hoped that the lack of foliage on trees would have benefited FBI investigators conducting the aerial search, which was conducted from a helicopter over the northeast quadrant of St.. Joseph County.

Investigators earlier this year staged a number of searches on foot in wooded areas in Colon, Leonidas and Wakeshma townships. Despite the lack of any evidence, Stewart’s estranged husband, Douglas Stewart, is being charged with murder in connection with Venus Stewart’s April disappearance from her parents’ Colon Township residence.

[Sister]

Thank you for these updates Muffy. 

[MuffyBee]

http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2010/12/st_joseph_county_prosecutor_ha.html
St. Joseph County Prosecutor hands out 'Mike Scott Investigator of the Year' award to Venus Stewart team
December 23, 2010

CENTREVILLE — The second annual "Mike Scott Investigator of the Year" award was presented recently by St. Joseph County Prosecutor John McDonough.

The recipient was a six-member team of Michigan State Police detectives honored for their work on the missing-person case involving Venus Stewart.

McDonough created the award in honor of the soon-to-retire Mike Scott, from the Michigan State Police post at White Pigeon.

Scott was one of the six detectives who were honored by McDonough and the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners.

The other recipients were from Paw Paw, Coldwater and Fifth District headquarters.

Scott was the inaugural recipient in August 2009.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2010/12/kalamazoo_gazette_2010_top_sto_6.html
Kalamazoo Gazette 2010 top stories: Venus Stewart presumed dead; husband charged with murder
December 24, 2010

The Kalamazoo area's top stories of 2010

Venus Stewart is presumed dead.

Investigators have not found her body.

But in January, Doug Stewart is scheduled to go on trial in connection with the April 26 abduction and slaying of his estranged wife.

Police allege he abducted Venus Stewart, 32, from her parents’ Colon Township home in St. Joseph County, killed her and disposed of her body.

The case has generated dozens of tips.

Police have conducted several large-scale searches for the body of Venus Stewart.
Stewart.jpgVenus Stewart

A psychic from Indiana traveled to the Colon Township home from which Venus disappeared.

Others psychics have contacted investigators with “visions, feelings and dreams” about where Venus Stewart might be.

The results have been the same: Her body has not been found.