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Obscuregawdess PostPosted: Sun May 25, 2008 12:33 pm

JMB statement 5/19/93

THIS IS DET. BRIAN RIDGE OF THE WEST MEMPHIS POLICE DEPARTMENT CURRENTLY IN THE WEST MEMPHIS POLICE DEPARTMENT WITH DETECTIVE/LIEUTENANT JAMES SUDBURY AND MARK BYERS. THE TIME IS 5:20 P.M. . TODAY'S DATE 5-19 OF '93. CASE FILE NUMBER 93-050666. OKAY, MR. BYERS, WE'RE JUST IN INFORMAL STAGES. WE'RE STILL INVESTIGATING THIS OCCURRENCE. UM, FIRST, ONE OF THE FIRST QUESTIONS WE NEED TO KNOW IS WHERE WERE YOU WHEN YOU FIRST FOUND OUT THE KIDS WERE MISSING.

MARK- WHEN I FOUND OUT THAT ALL 3 OF THEM WERE MISSING.

RIDGE- WELL, YOURS.

MARK- WELL, WHEN I, WHEN I REALIZED CHRISTOPHER WASN'T AT HOME, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN AROUND 6:30.

RIDGE- OKAY.

MARK- AND THE REASON FOR THAT TIME, I LEFT THE HOUSE AT 5:30 TO COME GET MY OLDEST SON, RYAN, WHO WAS HERE AT THE COURTHOUSE TESTIFYING ABOUT A CASE THAT HE'D SEEN ON A LADY FOR RECKLESS DRIVING.

RIDGE- OKAY.

MARK- AND UH, IT WAS THE DAY THAT THE LITTLE GRAY-HEADED LADY HELD COURT. I CAN'T THINK OF HER NAME.

SUDBURY- MARGARET.

RIDGE- MISS MARGARET.

MARK- MARGARET. MISS MARGARET. THAT'S IT. WELL, AS SOON AS COURT WAS OUT. LET ME BACK UP. WHEN I LEFT THE HOUSE AT 5:30, I LEFT CHRISTOPHER UNDER THE CARPORT WITH INSTRUCTIONS TO PICK UP PAPER UNDER THE CARPORT AND CLEAN UP THE CARPORT. AND JUST AS SOON AS I GOT RYAN, WE WAS GOING TO COME BACK AND GO EAT SUPPER. SO, I CAME UP HERE AND WAITED UNTIL THE COURT CASE WAS OVER. AND THAT WAS OVER. I GOT RYAN AND WE DROVE HOME. WELL, WE PULLED UP IN THE DRIVEWAY, AND I DIDN'T SEE HIM UNDER THE DRIVEWAY, BUT I THOUGHT MAYBE, YOU KNOW, HE WAS IN THE HOUSE. SO I WENT IN THE HOUSE, AND RIGHT INSIDE OUR DOOR, OF COURSE, THERE'S THE KITCHEN. MY WIFE WAS ON THE PHONE TALKING TO HER BOSS. AND UH, I ASKED HER, I SAID, WHERE'S CHRISTOPHER AND SHE KIND OF DID LIKE THIS, YOU KNOW, JUST A MINUTE. AND THEN SHE GOT OFF THE PHONE FROM TALKING WITH HER BOSS. AND SAID, WELL, HE'S RIGHT OUTSIDE. SHE SAID, HE'S COME IN AND OUT A TIME OR TWO. ONCE TO GET, I THINK, A DRINK OF WATER, OR A COOKIE. SHE SAID, HE'S BEEN IN AND OUT A COUPLE OF TIMES. HE'S JUST RIGHT OUTSIDE. SO I WALKED BACK OUT AND HOLLERED ACROSS THE FENCE TO THE NEIGHBORS, BECAUSE SOMETIMES HE'S GOES NEXT DOOR AND PLAYS WITH THE NEIGHBOR'S KIDS. WE DIDN'T HEAR ANY ANSWER, AND THEN I TOLD MY SON RYAN, I SAID, GET ON YOUR SKATEBOARD AND GO DOWN AND SEE IF HE'S PLAYING WITH THE TWO LITTLE GIRLS DOWN THE STREET. SO HE TOOK OFF DOWN THERE AND CHECKED. AND WHEN HE CAME BACK, HE SAID, NO THEY HADN'T SEEN HIM. SO, WE GOT IN THE CAR, MY WIFE, MYSELF AND RYAN AND STARTED DRIVING AROUND OUR NEIGHBORHOOD. WHICH WOULD LIKE BE, DOWN TO INGRAM AND THEN DOWN INGRAM AND COME BACK UP GOODWIN AND CUT THROUGH UM, WILSON AND MCAULEY AND JUST DRIVING ALL AROUND OUR NEIGHBORHOOD, AROUND EAST HIGH SCHOOL. JUST DRIVING ALL AROUND THAT AREA RIGHT THERE LOOKING FOR HIM. AND ABOUT 7:30, WE LOOKED FOR ABOUT AN HOUR, AND I HAD COME UP HERE TO BROADWAY AND KIND OF SITTING BY THE DOLLAR GENERAL, WELL, YEAH, IT WAS KIND OF BY THE DOLLAR GENERAL STORE, THERE WAS A BLACK POLICE OFFICER SITTING THERE IN HIS CAR, AND I PULLED UP BESIDE HIM, AND I ROLLED MY WINDOW DOWN. I SAID, SIR. WE CAN'T FIND MY SON. HE'S MISSING. HE SAID, WELL HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN LOOKING FOR HIM. I SAID ABOUT AN HOUR OR SO, AND HE LOOKED AT HIS WATCH. HE SAID, WELL WHY DON'T YOU GIVE IT 'TIL AROUND 8 O'CLOCK. AND HE SAID, IF YOU DON'T FIND HIM, CALL THE POLICE STATION AND LET THEM KNOW WHAT HE WAS WEARING AND ALL. AND THEY'LL SEND AN OFFICER BY AND YOU CAN GIVE THEM A REPORT AND THEN THEY'LL PUT OUT OVER THE MIC WHAT HE'S WEARING AND A PATROLMAN RIDING AROUND WILL MAYBE SEE HIM. SO I WENT BACK TO THE, WE LOOKED A LITTLE BIT MORE AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD BEFORE WE MADE IT BACK HOME. WHEN WE GOT BACK HOME, I TOLD MY WIFE, I SAID, I'M GOING TO CALL THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT, I SAID CAUSE THEY GOT A SEARCH AND RESCUE SQUAD. I SAID, AND WE MIGHT NEED THEM. I SAID, LET'S, YOU KNOW, I WAS STARTING TO GET, YOU KNOW, WORRIED CAUSE MY SON HAS NEVER GONE OFF ANYWHERE. YOU KNOW, FOR ANY AMOUNT OF TIME. HE'S ALWAYS STAYED RIGHT THERE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. AND IT'S NOW, YOU KNOW, DARK'S GOING TO BE COMING ON PRETTY SOON. SO I CALLED THE SHERRIFF'S DEPARTMENT, AND THE GUY ANSWERED. I TOLD HIM MY SITUATION, WHO I WAS. IT WAS THE DISPATCHER. JUST WHOEVER ANSWERED AT THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT, WHICH WAS A LITTLE BIT BEFORE 8 O'CLOCK. AND HE SAID, YOU NEED TO, HE ASKED ME WHERE I LIVED, AND I TOLD HIM. HE SAID WELL, YOU NEED TO CALL THE WEST MEMPHIS POLICE DEPARTMENT. TELL THEM YOUR SON'S MISSING, AND THEY'LL CALL IT, HE BASICALLY TOLD ME WHAT THE POLICE OFFICER UP THERE ON THE STREET TOLD ME. SO I HUNG UP. I CALLED UP HERE TO THE, YOU KNOW, THE MAIN NUMBER. AND THEY SAID OKAY, WE'LL SEND AN OFFICER RIGHT OVER. WELL, REGINA MEEKS SHOWED UP JUST A FEW MINUTES LATER, CAME IN AND I TOLD HER WHEN I LAST SAW HIM WHICH WAS 5:30 UNDER THE CARPORT BEFORE I COME UP HERE TO GET RYAN. AND TOLD HER WHAT HE WAS WEARING AND UH, THEN SHE DID HER MIC YOU KNOW AND PUT IT OUT. I GUESS OVER THE AIR WHAT HE WAS WEARING AND WHERE HE WAS LAST AND ALL. WELL SHE SAID, I'M GOING TO GET OUT IN MY CAR AND I'LL START RIDING AND LOOKING AND WE'LL BE LOOKING IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD FOR YOUR SON. WELL AS I START TO LET HER OUT, DANA MOORE'S KNOCKING ON THE DOOR FROM ACROSS THE STREET. SHE SAID, HAVE YA'LL FOUND CHRISTOPHER? AND WE SAID, NO, WE'RE LOOKING FOR HIM, AND SHE SAID, WELL, HE'S WITH MICHAEL AND STEVIE. WELL, THAT'S THE FIRST TIME THAT MY WIFE AND I KNEW THAT HE WAS WITH ANYBODY ELSE. WE FIGURED HE WAS JUST ALONE. SO, DANA SAID, DANA THEN TOLD ME, SHE SAID, WELL AROUND 6:15, 6:20, SHE SAID, I WAS WALKING OUR DOG AROUND THE BLOCK. AND SHE SAID, I SAW MICHAEL RIDING HIS BIKE. STEVIE WAS ON HIS BIKE AND CHRISTOPHER WAS ON THE BACK OF THE BIKE WITH STEVIE. AND DANA SAID, JUST ABOUT HALFWAY DOWN THE STREET HERE, LOOKS LIKE CHRISTOPHER'S SKATEBOARD. AND SURE ENOUGH, IT WAS HIS SKATEBOARD. SO THEN, THE POLICE OFFICER, IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN, ASKED DANA, YOU KNOW, HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN LOOKING FOR YOUR LITTLE BOY. AND SHE TOLD HER, YOU KNOW, WELL, FOR THE LAST HOUR AND A HALF. AND SHE SAID THE BRANCH, UH, STEVIE BRANCH, WHICH HIS, YOU KNOW, MR. HOBBS, SHE SAID, TERRY, WHICH IS STEVIE'S DADDY HAS BEEN LOOKING FOR HIS SINCE ABOUT 5 O'CLOCK. 4:30, 5 O'CLOCK. AND SHE SAID, I SAW CHRISTOPHER WITH 'EM AT 6:30. SO WE'RE THINKING, WELL, THEY'RE AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD HERE. ALL THREE OF THEM TOGETHER.

SUDBURY- YOU KNOW AT 6:30 THEY WERE ALL TOGETHER...

MARK- DANA TOLD US. DANA TOLD ME AT 6:30, TOLD MY WIFE AND I AND REGINA MEEKS THAT AT 6:30 SHE SAW. SO WE FELT LIKE, WELL, THEY'RE ALL THREE TOGETHER AND ALL THREE OF THEM BEING CUB SCOUTS, MAYBE THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, MAYBE THEY'RE DOING, YOU KNOW, WE DIDN'T REALLY KNOW AT THE TIME. AND UH, I TOLD RYAN AND I, I SAID, LET'S START GOING DOOR TO DOOR JUST DOWN THE STREET ASKING ALL THE KIDS IF THEY'D SEEN 'EM. WELL, WE'D GONE DOWN THE STREET A LITTLE WAYS AND THERE WAS THIS BLACK GIRL AND THIS LITTLE BLACK BOY THAT LIVE ON, LIKE MY HOUSE IS RIGHT HERE ON THE CORNER. THEY LIVE ON THIS SIDE OF 14TH ABOUT HALFWAY DOWN. I DON'T REMEMBER THEIR NAME RIGHT OFF. I COULD SHOW YOU THE HOUSE PROBABLY. AND I KNOW MY SON RYAN COULD SHOW YOU NOW. 'CAUSE THERE'S A LITTLE BOY AND GIRL THAT LIVE THERE THAT CHRISTOPHER WOULD PLAY WITH. AND THE LITTLE BOY AND LITTLE GIRL SAID, YEAH, WE SAW CHRISTOPHER AND STEVEN AND MICHAEL A LITTLE BIT AFTER 6:30, OUR MAMA WAS BRINGING US HOME FROM THE STORE AND WE WAS COMING DOWN GOODWIN, AND WE SAW 'EM GOING IN THE ROBINHOOD AREA. WELL, THEN THAT CONCRETE SHOOT, YOU KNOW WHERE THE CONCRETE PART IS THAT GOES IN DOWN THERE JUST RIGHT OFF OF 14TH. SO, RYAN AND I THEN, CAME BACK TO THE HOUSE AND DANA IS AROUND HER HOUSE LOOKING AND THEN TERRY HOBBS, I THINK HAD COME UP BY THEN AND TOLD 'EM YOU KNOW, THAT THAT WAS THE AREA THEY'D LAST SEEN. SO WE KIND OF ALL CONVERGED DOWN THERE LOOKING IN THE WOODS.

SUDBURY- DID THE LADY SAY ANYTHING AT ALL ABOUT SEEING ANYONE ELSE, OR, OR ANYTHING?

MARK- WELL, THAT LADY, SEE WE DIDN'T TALK TO A LADY. IT WAS JUST THE KIDS. BUT I...

SUDBURY- THE KIDS.

MARK- THE KIDS. NOW I'LL GET TO LATER ON, THURSDAY. I'LL GET TO THAT IN A MINUTE. UH, WE STARTED LOOKING AND LOOKED IN THAT AREA. IT'S NOW PROBABLY 8:30. IT HAD GOT DARK. AND TERRY SAID, WELL, HE WAS GOING TO SPREAD OUT DOWN, YOU KNOW, TOWARDS WHERE THEY WERE FOUND. I DON'T KNOW HOW FAR DOWN THAT WAY HE WENT, BUT HE WAS GOING TO LOOK THAT WAY AND MY SON, RYAN AND I AND RICHIE MASTERS, JUST SOMEHOW RICHIE MASTERS SHOWED UP TO HELP LOOK. AND MY SON RYAN AND I THINK, BRETT SMITH. RICHIE MASTERS GOES WITH BRETT SMITH'S SISTER. SO THAT'S HOW THEY WERE KIND OF TOGETHER. SO, WE'RE LOOKING IN THAT AREA KIND OF WHERE THE LOOP IS. YOU KNOW, THERE'S, IN THAT OPEN FIELD THERE'S JUST KIND OF A CIRCLE AROUND IT OUT THERE. WE WERE LOOKING IN THAT AREA OF THE BAYOU AND ALL. WELL, I HAD ON A PAIR OF SHORTS AND A PAIR OF FLIP FLOPS, SO I RUN BACK TO THE HOUSE AND CHANGED CLOTHES AND PUT ME ON SOME COVERALLS AND BOOTS THAT I HAD ON PROBABLY FOR THE NEXT 2 OR 3 DAYS. AND I WENT BACK OUT THERE AND I MADE A PASS. I WENT ALL THE WAY BACK TO THE BACK, AND WALKED UP THE GULLY TO WHERE IT MAKES A REAL STEEP WASHDOWN. YOU CAN SEE WHERE THE WATER WASHES INTO THE BAYOU. WELL, I DIDN'T HAVE A FLASHLIGHT OR ANYTHING WITH ME. AND I THOUGHT, WELL, I'M GOING TO GO BORROW A FLASHLIGHT FROM ROBERT FOUNTAIN. I KNEW HE JUST LIVED DOWN THE STREET FROM ME. I KNEW I'D BORROW A LIGHT FROM SOMEBODY. SO, AS I COME BACK OUT, I SEE A POLICE CAR PULL UP. AND IT WAS OFFICER MOORE, I BELIEVE. AND HE SAID, DID YOU FIND ANYTHING. I SAID, NO, I SAID, BUT I DON'T HAVE A LIGHT. WILL YOU HELP ME LOOK? HE SAID, YEAH, I'LL HELP YOU LOOK. SO HE GOT HIS LIGHT OUT AND WE WALKED BACK THAT TRAIL AND THEN WE CUT BACK UP THIS SIDE, WHICH RUNS INTO THAT DITCH KIND OF THAT'S A STEEL DITCH. IT'S GOT THAT ROPE HANGING DOWN FROM A TREE.

RIDGE- UH HUH.

MARK- WE, WE FOLLOWED IT BACK TO THE BAYOU, AND WE COULD SEE WHERE SOME GRASS, IT LOOKED LIKE A TRAIL KIND OF, WHEN TO THE RIGHT. SO HIM AND I WENT THAT WAY. AND WE FOLLOWED THAT TRAIL ON AROUND TO WHERE WE SAW THAT HANGING ROPE. AND HE WENT DOWN THE BANK, AND I KIND OF STAYED UP ON THE EDGE. HE WENT DOWN THE BANK AND LOOKED AROUND IN THE WATER WITH HIS LIGHT. AND HE SAID, IT DON'T LOOK TO ME LIKE ANYBODY, YOU KNOW, HAS BEEN DOWN IN HERE. SO, WE THEN CIRCLED BACK AND WE COME BACK TO WHERE THE REAL DEEP WASH WAS, AND IT WASHED OUT INTO THE BAYOU. AND HE CLIMBED ON UP THE OTHER SIDE. AND AS HE CLIMBED ON UP THIS SIDE, I WENT ON IN THE BAYOU THIS WAY, WHICH IS AWAY FROM THE BAYOU DITCH. I JUST, WENT ON IN THE DITCH THIS WAY. AND HE WENT ON UP THE OTHER SIDE. AND I COULD HERE HIM HOLLERING OVER THAT SIDE, YOU KNOW, ALL THREE OF 'EM'S NAMES, AND I WAS DOWN HERE ON THIS SIDE HOLLERING ALL THREE OF 'EM'S NAMES. WELL, HE FINALLY COME BACK DOWN. HE SAID, I REALLY, HE SAID, I COULDN'T SEE ANY BICYCLE TRACKS, HE SAID, AND I COULDN'T REALLY SEE ANY PRINTS. SO HE CAME BACK DOWN. HE ASKED ME, HE SAID WHERE DOES THE TRAIL GO THIS WAY. I SAID, WELL IT JUST MAKES A BIG CIRCLE OUT HERE. SO, WE WALKED AND MADE THE CIRCLE BACK AROUND KIND OF HEADING TO HIS POLICE CAR AND WHEN WE GOT AROUND THE OTHER WAY, WHERE YOU, WHERE YOU COME IN RIGHT THERE FROM THE MAIN SPOT. YOU KNOW YOU'RE PARKED RIGHT HERE ON THE CONCRETE SLAB. YOU WALK IN AND THE ROAD GOES THAT WAY, BUT THEN IT FORKS. THERE'S A FORK THAT WAY. WELL WE HAD ORIGINALLY GONE BACK, LOOKED HERE, AND WE WERE COMING BACK UP THIS WAY. WELL AS WE CAME BACK UP THIS WAY, WE SAW WITH HIS FLASHLIGHT SOME BICYCLE TRACKS RIGHT HERE. IT LOOKED LIKE 2 SETS OF BICYCLE TRACKS. AND HE MADE THE COMMENT, HE SAID, THAT LOOKS LIKE...I SAID YEAH, THAT LOOKS LIKE THE TRACKS RIGHT THERE. AND HE SAID, IT LOOKS TO ME LIKE THAT MAYBE THEY'RE HEADED IN THAT DIRECTION, WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN DOWN TOWARDS WHERE THEY WERE FOUND. HIM AND I CAME OUT OF THE WOODS. HE GOT IN HIS CAR, AND IT SEEMED LIKE THEN, IT'S LIKE, OH, MAYBE 10:30, QUARTER TIL 11. AND HE SAID, WHAT YOU NEED TO DO, IS HE SAID, GO HOME. HE SAID AND CALL UP TO THE STATION AND GET A HOLD OF THE OFFICER THAT TOOK THE REPORT. DO YOU KNOW THE OFFICER? I SAID, YES, REGINA MEEKS. HE SAID, CALL UP AND SEE WHAT'S GOING ON, AND WE'RE GOING TO BE DRIVING AROUND THE AREA. SO I GOT HOME, AND IT WAS RIGHT AT 11. I CALLED REGINA MEEKS, AND I ASKED HER, YOU KNOW, WHAT THE SITUATION WAS. SHE SAID, I'M TELLING MY COMMANDER ABOUT IT. SHE SAID, AND HE'LL INFORM THE NEXT GROUP. YOU KNOW, THE NEXT SHIFT THAT'S COMING ON AND THEY'LL BE LOOKING FOR THEM OUT ON THE STREETS. SHE SAID, WE GOT A CURFEW LAW. I THINK IT WAS HER THAT TOLD ME WE HAD A CURFEW LAW, AND IF THEY SEE 'EM YOU KNOW, RIDING THEIR BIKES, YOU KNOW, THEY'LL PICK 'EM UP. AND THEN UH, I CAME BACK TO THE HOUSE, AND OF COURSE THERE WAS STILL PEOPLE STILL OUT IN THE WOODS LOOKING. I MEAN, I LEFT THE HOUSE AND WENT BACK DOWN TO START LOOKING. BEFORE I LEFT THE HOUSE, I PICKED UP THE PHONE, AND I CALLED THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT THE SECOND TIME. I SAID, LOOK, I'VE HAD ONE POLICE OFFICER OUT HERE HELPING ME LOOK FOR THESE BOYS. I SAID, NOW, I CALLED ONCE AND YA'LL TOLD ME WHAT TO DO, AND I DID THAT. I SAID, NOW I'M CALLING NOW, AND I WANT TO KNOW WHY THE SEARCH AND RESCUE SQUAD WON'T COME OUT HERE AND HELP ME LOOK FOR MY BOY. AND HE SAID, WELL THEY'RE PROBABLY AT SOMEBODY'S HOUSE, AND THEY'VE JUST FORGOT WHAT TIME IT IS. HE SAID, DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT. I SAID, I'M DAMN WORRIED ABOUT IT. I SAID, MY KID DON'T STAY OUT. I SAID, IT'S 11 O'CLOCK AT NIGHT. THEY'RE NOT AT SOMEBODY'S HOUSE. HE SAID, WELL I TELL YOU WHAT TO DO. IF THEY DON'T COME HOME TONIGHT, HE SAID, YOU GET A HOLD OF DENVER REED. AND I SAID, WELL, WHO'S DENVER REED. HE SAID, HE'S HEAD OF THE SEARCH AND RESCUE FORCE. I SAID, OKAY. SO, WE LOOKED OUT. WE JUST WENT BACK LOOKING. WE DIDN'T KNOW, MATTER OF FACT, MY SON, RYAN AND I GOT IN THE CAR AND WE DROVE AROUND THERE TO BLUE BEACON, AND WENT INTO BLUE BEACON TRUCK WASH, AND I SAID, LOOK, WE GOT 3 BOYS MISSING. I DIDN'T WANT YA'LL, YOU KNOW, I WANT TO GO BACK HERE BEHIND YA'LL'S PROPERTY AND HOLLER AND YELL IN THESE WOODS. BUT I WANTED YOU TO KNOW WHY MY CAR'S BACK THERE. SO, WE PULLED OUR LITTLE SILVER CAR BACK THERE, AND RYAN, MY 14-YEAR-OLD, HE'S HONKING THE HORN AND I'M OUT HOLLERING AND YELLING AROUND THE EDGE OF THE WOODS. AND HE KIND OF DROVE THE CAR AROUND. WELL, A LITTLE SKINNY BLACK GUY AND KIND OF A GREAT, BIG HEAVY BLACK GUY COME WALKING OUT THERE. AND YOU KNOW, SAID, WELL, WHAT'S GOING ON. WELL, I TOLD HIM. YOU KNOW, 3 BOYS ARE MISSING. AND HE SAID, WELL, IF THEY COME UP HERE, YOU KNOW, WE'LL HOLD ON TO 'EM FOR YOU. WELL, WE HOLLERED AND YELLED THERE FOR A WHILE WHERE THAT LITTLE ENTRANCE IS FROM THAT SIDE WHERE YOU CAN WALK IN THAT ENTRANCE. YOU KNOW, THERE'S THAT POND, AND IF YOU WALK ON AROUND THE EDGE OF THE POND, YOU CAN KIND OF SEE A TRAIL THAT GOES INTO THE BAYOU, OR WHEREVER THAT IS. I KIND OF WALKED INTO THAT BAYOU, WELL I WALKED INTO THAT AREA, AND HOLLERED AND YELLED DOWN TOWARD THE BAYOU, AND I CAN REMEMBER TURNING AND HOLLERING AND YELLING TOWARDS THAT HILL. 'CAUSE I COULD TELL IT MADE A HILL THAT WENT UP AND DOWN. AND ME NOT HAVING A LIGHT, I DIDN'T GO UP OVER THE HILL, OR GO DOWN IN THERE. SO WE HOLLERED AND YELLED AROUND THERE FOR QUITE A WHILE. THEN WE WENT BACK, AND ABOUT THE TIME I GOT BACK TO MY HOUSE, THAT'S WHEN I MET UH, TERRY'S, UH, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN STEVIE BRANCH'S GRANDFATHER. PULLED UP IN DANA MOORE'S YARD IN HIS TRUCK, AND HE WALKED OVER. WE WERE KIND OF LIKE ALL STANDING OUT UNDER THE STREETLIGHT. THEN IT WAS ME AND MY WIFE, DANA MOORE, TODD WAS STILL AT WORK AND THEN TERRY HOBBS. A FRIEND OF HIS WITH A BEARD THAT LIVED, I THINK HE SAID ON 17TH STREET, AND THEN UH, STEVIE BRANCH'S GRANDPA. AND WE WERE JUST KIND OF TALKING ABOUT WHERE ALL WE HAD BEEN LOOKING, AND KIND OF DEBATING ON IF THEY HAD FELL IN THE BAYOU AND DROWNED, WHERE WOULD THE BIKES BE. AND WE COULDN'T SEE HOW BOTH BICYCLES COULD HAVE RUN OFF IN THE BAYOU. AND I KNEW MY SON WAS A REAL STRONG SWIMMER, AND HE, THE ONLY WAY HE COULD HAVE DROWNED WOULD HAVE BEEN MAYBE TRYING TO HELP ONE OF THE OTHER KIDS THAT FELL IN. YOU KNOW, WE JUST KIND OF FELT HELPLESS. SO WE STOOD THERE TALKING, THEN WE JUST WENT BACK TO THE WOODS AND SAID LET'S MAKE ANOTHER PASS THROUGH. SO WE WENT BACK DOWN THERE WHERE WE WERE, AND LOOKED IN THAT AREA. WE NEVER DID CONCEN...I SAY I NEVER DID CONCENTRATE MUCH DOWN THAT WAY WHERE THEY WERE FOUND. I MAINLY STAYED IN THIS AREA HERE. AND THE ONLY REASON I STAYED IN THAT AREA WAS THE FEW TIMES THAT MY OLDER SON, RYAN, HAD COME DOWN THERE TO RIDE HIS BIKE, THAT'S WHERE, YOU KNOW, HE HAD RODE. AND THE FEW TIMES THAT CHRISTOPHER HAD TOLD ME THAT HE'D BEEN DOWN THERE, THAT WAS THE AREA THAT HE'D BEEN IN. I HAD HEARD 'EM TALK ABOUT SOME PIPES THAT YOU COULD CROSS THE BAYOU WITH, BUT I HADN'T EVER SEEN IT. AND THAT NIGHT, I NEVER DID REALLY SEE THE PIPE REAL GOOD 'TIL THE NEXT MORNING. SO, ABOUT 1:30, QUARTER 'TIL 2, IT WAS SEARGENT BALL AND MY WIFE WILL NEVER FORGET THIS. HE PULLED UP TO THE STOPLIGHT. YOU KNOW, WE ASKED WHAT THEY WAS DOING. HE SAID, WELL, WE'RE PATROLLING AROUND, WE'RE LOOKING AND ALL. HE SAID, WE'LL FIND 'EM. THEY'RE JUST, THEY'RE JUST. SGT. BALL SAID, MAYBE THEY HAVE FOUND AN ABANDONED HOUSE OR A SHED IN SOMEBODY'S BACKYARD OR A BUILDING AND THEY'VE GOT UP IN THAT BUILDING, YOU KNOW, FOR COVER. CAUSE THE MOSQUITOS, IT WAS WARM THAT NIGHT, AND MOSQUITOS WERE KIND OF BAD. SO, UH, WHEN HE SAID THAT, I THOUGHT OF AN ABANDONED HOUSE DOWN THE STREET FROM ME, SO I WENT AND LOOKED IN THAT. THEN ANOTHER FRIEND OF MINE, TONY HUDSON CAME OVER. AND TONY HUDSON AND MY WIFE AND I UP HERE ON THE SERVICE ROAD WHERE THERE USED TO BE THE MID-CONTINENT BUILDING AND IT BLEW DOWN ANE THEY'RE RE-BUILDING IT NOW. WE THOUGHT, WELL MAYBE THAT'S NOT LOCKED AND THEY CAN GET IN THERE. SO WE WENT DOWN THERE AND LOOKED, AND THERE WAS A LADDER IN THE BACK. AND TONY CLIMBED UP THE LADDER AND GOT UP ON THE ROOF AND LOOKED AND HE EVEN GOT DOWN INSIDE THE THING AND LOOKED AROUND. AND THEN THERE WAS A BLACK VAN PARKED THERE ON THAT LOT. JUST A SOLID BLACK VAN. AND I, IT WAS LOCKED. I WENT UP AND TRIED THE BACK DOOR, AND THE SIDE DOOR AND OTHER DOORS THAT WAS LOCKED AND ALL I COULD SEE THROUGH THE WINDOW WAS LIKE, GARBAGE BAGS AND PAPER AND I JUST WAS KIND OF ASSUMING THAT THE PEOPLE THAT WERE WORKING ON THE BUILDING, IT WAS LIKE A WORK VAN OF THERE'S THAT MAYBE IT JUST HAD THEIR TOOLS OR EQUIPMENT IN IT. THEN THAT TRAILER THAT SITS BACK THERE, WE WENT BACK THERE AND TRIED TO SEE IF THAT TRAILER WAS UNLOCKED, AND LOOKED AROUND THAT TRAILER AND ALL. THEN TONY BROUGHT MELISSA AND I HOME, AND HE SAID, I'M GOING TO MAKE, YOU KNOW, A FEW MORE ROUNDS AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD. AND IT'S PROBABLY 2 OR 3 O'CLOCK BY NOW. SO, WE JUST SAT THERE WAITING FOR DAYLIGHT. AND THEN JUST AS SOON AS IT GOT DAYLIGHT, TERRY HOBBS AND I THINK DANA AND MAYBE TODD YOU KNOW, KNOCKED ON THE DOOR, AND THEN I GOT MY BOOTS ON. AND THEN WE TOOK OFF LOOKING AGAIN. AND UH, I...

RIDGE- WELL LET ME ASK YOU A QUESTION. WHILE YA'LL WERE OUT SEARCHING DURING THIS PERIOD OF TIME AFTER IT HAD GOTTEN DARK, WE HAD SEVERAL REPORTS OF GUNSHOTS BEING FIRED. WAS SOMEBODY DOWN THERE WITH A GUN MAYBE SHOOTING UP IN THE AIR HOLLERING AT THE KIDS?

MARK- I NEVER HEARD A GUNSHOT FIRED.

RIDGE- WE GOT SOME REPORTS OF THAT. IT MAY HAVE BEEN BACK BEHIND THE EXPRESSWAY.

MARK- I NEVER HEARD A GUNSHOT. UH, THERE BY THE HOUSE, WHEN WE WERE STANDING AROUND THE HOUSE, MY WIFE SAID SOMETHING ABOUT, DID YOU HEAR THAT GUNSHOT? THIS WAS LIKE, 12 OR 1 O'CLOCK. I SAID, NUH UH. AND THAT WAS JUST A CAR RIGHT DOWN THERE ON WILSON THAT BACKFIRED. BUT, WHILE WE WERE IN THE WOODS, I NEVER HEARD A GUNSHOT. NOW, MY OLDER SON, RYAN, WHEN WE CAME IN THAT NIGHT, TOLD ME, AND OF COURSE I DON'T KNOW WHERE ALL HE WAS RUNNING AROUND OUT THERE LOOKING WITH BRET AND RICHIE, BUT HE TOLD ME, HE SAID, DAD, I THOUGHT THAT I HEARD A ROCK OR SOMETHING HIT THE ROCKS. HE SAID, I THOUGHT I HEARD SOMETHING SPLASH IN THE WATER. AND HE SAID, IT KIND OF SOUNDED LOUD. I SAID, WELL, WHERE WERE YOU? HE SAID, WELL I WAS, YOU KNOW, IN THEM TRAILS THAT GO ALONG THE BAYOU. AND I REALLY DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHERE HE WAS. AND THE NEXT MORNING, WE GOT TO LOOKING AND I CAME DOWN 7TH STREET FIRST THING AND JUST AS SOON AS I CAME ACROSS THE BRIDGE, I SAW TODD, AND TERRY AND STEVIE BRANCH'S BIOLOGICAL FATHER WAS RIGHT THERE. THEY SAID WE'VE JUST WALKED UP AND DOWN BOTH SIDES OF THE BAYOU HERE, AND WE DIDN'T SEE NOTHING. HE SAID, ONE OF US WAS ON THIS SIDE, ONE OF US WAS ON THAT SIDE. WE WAS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHERE TO LOOK SO WE JUST WOULDN'T BE ON TOP OF EACH OTHER. I SAID, WELL I'M GOING TO GO BACK DOWN, AND I SAID I'M GOING TO GO BACK AROUND THE AREA WHERE I WAS LAST NIGHT. MAYBE I MISSED SOMETHING. MAYBE THERE'S A CAP OR A PIECE OF CLOTHING OR SOMETHING I DIDN'T SEE. SO I WENT DOWN THERE AND THEN I NOTICED UH, THE SEARCH AND RESCUE, WE HAD ALREADY MET WITH UH, DENVER REED AND 8 O'CLOCK. WE WAITED UP AT THE SCHOOL. WE SEARCHED AROUND TIL LIKE 7:30, QUARTER 'TIL 8. THEN WE WENT TO THE SCHOOL. THE PARENTS AND THE GROUP THAT WAS HELPING US. THERE WAS PROBABLY STILL PEOPLE OUT THERE LOOKING THAT I DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT. BUT, THE PARENTS WERE THERE AT SCHOOL. AND WHEN THEY DIDN'T SHOW UP AT 8 O'CLOCK, I HAD ALREADY KNOWN TO MEET DENVER REED CAUSE I HAD TALKED TO HIM LIKE 6:30, 7 AND I THINK HE SAID 8:30, 9 O'CLOCK MEET ME AT INGRAM AND BARTON AND WE'LL GET THIS SEARCH GOING. SO WE MET DOWN THERE AND THEN SOME OF THE SEARCH AND RESCUE TRUCKS HAD PULLED UP. AND THEN I NOTICED THAT THE POLICE DEPARTMENT HAD PICTURES AND MAYBE DESCRIPTIONS THAT THEY HAD MEMOGRAPHED OFF AND THEY WERE PASSING OUT TO EVERYBODY. AND I MADE THE COMMENT, DENVER REED, WHEN ARE YA'LL GOING TO PUT A BOAT IN THE BAYOU, YOU KNOW. IF THEY'VE DROWNED, YOU KNOW, LET'S GET A BOAT IN THE BAYOU. AND HE TOLD ME, YOU KNOW, THAT THEY WOULD DO THAT. AND IT SEEMED LIKE AROUND 9:30, 10 O'CLOCK, I WAS TOLD, THERE'S A BOAT IN THE BAYOU AND IT'S COMING THIS WAY. SO, TERRY HOBBS AND HIS FATHER-IN-LAW AND THE BIOLOGICAL FATHER OF STEVIE BRANCH AND MYSELF WENT DOWN AND KIND OF SAT ON THE BANK BY THAT PIPE. WE WAS JUST GOING TO WAIT ON THE BOAT TO COME DOWN THE BAYOU. AND I WAS SITTING THERE LOOKING, AND I THOUGHT, NOW, HOW COULD THEM LITTLE BOYS GOT THEIR BIKES, YOU KNOW, ACROSS THAT PIPE. AND I THOUGH, WELL MAYBE THEY COULD HAVE WALKED ON THE EYE BEAM AND PUSHED THE BIKES, YOU KNOW, ACROSS. SO I WALKED ACROSS THE PIPES, AND WHEN I GOT ACROSS THE PIPE, I COULD SEE THERE WAS A TRAIL GOING THIS WAY, AND I THOUGHT, WELL THAT LOOKS LIKE IT GOES TO THE BLACK, OR BLUE, OF THE TRUCKWASH. THEN THERE'S A TRAIL THAT GOES UP THIS HILL. AND I SAID, WELL I WAS STANDING RIGHT HERE LAST NIGHT. I SAID, CAUSE I COULD SEE THE HILL. SO I WENT UP THE HILL, AND WHEN I GOT UP THE HILL AND COME DOWN OVER THE OTHER SIDE, I SAW A BROWN COAT. FIRST I THOUGHT IT WAS MAYBE SOMEBODY LAYING SOMEWHERE, BUT IT WAS A BROWN COAT. AND I WALKED OVER AND I PICKED THE BROWN COAT UP. I DIDN'T INSPECT IT REAL CLOSE. ALL I DID WAS I STUCK MY HAND IN THE POCKETS AND IN ONE POCKET THERE WAS A DISPOSABLE SCHICK RAZOR BLADE. WHITE WITH A YELLOW CAP ON THE END OF IT. AND I PUT IT BACK IN THE POCKET. I MEAN, IT JUST DIDN'T LOOK NATURAL. I'VE BEEN TOLD, I THINK BY GARY GITCHELL, THAT HE'D BEEN DOWN THERE A MONTH OR TWO BEFORE, AND IT BEEN YOU MAYBE, THAT IT HAD BEEN THERE A LONG TIME. BUT I DIDN'T KNOW THAT AT THE TIME. I JUST SAW THE COAT AND I PICKED THE COAT UP FROM THERE AND I DIDN'T GO ANY FARTHER ON UP THE CREEK BANK. I CAME BACK TO WHERE TERRY AND HIS DAD WAS TO SHOW THEM THE COAT I HAD FOUND. AND I LEFT THE COAT RIGHT THERE ON THE BANK. THEN MY WIFE, OR TERRY'S WIFE OR SOMEBODY STANDING UP THERE BY THAT RAILING WHERE YOU PARK CALLED US AND WE WENT BACK UP THERE. THEN IT SEEMED LIKE WE WENT BACK TO THE HOUSE, AND MAYBE LISTENED TO THE SCANNER. THEN IT SEEMED LIKE IT GOT AROUND LUNCHTIME AND IT SEEMED LIKE CHANNEL 3 OR THE MEDIA SHOWED UP...

RIDGE- LET ME ASK YOU SOMETHING. DID YOU SEE A YOUNG, WHITE MALE RIDING A BICYCLE? WEARING A RED SHIRT. BICYCLE WITH BLACK, LIKE AN ALL-TERRAIN BICYCLE?

MARK- I SAW A GUY THAT I HAD NEVER SEEN IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD BEFORE THAT ACTED LIKE HE WAS HELPING US SEARCH. HE WAS ON ONE OF THE BIGGER BIKES KIND OF LIKE A RACING SIZE BIKE. YOU KNOW, IT WASN'T A LITTLE BIKE. IT WAS KIND OF A FULL SIZE BIKE.

RIDGE- DID IT HAVE MUD GRIP TYPE TIRES ON IT?

MARK- IT SEEMED LIKE IT DID HAVE MUD GRIP TYPE TIRES ON IT. UH, HE WAS SLENDER AND HAD REAL SHORT HAIR AND KIND OF A THIN FACE. UH, I DON'T REMEMBER IF HE HAD A RED SHIRT ON OR ANYTHING. BUT I REMEMBER HIS FACE BECAUSE I THOUGHT, BOY IT'S JUST A REAL THIN FACE AND HIS HAIR WAS REALLY SHORT. ALMOST MILITARY SHORT. IT WAS REAL SHORT. BUT HE SAID I'VE BEEN RIDING MY BICYCLE DOWN THERE LOOKING FOR YA'LL. HE SAID, I'M HELPING YA'LL LOOK, YOU KNOW, AND I SAID THANK YOU AND WE JUST KEPT ON GOING.

RIDGE- YOU REMEMBER ANYBODY, HE HAD A FLAT ON HIS BICYCLE AND HE CAME BACK FROM ACROSS THE PIPE. DO YOU REMEMBER, WERE YOU THERE WHEN SOMEBODY CAME BACK ACROSS THE PIPES WITH A FLAT TIRE?

MARK- NO SIR. NOW WHERE I DID HEAR SOMETHING THAT SOUNDED ODD. THAT THURSDAY EVENING WAS PROBABLY LIKE 6...NO IT WASN'T EVEN THAT LATE. THEY WERE STILL SEARCHING. THEY HADN'T FOUND THE BOYS YET. IT WAS A LITTLE AFTER LUNCH TIME. AND I, THIS FELLOW TALKED TO GITCHELL. BUT IT WAS A WHITE GUY, KIND OF CHUNKY, HEAVY-SET, HAD KIND OF SHOULDER LENGTH WAVY HAIR AND SAID WHEN HE HAD COME HOME THE NIGHT BEFORE 6:30, QUARTER 'TIL 7, SOMETHING LIKE THAT, THAT WHEN HE DROVE BY THERE, HE HAD SEEN 4 PEOPLE AND 2 BICYCLES. AND I THOUGHT, YOU KNOW, ARE YOU SURE IT WAS 4. HE SAID YEAH, IT WAS 4. AND THAT'S WHEN WE WERE RIGHT THERE AT MY HOUSE AND I THINK GITCHELL PULLED UP AND I WENT OVER AND SAID, GARY THERE'S A GUY THAT SAW 'EM. AND I THINK HE WENT AND TALKED TO THE GUY RIGHT THERE. BUT DURING THE DAY, THE GUY WAS ON A LIKE A 180 OR A 250 RED 3-WHEELER HELPING US LOOK THROUGH THE DAY. KIND OF HEAVY-SET...

RIDGE- YOUNG GUY.

MARK- LOOKED MAYBE TO BE, I'M GOING TO SAY 22, 23. BUT HE SAID HE SAW 4 PEOPLE.

RIDGE- OKAY, UH, WHO WOULD BE CHRIS'S CLOSEST FRIEND?

MARK- THAT HE PLAYED WITH?

RIDGE- YEAH.

MARK- HIS CLOSEST FRIEND. I'D SAY THE CLOSEST FRIEND THAT HE PLAYED WITH WOULD BE STEVE AND THEN THIS LITTLE BOY NAMED AARRON BEFORE THEY MOVED TO MARION. THAT WAS THE ABANDONED HOUSE I CHECKED. WHERE...

RIDGE- DO YOU KNOW AARRON'S LAST NAME?

MARK- NO SIR. BUT, I CAN TELL YOU THE HOUSE. WHERE I LIVE, YOU GOT WILSON RIGHT HERE...

RIDGE- UH HUH.

MARK- THEN YOU GOT A CORNER HOUSE THAT'S GOT A BRICK FENCE AROUND IT, THEN YOU GOT ANOTHER HOUSE RIGHT BESIDE IT. WELL THEY LIVED IN THAT SECOND HOUSE. AND I REMEMBERED IT HAD A STORAGE BUILDING OUT BACK. SO I RAN DOWN THERE AND LOOKED IN THAT STORAGE BUILDING THINKING MAYBE THEY WERE HIDING BACK THERE. BUT I COULD TELL THE GRASS WAS REAL TALL. I COULD TELL HADN'T NOBODY WALKED THROUGH THERE AND THERE WASN'T NO PAPER. THE STORAGE ROOM WASN'T MUCH BIGGER THAN THIS ROOM. AND IT WAS ALL CLEANED OUT, SO I KNEW THEY WEREN'T DOWN THERE. BUT AARRON WAS A REAL GOOD FRIEND OF HIS THAT HE PLAYED WITH BEFORE THEY MOVED. I THINK THEY SAID TO MARION.

RIDGE- WAS HE IN THIS CUB SCOUTS?

MARK- CHRISTOPHER WAS IN THE CUB SCOUT DEAL...

RIDGE- I MEANT AARRON.

MARK- I DON'T KNOW. CHRISTOPHER HADN'T GONE BUT TO ONE MEETING UP AT THE CHURCH. AND IT WAS ONLY BECUASE IT'S THE ONLY MEETING WE KNEW ABOUT. HE WOULD GET A NOTE AT SCHOOL THAT A MEETING WOULD BE TODAY. AND THEN TWO OR THREE DAYS LATER, WE'D FIND IT IN HIS BACKPACK. NOW, HE KNEW WE'D TAKE HIM THEM. I DON'T THINK HE HAD A LOT OF INTEREST IN IT. I MEAN, I DON'T KNOW WHY. I DON'T THINK HE WAS AS INTERESTED IN IT AS MICHAEL AND STEVIE WAS. HE WAS IN IT, BUT HE DIDN'T, IT WASN'T LIKE, I WANT TO GO, I WANT TO GO. GET ME A UNIFORM. HE JUST DIDN'T HAVE A GREAT MOTIVATION ABOUT IT TO ME.

RIDGE- I KNOW THESE KIDS GET STARTED A LOT EARLIER THAN WHAT I DID BACK WHEN I WAS KID. DID HE HAVE ANY GIRLFRIENDS OR ANYBODY THAT HE CONSIDERED HIMSELF CLOSE TO?

MARK- WELL THIS IS GOING TO BE KIND OF FUNNY SOUNDING. HE TOLD US LIKE ON SUNDAY OR MONDAY NIGHT BEFORE THAT WEDNESDAY. HE WAS GETTING READY TO GO TO BED AND HE TOLD US, HIS MOM AND I, HE SAID, I GOT A GIRLFRIEND. AND I SAID, WELL, WHO'S YOUR GIRLFRIEND. HE SAID AMANDA. I SAID, WELL, HOW OLD IS AMANDA. HE SAID 4. I SAID, AWW, I SAID WHO IS AMANDA. HE SAID STEVIE'S LITTLE SISTER.

RIDGE- YOU KNOW SO THAT...

MARK- AND THEN I DIDN'T...WELL THAT CAME OUT IN TALKING TO TERRY. TERRY HAD TOLD ME SOMETHING ABOUT ONCE CHRISTOPHER WAS DOWN THERE AND WANTED TO SAY GOODBYE TO HER. AND HE SAID WELL YOU CAN SAY GOODBYE TO HER NOW, YOU KNOW. AND HE SAID, HE TOLD, THAT CHRISTOPHER TOLD STEVIE THAT HE WANTED TO GIVE HER A LITTLE KISS GOODBYE. THAT'S WHY HE WANTED HER TO COME OUTSIDE, YOU KNOW. CAUSE THAT'S THE ONLY GIRLFRIEND, JUST KIDS STUFF.

RIDGE- HOW ABOUT ANY TEENAGERS THAT HE WAS ATTRACTED TO. YOU KNOW, HE WANTED TO HANG AROUND WITH. WE'RE PROBABLY TALKING 16, 17, 18 YEAR OLDS.

MARK- THERE'S ONE BOY IN PARTICULAR THAT STICKS OUT IN MY MIND THAT MY WIFE AND I BOTH FEEL WERE, WAS AN ODD INDIVIDUAL. I HAVE HEARD THROUGH MY OLDER SON, RYAN THAT HE THINKS THEY'VE MOVED TO MEMPHIS. THE ONLY NAME I GOT WAS T.J.

RIDGE- T.J.

MARK- T.J.

RIDGE- DO YOU KNOW WHERE HE LIVED?

MARK- YES, IT SEEMED LIKE HE DID LIVE AROUND THERE ON HOLIDAY CIRCLE, OR ON WILSON. MY SON, RYAN WENT OVER TO HIS HOUSE SEVERAL TIMES AND RYAN COULD SHOW YOU RIGHT WHERE HE LIVED. BECAUSE I REMEMBER WHERE HIM TALKING ABOUT T.J.'S DAD HAD A SKI BOAT AND HOW ONE TIME THEY WENT OUT RIDING IN IT, AND HOW T.J.'S DAD LET RYAN DRIVE THE SKI BOAT. I THINK OUT AT DACUS, MAYBE. THEY DIDN'T GO OFF FAR, BUT T.J. ALWAYS WANTED TO PLAY WITH CHRISTOPHER AS MUCH, OR MORE THAN RYAN. AND HE WAS LIKE 15, 16. REAL TALL, SKINNY. STILL PLAYING WITH MUTANT NINJA TURTLES, YOU KNOW. AND CHRISTOPHER'S SIX, YOU KNOW. AND I REMEMBER HE PAINTED A T SHIRT WITH MAGIC MARKERS WITH A MUTANT NINJA TURTLE DEAL ON IT FOR CHRISTOPHER. AND MELISSA AND I JUST THOUGHT IT ODD THAT THIS BIGGER, OLDER KID WOULD WANT TO PLAY WITH OUR YOUNGER ACTUALLY MORE THAT HE DID RYAN. RYAN KIND OF HUNG AROUND WITH HIM CAUSE AT THE TIME HE WAS INTO MUTANT TURTLES TOO AND SKATEBOARDS AND THIS KID WAS SKATEBOARDING TOO AND CHRISTOPHER KIND OF TAGGED ALONG. BUT THIS BOY SEEMED LIKE HE REALLY ENJOYED PLAYING WITH CHRISTOPHER, CAUSE A LOT OF TIMES HE'D COME OVER AND KNOCK ON THE DOOR. IS CHRISTOPHER HOME? I COME TO PLAY WITH HIM. AND I TOLD HIM ONE TIME, SON I THINK YOU'RE A LITTLE TOO BIG TO BE PLAYING WITH CHRISTOPHER. YOU NEED TO PLAY WITH BOYS YOUR AGE.

RIDGE- YOU REALIZE, OF COURSE I'M EXPLAINING IT TO YOU. EVEN THOUGH WE HAVE SUSPECTS, THAT WE'RE GETTING THESE QUESTIONS FROM YOU AND WE'RE NOT LEADING YOU TO BELIEVE THAT WE KNOW ANYTHING. WE'RE GETTING YOU TO RECALL THE INFORMATION FROM YOU BASICALLY. YOU DON'T KNOW WHO WE'RE LOOKING AT. UH WHO WE'VE TALKED TO BASICALLY.

MARK- I DON'T HAVE THE SLIGHTEST.

RIDGE- SO ANY RESPONSE WE GET FROM YOU IS JUST SPONTANEOUS FROM YOUR MEMORY.

MARK- YES SIR.

RIDGE- OKAY. THAT'S WHAT I WANTED TO MAKE SURE YOU KNEW. THIS T.J., HOW OLD WOULD YOU SAY HE WAS ACTUALLY?

MARK- THE LAST TIME I SAW HIM WAS PROBABLY ABOUT A YEAR AGO. AND IT SEEMED LIKE MY OLDER SON, RYAN THEN TOLD ME HE WAS, LIKE 15.

RIDGE- OKAY. HE A WHITE MALE?

MARK- WHITE MALE. I WOULD SAY HE WAS ABOUT 5'8, 5'10, A HUNDRED AND MAYBE 50 POUNDS. 160.

RIDGE- DO YOU KNOW THE COLOR OF HIS HAIR?

MARK- YES, HE HAS DARK HAIR. HE WAS CLEAN, DIDN'T HAVE ACNE OR ANYTHING. FAIRLY CLEAN COMPLEXION. KIND OF SHORT. KIND OF SHORT.

RIDGE- SO YOU THINK THAT CHRIS, MORE OR LESS, TRUSTED HIM BECAUSE HE PLAYED WITH HIM AT DIFFERENT TIMES.

MARK- HE WOULD HAVE.

RIDGE- OKAY.

MARK- IF HE HAD SEEN T.J., I DON'T THINK HE WOULD HAVE BEEN SCARED OF HIM.

RIDGE- OKAY. ALRIGHT. HAS CHRIS TALKED TO YOU ABOUT GOING IN THESE ROBINHOOD WOODS?

MARK- HE HADN'T REALLY MENTIONED MUCH ABOUT GOING DOWN THERE, BECAUSE HE KNEW IT WAS OFF LIMITS.

RIDGE- YOU TOLD HIM NOT TO BE GOING THERE.

MARK- I TOLD HIM NOT TO GO DOWN THERE BECAUSE LAST SUMMER ONE DAY RYAN AND BRETT SMITH WERE DOWN THERE ON THEIR BICYCLES PLAYING AND COME RUNNING HOME JUST KIND OF ALL WHITE IN THE FACE AND EXCITED AND SAID DAD, DAD WE SAW A BUM, OR A JUNKIE OR IT WAS SOMEBODY AND THEY WERE LAYING IN THE DITCH DOWN THERE AND WE THOUGHT MAYBE THEY WERE DEAD AND WE HOLLERED AND KIND OF CHUNKED SOME ROCKS OVER THAT WAY AND THEY MOVED. AND IT WAS A BUM DOWN THERE. AND I SAID NOW, THAT'S THE REASON WHY I DON'T WANT YA'LL DOWN THERE. SO I HAD TOLD RYAN AND CHRISTOPHER ON MANY, MANY OCCASIONS DON'T GO PLAY IN ROBINHOOD. DON'T RIDE YOUR BIKES DOWN THERE. THERE'S NOTHING DOWN THERE FOR YOU TO GO DOWN THERE FOR. STAY AWAY FROM THERE.

RIDGE- DID CHRIS EVER TELL YOU OF SEEING ANYTHING DOWN THERE?

MARK- THE ONLY PERSON THAT CHRISTOPHER, THAT I CAN REMEMBER, TOLD ME ABOUT WAS OVER BY MAYFAIR APARTMENTS, RIGHT WHERE THAT RAILING WAS, WHERE THE PIPE CROSSES. THERE WAS A GUY ONE DAY HAD A CAR PARKED OUT THERE, AND HE COME RUNNING HOME. CHRISTOPHER TELLING ME THAT HE SAW A MAN DEAD UNDER A CAR AND I NEEDED TO COME HELP HIM. AND HE WAS SO SURE THAT HE SAW A DEAD MAN UNDER A CAR. I GOT HIM IN THE TRUCK AND HE TOOK ME OVER THERE TO SHOW HIM AND THERE WAS A MAN UNDER HIS CAR, BUT HE WAS CHANGING HIS OIL. YOU, SO, THAT WAS THE ONLY PERSON THAT HE HAD EVER SAID.

RIDGE- DOES CHRISTOPHER HAVE A FRIEND THAT HE WOULD HAVE CONFIDED IN ON ANYTHING, OR JUST SOMEBODY THAT HE WOULD TALK TO ABOUT ANYTHING?

MARK- OTHER THAN HIS BROTHER, RYAN, I WOULD PROBABLY SAY STEVEN.

RIDGE- OKAY.

MARK- STEVEN BRANCH.

RIDGE- ALRIGHT, WE'VE ALREADY COVERED WHERE YOU WENT DURING THE SEARCH, WHO DID YOU SEE. UH, WE ALREADY COVERED EARLIER HE MAY HAVE HAD A SLING SHOT. YOU KNOW THAT HE DIDN'T HAVE A SLING SHOT.

MARK- NO SIR.

RIDGE- OKAY.

MARK- I KNOW WHEN I LEFT HIM UNDER THE CARPORT, HE DIDN'T HAVE ANYTHING LIKE THAT WITH HIM, AND I KNOW IT WASN'T OUTSIDE. AND MELISSA KNOWS THAT HE DIDN'T GO UPSTAIRS. SHE SAID SHE REMEMBERED HIM COMING IN A TIME OR TWO, BUT IT WAS JUST FOR LIKE A DRINK OF WATER AND TO USE THE BATHROOM.

RIDGE- COULD HE HAVE HAD A POCKET KNIFE, NORMALLY?

MARK- NOT NORMALLY, BUT AT TIMES, HE WOULD PICK UP ONE OF RYAN'S LITTLE POCKET KNIVES BECAUSE I'D BEEN CALLED TO SCHOOL SINCE HE'D BEEN GOING TO SCHOOL THERE, I'D BEEN CALLED TO SCHOOL TWICE ABOUT YOU KNOW, A LITTLE POCKET KNIFE THAT ONE OF THE TEACHERS HAD FOUND AND I'D HAVE TO GO UP THERE AND GET IT.

RIDGE- OKAY. HOW ABOUT A WALLET, BILLFOLD?

MARK- HE DID HAVE SEVERAL BILLFOLDS. I WAS SHOWN A BLUE ONE WITH A RED STRIPE ON IT. AND MY WIFE AND I HAVE BOTH LOOKED AT IT AND THOUGHT ABOUT IT. MY SON, RYAN, COULD DEFINITELY I.D. IT AND THEY WERE GOING TO SHOW IT TO HIM. AND I ASKED HIM, RYAN, I SAID, RYAN, DID THEY SHOW YOU THAT BILLFOLD. HE SAID THEY SAID THEY WERE GOING TO SHOW IT TO ME, BUT IT WAS IN A CRIME LAB, OR SOMEWHERE, RIGHT THEN.

RIDGE- IT STILL IS.

MARK- I THINK, I THINK IT WAS CHRISTOPHER'S AND THE REASON WHY, HE HAD HAD A DARK COLORED BILLFOLD LIKE THAT, AND EITHER ON MONDAY OR TUESDAY, HE HAD ASKED ME FOR SOME MONEY FOR BOOK FAIR. AND I'D GIVEN HIM 3 DOLLARS. AND HE HAD BOUGHT THIS LITTLE BOOK ABOUT BATS, WHICH COST $2.50, AND HE'D BEEN SHOWING IT TO ME TUESDAY NIGHT. AND I SAID, WELL YOU STILL GOT THE 50 CENTS. HE SAID OH YEAH, I PUT MY 50 CENTS UP. I'LL USE THAT FOR SNACK MONEY. SO I DON'T KNOW IF HE PUT IT BACK IN THE BILLFOLD. BUT MELISSA SAID THAT SHE THOUGHT WHEN HE CAME IN AND OUT A TIME OR TWO, THAT SHE HAD NOTICED THE BILLFOLD IN HIS BACK POCKET.

RIDGE- OKAY.

MARK- BUT MY SON, RYAN, I KNOW, COULD POSITIVELY I.D. IF IT WAS HIS OR NOT, CAUSE IF CHRISTOPHER WOULD HAVE GOT IT, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN PASSED DOWN FROM RYAN TO HIM. I MEAN I KNOW IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A HAND-ME-DOWN.

RIDGE- OKAY. WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE OTHER PARENTS?

MARK- UH, AS FAR AS PAM AND TERRY HOBBS, CHRISTOPHER, SMART LITTLE RASCAL, I HAD TOLD HIM THAT GOING DOWN 14TH TOWARDS BROADWAY, THAT I DIDN'T WANT HIM RIDING HIS BIKE, SKATEBOARD OR ANY, ANY DIRECTION DOWN 14TH. AND THE REASON FOR IT WAS THAT THERE WAS SO MANY BLACK KIDS THAT WALKED THIS WAY. I SAID IF YOU WANT TO PLAY, YOU RIDE DOWN 14TH TOWARDS GOODWIN. THEY NO YOU STAY THIS WAY. DON'T HEAD TOWARDS BROADWAY FOR ANY REASON. AND WHEN STEVEN TURNED UP AS A BUDDY OF HIS, I ASKED HIM, I SAID, WHERE DOES STEVEN LIVE? AS LITTLE BOYS WILL DO, HE SAID, WELL YOU KNOW RYAN'S BUDDY, JOE, JOE GARNER WHO LIVES ON HOLIDAY DRIVE, THE GARNER'S GOT 4 OR 5 BOYS AND THEY LIVE ON, I THINK, HOLIDAY CIRCLE OR HOLIDAY DRIVE WHICH IS JUST KIND OF BACK BEHIND US.

RIDGE- UH HUH.

MARK- THEY HAVE ONE SON NAMED JOE, WHO'S RYAN'S AGE AND THEY GOT ANOTHER ONE NAMED CLINT, WHO'S LIKE A YEAR OLDER THAN CHRISTOPHER. AND CHRISTOPHER TOLD ME, HE SAID, WELL STEVIE JUST LIVES A COUPLE OF HOUSES DOWN FROM JOE. I SAID, SO HE JUST LIVES RIGHT OVER THERE BY THE GARNERS. YEAH. I SAID, OKAY, YOU CAN GO PLAY WITH HIM. CAUSE CHRISTOPHER KNEW IF HE'D HAVE TOLD ME THAT THEY LIVED DOWN THERE ON MCAULEY WITH THAT BAYOU IN THEIR BACKYARD THAT I WOULDN'T HAVE LET HIM GONE AND PLAYED WITH STEVEN. YOU KNOW, KIDS ARE SMART. THEY'LL FIGURE YOU. AND HE KNEW THAT I WOULDN'T HAVE LET HIM GO DOWN THERE. I BASICALLY DID NOT KNOW TERRY AND PAM AT ALL. I THOUGHT THEY LIVED BACK THERE ON HOLIDAY AND WHEN WE WERE DOING OUR HOUR AND A HALF SEARCHING AROUND THAT NEIGHBORHOOD, WE WENT UP TO THE GARNER'S HOUSE AND ASKED IF THEY KNEW WHERE STEVEN LIVED. THAT IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A HOUSE OR TWO ON EITHER SIDE OF THEM. AND THEY SAID, WELL, WE KNOW WHO LIVES OVER HERE AND WE KNOW WHO LIVES OVER HERE, AND THERE'S NOT NO LITTLE STEVEN LIVE OVER THERE. SO AT THAT POINT WE DIDN'T, REALLY DIDN'T KNOW, I MEAN, THE MOORE'S ACROSS THE STREET, WE'VE BEEN NEIGHBORS ACROSS THE STREET, UH, SINCE WE BOUGHT, WE MOVED IN THE HOUSE IT SEEMED LIKE IN MARCH, THIS MARCH IT WOULD HAVE BEEN FOUR YEARS AGO. AND THEN IT SEEMED LIKE IN JULY OR AUGUST OF THE SAME YEAR, THEY MOVED IN. I WOULDN'T SAY WE WERE CLOSE FRIENDS, AND WE WEREN'T ENEMIES. IT WAS JUST A NEIGHBOR, HI, AQUAINTANCE. WE HADN'T HAD A LOT TO DO WITH THEM. UH, THEY HAD KIND OF HAD A LITTLE BEEF, NOT A BEEF, BUT I'D SAY THEY, I DON'T REALLY KNOW A WAY OF PUTTING IT. WE HAD HAD SOME BACKYARD BAR B QUE'S WHERE WE WOULD GET TOGETHER AND HAVE FRIENDS OVER. I QUIT INVITING THEM. AND THE REASON WHY I QUIT INVITING THEM IS BECAUSE THEY WOULD GET A LITTLE TOO MUCH TO DRINK AND THEY WOULD GET BELLIGERENT AND LOUD AND THEIR GOOD TIME WOULD INFRINGE ON EVERYBODY ELSES GOOD TIME. SO I BASICALLY JUST QUIT INVITING THEM BECAUSE THEY PARTIED. AND THEN, THIS PAST SUMMER, THEY CALLED THE POLICE ON ME 4 TIMES. I MEAN ONCE, 2 TIMES WAS YOU'VE GOT THE STREET, THEN YOU'VE GOT THAT LITTLE 4 FOOT SECTION OF GRASS, THEN YOU'VE GOT THE SIDEWALK. WELL THERE WOULD BE SOME PEOPLE THAT WOULD COME OVER THAT WOULD PARK IN THE STREET AND THEY WOULD HAVE LITERALLY THE WIDTH OF THEIR TIRE WHEEL IN THAT LITTLE SECTION OF YARD BEFORE YOU GOT TO THE SIDEWALK. THEY HAD CALLED THE POLICE AND SAID WE DON'T WANT THEM PARKING IN OUR YARD. SO THE POLICE WOULD COME OUT. WE'D FIND OUT WHOSE CAR IT WAS, AND THEY'D MOVE IT. ONCE THEY SAID THE MUSIC WAS TOO LOUD. AND THEN THE TIME THEY COMPLAINED ABOUT THAT, AND THE POLICE CAME OUT, THERE WASN'T EVEN ANY MUSIC PLAYING. ONCE THEY SAID ANOTHER CAR WAS PARKED IN THEIR DRIVEWAY AND THAT PARTICULAR INCIDENT I WAS GIVEN DALLAS BROGDON HIS 50TH BIRTHDAY PARTY, WHO WAS THE SHERIFF OF ST. FRANCIS COUNTY FOR 10, 15 YEARS. YOU KNOW, SO THAT WAS BASICALLY. WE JUST REALLY DIDN'T HAVE MUCH TO DO WITH THEM. YOU KNOW, THEY WERE KIND OF MAD AT US, CAUSE WE DIDN'T INVITE THEM. SO WE JUST KIND OF LEFT IT AT THAT. THEY DIDN'T ASSOCIATE WITH US. WE DIDN'T ASSOCIATE WITH THEM. AND EVERYBODY JUST WENT ON ABOUT THEIR BUSINESS.

RIDGE- OKAY. ON THE DAY OF THE DISAPPEARANCE, AND THINKING ABOUT WHAT WAS SAID AND WHO SAID WHAT. WAS ANYTHING THAT JUST STRUCK YOU AS JUST REALLY ODD ABOUT WHAT ANYBODY WAS ASKING OR SAYING, OR...

MARK- OF THE PEOPLE SEARCHING AND LOOKING.

RIDGE- YEAH.

MARK- I DON'T, I DON'T THINK OF ANYTHING THAT COMES TO MIND. YOU KNOW, THAT NIGHT. YOU KNOW, THROUGH ALL OF THIS, THE ONLY THING THAT I HAVE HEARD FROM AND INDIVIDUAL THAT SOUNDED ODD OR WEIRD TO ME, AND I KNOW IT WAS PROBABLY JUST FROM EMOTIONAL STRESS. I KNOW THAT TODD MOORE MADE THE COMMENT, WHEN HE HAD BEEN TOLD THAT HIS SON WAS CASTRATED, THAT HE JUST HAD WISHED THAT THEY'D DONE IT TO ALL OF THEM. AND THEN COME TO FIND OUT, IT WASN'T HIS SON THAT WAS CASTRATED, IT WAS MINE.

RIDGE- OKAY.

MARK- YOU KNOW, THAT'S THE ONLY THING ODD, YOU KNOW THAT I'VE HEARD THAT I THOUGHT WAS KIND OF, MAYBE SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN SAID, BUT I'M GOING TO TAKE IT. YOU KNOW, IT WAS UNDER...

RIDGE- UNDER STRESS.

MARK- UNDER EVERYTHING. I DON'T FEEL LIKE MAYBE HE MEANT IT. BUT THAT'S THE ONLY THING I'D HEARD THAT JUST SOUNDED WEIRD. DURING THE SEARCH I DON'T REMEMBER ANYBODY SAYING, YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY KEPT SAYING THE POLICE THAT WOULD DRIVE BY, WOULD SAY THEY'RE JUST IN SOMEBODY'S HOUSE WATCHING T.V. THEY'VE LOST TRACK OF TIME.

RIDGE- YOU UNDERSTAND THAT THAT'S AN EFFORT TO TRY TO CALM PEOPLE DOWN.

MARK- THAT'S PROBABLY WHAT HAPPENS A LOT OF TIMES.

RIDGE- YEAH, YOU KNOW. I, LET ME ASK YOU. YOU'RE NOT THE BIOLOGICAL FATHER OF CHRISTOPHER.

MARK- NO SIR.

RIDGE- WHAT'S HE LIKE?

MARK- I DON'T EVEN KNOW HIS NAME.

RIDGE- OKAY.

MARK- HE'S IN, I FOUND OUT WHEN WE SAW HIM. HE CAME TO THE FUNERAL. HE NOW LIVES IN INDIANA.

RIDGE- WHAT'S HIS NAME?

MARK- HIS NAME IS RICKY LEE MURRAY.

RIDGE- MURRAY.

MARK- I KNOW THAT HE GAVE MY WIFE A VERY HARD TIME. I KNOW HE WAS VERY MEAN TO HER. I KNOW AT ONE TIME HE TRIED TO PUT LIGHTER FLUID ON HER AND SET HER ON FIRE, OR THREATEN TO. UH, SHE BELIEVES, MY WIFE BELIEVES THAT EITHER HIM OR HIS BROTHER, PATRICK, SEXUALLY ASSAULTED HER OLDER SON RYAN. BECAUSE ONE DAY, RYAN TOLD HER ABOUT SOME THINGS THAT PATRICK DID, THAT PATRICK SAID THEY WERE GOING TO PLAY A GAME. AND UH, THAT RYAN WAS GOING TO BE THE HOT DOG BUN AND HE WAS GOING TO BE THE HOT DOG. AND MELISSA FEELS LIKE THAT THIS UH, HIS NAME'S PATRICK MURRAY, THAT MY WIFE FEELS LIKE THAT PATRICK ASSAULTED RYAN WHEN HE WAS LIKE 4. BUT THIS RICKY, HE'S GOT A RECORD. HE WAS ARRESTED. HE DID 11-29 IN MEMPHIS FOR A HIT AND RUN. HE WAS IN THE PENAL FARM IN MEMPHIS, I THINK, IN '88, I DON'T REALLY KNOW MUCH ABOUT HIM. I KNOW ON ONE OF AMERICA'S MOST WANTED, THEY SHOWED A PICTURE OF SOME CLERK THAT GOT HIT IN THE HEAD BY A BOTTLE OF WHISKEY, AND HAD TALKED ABOUT AN EAGLE TATTOO THAT HE HAD AND RED HAIR AND A BEARD, AND SHOWED A COMPOSITE OF HIM. AND MY WIFE WAS SO SURE THAT THAT WAS HER EX-HUSBAND THAT SHE CALLED AMERICA'S MOST WANTED AND TOLD HER, YOU KNOW TOLD THEM ALL THAT SHE KNEW ABOUT HIM. AND AT THE TIME SHE THOUGHT HE WAS LIVING IN WASHINGTON STATE. THAT WAS ABOUT 2 YEARS AGO. NOW, RICKY WAS NOT THERE WHEN CHRISTOPHER WAS BORN. RICKY LEFT MELISSA BEFORE THE BABY WAS BORN. THEY WERE LEGALLY MARRIED FOUR YEARS, BUT THEY DIDN'T LIVE TOGETHER BUT ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF OUT OF THAT 4 YEARS. THE LAST TIME THAT HE LAID EYES ON CHRISTOPHER, CHRISTOPHER WAS ABOUT 2 AND A HALF OR 3. HE BOUGHT HIM A BICYCLE AND BROUGTH IT TO CHRISTOPHER'S GRANDPARENTS IN MEMPHIS. AND WHEN WE WENT BY THERE AND PICKED IT UP, HE WAS THERE AND SAW HIM FOR JUST A MINUTE.

RIDGE- THE NIGHT THAT CHRISTOPHER CAME UP MISSING. DID ANYBODY CALL RICKY?

MARK- NOT THAT NIGHT. AFTER THE BOYS WERE FOUND, MY WIFE CALLED ONE OF RICKY'S AUNTS THAT WAS A...

RIDGE- OKAY, CONTINUING THE CONVERSATION, UH, CONTACTED AN AUNT OF RICKY'S.

MARK- YES SIR.

RIDGE- OKAY.

MARK- AND THEN AS FAR AS I KNOW, THROUGH THAT FAMILY RELATION, THEY TRACKED HIM DOWN AND TOLD HIM ABOUT IT.

RIDGE- ALRIGHT, WHEN WAS THE FIRST TIME YA'LL HEARD FROM RICKY?

MARK- FIRST TIME WE HEARD FROM HIM WAS TUESDAY EVENING, YOU KNOW, BEFORE OUR FUNERAL ON THE WEDNESDAY. TUESDAY EVENING THERE WAS A KNOCK ON THE DOOR AND IT WAS HIM...

RIDGE- SO, BASICALLY WE NEED TO FIND OUT WHERE HE WAS DURING THAT PERIOD OF TIME.

MARK- WELL YES SIR. I HAVE NO IDEA WHERE HE WAS.

RIDGE- OKAY.

MARK- HE SAYS HE'D BEEN LIVING IN INDIANA.

SUDBURY- DID HE DO ANYTHING AT ALL TO HELP SUPPORT CHRIS IN ANY CHRISTMAS PRESENTS, NO CHILD SUPPORT, NO NOTHING.

MARK- NO BIRTHDAY CARDS. HE HAD NOT SEEN HIM SINCE HE BOUGHT HIM THAT BICYCLE WHEN HE WAS THREE. THERE HAD BEEN NO CONTACT...

RIDGE- DID CHRIS KNOW HIM. DID HE EVEN KNOW HE EXISTED.

MARK- YES, HE KNEW HAD EXISTED BECAUSE HE HAD HEARD HIS GRANDMOTHER AND GRANDFATHER TALK ABOUT RICKY. BUT MY WIFE HAD TALKED WITH HIS GRANDPARENTS. THIS WOULD BE THE GRANDPARENTS WHEN SHE WAS MARRIED TO HIM. IT WAS RICKY'S GREAT GRANDPARENTS ACTUALLY. SO IT WOULD HAVE MADE IT CHRISTOPHER'S GREAT, GREAT GRANDPARENTS. AND MELISSA HAD SAID LOOK, IT REALLY CONFUSES CHRISTOPHER FOR YA'LL TO TALK ABOUT RICKY. AND IF YA'LL ARE GOING TO CONTINUE TALKING ABOUT RICKY, I'M NOT GOING TO LET HIM COME OVER HERE. SO THEY QUIT TALKING ABOUT RICKY, ABOUT RICKY'S REALLY YOUR DADDY AND MARK'S JUST YOUR STEP-DADDY AND RICKY REALLY LOVES YOU, BUT HE CAN'T BE WITH YOU NOW. YOU KNOW, AND CRAP LIKE THAT. AND THAT WAS CONFUSING A CHILD, AND HE DIDN'T NEED TO HEAR THAT. AND THEN WHEN HE WAS 4, I BELIEVE IT WAS WHEN HE WAS 4 OR 5, I ADOPTED HIM. JAN THOMAS HANDLED MY ADOPTION. WE DID EVERYTHING WE COULD TO TRY TO FIND LAST KNOWN ADDRESS TO SEND HIM THE RECORDS AND YOU KNOW THAT HE NEEDED TO SIGN, AND COULDN'T FIND HIM ANYWHERE. BUT WHEN HE CAME TO OUR HOUSE TUESDAY, HE HAD MADE THE COMMENT, HIS GRANDMOTHER HAD PASSED AWAY AT THE END OF DECEMBER. AND BEFORE SHE PASSED AWAY, SHE HAD BEEN IN A COMA FOR QUITE A LONG TIME, AND WAS ON LIFE SUPPORT FOR LIKE 3 OR 4 WEEKS BEFORE SHE PASSED AWAY. WELL WE HAD HEARD THAT HE HAD COME TO MEMPHIS AND GONE UP TO THE HOSPITAL, AND THEY HAD TOLD HIM THEY REALLY DIDN'T KNOW WHEN HIS GRANDMOTHER, YOU KNOW, WOULD PASS AWAY. AND HE MADE THE COMMENT AT OUR HOUSE. WELL, I JUST COULDN'T STAY UP THERE IN THE HOSPITAL. WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY WORK. WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY MONEY. SO, HE, I THINK HE'S A CARPENTER BY TRADE. HE SAID, SO I WENT DOWN TO FLORIDA TO SEE IF I COULD PICK UP SOME WORK DOWN THERE. HE SAID, WE'RE LIVING IN INDIANA NOW. AND I MEAN, WE WEREN'T EVEN ASKING HIM, WE YOU KNOW, WE HOPED WE NEVER SEE HIM AGAIN. HE WAS JUST TELLING US THAT HE LIVED IN INDIANA. AND THE WOMAN THAT WAS WITH HIM, I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S HIS WIFE, OR, I DON'T KNOW. IT'S JUST A BLONDE-HEADED WOMAN THAT WAS WITH HIM. BUT AT THE FUNERAL, HE CAME OUT TO THE GRAVESIDE SERVICES. AND I NOTICED WHEN WE WERE SITTING IN THE LIMOUSINE AFTER EVERYBODY KIND OF BACKED AWAY FROM THE TENT. THERE WAS A GUY THAT HAD REAL SHORT RED HAIR AND A REAL SHORT CROPPED NEAT BEARD. HE WAS ABOUT 6'1, 6'2, MAYBE 170 POUNDS. IT WAS HIM, THEN AN ELDERLY WOMAN, WHICH WAS HIS MOTHER, THEN A BLACK-HEADED, CURLY-HEADED GIRL, WHICH IS HIS SISTER, AND HER SISTER'S EITHER BOYFRIEND OR HUSBAND. HAD KIND OF CURLY LONG BLACK HAIR, AND KIND OF A GRUBBY BEARD. THEY KIND OF STOOD UP UNDER THE CANOPY THERE FOR A MINUTE WHILE WE WERE WAITING TO LEAVE. PEOPLE WERE STOPPING BY TO SPEAK TO MELISSA, AND I LOOKED OVER, AND JUST HAPPENED TO SEE 'EM STANDING UP THERE.

RIDGE- SHORTLY, I MEAN, JUST PRIOR TO THE KIDS COMING UP MISSING, HAD YOU GOTTEN ANY VISITORS THAT JUST, OUT OF THE BLUE. YOU DON'T EVER REMEMBER THEM EVER VISITING BEFORE, OR...

MARK- DID SOMEBODY COME UP TO THE HOUSE?

RIDGE- YEAH. ANY SALESMEN IN THE AREA? SOMEBODY THAT HAD JUST BEEN VISITING THAT YOU HADN'T SEEN HIM IN A LONG TIME. HE COMES TO VISIT- MAN OR WOMAN. NOTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY.

MARK- I CAN'T THINK OF ANYBODY, YOU KNOW, THAT'S NOT LIKE A REGULAR PERSON THAT WOULD STOP BY AND VISIT FROM THE CHURCH, OR EITHER ANY FRIENDS OF OURS THAT COMES BY REGULAR. I CAN'T THINK, I CAN'T THINK OF ANYBODY CAME UP SELLING ANYTHING OR MAYBE A STRANGER COME UP ASKING FOR DIRECTIONS, OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

RIDGE- ALRIGHT. ANYBODY IN YOUR FAMILY THAT HAS A HISTORY OF ABUSE?

MARK- NO SIR.

RIDGE- OKAY. UH, CAN YOU THINK OF ANYTHING WE NEED TO BE ASKING? CAN YOU THINK OF A DIRECTION WE OUGHT TO BE GOING IN?

SUDBURY- SOMEONE YOU THINK WE OUGHT TO TALK TO?

RIDGE- OR SOMEBODY YOU'VE WONDERED ABOUT.

SUDBURY- OR HAD SOMEONE THAT CHRIS SAID HE WAS AFRAID OF, OR LEARY OF.

MARK- WHO ALL'S GOING TO HEAR THAT TAPE? I MEAN...

RIDGE- ONLY US INVESTIGATOR'S.

MARK- I MEAN, NOT LIKE THE MEDIA, OR...

RIDGE- NO, DEFINITELY NOT.

MARK- I'M NOT TRYING TO KEEP SOMETHING FROM YOU, I JUST DON'T KNOW HOW TO BRING THIS OUT, UH.....

SUDBURY- IT WOULDN'T HAVE TO DO WITH ANTHONY GRIFFIN WOULD IT?

MARK- WHO?

SUDBURY- ANTHONY GRIFFIN.

MARK- ANTHONY GRIFFIN.

SUDBURY- LEE ANTHONY GRIFFIN.

MARK- LEE ANTHONY GRIFFIN. LEE ANTHONY GRIFFIN. I KNOW A LEE GRIFFIN.

SUDBURY- WELL, I MEAN, GRIFFIN, HE'S THE SAME GUY.

MARK- IN MEMPHIS.

SUDBURY- YEAH.

MARK- THAT...

SUDBURY- IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT?

MARK- THAT'S WHAT I'M THINKING ABOUT.

RIDGE- WHAT MAKES YOU THINK WE OUGHT TO BE LOOKING AT HIM?

MARK- CAUSE...

RIDGE- DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU MIGHT BE VINDICTIVE TOWARDS HIM? I'M SURE YOU KNOW WHY OR YOU WOULDN'T HAVE HIS NAME.

MARK- YEAH, I KNOW ALL ABOUT HIM.

RIDGE- OKAY, I MEAN, I DON'T KNOW. I KNOW I HAVE HEARD THAT HE HAD BEEN ARRESTED IN MEMPHIS FOR HOMOSEXUAL ACTIVITY.

SUDBURY- IS THERE SOMETHING ELSE YOU WERE THINKING OF BEFORE I SAID THAT?

MARK- NO. THAT WAS THE PERSON I WAS WONDERING ABOUT.

RIDGE- ALRIGHT. IS THAT,....I'VE GOT A PICTURE. DOES THAT RING A BELL? HAVE YOU EVER SEEN HIM?

MARK- THIS ISN'T THAT T.J. I WAS TELLING YOU ABOUT. THAT'S NOT HIM. AND THAT'S DEFINITELY ISN'T LEE GRIFFIN.

RIDGE- NOT SOMEBODY THAT JUST STICKS OUT THAT YOU KNOW THEN.

SUDBURY- DID YOU SEE THIS PERSON HELP TRY TO LOCATE THE BOYS?

MARK- THIS ONE, HELP TRY TO LOCATE THE BOYS.

SUDBURY- DID YOU SEE HIM OUT THERE ANYWHERE? HAVE YOU EVER SEEN ANYBODY THAT EVEN RESEMBLES THAT MAN?

MARK- HE KIND OF DOES LOOK FAMILIAR TO ME.

SUDBURY- FROM WHERE?

MARK- I WANT TO SAY HE KIND OF LOOKS LIKE SOMEBODY THAT I RAN INTO NOT TO LONG AGO DOWN AT FLASH MARKET THERE AT INGRAM. YOU KNOW, COMING IN, GOING OUT.

SUDBURY- JUST IN THERE BUYING CIGARETTES OR SOMETHING.

MARK- YEAH, I WAS JUST IN THERE GETTING MILK, OR CIGARETTES, OR SOMETHING...

SUDBURY- IS HE A CUSTOMER, OR...

MARK- HE WAS COMING IN OR GOING OUT, BUT IT SEEMED LIKE I BUMPED IN, IT WASN'T THAT I BUMPED INTO HIM, BUT HE WAS RIGHT THERE, BECAUSE I HAD A THING OF MILK AND MY SACK BROKE AND THE MILK FELL DOWN AND JUST IT WAS IN A THING, AND I LOOKED UP AND HE WAS LIKE, STANDING THERE. AND IT SEEMED, UH, HE DOES LOOK FAMILIAR, AND I THINK I SAW HIM IN FLASH MARKET. AND IT SEEMED LIKE IT WAS A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO.

RIDGE- DID CHRIS EVER TELL YOU OF SOMEBODY HE MAY HAVE BEEN SCARED OF?

MARK- YOU KNOW, A LOT YOU'LL SEE KIDS COME IN LOTS OF TIMES. THERE'S A GUY DOWN THE STREET THAT'S JUST WEIRD. HE, BOY. DON'T GO AROUND HIS HOUSE. 'CAUSE HE'S GOING TO RUN YOU OFF. SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

RIDGE- DO YOU REMEMBER ANYBODY HE WAS SCARED OF? THESE ARE SORT OF OPEN-END QUESTIONS. AND IT'S SOMETHING HE...

MARK- I'M THINKING.

RIDGE- THAT'S WHAT I MEAN. IT'S SOMETHING FOR YOU TO THINK ABOUT. IF YOU CAN'T GIVE ME AN ANSWER TODAY, THESE ARE THINGS I WANT YOU TO THINK ABOUT AND GIVE ME A CALL LATER.

MARK- ALRIGHT.

RIDGE- AND ANOTHER THING. IS THERE ANYBODY THAT YOU NORMALLY SEE AROUND THAT YOU HAVEN'T SEEN SINCE THIS HAPPENED? THIS IS ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE QUESTIONS I JUST WANT YOU TO THINK ABOUT. MAYBE CALL ME. IF NOTHING JUST OBVIOUS COMES UP RIGHT NOW. CALL ME LATER.

MARK- I SEE WHAT YOU'RE ASKING. SOMEONE THAT USED TO COME AROUND A LOT, AND NOW SINCE THIS HAPPENED THEIR JUST LIKE GONE, YOU COULDN'T FIND 'EM. AND THE ONLY OTHER THING ABOUT LEE GRIFFIN. I HAD JUST, BECAUSE OF A SITUATION THAT HAPPENED. AND I'M SURE YOU'RE AWARE OF, THAT I WORKED WITH THE CITY HERE ON. I JUST FELT LIKE MAYBE HE WOULD BE VINDICTIVE. I DON'T KNOW IF HE HAS AT ANY OR NOT.

SUDBURY- IS THERE ANYBODY ELSE LIKE LEE THAT YOU DEALT WITH IN THAT SAME MANNER?

MARK- UH.

SUDBURY- THAT MAYBE YOU MADE ONE OTHER ATTEMPT OR SOMETHING THAT...

MARK- WELL, I HELPED 'EM ON A METH LAB OUT IN MARION, BUT I NEVER GOT DIRECTLY INVOLVED IN...

SUDBURY- IS THERE ANYONE FROM MEMPHIS THAT, PERHAPS YOU TALKED TO OCU ABOUT?

MARK- YES, THERE SURE IS. BUT, I THINK HE'S IN JAIL RIGHT NOW. HIS NAME..DO YOU WANT HIS NAME?

SUDBURY- DOESN'T MATTER.

MARK- YEAH, HIS NAME WAS SCOTTY REDDIN.

RIDGE- OKAY.

MARK- I WORKED WITH...

SUDBURY- SCOTTY'S FROM WEST MEMPHIS, IS HE NOT?

MARK- I THINK SO, AND HIS GIRLFRIEND OR SOMETHING, LIVES DOWN THERE OFF MCAULEY, I THINK. OR NO, HIS WIFE'S SISTER LIVES ON MCAULEY. DRIVES A LITTLE MAROON CHEVROLET PICK-UP TRUCK. AND THEY WERE JUST BOUND AND DETERMINED, SCOTTY'S SISTER, SCOTTY'S SISTER-IN-LAW, LET ME GET IT RIGHT. EVERYTIME SHE'D SEE ME OR MELISSA, SHE'D FLIP US OFF, CUSS US - YOU SON OF A BITCHES, WE'RE GOING TO GET YOU. WE KNOW YOU BUSTED SCOTTY. YOU KNOW, THINGS LIKE THAT.

SUDBURY- ANYBODY ELSE LIKE SCOTTY, OR LEE THAT...

MARK- SCOTTY AND LEE ARE THE ONLY TWO PEOPLE I'VE WORKED WITH THAT, YOU KNOW...

SUDBURY- IN THAT MANNER.

MARK- IN THAT MANNER.

SUDBURY- THAT WOULD HAVE SOME TYPE OF GRUDGE OR WHATEVER AGAINST YOU.

MARK- IF THEY KNEW FOR SURE I DID IT.

SUDBURY- OKAY.

MARK- OF COURSE THEY HAD, LEE DEFINITELY HAD SUSPICION. HELL, HE LEFT MY HOUSE AND GOT ON BROADWAY AND BOOM, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S JUST ONE OF THEM THINGS.

SUDBURY- OKAY.

RIDGE- WE'VE INTERVIEWED A BUNCH OF PEOPLE. HAS ANYBODY CAME BACK TO YOU AND TOLD YOU WHAT WE'RE ASKING.

MARK- NO.

RIDGE- YOU HAVEN'T TALKED TO ANYBODY WE'VE INTERVIEWED?

MARK- THE ONLY PERSON THAT I HAVE TALKED TO IS THE LITTLE FELLOW THAT'S A FRIEND OF MINE, ANDY TAYLOR. I THINK SOMEBODY CAME DOWN TO THE FUNERAL HOME AND GOT HIM. AND UH, I ASKED HIM. HE SAID WELL, THEY JUST ASKED ME, YOU KNOW, A FEW GENERAL QUESTIONS. AND UH, I TOLD THEM THAT I'D COOPERATE IN ANY WAY. THAT IF THEY WANTED BLOOD OR HAIR, OR WHATEVER THEY WANTED, I'D BE GLAD TO GIVE IT TO 'EM, SO THEY COULD GET ON TO SOMEBODY ELSE. AND THAT'S ALL HE SAID.

RIDGE- THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE DOING HERE TODAY.

MARK- THAT'S PRETTY MUCH WHAT I FIGURED.

SUDBURY- IS THERE SOMETHING THAT YOU THINK YOU NEED TO TELL US ABOUT, THAT MAYBE WE JUST HAVEN'T TOUCHED ON? CAUSE I KNOW WE'VE BEEN THROWING A LOT OF QUESTIONS AT YOU, BUT JUST SOMETHING THAT, THAT'S IN THE BACK OF YOUR MIND THAT WE JUST HAVEN'T GIVEN YOU AN OPPORTUNITY TO SAY YET.

MARK- I HAD REALLY WONDERED ABOUT LEE AND SCOTTY REDDIN. YOU KNOW, THOSE WERE TWO THAT I HAD WONDERED ABOUT. UH, I HAD WONDERED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT DANIEL HATCHET.

SUDBURY- WHO'S DANIEL?

MARK- HE WAS A FELLOW THAT I WAS PARTNERS WITH FOR A WHILE OVER HERE AT THIS PAWN SHOP. AND I FOUND OUT THROUGH DICK BUSBY THAT HE WAS JUST BOGUS AND NOT A GOOD BUSINESS PARTNER TO BE IN BUSINESS WITH. SO I HAD MIKE MORGAN INVESTIGATE HIM, AND MIKE MORGAN FOUND OUT THAT HE DIDN'T LIVE WHERE HE SAID HE WAS. THAT HE NEVER WAS A LAWYER LIKE HE SAID HE WAS. HE'S RIDING AROUND RIGHT NOW, WITH HOUSE OR REPRESEN....TENNESSEE. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TAGS ON HIS CAR. THEY SAY RWS. HE AIN'T NO DAMN HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. BUT I HAD MY JEWELRY STORE HERE, AND HAD DONE JEWELRY WORK FOR HIM, AND KNOWN HIM FOR YEARS, AND HE HAD PRESENTED HIMSELF TO ME THAT HE WAS A LAWYER AND THAT HE LIVED ON WALNUT GROVE, AND THAT HE HAD MILLIONS OF DOLLARS. AND WHEN I CAME DOWN WITH THIS BRAIN TUMOR, HE KNEW I WAS CLOSING MY STORE, AND HE SAID, WELL WHY DON'T WE OPEN US UP THIS PAWN SHOP SINCE YOU KNOW THE JEWELRY BUSINESS AND I GOT THE MONEY. WE'LL RUN THIS THING. WELL. THINGS JUST STARTED GETTING KINKY, AND THINGS WOULD COME IN TO WHERE I KNEW WE SHOULD BUY. BUT HE WOULDN'T BUY IT. SO I STARTED THINKING, WELL, IF HE'S GOT ALL THE MONEY HE SAYS HE'S GOT, WHY WOULDN'T HE, YOU KNOW, GET THAT. SO A FRIEND OF MINE FROM HOUSTON NAMES MATT ELBONN WHO'S A GOLD BUYER. HE TRAVELS AROUND THE COUNTRY, YOU KNOW AND BUYS SCRAP GOLD. CAME IN THAT DAY, AND THE FIRST DAY HE MET HIM, HE TOLD ME, YOUR PARTNER'S BOGUS. AND THE NEXT DAY, HE COME HOME, HE CAME, HE WORKED IN MEMPHIS, AND HE SPENT THE NIGHT WITH US, AND HE CAME IN, HE SAID, HERE'S MIKE MORGAN'S CAR, I'VE HIRED HIM TO RIND OUT WHERE THAT GUY LIVES. AND COME TO FIND OUT HE LIVED ON AVON, OFF OF SUMMER STREET IN MEMPHIS JUST IN A LITTLE OLD DUMP. AND THEN UH, PROBABLY 5 OR 6 MONTHS LATER, MY WIFE AND I DRIVE BY THERE AND THERE'S ALL THIS GARBAGE OUT ON THE STREET WHERE HE'D BEEN EVICTED FROM HIS HOUSE. AND THEN WHEN I QUESTIONED HIM ABOUT IT, HE TOLD ME, HE SAID OH, HE SAID, I'M IN THE WITNESS, FEDERAL WITNESS PROTECTION PROGRAM AND ALL THIS OTHER BIG LINE OF BULLSHIT. AND THAT'S WHY I'VE GOT THOSE TAGS ON MY CAR. THAT'S WHY I HAD TO TELL YOU I WAS A LAWYER. I'M REALLY PROTECTED BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, AND THEY PAY ME A SALARY. JUST, YOU KNOW, THE BIGGEST PATHOLOGICAL LIAR I'VE EVER MET IN MY LIFE. AND HE CONNED THE CRAP OUT OF ME. YOU KNOW, CAUSE I MOVED ALL MY STUFF IN FROM THE STORE DOWN THERE, THEN I HAD JAN THOMAS DRAW UP A PARTNERSHIP DISCLOSURE AGREEMENT WHERE HE BOUGHT ME OUT. NOW, FOR QUITE A WHILE AFTER THAT, HE CAN GO, YOU KNOW FROM WHERE THE PAWN SHOP IS OVER THERE. THERE'S MANY DIFFERENT WAYS TO GET TO THE POST OFFICE. HE WOULD MAKE A HABIT TO COME DOWN BARTON AND STOP AT THE STOP SIGN OR COME UP 14TH STOP SIGN, AND IF YOU'D SEE ANY OF US OUT IN THE YARD, HE'D CUSS US OR FLIP US OFF OR CUSS, YOU KNOW, - YOU LITTLE SON OF A BITCHES, YOU KNOW, CUSSING AT MY KIDS AND STUFF. AND I DESPISED HIM. YOU KNOW, I MEAN TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH, YOU KNOW, I REALLY CAN'T STAND THE GUY, TO BE HONEST WITH YOU. HE CONNED ME, TOOK ME FOR A RIDE AND A HALF. AND THEN ENDED UP WITH MY SAFE, MY ALARM SYSTEM, MY SHOWCASES. HE BOUGHT 'EM FROM ME FOR A LOT LESS THAN I HAD IN 'EM. BUT, I HAVEN'T SEEN HIM DRIVE AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD LATELY AT ALL. BUT THOSE WOULD BE THE ONLY 3 PEOPLE THAT I COULD THINK OF THAT MIGHT BE VINDICTIVE, YOU KNOW, TOWARDS ME. OR THAT MAYBE HAD A BONE TO PICK WITH ME.

RIDGE- ALRIGHT. THE DAY THAT THE BOYS CAME UP MISSING, WAS THERE ANY KIND OF A CONFLICT? ANY KIND OF ARGUEMENT BETWEEN YOU AND YOUR WIFE, YOU AND THE BOYS, ANYTHING LIKE THAT?

MARK- THERE WAS NO CONFLICT BETWEEN MY WIFE AND I. I GOT HOME, I WAS IN THE CLINIC FROM 9 O'CLOCK TO ABOUT 2:45 HAVING MORE TESTS MADE OVER IN MEMPHIS. I GOT HOME, AND IT WAS 10 AFTER 3. WELL CHRISTOPHER'S INSTRUCTIONS WERE IF I AM NOT AT HOME WHEN YOU GET HOME, WAIT RIGHT UNDER THE CAR PORT TIL 20 AFTER 3. YOUR BROTHER RYAN WILL BE HERE. HE'LL UNLOCK THE DOOR AND LET YOU IN. CAUSE HE WASN'T OLD ENOUGH FOR ME TO LET HAVE A HOUSE KEY. SO I LET RYAN, WHO'S ALMOST 14, HAVE A HOUSE KEY. AND I, JUST AT TIMES, I'D GO TO THE POST OFFICE OR GROCERY STORE, OR MAYBE PICK UP A PART, AND I WOULDN'T GET HOME RIGHT AT 3 O'CLOCK. AND THIS PARTICULAR TIME, I KNEW I WAS AT THE HOSPITAL. BUT I GOT HOME AT 10 AFTER 3. HE WASN'T, I DIDN'T, HE WASN'T THERE. HE WASN'T IN THE YARD. I HOLLERED, I DIDN'T SEE HIM. I WAITED, RYAN GOT HOME AT LIKE, 3:30, 3:35. HE HAD TO BE AT COURT DOWN HERE AT 4 O'CLOCK. AND WE WAITED TIL LIKE, 10 TIL 4. AND I SAID, WELL, COME ON. WE'RE, I GOT TO TAKE YOU TO COURT. I'LL LEAVE, YOU KNOW, THE DOOR UNLOCKED AND CHRISTOPHER CAN GET IN WHEN HE GETS HOME. I TOOK RYAN TO COURT AND THEN AT LIKE, 10 MINUTES TIL 5, I SAID, I GOT TO GO PICK YOUR MOM UP. CHAD BELL AND HIS MOTHER WAS THERE. I SAID IF YOU GET OUT OF COURT BEFORE I GET BACK, LET CHADD BELL AND HIS MOM GIVE YOU A RIDE HOME. I SAID, WHEN I GET HOME, IF YOU'RE NOT THERE, I SAID, IF YOU GET OUT OF COURT BEFORE, YOU KNOW, I GET HOME, DON'T GO OFF PLAYING SOMEWHERE, CAUSE I'LL BE COMING DOWN TO THE COURTHOUSE TO GET YOU. STAY HOME IF YOU GET OUT OF COURT BEFORE I GET THERE. WELL WE CAME HOME. WE HAD NOTICED THAT CHRISTOPHER HAD BEEN BACK TO THE HOUSE, BECAUSE I'D THOUGHT I'D LEFT THE DOOR UNLOCKED. AND I HADN'T LEFT, I DIDN'T LEAVE THE DOOR UNLOCKED, IT WAS LOCKED. BUT THE CARPORT WINDOW RIGHT THERE, HE KNEW YOU COULD PUSH IT UP, CAUSE IT DOESN'T LOCK GOOD. SO HE HAD GOTTEN ONE OF THE LAWN CHAIRS, PUSHED IT OVER IN FRONT OF THE WINDOW, AND HE HAD TRIED TO PUSH THE WINDOW IN, BUT WE GOT A MICROWAVE CART RIGHT INSIDE THE WINDOW THERE, AND THERE'S FLOWERS AND STUFF SITTING ON IT. AND HE REALIZED THAT HE COULDN'T GET THE WINDOW UP ENOUGH BY HIMSELF TO CRAWL IN THE WINDOW, SO HE TOOK OFF. WELL THIS IS LIKE 5:20, CAUSE I JUST GOT HOME WITH MY WIFE. I THOUGHT, WELL, I'M GOING TO GO GET RYAN. WELL I BACKED OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY, HEADED UP 14TH TOWARDS BROADWAY, AND I HAD GOT MAYBE 4 OR 5 HOUSES YOU KNOW DOWN 14TH HEADED TO BROADWAY. AND MAYBE, MAYBE FROM HERE TO THE CURB, THIS IS THE STREET AND THAT'S THE CURB- RIGHT ABOUT HERE, OUT IN THE STREET, IS CHRISTOPHER LAYING ON HIS STOMACH DOING HIS HANDS LIKE THIS ON THE SKATEBOARD HEADING TO BROADWAY. I PULLED UP BEHIND HIM IN THE CAR. HE DIDN'T EVEN HEAR ME. I HONKED THE HORN. HE TURNED AROUND. HE WAS IT WAS DADDY. AND I'VE TOOK BACK A MILLION TIMES FOR...AND I'VE TOOK BACK A MILLION TIMES FOR SPANKING HIM. YOU KNOW, WHEN I TOOK HIM BACK HOME, BUT I TOOK HIM BACK HOME. AND IN THE CAR I SAID, SON, WHAT'S THE RULE WHEN YOU GET OUT OF SCHOOL- COME HOME. I SAID, IF I'M NOT HERE, WHAT ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO DO? - WAIT ON RYAN. I SAID, WHEN RYAN COMES IN AND LETS YOU IN, WHAT ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO DO? - WAIT RIGHT HERE IN THE YARD. I SAID, WELL WHAT WERE YOU DOING ON YOUR SKATEBOARD IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET, LAYING DOWN. WELL, I WAS JUST SKATING, DAD. I SAID, WELL SON, YOU KNOW YOU GOT A SPANKING COMING. YES SIR. SO, THERE AT OUR BAR, HE HELD ON TO THE BAR. I GAVE HIM 2 OR 3 LICKS, AND I SAID, NOW I'M GOING TO GET RYAN. YOU KNOW, HIS MOM WAS SITTING RIGHT THERE IN THE KITCHEN. I SAID, NOW I'M GOING TO GET RYAN. YOU CLEAN UP THE PAPER UNDER THE CARPORT HERE. THAT'S THE REST OF YOUR PUNISHMENT. AS SOON AS I GET BACK WITH RYAN, WE'RE GOING TO EAT SUPPER. AND I HAVE, YOU KNOW, IF I COULD HAVE TOOK WHIPPING HIM BACK, I'D A DONE IT A MILLION TIMES, BUT I WAS JUST TRYING TO KEEP HIM SAFE. I WAS JUST TRYING, YOU KNOW, TO KEEP FROM SOMETHING LIKE THIS HAPPENING.

RIDGE- I UNDERSTAND.

MARK- YOU KNOW, I JUST, A MILLION TIMES, SON, IF YOU'D OF JUST MINDED ME, THIS ONE TIME. IF YOU'D A JUST MINDED ME, THIS ONE TIME...

SUDBURY- ARE YOU TAKING ANY KIND OF MEDICATION RIGHT NOW? I MEAN, I KNOW YOU SAID YOU, I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT YOUR MEDICAL HISTORY. YOU SAID YOU HAD BEEN TO THE CLINIC IN MEMPHIS FOR...

MARK- UH, I'VE GOT A BRAIN TUMOR, AND WHAT THEY'RE TRYING TO DO, IS THEY'RE, I'VE BEEN HAVING BLACK OUTS AND EVEN IT'S COOL IN HERE AT TIMES, I JUST POP OUT IN A SWEAT. AND THEN WHEN I BREAK OUT IN A SWEAT, A BAD MIGRAINE HEADACHE STARTS. I START GETTING LIKE, TUNNEL VISION, AND THEN IT'S LIKE SOMEBODY FLASHES A CAMERA IN FRONT OF YOU, AND IT'S JUST LIKE SPOTS IN FRONT OF ME. SO THEY THOUGHT THE BRAIN TUMOR WAS GROWING. TWO YEARS AGO THE MRI FOUND IT. SO NOT HAVING, YOU KNOW, ANY INSURANCE OR ANYTHING, I WAS REFERRED BY THE DOCTOR TO GO TO THE MONROE CLINIC. AND HE HELPED ME GET IN THERE. AND THEN THEY DID ANOTHER MRI. AND SAID THE BRAIN TUMOR DOESN'T SHOW THAT IT'S GROWN VERY LITTLE AND IT HASN'T MOVED VERY LITTLE, SO IT'S POSSIBLY SOMETHING MEDICAL. SO WE WANT YOU TO COME BACK ON THE 5TH, AND WE'RE GOING TO RUN SOME MEDICAL TESTS, THEY SAID, BUT, WE WANT YOU TO START TAKING TEGRATAL, WHICH IS AN ANTI-SEIZURE MEDICINE TO KEEP....

RIDGE- SO THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE TAKING NOW.

MARK- DILANTANT. I TRIED TO TAKE IT, BUT IT CAUSES YOUR GUMS TO BLEED, AND IT'S REAL BAD ON YOUR TEETH, SO I COULDN'T TAKE IT, SO I TOOK TEGRITAL IS WHAT HE PRESCRIBED FOR ME.

RIDGE- YOU STILL TAKING IT?

MARK- I HAVE, I'VE PROBABLY TAKEN 7 OR 8 OF THEM SINCE THEN BECAUSE THE SIDE EFFECTS ALL THEY MAKE YOU SLEEPY. SO I DIDN'T WANT TO TAKE THEM DURING THE DAY, SO WHENEVER I'D TAKE ONE, IT WOULD JUST BE AT NIGHT WHEN I'D GO TO BED.

SUDBURY- ARE YOU TAKING ANYTHING ELSE?

MARK- TODAY, LIKE I TOLD THE OTHER INSPECTOR, I TOOK A 10 MILLIGRAM VALIUM ABOUT 2 O'CLOCK. MY HEAD WAS JUST POUNDING. AND I TOOK A 10 MILLIGRAM VALIUM, I LAID DOWN IN THE BED, THEN GARY CALLED ME AND SAID YA'LL WANTED TO TALK TO ME AND I SAID, FINE, YOU KNOW. TO COME GET ME, WHATEVER.

SUDBURY- YOU SAID YOU DIDN'T HAVE ANY HEALTH INSURANCE. DO YOU HAVE ANY LIFE INSURANCE? DO YOU HAVE ANY LIFE INSURANCE ON EITHER ONE OF YOUR KIDS, OR YOUR WIFE OR,...NONE AT ALL.

MARK- I HAD, WHEN WE HAD OUR STORE. AND IT WAS GOING GOOD. BUT THEN ONE YEAR I WAS IN THE HOSPITAL 5 TIMES WITH THE BRAIN TUMOR. THEY THOUGHT I HAD EPILEPSY AND THEN THEY THOUGHT MAYBE I HAD A BRAIN ANURISM. YOU KNOW, AND THEY WERE JUST KIND OF, I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'D CALL IT, JUST LOOKING TO TRY TO FIND OUT WHAT WAS WRONG WITH ME. THEY FOUND OUT AT ONE TIME THAT I HAD BIOMENINGITIS, AND THEY THOUGHT MAYBE THAT'S WHAT CAUSED IT. UH, AND IN THE COURSE OF CLOSING MY STORE I LOST MY LIFE INSURANCE, AND THEN I LOST MY MEDICAL INSURANCE AND I HAD TO FILE 		"Bratty Mama Leci"



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Obscuregawdess PostPosted: Sun May 25, 2008 12:37 pm

yankee-in-france wrote:


Oh, no, I haven't even gotten to Hobbs yet but I have read a bit about JMB. A great way to hide the evidence, wear it! A great way to escape dental confirmation, get rid of your teeth! Great way to get rid of murder weapon, give it to a film producer! You've given us quite a case.


YES! And a great way to deflect, blame someone else. At first, he clung to the WM3 being guilty. Then, when he realized there was money involved and that more awareness was being raised on the injustice in Arkansas, he decided he could turn to Hobbs. Someone guilty surely wouldn't change his mind on the WM3's guilt, would they? I mean, it could fit the profile of a guilty man.

I am still leaning more towards Hobbs being guilty and not JMB, but what you said... I could not get those things out of my head. Same clothes for three days, false teeth, and the knife... However, now they know no wounds were made by a knife. It still seemed very odd. I still have my suspicions with Byers and still have questions I'd like to ask him... 		"Bratty Mama Leci"



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Obscuregawdess PostPosted: Sun May 25, 2008 1:22 pm

NCIC

For clarification in 1994 it is Tom Salp with the FBI Behavior Unit.

Clarification for those who suggest John Mark Byers was not investigated soon enough I suggest to you go review case documents numbered below.

The NCIC report provided to Mike Allen is dated 5-8-93.
Number 000857
It gives name, address, race, sex, hgt(606), weight(245), eyes, hair, birthplace(TN), ADL# and SS#.
Traffic Violation Report
Offense: 8-4-91 Convicted Date 9-9-91
Offense/Action 0-10
Susp 10-29-91 to 11-26-91 Fail/Appear Marion Jonesboro

Document 000858 is Fingerprint.
Tattoos SC ABDOM
Scars-Marks-
NCIC/WMP2
The criminal history record is maintained and available from the following: FBI#

Document 000859 contains instruction per tracking number.
This Interstate identification index response is the result of your record request for FBI#. The following will respond to your agency: FBI/#********

1-Arrested or Received 7-29-92
Agency Case- *****-***
Charge 1-Consp to Commit Fel Cocaine
Charge 2- Carrying Dangerous Weapon

This is an arrest. This means that the conviction was not made as of this date. Byers was eligible to enter a diversion program to avoid prosecution because he had no prior felony convictions. This information is also in BOI.

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Obscuregawdess PostPosted: Sun May 25, 2008 1:27 pm

Profile Notes - John Mark Byers 1/24/94

Page 1

Tom Self FBI Quantico-Behavior Unit
1-24-94 Ref: Profile of Byers - Sent - 1-21-94
Didn't have anything to do with it.

1. Puts himself @ different location- @ Court
house, talked to wife

Chris in & out while he was gone

2. Neighbor- Dana Moore 6-6 3:00 - riding

3. 2-B/kids-coming home store - with mother-
heading in the direction of Robinhood

Time Factor-

3 - different sightings of kids together,
sightings

Knife- wife, son & Byers

Source and History of knife.

Wouldn't be unusual- him playing with it & cutting
himself & putting it back

Hopefully they can explain the source


Page 2
Only someone who participated due to information
re: Misskelley

One or all would have pointed towards
Byers - Should he had been involved

Window of opportunity due to statements
would have been impossible . Ref. Time.

1 person - would have been difficult to control

Booys hyper street smart/would have at least
one get away

more than 1 person respondsibl
& more than like (1) a person a leader

(response)- type of punishment a individual should get?

from behavor__ give (a) 2nd chance - (NO)
analysis view

(appropriate respond)

Interviews be simotaneous (with Byers, Melissa
(& Ryan

Possibly he not know if cut himself

Page 3

Byers is basking in the media
Attention.

He himself another persons.

Taking advantage of media

Seeing oppourtnities

Also obtained a second opinion



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Obscuregawdess PostPosted: Sun May 25, 2008 1:29 pm

Mr. Byers Was Tested

Should you require further data proving Mr. Byers was being investigated at the onset of this case;

000815
Release of Evidence Form
Sexual Assault Request
Sample
SASS Exam Form 5-19-93
Sent to Prosecutor July 2, 1993.


000854
Fingerprint Request
WMPD-Test Set
The Results of the Examination were Negative.
Sent to Prosecutor July 30, 1993.


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Obscuregawdess PostPosted: Sun May 25, 2008 3:55 pm

Melissa Byers Statement

home.dencity.com/alwm3doc...lissa1.JPG
home.dencity.com/alwm3doc...lissa2.JPG
home.dencity.com/alwm3doc...lissa3.JPG
home.dencity.com/alwm3doc...lissa4.JPG


Interview Melissa Byers 5-25-93 9:20a.m. Hester & Allen

Have lived there at present address - this will the 5th summer. Moores moved in right after. Dana and Melissa got to be friends immediately. Used to have backyard Bar B-Q. - always invited the Moores. Both Todd and Dana would get very drunk.
Approximately 3 months ago Melissa found muddy shoes, socks & blue jeans hidden under a bed. She asked Chris if he had been to Robin Hood he said that he had not - Melissa believes he was lying. Also for the last 3 months Chris had disappeared on a few occasions for a couple of hours - when asked where he had been Chris would say playing with George - does not know if Michael was with him these times or not.
Chris was born Christopher Lee Murray - when he was adopted by Mark approx. 2 or 3 yrs ago his name was changed to Christopher Mark Byers.
Was never aware of Michael or Christopher playing "nasty." If Ryan caught them doing anything he never told her.
Either at the first of this school year or last year Chris had set a couple of fires (small fires) Melissa became concerned that may be he had been molested - she went to the school and talked to the guidance councilor. She also sat Chris down and asked him point blank if anyone had ever touched him. Had explained to him that no one [note: no one underlined] touch him

p.2

were his bathing suit was. Chris told her that he knew that and that no one had ever touched him.
Believes that Chris could have been persuaded to go with a stranger - believes that if he was nice or offered him something - Chris was very trusting - and would talk to anyone. Believes Michael could be persuaded also.
Thinks whoever did this - the boys knew - at least one or all of the boys.
Dusty & Dan Hatchett - believes they are gay - own Southland Pawn Shop - Dusty collects knifes. Dan says that Dusty is his nephew.
Next door neighbor - moved out about 3 months ago - the guy that used to live there was very strange.
Dan & Dusty both knew Chris. Has seen Dan & Dusty drive by the house and has seen Chris talking to them. Dan had a fake badge - was known to show it and tell people that he was a police officer - said that he was arrested twice for Impersonating a Police Officer. Dusty was big time into karate - Took from a girl named Chatter - teaches at Judy's World of Dance. Also delivers flowes for West Memphis Flower Shop.
Chris came home one day this school year with a package of Dinosaur eggs - said that the janitor gave them to him.

INVESTIGATIVE REPORT
OFFENCE: TRIPLE HOMICIDE
VICTIM(S): BYERS, BRANCH & MOORE
CASE NUMBER # 93-05-0666 DATE: 05/25/93

Talked with: Melissa Byers

People she might suspect:

(George?) Christopher - In the last 3 months, about 3 months ago Christopher would be gone for like 2 hours & we would be worried about him, and he would come home & his shoes & socks would be muddy. Melissa Byers stated she felt like he had been to RobinHood area, when she (M.B.) would ask Chris where he had been he said he had been playing with George. (M.B.- said she never found out who George was. Chris never would say he was at robinHood.

Dan Hatchett - Dusty - Southland Pawnshop - they have Drove by the house before. Disagreement with Mark Byers & Dan Hatchett at Pawnshop - thinks Dan & Dusty are Homosexual. has Badge (Police or sheriff) Arrested (Note: Dan is written above the word arrested) for Impersonating a Police officer. Dusty has a knife collection & is into Karate.

[signed] M. Allen/investigator

p.2

(T.J.) a Boy who was about 14 y.o.a. a couple years ago may be 16 or 17 Now he lived on Wilson Chris & Ryan use to go to his house on Wilson (M.B. thought he was a faggot) He live in Memphis, tn. now.

(Jimmy Sellers) w/m Lives in 1900 block of Goodwin. Last December came by for Estimate on fire damage.

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Obscuregawdess PostPosted: Sun May 25, 2008 5:18 pm

Mark & Melissa's statements about the 'mysterious' photo

Mark & Melissa's statements about the 'mysterious' photographer.

[These are handwritten, and the errors are theirs, not mine.]

10-5-93
Sometime around the last of Feb 1993 or the first of March 1993. My Husband and Myself went down to the corner grocery flash Market on Ingram Blvd. We left Ryan and Christopher home. Christopher was playing out under the carport. We returned about 20 minutes later and Christopher came outside telling us a man had taken his picture. When questioned about it Christopher told us the man had on a black coat and pants and shoes also he had black hair. I asked him if the man talked to him or tryed to grab him. He told me no [note: in this spot 'know' is scratched out and 'no' is written above it] howeve the man scared him and he ran into the yard to get away from him. He told me the man took his picture got in his car and left. He told me the man had a green car.
Melissa Byers

10/5/93
Sometime between end of February 1993 & 1st half of March of 1993. My wife Melissa & myself went to grocery store at Flash Market on Ingram around 4:00. We were gone about 15 to 20 minutes.
When we returned home Christopher was inside. When we came in he started telling us about a man taking his picture. We asked what did he look like
Chris said he was wearing a black coat & black pants & shoes black & had sort of long black hair. [note: the 'black' preceding 'hair' is squished in there in smaller letters. It's above the line, and obviously added after 'long hair' was written.] He said the man was driving a green car. Chris was playing under car port when man drove up. He said that he ran out into the yard because the man scared him and we asked what happened and Chris said he just took my picture then got in his car and left.
John Mark Byers

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Obscuregawdess PostPosted: Sun May 25, 2008 5:18 pm

JMB Mortgage Info

www.geocities.com/attyeddy/mortgag1.gif
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Obscuregawdess PostPosted: Sun May 25, 2008 5:44 pm

JMB Inconsistencies (by a wm3db poster)

JOHN MARK BYERS INCONSISTENCIES

Well, maybe it's just me, but I think if you want to make a big deal out of Pam and Joe's inconsistencies, it's just as fair to point out that other people have been known to spread around a little horse manure (erruh, I mean display inconsistency, sorry) from time to time in this case investigation, as well. Let's see, who can we use for an example? Hhmm. How about . .. oh, let us say . . . John Mark Byers?

Do the following inconsistencies really mean much of anything?

I dunno. Maybe it just goes to show you everyone is fallible in the ol' memory department. Or that no one side has a monopoly on its folks not being able to keep their stories straight. Or as an example that there are really very few credible performers in this circus of a story whose statements youd want to absolutely rely upon, no matter side of the West Memphis Three issue you tend to lean towards.

You decide.

---------------

ON THE WHIPPING HE GAVE CHRIS MAY 5, 1993:

BYERS TO LEEZA GIBBONS:
Yes. A whipping accounted to a belt very similar to the one I have on, just a little woven belt, and it was kept there on the door. The children were never beat (sic) or abused. But my stepson, or my son, had on Levi blue jeans and I gave him two swats across the back end, similar to a rolled up paper that you pop a puppy dog with.

BYERS TO NONS:
I take him home I had a talk with him, I swatted him twice on the rear. The belt I used was a lizard skin. At the time I wore alot of Cowboy boots and belts that match, grey lizard skin belt about maybe three-fourths to an inch wide. I remember I folded it over, I had the buckle and the tongue of the belt in my hand, swatted him two times on the britches right there in front of Melissa, right there in the kitchen where he normally
got his whippin and Ryan did too at the kitchen table.

[CSW: Hey, perhaps the belt was 'woven' with lizard skin?]

------------------------

ON HIS TEETH:

BYERS TO LEEZA:
In 1990, when I was starting to have seizures and realized something was going wrong in my body, for 18 months they treated me for epilepsy. And the medication for seizures was Tegretol and Tegretol causes the [unintelligible] disease which eats your gums away from your teeth. I had been in a car wreck a year or so after that, my teeth were just, they were terrible. I couldn't live with em and I had to have them all surgically removed. It wasn't anything mysterious and I've never had anyone contact me and ask me to give any dental records.

BYERS TO SUPPORTERS VIA A TAPED CONVERSATION ON THE STEPS OF JONESBORO COURTHOUSE IN 10/98:

JMB: Bitemarks would exclude me anyway, I don't have any teeth. These are dentures. Yeah. So you gonna take bitemarks of two gum prints, give me a break. They were done before the kids were murdered. Strikes all that theory out. I've had 'em since '93 at the start.

KB: Last time you said it was after.

JMB: My mistake.

BP: How did you lose your teeth? Because I've heard lost em, but not how.

JMB: Uh, because I was taking Tegretol for my epileptic seizures and Tegretol causes periodontal disease and they all started rotting and falling and coming out.


BYERS TO NONS:
[CSW: Byers had a 'little bit' of a different story to tell]:

To give you the lowdown on the teeth. In the Holiday Plaza Mall, right beside where my jewelry store was, there's a dentist, Dr. Scott. In his records you will find where he did, I think it was a root canal, pulled a tooth and then he was one of the first dentists to tell me I had peridontal gum disease. He asked about the medication that I had been on and he's the one that told me that either Tegretol or Dilantin's side effect was peridontal gum disease. In these doctor's reports I had taken both medications. But I had had some teeth chipped and the peridontal disease and this had gotten worse. In Jonesboro in '97 . . .

[CSW: Seems to me, '97 was after the murders, not before, but maybe my memory is a little bit off, as well. ]

. . .they had gotten real bad because up in the mountains after Melissa passed away, I went nuts. I got just as wasted as I could. I went to the meanest little honky tonk bars there was up there and I got in a fight just about every night. I really was hoping someone would kill me. I had several teeth busted that were turning black. They were killing me. I even went to a dentist up there and had a couple of them removed before Melissa passed away. The only way I could get relief was drinking any type of whiskey that I could get, cause I was drinking heavily, and put it in the mouth to use it as mouthwash to numb it.

I couldn't afford dental surgery. There were a dentist and a dental surgeon in my sister's congregation that they told about my problem. They said that if you will bring him here we will do his dental surgery, we will make his dentures and it won't cost you a thing. So, the end of March first of April of '97 I stayed with my sister a couple of weeks and had the dental surgery done. I was told the 3 on the bottom were good and that a bridge is easier to work with than a bottom full plate. It'll be easier for you to get used to, so that's how it ended up.

Now when they came to me and asked about it and of course I said in a jokingly way, oh I had it done a long time before that happened. But, you know that's bullshit and you know when I had it done. I've given you the records and the paperwork and the proof of when and where I had it done.

[CSW: To give him credit, he's admitting here he spreads 'bullshit' when he tells his side of stories. In "a joking way" Ha ha. Trouble is, in that case, how's a person supposed to know what's the @#%$ and what's the shinola whenever he opens his mouth?]

BYERS TO FRIENDS IN PLII:

And the jerks that had the privilege of knocking teeth out of my mouth. Well, that's cuz of them three animals. That provoked me so to get into a violent rage like I had. And that's what it cost me. A whole set of teeth.

[CSW: Let's see, either before or after the murders his teeth were either knocked out in bar fights or fell out due to peridontal disease or were pulled by a dentist. I think I got it now.]

-----------------------


ON CHRIS'S MEDS

BYERS TO LEEZA:
Alright he was bad about forgetting to take his medication, as most children would be, so we took a bottle with like five, or however many he had to have through the day, to his school, and they dispensed it to him. And then he'd been changed to another medication which I don't remember the name of and he was getting off of Ritalin.

BYER TO NONS:
He was treated for hyperactivity and ADD. He had Ritalin, a yellow flat pill about 5 milligrams. Seemed like he was given one a day for a while, then towards the end his medicine increased to two a day. We sent how ever many he needed to school on Monday and the school nurse dispensed to all the children who were on medication every day. I know I read on the website, the WestMemphisThree that undoubtedly he wasn't being given his medicine that we were keeping it from him. It's just the exact opposite give it to him every day. We usually gave it later in the afternoon.

[CSW: The autopsy reports indicate non-therapeutic levels of his medication were present in Chris's system. ]

--------------


ON FIGHTING:

BYERS TO FRIENDS IN PLII:
Those three animals took my baby from me, and they took my wife from me. And I self-destructed, and buddy I'm telling you I got downright mean from the pain they've caused me. It cost me physically and mentally, and all the fights and all that I got into because I went to looking for them. And the bricks that hit me in the head, and the knives that cut these scars on my face.

BYERS DURING HIS POLYGRAPH:
Battershell: From what I see, what you're telling me is, you are not a hateful mean person, you're not the kind of person who goes around causing distress to people. You don't steal, you don't, um, you don't go out of your way to harm people...
JMB: No sir.
Battershell: ...or anything like this. You said there was maybe one time ever that you had, um, hurt someone in a fight or something.
JMB: Oh, I'm sure. In football games I hurt people, you know.
Battershell: Well, yeah, but, you know football's one thing, but did you go out there meaning to hurt somebody?
JMB: Oh, no I went out there for the sport of the game, you know.

BYERS TO NONS:
In Jonesboro in '97, they had gotten real bad because up in the mountains after Melissa passed away, I went nuts. I got just as wasted as I could. I went to the meanest little honky tonk bars there was up there and I got in a fight just about every night. I really was hoping someone would kill me.


-------------------

ON THE LEVEL OF HIS AND CHRIS'S ACTIVITY
TOGETHER IN CUB SCOUTS:

BYERS TO WMPD:
MARK- CHRISTOPHER WAS IN THE CUB SCOUT DEAL...
RIDGE- I MEANT AARRON.

MARK- I DON'T KNOW. CHRISTOPHER HADN'T
GONE BUT TO ONE MEETING UP AT THE CHURCH.
AND IT WAS ONLY BECUASE IT'S THE ONLY MEETING WE KNEW ABOUT. HE WOULD GET A NOTE AT SCHOOL THAT A MEETING WOULD BE TODAY. AND THEN TWO OR THREE DAYS LATER, WE'D FIND IT IN HIS BACKPACK. NOW, HE KNEW WE'D TAKE HIM THEM. I DON'T THINK HE HAD A LOT OF INTEREST IN IT.

BYERS TO LEEZA:
Never in my life have I ever said I wanted to get rid of my son. He was my best friend, he would come home from school and work with me in my shop, and I'd let him make jewelry with me. We went hunting together, fishing together, I was a Boy Scout ranger (sic) with him and pee wee baseball with him. Uh, the Boys Club footballs. I did everything with him!


-----------------

ON DRUG USE

BYERS DURING POLYGRAPH:
Battershell: Do you use drugs?
JMB: No sir.
Battershell: Have you ever used drugs?
JMB: Yes sir.
Battershell: What, what did, what...
JMB: Marijuana, I've tried coke, some pills.
Battershell: Did you ever have a habit?
JMB: No sir.
(talking over each other briefly)
JMB: Just experimenting as a teenager and going
to college.

BYERS IN CHURCH, 9-26-93:
As a young boy at the age of 13, I started down many of the wrong roads, as a lot of teenagers will go down.I remember the first dollar I stole, was out of my momma's purse. First people I stole from, my parents.

[CSW: 'First people I stole from . . .'' Didn't he later answer Polygrapher Battershell's question about whether he ever stole 'No, sir.' ?]

Boy, it just went down a rough and rugged road from there. I can remember quite vividly the day that I came to from a comatose state, I had overdosed in my parents' home. Next day they were on the phone with my brother-in-law and sister down in Jackson, Mississippi, said will y'all take him, he's out of control, we can't do anything with him.

[CSW: Just a little harmless experimentation in college. Riiiiiight. ]

-------------------

ON MELISSA'S DEATH

BYERS TO FRIENDS IN PLII:
I wondered, you know, why it's been almost two years and I have called everybody they've told me to call about getting a death certificate or a autopsy report on my wife and they won't release it. Newspaper people have called, they won't release it. They wanna say it's still pending. What's still pending? If they can't say cause of death wasn't anything but a heart attack. All they have said was a prescription medication that she was taking was found in her bloodstream and a foreign drug. They never would release what the foreign drug was. I don't know. I mean, I don't know what caused her to die. They won't tell me. And I think that just gives people suspicion. The police up there, they didn't care about us, they didn't care about her dying, and they still throwing gas on the fire, cuz if there ain't nothing to hide, why won't they give me the paperwork that I'm entitled to. They ain't got no charges to bring against me, cuz I didn't do nothing.


BYERS TO NONS::
I believe she died from a broken heart. I was asleep. Beside her and woke up and found her passed away beside me. There were no bruises, abrasions, anything like that of any foul play whatsoever. I've been totally exonerated all charges or suspicion of anything dropped. Yeah, was a lot of prescription drugs that she was taking, sure did. She took like 7 or 8 different types of medication, for being bi-polar
manic depressive post traumatic syndrome. As far as the other medication, I'm as puzzled about it as anyone. There were no signs of suffocation or struggle, she was lying right there on the bed when the paramedics and all came in.

[CSW: JMB must have found all this out in those police reports he isn't able to see. Last anyone's heard, this case is still open.]


BYERS DURING POLYGRAPH:
Battershell: Now, Mark, are you married?
JMB: No, sir, I'm widowed. My wife passed away March 29th of '96.
Battershell: I'm sorry I didn't hear that, March 29 of '96.
JMB: Yes.
Battershell: Where was this at?
JMB: In Cherokee Village.
Battershell: Cherokee Village, natural death?
JMB: Uh, cause of death undeterminable.
Battershell: What do you...do you have any opinions about it, I mean?
JMB: Yes, sir.
Battershell: What are they, if you want to reveal it to me.
JMB: My wife had, uh, given up her will to live after our baby was murdered and she just didn't want to live anymore and she got into an addiction and I think the addiction helped kill her.
Battershell: Drugs.
JMB: Yes, sir.
Battershell: What, what type?
JMB: Dilaudid

[CSW: It appears JMB's memory improved for his session with Mr. Battershell. But I wonder what happened to the seven or eight other drugs, not to mention the 'mystery' drug, she was taking before? ]

[CSW: This next snippet is right out of left field]

Battershell: What was your relationship with your wife? Y'all get along pretty good?
JMB: As long as I could keep her from using, we did. I could keep her off of it a couple months, and, she'd go back to it. The first rehab I put her in was nine months after we were married and I had a doctor tell me then, that you ought to just go ahead and divorce her. He said you know heroin junkies one out of I don't know what the statistics exactly is he said ever stay clean, he said it's just gonna cause you a lot of pain and misery.

[CSW: Heroin? Is that to be taken literally? If so, I'd say telling Battershell a little earlier a dilaudid addiction was his wife's worst drug problem was a wee bit shy of the "mark", heh heh.]


********

ON PUNISHMENT

BYERS TO NONS:
If anything, if Melissa and I were in any way bad parents we were real slack. We were slack in the discipline line as far as corporal punishment, because we knew Ryan and Christopher both had problems.

BYERS DURING POLYGRAPH:
JMB: Well, in the beginning of course he was little but when he got up to four or five he started having behavior problems. And, Melissa didn't know what was wrong with him, I didn't know what was wrong with him. In hindsight now, I can look back and say boy if I known that I'd a never spanked him or I'd never given him time out or I wouldn't have done anything like that...

[CSW: Of course, what's 'slack' is in the eye of the beholder. Maybe JMB meant he should have done more than just spank Chris and give him time-outs when he was speaking to the nons?]

----------------------

ON POLICE HISTORY

BYERS DURING POLYGRAPH:
Battershell: Have you had any, any other problems with the police?
JMB: Not major, no sir.
Battershell: You had problems, is that what you're saying, I don't...
JMB: Oh, well, speeding tickets. I got a DWI one time after my wife was murdered. Ahhh...nothing really major, no..
Battershell: No robbery, no ...
JMB: Oh no, no felonies or anything like that.
Battershell: Okay.

BYERS ON LEEZA:
LG: You talk about the boys' past history, are there things in your past history that would make you look suspicious as well?
JMB: I cannot see how at all.
LG: Do you have a criminal record?
JMB: No, I do not.
LG: Burglary? Guns?
JMB: Ahhhh, the burglary charge when I was in the mountains was dismissed and dropped.

[CSW: Well, he was sent to prison in 1998 for "parole violation" after he sold xanax to an undercover cop, so he must have been on parole for something. ]


**********

ON THE BLOOD ON THE KNIFE:

Byers to Gitchell:
GITCHELL: WHY, WHY WOULD THIS KNIFE HAVE
HIS BLOOD ON IT?
BYERS: I HAVE NO IDEA GARY
GITCHELL: THAT'S WHAT SCARES ME
BYERS: I HAVE NO IDEA, I HAVE NO IDEA, HOW IT COULD HAVE ANY HUMAN'S BLOOD TYPE ON IT AT ALL
GITCHELL: (INAUDIBLE)
BYERS: I DON'T EVEN REMEMBER NICKING MYSELF WITH IT CUTTING THE DEER MEAT OR ANYTHING

BYERS AT ECHOLS BALDWIN TRIAL
Price: Mr. Byers, I need to ask you about defense exhibit number E-6, this particular folding lockblade Kershaw knife. If I could approach the witness, your honor.
Burnett: Yes.
Price: Take a look at that knife please. Had that knife ever been used before'?
JMB: Used for what?
Price: Used for any purpose.
JMB: I had trimmed me toenails with it, I had uh attempted to trim on some venison I that I had. I...
Price: Attempted to trim on some venison. When was it you attempted to trim on some venison?
JMB: Somewhere time around the Thanksgiving holidays.
Price: Do you recall being asked on January the 26, this is on page 3, by Inspector Gitchell "Had you ever taken that knife hunting or use it recently'" Do you remember being asked that question by Inspector Gitchell?
JMB: Specifically, no sir, he asked me a lot of questions.
Price: Alright. Do you remember giving the answer: "No, that knife had not been used at all. It was just been kept up, put it in my dresser. And I didn't use it and the reason why was because of the serrated edges." Do you recall giving that answer to Inspector Gitchell on the 26th?
JMB: No sir, I don't recall giving him that exact answer. I'm sure his question wouldn't have been asked exactly like your question was.
Price: Alright did Gitchell tell you: "Let me explain a problem we had. And you need to answer this for
me, we have found blood on this knife." Did Gitchell ask you that question?
JMB: I don't remember if he said there was or not.
Price: Did you tell Gitchell you had no idea