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Post by iritgirl on Feb 16, 2007 8:27:24 GMT -5
I'm new to this forum. My little brother, Glen Davenport was found "hanging" on February 4th, 1968 in Jacksonville, Florida. The day before, Glen had been report missing to the police. Members of my family, friends, and neighbors searched throughout the night after he was reported missing. One of the places searched was a lot of land down the street from our home. On that lot was a business and a rundown, vacant house. Not very far from there at all were at least 3 inhabited houses. That lot had been searched several times throughout the night, up until around 4:00 a.m. People used flashlights, and one neighbor even shined his car headlights on the area. While searching, people called Glen by name and by his nickname. One of my mother's friends had even stood under the tree that Glen was later found hanging from. Glen was not there; not under that tree, not anywhere else that had been searched. But then just a couple or few short hours later, not long after the sun had come up, Glen's body was found hanging from the tree that my mother's friend had stood under earlier. That means that someone put Glen there sometime after the last time the area had been searched. A rope had been put up sometime prior to Glen's death and was used by neighborhood kids as a rope swing. Many neighborhood children played on it. When Glen's body was found, the rope had been LOOPED twice around his neck. His knees were slightly off the ground, and if Glen had been conscious or alive he could have stood up to save himself. The first police officers to arrive made statements such as "The rope was not tight enough to kill him", and to my father "That rope is not what killed your boy". But then when the homicide detectives took over, they ignored everything about Glen's disappearance and later being found dead. They ignored the fact that the area had been searched until 4:00 a.m. and that Glen was not there. They ignored the fact that Glen was terrified of the dark and would not have been out after dark. They ignored the fact that Glen's jacket was unzipped, even though it was cold that February morning. If Glen had been able to zip up his jacket, esp. as the temperature was dropping through the night and early morning, he would have. That tells me and my family that something or someone made it not possible for Glen to zip up his jacket. That either he was being held against his will, or that he was already unconscious or already dead. When my father and a brother-in-law (who, along with my older sister and their children flew in after being notified of Glen's death) went to the morgue to i.d Glen's body, they noticed dirt under Glen's fingernails. This was NOT NORMAL for Glen. Glen could not stand to be dirty in anwyay or even sticky from candy, etc. When they commented about the dirt under Glen's fingernails to the medical examiner or whoever, they were told that it would be scraped out and given for investigation. But we don't think it ever was. Later at the funeral home my father noticed bruises around Glen mouth and said they looked like someone had had their hand over Glen's mouth. I looked at them. On one side of Glen's mouth were 3 or 4 small, rounded bruises, spread apart like fingers could have been. On the other side of Glen's mouth was 1, slightly larger, rounded bruised, like it could have been from a thumb. Even under the funeral home's makeup they were clearly visible. I have always heard that bruising cannot occur after death; that it has to occur before death. I have seen pictures of lividity recently and that is not what I saw around Glen's mouth. Keep in mind that Glen had been missing all night prior to being found dead. If someone was trying to keep him quiet (possibly while he was being searched for nearby and with his name being called), it only makes sense that someone would put a hand over his mouth to try to keep him quiet. Despite all of this, the homicide detectives decided that Glen's death was an "accidental" death. Glen would not have stayed out all night, hiding in the dark and the cold, with his jacket unzipped as it was getting colder and colder; waiting until everyone stopped searching for him and then go play with the rope swing. Glen was not out playing at that time of morning and neither were any other kids. The assistant medical examiner did only a preliminary autopsy on Glen's body. Either not noticing or ignoring the bruises around Glen's mouth or anything else that might have looked like foul play. The assistant medical examiner ruled Glen's death an accidental death. Asphyxiation; due to hanging. Very shortly after Glen's death a man came to our home and told my parent's that he was either a family member or neighbor (can't remember which) of a young female that had been raped or sexually assaulted the day or night before Glen's death and that the assault had happened just a few streets from where Glen had been found dead. This would have been during the time that Glen was missing! This man was very concerned that the assault on the female the day or night before Glen was found dead and Glen's death were somehow connected. My parents, along with my younger sister, went to the home of the female and her parents. The parents were still physically shaken; the mother's eyes were red and swollen from crying. The female would not come out of her room and her parents were not going to make her talk to anyone. They told my parents that they did not want the incident reported to the police. My parents could get no information on the assault on that female and left. It would have done no good to tell the homicide detectives, because the girl and her parent's would have denied it, and the homicide detectives would have ignored it just as they had ignored everything else about Glen's disappearance and death that screamed foul play. It has always been very disturbing that maybe someone could have given a description of the man that attacked that female, but wouldn't. Maybe, just maybe it could have given a possible description of the person that killed Glen. Maybe Glen witnessed the female being raped or assaulted; or maybe he was just the next victim. Or lately, my sister and I have been thinking maybe it was the opposite: maybe the female witnessed something happening to Glen and her parents were not going to make her talk to anyone about it. We'll never know. We were always told that Glen was not molested. But we have always wondered. Since the homicide detectives and the medical examiner did not treat Glen's death as a homicide, I doubt that much attempt was made to even look for signs of molestation. Esp. since Glen's body was found fully clothed (which is not verification that a person has been sexually molested or raped). Last year, hoping with all the advances in forensics, I contacted the Cold Case Team to find out if Glen's death could be re-investigated. After contacting them, I remembered a magazine article from about 1990 or 1991 about the death of a 10 year old boy in 1957 in Colonie, NY. I had copied that article because of all the similarities between that boy's death (also found hanging) and Glen's death. I re-read the article and decided to try to contact the older brother of the boy murdered in 1957. Him and I talked for quite sometime on the phone, and he was very interested in the similarities between his little brother's death and Glen's. He, in turn, also contacted the Cold Case Team. From that a review of Glen's case was started. The Cold Case detectives agreed that Glen's death was suspicious and made several statements about it. But even though they agreed that Glen's death was suspicious, after the lead about the other boy murdered in 1957 hit a brick wall; in that they could not find anything to show that the man who had murdered the other boy in 1957 had been in Jacksonville, they closed the review of Glen's case. Even though when the man that had murdered the boy in 1957 was arrested, he was arrested in Orlando, Florida. Glen's case is still unsolved and still closed. My family and I have always wondered why instead of the person who killed Glen hiding his body; it was put out in the open, in one of the most lit up areas of that lot of land. In an area that had been searched. An area that was visible to anyone driving by or walking by on the street. Or even visible to people living in the inhabited houses so close by. Glen's death was not an "accidental" death.
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Post by pumpkin12903 on Feb 16, 2007 10:49:35 GMT -5
Dear iritgirl, I'm very sorry about your brother. I'm glad you found this board and find some comfort here. If I were you, I'd wonder a lot about what really happened with your brother, too. It's very sad some detectives don't want to be bothered enough. Again, welcome to the board and take care.
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Post by taterfay on Feb 16, 2007 13:56:38 GMT -5
I, too, am so sorry to hear your story about your brother. I hope that SOMEDAY someone will get some answers to what really happened. In the meantime..I am glad you found this board!
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Post by iritgirl on Feb 16, 2007 16:49:18 GMT -5
Thank you for welcoming me to this board. I am glad I found it. Dear iritgirl, I'm very sorry about your brother. I'm glad you found this board and find some comfort here. If I were you, I'd wonder a lot about what really happened with your brother, too. It's very sad some detectives don't want to be bothered enough. Again, welcome to the board and take care.
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Post by iritgirl on Feb 16, 2007 16:56:24 GMT -5
Thank you so much for welcoming me. It feels good to be here. I, too, am so sorry to hear your story about your brother. I hope that SOMEDAY someone will get some answers to what really happened. In the meantime..I am glad you found this board!
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Post by wordup on Feb 17, 2007 23:08:25 GMT -5
OH my, iritgirl, what a sad case, I'm sorry to hear about your loss, After reading your post I taught right at that moment, file play, someone knows/knew something, and I can't see why that case was never reopened, I sure could idenitify with what you had said about the bruising, as it was the same in my case, you could see where his nose and mouth were closed off as marking was left on his nose and other his chin. God only know what the child was going through as his life was being sucked out of him. I hope that someone will come alone and reopen that case, at least give you guys some answers or maybe even comfirmation about what you have been thinking.
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Post by iritgirl on Feb 18, 2007 18:15:04 GMT -5
It is a horrible feeling to wonder what Glen felt and went through. I can't help but wonder if he heard people searching for him and calling his name. And then if he was still alive to hear everyone leaving. I do know your grief and pain. How that grief and pain never goes away, and how over time the anger and resentment grows because the people in law enforcement, etc. just seem to want that case to be forgotten. In Glen's case, last year, hoping with all the new advances in forensics, that Glen's death could be re-investigated; I contacted the Cold Case Team. They followed one lead about a similiar case back in 1957, but then when that lead hit a brick wall; they closed the review of Glen's case. And they tell me that Glen's case will never be investigated or re-opened again without physical evidence. Well, the lack of evidence goes all the way back to 1968; when the original homicide detectives would not investigate Glen's death as a homicide; and therefore nothing that should have been considered evidence where Glen's body was found was saved for any possible future investigation. Even though Cold Case detectives agreed that Glen's death was suspicious, they will never investigate Glen's death again. They don't care about any new bits of information or anything; that they only want physical evidence. Since all evidence from 1968 is gone, or buried with Glen, where do they think any evidence could possibly come from? And they told me last year, while the review of Glen's case was going on; that Glen's body would not be exhumed. I say the only possible evidence now IS Glen's body; that maybe something is still there. But the Cold Case team has made it clear that Glen's case is CLOSED for good. I'm angry and I can't stop thinking about how it felt in 1968 that Glen was failed by law enforcement, etc. when his death was blown off as "accidental". And how it feels like Glen was failed again recently by people in law enforcement.
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Post by wordup on Feb 19, 2007 3:53:33 GMT -5
HI iritgirl, This again is so sad, what can one say to this, I feel your pain right now,as I could not imagine going though these many years and not knowing what really happend to your brother, just what you have been told about the case not being re-opened is enought to throw any MV backward. What I do know is this, you can come and talk about it, and I know you will find talking about it to those whom understand will help you in some way, until then, Take care.
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Post by iritgirl on Feb 19, 2007 8:49:40 GMT -5
Thank you. I know people who think that others should get over a death; esp. if it happened a long, long time ago. I can't let go of Glen's death. Both of my parent's have passed away, never finding out who murdered their youngest son. All of my brothers, sisters, and I are getting older and older and it feels like someone still has to try to find answers about Glen's death. I know that since Glen died 39 years ago, we'll probably never find out who killed him, but I can't just not even try. I've been hearing about how helpful it could possibly be to get as much attention on Glen's case as possible and that is what I'm trying to do. I do believe there is the possibility that there is still someone somewhere who knows something.
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Post by taterfay on Feb 19, 2007 14:33:54 GMT -5
I don't care if someone was killed a month ago, 1 year ago, 10 years ago, or 50 years ago...I think we all go through these different stages of grief. The pain is forever lodged in our hearts and in your case, not knowing who killed your brother and law enforcement refusing to do anything about it...well, it just isn't fair. I guess we all just do the best we can when it comes right down to it. We take this pain with us to our grave, unfortunately...luckily I think there are ways to wade through some of the horrible muck that is grief..but we never ever ever GET OVER IT....The only people that understand this are people who have lost a loved one to murder and counselors and the like...I wish society as a whole could be better educated about what it's like to go through this..god forbid anybody else ever has to!! Ok, I'm rambling! Take care, sweetie!
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Post by iritgirl on Feb 19, 2007 16:21:57 GMT -5
No, I don't think you're rambling at all. I think the people who would tell us to "get over" losing a loved one might think of it as rambling. But I don't. You're right that the only people who know what the pain and anguish is like are the ones who have lost someone they love dearly to violent crime. I guess until it happens in someone's own family or to someone they personally know, most people cannot imagine what it's like. And probably don't even want to. We live in a world that can be so ugly and cold hearted.
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Post by iritgirl on Feb 19, 2007 16:22:52 GMT -5
OH my, iritgirl, what a sad case, I'm sorry to hear about your loss, After reading your post I taught right at that moment, file play, someone knows/knew something, and I can't see why that case was never reopened, I sure could idenitify with what you had said about the bruising, as it was the same in my case, you could see where his nose and mouth were closed off as marking was left on his nose and other his chin. God only know what the child was going through as his life was being sucked out of him. I hope that someone will come alone and reopen that case, at least give you guys some answers or maybe even comfirmation about what you have been thinking.
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Post by iritgirl on Feb 19, 2007 16:28:47 GMT -5
Grand, I was re-reading one of your replies. You wrote about how in your case there were visible marks around the nose and mouth of the victim. That is horrible; just like in Glen's case. Would you mind if I ask who the victim was? When did it happen, etc.? Since I'm new here, if you had posted about it sometime ago, I haven't seen it. Hope it's okay for me to ask. I wanted to join this forum not only to have others to turn to for comfort, but also so that I can be there for others.
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Post by wordup on Feb 22, 2007 2:04:10 GMT -5
NOt a problem you can visit www.tredevin.org. There you can see what we had to go through,That was something I never thought I would ever have to go through, Even today the thought of losing another in that way bothers me.
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Post by iritgirl on Feb 23, 2007 4:47:39 GMT -5
I went to the site. This is such a sad story. What happened to this little boy was horrendous. I read the stories and it just made me want to cry. I'm sorry that you and your family were made to go through such an ordeal. I'm sorry that this beautiful little boy's life and future were stolen from him; and for what he went through.
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Post by karen57 on Sept 25, 2007 6:58:48 GMT -5
I too am new here and am grateful to have found this site, I need something, I can't move on.. I read your post as my 7 year old sister was abducted in 1968 and has never been found.I want to say to you never to give up hope that police may look into the case again. After 39 years cold case detectives have finally found who abducted Linda and also linked him to 8 other unsolved child murders plus a murder he was caught for. He is a sadistic pedophile who enjoys mutilating and torturing children. We don't have the death penalty here but damn we should. The man who killed 9 children has been getting a pension in jail, while the families of his victims fell apart. We may never find Linda to put her to rest which is our biggest wish. You may never find out what happened to your brother I hope you do, but know he had his family around and you were all able to say goodbye. I know it's not much comfort but I would give so much to have that. My sisters name was Linda Stilwell and like Glen Davenport they were very much loved and will never be forgotten..
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Post by karen57 on Sept 25, 2007 7:19:55 GMT -5
There is also absolutely NO evidence as my sisters body has never been found and 2 new witnesses have come forward after almost 40 years,so please don't give up hope that something may happen, even a deathbed confession..
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Post by iritgirl on Oct 3, 2007 18:53:46 GMT -5
karen57: I am so sorry about your sister. Losing a child or a sibling is so painful. I agree with you that at least my family was able to put Glen's body to rest. I can't imagine what it would be like to not be able to that. I know the pain of that must be horrendous. Thank you for replying to my post. After I read it, I read your other posts about Linda. I wish there were evidence against this man so that he could be charged with and punished for what he did to Linda. And thank you for your encouragement.
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Post by karen57 on Oct 7, 2007 21:12:04 GMT -5
Thank you, Cold case detectives have looked at Linda's case every now and then over the years and nothing but finally we have a detective who is determined to convict this guy, so never give up.. I made a little site for Linda a few years ago which will be updated when I am allowed to say more.. remembering-linda.tripod.com/Keep strong!!
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Post by sara0223 on Oct 8, 2007 12:30:29 GMT -5
I am so sorry for your loss and am always amazed by the amount of time it can take for truth to be revealed...There is always hope that something may happen or be uncovered and I pray that for your situation. Take care.
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Post by iritgirl on Oct 11, 2007 6:47:17 GMT -5
It is so good to know that there is a detective who is determined to convict this guy. Thank God that there are some dedicated people in law enforcement.
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Post by karen57 on Oct 12, 2007 0:13:29 GMT -5
Hopefully your detective may come along too and give you all some closure..
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Post by iritgirl on Jul 5, 2008 4:10:12 GMT -5
I haven't been to the site in awhile. But I was re-reading the old posts and noticed that I had not written anything about finding out that within 4 hours of Glen's body being found; it was sent to be embalmed before an autopsy could be done. And that it was done without the required, signed release from someone in Glen's family for an embalment to be done before an autopsy could be done. While my family thought Glen's body was at the M.E.'s office awaiting autopsy; it was really at a funeral home being embalmed.
Shouldn't the rush have been to do an autopsy on a child who had been missing all night and then found in an area that had been searched just a few hours earlier? Rather than to send the body of that child to be embalmed; and to do it without the REQUIRED, SIGNED release from one of the next of kin for that to be done before an autopsy could even be done on this suspicious death? Why was Glen's body illegally sent to be embalmed within 4 hours of being found? Did someone allow that to be done in the hopes that as little evidence as possible could be found?
Since finding out that that Glen's body was sent to be embalmed before an autopsy could be done; I've talked to embalmers. I was told that the embalming process would include the cleaning and disinfecting of Glen's body; cleaning away and destroying any outward evidence. And that the embalming process would have changed some outcomes of the following autopsy; such as where any lividity might have been on the body.
We never knew if Glen had been sexually assaulted; there is nothing on the "autopsy" report to show that his body was even examined for possible molestation.
Someone has suggested to me that with the embalming process; that the "plug" that is inserted into the body orifaces (including the anus) to prevent the embalming fluids from leaking out; could have disguised any abnormality in Glen's anus. And I doubt that the assistant M.E. who performed the preliminary autopsy (after Glen had been embalmed) would have gone to the trouble of removing the "plug" from Glen's anus in order to check the area for possible damage from molestation.
Also, during the embalming process the eyes and mouth are either glued or sewn shut. I doubt that the assistant M.E. was going to re-open Glen's eyes and mouth to do any examinations of those areas. This assistant M.E. didn't even make any notes about the bruises around Glen's mouth. Bruises that I have been told would have been even more visible after the embalming process. If my family and other people could see those bruises around Glen's mouth even when they were covered with the funeral homes makeup; then surely the assistant M.E. who stood over Glen's body to do the autopsy could see them before Glen's body had been sent to the second funeral home; where his body was prepared for the funeral (before any makeup was applied to Glen's face). But yet, this assistant M.E. made not one note about the bruises that were clearly visible around Glen's mouth. So why would he bother to remove the "plug" from Glen's anus to check that area; or unglue or remove the stitches used by the first funeral home to seal Glen's eyes and mouth; so that he could examine those?
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Post by Charlene on Aug 3, 2008 9:46:37 GMT -5
Glen's story is a tragic example of a case that may never be solved, but clearly was not a suicide or accidental hanging. I can't imagine your frustration.
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