A community in Edgewood, Washington came together over the weekend to raise money for a family who watched their loved one be brutally murdered last week. The killers are still on the run, and the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office is hunting down the suspects. Investigators say the murder is most likely linked to another attack and robbery on April 25, 2010 in nearby Lake Stevens, Washington.
Investigators say Jim Sanders, 43, posted an ad on the popular Craigslist website to sell a diamond ring. Jim gave his home address to the potential buyers, and on April 28, 2010, a group showed up at his residence. Instead of making a successful transaction, the suspects had another agenda. Investigators say three men and one woman ransacked Jim’s home, tied up his wife and kids, and fatally shot Jim.
Police sketches of suspects
Investigators believe this murder is linked to another Craigslist attack and robbery on April 25th. Police say the same suspects ransacked a house in Lake Stevens, and made off with thousands in money and electronics.
With a hand dolly and a blanket, cops say two thieves wheeled an ATM right out of a hotel in California. Garden Grove police released photos of two men stealing the ATM with $15,000 inside.
Investigators say around 5:10 a.m. the suspects were able to disconnect the machine inside the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Garden Grove, and causally push it out the service door near the kitchen.
If you have any information, please contact the Garden Grove Police:
Investigators in Baltimore County Maryland say residents need to be on the alert for a man breaking into homes and watching women as they sleep. In some cases, the women have even woken up to find the man touching them. Thankfully, no one in the six cases between September and November 2009 has been hurt, but police fear his crimes could escalate.
Authorities say the suspect enters the residences in the early morning hours, and he usually hits units that are tucked away. What is interesting is that the suspect is targeting women specifically, and entering homes where he knows women are living and sleeping. This is a clear indication that the prowler is possibly staking out the complexes during the day to eye up his targets for the night. At this point, police do not believe these cases are tied in with another cat burglar striking homes in Essex, Maryland. Investigators there say a suspect has hit at least eight homes, all at night as well. He enters through an unlocked sliding glass door, and on the September 19, 2009 incident, a woman woke up to the suspect touching her.
UPDATE: 2:44 p.m. I just spoke with FBI Supervisory Agent Myers in Ronoake. He tells me they have as many as 20 agents helping to field tips and work on this case. He says in these types of abductions, they have to be proactive to search trash receptacles, landfills, and also canvass the neighborhood for information. Investigators in Roanoke say they are conducting aerial and ground searches, and have requested consent searches from residents who live nearby to search their properties. I contacted the Food Lion store that backs up to this neighborhood, and I was told they do not have outside surveillance. I also contacted a local gas shop that could not confirm if they handed any surveillance over to investigators, but they did tell me they were told that they could not talk about the case at all.
UPDATE 12:08 p.m. – I spoke with Roanoke City Police Spokesperson Johnson and she says investigators are accepting a lot of leads through their command post that they are following up on, in addition, they are searching for a white 1990’s SUV that the suspects could be traveling in. In addition, investigators do have surveillance from the area they are reviewing now.
Police say Aveion Lewis is in extreme danger. He was snatched from his home two days ago when three men broke into his apartment, assaulted Aveion’s step-father, and abducted the child. Investigators say not only was the child taken, but his 4-year-old sister was tied up. Virginia State Police issued an Amber Alert, and the Roanoke Police along with the FBI are working to find this child.
This is direct information from the Roanoke Police Department press release:
Major Philip Wise worked for the Salvation Army for more than 16 years before being gunned down on Christmas Eve at his Little Rock, Arkansas location. Police say his three children witnessed their father’s murder with their own eyes. I spoke to Sgt. Terry Kuykendall from the North Little Rock police department this afternoon, and he told me Major Wise had just returned to the Salvation Army after bringing bell ringers home. Major Wise and his three children, ages 4, 6 and 8, parked around back of the building and were walking in when two men tried to rob him in the pouring rain.
Sgt. Kuykendall says the suspects shot Major Wise, left him for dead in a doorway, and fled on foot. The children, who were the only first-hand witnesses of this murder, and were questioned immediately after the shooting to get as many details as possible on the killers. Police will not say if the men were able to get any money, but they do say the suspects were armed with handguns, and were last seen running toward government assisted housing in the area. This Salvation Army building is an independent site located in a residential neighborhood, there are not many stores with surveillance nearby to capture images of the killers. Patrol officers are canvassing the neighborhoods, talking to residents, and trying to develop more leads on the suspects. About 185 officers police nearly 67,000 residents.
This story hits close to home… it is in a town where I grew up, and it all went down yesterday. Calvert County Sheriff’s deputies are on the hunt for two armed men believed to have robbed a funeral home and a bank on November 30, 2009.
Investigators say the suspects entered the Lee Funeral Home, and may have thought it was the PNC bank located next door to the business. I spoke with someone at Lee Funeral home earlier today, and he told me that it is not unusual for people to think it is the bank. Several times a month he has to escort people out and show them where to go. He says two African American suspects entered, made it very clear what they intended to do, and when they realized they were at the wrong place — they bolted. I spoke with Sheriff Mike Evans from the Calvert County Sheriff’s department earlier today, who is actively involved with finding these suspects. He told me one person inside the funeral home was pistol whipped, another person was assaulted, but thankfully everyone survived. The police were called, arrived on location, but the men were gone. Investigators believe the men traveled northbound on Route 4, and hid their car in a nearby shopping center parking lot to make their next hit – The SunTrust bank.
Lakewood, Washington – The manhunt is on in Washington to find Maurice Clemmons. Investigators believe he is the man who shot and killed Lakewood police officers (three males and one female) yesterday in what they believe was an ambush attack. Clemmons is charged with four counts of First Degree Murder. Sgt. Mark Renninger, 39; Ronald Owens, 37; Tina Griswold, 40; and Greg Richards 42, were inside the coffee shop together when the gunman entered the Forza Coffee Company (this location is 35 miles south of Seattle). Police say at least one suspect entered the coffee shop, and opened fire on the four officers, in uniform, working on their laptops. Their police cruisers were out front of the coffee shop, and investigators say they were getting ready to start their shifts. Two baristas and customers were inside when gunfire erupted, and no one else was injured during this attack. It is unclear if the shooter said anything before they opened fire, or if the officers had a chance to fire back at the gunman.
Michelle Sigona is a crime fighting, victims advocate extraordinaire, but for Michelle -- the good fight doesn't stop there. In her spare time, she is a volunteer firefighter -- and now, she is tackling the issues and cases that mean the most to her....
