Where they were found

photo: Star News File

This is the place where the skeletons were found in Wilmington, NC, on April 26, 2008.

Memorial decorations have been placed by CUE Center for Missing Persons, and by Lisa Valentino, sister of Allison Jackson-Foy.

I wish to acknowledge Special Thanks to the following individuals who have helped me keep up with this case.
David Creech -- NC Wanted
Jim Ware -- Star News of Wilmington
Ellen Leach -- Porchlight USA
Alex Ross -- Local Computer Care

ID on Wilmington Bones

FINALLY! We have a preliminary ID on the "Bones" case in Wilmington, NC.

http://www.ncwanted.com/ncwanted_home/story/3248495/?d_feature_story=1

It may not yet be official, as there are still some tests to be done, but for now it seems the human remains found off Carolina Beach Road are that of Allison Jackson-Foy and Angela Rothen.

Timothy Iannone is not yet officially a suspect, but he is in custody.
Closure to this case appears to be in sight. I hope so!

"Bones" Case Update

Still no progress to report on the DNA testing of the bones found in Wilmington, but police now have a man being questioned in connection to this case.

Some news stories do not give the man's name, as it is uncertain if he should be considered a suspect, a person of interest, or just some nasty-assed lowlife who likes to abuse prostitutes.

NC Wanted and WWAY have given his name, so I will too. He is Timothy Iannone, 47, a cab driver in Wilmington with a violent history, who has been seen in the area where the bones have been found. WWAY includes a photo of the man, who doesn't look much like the composite sketch, if you ask me.

Local ladies of the evening have identified him as a man who has committed all manner of evil things against them.

Allison Jackson Foy was last seen getting into a cab at the Junction Billiards parking lot, 3 miles away from where the skeletons were found.

Now I've got some links for you.

http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20080717/NEWS28/807170302/1004&title=Police_investigating_deaths_of_two_women_search_home__other_sites

http://www.ncwanted.com/ncwanted_home/story/3227884/

http://www.wwaytv3.com/node/9110

http://www.wect.com/global/story.asp?s=8693502

Thanks to Jim Ware for calling my attention to this development.

Cary Missing Person

Over the weekend, in Cary, NC, not so far from here, a woman went missing.
Nancy Cooper, 34, went jogging Saturday Morning at 7:AM, and was never seen again.
A friend expecting an afternoon visit from her reported her missing.

Nancy Cooper is a mother of two. She is originally from Canada. She often went jogging in the area of Lochmere Lake and Regency Park. She was training for a half marathon.

By 8:AM Sunday morning there was a large number of volunteers who showed up to join the search party, including police dogs and National Guard helicopters. Besides Lochmere Lake and Regency Park, they also searched Lake Wheeler and Lake Johnson.

This Monday morning the search continued, and 200 people showed up, including her parents and a twin sister, who arrived from Canada to assist in the efforts.

She seems to be a very popular person in her neighborhood. All of her neighbors have been very kind and supportive.

Nancy Cooper is white, 5'9", and 120 lbs, with hazel eyes and brown hair. She was last seen wearing a t-shirt, jogging shorts, and running shoes. It is believed she carried no ID, keys, or money with her.

Anyone who sees her is asked to call the Cary Police Department.
(919) 469-4016

You can also use my "Crime Stoppers" link from the links list on the right of your screen. Click the "NC Wanted" link for more on this story.
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This Just In!
You may think I'm crazy, and you may be right, but immediately after I finished posting this write-up, I got this incoming message.

Cary Police Department has reported a body found this evening.
They are hesitant to say if the body is of Nancy Cooper until it has been identified by the medical examiner.

A man walking his dog at 7:30 this evening called 911 after seeing a body floating in a pond on Fielding Dr. near Holly Springs Rd. The body is being sent to the state medical examiner in Chapel Hill for ID.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Tuesday July 15
Body is confirmed to be that of Nancy Cooper.
We no longer have to find a missing person. We have to find a killer.

Me Being Sarcastic

Can you imagine being a criminal defense attorney?
How would you feel if your job required you to defend someone you knew was guilty?
What would you do if the person you were trying to defend was guilty of the most horrific crime imaginable, and you knew you were sure to lose?

Whatever job it is that you have, I'm willing to bet you are much happier doing that.

So do I feel sorry for these people? Maybe I would, if it weren't for seeing how they perform in the courtroom.
I mean, if you were doing a job that you hate, wouldn't you want to get it done as soon as you could?

Well, they don't seem to think that way.

So it's day one of the Carson trial, and the judge orders the sealed warrants to be opened, and immediately the defense attorneys object.

Na, Man! We can't have that! Then everybody will already know they're guilty, and we aint got no defense!

I think the objection went something like that, or perhaps it was more like they were afraid the defendants would be convicted too quickly, before they even had a chance to attempt a defense. We sure don't want it to take any less time.

They say they want to see justice served in due process.
Does this mean they want to drag it out as long as they can?

Perhaps it's because they have so little to defend with, that they grab onto anything they've got, and milk it for all it's worth.

How would you defend these suspects, knowing that everywhere you look there are lynch mobs already gathering?

I have a suggestion.
Talk about how much they have contributed to our community.
No, really. Just think about it.
What have we learned about from these two young men?

For starters, we clearly see that it is completely uneffective to keep letting offenders get off on probation, when they keep on coming back for more crimes they get to do as soon as they're set loose.
After so many times, you'd think that one would eventually get the idea that this wasn't working.
We want to give them every chance to do better? That would work if they made use of the chances they got.

Yes, we should thank these young men for illustrating this point more elaborately than anyone in an NC courtroom has ever done before.

Now we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that cutting slack for a habitual offender only serves to allow them to offend some more.

Sure, you say, we already know that. It's common sense.
But hey. We're talking about court. We have a different set of rules here.

It's like, when you have to listen to someone lying his butt off, and you know damn well he's lying his butt off, but you still have to listen to him, because, hey, it's the rules.
Then, of course, you have to pretend that you don't know he's lying, and try to make up a reason to believe that he's not. Then, you have to pretend that the reason makes sense.

Not only do we have two young men here who have committed a crime most foul and inhuman, but they have given us the opportunity today to see what asses we really are!

Now that's got to be worth something. Don't you think?

Storm Front at Carrboro Day

Ladies and Gentlemen;
It gives me great pleasure to present Storm Front, my friends of many years, in their first YouTube video.
Special thanks to Alex Ross for making it happen.

Back to Eve

I apologize to my readers who were expecting me to blog the Eve Carson hearing. The truth is, I chickened out when we got to Day 2, when they unsealed the autopsy report.

I didn't know until then that she had been shot in the face with a shotgun. This struck me as a final insult, to rob us of her beautiful face, as well as her life.
That's where I lost it.
The report says that she was unrecognizable, that she was initially identified by her jewelry. I was outraged to think that Eve's loved ones were deprived of seeing her face one more time before burial.

SIGH!

I went to writing instead of 4th of July fireworks, taking advantage of the holiday to change the subject, after seeking comic relief from YouTube.
So there you have it. I see no way that I can write about Eve Carson objectively anymore.

Okay, I admit it. It's not like I knew her personally. I did not.
It's just that I have accepted her as "one of us."
It has been said by many that Eve Carson embodied the True Tarheel Spirit, and I myself am inclined to agree. I've always thought of her as Ms. UNC.

Just because I live outside the Chapel Hill city limits doesn't mean that I live outside Tarheel Country. Even in my rural Chatham neighborhood one still sees mailboxes of Carolina Blue, with either the "UNC" or the "Tarheel" logo on it.

Eve Carson was considered by me, my neighbors, and my friends, as a highly respected member of our community, and for good reasons.
Need I explain why?

I know I said this before. Humor me, okay?
Unlike Debbie Key and Kristin Lodge-Miller, Eve was someone we read about in the news before she became a murder victim, not just after.
We already knew she was a good person, and no one ever attempted to challenge that opinion. I'm glad.
Now I don't have to stand on a soapbox and preach about how good people can be victims of crime too. That point has been clearly made already.
That is what I appreciate most about Eve Carson.

I can tell you from personal experience that reading about her last moments alive is enough to make a grown man cry.

After confessing to a friend of my desire to execute her killers personally, I was told that this would make me no better than them.
I'm afraid I have only one defense against that, and that's this.
I'm sure I will be more easily forgiven for killing her killers, than for killing her.

Yes, I agree, the lesser of two evils is still an evil.
Still, I am willing to support any effort that promises to eliminate the greater evil, any way I can.

Fireworks

Once upon a time, in Washington, DC,
there lived a young boy who grew up to be me.
Washington DC was a fun place to be on the 4th of July
when they filled up the sky
with a bang and a boom and the great fluffy plumes
and the fountain of lights
that dance and delight in the eyes of a child.

My Mommy and Daddy took my brothers and me
to the Capitol Building where we could all see
the brilliant display taking place in the sky.
This we did every 4th of July.

The west side of the Capitol on terrace of steps
all the way down the hill
giving plenty of places to sit and be thrilled.
Facing the Monument, reaching up to the sky,
with pyramid cap and winking eyes,
that you see wherever you go in DC.

This I remember, as clear as can be,
the young boy I was growing up in DC.
And so to this day I continue to play with bright dancing lights
every year on this day.
This is the way I celebrate the day, and if you come out my way,
you will see a display.

I sit with my neighbors, the young and the old,
the shy and the bold.
Together we share in the dazzling glare.
With hot dogs and burgers, sodas and beer,
This I look forward to every year.