Mystery at Devil's Elbow

Later that day the coroner’s office gathered the sheriff’s deputies and volunteer firefighters to recover the three skeletons identified by Lisa. The coroner’s office also got a forensic anthropologist to help with the task and an engineering technician from the city to mark the locations where the skeletons were found on a detailed map.

Doctor Cynthia Hellyer taught at the University of Missouri at Columbia and assisted Doctor Bennett with the analysis of the first skeleton that was found. Now Doctor Hellyer was overseeing the removal of each skeleton and placing them in small child body bags. She had others using small screens to sift the dirt to find the smaller bones. Using this method, she found all the bones of victim’s number two and three.

Another team was doing the same with skeletons four. Once the second and third skeletons were processed, they were loaded into a white van and driven to Doctor Hellyer’s lab in Columbia, Missouri. The remaining team members took the rest of the day to find the bones for skeleton number four.

While the skeletons were being recovered, the coroner sent teams searching the wooded area for other possible graves. The teams looked for depressions or areas of dirt that were lower than the surrounding area and for bones on the surface.

As the teams worked their way through the area, they located two more sunken areas. Doctor Bennett had deputy sheriffs stay in both areas. Eventually, two additional skeletons were found.

As each skeleton was processed, it was placed in a body bag and driven to Doctor Hellyer’s lab in Columbia, Missouri. Searchlights were used to light the area after dark. The teams searching for additional skeletons finished searching the entire grid identified by the coroner, and they were released just before midnight.

The remaining teams completed their task of processing skeletons five and six found inside the wooded area. Retrieving these skeletons was more difficult. The tree roots made it harder to dig. Workers split up into two teams that found bones and rechecked the area to see if they could find any more.

As the teams at Devil’s Elbow continued to work through a calm and chilly night, graduate students from the anthropology program received the bones at the lab. They were supervised by a forensic technician from the Missouri State Police who ensured no evidence was lost in the receive and cleaning.

They didn’t find complete skeletons for skeletons five or six. The final two skeletons were loaded in a van just after eight o’clock the next morning. Doctor Hellyer stood at the loading area with untidy hair, a dirty lab coat, and dirt smudged on her cheek. She was planning to catch a ride with that last van heading back to Columbia. Before leaving, she had a quick meeting with the coroner, Doctor Bennett, and Sheriff Carson.

“Doctor, thank you for coming and helping with this task. I can’t wait to see your results,” said JD.

“I also want to thank you, doctor. You’ve been a big help,” said Doctor Bennett.

“I don’t think I’ll have any results for probably a week to 10 days,” said Doctor Hellyer.

“As I watched the bones being put in the bags, I didn’t see any evidence of foul play that looked like it occurred before death,” said Doctor Bennett.

“Do you think these were all women?” asked JD.

“It looks that way to me, but I can’t say for sure,” said Doctor Hellyer.

“I think that’s what we will find, JD. These will all be women,” said Doctor Bennett.

“What makes you say that?” asked Doctor Hellyer.

“Just a gut feeling. I don’t think any of these women were murdered. I think we’ve come across a burial site,” said Doctor Bennett.

JD snapped his head in the direction of Doctor Bennett and asked, “What kind of burial site?”

“I don’t know yet,” said Doctor Bennett.

“If it’s a burial site, why wouldn’t they have caskets and headstones?” asked Doctor Hellyer.

“I can’t answer that either,” said Doctor Bennett.

“I wonder if they were all reported missing,” said JD.

“You know JD, I think you’ll find they were,” said Doctor Bennett.

“You two are talking way over my head,” said Doctor Hellyer.

“We’re just speculating, Doctor Hellyer. Don’t let us concern you,” said JD.

“I better be on my way,” said Doctor Hellyer. She waved goodbye while climbing into the van.

“Sheriff, can you put a guard on this area for another day, maybe 36 hours?” asked Doctor Bennett.

“Sure, but why?” asked JD.

“I’d like to have my guys go over those last two graves just to make sure there aren’t any more bones left,” said Doctor Bennett.

“Will do,” said JD.

Tammy Jenkins, a local woman, received a phone call from her boyfriend, a volunteer firefighter, who told her about the skeletons found near the Devil’s Elbow Bridge. She found a second source for the information and the article describing the investigation made the front page of the local newspaper the next day even though the police were secretive about the remains.

Tammy, who was a bold young journalist, wasted no time in driving out to Devil’s Elbow Bridge. Tammy worked for the local newspaper. She was a tall woman with long blonde hair. On this trip, she wore her signature blue pants and white shirt to work. Tammy drove an old white sedan that she pulled over to the side of the road where the sheriff’s deputy guarding the site couldn’t see her.

She ambled through the densely wooded area where hardwood and evergreen trees dimmed the sun, treading softly so no one would hear her. Just ahead, four people were bent over, working and looking the ground. About 20 yards from them was the deputy sheriff guarding the site.

She recognized the deputy as Rodney Bishop, with whom she’d gone to high school. After watching for a while, she decided to see if she could get any answers from Rodney.

Tammy walked back to her car, drove near to and parked behind the sheriff’s vehicle. She called out to Deputy Bishop as she approached.

“Rodney, imagine finding you here,” said Tammy. She hadn’t seen Rodney in over two years.

“Hey, Tammy.”

“What are you doing here, Rodney?”

“You know I can’t answer that.”

“Oh, come on, you can at least give me the gist.”

“Sorry Tammy, all I can do is tell you to speak to the Sheriff’s Department Public Relations Officer.”

“How about if I tell you what’s going on here, Rodney?”

“Be my guest.”

“You guys have been out here for the last two days digging up skeletons.”

“Really?”

“The skeletons were buried in shallow graves.”

“That so?”

“The skeletons were then loaded into white vans licensed to the state.”

“You don’t say?”

“Doesn’t any of that sound suspicious, Rodney?” Tammy said sarcastically.

“No comment,” he said with a half-smile.

“Rodney, we went to school together,” she begged.

“No comment.”

“We graduated from high school together.”

“No comment.”

“I know your mom and dad,” she said with a chuckle.

“No comment.”

“Okay, Rodney, it’s your loss, not mine. You could have been quoted in the Pulaski Journal. I would’ve included a picture of you.”

“And I’d lose my job.”

“You can’t blame a girl for tryin’ can you, Rodney?”

“No comment.”

Tammy and Rodney both laughed. Rodney’s responses left her with the impression she had her facts straight. Tammy turned around and walked to her car. She drove away from the scene but didn’t leave. She went back to the spot she had parked earlier and came up a back way.

She walked into the forest quietly to secretly watch what the forensic team was doing. Perhaps she could catch a break that would make this story even better.

“Lewis, it looks like the sheriff’s office is still working down near the bridge,” said Martha while sitting at the breakfast table. Lewis was just starting to eat his breakfast.

“They were there all night,” said Lewis.

“What do you make of all this?”

“I don’t know, but it scares me.”

“Has JD given you any more information?”

“No, he’s been tight-lipped.”

“That’s what we should be, then,” said Martha.

“We have to be since we don’t know anything,” said a frustrated Lewis.

“Oh, you know what I mean.”

“Yeah, I do.”

“I just hope we can keep the girls safe.”

“So far none of this has been targeted at them. I don’t know if they’re in physical danger so much as emotional danger.”

“Good point. We don’t really know what that’ll do to Lisa in the long run.”

“I’m very concerned about her state of mind from all this and wonder what else can go wrong?”