Chat

Monday, October 6, 1997 Guest: FBI Special Agent Donna Hillman Opening Remarks: Good evening everyone my name is Special Agent Donna Hillman. I am here tonight to discuss the FBI's involvement in the Lamar case. My involvement with the case is regarding the possible abduction of Macy Lamar. I work closely with the FBI Serial Killer and Child Abduction Unit from Jackson. I've been helping the Yoknapatawpha County Sheriff's Department investigate the disappearance of Macy Lamar. My job is to help determine whether it's an abduction or a voluntary disappearance (runaway). I help assist in coordinating the resources in this particular case and I make the connections for the FBI forensic labs and the Oxford labs to help move the case along more swiftly. My main task is to determine the nature of the child's disappearance and whether it is family related. What the FBI has been doing is interviewing family members and friends of Macy. The most significant elimination that I'd like to point out tonight is Macy's mother, Caroline Blanchard. We gave her a polygraph test. I felt that you all would like to hear the outcome. We conducted the test to determine if Ms. Blanchard had any involvement. We got the results today, the test was given Saturday. After examining Ms. Blanchard for over four hours, our lab in Jackson determined that Ms. Blanchard had no involvement in the disappearance of Macy Lamar. We asked questions along the lines of, "had she seen Macy since the disappearance, did she know the whereabouts of Macy, had she had any contact with Macy since the disappearance," to which Ms. Blanchard responded in the truthfully in negative - passed the test. We have some of the personal effects from the scene of the disappearance such as the purse and it is all being investigated accordingly. Can I take some of your questions now? Question & Answer session with Agent Hillman: Q: Why do you think that pierce would have taken Macy? A: We are speculating that if he has taken her, it would be as a possible hostage situation...a bargaining tool. Macy is known because of her father. Q: How old is she? A: Macy is 17. Q: When will the sheriff take a polygraph? A: We don't know, but he says he wants to clear things up just like his wife Caroline. Q: Can we see Caroline's polygraph results and questions? A: We will be posting the full reports A.S.A.P. Q: Since this is an interstate felony fugitive, and possible kidnapping, will the Marshall's be assisting and has Ed Pierce or Macy Lamar's description been sent out to bail-bondsmen? The reason I ask is because if I were the Sheriff, and it were my daughter, I'd have everyone shy of the Marines assisting. Just seems odd. A: To your first question: maybe the Marshall's will get involved, but at the moment we just have the FBI and the Department in Oxford assisting. Your second question: descriptions have been sent out to all missing children's sites and APB sites. The Marshall's would know who to be looking for. Q: Is Detective Anderson involved at all? A: No, he's no longer on the force. He had too much to cope with..with all of his injuries. Q: Was there any evidence at all in the stolen auto that Macy may have been in it? Even in the trunk? A: No. There was not. Q: Do you have any reason to think maybe Macy & Ed knew each other? A: We have no reason to believe that at this moment. But because of the close proximity of Proud Larry's and Square Books, it could be a possibility. However, everyone we have interviewed did not know of any interaction between the two. Q: With Ed speaking of Geena, it would appear that he has chosen Macy as truly "pure", as a substitute for Geena? A: That's a good point. I'll have to look into that. Thank you. Q: If Macy did runaway, how did her purse end up in the trash? A: It's a good reason to believe that she didn't. That is why the Sheriff's Department got me involved in this case. Q: Is it almost safe to assume that Macy was just in the wrong place at the wrong time? A: That is the hunch that we are going on, but until we can eliminate all of her family and friends...and any possible acquaintances, we have to keep investigating. Q: Has the accused's caller activity been reviewed to establish contacts, times and locations? A: We are investigating previous caller activity to the disappearance and any possible activity that may occur because of the disappearance, but no contacts have been made yet that establish any possible whereabouts. Q: Have there been any charges made to mother's credit card yet? (The one Macy had) & how much cash did Macy have on her? (Or does she have her own checking account) A: Not yet. We've been monitoring that very closely. It would be our best indication in finding her. If she had cash, we don't know how much because the purse was emptied. Q: Was the hotel room Phelps was found in vacuumed for hair samples of Ed, Vicky, or Macy? A: Yes, we are investigating all personal effects from the room. But nothing has been determined yet. Q: Has anyone been sent to New Orleans to try and locate Pierce and Symons? A: Yes, Detective Wise with the Sheriff's Department, an experienced officer, has gone to New Orleans to meet with the New Orleans PD and with the Parish Sheriff's office. He will also review with the LA Crime Lab on the vehicle forensics. Q: Has anyone tried to contact her family? Asking for ransom? Has there been any contact between Macy and her family? A: No. We haven't received any contact between Macy and her family or possible abductors and her family. Q: How do you explain an escaped murder suspect and rapist stopping at the local mall to get a hostage? I agree, timing just too convenient, unless she has some involvement here. I am referring to the fact that Macy was at the mall and the escape at the same time and she is the Sheriff's daughter, and it seems too strange. I think that she has involvement with Ed and/or Tony. A: We have been looking into that possibility as well. We have been trying to determine a possible link between Macy and Ed or Tony. We just haven't been able to find one. Believe me, we'll keep looking. Q: Isn't it odd an escaped murderer n rapist who is injured will go to a local mall for a hostage when anyone on the street would do? A: It is clear that they went to the mall to steal a car. Getting a hostage? Well, that's not clear. It might have been something they thought of at the last minute. Question & Answer session with Elizabeth Jones: Q: Why isn't Woolworth on Egos list any more? A: Professor Woolworth decided the negative publicity was too much for his new book. He may still be involved but not in the public eye. Q: Do I remember correctly was Vicky's call from Texas? A: Yes. Beeville, Texas. We don't know what car they are driving at the moment, Texas Highway Patrol had no trace. Q: How far is that from New Orleans? A: Let's see something on the order of 300 miles I believe. Q: Do they think that the three of them are still together or maybe they have separated? What do you think about no physical evidence to put Macy in the stolen car? I think he has buried her somewhere. A: To be honest, given the lack of physical evidence, Macy may not be traveling with them now. We don't know. Q: If no evidence was found in the car at all....was she ever with them? A: Yes, the lack of contact, and the lack of physical evidence in the vehicle so far might indicate that. Perhaps something else will turn up in the forensics workup on the car. Q: Did we ever find out if Pierce was (also) wounded when Phelps was? A: Actually, yes. We know that Pierce must have been at least somewhat wounded as there is a blood stain in the LeSabre that matches his blood type. Q: What is Macy's blood type? I thought they found three blood types, and none matched Macy's? A: That's true. I'll double check the blood type, it was not one of the three. If I remember correctly it is AB but I'll check. (Note, verified). Q: Could Ed and Tony have pretended to be each other? Did they sometimes exchange places with one another? A: Not sure were they would have. We have no sightings or anything until Amite and that was definitely Tony. Note: An interesting discussion followed on the concept that perhaps given Ed's theater and linguistics background it might not be hard for him to become Tony. The possibility was raised that Ed might be responsible for the other rapes. Well presented arguments were made on this point. No conclusions reached. Other points of discussion in open chat: Another area of discussion revolved around the reference to the other woman in Vicky's phone call to her mother and speculation on who that might be. Some thought Macy, others that it might be someone else and that Vicky might have taken off on her own or alternatively be dangerous herself as the "scorned woman". The report on the recovery of the LeSabre was discussed and EJ made clear that the weapon was not recovered in the vehicle, only the gun belt and a few rounds of ammo. The psychic, Madam Raylene was discussed a bit. The Pontotoc Co. Sheriff's office has had more dealings with her than the Yoknapatawpha County Sheriff's office. They have said she has been "close" a number of times. Her last call was on the Harlequin masks and oranges possibly indicating New Orleans. Ed's references to Geena were discussed and there will be more information on Geena. She was killed in an auto accident with Pierce, there is some question of whether this might be a murder also. Many more questions were raised concerning Detective Anderson's role in the Knight case and possible role in this one. Detective Anderson was not fired from the Yoknapatawpha Sheriff's Department, he resigned. He is setting up a Private Detective Agency with Detective Armstrong. An independent investigation of Detective Anderson was conducted by the State's Attorney General's office in the Knight case and he was cleared. Detective Armstrong has explained in past chat that the decision for Detective Anderson to meet Ed Pierce in the Square was done with his knowledge and was part of his overall effort to draw Pierce out. Also, the question of whether Detective Anderson and Ed Pierce might be brothers was raised. That is a false rumor.

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