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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. Tuesday, October 7, 1997 Guest: Sharon Atherton Opening Remarks: Hello, I'm Sharon Atherton. I'm Macy's best friend. I have known Macy for about twelve years now and we're real close. I'm really concerned about her. I mean, I haven't seen her since she disappeared and haven't heard from her either. I'm really worried and I really miss her. I've been questioned by the police left and right, and it's been really upsetting. I just hope that maybe somehow we can all find her. Mostly I've just been going over in my mind why this has all happened. I mean, Macy wouldn't runaway! I mean, sure she had some problems. She was upset about her parents divorce and about her Dad's affair...but she wouldn't leave because of that. I don't even like to talk about it, really. It kind of makes me nervous, you know. Ok, Macy and I were really close, so she told me everything, you know? She kinda suspected that her Dad was having an affair. So I asked how she knew, and she said that she didn't really. She asked if I'd help her find out. I think she wanted to know, but in a way really didn't want to know. But, I told her I would help her if she needed it. So, one night when her parents were out, we decided to do some checking around. We went through his brief case, his drawers, and his desk looking for anything. You know, like notes or pictures or something. We didn't really know what we were looking for, or even if we'd really find anything, but Macy was determined. She was like, real upset. She had caught her Mom crying a few days beforehand and her Mom doesn't cry! I know, I practically live there. It really got to Macy, you know? So, we went through everything and anything that belonged to her Dad. We didn't really find anything at first, but Macy insisted we keep looking. She kept muttering things like..'I heard him...' 'He was on the phone..I just tried to calm her down. We had never done anything like this and Macy isn't really the type to go through other people's stuff, but she kept on looking. Well, we searched and searched until Macy found this stack of notes buried in the very back of her father's desk. No names or anything on it. Just some places, times. Macy figured that they were meeting places. I didn't know what to think, but Macy just said that she knew that he was meeting someone. I mean, she was right it didn't make any sense to hide notes in the back of the drawer with just dates and places on them. They were places like this hotel out in Sardis and one said 'dinner at Horn Lake'. Macy was really upset. I didn't like to see her so upset. She was next to tears, and Macy's a lot like her Mom. She doesn't cry. But that's no reason for her to runaway. After she calmed down about it she didn't talk too much about it. She said that it bothered her, but what was she gonna do about it. So every once in a while it'd come up, but I didn't like to press her on it. I don't think Macy ran away! She wouldn't do that. Well, she seemed to let it go, but it really bummed her out. She just wasn't herself after that, you know? But she was handling it really well. It's hard for someone to deal with stuff like that, but she seemed ok. I mean, she and her Mom get along really well, so moving into the apartment wasn't so bad. And she always knew that her parents were going separate ways anyway. She even said that her Mom needed to get out more and have a life of her own. I kinda think that she meant after she went to college. Macy really liked having her Mom around. I really miss her. I'm really exhausted from this. Question & Answer session with Sharon Atherton: Q: Sharon, do you remember the name of the hotel? A: No, there wasn't really a name. It was just a message, like a reminder to himself, it said something like-Be at hotel at 9pm. Sardis. Nothing specific, really. Q: What was the last in depth conversation you had with Macy? Besides her Dad's affair? A: Well, the last thing we talked about wasn't really 'in depth'. We talked about earrings, actually. She wanted a new pair, and we talked about her coming to help me baby-sit my little brother the night she disappeared. Q: Did you and Macy know much about Ego Shovel, or know any of its members? A: No, not really. Our parents just told us it was a cult and that we shouldn't get involved. We never did, but I've heard rumors. Not a cool thing to be a part of, so we never bothered to get involved with any of it. Q: Why do you think Macy thought the "woman" was part of his campaign staff? A: Macy said she didn't know of anyone else that it could be and that her Dad had been spending a lot of time working on this campaign and all. There were a few women working on the campaign staff, and I guess she just felt that her Dad was spending too much time working on the campaign for it to be just work. Q: Sharon, do you or Macy ever go into Proud Larry's? At my High School it was easy to get fake id if you wanted it. A: No, we've never gone in there. It's not our kind of place. We're really not into the whole drinking thing. Q: Do you know anything about the boyfriend that was out of town? A: Tom? He's a nice guy. She's been seeing him for a while, nothing serious though. Q: Did you or Macy ever date someone who might have known Ed Pierce? A: No, no one either of us has ever dated has known Pierce to my knowledge. An interesting line of thought in this chat was that perhaps Macy went willingly from the Mall thinking she was going with a member of the Sheriff's Department. That perhaps Ed impersonated a deputy and lured her away saying there was a family emergency. The consensus is that Macy would have been able to see through that ruse. Wednesday, October 8, 1997 Guest: FBI Special Agent Gary Stremcha Opening Remarks: Good evening, I am FBI Special Agent Gary Stremcha. I am here tonight to answer any questions you might have. If you are ready to go on, I am ready to start answering questions. Question & Answer Session with Special Agent Stremcha: Q: What has been your specialty in this investigation? A: My specialty in the agency is abductions. I've had training in military intelligence and 12 years experience in the FBI. Q: Whose abduction are you investigating? A: It was originally considered that Victoria may have been abducted. We no longer believe that to be the case. Q: What are the odds that Macy is still alive and with Ed and/or Vicky? A: I am not qualified to discuss Macy Lamar. That is Agent Hillman's area. Q: Any theories on why Ed and Victoria (with Phelps) would have split up? A: It is believed that Ed and Victoria abandoned Phelps because he was injured. He was just extra baggage to them. Q: In the hotel room, Vic and Phelp's hair samples were found...Ed's weren't... A: Ed Pierce is not believed to have been in the room. We believe that Ed had Victoria do his dirty work, so to speak. Q: What exactly was Ed's dirty work that Vicky did for him, in your opinion? A: Vicky is likely acting as his navigator, we suspect she also rents motel rooms, buys gas and food, that sort of thing. Ed is trying not to be seen, we think. Q: What is your best theory about Ed's current path and intentions? A: A map was found of the Western United States. It had pen marks near Fort Worth, TX, Albuquerque, NM, the Grand Canyon in AZ, Yosemite National Park in NV, Las Vegas, NV, Sacramento, CA, and San Francisco, CA. That is our best lead on his intentions. Q: Any leads on how he got a new car? A: No sightings, no vehicles stolen that we can attribute to him. We think he may be laying low somewhere in New Orleans for now. Q: Agent, have they found a room in New Orleans rented by either one of them? A: Not at this time. Many motels in New Orleans take cash and do not require identification. Q: Since a lot of small motels take cash with no ID, isn't it foreseeable that there wont be a trace? A: Yes. Q: Where do you think Pierce is now? A: Still New Orleans. Q: Have you checked the above ground cemeteries? A: For Ed and Victoria? Q: Ed seems to like eerie places, and maybe he found Macy a place to *rest*. Ed, fancying himself a creature of the night. Check the gravesite of Marie Lauveau..he would be attracted to that. People go there in droves daily. A: We have checked the cemeteries, along with many other locations and have found nothing else that has aided our investigation. Q: Have you checked for their presence in any of the locations marked on the map? A: Yes, we have. There is no evidence that they are in any of those cities. Q: Are you setting up any roadblocks, just in case? A: The police departments in those cities are aware of the situation and keeping aware of the progress of the investigations. Q: Were there any prints on the map? Maybe it was a decoy and they are back in Oxford? A: We are also investigating that possibility. Yes, Vicky's prints were found on the map. Q Agent, what agencies in those cities would be investigating? A: The police departments and the local FBI offices. Q: Do you have any information on anything else found in the car in New Orleans? A: A revolver gunbelt, police issue, two Hornady .357 Magnum JHP-XTP live rounds #9050, three different blood types which are suspected to be that of Phelps, Pierce and Deputy Schiff. Q: Do you know if Pierce has any firearms experience, or is just a point-and-shooter? A: No firearms training that we could discover. Q: Does Pierce still have Deputy Schiff's gun do you think? A: Yes. Q: Agent, was the gunbelt inscribed or identifiable? A: It is a standard police issue gunbelt. Q: Have you checked hospitals near the accident scene for Pierce, he may have looked for treatment? A: Yes. There is no sign of Ed Pierce or Victoria Symons at any of the medical treatment facilities. Q: Can't you trace from ATM machines to figure a pattern? A: There have been withdrawals on both Ed Pierce's account and Victoria Symons' account. Q: Where and when was money withdrawn last? A: At a Quickie Mart on Bourbon Street. Q: That's not too much help is it. Any video from the ATM machine? A: Yes, we are going through it. It is not available yet. I am not allowed to divulge the suspect's financial status. I am not permitted to give any information on the ATM lead, yet. I am sorry. Q: Does Macy have an account, and if so, have there been any withdrawals? A: I don't know but it is a possibility. Macy's case is being headed by Agent Hillman, I can't give information on that case. Q: Are you worried that Vicky might kill Macy from jealousy? She mentioned the other girl to her mother. A: There is no evidence that Macy Lamar is with Ed or Victoria. Q: Has Victoria called her mother again? A: No, she hasn't. Q: Are the Kudzu Kings or Ego Shovel bands in New Orleans now? A: No. Friday, October 10, 1997 Guest: Detective Terry Nelson Opening Remarks: Good evening, hello everyone. I'm here tonight to answer any questions you all might have on the case, as you all know it's been quite a busy week for us. Question & Answer session with Detective Nelson: Q: There was no evidence in the car that Ed and Tony took Macy, how can you be sure they have her? A: To be honest, we aren't. We have suspicion to believe that they may have her. We've been following up on any leads that we possibly can. Q: Have you checked around for people that Macy may have known at the mall that day because there was no struggle? A: Unfortunately, right now the best lead is that Pierce may have abducted this girl with the help of Phelps. Yes, we've been questioning everyone we can. Q: Who else did Macy and her best friend hang out with? What about Macy's friends you still need more information from them? A: Macy is a very popular girl at her school. She has many friends but mainly it is known that she only was really close with Ms. Atherton and her boyfriend. We have been interviewing her friends extensively, and keeping close contact with them in case Macy might call them. Q: What is the motive Detective? A: The only motive that we can really come up with right now, is that possibly Phelps or Pierce recognized Macy and took her to use as a possible hostage if they were caught. Something to bargain with. Q: If the Sheriff kept his job and family life separate, how would Pierce or Phelps recognize Macy? A: Sheriff Lamar's family is well known in the area. The Sheriff kept his job separate, but people in town still know who she is. Q: How is her best friend doing have you heard from her family? A: Sharon is doing fine. Very shaken up at the moment, as we can all imagine. But she seems to be holding up well. As for Macy's family, they are very much on edge and praying for her safe return. Q: Do you know who the "regular" customers are that come into Square Books? A: Yes, we have questioned the employees at length about regulars at Square Books. No real leads from it that we've found yet. Q: Was there any connection between Purity Knight and Macy even though Purity died? A: No. Q: Do you think Macy is still alive or all three are dead in a murder/suicide killing? A: We have no reason to believe that Macy is dead. We are pursuing this case as an abduction, but we don't believe that Macy is dead. As far as Ed being a suicide, we have the call in to the New Orleans radio station and the call from Victoria to her mother, not considered likely. Q: Have Ed or Victoria made any more ATM withdrawals and have you viewed the tape from the ATM they previously withdrew from? A: The FBI is watching that closely. No, I haven't viewed it personally yet. Q: Did Macy have a bank account? If so has it been used lately? A: Macy has not many any withdrawals of any kind. The investigation is keeping close tabs on that. Q: Detective do you think Vicky could have planned to break Ed out there for having money stashed. A: That's an interesting idea. We're looking into that possibility. Q: What exactly is your theory on where they could be right now? A: We know that they were in Louisiana near New Orleans at one point. As of right now, their whereabouts are unknown. We are continuing to search the New Orleans area extensively. Q: Has the Deputy regained consciousness yet? A: He is still in the hospital in a coma. Q: Have the FBI been any help in your investigation? Any info? A: The FBI have been of great help. We have used some of their labs for running the polygraph tests and they have helped us follow up on leads. Q: Since the radio station has a limited area that it broadcast in, why not start there, and couldn't a pharmacist in this area be shown pictures in case they purchased medications? A: We have been searching the area extensively, but no leads have been found, nor any sightings. No one has seen them to identify them, but yes, we have pictures posted in the area. Q: What was the radio DJ's reaction when Ed supposedly called the radio station? A: We know it is Ed's voice and the DJ felt if was a very strange call, that is why it was reported. Q: Who has been polygraphed? A: Caroline Blanchard, Macy Lamar's mother was polygraphed last weekend. All questions asked about Macy's disappearance and Ms. Blanchard's possible involvement were answered no and passed successfully. Results are on the web site, I believe. Q: Don't you find it strange that her mother refers to "woman's" intuition, not "mother's"? A: I hadn't really thought about it, but now that you bring it up, I'll take that into consideration. Q: What do you think about Macy's mother referring to her in the past tense? A: She has been cleared of any involvement through the polygraph testing, but it is a little odd, I think that Ms. Blanchard may just be very distraught at the moment. Q: Has the Sheriff agreed to be polygraphed? A: Yes, he has. We are in the process of setting up a time to meet with him. He wants the same treatment as Ms. Blanchard received. He wants to clear any doubt anyone might have about any possible involvement. Q: Has Sheriff Lamar been questioned about the notes Macy found in his drawer? A: We are trying to set up a meeting with Sheriff Lamar about the notes. We'll have more information about that when we get an actual interview set up. Q: As "LOONEY TUNED", as Ed is do you think that this could have been some fantasy for him to kidnap Macy? A: I don't really know, but it's something to think about.

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