Joyce McClain update (not on her murder)

[Blackout805]

i just found out the detective who worked on her case and was interviewed on UNSOLVED passed away back in 2005

by doing a google search of Barry Shuman and "Maine State Police" I came up with this:
___

BARRY SHUMAN


BREWER, NAVARRE, Fla. - Barry Shuman, 65, died June 2, 2005, at a Pensacola, Fla. hospice, after a yearlong battle with cancer. A long time resident of Bangor and Brewer, Barry was born on Feb. 4, 1940, in Boston, Mass., the youngest son of Albert and Sally Shuman. Barry moved to Bangor in 1955 and, upon graduating from Bangor High School, joined the Maine Air National Guard where he served for 34 years and attained the rank of Master Sergeant. A con-summate professional, Barry held numerous positions as an aircraft maintenance specialist, aircraft crew chief, and logistics planner. In addition to serving his country through military service, Barry served a distinguished 28-year career in the Maine State Police, rising through the ranks from Trooper to Detective Sergeant. He retired his post in 1997 with all of his cases closed. Barry took very little credit for the success of his division, saying his main function in any case was to allow his people to do their job, which they did with pride and dignity, for themselves and for Barry. Never one to settle down, Barry continued to serve the community at the Penobscot County Courthouse until he moved to Florida in 2004. Throughout his life, Barry juggled his work and personal life, always taking time to help family, being there to help friends in need, and sacrificing himself for the benefits of others. Education was also important to him, he diligently worked to earn a bachelor's degree in law enforcement from the University of Maine. Barry is survived by his wife of 22 years, Linda; brother Chuck; and sister-in-law, Christine of Largo, Fla. and Brewer; children, Scott of Florida, Andrew and his wife, Jani, of Bangor, Michael of New Hampshire, Kenneth and his wife, Kimberly, of New Jersey, and Carl and his wife, Lisa, of Virginia. Barry had 11 grandchildren, who were very special to him. He is also survived by numerous aunts, uncles, and friends. A memorial service will be held 4 p.m. June 11, at the East Orrington Congregational Church, Orrington. In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully asks that donations be made to the Barry Shuman Memorial Fund at any Key Bank location. Proceeds from the fund will be donated to a cancer-related charity to be determined at a later date.
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damn, i don't think they'll EVER solve joyce mcclain's case

[Mastermind]

damn, i don't think they'll EVER solve joyce mcclain's case

I seem to remember that there were good suspects in this case, but there has never been any evidence to properly convict them.

Personally, I think a lot of people know exactly who killed Joyce McLain, but they don't want to talk about it.

[MegtheEgg86]

I recall reading in more than one article that the man who "discovered" Joyce's body was a very strong suspect. I believe he was even shortly interviewed in the segment.

[Blackout805]

he was interviewed on the show

[Cori aka ChrisSCrush]

Yes, the man who found the body was interviewed, and exactly what evidence was found when Joyce was exhumed nearly a year ago? How come we've heard no more about it?

http://www.bangordailynews.com/detail/99168.html

[Wamisto]

I recall reading in more than one article that the man who "discovered" Joyce's body was a very strong suspect. I believe he was even shortly interviewed in the segment.

You know, I was immediately suspicious of that guy when I watched the segment. He was part of the search party, and yet he found her at a time when the search party was not searching. And just the way he spoke about Joyce and the fact that she was murdered and that he found her and how that affected him? "Turned out to be a big part in my life that's [pause] really hurt me. I never expected what happened at all". Yes, definitely suspicious.

I think sometimes UM shows clips from interviews like that because such interviewees make themselves look guilty - and UM knows it and wants to convey that to the viewer as well.

[MegtheEgg86]

You know, I was immediately suspicious of that guy when I watched the segment. He was part of the search party, and yet he found her at a time when the search party was not searching. And just the way he spoke about Joyce and the fact that she was murdered and how that effected him - combined with the fact that he worked at the school? Yes, definitely suspicious.

I think sometimes UM shows clips from interviews like that because such interviewees make themselves look guilty - and UM knows it and wants to convey that to the viewer as well.

I agree. Even what he said in the interview was a little strange: "It's been a part of my life that's really hurt me. I didn't expect what happened at all."

Supposing he's the guilty party, the context of his words seem to fit in an albeit eerie way.

[kadrmas15]

You know, I hate to say it and agree with the majority on this, but yeah, I had never brought it up before, mostly because I am reluctant to be the first one to bring something up in terms of starting a thread. However basically when I watched this segment, it was not really the first time, but after several times, the guy that was interviewed who found the body, there was a gut feeling there, something about him. I mean, I am not saying he did it, but yeah, there was something about him that bothered me.

[kadrmas15]

I mean, to be honest, the fact that he found the body is not what to me would make him a suspect. It is the fact that what he said and all that, it was kind of creepy to me. I mean like I said, that does not mean he is guilty, but I would like to know more info about him. His whereabouts at the time Joyce disappeared and the fact he worked at the same school where Joyce was jogging at.

However it could be a red herring too, like the maintenance man who worked at the strip mall where Cindy Anderson disappeared from. On the surface he looked very right for the crime but as it turns out he was innocent and in fact passed away thinking that he was a suspect in this crime and under a cloud of suspicion when the messages that were spray painted were written by some young kid sending a message to his girlfriend, not to Cindy Anderson. The fact a woman named Cindy worked in the office and could see the messages and the fact the maintenance man's initials were GW was just an incredibly sad coincidence.

[Wamisto]

However it could be a red herring too, like the maintenance man who worked at the strip mall where Cindy Anderson disappeared from. On the surface he looked very right for the crime but as it turns out he was innocent and in fact passed away thinking that he was a suspect in this crime and under a cloud of suspicion when the messages that were spray painted were written by some young kid sending a message to his girlfriend, not to Cindy Anderson. The fact a woman named Cindy worked in the office and could see the messages and the fact the maintenance man's initials were GW was just an incredibly sad coincidence.

I think you might be right that it could just be an incredible coincidence. Maybe this guy was just a creep that had some kind of obsession with her, but that is as far as it went. Maybe he put together scrapbooks of articles written about her cheerleader team or pictures of her cut out of yearbooks, but never actually killed her. This would be incredibly ironic, but not by any means out of the realm of possibility. If this were true, it would explain the creepy comments - what he said is something a creepy guy with an obsession would say too. I think it could also explain why he found her before anyone else - he was so "obsessed" with finding his "lost love" that he searched day and night for her.

[kadrmas15]

Hmm, I don't know that I would go that far. I have never heard any allegations that he cut out articles about her or that he was obsessed with her. He is a firefighter and paramedic, that could be why he was searching on his own. I mean it seemed to affect him a lot, I certainly am not one that is running to lynch the guy just yet.

[Wamisto]

Hmm, I don't know that I would go that far. I have never heard any allegations that he cut out articles about her or that he was obsessed with her. He is a firefighter and paramedic, that could be why he was searching on his own. I mean it seemed to affect him a lot, I certainly am not one that is running to lynch the guy just yet.

When I talked about the scrapbook, I was just speaking hypothetically, like if he was a creep it is something he might do, and was using the example of the scrapbook to illustrate a point, ie. the irony of the situation.

[mattc]

I can see why the guy who found Joyce would be seen as suspect, but I think we might be over analyzing his words on the show. I re-watched it, and I took his statements to simply mean that he was very hurt and affected by finding a dead girl in the woods. Obviously, especially in a small, no-crime type of town, such an event would be an enormous deal to every resident, let alone the person who found the body. Plus, perhaps when he says "hurt" he also means that he was initially viewed with suspicion by the town's people, and this hurt him?

As we all know, when cases grow cold, we tend to gravitate towards one individual because we want the case solved, and I think that's the case here. I mean, there's absolutely zero evidence he had anything to do with this, other than viewers having weird gut reactions when watching the show.

Also, I can't imagine that he was not extensively questioned by the police and what not, and it's hard to believe that, if he did do it, he'd be in the search party, the one to discover the body, and appearing on UM. At the very least, I don't think he would have found the body because that immediately causes red flags to be raised.

With all the articles and info written on this murder, nothing has ever been mentioned about this guy as a possible suspect, and I think it would have been.

That being said, I do think that eventually this case will be solved, whether through people talking or DNA evidence being compared to a large database.

[Wamisto]

I can see why the guy who found Joyce would be seen as suspect, but I think we might be over analyzing his words on the show. I re-watched it, and I took his statements to simply mean that he was very hurt and affected by finding a dead girl in the woods. Obviously, especially in a small, no-crime type of town, such an event would be an enormous deal to every resident, let alone the person who found the body. Plus, perhaps when he says "hurt" he also means that he was initially viewed with suspicion by the town's people, and this hurt him?

... it's hard to believe that, if he did do it, he'd be in the search party, the one to discover the body, and appearing on UM. At the very least, I don't think he would have found the body because that immediately causes red flags to be raised.


Actually, I think your interpretation of the interview is just as likely. I still think it could be either one, however.

As for being in the search party, it often happens that the killer is the one spearheading the search party or at least is its most enthusiastic member, and sometimes is the one to find the victim. Why? That is just the way their sick minds work. This doesn't always happen, but it happens enough that (a) the one who finds the body is immediately viewed as a suspect, and (b) the one who finds the body is not viewed with less suspicion based on the logic that he would not have "discovered" the body if he was really guilty.

[kadrmas15]

Well that may be, however I have my concerns with people looking at Peter Lasee like this. I mean, I do not really think it is this grand incredible coincidence that he found the body. I mean, is it really that unrealistic that he simply was a good samaritan who found the body? I mean, I think that is part of the problem with our society is we tend to be so damn suspicious of everybody and develop tunnel vision. When that happens, leads get missed and the possibility to investigate other possibilities ceases.

Yes, I have gone back and forth on this guy. On the one hand I can see how it is creepy but on the other hand, I tend to lean towards people are looking for answers and looking for someone to blame and are reading too much into what this guy is saying. I am not saying this guy for sure did not do it. I am not even saying he should not have been investigated. But to think that a guy might have done it based on nothing but pure conjecture is really reaching.

[mattc]

Well that may be, however I have my concerns with people looking at Peter Lasee like this. I mean, I do not really think it is this grand incredible coincidence that he found the body. I mean, is it really that unrealistic that he simply was a good samaritan who found the body? I mean, I think that is part of the problem with our society is we tend to be so damn suspicious of everybody and develop tunnel vision. When that happens, leads get missed and the possibility to investigate other possibilities ceases.

Yes, I have gone back and forth on this guy. On the one hand I can see how it is creepy but on the other hand, I tend to lean towards people are looking for answers and looking for someone to blame and are reading too much into what this guy is saying. I am not saying this guy for sure did not do it. I am not even saying he should not have been investigated. But to think that a guy might have done it based on nothing but pure conjecture is really reaching.

Well put!!

[Wamisto]

Well that may be, however I have my concerns with people looking at Peter Lasee like this. I mean, I do not really think it is this grand incredible coincidence that he found the body. I mean, is it really that unrealistic that he simply was a good samaritan who found the body? I mean, I think that is part of the problem with our society is we tend to be so damn suspicious of everybody and develop tunnel vision. When that happens, leads get missed and the possibility to investigate other possibilities ceases.

Yes, I have gone back and forth on this guy. On the one hand I can see how it is creepy but on the other hand, I tend to lean towards people are looking for answers and looking for someone to blame and are reading too much into what this guy is saying. I am not saying this guy for sure did not do it. I am not even saying he should not have been investigated. But to think that a guy might have done it based on nothing but pure conjecture is really reaching.

"So suspicious" would have been sufficient. "So damn suspicious" was a bit much.

When you speak of the "everybody" that we tend to be "so damn suspicious" of, you are including the law enforcement officials, right? At least on these forums, usually there is someone who says, "well, law enforcement probably screwed up the investigation like they often do".

So perhaps I get too suspicious of the man who finds the body. Then again, others get too suspicious of the "incompetent" and "corrupt" law enforcement officials. The pot and the kettle.

[kadrmas15]

Not so, you knew what I meant when I said damn suspicious so I am not going to argue with you about that point. However you are kind of twisting things from how I said them. I did not say you could not be suspicious of Peter Lasee, what I did say was that you were being overly suspicious of him in my opinion when there was literally nothing to indicate that he killed Joyce McClain yet you seem to consider him suspect No. 1 because he found the body and because you did not happen to like what he said in his interview or how he said it. I mean you are totally right, maybe he did it, I have no way of knowing. However I am just telling you that in my opinion there is no where near enough to charge and convict him. That is all I was saying.

[kadrmas15]

Also, one other quick point. I am not suspicious of law enforcement. I do hold them accountable when I think they have screwed up or developed tunnel vision. However I base that off of their own words and not pure conjecture. I mean it is not like I think 'oh they screwed up' just for the sake of thinking they screwed up so I can blame them for something that there is no evidence they did or did not do just so I can feel better psychologically. Huge difference. But if you want to keep giving law enforcement a pass, that is your choice. I have held them accountable for abusing power and for being incompetent and screwing up cases. I get they are human so I get some of the time, maybe even a lot of the time this is not truly intentional on their part. However people tend to want to not only hang defendants but hang people that from what I can tell were never even seriously considered as suspects in a crime all because of the natural human desire to want to see someone, anyone, pay for a crime.