***post removed.***

PM if you want to read it.

Wow thanks for posting that Dynoguy! Definitely sounds credible to me so keep us posted on any new developments.

Extremely interesting to say the least.

The mother and other relatives need to cooperate and participate, if they are not already. The daughter may be correct, but at age 3 in 1989 obviously she doesn't have any first hand information. Info like the father returning home to fetch a fresh uniform needs to be verified by the mother. Has the daughter mentioned putting you in touch with her mother? The inference is the father changed uniforms. The mother may not only know if that's true, but also if the initial uniform showed any signs of blood, etc.

Obviously the family has a history in local law enforcement. It's understandable if the older generations are hesitant to get involved, or perhaps are in denial at the possibility of the father being the murderer. I would think the voice would be simple to identify. It had a slight lisp, if I remember correctly. Not a deep voice, very distinct. Yet somehow you've got that voice identified by the psychic as belonging to Shawn, and now by the daughter as belonging to her father. Two different people.

One thing always puzzled me about the confession tape: the caller saying he "often" went to the store and talked to Tracy. That seemed odd, and you would think Tracy would have mentioned it to someone, that a guy who she didn't know well and never bought anything (I assume) would regularly show up in a woman's clothing store at night and talk to her. A police officer who is assigned to check on the area would have an automatic excuse to be there frequently. That's what rung true the most about your description and his potential involvement.

I've never heard this rumor before, that a police officer was involved. Rogue cops are less rare than we like to believe, as evidenced by many of these true crime shows and plenty of reports coming out of New Orleans.

What I read is amazing, Dynoguy88.

Your unwillingness to name the person is understandable. Also, my suspicion is that the cops didn't want to publicly give out too much information, out of fear that it could jeopardize the case. And that's the only reason I can think of as to why UM made no mention of the person of interest.

It's one thing to suspect someone of a crime, but it's another to prove it. Sometimes, cops have to keep some suspicions to themselves, and it's for two reasons (which I have noted in another post):

1) If you suspect the right guy, you want to keep the media off his back, so that he's less likely to be compelled to behave more carefully, and more likely to make a mistake that could give him away.

2) If you suspect the wrong guy, then you haven't smeared an innocent man's good name.

Besides, I remember the UM segment about the so-called Torso Slayer, the only case that Eliot Ness never solved. It was mentioned in the segment that Ness believed he knew who the killer was, but didn't have enough evidence to make an arrest. Ness was being cautious, and knew well enough not to publicly accuse his suspect of the murders without proof. Had he done that, the suspect, who belonged to a prominent family, could have sued him for defamation.

This is one perfect example as to why cops have to be careful about what they tell the media about an ongoing investigation. Moreover, if they were to publicly name suspects too soon (especially when there's no hard evidence against them), it could spell trouble for the cops and the case...in more ways that one. :eek:

Awsi Dooger, I couldn't agree more that a police officer would have the perfect excuse to be there frequently - and if he usually came by when Tracy was closing up the store, that would make more sense in that Tracy might not have had any reason to fear him or tell too many people about it. It might be possible that he could have finally made a move on her and when she turned him down, he went nuts. But that's just a theory.

Apparently this suspect used to hit his wife and daughter all of the time. In his daughter's own words, he used to say he could do anything and get away with it....that we have no idea how many things he has already gotten away with. That he is untouchable, and no matter what you say about him, no one will believe you because he IS the law. So this guy doesn't have many positive things about him.

I probably won't hear from her for a couple days. She was in a car accident last week and injured her elbow. And then a few days later, she had go to the hospital for a kidney infection. So she needs some rest for now. But she told me that said she is fully prepared to do what she has to do. She also told me that new investigators have been assigned to the case so Tracy's family has a much better chance at a fair investigation now than they did 17 years ago. The only downer is some crucial evidence might have been destroyed but she was vague on those details.

This post has made my day! And it makes me feel real special to be associated with all of you. We already have had 2 people involved in UM profiled cases come on these boards (Koala and Lisa Marie Kimmels mom) and now this. It goes to show that although a lot of these cases happened years ago a lot of people still have interest and want to see them solved!

PS - I don't know why but I remember thinking when this was on "maybe it was the cop who found her". Maybe I am a psychic. .... LOL.

Wow amazing - Simply amazing

Hey guys. I just wanted to tell you that I sent an e-mail to "Don's" daughter yesterday. Hopefully I'll hear back from her soon and see if she has gone to the police yet.

The last time I heard from her, she told me she was having a few health problems so I thought I shouldn't bug her for a while. That was about a month and a half ago. But my curiousity has been waiting. Hopefully she'll have an update for us soon. As soon as I hear something, I'll post it right away.

Thanks for the update dynoguy! I have been thinking about this case the last few days and wondered what was going on. I look forward to hearing any new info when you come across it.

...........if Tracy's Family still live in the Frederick, Maryland area ? Or did they move back to the Pittsburgh area ? Thank You in advance.

Well this was a personal killing. For her to be stabbed so many times tells you whoever killed Tracy was quite angry with her. Whoever killed her was probably angry that Tracy rejected their sexual advances. Barry Horner was the detective issued to that case at the time and was interviewed in the UM segment. I am sure Horner has been retired for several years now. Richard Ashton I believe was the Chief of the FredrickPolice in the segment although I dont know if he was the same chief that was dismissed due to corruption. I do find the time difference very interesting. So this girls father was a Fredrick Police Officer? Or a mall security officer? Either way for him to be a regular patrolman there and not discover the lights in the store on for over an hour after the store was supposed to be closed? Strange. Appearantly Ashton is still very active in law enforcement even though he is retired and apperantly he is a well known law enforcement officer in Maryland. I think this girls dad is a hot suspect. I find it incredible that he had shared an apartment with a man named Shawn and that the girls dads name was Don. I remember when I heard the audio tape not thinking the voice on that tape sounded like a teenager. I thought it sounded like a man that was at least a few years older than a teenager. I find it interesting as well as how he would move out of that apartment shortly after this whole thing happened yet still pay rent for an apartment he wasnt living in. I think that Shawn was scared as you s aid and that he wanted the cops to figure that this Don did it he just didnt want to say it outright. I find it interesting how Don would move to Egypt. Did he move there to escape the clutches of U.S. Justice? I also looked up Chief Ashton and found his name mentioned in both state of Maryland courts and in U.S. Court of Appeals. Richard Ashton is still involved in law enforcement and is now the Grant/Technical Management Manager for the International Association of Chiefs of police.

I'm sorry to report that it's been several months now and I still haven't heard anything new.

I've e-mailed Don's daughter several times since last December and she hasn't returned ANY of them. I thought maybe she would actually respond if I told her I would like my video tape (of the UM segment) back but not even that got a response.

The last I heard from her, she told me she was in a small car accident and she injured one of her ribs and would have to spend a week off from work. I even sent her a get well soon card and that was the last I heard from her.

I'll try to e-mail her but I don't know if she's ever going to respond back now which is odd because we must have e-mailed each other at least 15 times.

Sorry to hear that she's not responding, but thank you for the update... :(

Just saw this on YouTube.

Any further updates other than the above mentioned ones?

I'm assuming no, since dynoguy88 is pretty good about keeping us up to speed. Such a bummer, too!

I'm wondering if she decided that she's given out too much information and clammed up as a result. It certainly seems that way. It really is a shame, as it really was fascinating to follow.

Maybe dynoguy88 was being led on by the girl. I know first hand that girls have a tendency to do that. She probably thought it would be funny to pretend she is directly involved in one of the cases somehow and make up all that baloney about the cop being her father. Then when dynoguy88 mailed her the tape, she realised that this was becoming more than a joke and didnt make contact with dynoguy88 no more. I'm just speculating, she probably could have been telling the truth. Who knows?? I dont.

I was just watching this on YouTube & came here to do a search on any new updates. Too bad that there hasn't been any more correspondence with this girl. Who knows maybe someone got wind of her talking & did somthing to shut her up. I am not saying this is what happened but a possibility specially if her father is the murderer of Tracy.

I was just watching this on YouTube & came here to do a search on any new updates. Too bad that there hasn't been any more correspondence with this girl. Who knows maybe someone got wind of her talking & did somthing to shut her up. I am not saying this is what happened but a possibility specially if her father is the murderer of Tracy.

First of all, i'm loving your nick hey ;)

You know, that thought did cross my mind about someone putting the girl in her place. Dynoguy88 did mention she was in an "accident" shortly before she disappeared into oblivion. This is turning into another unsolved mystery of its own. Someone call Stacky!!

At this point, I don't really know what to think. Before I mailed the tape to her, I knew that there might be the possibility that she could have been putting me on. But I thought to myself... well, what have I got to lose by doing this? If she's just joking, than I'm out one VHS tape. If she's not joking, it might help the case. So I saw no harm in mailing it out.

It was a pain getting that tape to her, though. I sent it overnight mail and apparently you have to be home when it arrives or else they mail it back to you. She was gone during the day as most people are so after two failed attempts for the mail man to reach her, it came back to me and I had to mail it out again but she contacted me when it finally arrived.

I saved all the e-mails she sent me and the following is her final e-mail to me from last October...

hey... I finally did get the tape, not sure if it came Saturday or today... last week i had a car accident and shattered my elbow, and then yesterday I was admitted to the hospital for a bad kidney infection. Yes, it was my dad's voice on the tape, and I'm prepared to do what I have to do. I'm in a lot of pain right now, and will probably go back to the hospital in the morning, but I will follow up and mail back the tape when I take care of the health problems. Thank you for your help. Its all a lot clearer now.

So, take from that what you will.

Someone call Stacky!!


I think Matt Damon said it best in Good Will Hunting when he said, "Not without a heater and some serious smelling salts." :p

Hmm this is such an interesting story. It's like the killer knows he's done wrong but doesn't want to be found because well he could go to jail or get the dealth penalty and it won't bring the girl back.
He probably knew her before and maybe threatened to kill her otherwise why would have she made that shock death confession poem 3 months before her death?
Or is it just a coincidence?
Probably not!

-Ben

Are there any updates on Tracy's murder? This should have been an easy one to solve. I always wondered why the "Shawn" guy wasn't further questioned, since he had Tracy memorbilia in his house and made phone calls and contact w/ the psychic. Anyways, just wondering since I just watched this one for the first time.

Kamy, I completely agree and I was just going to post that, I never understood why he hasn't been investigated farther. You'd think being identified by voice and having newspaper articles about the murder would be enough to prompt farther investigation, but yet that hasn't happened.

Actually, I live in Frederick MD and have been to Walkersville MD many times, so this case interests me. Sadly, there havent been any updates or arrests. Since I live in Frederick, if I find out anything, I'll post it immediatley.

At this point, I don't really know what to think. Before I mailed the tape to her, I knew that there might be the possibility that she could have been putting me on. But I thought to myself... well, what have I got to lose by doing this? If she's just joking, than I'm out one VHS tape. If she's not joking, it might help the case. So I saw no harm in mailing it out.

It was a pain getting that tape to her, though. I sent it overnight mail and apparently you have to be home when it arrives or else they mail it back to you. She was gone during the day as most people are so after two failed attempts for the mail man to reach her, it came back to me and I had to mail it out again but she contacted me when it finally arrived.

I saved all the e-mails she sent me and the following is her final e-mail to me from last October...

hey... I finally did get the tape, not sure if it came Saturday or today... last week i had a car accident and shattered my elbow, and then yesterday I was admitted to the hospital for a bad kidney infection. Yes, it was my dad's voice on the tape, and I'm prepared to do what I have to do. I'm in a lot of pain right now, and will probably go back to the hospital in the morning, but I will follow up and mail back the tape when I take care of the health problems. Thank you for your help. Its all a lot clearer now.

So, take from that what you will.

Perhaps it is now time to turn this young woman's name into the police. Have you thought about doing so, Dynoguy???

I second that CanadianUMFan!

Perhaps it is now time to turn this young woman's name into the police. Have you thought about doing so, Dynoguy???

The thought never crossed my mind. I don't even know if the police would believe me. All I have are e-mails with a girl CLAIMING to be "Don's" daughter. I have no concrete proof that she is who she says she is.

I have a name and address but those could be bogus too.

You can turn over what you have and it'll be up to them to investigate. But the choice is yours. It's a very compelling situation, they'd be stupid not to investigate.

I would talk to the police. Worst that could happen really is them not doing anything, and perhaps it could be a big break in the case. In my opinion, you might as well.

Is that mailbox address that they have at the end of the UM reruns still active? Perhaps, the information could be sent to them if it is still active.

post the emails here w/o the peoples names, I want to read them:)

Maybe dynoguy88 was being led on by the girl. I know first hand that girls have a tendency to do that. She probably thought it would be funny to pretend she is directly involved in one of the cases somehow and make up all that baloney about the cop being her father. Then when dynoguy88 mailed her the tape, she realised that this was becoming more than a joke and didnt make contact with dynoguy88 no more. I'm just speculating, she probably could have been telling the truth. Who knows?? I dont.


Let's not get sexist here, it's not just girls; guys are just as able and likely to "lead on" people.

Saw this segment again last night.

Thread starter who made this was led on by a bunch of crackpot b/s. (Oh I was in a car accident blah blah). It doesn't seem to me this girl who contacted them was really in any determination to turn any evidence into the police, or it was just some kook at that.

It would make sense that the officer or rent-a-cop that found the body would be the one responsible (good reason for there to be a male individual in the store talking to Tracy towards the back room, he was making his rounds by each store) but its pretty likely that they werent even involved in the murder if the individual has never been prosecuted. It's possible this is more botched police work but there are too many gaps in this case.

And to whoever tried bringing sexism into the arguement against the person who mentioned that it may be some stupid girl that was playing the thread starter: shut up. You are not playing any new cards bringing in the sexist card. Whiner.

I dont post here often, but when I have ive presented different viewpoints on the thread subject, I dont see how I fail to contribute.

On the other hand, who even said anything offensive to women? I dont even know what you're talking about. If it bothers you that much I'll tone down my post count that is insanely high, and stop giving my viewpoints or presenting valid questions to be looked at.

Im not really sure what you're whining about..I have attacked nobody in particular, I believe earlier I accused someone of bringing in the sexist card when not really in good place. The person who 'played' the thread starter was female, if im not mistaken, and was being foolish in not getting back to them. I just dont see your point here. Thats all the ranting ill do though..

Stuart Heaton is guilty. WM3 are guilty. Thread starter got played. so what?

* Woah wiseguy, you have the same join date as me? Or is that an error? Either way, get off my back because i've spent my 19 posts presenting questions and opinions about segments while you've apparently spent quite a few bitching at posters and telling them to go away like a child. As ******** as me bringing all this up is, I thought I should let you know how I felt.

I dont post here often, but when I have ive presented different viewpoints on the thread subject, I dont see how I fail to contribute.

On the other hand, who even said anything offensive to women? I dont even know what you're talking about. If it bothers you that much I'll tone down my post count that is insanely high, and stop giving my viewpoints or presenting valid questions to be looked at.

Im not really sure what you're whining about..I have attacked nobody in particular, I believe earlier I accused someone of bringing in the sexist card when not really in good place. The person who 'played' the thread starter was female, if im not mistaken, and was being foolish in not getting back to them. I just dont see your point here. Thats all the ranting ill do though..

Stuart Heaton is guilty. WM3 are guilty. Thread starter got played. so what?

* Woah wiseguy, you have the same join date as me? Or is that an error? Either way, get off my back because i've spent my 19 posts presenting questions and opinions about segments while you've apparently spent quite a few bitching at posters and telling them to go away like a child. As ******** as me bringing all this up is, I thought I should let you know how I felt.

stop pretending like you don't know what I was talking about, you know exactly what I'm talking about and you proved that in the post of yours that I quoted directly above your last one. But in case you need a refresher, AVERMAN suggested that dynoguy88 was being led on by a girl, and that they have a "tendency to do that". The comment is inappropriate, and when kamy called him out on it, you called her a whiner, and told her to shut up. And you also called the girl's claims as crackpot b/s., which you have no proof of. Now I'm telling you to back off.

As an example of how you attack people, you said anyone that believes the Zodiac/Unabomber connection needs to have their head examined.

I don't "bitch at other posters". I only get on their case from time to time when they get out of line. Like I did to siberiankiss when he called Lifetime a "effin' dyke channel". I stand up to injustice, like I'm doing with you right now. I have a lot of friends on here that will say a lot of great things about me.

Yes we have the same join date, but that's neither here nor there.

Ok, this is a point where somebody needs to step in (Heather?) and redirect this thread back to its most interesting topic.

I think the girl was probably just a loony but I feel that the police should still be informed about this possible lead. Not that it will be followed up on, for police have been known, how shall I say, not to sufficiently pursue older, cold cases (Jane Boroski for example). Still, this sounds like a real promising lead and one the police would be interested in knowing about.

Yes guys lets get back to the topic at hand! I do agree the police might find it interesting the info that the girl told dynoguy IF she was legitimate. I do think that dynoguy handled the situation as any of us would, with great interest as it is a very compelling story. However the fact that she's dropped off the face of the earth and not knowing whether the car accident story was valid or not I'm starting to wonder if she was telling him the truth. Its dynoguy's call whether he wants to share the info she told him with the police as he's really the only one with the specifics. I will add though if he does want to share it he can do it on an anonymous basis if he doesn't want his name involved.

I think the police should most certainly be notified about this. Whatever conclusion we all come to about the veracity of this girl's story is irrelevant, for we are in no postition to do anything at all with the information...ASIDE FROM...going to the police with it. That is the best a citizen can do with any information that may be valuable to an unsolved homicide.


I JUST CAN'T SEE ANY DOWNSIDE TO THIS.


You can tell I really mean that because its CAPITALIZED bold and underlined.


If that girl contacted dynoguy with a ****-and-a-bull story just out of some deluded desire for kicks then I'm sure the police will be able to determine that, and perhaps she'll learn her lesson.
If she contacted him actually believing what she says then the police would be alerted of a lead they are obliged to check out.


I know its highly unlikely that this will turn into anything, but all of us here are "true crime" and "mystery solving" buffs...how many times have you seen or read about a detective saying, after exhausting all possible leads and hunches, that some random bit of information, brought to their attention in an almost impossibly convoluted and irregular way, was THE EXACT THING that "broke the case wide open". I, for one, would be proud to know that I played the absolutely smallest, yet vitally important, role in helping to solve such a horrific crime. ESPECIALLY when the only effort required consists of writing a brief summary of the correspondence and then pointing and clicking.


You can do it, dynoguy...Elliot Ness, Rex Kramer, the eternal memory of Bob Stack and I believe in you.

God Speed & Good Luck!! :thumbsup:

Hmm, interesting posts, interesting squabble above too by the way, I am also not surprised at the banter going back and forth up above there, much ado about nothing but oh well, not my squabble.

My personal opinion as to what happened, it is likely, not for sure, but likely that the security guard was the one that murdered Tracy Kirkpatrick. He was the only one around, how could he walk around what looked like to be a tiny mall for over an hour and not see the lights on in the store, before finding them on and calling 911? In my opinion he killed Tracy Kirkpatrick, then decided to establish an alibi by acting like he was making his regular rounds then after a certain amount of time, went back into the store, acted all shocked like he got the body, and called 911 or used his walki-talkie to call dispatch or whatever.

Also, it seems to me dynoguy if he wants, should go to the police with what this girl was saying. She should be held accountable for her actions if she was making false statements just out to get her kicks like a kook.

Yes Wiseguy, it appears it is me who took the high road and not you. In my comment, I was referring to the fact Torso finder was starting stuff with you over nothing, yet you instantly assumed I must have been referring to you, the squabble was about nothing, and I said it, because Torso finder was starting stuff with you when he did not need to.

Well, all I will say is, I should have been more clear, lets just leave it at that.

Whats this squabble about between you guys? Its almost as bad as the squabble between me and wiseguy over the sexism bit, which by the way who really cares about that jazz. I said what I said and it was my rant coming out of the woodwork.

With the whole brash poster thing I think my comments on the Kirkpatrick murder were not really noted. Even the same thing with my screen-name, its sort of unsettling but I guess its because at the time I was thinking about what it was contrived from was interesting. Other people thinking of me as a fiend is kind of unwanted. I guess I want to keep the 4-11 date.

As far as the murder goes, to the subject at hand, I think its hard to make many judgements without knowing many details about the whole security guard issue. I need to know what could be heresay or not.

We should get an online petition going to investigate the Shawn character more, I can't help thinking that there's something more than can be looked into.

I need to know what could be heresay or not.

You mean hearsay. :)

Sorry. I can't resist throwing a little bit of legal knowledge in whenever I can. :)

I think Dynoguy is in a tough position. Personally, I think there may be something to the e-mails. If she really WAS incriminating her father in the murder of Tracy Kirkpatrick, it would make sense if she suddenly decided to clam up. Perhaps her father found out about it and tried to talk her out of coming forward?

In any case, I'm sure that Dynoguy will make the correct decision for himself, whatever it may be. I, for one, do NOT envy his position.

Sorry to bring an old post up, but it kind of seemed to end on an unfinished note. I am just wondering if this information was ever given to cops or UM, now that they are back on the air and this case may be profiled, hopefully it will be more beneficial.

Sorry to bring an old post up, but it kind of seemed to end on an unfinished note. I am just wondering if this information was ever given to cops or UM, now that they are back on the air and this case may be profiled, hopefully it will be more beneficial.

I honestly don't know. All my attempts to contact this girl have never been replied. One of the last things she told me was that she was fully prepared to do what she had to do. So I assume she just did that and nothing was released to the public. At least I hope so.

Here's a copy of her last reply to Dynoguy, I'm just posting it here for convenience, as it is a few pages back in this thread.

****
hey... I finally did get the tape, not sure if it came Saturday or today... last week i had a car accident and shattered my elbow, and then yesterday I was admitted to the hospital for a bad kidney infection. Yes, it was my dad's voice on the tape, and I'm prepared to do what I have to do. I'm in a lot of pain right now, and will probably go back to the hospital in the morning, but I will follow up and mail back the tape when I take care of the health problems. Thank you for your help. Its all a lot clearer now.
****

She says, that she finally got the tape, but wasn't sure if it came "saturday or today", but from earlier posts, we know that the method Dyno used to send the tape meant that someone had to be home to accept the delivery. Why does she not know if it was delivered "saturday or today"?

Then she mentions a car accident last week. Then says that she was ADMITTED to the hospital yesterday for a bad kidney infection and is in so much pain right now that she may go back to the hospital tomorrow.

I may just be picking apart her usage of the word "admitted", but if she was really admitted to the hospital just yesterday for a bad kidney infection, why is she already out of the hospital today, emailing with dynoguy, and considering going back to the hospital tomorrow.

The whole point of being admitted to the hospital is that you are staying at the hospital. It's not an emergency room visit where you are observed for a couple hours, treated, and sent home with scripts for drugs.

OR is that what she meant when she said "admitted"? Did she really mean that she was in the emergency room getting treated (not admitted), but needs to go back today because of the level of pain she's experiencing?

I also think the placement of her sentences within the email show us something:

I'm prepared to do what I have to do. (vague, noncommittal, trying to reassure dynoguy that she will do the right thing)

I'm in a lot of pain right now, and will probably go back to the hospital in the morning, (her very next sentence after she states that she'll do the right thing, is an excuse of why she CAN'T do the right thing. She's in pain, she has to go back to the hospital, blah blah, poor me)

but I will follow up and mail back the tape when I take care of the health problems. (So she said, but never did, because she was getting ready to give dynoguy the clincher in the following statement)

Thank you for your help. Its all a lot clearer now. (This is the GOOD BYE of all good byes. It's the equivalent of "I'll call you" after a bad date. As she was writing this, I don't think she ever intended to contact dynoguy again.)

Very interesting analysis, TracyLynnS.

I have not read the full thread since it began originally but I can't help but wonder if she was some poor schmo who desperately wanted a free copy of the segment so she told dynoguy this **** and bull story.

This is a great thread. Excellent observance by all the posters. Good insight into possible solutions.

I see there are several references to a YouTube video. Could someone please post where to find that or a link? As you see I am brand new but a dedicated UM fan. But I also should buy a book "Computer Skills For Dummies":-)

Obi Wan

I have not read the full thread since it began originally but I can't help but wonder if she was some poor schmo who desperately wanted a free copy of the segment so she told dynoguy this **** and bull story.

LOL! Oh goodness, that sure would be something, wouldn't it? And he went through a whole lot of trouble to get it to her, sending it 2 or 3 times because it was undeliverable.

---------

Hey DYNOGUY, did she have you send the tape to a physical address, like a house or an apartment, or did she use a P.O. Box, or what?

LOL! Oh goodness, that sure would be something, wouldn't it? And he went through a whole lot of trouble to get it to her, sending it 2 or 3 times because it was undeliverable.

---------

Hey DYNOGUY, did she have you send the tape to a physical address, like a house or an apartment, or did she use a P.O. Box, or what?


When I mailed it to her, the thought did cross my mind that maybe she was just screwing with me. But I thought, well, what have I got to lose? It's just one VHS tape. Nothing big.

The address she left me was for a house in Frederick. That's where she said she lived.

i don't think somebody would go through all trouble for one vhs tape, I mean honestly. I can think of better ways to screw with people than to get them to send a vhs tape with one segment on it. With all of the info she told him, it seems odd that she would be screwing with him. Anyways, hopefully this case becomes resolved with the resurrection of this thread as well as the new UM.

The address she left me was for a house in Frederick. That's where she said she lived.

Well holy poodle muffins! I can't believe she gave her physical address to some guy on the internet.

So now, I'm wondering, since the address is a real house and everything, if maybe she gave you the address of a friend or acquaintance, and that's why the tape kept getting returned to you.

Maybe she forgot to tell them she used their address and that she was expecting a package, or maybe the friend's mom or dad accepted the package but saw the name on it and handed it back to the mail carrier, saying that no such person lived there?

If it's her very own real home address, then maybe she just wasn't home to sign for it when the mail arrived. Have you ever mapped the address online or done a street level view to see if the place looks legit?

Whatever the story is, it's strange how she kept your stuff and cut off all contact. And I don't think it's because she was re-admitted to the hospital and died of her illness. She set up the "good bye forever" part of her email before there was a medical condition, if there ever was one....

One thing that doesn't make sense to me about all this: If the name of the security/police officer who found her body really is Don, then why would he use his real name on the "confession" tape where he was either trying to assuage his conscience or taunt law enforcement, but do so without getting caught? Surely, it would be easy enough for the police to put together that the person who found her body had the same first name as the person who called in and confessed.
I always wondered why the "Shawn" guy wasn't further questioned, since he had Tracy memorbilia in his house and made phone calls and contact w/ the psychic.
I believe someone posted earlier that Shawn took the 5th. That means that the police can't question him further. It doesn't mean they stopped investigating him altogether, but questioning him would be illegal.

I believe someone posted earlier that Shawn took the 5th. That means that the police can't question him further. It doesn't mean they stopped investigating him altogether, but questioning him would be illegal.

i always wonder and it makes me mad, when people, which obviously have some important information about a case, (enough to plead the 5th), can plead that and not be questioned any more. That is really annoying because I'm sure some vital facts could be found from questioning individuals who get lawyers or plead the 5th immediately.

i always wonder and it makes me mad, when people, which obviously have some important information about a case, (enough to plead the 5th), can plead that and not be questioned any more. That is really annoying because I'm sure some vital facts could be found from questioning individuals who get lawyers or plead the 5th immediately.
Well, there is something that law enforcement can do about it--they can offer the person immunity for anything they say and any evidence found as a result of what they say. Of course, prosecutors are often wary of doing that unless they are sure that the person is not personally responsible for the crime, because if it turns out he is, they might be hamstrung in ever trying to prove a case against him. But, the Fifth Amendment is a bedrock principle of our Constitution. No one can be forced to offer testimony against himself.

I went to unsolved.com and found Tracy's case, along with the following update:

"The man who called himself Don and Sean has been cleared as a suspect. No one has ever been arrested for Tracey’s murder and the case remains open and unsolved."

With all of the information that she said she had, it seems very strange that this individual was cleared seemingly in the past few years. If anything, I thought the case against the suspect would remain cold unless these "details" were reported. The statement on the website suggests that new information came forward that ruled the man out as a suspect. Then again, there could be someone in law enforcement that still actively protecting their own by attempting to bury that lead in the investigation.

This is a very interesting case to say the least, but I can't help but feel that dynoguy's contact is either lying or has misinformation. I hope that I'm wrong.

i always wonder and it makes me mad, when people, which obviously have some important information about a case, (enough to plead the 5th), can plead that and not be questioned any more. That is really annoying because I'm sure some vital facts could be found from questioning individuals who get lawyers or plead the 5th immediately.

I wish I knew more about the law. I was under the impression that "pleading the 5th" could only be done in a legal trial, so that the witness's testimony could not be used to implicate himself.

I didn't think that "the 5th" could be used at the interview stage of an investigation. I thought that the cops could interview whoever they wanted. If the person doesn't want to be interviewed, they just tell the cops to bug off and go on with their lives. No need to plead the 5th.

But if they are arrested and being interviewed, they can also clam up, (miranda rights) without pleading the 5th. And at the arrest stage of the interview, that's when they can ask for legal representation. Still no need to plead the 5th.

I'm confuzzled.

Pretty sure you can plead the fifth during an interview too. This is purely anecdotal, but I do remember seeing an AMW piece on the Kristin Smart disappearance and they showed a portion of the videotaped interview with that arrogant jerk who was last seen with her and he kept saying "I am exercising my right to plead the fifth" and he was saying this to every question the detectives asked him. Later, John Walsh called him a "coward" for hiding behind the Constitution (I wish I had a dime for every time Walsh has called someone a coward or a scumbag on AMW. They really need to hook him up with a thesaurus). But anyway, I would think it would be just as easy to refuse to answer their questions and then to request an attorney.

I do believe you can indeed plead the Fifth during an interview. (Where's LooksLikeCRicci when you need her? :) )

Pretty sure you can plead the fifth during an interview too. This is purely anecdotal, but I do remember seeing an AMW piece on the Kristin Smart disappearance and they showed a portion of the videotaped interview with that arrogant jerk who was last seen with her and he kept saying "I am exercising my right to plead the fifth" and he was saying this to every question the detectives asked him. Later, John Walsh called him a "coward" for hiding behind the Constitution (I wish I had a dime for every time Walsh has called someone a coward or a scumbag on AMW. They really need to hook him up with a thesaurus). But anyway, I would think it would be just as easy to refuse to answer their questions and then to request an attorney.
Yes, you can plead the 5th at any time. You're not required to be warned of your Miranda rights not to answer questions unless you are under custodial interrogation, but you can, on your own, refuse to answer questions at any time. FYI, if that tape is as you say it is, with the man saying he is exercising his right to plead the fifth and the detective still asking him questions, then that detective should be fired. If the guy had confessed to the crime and then led the police to her body after the detective asked a single question after he had said he was exercising his 5th amendment rights, none of that evidence could have been used against him, and he would have walked. So, John Walsh needs to STFU. You aren't a coward for exercising your 5th Amendment rights when the police are accusingly interrogating you in a murder case. You're smart. Ask all the people who have falsely confessed after police interrogation, recanted, but still were convicted, only to be exonerated years later by DNA evidence. I'm sure they would tell you now that they wish they had taken the 5th. If John Walsh doesn't like the 5th Amendment, he can go live in some country where they don't have it like Russia or Syria. Maybe he'd like us to reinstitute torture, too.

'It was yesterday for me,' victim's mother says

Link (http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/crime/bal-md.kirkpatrick16mar16,0,2149248.story)

Tracey Lynn Kirkpatrick would be 37 today, a wife and mother, perhaps, and maybe an attorney.

Instead, she is mourned by her parents, her family and friends. Twenty years after her murder, she is also never far from the minds of the Frederick police investigators, who have worked since March 15, 1989, to solve the mystery of her violent death.

The Kirkpatrick family and Frederick police marked the anniversary of Tracey's killing with a brief vigil last night at the Westridge Shopping Center, where she was stabbed to death at 17.

Police hope that fresh attention to the cold case might finally bring them the final clues they need to bring the killer to justice.


Tracey's two sisters and a brother remain in the area, as do her parents, William and Diane Kirkpatrick.

"Everybody says, 'It's been 20 years. Don't expect too much, because it's been 20 years,'" Diane Kirkpatrick told The Frederick News-Post. "I look at them and say, 'Not for me.' It was yesterday for me."

She can't comprehend how the killer could live with such a secret for 20 years. "How can someone just go on with their lives like it's nothing?" she asked.

Frederick police say their continuing work on the case can be understood in the context of a smaller city which, even today, sees annual homicide counts in the single digits.

"You have to go back 20 years," said Lt. Shawn Martyak, 49, the commander of the department's criminal investigation division and a Frederick policeman for 24 years.

"Frederick probably had half the population, maybe 30,000," he said. "And while we got a murder now and then, this was a 17-year-old girl who was, according to friends and family, very squared away, very conservative. She made good decisions about her life and was planning for college.

"This shocked the entire community. It's not something anybody expected to occur in sleepy little Frederick," he said.

With retirements and reassignments, four Frederick detectives have worked on the case over the years.

"Every detective that has been assigned, from the very beginning, has taken the case personally," Martyak said. And each one has consulted with his predecessors, reviewing the case file annually, discussing new developments and considering new ideas.

The case was featured in 1990 on the TV programs A Current Affair and Unsolved Mysteries, and Frederick merchants put up most of a $5,000 reward, without success.

According to news accounts at the time, Tracey, from Point of Rocks, was an honor student at Brunswick High School. She wrote and published poetry and hoped to study accounting and go to law school. She had two part-time jobs and drove a 10-year-old Pontiac Grand Prix she paid for herself.

On the night she died, she was working alone at the Aileen Ladies Sportswear store in the Westridge Square Shopping Center, on U.S. 40 west of downtown Frederick.

Most of the plaza's stores closed at 9 p.m. When a security guard saw the lights at Aileen's were still on at 10:50 p.m., he went inside. He found Tracey's body in a rear storeroom. Police said she had been stabbed several times in the back and chest. There was no evidence of a sexual assault. The door had not been forced open, and $60 remained in the cash register. Tracey's purse was missing.

A man waiting in the front parking lot for his wife or girlfriend told police he saw nothing unusual. But investigators found blood drops in a rear hallway leading to the loading dock and trash bins. No weapon was ever recovered.

Two suspects developed over the years remain "viable," Martyak said. But while "it's plausible either one of them could be the killer, in both instances it falls short of having the last piece of the puzzle that's missing to corroborate that [either one] actually committed the crime."

In 1989, DNA technology was comparatively crude, and "very cost prohibitive," Martyak said. It was not until 1998 that a sample was submitted for testing. It was insufficient to develop a genetic profile of the killer, as was a second sample submitted in 2003.

But technology has advanced to where analysts can extract a DNA profile from no more material than is left by a touch. So Frederick police several weeks ago submitted "touch samples" from the case to a private contractor for the Maryland State Police. "We think this may be our best shot to get some other type of DNA, other than hers, from the crime scene," Martyak said. Test results are not expected for several months.

Police already have DNA samples from both of the suspects. Detectives check on them periodically.

In the meantime, investigators have presented the Kirkpatrick case file to two "cold case review panels," one national and another for the Mid-Atlantic region.

A relatively new concept and a first for Frederick, Martyak said, these independent panels of police investigators, evidence analysts, crime scene and forensic experts comb case files and suggest new leads or new technologies the local police might not have considered. "We expect this case to be reviewed by both panels sometime this year," he said.

Martyak said police continue to receive information about the case. "It's never too late," he said. "Even if they think the information they have doesn't help, call us anyhow and let us decide.

"If we can keep it fresh in people's minds, maybe - just maybe - we can get that one piece of information we need to bring closure to the case ... for the family," Martyak said.

Anyone with information about Tracey Kirkpatrick's murder is asked to call Frederick Police Detective Jerry Morales at 301-600-1226

FPD Cpl. Bob Servacek was deeply involved in investigation

Link (http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display.htm?StoryID=87759)

Retired Frederick Police Department Cpl. Bob Servacek is convinced he knows who killed Tracey Kirkpatrick.
"The case was solved in 1994," Servacek said. "As far as I was concerned."

Based on circumstantial evidence, he believes more than enough evidence exists for an arrest and a conviction. He believes a friend of the 17-year-old Brunswick High student killed her.

"What derailed the process was politics and personal agendas," Servacek said. "Certain individuals did not do their jobs and derailed the case."

He did not wish to elaborate.

Servacek took over the case in 1992 from retiring Cpl. Barry Horner, who was the first detective assigned to the investigation.

While most investigators had 12 to 14 cases to work on, the Kirkpatrick case was Servacek's sole responsibility for one year, 1994.

"Ninety-nine point nine percent of my day was working on the Tracey Kirkpatrick case," Servacek said. "It was probably the most sophisticated case I was associated with."

Servacek spent 171Ú2 years in the department's Criminal Investigations Division. He was at the department for 221Ú2 years.

He started from the beginning, poring over documents and conducting more interviews.

"He lived it, he breathed it," said Diane Kirkpatrick, Tracey's mother. "He never slept. He was constantly working on it."

Servacek thought about the case all the time. When he cut the grass, when he was with his children, when he slept, he said.

He still comes every year to the Westridge Shopping Center on the anniversary of Tracey's death. She was found stabbed to death in the storage room of the now-closed aileen Ladies Sportswear.

Servacek and Billy Kirkpatrick, Tracey's father, pace back and forth through the parking lot of the center and meet near the store. They talk about their families and how the past year has gone.

"We always come back the next March 15," Servacek said.

While police still have two persons of interest, Servacek said he is convinced only one is the killer.

He decided to retire in 1995, partly because of the Kirkpatrick case. It was rough telling the Kirkpatricks he would be retiring.

"I felt I let the Kirkpatricks down," Servacek said. "I don't know of anyone who knows the case better than I do."

Link (http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display.htm?storyID=87764)

Retired Frederick Police Department Cpl. Barry Horner closed many cases in his 17 1/2 years as a detective -- mainly because criminals made mistakes.
He believes Tracey Kirkpatrick's killer committed the perfect crime -- probably by accident.

No incriminating evidence was found to identify her attacker using technologies in the late 1980s.

Horner was at the Frederick County Adult Detention Center when he heard the call go out about the killing on March 15, 1989. He was the last investigator to arrive but got assigned the case.

"For the first 72 hours," Horner said, "I didn't get a wink of sleep."

Tracey, 17, was found dead on the floor of the storage room of the aileen Ladies Sportswear store in the Westridge Shopping Center off the Golden Mile. The Brunswick High School senior had been stabbed many times. She had worked at the store for about a month.

No one reported seeing or hearing anything. All the money in the store was accounted for, and Tracey was not sexually assaulted.

Usually when Horner investigated a homicide, he knew why the person was killed. To this day, he still doesn't understand why someone killed Tracey.

"There was no reason for it," he said.

Horner looked at every angle and exhausted every lead he received.

Three months after Tracey was killed, police believed they had a break in the case.

A man who claimed his name was Don called a Las Vegas crime hot line confessing to the crime.

"I know this is going to sound surprising, but three months ago, I stabbed a girl to death," Don said on the message.

While people may believe he was setting himself up to be caught, the man said a lot of guys named Don are in the city. He said he would often talk to Tracey when she was working alone. The night she was killed the two had an argument.

"I took out a knife that I have with me at all times, and I killed her," Don said.

While he realized he "had created a lot of sadness," Don said he was not going to turn himself in because Maryland has the death penalty.

"I'm sorry about what I did, but nothing can change it," Don said as he ended the message.

Once the hot line alerted Frederick police, the investigation took a new direction.

"We were really excited that we had something to go on," Horner said.

Horner wrote a letter to Don asking him to come forward. The Frederick News-Post printed it on the front page on Oct. 10, 1989.

"I have learned through my investigation much of what occurred on March 15, but only you know all of what happened that night," Horner wrote.

He also addressed the caller's concern over the death penalty by telling him that the county's state's attorney advised him Tracey's slaying was not a capital offense.

"I am personally willing to work with you to resolve this tragic situation and I pray you now will come forward to relieve the hurt which Tracey's family and friends have suffered, as well as the pain which has consumed your life since that night," Horner wrote.

Authorities also learned that the same man made calls to a Massachusetts-based psychic. He discussed the killing and even sent her newspaper clippings about it.

Local radio stations played the tape of the "confession" on the air on the first anniversary of Tracey's death.

For all of Horner's and the department's work, the man on the tape is not believed to be Tracey's killer.

His name isn't even Don.

"While (detectives) could never absolutely rule that person out as suspect, the ability, the means, the connection, there was nothing that tied him to the crime at all other than calling and making up the name of Don," Lt. Shawn Martyak said. "(He) had some fascination with homicide and investigations and that type of thing."

Martyak believes there is a tiny possibility that this man could have committed the crime.

Police have not released the name of the man, and attempts to contact him were unsuccessful.

The search for Tracey's killer went national when two television shows, "A Current Affair" and "Unsolved Mysteries," aired segments on the case.

Horner believes he could have taken a case to the grand jury and gotten an indictment, but he did not believe he could have gotten a conviction. He did not want Tracey's killer to walk free and not give future detectives the opportunity to try the individual on stronger evidence.

"I did everything I could do with the ability God gave me as an investigator," Horner said.

A look back at the unsolved homicide of Tracey Kirkpatrick


Link (http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display.htm?storyID=87729)

Billy Kirkpatrick will take a walk at the Westridge Shopping Center around 9 p.m. today.
He has been at the shopping center every March 15 since 1989.

Twenty years ago today, a security guard found his 17-year-old daughter, Tracey, stabbed to death in a storage room at a clothing store in the center.

No one has been arrested for the homicide.

The time frame he walks is from when police believe the store closed until her body was found.

The family has planned a vigil at the West Patrick Street shopping center tonight.

The last time Diane Kirkpatrick, Tracey's mother, went to the shopping center was the night Tracey was killed.

"I haven't been in that parking lot since it happened," Diane said. "I don't even know if I am going to be able to go into the parking lot. ... I don't know what my feelings are going to be."


The search is on


Diane did not want Tracey to work. Her daughter insisted on it because she wanted to pay her way through college and not burden her parents.

"All she had on her mind was going to college," Diane said.

The Brunswick High School senior held down two part-time jobs -- one at aileen Ladies Sportswear and another at Barett Shoes, which were beside each other on the Golden Mile.

Tracey planned to study accounting at a small college and then work her way through law school.

"That was her dream," her mother said.

On March 15, 1989, Tracey worked until closing time at the sportswear store.

Diane stopped by around 6 p.m. to bring Tracey something to eat. No customers were in the store, and Tracey was reading a book. Before Diane left, Tracey told her mother she was tired and wanted to go to bed when she got home.

At 8 p.m., an hour before the store's closing time, Tracey's manager stopped by. When she left, Tracey was alone. No sales were recorded in the register after 8 p.m.

Deputy Don Barnes Jr. of the Frederick County Sheriff's Office worked as a security guard at the center that night.

He noticed a light on in the closed store shortly after 9 p.m., but he didn't check it out. He believed the clerk was finishing up before leaving.

When he returned around 10:30 p.m., the light was still on. Finding the front door unlocked, he opened it, called out for a response but received none.

Barnes went inside and found the 5-foot, 4-inch, 122-pound teen with hazel eyes on the floor in the storage room with stab wounds to the chest and back.

An investigation by the Frederick Police Department revealed no sign of struggle, so police believe she may have known her killer. The cash register drawer and receipts were found on the counter. No money was taken, and Tracey was not sexually assaulted.

Tracey's parents arrived at the shopping center before police could notify them of her death.

They were worried because Tracey was late. The two assumed her car, which had been giving her problems, had broken down.

Billy made the same trip to the center the night before. She was late that night, too. He found her talking to a boy she had dated. They decided to get back together that night, Diane said.

"We told her, 'Don't ever do that again without letting us know, because that worries us,'" Diane said.

When Billy and Diane pulled into the center's parking lot, they were met by police officers, cruisers and flashing lights.

"I was thinking that she got robbed," Diane said. "I told Bill, I said 'Hurry up. Get down there,' because if she got robbed she's probably scared to death."

Diane said she does not remember much after that. She later had to be treated at Frederick Memorial Hospital for shock.

The Kirkpatricks think of Tracey every day.

A framed picture is positioned on a table just beside the couple's dining room table.

They remember her love of poetry and how she would spend all of her time in her room reading and writing it.

One poem Tracey wrote, "Hands of Time," was written after she broke up with a boyfriend.

"As I sit to remember, I see the good times we shared that are no more. It seems now that time is running out and the love that I feel is drifting away. The love is gone. I'm alone now with no place to go. The hands of time have stopped."

It was published in the New American Poetry Anthology in 1988.

"I want people to remember her as she was," Diane said. "She always smiled."

"Helpful," Billy added. "And the one thing that might have got her killed: She would tell you like it was. She wouldn't hold back."

"She wouldn't lie," Diane said.

"She would tell you right to your face," Billy added.

Her parents can't imagine anyone being so mad at Tracey to brutally take her life.

Diane has been on medication since Tracey's death. Billy's on medication, too.

"I won't hardly go outside," Diane said. "I stay in all the time. Not unless one of the kids goes with me."

The couple have three other children, two daughters and a son, who have remained in the region.

Diane used to confine herself to one room in the family's Point of Rocks home. She has had several back surgeries and her mobility has improved a little since they moved last year to an apartment in Frederick .

"There was no use staying there," Billy said. "Too many memories."

Seven days after Tracey was killed, Billy talked to The Frederick News-Post about the possibility of her killer not being found.

"I won't give up," he said. "If they don't make an arrest, me and my family will keep the search going on. I wouldn't be satisfied until I found out who'd done it -- and why."

Billy still believes that today.

The Kirkpatricks have hunches about who killed their daughter.

"It (frustrates) me to think that someone can hold this in for 20 years and not let it out," Diane said. "I just can't get it in my mind to understand. How can someone just go on with their lives like it's nothing?"

Tracey's parents continue to hope the killer will be brought to justice, no matter how long it takes.

"Everybody says it's been 20 years. Don't expect too much because it's been 20 years," Diane said. "I look at them and say 'Not for me.' It was yesterday for me."

Link (http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display.htm?StoryID=87731)

Former Frederick City Police Detective Allen Droneburg, left, and Detective Jerry Morales stand next to a filing cabinet filled with thousands of pages of investigative work that has been done over the past 20 years since Tracey Kirkpatrick was killed. Morales is the current investigator on the case.


Just outside Lt. Shawn Martyak's office in the Frederick Police Department's Criminal Investigations Division sits a row of filing cabinets.
One five-drawer cabinet is almost full of files devoted to the Tracey Kirkpatrick homicide case.

"The case doesn't go away," Martyak said. "It never goes away."

Two detectives, both now retired, have identified two primary persons of interest, Martyak said. One former detective believes an acquaintance of Tracey committed the crime. That person continues to live in Frederick County. The other detective believes Tracey may or may not have known her assailant, who left Frederick after she was killed.

"Both of these investigations are plausible," Martyak said. "Each one falls short of corroborating the actual crime."

Nothing indicates the two committed the crime together.

Martyak hopes recent and future advances in DNA evidence technology will be able to close the case.

"We are hopeful it makes the link we are missing," Martyak said.

The department has several new angles to pursue.

About two months ago, the case was accepted by the Public Agency Training Counsel's Homicide Cold Case Review Committee. The department submitted the case in 2007.

For departments that do not have cold case squads, the committee gives a review process for old, unsolved homicides, according to the Indianapolis-based group's website.

Martyak expects the review could take about a year to complete.

The case is also up for review by the Maryland Mid-Atlantic Cold Case Homicide Investigators Association, but the department is not sure when that will take place.

The group meets in a roundtable format and a case is presented, Martyak said. Experts from across the area listen and offer ideas to help the investigation.

Additionally, the Frederick Police Department has secured funding to have certain pieces of evidence retested by private industrial testing labs through the Maryland State Police crime lab.

When Tracey was killed, authorities needed a dime-sized DNA sample to test, Martyak said. Now, only skin cells are needed.

"We want to take what we have," Martyak said, "and hopefully bring this (case) to a close."

Detective Jerry Morales has been assigned to the case since 2003. Martyak said he never puts the Kirkpatrick file away and looks at the case at least once a week.

Morales, an 18-year veteran of the department, is the fourth detective assigned to the case.

"I know this person is going to be punished," said Diane Kirkpatrick, Tracey's mother. "If not here on Earth, then the hereafter. The punishment will be far greater in the hereafter than it will be here. I'm not worried about that. I just want to look the person in the eye and ask why."

Wow, those are some good, interesting articles. It does only seem like yesterday from reading all of that. It is weird seeing the scene of the crime and seeing her parents. It's sad that her mom has trouble leaving the house and that the culprit can't even confess to give them closure. I'm sure Tracey would not want them to be like that, but it's hard when it's still unsolved to this day. Hopefully it will be solved in 2009 after this news coverage and forensics. Did anyone else notice the security guard's name was Don?

I wonder who the detective knows is the killer? It would really be hard to know who did it and not be able to get them behind bars. That would be torture, and they seem to have known who it is for quite some time. I think it was the night security guard...with new reasons from these articles:
1. He was employed as a police officer being a security guard at the center.
2. His name is Jr., so he may be the son of a police officer as well.
3. He is the only "witness" to the times of events, etc...
4. He would know how to NOT leave any evidence at the crime scene.
5. He probably walked back to the storeroom where tracey was and that wasn't unusual because he may have had "free reign" over the shopping center.
6. The argument must have been over "sexual feelings/relationship" that she rejected....as her mom stated, the DAY BEFORE she got back together with her boyfriend, and he may have been "Enraged" to hear that news.
7. He knew when she was "alone" at the store, so he could have gone in there frequently while on duty to talk w/ her.

I really want to see this case solved...and I think it will be in 2009...hopefully all of the media exposure will help as well.

I wonder who the detective knows is the killer? It would really be hard to know who did it and not be able to get them behind bars. That would be torture, and they seem to have known who it is for quite some time. I think it was the night security guard...with new reasons from these articles:
1. He was employed as a police officer being a security guard at the center.
2. His name is Jr., so he may be the son of a police officer as well.
3. He is the only "witness" to the times of events, etc...
4. He would know how to NOT leave any evidence at the crime scene.
5. He probably walked back to the storeroom where tracey was and that wasn't unusual because he may have had "free reign" over the shopping center.
6. The argument must have been over "sexual feelings/relationship" that she rejected....as her mom stated, the DAY BEFORE she got back together with her boyfriend, and he may have been "Enraged" to hear that news.
7. He knew when she was "alone" at the store, so he could have gone in there frequently while on duty to talk w/ her.

I really want to see this case solved...and I think it will be in 2009...hopefully all of the media exposure will help as well.

I never really considered that possibility. It makes sense in a way...same first name as the confession caller. But do the police believe it was a classmate of hers? Also, what about the guy who contacted the psychic? Maybe he knew who the killer was, or wanted to draw them out. Who knows.

Well to be honest, I do think this was someone that was not some 17 year old kid that murdered Tracy. I will not say 100 percent for sure it was not but I tend to go against this theory. It seems the killer was overall quite good about not leaving trace evidence although he did leave a blood trail but this was in 1989 before DNA was well known amongst criminals so I am sure it never even entered his mind (or the cops) at that time that the blood could link the cops to the killer. But the way he stabbed Tracy and how many times he stabbed her, chances are he cut himself and bled. The fact she just happened to be alone plus no cash taken from the cash register, this was someone she knew and this person knew her routine well enough to know that she would be the only one working and knowing it would be late so the chances of a customer coming in were slim to none. It is obvious this person had a sexual attraction to Tracy and wanted a sexual relationship with her. When he was rebuffed and especially when he found out she was back with her bf he just could not handle it and went ballistic. Plus the fact he took her purse, I tend to believe that he took that as a trophy of his crime. It would not surprise me if he still had it. Every time he looks at that purse he feels just like he did while he was killing her. Scary and sad but this person whoever they are knew her very well.

The problem with the one detective asserting that he knows who did it is that the two detectives working on it now each have their own favorite suspect. If one detective is convinced Person A did it, and another is convinced Person B did it, then, clearly, there is reasonable doubt in the case as to who did it. We don't even know if the former detective's suspect, the person he "knows" did it, is one of those two people.

Here's a copy of her last reply to Dynoguy, I'm just posting it here for convenience, as it is a few pages back in this thread.

****
hey... I finally did get the tape, not sure if it came Saturday or today... last week i had a car accident and shattered my elbow, and then yesterday I was admitted to the hospital for a bad kidney infection. Yes, it was my dad's voice on the tape, and I'm prepared to do what I have to do. I'm in a lot of pain right now, and will probably go back to the hospital in the morning, but I will follow up and mail back the tape when I take care of the health problems. Thank you for your help. Its all a lot clearer now.
****

She says, that she finally got the tape, but wasn't sure if it came "saturday or today", but from earlier posts, we know that the method Dyno used to send the tape meant that someone had to be home to accept the delivery. Why does she not know if it was delivered "saturday or today"?

Then she mentions a car accident last week. Then says that she was ADMITTED to the hospital yesterday for a bad kidney infection and is in so much pain right now that she may go back to the hospital tomorrow.

I may just be picking apart her usage of the word "admitted", but if she was really admitted to the hospital just yesterday for a bad kidney infection, why is she already out of the hospital today, emailing with dynoguy, and considering going back to the hospital tomorrow.

The whole point of being admitted to the hospital is that you are staying at the hospital. It's not an emergency room visit where you are observed for a couple hours, treated, and sent home with scripts for drugs.

OR is that what she meant when she said "admitted"? Did she really mean that she was in the emergency room getting treated (not admitted), but needs to go back today because of the level of pain she's experiencing?

I also think the placement of her sentences within the email show us something:

I'm prepared to do what I have to do. (vague, noncommittal, trying to reassure dynoguy that she will do the right thing)

I'm in a lot of pain right now, and will probably go back to the hospital in the morning, (her very next sentence after she states that she'll do the right thing, is an excuse of why she CAN'T do the right thing. She's in pain, she has to go back to the hospital, blah blah, poor me)

but I will follow up and mail back the tape when I take care of the health problems. (So she said, but never did, because she was getting ready to give dynoguy the clincher in the following statement)

Thank you for your help. Its all a lot clearer now. (This is the GOOD BYE of all good byes. It's the equivalent of "I'll call you" after a bad date. As she was writing this, I don't think she ever intended to contact dynoguy again.)

Very good points, Tracy. After re-reading this thread, I can't help but think that if this girl is legit, that maybe she just freaked out and clammed up or something---I mean this is her father, the man that I'm assuming raised her and loved her. I would have a hard time with that myself...

I was looking for updates on this case, still nothing I see. I feel that this one should have been so easy to solve, but maybe this is another case where UM doesn't give us all the details......:confused:

Haha Justin that was funny what you mentioned about if you had a dime for every time John Walsh called someone a coward or a scumbag on AMW you would be rich. Well, I will say Walsh is a guy, everyone feels sorry for him for what happened to his son but he has lost a lot of credibility with me over the years. Like when he was pouncing all around in front of Ira Einhorn calling him a coward and getting his face, basically Walsh looked worse than Einhorn more because Walsh was being unprofessional. Like Walsh saying he was going to send a slimeball off to a 6 x 9 cell and things like that. But yeah calling a guy a coward for exercising his constitutional rights was a new low for Walsh, gee John it is a thing called the constitution, Walsh instantly assumes everyone is guilty whenever accused so I guess it is not a problem for him if their constitutional rights get trampled on?

Haha Justin that was funny what you mentioned about if you had a dime for every time John Walsh called someone a coward or a scumbag on AMW you would be rich. Well, I will say Walsh is a guy, everyone feels sorry for him for what happened to his son but he has lost a lot of credibility with me over the years. Like when he was pouncing all around in front of Ira Einhorn calling him a coward and getting his face, basically Walsh looked worse than Einhorn more because Walsh was being unprofessional. Like Walsh saying he was going to send a slimeball off to a 6 x 9 cell and things like that. But yeah calling a guy a coward for exercising his constitutional rights was a new low for Walsh, gee John it is a thing called the constitution, Walsh instantly assumes everyone is guilty whenever accused so I guess it is not a problem for him if their constitutional rights get trampled on?

Kadrmas,

Yes, I could not agree more about Walsh. In fact, the footage of him chastising Einhorn is even shown in the opening title sequence of AMW. Can you believe that?! OT but I'll be in Minnesota this summer to visit my grandparents. We should really meet up for a drink. Send me a PM.

Justin

I'm sorry, I'm probably in the minority here- but I think if she told Dyno she thinks it could be her dad, Dyno should be obligated to turn that info over to authorities.

I'm sorry, I'm probably in the minority here- but I think if she told Dyno she thinks it could be her dad, Dyno should be obligated to turn that info over to authorities.

I agree with Everybodylovesrs. Since Dyno knows the person's name and where she's from, it wouldn't hurt to give that info to the authorities. At this point, since she hasn't surfaced in a while, he would have nothing to lose.

In January, while listening to a local sports talk radio show (San Diego, CA area), I heard the voice of a caller who sounded exactly like the one in the recording. As soon as I heard the voice, I immediately thought of the UM segment playing the tape of the confession hotline (which to me sounded like a very unique voice). Ironically, the caller had apparently identified himself as Shawn, but I had not listened to the first part of his call, when the host stated where he was calling from. When I went to the new UM website, I found that her case had an update, stating that the guy who called himself Don and Sean had been cleared. This, along with the astromical odds that he now lives in the SD area and was the one that called that day, prompted me to shrug off the incident. Nonetheless, the more and more I think about it, the more I think I should have at least made a few calls or emails to see if the authorities could find anything useful.

While the integrity around dynoguy's contact appears suspect, it certainly wouldn't hurt the investigation if the details given by this person were looked into by LE. Just a thought.

I'm from Frederick and remember this story. I was 12. At the time I had a friend in school who's father was the police chief if memory serves correctly. I also believe she had an older sibling... brother or sister so, I suppose the info dynoguy's person gave could be correct. I kind of think it sounds hokey, myself. Someone mentioned a chief named Ashton, I think, but that wasn't her last name. If Dynoguy's still around.. her first name started with an L if the person mentioned relatives. I've never forgotten the case and still look for updates every few years or so. I rememebr first hearing "Don's" confession on the news... it still creeps me out.

I'm sorry, I'm probably in the minority here- but I think if she told Dyno she thinks it could be her dad, Dyno should be obligated to turn that info over to authorities.

I agree. If this is a legitimate tip, it should be investigated and found either credible or not. It would seem an easy matter to determine if she is telling the basic truth or not (a seperate matter from whether or not her theory is correct)

If not, the woman should face the consequences of reporting false information to the police.

Yes, you can plead the 5th at any time. You're not required to be warned of your Miranda rights not to answer questions unless you are under custodial interrogation, but you can, on your own, refuse to answer questions at any time. FYI, if that tape is as you say it is, with the man saying he is exercising his right to plead the fifth and the detective still asking him questions, then that detective should be fired. If the guy had confessed to the crime and then led the police to her body after the detective asked a single question after he had said he was exercising his 5th amendment rights, none of that evidence could have been used against him, and he would have walked. So, John Walsh needs to STFU. You aren't a coward for exercising your 5th Amendment rights when the police are accusingly interrogating you in a murder case. You're smart. Ask all the people who have falsely confessed after police interrogation, recanted, but still were convicted, only to be exonerated years later by DNA evidence. I'm sure they would tell you now that they wish they had taken the 5th. If John Walsh doesn't like the 5th Amendment, he can go live in some country where they don't have it like Russia or Syria. Maybe he'd like us to reinstitute torture, too.

You have to assert the 5th on each and every question you wish to assert it. I don't see the problem in continuing to question a party after they assert the 5th once, since they may or may not assert it on the next question. Moreover, as you state, if the party isn't under arrest, they are free to leave at any time.

This is different then a suspect who requests a lawyer - under this scenario, all questioning must immediately stop.

John Walsh is what he is, and an advocate for the accused and constitutional rights, he is not. Given his background, I wouldn't expect him to be.

For the life of me, I don't understand why people accused of serious crimes talk to the police at all. Don't, period. Get an attorney, preferable one in private practice, before you do or say anything. There are too many instances of police railroading suspects, fixating on a "favorite", or just beating and/or otherwise obtaining a confession to take your chances, even (if not especially) when you're innocent of any wrongdoing.

Wow. I'm surprised to see this thread still getting so many responses.

I came to the opinion a couple years back that this girl was just messing with me. But now that I think about it, and after reading your opinions here, maybe I should contact someone at the Frederick police. Maybe even e-mail them. I have every one of this girl's e-mails saved on my account still.

Equanso, I totally agree, pm me sometime, I will enlighten you on various more opinions. I do not know if Sean/Don is guilty or not, he seemed to provide no other information than very general information that could have been obtained in a newspaper. Were the police right to look at him? Yes. However over time I have come to the conclusion that he was not the one that killed Tracy Kirkpatrick (in my opinion).

I also agree that John Walsh is hardly a reliable source in criminal law. He is a person that, well, his kid was murdered, I am not pretending to know what he feels but it is obvious that he would not be impartial in a case like this and frankly I would not expect him to be. However Walsh has had his share of run ins over the years for going a bit too far and being (in my opinion) overly sensational and unprofessional. Now, if he wants to spout off like that as a victims father that is one thing, but as TV show host, he has a duty to do his research.

However, yes the 5th amendment, that is a crucial one and no you do not need a cops permission or him reading your rights to exercise it. A common thing detectives like to pull as an excuse to not issue ones miranda rights (which are unrelated to the 5th amendment) is to say, oh, well the person was 'not in custody' so when they confessed I did not violate the rules by not reading them their rights first. Bull. Many cases have been overturned over the last 40 years or so because cops pulled that crap where the person, while not physically in handcuffs was clearly not allowed to leave. A reasonable person would have concluded they were under arrest, yet the cops did not read the person their miranda rights and pressured the person into confessing.

Or worse, and I agree with yuppie, this is where the cop should be fired, is when they give the rights and the person invokes their right and the cop keeps talking to them as if the person never invoked their rights. Bull. Again, when you actually read a person their miranda rights and they exercise them and you keep talking and they keep answering, everything they say after they invoked them becomes tainted and inadmissible as once a person invokes their rights, that right cannot be waived without said counsel present.

dynoguy, may I ask you how you came to the conclusion that she was just messing with you?

dynoguy, may I ask you how you came to the conclusion that she was just messing with you?

Many people here seemed to convince me of that. But long after she cut off contact with me. I don't know.

I came to the opinion a couple years back that this girl was just messing with me. But now that I think about it, and after reading your opinions here, maybe I should contact someone at the Frederick police. Maybe even e-mail them. I have every one of this girl's e-mails saved on my account still.

It can't hurt. But keep in mind that the killer can also post and read on this forum. For all we know he's just read your post and is taking steps to ensure his freedom. i kind of wish you hadn;t mentioned this on the forum before giving your info to the authorities:(

Give the information to authorities, but use caution. Don

This is coming years too late but I removed my first post of this thread.

Back in September, I e-mailed the Frederick Police Department (through their report a crime address that was provided in articles about the murder. They said anyone with possible information should use that e-mail address.) Well, it's been over 3 months and they still have yet to reply. Why, I don't know. Either they don't believe me or they don't care.

I guess the only thing left for me to do is try and forward these e-mails to Tracy's parents. I figure they are the only ones left who might pay attention to these.

Two relatives of the family posted here on a different Tracy Kirkpatrick thread so I e-mailed them telling them of my situation and asking if they could give me Billy and Diane Kirkpatrick's e-mail address so I can forward the e-mails to them. It's been almost a week and I haven't heard from them either. This may be my final dead end.

Dynoguy and others,

Just a quick note. I have spent some time looking into this case over the past 18 months or so.

The information contained in the emails you referred to is well known to the police in Fredrick, and has been well aired and dismissed.

Unfortunately, in short, the police have, for a while now, concluded that the person making the allegations in those emails cannot be relied upon / may not be stable. I understand the person involved in the emails still lives in the Fredrick, MD area.

The current investigating officer is very committed to the case. As are journalists for the local paper. Their attempts to obtain new information by re-profiling the case 20 years after it occurred have not, unfortunately, yielded new information that would close the case.

As I understand it, from those articles the paper ran last year (2009, I think it was), the family remains convinced in the involvement of one of two suspects, but still lacks the critical additional evidence needed to close the case.

If the police have not responded, I am sure it will be because the information in those emails you refer to is, as I have indicated, well known to them. You may very well not be the only person with whom the woman writing the emails has corresponded.

Hope that helps, as well as sets your mind somewhat at ease that you haven't failed in any way in not forwarding those emails on.

Thank you for posting that, UMLover1972.

A response from ANYONE that I wrote to would have been nice. Anything at all no matter how short it was, especially from the police...but I appreciate you posting.

glad to see this resolved.... but still no justice

One last thing.

Your instinct was right, though, Dynoguy.

I believe the person making the allegations in those emails you refer to, probably believes they're true - what's never been 100% clear to me is whether that was because (i) she was told they were true; (ii) she's not completely stable; (iii) they're actually true.

The police seem, as I said in my last post, to have concluded the answer is either (i) or (ii) but probably not (iii).

Regards.

Would you mind telling me how you know exactly that the police have dismissed this girl and her claims? I'm just rather surprised that you would know all this stuff after only researching about the murder for 18 months.

Contact with police in Fredrick and with one of the journalists working on the story. They seem very committed, credible people and not at all giving me the runaround. I believe them.

I live in Frederick rememeber this crime.


My opinion:

It all goes down to shoddy work by the lead investigator Honer. This is why there is no evidence. Listen Don Barnes Jr. who now works for the police; who's daddy was a past Sheriff was the security guard. Barnes knew who was working, he knew the closing times, this shopping center is a very small area to guard. Its a strip mall in tiny little Frederick MD. All the shops closed at 9 or 10 and he saw a light at 9. He also didn't check the door then? He then left for 1.5 hours and came back and then checked the door. Sorry... what was he doing for that 1.5 hours? Cleaning up? Changing cloths, ???????? and once the police got there,,,, oh its Don's boy come help us out it certainly couldn't be you. She just got back with her bf the nite before, she was stabbed in the back so she probably ran to the back to escape and was stabbed in the back turned around then stabbed in the front. Lots and lots of blood and I bet his blood or sweat or something is somewhere on her so advanced DNA will be the only way to solve it b/c the police didn't vigoruosly question and search the car, house and or office of the security guard b/c the security guard was Don's boy. This may sound far fetched but if you've lived in Frederick for 30 +years and murder back then was never ever an issue things get handled by inexperienced and untrained people who couldn't imagine this would happen in their town. It all makes since to me and don't fool yourselves they all know exactly who did it. But no hard eveidence b/c the evidence is long gone. Horner even said he figured he could get an indicment but didnt thing a conviction was possible. Well what kind of thinking is that arrest the guy and let the prosecutors convict him. It all sounds fishy and when something doesn't make since it usually means people are to close to question or accuse a friends son. This is only an opinion.

I guess there's no point in keeping his name secret since I've seen it being discussed elsewhere online.

Yes, Don Barnes Jr. is the man in question - the security guard who found Tracy's body. And his daughter is the one I e-mailed with for those 3 months.

She mentioned there was a hour and half to two hour period where Barnes was supposed to be on duty during the time Tracy was killed. The daughter told me Barnes went and picked up a new suit from his wife who he was seperated from at the time. She thinks it was because of the blood stains he got on himself when he stabbed Tracy. He changes clothes, then goes back to "discover" the body and contact the police.

And the fact that Don now lives in Egypt is pretty convenient, isn't it? That makes it impossible to extradite him back to the U.S.

I don't know. This guy still sounds mighty suspicious.

Don is in Florida and works as a police officer. His dad is still in Frederick. They guy who made the phone call was not Don it was a crazy guy who had info on Tracy plastered all over his walls. So you guys are getting things messed up. Listen everyone knows up here who did this and they have all hinted about the politics and the mess up of the whole thing. There won't be any peace with this thing in my opinion. No one questioned Don Jr. and they never searched his place if they had called the State Police and searched all the houses of all the people involved and held everyone from the man in the car picking up his wife to the parents they would have certainly closed this up in 24 hours. I drove by the shopping center today and I know you could walk around it 10 times in an hour and a half. There isn't anything to protect here. It is a strip mall. When I first read the paper the security guard glared out at me. I have spoken to family of Horner and very close friends. He botched it, but they all agree on one thing and that is that it was Don Jr.

Don is in Florida and works as a police officer. His dad is still in Frederick. They guy who made the phone call was not Don it was a crazy guy who had info on Tracy plastered all over his walls. So you guys are getting things messed up. Listen everyone knows up here who did this and they have all hinted about the politics and the mess up of the whole thing. There won't be any peace with this thing in my opinion. No one questioned Don Jr. and they never searched his place if they had called the State Police and searched all the houses of all the people involved and held everyone from the man in the car picking up his wife to the parents they would have certainly closed this up in 24 hours. I drove by the shopping center today and I know you could walk around it 10 times in an hour and a half. There isn't anything to protect here. It is a strip mall. When I first read the paper the security guard glared out at me. I have spoken to family of Horner and very close friends. He botched it, but they all agree on one thing and that is that it was Don Jr.
So, did they solve my Best friend's death or not????? I need to know I'd like to have closure my self!

Just seen this one on Spike this morning and it had a generic update with Dennis stating that The man that called himself Shawn/Don had been cleared of all wrongdoing and the case was still unsolved. Does this mean that they consider Shawn (the kid who was obsessed w/ the case) and Don (the caller) the same person and have cleared him? So frustrating!! I've seen so many cases where people are arrested and tried with much less evidence. I was in a hurry and didn't read many of the posts before mine so I'm going to go back and re-read this thread, maybe I'm missing something. I just thought the update wasn't very clear....

Sean/Don has gotten away with murder.

Yes, Don Barnes Jr. is the man in question - the security guard who found Tracy's body. And his daughter is the one I e-mailed with for those 3 months.

She mentioned there was a hour and half to two hour period where Barnes was supposed to be on duty during the time Tracy was killed. The daughter told me Barnes went and picked up a new suit from his wife who he was seperated from at the time. She thinks it was because of the blood stains he got on himself when he stabbed Tracy. He changes clothes, then goes back to "discover" the body and contact the police.

And the fact that Don now lives in Egypt is pretty convenient, isn't it? That makes it impossible to extradite him back to the U.S.

I don't know. This guy still sounds mighty suspicious.

Was Don Barnes a police officer before his work as a security guard?

I'm a little confused...is it proven that Don could not be the original confessor?

Ok let's recap everyone is confused. Don Barnes SR was a Sheriff and a very very powerful and influencial one. His son Don Barnes Jr was the security guard who "hint" found the body. Now The guy who called the tip line was a over involved teen who's name was sean but he said he was Don. Now if you re-read my post you'll understand what is going on but Hey guys justice will be served to all who are quilty. Even if this is a cover up their lives must be stressful even the family that knows the truth in fact:

KARMA ::


Mr. Donald C. Barnes Sr.

As originally published on Wednesday, May 26, 2010.






--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mr. Donald C. Barnes Sr., 68, of New Market, former Frederick County sheriff and well-known country musician, died suddenly Tuesday, May 25, 2010. He collapsed at home and was taken to Frederick Memorial Hospital.
He was the loving and devoted husband of Debbie Williams Barnes.

Arrangements are by Keeney and Basford, P.A., Funeral Home, 106 E. Church St., and will be announced at a later date.

Online condolences may be shared with the family at KeeneyBasford.com.





Also the officer involved originally " Mr. Horner" suffered a heart attack last year and his brother died this past summer.



Anyway read it as you may but God works things out . I'll keep you posted on updates to people involoved so we can see how this plays out over the years.

Yeah when I read above Egypt did extradition treaty with the US I thought it was strange after all they are one of our best allies in the Mid-East/Africa and popular opinion does not matter (Undemocratic Country) . OK I would go further into mid east politics but this is not the place if you check wikipedia it seems we have had a treaty for a while. This is such a sad case the parents seemed so genuine I am more upset by the father of the killer then the killer almost . The father of the killer should have been removed if only for the fact his son found the body.

I want this case solved!!!! I used to live in Frederick, Md. I remember when this happened, I was 10 years old when it happened, but this case has always haunted me. My cousin worked at the same shopping center as Tracey, but they worked in different stores, they would see each other in passing & my cousin was not working the night that Tracey was murdered. My brothers went to Brunswick High School for a brief period, though I am not sure, if either of them knew Tracey or not. I STRONGLY believe that the security guard Don murdered Tracey, as his story has too many holes & he was not investigated thoroughly, probably because his Daddy was the Sheriff at one time, and the good ol' boys never investigate or accuse their own!!! I think that there is a cover up going on and this NEEDS to be resolved. I almost applied to become a police officer at the same dept. as the security guard later worked at as a cop, I wish now that I would have applied and gotten hired and I could have done my own little investigating on the side. Don, you know you killed her, just admit it already. Daddy isn't around to protect you anymore. Eventually, the truth will catch up with you & you WILL get caught & punished for what you did!!! They should search his old apartment, and go over it with a fine tooth comb, maybe, they could find even the slightest bit of evidence to nail him. It has been done before. The killer of Michelle Dorr, they went through his old place, years later and found some of her blood there, in the floor boards & got a DNA profile proving it was her blood, even after all those years. Re-inspect that apartment and tear it apart if you have too, it might just hold the key to finally solving this horrible case!!

Is there any further update on Don Barnes Jr. who was the security guard that found Tracy's body?

Don Barnes Jr. is the security guard who "found" Tracy's body. Last I heard he is living in Florida. He later became a police officer in Fred. Md, where his Daddy was Sheriff and his Dad was Sheriff during the time of Tracy's murder. I smell a cover up and this case can and should be solved ASAP!!!!!!!!

Interesting stuff guys, does the family know this too I wonder?

Anyone know how old Don Jr. was at the time of Tracey's murder? It seems kind of odd that he would be hitting on a 16 year old girl.

And has anyone wondered why that teenager, Sean, called himself Don when he "confessed?" Was it coincidental that the security guard was also named Don? Did this teenager know the security guard?

Finally, did I read that the Police suspect that the killer was a teenaged acquaintance of Tracy? But they just don't have enough evidence to bring him to trial? Anyone know anything about this?

P.S. if Don, Jr. is living in Egypt, then perhaps he will get what's coming to him in the chaos that is happening in that country. ;)

Anyone know how old Don Jr. was at the time of Tracey's murder? It seems kind of odd that he would be hitting on a 16 year old girl.

And has anyone wondered why that teenager, Sean, called himself Don when he "confessed?" Was it coincidental that the security guard was also named Don? Did this teenager know the security guard?

Finally, did I read that the Police suspect that the killer was a teenaged acquaintance of Tracy? But they just don't have enough evidence to bring him to trial? Anyone know anything about this?

P.S. if Don, Jr. is living in Egypt, then perhaps he will get what's coming to him in the chaos that is happening in that country. ;)

From what I've gathered from reading every post on here, this Sean/Don guy was mentally unstable, who was obsessed with murder, police work, and investigations in general. I believe it was mere coincidence that the security guard was named Don. I think some members of LE believe the Sean fellow was responsible (since he was the one who apparently confessed on the radio), while others believe that he was just a mentally unbalanced guy confessing to a crime he did not commit (a la John Mark Karr).

I don't find it all that odd that this Don Barnes guy was hitting on a 16 year old. Some older men do like "carrying on" with younger girls and may even innocently flirt with them, and perhaps this Barnes guy was doing just that and got the wrong signals from Tracy. He probably perceived her being nice as flirting back with him.

To answer a few people's questions that was already covered...

Don Barnes Jr. was 25 when Tracy was killed. His daughter told me that he was very much in to younger women and Tracy was very much his type. Don's daughter told me that he had a roommate for a while named Sean. She came up with the theory that Sean was too scared to go to the police himself. Don is no longer living in Egypt. I believe he moved to Florida a couple years ago.

Back in June, Corporate Rick Winer, the Crime Scene Unit Supervisor for the Sheriff's Office in Frederick, contacted me thought this site and told me he wanted to ask me a few questions about my contact with Don's daughter. I told him the bits and pieces I could remember off the top of my head and then I forwarded him the emails. He was a very nice guy. We talked for nearly 25 minutes. He told me he would put the emails in with Tracy's file but from the tone of his voice, he didn't seem entirely convinced that Don was the killer. The only reason he gave me for thinking that was because he said that the daughter has a lot of anger for Don but he didn't say anything else. Of course, this was before I forwarded him the emails. Whether or not he changed his mind, I don't know. Winer was surprised, though, when I told him that 6 months earlier, I tried to contact the Frederick Police about the emails and never got a response.

Last week, I got an email from a member of the Kirkpatrick family. She asked me if she could read the emails from Don's daughter. If they were relevant enough, she said she would send them to Billy and Diane Kirkpatrick. After I forwarded her the emails, she responded that all this information has been looked at by investigators. Everything she read in my emails was already told to her by the rest of the family. Whether this was before or after I talked to Rick Winer, I have no idea.

Coincidentally, right after I forwarded her the emails, the relative told me that her husband got a friend request from Don's daughter asking to meet them for lunch. So it sounds like she is not letting this go and I can't say I blame her. The relative told me I could email her at any time for updates. Hopefully some good will finally come from this mess.

Keep up the good work dynoguy. :clap

To answer a few people's questions that was already covered...

Don Barnes Jr. was 25 when Tracy was killed. His daughter told me that he was very much in to younger women and Tracy was very much his type. Don's daughter told me that he had a roommate for a while named Sean. She came up with the theory that Sean was too scared to go to the police himself.

This makes a lot of sense. Obviously the Police had to be extremely suspicious of this Sean character from day one, but yet they seemingly ruled him out pretty early on. Unless he is just a total true crime freak, I see no reason for him to be so obsessed over this case. He knows something and that something might be that he was a friend of Don's. This makes sense.

I will, say, however, that the voice of "Don" on the tapes did not sound at all to me like that of a teenager. Nonetheless, I think it's 98% likely that either he or Don committed the crime.

After watching the UM segment on the case, Don's daughter told me that the voice on the confession tape was definitely her father's. If that's the case, the Frederick Police must have been more corrupt than we ever thought. Because they had the tape in their hands just 3 months after the murder and surely they would have recognized the voice as one of their own police officers. Especially since he gives his name as "Don." That's the one thing that always bugged me about this. Something doesn't add up.

If the police were trying to cover for their own...which is a very disturbing thought...then there wasn't much point of putting the case on Unsolved Mysteries.

After watching the UM segment on the case, Don's daughter told me that the voice on the confession tape was definitely her father's.

But didn't the police trace the call back to Sean's home? If so, was Don making the calls from his home?

If the police were trying to cover for their own...which is a very disturbing thought...then there wasn't much point of putting the case on Unsolved Mysteries.

Well, I believe the families were able to contact UM and request a segment. If the UM producers felt it was compelling enough they would go through with it regardless of law enforcement's participation. We have seen that on a number of cases.

If there is a cover-up happening at the department it wouldn't be surprising if the investigators who got your original emails "lost" them. Hopefully Winer cared enough to put them in the file.

Unfortunately, it sounds like the small town politics and back slapping that went on in the rural New Hampshire town I grew up in. An officers wife decided to take a detour through our front yard and almost hit my father one morning drunk as a skunk. When my dad called to complain the Captain yelled at him for calling him at 6:30AM!! No one came out until my father called the state police, and they could have cared less.

Maybe you did talk to Don's daughter. I had a back and forth with a woman after I wrote an article on a Jane Doe in New Hampshire. The woman gave me detailed info that at the time I couldn't find online. After encouraging her twice to call the police, or I would for her, she abruptly said she would contact the woman's brother and let me know. That was a year ago.

I might forward the info, but it's very vague looking back on it and outside of one clue that isn't known to anyone the rest could easily be guessed. But the clue is the woman's three married names, but those could be fake too :confused:

But didn't the police trace the call back to Sean's home? If so, was Don making the calls from his home?

Don's confession of the murder to the the Las Vegas hotline was traced back to a payphone at a supermarket in Walkersville, Maryland. The guy claiming to be Sean who became obsessed with finding Tracy's killer and began interacting with Martha Woodworth, the psychic, also lived in Walkersville. When the confession tape was played to Martha, she thought Don and Sean were the same person.

In her emails, Don's daughter told me that her father did live in Walkersville for a while and that he had a roommate named Sean. She thinks Martha was mistaken about the voice but she was close. The daughter told me she thinks Sean was too scared to go to the police himself. So his interaction with Martha Woodworth might have been another way for someone to get involved in helping Don get caught.

Provided the daughter isn't the biggest liar on the planet, everything she has said adds up. And if it's all true, then Don Barnes Jr. should already be in jail by now. I can only think of two reasons why he isn't...

1.) The daughter is lying.
2.) The daughter is telling the truth and the police don't believe her. Or they don't WANT to believe her. Hence, the possible corruption.

Don's confession of the murder to the the Las Vegas hotline was traced back to a payphone at a supermarket in Walkersville, Maryland. The guy claiming to be Sean who became obsessed with finding Tracy's killer and began interacting with Martha Woodworth, the psychic, also lived in Walkersville. When the confession tape was played to Martha, she thought Don and Sean were the same person.

In her emails, Don's daughter told me that her father did live in Walkersville for a while and that he had a roommate named Sean. She thinks Martha was mistaken about the voice but she was close. The daughter told me she thinks Sean was too scared to go to the police himself. So his interaction with Martha Woodworth might have been another way for someone to get involved in helping Don get caught.

Provided the daughter isn't the biggest liar on the planet, everything she has said adds up. And if it's all true, then Don Barnes Jr. should already be in jail by now. I can only think of two reasons why he isn't...

1.) The daughter is lying.
2.) The daughter is telling the truth and the police don't believe her. Or they don't WANT to believe her. Hence, the possible corruption.

Why still participate in a coverup? Isn't Barnes' father dead? I don't see how there would be any ruffled feathers in pursuing Barnes after all these years.

Why still participate in a coverup? Isn't Barnes' father dead? I don't see how there would be any ruffled feathers in pursuing Barnes after all these years.

I just looked online and apparently he died this past May. Looks like our suspect, Don Jr. is now married to a woman named Laurie.

http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/local/obit_detail.htm?obitID=28582

This link about the case is from 2 years ago. In the comment section, a friend of the Kirkpatrick family states outright that she thinks Barnes Jr. did it and that the police covered it up. A relative of Don's argues back that he didn't do it.

http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display_comments.htm?StoryID=87763

Don Barnes Jr. was 25 when Tracy was killed. His daughter told me that he was very much in to younger women and Tracy was very much his type.

Don Barnes Jr. was only 25!!!:eek:
for some reason I kept picturing an older man in his late 30's or early 40's which seemed unusual to me with someone that old pursuing a high school senior, but know learning he was 25!
I hate to say this, but the fact he was that young probably made him think he had a chance with Tracy. She was 17 or 18 at the time which would mean a 7 or 8 year age difference which is not as unsual as it sounds. He probably confessed to her that night that he loved her or something and she rejected him and in his emotionally unbalanced state he killed her.
Had no idea Don Barnes Jr. was that young at the time and it definately changes my perspective on this case.

Don Barnes Jr. was only 25!!!:eek:
for some reason I kept picturing an older man in his late 30's or early 40's which seemed unusual to me with someone that old pursuing a high school senior, but know learning he was 25!
I hate to say this, but the fact he was that young probably made him think he had a chance with Tracy. She was 17 or 18 at the time which would mean a 7 or 8 year age difference which is not as unsual as it sounds. He probably confessed to her that night that he loved her or something and she rejected him and in his emotionally unbalanced state he killed her.
Had no idea Don Barnes Jr. was that young at the time and it definately changes my perspective on this case.

Yes, that definitely changes my perspective as well... that is always what I had expected (pretty much know) happened, is that he hung around there when it was slow (he was a security guard at a strip mall, so probably not too much going on.) He then was talking to her like normal, BUT here's where I think something happened. It was stated in an article that Tracey's mom had said right before her murder she had actually just gotten back together w/ her boyfriend (may have even been the day before.) I think, that the killer, upon hearing this news, got his hopes dashed as she was now taken. I believe this is the scenario.

I have recently rewatched the segment on kirkpatrick and in the re-enactment where Don Barnes Jr walks into the store and finds tracy's body Don is portayed by an older man in his late 30's/ early 40's instead of being played by a younger man in his early to mid 20's.
I'm also guessing the man in the segment does not physically resemble the real Don Barnes Jr. either.
This is understandable since Don Barnes Jr. is mentioned in the segment as merely "a security guard" and only appears in that one scene and is not mentioned in the segment as a suspect.
Normally when getting actors to portray family members and suspects in re-enactments UM would try to find actors who physically resembled the people and appeared the same age as well.
It's ironic that had Don Barnes Jr been portrayed as a younger man I would have took more notice of him, but since he was portayed in the re-enactment by an older man I assumed the security guard as portayed in the segment was a law abiding citizen with a family who unfortunately stumbled onto Tracy's body.
I do find it strange on my part that I would have taken more notice of Don as a suspect in the segment had he been portayed by a younger man, but given the lack of suspects and motives as presented in the segment I guess this isn't as suprising.

Working as a security guard at the age of 25 Don Barnes Jr. Developed a relationship with Tracy. It started with a wave and turned into a wink. Attraction builds up and the pressure of not living up to daddy's ideals was tough. Tracy got in an arguement with a boy from school that night. She was kinda breaking up but as in any teen relationship its easy to fall back. Don couldn't stand it. He walked around the shopping center wanted to approach her. Then he did it was right after the manager left. She dismissed him and he couldn't take it. He reached for his knife as any security officer might have and she ran to the back . He followed and stabbed her in the back then she turned around and he stabbed her in the chest. Before he knew it it was all over. No one heard the screams b/c all the shops were closed. He looked down at her and panicked. Out the back . We drove to his appartment and jumped into he shower. Quickly changing his cloths he went back to the shopping center. Taking a few deep breaths he walked into the shop and grabbed her purse. He took the purce across the street and placed in in a secure location hoping it would look like a robbery. This was all in a panic. He then called the police to report his findings. The city police arrived. Not having investigated a murder in years they reluctantly did not call the state police. Knowing that it was Don's son they didn't even consider it was him. So they didn't search the appartment, car or take the back door off. Officer Horner was placed in charge of the case. He was over loaded and it became clear that all signs pointed to Don Jr. However proper action and investagation made it impossible to pursue him and political pressure stopped it all. I have talked to Horner's daughter she was a teenager at the time and remembers sitting around listening to him and it was clear Don Jr did it. They thing is that every police officer knows it and no one can do anything b/c the investigation was messed up. So all anyone can do is go yea he did it but we can't do anything about it. Even as daddy lays buried the lack of a good investigation ended any justice for Tracy.

Why wasn't the state police called

Why wasn't the door taken

Why wasn't Don's car looked at he was the only one there and needed to be eliminated as a suspect

Where is the suspects blood stab someone that many times and not spill some of urs I think not

if is walks like a duck and sounds like a duck it equals ---Don JR. HELLO

Any new info on this one?

Any new info on this one?

Bump

Here's a recent article:

http://www.wfmd.com/pages/localnews2.html?feed=119935&article=9905862

Someone also mentioned on websleuths that Tracy and her on again off again boyfriend had gotten back together the night before the murder. I wonder if he was ever a suspect.

Someone also mentioned on websleuths that Tracy and her on again off again boyfriend had gotten back together the night before the murder. I wonder if he was ever a suspect.

Its funny you ask that question because I was just re-watching the segment and UM said Tracy had just broken up with her boyfriend when she was murdered , given the nature of the crime, the same question briefly crossed my mind ....anyway, maybe he was quickly ruled out .


One thing that did hit me was that she was found in the backroom , this makes me wonder if maybe the cops theory that it was someone she knew a bit wrong because if she entertained a friend at work surely she would have spoken to them at the front of the store since the store was probably not busy and she was the only person assigned to close it.....

She was only 18 years old when was found murdered, not 17.

She was only 18 years old when was found murdered, not 17.

Interesting point, most media outlets state she was 17 .....how did the mix up occur ?

She has two findagrave entries. The oldest one, which is the one where people, including her cousin, are leaving virtual flowers, says she was born June 9, 1971 and was killed on March 15, 1989. If I can count correctly (no guarantee, my brain is fried today, so somebody tell me if I get this wrong) she was 17 years and 9 months old.

Her headstone just has the years of her birth and death. Possibly people who are coming up with age of 18 are just doing the math of 1989 (year of death) minus 1971 (year of birth) to get her age, but not taking into account that she hadn't passed her birthday yet.

She was a senior in high school and would have turned 18 right around graduation time.

I am almost positive that on my way back from Myrtle Beach two years ago I had driven past the store that Tracy was killed in.

I could be WAY off base here, but my understanding is that in the town itself, there is a consensus as to who Tracy's killer is. They believe it was the security guard who discovered her body. Apparently, this guy was related to law enforcement in the town at that time, specifically the sheriff. There is a belief that there was a shoddy investigation and subsequent coverup of the murder because of who the chief suspect was.

I'm not calling law enforcement crooked. However, I am familiar with small-town politics. Is this something within the realm of possibility? Sure.

The security guard is generally believed to be guilty among the townspeople who were around at the time Tracy was murdered. IIRC, UM completely ignored the security guard in the segment. I believe he was also an off duty police officer who was moonlighting as a security guard. Just going off of random comment sections and message boards, the consensus seems that whoever murdered Tracy was the son of a high ranking official in law enforcement, and that law enforcement essentially did little to nothing to investigate the suspect. I've read some that think it was the security guard, and some other people believe it was a deputy's son, who was a city worker at the time.

Wasn't someone on the board going to contact the police department with information that was sent to them privately?

The security guard is generally believed to be guilty among the townspeople who were around at the time Tracy was murdered. IIRC, UM completely ignored the security guard in the segment. I believe he was also an off duty police officer who was moonlighting as a security guard. Just going off of random comment sections and message boards, the consensus seems that whoever murdered Tracy was the son of a high ranking official in law enforcement, and that law enforcement essentially did little to nothing to investigate the suspect. I've read some that think it was the security guard, and some other people believe it was a deputy's son, who was a city worker at the time.

Wasn't someone on the board going to contact the police department with information that was sent to them privately?

I remember all that, too. I think someone had contacted Dynoguy, believing the individual was her father. Not sure if it ended up being a scam.

I remember all that, too. I think someone had contacted Dynoguy, believing the individual was her father. Not sure if it ended up being a scam.

And IIRC, the individual said that her father was the security guard who found Tracy's body.

Very bizarre.

I've always found it ironic that UM referred to Frederick as a "small town" in the opening of this segment. I've never been to Frederick, so I can't speak to what it's actually like But I know that it had about 40,000 people back around the time Tracy was murdered. While that isn't exactly a booming metropolis, it's larger than what I would call a "small town".

Another thing that struck me as odd is that one of the police officers interviewed spoke about the sincerity in the voice of Don, the hotline caller. Based on the playing of the call in the segment, I heard very little sincerity in the caller's voice. Particularly at the end of the call, I just felt like he was rambling when he talked about considering turning himself in but it wouldn't bring Tracy back so he figured it's better to stay free. That whole part of it just seemed like someone who called in to make a prank call about this murder and then didn't know what else to say so he started rambling.

This is one of the more mysterious crimes I remember from the early days of UM, because there was so little information. The UM segment focused solely on Don/Sean to the exclusion of any other suspects. Once he was cleared, there would be little else to move forward with given the information presented by UM. I hope this one will be solved someday.

I've always found it ironic that UM referred to Frederick as a "small town" in the opening of this segment. I've never been to Frederick, so I can't speak to what it's actually like But I know that it had about 40,000 people back around the time Tracy was murdered. While that isn't exactly a booming metropolis, it's larger than what I would call a "small town".

Another thing that struck me as odd is that one of the police officers interviewed spoke about the sincerity in the voice of Don, the hotline caller. Based on the playing of the call in the segment, I heard very little sincerity in the caller's voice. Particularly at the end of the call, I just felt like he was rambling when he talked about considering turning himself in but it wouldn't bring Tracy back so he figured it's better to stay free. That whole part of it just seemed like someone who called in to make a prank call about this murder and then didn't know what else to say so he started rambling.

This is one of the more mysterious crimes I remember from the early days of UM, because there was so little information. The UM segment focused solely on Don/Sean to the exclusion of any other suspects. Once he was cleared, there would be little else to move forward with given the information presented by UM. I hope this one will be solved someday.ive wondered the same thing. Why did they clear the caller? Did they just have no evidence against him or was there something that actually proves his innocence.

FWIW, Frederick used to be more of a rural "small town" type of town. It's definitely now become more booming, and has grown since.

ive wondered the same thing. Why did they clear the caller? Did they just have no evidence against him or was there something that actually proves his innocence.

That's something I'd be really interested to find out.

FWIW, Frederick used to be more of a rural "small town" type of town. It's definitely now become more booming, and has grown since.

Thanks for clarifying.

I've always found it ironic that UM referred to Frederick as a "small town" in the opening of this segment. I've never been to Frederick, so I can't speak to what it's actually like But I know that it had about 40,000 people back around the time Tracy was murdered. While that isn't exactly a booming metropolis, it's larger than what I would call a "small town".

I watched this segment today - I don't remember if Stack called Frederick a small town, but he did say that Tracy was from a small town outside of Frederick.

I remember all that, too. I think someone had contacted Dynoguy, believing the individual was her father. Not sure if it ended up being a scam.

Dynoguy was contacted by an officer (who had read this thread?) and shared the information given to him by the security guard's daughter. He said that she has been telling the story to a lot of people and no one is sure if it is true or not due to her being unstable.

Absolutely CRicci.....

You develop a certain understanding about the world as you get older.

I used to believe that if you date someone or want to they have to be the EXACT same age. I always believed that.

The years have taught me one interesting thing about men:

Any young female will be just fine. She was about to turn 18. I am sure men walked through the mall and spotted her. Many must have tried to flirt with her. Even men in their 30's, 40's, 50's, etc.

The security guard who found her? If he did it, it must have been out of lust and getting rejected.

A young, attractive girl like Tracy must have had many admirers while working in that mall.

Apparently the security guard was only 25 even though he was separated/divorced and had a child.

I am a little confused. Are Sean and Don the same guy? Has the confession been completely ruled out as being real?

thanks amazon :(

Yesterday (March 15th) was the 34th anniversary of Tracey’s murder. Paul Puglisi, the producer and director of her long awaited documentary, ‘Into the Silent Land,’ is finally reaching the end of production. He released this message on Facebook…

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Thirty-four years to the day have passed since Tracey was murdered. Thirty-four years of her family, friends and a community not knowing who brutally killed her or why.

Thirty-four years… To put that into perspective, on March 15, 1989, the Berlin Wall was still standing. The Exxon Valdez oil spill hadn’t happened yet. And neither had the Tiananmen Square massacre.

Frederick, Maryland certainly has changed a lot since then. But for those who lived here at the time, hearing the name Tracey Kirkpatrick or seeing her picture still conjures shock, sadness and disbelief. But many also feel hope that those painful and long-awaited questions can still be answered.

Thought this might give some intrigue to the subject.