Tracey Wofford-Bunn's murder solved!

[fabgourmet]

I wondered the same thing; IIRC, the coroner said he had never seen such burns and could not imagine what had caused them.

There are so many questions still left here- did they know each other or was this a totally random killing? Also, was this guy the guy her sister refers to as a crackhead whom she heard was involved in Tracy's disappearance? I mean, she spoke about a suspect rumored to be the killer, was this him?

I don't think we'll ever know unless her sister or ex-husband posts here...

[GaryJ06]

i remember this one...glad to see it solved...seemed quite a sadistic murder

[Cori aka ChrisSCrush]

Yeah, her sister was skeptical that someone she was involved with would "throw her to the wolves at two or three in the morning," and thought the boyfriend knew more than he was telling. Now looks as if the boyfriend only enabled but had no part in committing the crime.

[Hambone2421]

Glad to see that this case was solved. I am still curious what those burns were that were on her arms and hands? The detective in the segment mentioned that they tried to replicate the burns using a variety of methods but just couldn't do it.

[XCalibur]

Originally Posted by Hambone2421

Glad to see that this case was solved. I am still curious what those burns were that were on her arms and hands? The detective in the segment mentioned that they tried to replicate the burns using a variety of methods but just couldn't do it.

Hard to say, will probably never know since Freddie McKinley the killer is long deceased.

I initially thought Tracy Wofford Bunn may have been an early victim of the serial killer Derrick Todd Lee, even though he was only 18 or 19 at the time I thought he may have killed her. he killed in Baton Rouge but his first know murder was three years after Tracy's. But that obviously wasn't so.

Oddly though, there doesn't seem to be any information on Freddy McKinley online. No history, no mugshot, no arrest date or anything. Only that he was a convicted rapist who died in prison in 2002. Its not even clear what he looked like or what his race was. The other odd thing about the case was how the detective said someone drove Tracy's car with the stick shift broken off and it would have taken someone with a certain amount of expertise. That struck me as odd, i wondered what profession would somebody have to be in to be good at that? Even race car drivers don't typically do that

[NinaS]

Originally Posted by Hambone2421

Glad to see that this case was solved. I am still curious what those burns were that were on her arms and hands? The detective in the segment mentioned that they tried to replicate the burns using a variety of methods but just couldn't do it.

I just watched this story last night and was also relieved to see it had been solved. In terms of the burns, I had the awful thought that they were possibly friction burns from the way her body was held down during the rape, though I suppose it could have been pre or post mortem. I would think the investigators might have thought of this, though?
I hope her sister and loved ones have found peace.

[Or So It Seems]

Originally Posted by XCalibur

The other odd thing about the case was how the detective said someone drove Tracy's car with the stick shift broken off and it would have taken someone with a certain amount of expertise. That struck me as odd, i wondered what profession would somebody have to be in to be good at that? Even race car drivers don't typically do that

If a stick shift lever snapped or broke off, the car can still be driven with only a little more inconvenience. I think the police over emphasized this because not a lot of people drive stick. You just have to grab the shift lever low, which offers less leverage and it may be harder to shift. But the car could still be driven.

[XCalibur]

Originally Posted by Or So It Seems

If a stick shift lever snapped or broke off, the car can still be driven with only a little more inconvenience. I think the police over emphasized this because not a lot of people drive stick. You just have to grab the shift lever low, which offers less leverage and it may be harder to shift. But the car could still be driven.

I know it could be, its just that the way the detective put it made it sound like someone in a particular profession could do it better than most people, even better than people who could drive a stick normally, which I found odd.

Remember too, this was in 1989 when stick shifts were still far more common than they are now. Interestingly enough automatic transmissions had been available for decades, so it wasn't really them coming about which made manual transmissions obsolete. A lot of people still preferred manual transmissions for purposes like hauling and better control of the vehicle on hills and such. Plus many found them more fun to drive. But as automatics became better for hauling, driving them became more and more a lost art to the point where you almost have to have them custom made now.

[infinityluxe]

Rewatching this segment really made me curious. Was her sister her only family? No parents? This segment had me looking at the boyfriend as a suspect as well. How horrible to let her walk to that car all by herself. Had she only kept her car that night she probably wouldn't have met that fate.

[dynoguy88]

Originally Posted by infinityluxe

Rewatching this segment really made me curious. Was her sister her only family? No parents? This segment had me looking at the boyfriend as a suspect as well. How horrible to let her walk to that car all by herself. Had she only kept her car that night she probably wouldn't have met that fate.

Her boyfriend was a POS. And I can see why many people would be suspicious of him. But in the end, he was simply a crappy boyfriend, not a killer. It is a shame that he didn’t accompany her to her car. I don’t think that was the safest neighborhood where her car was left.

I don’t think Tracy’s sister was her only family. Danielle went to college at LSU and apparently decided to stay in Baton Rouge after graduation. Since Tracy lived in Wisconsin at that time, I assumed the rest of the family lived at or near Milwaukee.

[XCalibur]

Originally Posted by dynoguy88

Her boyfriend was a POS. And I can see why many people would be suspicious of him. But in the end, he was simply a crappy boyfriend, not a killer. It is a shame that he didn’t accompany her to her car.

Eh.......... I dunno. in his defense did you ever try to stop an angry woman from doing something she wanted to do? Sure, he could have gone with her, but for all we know he might have offered and she told him no. We know she was already upset with him over the car so maybe she didn't want him to. Yeah he could have forced the issue and refused to let her go alone I suppose, but that's tricky. And by most accounts Tracy was an independent sort and pretty headstrong. I think even in dangerous neighborhoods, people's mind generally just doesn't jump to the conclusion anything like that will actually happen. Kind of like Kari Lynn Nixon's dad sending her out, but granted that was in a much less dangerous area.

I mean it was irresponsible to not go with her I agree, but calling him a POS could be harsh. He could have just been a laid back sort who didn't like to force issues. Especially if she didn't want him along. And I'm sure he probably felt bad about it.