With sadness, earthly body located. Victim of homicide. Arrest made.
At a press conference Thursday afternoon, police confirmed that a body discovered is that of a missing woman, and a suspect is in custody for her murder.
The 3 p.m. conference was held by the Isabella County Sheriff's Office and Michigan State Police, who worked together on the missing persons case of Rebekah Gay, 24. Gay's body was discovered earlier Thursday in a wooded area along S. Woodruff, just north of Pickard in Mt. Pleasant.
Investigators say she was found dumped in a deep ditch, behind a tree. The murder weapon, described as a hard rubber mallet, was found with her body. She died after being struck several times with the mallet, and then was strangled by a large zip-tie pulled tight around her neck.
Police also said a suspect, identified as 55 year old John Douglas White, is in custody. White lived near Gay, and is said to have confessed to the murder when interviewed by investigators. Police say that White admitted to fantasizing about Gay over the past few weeks, leading up to her murder. Investigators also administered a polygraph test.
Authorities were led to White after they discovered a necklace in his pickup truck matching one that Gay was known to wear.
In all, seven seperate crime scenes were discovered and processed.
Gay was last seen at her home at M-20 and Coldwater Rd. just before 7 a.m. Wednesday. Her car was discovered parked behind The Barn Door, a nearby bar and restaurant.
The victim also has a 3 year old son, who investigators say was home at the time of the murder. They aren't sure if he saw or heard anything, but said he will be interviewed at some point.
They also say that White was very fond of the boy, and the boy was never in danger. The murder happened on a day when the boy was supposed to visit with his father. White took the boy to meet his father at a Walmart.
FOX 17's Courtney Perna is in Mt. Pleasant and will have further updates as they become available.
http://www.fox17online.com/news/fox17-police-search-for-missing-24-yearold-20121101,0,5929280.story
Previous Report:
The Isabella County Sheriff’s Department is trying to locate a missing 24-year-old woman.
Rebekah Jane Gay was last seen at her home on M-20 near Coldwater Road in Broomfield Township around 6:50 a.m. Wednesday.
She has not been heard from by family or friends since she left her home.
“This is very unlike Rebekah, and her family is very concerned about her well being,” Isabella County Sheriff Leo Mioduszewski said in a press release.
The sheriff’s department was notified of Gay’s absence at about noon Wednesday, Mioduszewski said.
Her home is in a rural area, 10 miles west of Mt. Pleasant.
Her car was found parked behind The Barn Door, a popular nightspot located near her house.
The Barn Door attracts clientele from western Isabella County and beyond.
Gay is described as a white female, about 5-foot 3-inches and 118 pounds with curly blonde hair and blue eyes.
She was last seen wearing a blue top and black pants.
She has three tattoos. One is a “Circle of Eagle Feathers” on her upper back, another is a “Kiss” tattoo on one of her hips and she has a music clef with the word “Conway” tattooed on her left wrist.
If anyone has any information about Gay’s whereabouts, they are asked to call Isabella County Central Dispatch at 989-773-1000.
Source: http://www.themorningsun.com/article/20121031/NEWS01/121039944/young-woman-missing-from-isabella-county
Thank you for your attention,
Amy Kinney, Distribution & Missing Alerts Manager
LostNMissing, Incwww.lostnmissing.com
For Located Missing please check our Missing/Located page at : http://lostnmissing.posterous.com/
LostNMissing, Inc. is a state and federally recognized 501c(3) Nonprofit charitable organization to assist law enforcement and the families of missing. We strive to help prevent loved ones from going missing and to bring awareness of those who are, by providing support to families. We work with various law enforcement agencies across the country, on behalf of families of missing, and help to bring awareness via community events for the families, media, internet and social networking for missing loved ones. We never charge a fee for our services. If you received this email by error, or would like added to our distribution list for missing and located loved ones, please email lostnmissing@comcast.net to be added to our mailing list.
Amy Kinney, Distribution & Missing Alerts Manager
LostNMissing, Incwww.lostnmissing.com
For Located Missing please check our Missing/Located page at : http://lostnmissing.posterous.com/
LostNMissing, Inc. is a state and federally recognized 501c(3) Nonprofit charitable organization to assist law enforcement and the families of missing. We strive to help prevent loved ones from going missing and to bring awareness of those who are, by providing support to families. We work with various law enforcement agencies across the country, on behalf of families of missing, and help to bring awareness via community events for the families, media, internet and social networking for missing loved ones. We never charge a fee for our services. If you received this email by error, or would like added to our distribution list for missing and located loved ones, please email lostnmissing@comcast.net to be added to our mailing list.
