Post by Jay7777 on Jul 1, 2022 23:39:36 GMT
I recently saw a People Magazine Investigation episode on five people who vanished in 1979-82 ,in Idaho all linked to one person of Interest, that so happened to had maybe an involvement in a 1972 California case murder case and some other early situations as well. Suspect, Lance Jeffrey Ross had a connection to all five! Many more unsolved cases he may of had a hand in.
Lewis-Clark Valley Serial Killer – 40 years later, frustrated police believe they know who killer is but lack evidence to make arrest
Life in the Lewis-Clark Valley grows complicated after a serial killer strikes their quiet rural communities
Life in rural America is supposed to be relaxing, simple, and even mundane. But for three years in the late 70’s, life in communities in and around the Lewis-Clark Valley was anything but ordinary. Parents shuffled their youth to school in groups and children were told to never be alone outside after dark. During those three years, five youth had disappeared. When human body parts were found wrapped in black garbage bags, floating in the nearby Snake River, police knew they had a serial killer running rampant in their community. In fact, they were even certain they knew who the killer was. Regardless, lack of evidence and one critical missing person rendered them unable to make an arrest of the person they were “99% sure” committed the evil acts.
A “person of interest” adds a bizarre twist
From early on in their investigations, police felt quite certain that their “person of interest” was the man responsible for the disappearances (and presumed murders) of the five unfortunate youth. The suspect had readily admitted to being the last person to see two of the five canonical victims alive and police were fairly certain that two others had vanished from a location the suspect admitted to being in at the time of their disappearance. Still, without concrete evidence (two of the victims’ bodies have never been found), police were unable to file charges.
Life in rural Lewis-Clark Valley
The Lewis-Clark Valley area, a triangle of cities (Lewiston, Clarkson, and Asotin) located along the border of Washington and Idaho, was named after the Lewis and Clark expedition which had camped at the confluence of the Clearwater and Snake rivers during their westward journey across the United States. Lying six miles downriver from Asotin, Washington, the area is a beautiful oasis of rivers, forests, and rolling prairie flatland. It is fairly isolated from any major cities and area residents like it that way. But despite their isolation from the evils of major metropolitan areas, during the late 1970’s for three years, Lewis-Clark Valley was exposed to a demon of their own, one that many felt they knew the true identity of but were powerless to exorcise from their community.
To date, the killer remains free.
The disappearance of Christina Lee White
On April 28, 1979, 12-year-old Christina Lee White vanished from Asotin, Washington. The 5’4” 135 lb., brown hair, brown-eyed little bundle of wonder loved being outdoors and was heavily involved in her church. Described by her family as “a bit hyperactive”, she would have been a lively 7th grader at Asotin Elementary School in the fall. On the Saturday that she was last seen, she was excited about the annual county fair that had rolled into town.
At some point that day, wearing blue jeans, red leather sneakers, and a pink striped shirt, she made it to the Asotin County Fair. However, around 2:30 PM, she called her mother, told her she was not feeling well, and asked that she come pick her up. Having suffered from heat exhaustion in the past, her mother knew she was prone to heatstroke but did not have immediate access to a car to pick her up in. She instructed Christina to put a wet towel around her neck and wait for her at the bottom of the hill.
On her own initiative, Christina hopped on her pink-trimmed bike, and rode to a friends’ home at 503 2nd Street where she asked for a wet wash cloth to cool herself off with. Her friend, who was ten years old at the time, later told police that he was in the backyard, washing the dogs, and did not see Christina when she arrived. His stepfather however, came to Christina’s aid supplying a wet washrag for her to apply to her neck. When the stepfather was later questioned by the police, he admitted to being the last person to see Christina alive but claimed he had simply helped her and sent her on her way home.
Meanwhile, Christina’s mother waited anxiously at the bottom of the hill. Growing concerned, she began looking for her, asking everyone she met if they had seen a little girl fitting Christina’s description. Christina’s father suspected carnival personnel had something to do with her disappearance and at his request, the police went to the Asotin County Fairgrounds to search for her. After thoroughly investigating carnival employees, they could find no evidence of their involvement in the disappearance (the father however, spent the next several days following the carnival from town to town until he too was satisfied that they were not involved).
Little Christina White is still missing and although believed to be deceased, her body has never been found.
The disappearance and murder of Kristen David
22-year-old Kristen David, a beautiful young woman with almond-shaped eyes, full lips, and blondish brown shoulder length hair, was a student at the University of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho. An avid bike rider, she was last seen on Friday June 26, 1981, riding her bicycle from Moscow to her summer job at the Twin City Food Plant (a pea-processing factory) in nearby Lewiston. It was not an unusual trek for Kristen, she had made this ride many times before, and one witness recalled seeing her going down a hill that lead into Lewiston the day she disappeared~. Later, another witness came forward claiming he may have seen her talking to someone in a brown van that had stopped along Highway 95 to “assist a young woman on the side of the road”.
Several days later, on Saturday July 4, 1981, two fisherman near the Red Wolf Crossing Bridge in Lewiston were moving down the river in their boat when they noticed a black, plastic garbage bag bobbing in the water near the north shore. Curious, they opened the bag and inside found the remains of a woman’s torso and leg. Not having a radio on board the boat, they asked another boat in the area to radio it in for them and waited for the police to arrive.
Police arrived on the scene and after searching the area “just downriver from the bridge”, found more bags containing human body parts, all within 300 yards from where the fishermen found the first bag. Police noted that the Red Wolf Crossing Bridge was a long, isolated bridge with a clear, flat view of the roads leading to and from the structure and surmised the killer dumped the bags from atop the bridge, likely in the middle of the night or early morning hours.
Evidence was sent to the state crime lab who returned the results of their analysis of the body (and other accompanying articles) in short order. The discarded body belonged to 22-year old Kristen David. A taste of fear spread through the community and a rumor began to proliferate – was one of the fisherman who discovered Kristen’s body the same man who last saw little Christina before her disappearance two years earlier?
Triple disappearances in a single night
If the disappearance and murder of two young women were not enough to send the Lewis-Clark Valley communities into a state of panic, the night of September 12, 1982, during which three of their youth would disappear, must have surely pushed them to the edge.
The disappearance of Steven Pearsall
At 5’11” and 160 lbs, 35-year-old Steven Pearsall has been described as shy, easygoing, and softhearted. When he was last seen carrying a light blue cloth duffel bag of dirty laundry into the Lewiston Civic Theatre around midnight on September 12, 1982, he was wearing a beige colored, long-sleeve pullover sweater with dark stripes, a two-tone brown ski jacket, and beige colored pants. He lived in an apartment on 4th Street, the same block and side of street as Kristina Nelson (see below), and also attended art classes at Lewis-Clark State College with her. Police believe that they were at least acquaintances.
Pearsall’s girlfriend told police she had dropped him off at the theater, where he worked as a janitor and set builder, so he could do his laundry in the theater’s washer/dryer while practicing his clarinet. This was confirmed by a police patrol officer who recalled seeing him enter the building through a side door late that night. His prized clarinet was found on the scene but Pearsall was never seen again.
The disappearances of Kristina Nelson and Jacqueline (Brandi) Miller
21-year-old Kristina Nelson (Kris D. Nelson) was described as 5’1”, about 120 lbs., with brown eyes and long blonde hair. Her 18-year-old stepsister, Jacqueline (Brandy A. or Jackie) Miller, was last seen wearing blue jeans and a multi-colored, long sleeved poncho-type sweater tied in a knot below her hips. Kristine lived in a modest home at 233 4th Street. Her stepsister Jacqueline lived a few streets over at 412 6th Ave. Both were originally from Boise, attended the same college together (Lewis-Clark State College), and worked at Lewiston Civic Theatre, a local Lewiston community theater that would soon become a pivotal location in the Lewis-Clark Valley mystery.
On the evening of September 12, 1982, the two girls left Kristine’s home for a shopping trip to a nearby Safeway grocery store. Kristina left a note on the door of her house telling her boyfriend where they were going with instructions to go ahead and enter the home, make himself comfortable, and wait for them to return. After waiting all night, the boyfriend reported their disappearance to the Lewiston police.
Police are unsure where Kristina and Brandi went that night but recognized that their trip to Safeway would have lead them past the Lewiston Civic Theatre. They have strong suspicions that the two women, for a reason that is still not clear, entered the theater that night, either from or to their way to the grocery store.
Bodies of Kristina and Jacqueline found – Lewis-Clark Valley serial killer case gains steam
On March 19, 1984, 14-year-old Marvin Mead was collecting cans along Idaho Highway 3 (near the town of Kendrick) when he pulled his truck to the side of the road to check out a promising spot. He hoisted himself over the guardrail and walked to the nearby tree line. Finding nothing of interest, he returned to his truck. While walking back toward the highway, a tree branch knocked the hat from his head. The hat tumbled, end-over-end, into a ravine about 50 feet off the highway. As he retrieved the hat, he noticed what he at first thought was a deer skull. Reaching down to pick up the skull, he realized it was not deer, but human.
Two bodies (along with clothing and garments) were found at the location and identified as the remains of Kristina Nelson and Jacqueline Miller. It had been over a year since they disappeared. Evidence at the scene suggests the killer may have first dumped the bodies nearer to the road only to return later to move them further down the steep embankment. It was rumored that the two bodies had been tied together and police acknowledged that rope was found on the scene. The rope was traced to rope used on a ship prop at the Lewiston Civic Theatre.
With new evidence in hand, police began a more thorough investigation inside the theater, this time using the chemical luminol to test for the presence of blood. Unfortunately, this was more than a year after the girls had disappeared and even more disappointing, the heavy presence of lead paint throughout the theater produced a natural reaction with the luminol rendering the tests inconclusive.
Steven Pearsall becomes a suspect
Since Pearsall had gone missing the same night as the two young ladies, it was initially suspected that he played a part in their disappearances. He had been seen entering the Lewiston Civic Theatre building and it was highly probable that Kristina and Jacqueline had also been at the theater that same night. The rope found alongside Kristina and Jackie’s bodies, identified as cordage used on props at the theater, only strengthened the police’s suspicions.
However, if Pearsall was indeed the killer, why had he left his prized clarinet at the theater that night? His personal vehicle and uncashed paycheck were left at his home and his girlfriend told police that nothing about Steven seemed amiss when she dropped him off at the theater that night. His demeanor was described as soft spoken and kindhearted. Things just didn’t add up. When police discovered another man had been present at the theater the night Kristina and Jackie disappeared, and that the same man was the last person to see little Christina alive two years earlier, they realized the only involvement Pearsall had with the crimes was being in the wrong place at the wrong time. To the chagrin of the area’s citizens, as the police searched for additional evidence, they refused to release the name of their new “person of interest”. Clearly Steven is another victim
Lance Voss emerges as Person of interest
When news that the police’s POI (person of interest) had been the last person to see two of the five canonical victims alive, and that he was also most likely the last person to see Kristina and Jacqueline alive too, the implication was so overwhelming. The police were quoted as saying they were “99% sure” they had their man. Victims’ family members and the local press soon learned the POI’s identity and released his name to the public – the “person of interest” was 36-year-old Lance Jeffrey Voss, a long-time resident of the area.
Lance Jeffrey Voss was born on November 15, 1947, an only son to Frank Theodore Voss and Jane Olive Voss (Nelson Aiken). His father died in Seattle, Washington when Lance was just a toddler and he spent his early years growing up in Chicago. Standing 6’4” and weighing 200 lbs., Voss is described by some as friendly and very strong. Others however, describe Voss (and his wife and stepson) as being eccentric, weird, and little creepy. Today (2014) he is 67 years old and reportedly living in North Carolina which leaves us with this question: Is Lance Voss a serial killer who got away with murder or an innocent man suffering public prosecution after official legal channels failed to gather enough evidence to charge him with a crime?
Lance Jeffrey Voss and the 1972 California mortuary break-in attempt
We know little of Voss’s youth but when we pick up his story as a young man, things quickly begin to seem a bit out if place. It was reported that at 25 years of age, Voss was caught and arrested for attempting to break into a Mortuary in California.
In early June 1972, 17-year-old “Antoinette” had a heated argument with her boyfriend on a California public beach. She stormed away, walked down the beach, and disappeared. The following day, her nude body was found floating near the shore. Her death was ruled a suicide (by drowning) and her remains were taken to the Willow Glen Mortuary (possibly named Fergusons at the time) at 1039 Lincoln Ave in San Jose, California where they were stored, awaiting burial preparations.
According to police reports, several days later, on June 5, 1972 at around 5:00 AM, a neighbor called the police to report a suspicious person outside the mortuary chapel. Police arrived on the scene to find Lance Voss carrying a flashlight, knife, and camera. A recently removed window screen was found leaning against the building. Voss was arrested and charged with burglary and later reportedly plead guilty to a lesser offense (trespassing). Voss never publicly admitted (or the police have not divulged) why he was trying to break into the mortuary. What we do know, is that inside the mortuary lay the bodies of 17-year-old Antoinette and another recently deceased teenage girl.
Was Voss just a immature young man with a morbid curiosity or something more sinister?
Voss and the Christina White case
According to reports, at some point after Christina called her mother telling her that she was sick, she went to a friend’s (Clint Clarneau) home for assistance. The home she visited at 503 2nd Street in Asotin belonged to Patricia Brennan, the girlfriend and future wife (they would marry two years later in 1981) of Lance Jeffrey Voss. Police say Clint (Voss’s future stepson) was in the backyard washing the dogs when little Christina arrived at the home. Clint had no contact with Christina that day but Voss readily admitted to police that he had seen Christina shortly before she vanished. In fact, family members say it was Voss who gave Christina the washcloth to cool her head with. Voss’s future stepson, Clint, says he was out of sight during the incident and could not say whether his father had left the home – alone or in the company of Christina White.
During the search for Christina, police and family members recall Voss approaching them and offering to assist in the search. His offer struck law enforcement as odd, not because serial killers often attempt to participate in the criminal investigations of their victims, but rather because Voss continued to suggest, excitedly, according to some, insistently, that they search in specific areas – areas that would lead the police away from the locations their investigation was indicating they should check out.
As police would later find out, Voss’s willingness to become involved in the cases of the missing and murdered youth of Lewis-Clark Valley would come up time and time again. A patrolmen recalled years later that Voss had approached him on the street and began a casual conversation by asking questions about the police’s progress on the Lewis-Clark Valley serial killer cases. The officer remembered at the time how odd and suspicious he thought his encounter with Voss had been. Potentially even more macabre, victims’ family members recall Voss showing up, wet towel wrapped around his neck, at community search party events offering assistance in the search for the young victims’ bodies.
Voss and the Kristen David case
As Kristen rode her bike from Moscow to her job in Lewiston, eyewitness accounts put her last location near Lewiston, the serial killer’s primary area of operation. The route that she took was well known to her – and to Voss. Police reportedly pointed out that Voss’s job at the time (as a delivery man), required regular deliveries between Moscow and the known location where Kristen was last seen.
Investigators noticed that Kristen and Voss also had something more concrete in common – they both were affiliated with the Lewiston Civic Theatre. Kristen, who dreamed of someday going into TV production, had been employed there for some time. It was reported that through the theater, she was even acquainted personally with Voss.
As for the occupant of the brown van that one witness had claimed he saw a woman talking to on the highway – it is believed Voss did not own a van at the time (reportedly he owned a blue Mercury Monterrey, Gold ’71 Camaro, an old blue work truck, and a motorcycle).
Voss and the triple-disappearances from Lewiston Civic Theatre
Voss provided a detailed timeline of events at the Lewiston Civic Theatre the night that Kristina Nelson, Jacqueline Miller, and Steven Pearsall disappeared. Voss told police that not only had he seen Steven Pearsall the night that he vanished, he had worked with him all day building a ship prop for an upcoming show (Voss spent much time at the theater working as an actor, set builder, and horn player). In his statement to police, Voss said that Pearsall had left the theater around 9:00 PM to “go to a party”. Voss said he left the theater shortly thereafter, around 9:30 PM, to go eat dinner at a pizza place. Voss says he returned to the Lewiston Civic Theatre at 10:00 PM (presumably to continue work) but since he was injured (the nature of the injury was not publicly reported) he laid down on a sofa in the Green Room to rest. It was on the sofa inside the Lewiston Clark Theatre that Voss claims he slept – from 10:00 PM until 4:00 AM the next morning. Three people are believed to have entered the theater the night and despite a heavy door leading into the building, Voss heard nothing and slept through the entire event.
With regards to Steven Pearsall, purported acquaintances noted that Voss seemed to have had a fairly close relationship with him and police believe that Pearsall was simply at the theater at an inopportune time. Regardless, his status as a missing person continues to complicate the case. As long as Pearsall remains missing, he can never fully be ruled out as a suspect and his untimely disappearance introduces “reasonable doubt” to any potential case against Voss or any other suspect. As such, police have hopes that Pearsall can one day be found (DNA profiles were taken from Pearsall’s father and placed in the national CODIS database which are searched any time an unknown body is discovered in the United States).
What little we know about the police investigation of Voss
Police publicly acknowledge that Voss has been questioned by the authorities. According to reports, at one point in the investigation, he was asked to take a polygraph test – he refused claiming he had retained an attorney who had instructed him to not talk to the police any further. However, police reportedly noted that voice stress analysis conducted on Voss during the questionings, showed “some deception”.
Very little else is known about the police’s official investigation of Voss – they have historically been reluctant to release details to the public. This is likely not the only reason the case against Voss has never progressed beyond conjecture. Comments from several of the police officers involved in the case suggest that relationships between the various legal authorities in the area often suffer due the jurisdictional arguments (counties, cities, and states share borders in the area), differences in opinion, and likely personality conflicts between key investigative personnel. This is not only a tragedy for the families of the victims but for the rest of the country where an uncaught serial killer has been allowed to roam free.
Additional notes
Other potential Lewis-Clark Valley serial killer victims
Below are other potential victims of the Lewis-Clark Valley serial killer. These victims disappeared from the area around the same time as the five canonical victims.
Unknown (1974-1978)
On August 26, 1979, people looking for artifacts in a Dubois cave found an unidentified male torso. Twelve years later (April 1991), a human arm was found in the same cave about 100 feet away. The arm was intact with a piece of sweeter on it. Later, a second arm was found near a hole in the ground that appeared to have been dug with a shovel. When the hole was examined, two well-preserved human legs were found inside (the cool, dry cave slowed down deterioration of the body parts). All of the body parts were wrapped inside deteriorated burlap sacks. Clothing was also found – dark wool pants, a white cotton shirt with pink stripes, and a maroon sweater.
Police estimate the body had been inside the cave for 1-5 years.
Gayla Schaper (June 1979)
27-years-old, 5’8”, blue eyes, blonde hair. Last seen on June 29, 1979 in a pasture, where her husband had dropped her off to feed the horses, in Moscow, Idaho around 7:00 PM.
Unknown (1986)
Unidentified remains (part of torso, right leg, rib) found below Little Goose Dam.
There are more but I won’t list them all. Even the suspected drowning of the girl (Antoinette Anino) in California 1972 could have been murdered by Voss, as he came back to take trophy pictures and got caught.
From another website:
This is a basic timeline of Voss's life, the areas he lived and where he was employed. If you have any information please private message this page. All information given is confidential and will be given to law enforcement.
Timeline:
1947: Year of birth
1965: Enlisted in the Navy. Did a tour of Vietnam aboard the USS Vesuvius.
1968: Released from Navy / discharged in Alameda, California
1969: Attends West Valley Junior College 69-71 in Campbell, California. Drove a white Alpha Ramero. Worked at Der Weinersnitchel in Saratoga, California.
1970: Addresses in bay area:
Saratoga, CA
San Jose, CA
San Francisco, CA
Visited Sacramento in January 1970.
1972: Arrested in San Jose for breaking in Willow Glen Mortuary. Carrying a flashlight, 12 inch knife and a camera. Body of Antoinette Anino was the only one in the
mortuary.
Drove a 1968 Blue Saab.
Worked at the Lake Berryessa School District library.
1973: Marries first wife on 8/4/1973 in Santa Clara County, CA.
1974: Divorces first wife March (date the divorce final unknown)
Obtains a Real Estate License in California
Purchases 18 acres in Melba, Idaho.
1975: Marries second wife, date unknown.
Moves to Melba, Idaho on 18 acres of land he purchased in 1974 and removes all the trees from the property per second wife.
Worked at the Circle K in Caldwell, Idaho and at a seed company in Melba, Idaho. Wife was an area manager for Circle K in the area.
.
1976: Biological daughter is born.
Divorces second wife in Idaho (date unknown),
1977: Attends Boise State University
1978: Address of 309 6th Ave, Lewiston, Idaho.
California Real Estate License expires 4/22/1978
1979: 4/28/1979 during the Asotin County Fair 12 year old Christina White was reported missing. She was last seen at 503 2nd St, by her mother Betty Eminger at 1:00pm.
Retained another residence in Asotin - 819 3rd St.
1980: A real estate agent had a strange encounter with Voss. He contacted her to sell his home at 819 3rd St, Asotin, WA. He insisted on showing her the basement and when they were walking through the house she turned around and noticed he had something in his hand and was ready to strike her. Voss put the item down and asked how many people knew she was there and she told him several people. He suddenly lost interest in showing her the basement. Cement work was done in the basement of this home by Voss. Law enforcement dug up the floor of the basement and cadaver dogs were brought in.
Travels to Burien, Washington on June 8 to attend a 2 day
state GOP event, documented in the Lewiston Tribune.
.
1981: 6/26/1981 Kristin David - 22 years old- disappears while riding her bike near Genesee, Idaho. On 7/4/1981 her dismembered body is found downstream from the Red Wolf Crossing, WA.
Marries third wife 7/24/1981 Patricia.
Runs for Asotin City Council, position 3 , 10/27/1981
Step father dies 11/27/1981 buried in Santa Clara County, CA. Voss traveled to California for services.
.
1982: Elected Deacon of the Asotin Masonic Lodge 1/9/1982
Performed in the play Jesus Christ Superstar 8/11/1982
9/12/1982 Kristina Diane Nelson, Jacquelyn “Brandy” Miller, Steven Pearsall all disappear from Lewiston, Idaho. Kristina and Brandy were walking in the area of the Lewiston Civic Theater. Steven Pearsall was last seen entering the Lewiston Civic Theater by his girlfriend at the time and by law enforcement patrolling the area.
1983: Frequently traveled to Melba / Nampa Idaho area
Active in the Boy Scouts with step-son.
1984: 3/19/84 The bodies of Kristina Nelson and Brandy Miller are found near Kendrick, Idaho near mile marker 14.6 over the embankment on Hwy 3.
Interviewed by Lewiston PD for the disappearance of Kristina Nelson, Brandy Miller and Steven Pearsall. Refuses to take polygraph test.
1985: A man was hired to do concrete work at the 2344 5th St, Clarkston. Described several holes and depressions in the basement that needed to filled and big hole on the property. Voss would become enraged if someone would get too close to a tree on the property. The tree was removed by Voss.
Dome house at 2344 5th St, Clarkston was completed.
1986: Voss has an affair with Claudette Voliva . She commits suicide 7/27/1987. She was a seamstress at the Lewiston Civic Theater and a hospice nurse. Voss was the one that found her body at her apartment. (Maybe Murdered)?
1987: Places an ad in the Lewiston Tribune 3/10/1987 - Lost March 3rd brown husky. This would have been Christina White’s 20th birthday.
Drove truck in Garfield, Washington running loads from Spokane, WA to Lewiston, Idaho.
.
1988: In the play Annie.
1989: Inherits a large sum of money.
1991: Plays Judge Turpin in Sweeney Todd
1993: Starts business 11/15/1993, Lance J. Voss Business and Financial Plans, 733 #J 5th St, Clarkston, WA. Business licence still active until 2013.
1998: In the play Romeo 8/7/1998
Drove a red Honda Civic and a black or dark brown
Lincoln.
1999: Moves an eastern state. NC or SC.
2003: Voss’s mother dies on her birthday 4/15/2003.
Now there’s another connection they’ve made isn’t there? The little girl in Chicago that was murdered in his neighborhood (where he lived when he was 15) and he was some kind of camp leader at the YMCA she was attending. How weird is that!
It sounds like he is still living and moved the North Carolina and may have even changed his name!
