Sunday, July 22, 2012

48 Hours Remembers Unsolved MO Murder

I remember when this happened, mostly because they made such a big deal about self-defense classes and how this woman was a green belt and was still beaten brutally.  And though it sounds hopelessly naive, that sort of stuff really never did happen around here.  Until then, at least.  48 Hours has investigated to bring new attention to the case.

"This is small town USA. A lot of stuff like this just doesn't happen," Walter said of the brutal murder.

Police documented the grisly scene using blood evidence to reconstruct Mischelle's final, terrifying moments.

"I believe she got out of the vehicle, and I think there was an argument," Walter explained. "She ended up over the guardrail and down the bottom of the slope. A very violent altercation took place. I believe she was beat at the bottom and knocked unconscious. There was a lot of blood…"

There was also blood under Mischelle's fingernails and marks on her right hand and wrist suggesting she had fought her assailants. 

"I think that she was fighting for her life. I think she was fighting more than one person," Walter said. "There was a blood trail going back up the hill. They carry her across the guardrail. They put her back in the car."

It wasn't until investigators searched her car and found three spent shell casings from a .380 caliber handgun that they realized Mischelle had been shot, too.

"I think after she got back in the car, I think that's when she regained conscious and somebody reached through the window…shot her point blank in the face; shot her in the back of the head. And then one more time in the back," Walter said, pausing. "I can't imagine what she went through that night."

She fought hard for her life, and lost.  It's unlikely anyone will ever come forward with information that will break the case open.  Her story is an important one for the area, though it's not enough to get a blip on coastal or major city news.  We were shocked and were forced to think about what we might do if faced with such a situation.

Besides the "Three Missing Women" case, this is probably the most famous unsolved case to haunt Missouri.

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