By Sam Wheeler
Ashland Daily Tidings
Posted: 2:00 AM November 22, 2011
Ashland residents are shaken by what police describe as a violent murder that took place on the Central Ashland Bike Path Saturday afternoon."It's just really scary," said Susan Berry, 62, whose home sits a few hundred feet away from where the crime took place."We bike together frequently on the path," she said, looking down and clutching the hand of her young adopted daughter, whom she did not want to be named.The body of 23-year-old David Michael Grubbs, of Ashland, was found near Hunter Park by someone using the popular walking and biking trail at about 5:35 p.m. Saturday. Grubbs' body was bloody and lying in the middle of the path, said Ashland Police Sgt. Tighe O'Meara.Police have declined to say what weapon was used in the attack, except that it was a "large, sharp-edged object," and that Grubbs' fatal wounds were inflicted to his neck and head. Initial reports that Grubbs might have been a gunshot victim proved false once investigators were able to examine his body.
O'Meara said police believe Grubbs was dead less than 30 minutes before his body was found."It's just so unfortunate that nobody saw it happen," said another Ashland resident, who did not want to be named because she was afraid of revealing herself to a killer who was still on the loose. "I think we are all a little distressed. It's kind of odd to have something like this happen here."Her home also is a few hundred feet away from where Grubbs' body was found.Berry, who has lived in Ashland for just three months, said she was surprised by residents' attitude that they live in an oasis."People aren't on guard here," she said. "They all think they are safe."The last murder in Ashland took place about seven years ago, in late 2004. There were two murders within the city limits that year. The first was the bludgeoning death of predatory sex offender David Evan Rice, 68, of Ashland, and the other was the stabbing death of Samuel Rath, 23, of Ashland. Both victims knew their attackers.
Police said at this point in their investigation, they do not believe there was any connection between Grubbs and his killer.Working in conjunction with the Jackson County Sheriff's Department and police from Medford, Phoenix and Talent, Ashland police will bolster its presence on the bike path, said O'Meara."We'll be performing extra patrols and performing some high-visibility patrols," he said, "both to further the investigation and provide a visible presence."Police on Monday stopped passers-by around Hunter Park, seeking any information about Saturday's attack.Police are requesting anyone with information to call 541-482-5211. To leave an anonymous tip, call 541-552-2333.
The Ashland School District sent an email Monday morning to parents of students at Walker Elementary, John Muir and Ashland Middle schools, warning them to exercise caution on the way to and from school, Superintendent Juli Di Chiro said.Grubbs' body was found only a few hundred feet away from the playground at Walker Elementary, and just a few hundred yards down the bike path from the middle school."Police are calling this a random act of violence," said Di Chiro. "That definitely heightened my level of concern around the safety issues with our students walking and biking to school."While she stressed that the schools are safe, her message to parents advised students to walk to school in pairs or groups and avoid the bike path if possible. Elementary school students should be accompanied by an adult on the path and shouldn't walk any route alone, the email said."That goes for all students ... the older students should be walking in pairs or groups, and keeping their cellphones handy," said Di Chiro. "He (Grubbs) was just a kid walking home from work."Di Chiro said that until police can identify a suspect, those precautions will remain in place.
On Sunday, Southern Oregon University public safety officials sent out an email to its students as well, asking them to stay alert in the wake of the attack."Please be aware of your surroundings when you are out and about," the email from Rich Walsh, SOU campus public safety co-director, read. "We recommend if you use the bike path to travel in pairs or groups."The email also recommended students inform others before they use the bike path, and to carry a flashlight, whistle and cellphone if traveling at night.Grubbs, who lived on California Street and worked at the local Shop'n Kart, was believed to be walking home from work, said some of his fellow employees and friends.Store manager Vernon Hull said Grubbs walked to and from work on the bike path frequently."He was just a great kid," said Hull, turning away before becoming too emotional. "I don't think there is anything left to say."Andrea Venenable of Ashland works at Shop'n Kart and was a good friend of Grubbs', she said.On Monday, she knelt down sobbing beside the still visible stain of blood left on the bike bath where her friend was killed."I just can't believe someone would do this to him," she said. "He was too good of a kid for this to happen."If there is any truth behind what they say about only the good dying young," she said, "then David was one of them."After about 15 minutes kneeling beside where Grubbs died, Venenable rose to her feet."What a sick criminal."Reach reporter Sam Wheeler at 541-499-1470 or email swheeler@dailytidings.com.
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This case was suggested to me by a reader and once I looked at it, it just grabbed me. This is one of the most violent, outrageous and unjust murders I have ever heard about. I mean, he is walking home from work and somebody chops his head off with a sword or an ax? Right out in the open, on a bike path, in daylight? Wow. That's incredibly gutsy on the part of some lunatic. This person had to be highly motivated, right? But then why is everyone saying that no one hated David, he had no enemies, no one to fear? If this is true, then this is a random murder and how scary is that? I mean, somebody is brave enough to do this to a total stranger? All of these questions just had my head spinning and I had to look at the charts. I had to see what they would say.
Ok, I know the cops say he died about a half an hour before he was found and he was found at 5:35 pm. So they believe he was killed around 5:00. I am not going to argue the timeline but I am going to say that the chart to show me his death was one I drew for 4:30 pm. As I've said a thousand times before, there are disparities between time on Earth and time in the heavens. It can be variable and hard to pin down. But take a look at this chart for 4:30 and you will see the death pattern emerging. This does not mean he died at 4:30, it simply means that the factors leading to his death were already in play at that time.
David's marker, the first house ruler, is Venus and she is in the eighth house. Big marker for death. Combined with Pluto, also in the eighth, the markers describe a violent death. Pluto, a violent descriptor in forensic charts, is disposed of by Saturn, which rules the bones and the dead body. So the purpose of the violence was death; this was no accident and contrary to general belief at this time, he may have been targeted. Because the death pattern appears in an earlier chart, I run a chart for 4 pm, as well, to see if conditions are appearing that point to this event.
The first thing I notice is that the tenth house ruler is Saturn and it is in the sixth house. This would be an indicator for his current location and we can see he is still at work. But also note that the seventh house ruler is still Scorpio and Pluto is in the ninth house. This person who killed him is already outdoors, on that path. This is way ahead of his arrival we can assume since he is still at work. Mars, co ruler of this attacker, is in the fifth house. So we can assume the person is also in an area where people play and exercise. We know the playground was only a few hundred yards away and that many people used the path to run and jog as well as ride bikes. So the fifth house here makes total sense. Notice the Moon is there, as well, predicting that David would be found on the path soon. Both of these planets are disposed of by Mercury which describes children (as well as the fifth) and we know the elementary school was close as well. In fact, there were children nearby when it occurred.
The first house ruler, Venus, is already in the eighth even in this early chart. It is disposed of by Jupiter in the twelfth and these planets are also in mutual reception. Mutual reception and translation of light are two factors that bring things to pass. The eighth house ruler in mutual reception with the first house ruler tells us that his death would come to pass; circumstances would allow it. So in using these two charts, for the hour before the murder, we are able to determine viability as they do reflect the facts as we know them.
The next chart, for the time of death as reported by the coroner, we see other factors emerging. In fact, it starts looking like David Grubbs knew his killer and that there was a personal reason for his killing. I will show you what I see and you can determine this for yourself.
Notice that at the recorded time of death, Mercury rules the first house and it is in the seventh. Notice also that it is close to the node. By their placement in the seventh in Sagittarius, they are disposed of by Jupiter, the seventh house ruler. This looks an awful lot like he had planned to meet somebody along the way. Or, at the very least, the person who attacked him knew he would be there at this time. Either way, it suggests they knew each other. Jupiter also is disposed of by Venus, which rules (in this chart and the earlier ones) the fifth house. The fifth house suggests romance as does Venus. Jupiter in Taurus is a feminine placement and Venus is a traditional ruler of women. Has anybody considered that this was done by a woman? That she may have been romantically involved with David? Or, at the least, infatuated and possibly jealous? Mercury as his marker shows him to be younger than her and possibly not interested or only seeing her as a friend. But Mercury is also disposed of by Jupiter and sitting in the seventh, so it might be that his purpose in being where he was at that time was to meet up with her. I'm going to pretend I'm on Criminal Minds right now and ask who it was who found the body. Was it a woman?
This is the time that police believe he actually died. However, this chart is beyond the death pattern shown in the previous charts so maybe their timing is a little off. Pluto remains in the eighth but it no longer rules an angle. It does dispose of the fourth house ruler, however. The other ruler of the fourth, Mars, is actually in the fourth. So this brings the Sun into play. And since it rules the fourth house, we are looking at an event that occurred very near to David's home and probably involved a neighbor. This is underscored by the rulership of the Moon over the third house. I realize that David used this path to walk home everyday so this makes it a "neighborhood" location and because of this, there were people who knew he used the path, especially people from the local area. So this brings some things to mind. We know this attacker did not work where he did because he was at work and this person was shown to be on the path already. We also have a good idea that the attacker may have been a woman and someone either involved with or interested in David. Jupiter in Taurus can describe a larger woman and we know she was older (his marker being Mercury). I know it's not but it kind of looks like his mother from here. Fourth house ruler at play with the Moon and Venus. I do not think that is what's it's saying actually but that the woman is older and perhaps large in size and is either interested in him and jealous or just outright angry at him, perhaps for a snide remark or a rejection. Mercury in Sagittarius is quite capable of jokes and snide remarks.
This last chart is for the time he was found. I am not a psychic but I have a feeling that this woman either "found" his body or was hanging around nearby when they did. Jupiter in Taurus disposed of by Venus with Venus closely aligned with Mercury, David's marker, just makes it seem to me that she never left the area after the attack. She hung around to see what happened next. And here's the reason I think she pretended to find him there. Not only is Jupiter in Taurus disposed of by Venus with Venus close to Mercury, Saturn in Libra, the marker for the body, is disposed of by the same Venus. Saturn in Libra, interestingly enough, is in the fifth house, which shows it laid out in the "playground" or "exercise area". Libra also describes areas where people meet and hang out. A body in this house could never be hidden or buried. In fact, I am sure she wanted it found and she was maybe the one who "found" it. I do not believe that anyone would put this woman together with David but she knew him somehow. Perhaps she shopped in the grocery store and he bagged her stuff.
Neptune in Aquarius is rising into the angular tenth house and describes all too well the confusion the authorities felt at the find. They had no idea what happened or why. In fact, they still don't. Neptune is disposed of by Uranus in Aries, which rules the tenth house. Murders are rare in this part of the woods, as reported in the facts, and something like this just took them by surprise. They had no idea what to do with it because they had so little experience with brutal murders. This is a part of the reason they are unable to solve it and they are clinging to false beliefs. Neptune can do this. But this was not a random attack, it wasn't some "crazy" stranger. This woman (yes, I think it was a woman) knew this young man and had a reason, however ridiculous, to kill him this way. I am not sure they will ever find her.
Cindy Lee Mellin, a sales clerk at Broadway Department Store in the Buenaventura Shopping Center, had just finished her closing shift on the night of January 20, 1970.
She was last seen standing next to her car in the shopping center parking lot with an unidentified white male changing her tire. The man drove a light colored vehicle.
At approximately 10:30pm, two of Mellin's co-workers, who had been picked up by their husbands, drove by Mellin's car and noticed the unidentified man jacking up her vehicle.
After having coffee at a nearby restaurant, they drove by her car again, but no one was there. Having assumed the man was Cindy's father, the co-workers thought nothing of it and left. They would later describe the unidentified man as tall and slim, between 30-40 years old.
At 4:45am, Mellin's father, Leonard Mellin, woke up and saw that his daughter's car was not in the driveway. He then rushed to her room and noticed she never came home the night before.
Her father then went to the shopping center to look for her and found her car still up on the bumper jack with the flat tire still attached. The spare tire was lying on the ground nearby. The doors, trunk and glove compartment were open.
Leonard Mellin, Cindy's father, observed that the flat tire appeared to have been deliberately punctured with a knife, which left a large slit on one side.
There was no sign of Mellin at the scene and she has never been heard from again.
She was last seen wearing a navy blue dress with red buttons, a brown corduroy three-quarter length coat, blue shoes with gold buckles, a gold ring set with a single pearl and a red hair ribbon.
She is missing under suspicious circumstances and her case remains unsolved. Both her parents have since passed away.
Vital Statistics
-Caucasian female.
-Brown hair, blue eyes.
-Wears contact lenses.
-Missing since: January 20, 1970 from Ventura, California
-Date of birth: December 3, 1950
-Age at time of disappearance: 19
-Height & Weight: 5'6", 105 lbs
-Dentals: Charting is available and entered.
-DNA: Available.
-Last seen wearing a navy blue dress with red buttons, a brown corduroy three-quarter length coat, blue shoes with gold buckles, a gold ring set with a single pearl and a red hair ribbon.
-As of June 2013, Mellin would be 63 years old.
Unidentified Male
-Caucasian.
-Tall and slim.
-Approximately 30-40 years old. Would be about 70-80 years old today.
-Approximately 6 feet tall.
Another cold case from the 1970s. It seems like the 70s was a dangerous decade with so many serial killers and so many unsolved cases. It was a "swinging" time as I remember with Womens liberation making women more brave and open. Hitchhiking was also popular, as if nothing bad could happen to you when you got into a strangers car. It was also a far more innocent time than today because we did not have the news coverage, the media interest and the internet. Today, I hear about a murder a minute it seems. But not so many of them go unsolved I must add. Anyways, I have several of these cold cases that I will be analyzing here on the blog this month. In this particular case, we know Cindy was last seen with a man at 10:30 pm on the side of the road. Let's see what the charts have to say about what happened to Cindy Lee Mellin.
The preeminent marker in this chart is no doubt the Moon. It is always the co ruler of any forensic chart but here it rules the midheaven (10th house cusp), is angular in the tenth house and disposes of itself (in dignity). Because of these aspects, the Moon is a powerful indicator in this chart. It is in the tenth house and this shows us Cindy out in the open, in public, where she could be seen by others. We know this much is true because reports have witnesses spotting her at that time. She is standing along a highway. We know that she had something happen to her car, reportedly a blown out tire, and we can see that the last aspect the Moon left is an opposition to Mercury, which rules travel and vehicles. Mercury, in turn, rules the ninth house and this tells us it happened on a highway. Now, we know she is with a man who is supposedly helping her. We see that the seventh house ruler is Mars in Pisces and it is in the sixth house. This is the house of service so we would think he was doing her a service. But notice that Mars is disposed of by Neptune, which is in the second house. He may have done this sort of thing for a living and was hoping to get paid for changing her tire? Is everyone sure she did not call a service station and had this person come out? Perhaps she did but none the less the tire was never fixed because it was discovered, still up on jacks still with a flat tire hours after she was reported missing.
Other planets in this chart give us more to the story. The first house ruler, her marker, is in the fourth house. We know she is not at home but this indicator can mean she is close to home or, at the least, in her own neighborhood. Mercury is there with Venus and since she is not with children, indeed, did not have children, then we can assume that Mercury is showing us her vehicle. She is with her vehicle. This fits with the known facts. Notice that Venus is right close to the Sun, what is called "under the sun's beams" and take note that traditional readings will say that Cindy is in danger. I have seen forensic charts with the markers under the Sun's beams and nothing untoward happened... but I have also seen those where it appeared and violence was the result. This is one marker you should consider but not take for granted. So it may mean she is in danger.
Another marker that stands out for me is Uranus right at the first house cusp. This is a stronger influence over Cindy than the placement of Venus. It has the quality of creating surprise events, things that just come out of the blue. Uranus is in Libra and disposed of by Venus so it is a strong influence over this event. It indicates that something untoward occurred and it seemed to revolve around the girl. There is a good chance she did something out of character and it cost her.
Going back to the man who helped her. The seventh house ruler, Mars, is in the second house, as I already pointed out. It makes me think he expected something in return for the fixing of her tire. Of course, we know that he did not fix the tire but somehow she had gotten into his car and left with him. This is what we suspect at this point. The next few charts will tell us if that is true. We know she was headed home and wasn't far from home, by the placement of her marker in the fourth. The Moon in the tenth also tells us that she had no plans other than what she was known to be doing.. fixing the tire and heading home. But Uranus also tells us that lightning struck somehow and the whole picture changed... drastically.
An hour later, the next chart shows, the Moon is now in the ninth house. Not only is she still on a highway but she is now in someone else's car. This bears out our suspicions and shows us what happened at that point. Since Mars has not changed position, I would assume this was the same man who was supposedly helping her with the tire. Another configuration arises in this chart and supports the theory from the previous chart. The man's marker is disposed of by Neptune in Pisces in the second house. This is the position that made me think he expected something. Well, notice here that Neptune is disposed of by Jupiter, which is fast approaching the first house cusp. Jupiter is disposed of by Mars, which is his marker. So his purpose, again, seems to be to get "paid" in some manner for helping her. Jupiter in the first, disposed of by Mars, shows this man commandeering this girl. He has taken charge. Venus is conjunct the Sun now within a few minutes of exact. And both Venus and the Sun are disposed of by wayward Uranus now in the twelfth house. Uranus and Venus, in fact, are now in mutual reception. This clearly shows this man snatching her, by surprise, shocking her and forcing her into his car. Jupiter is also disposed of by Pluto which is in the sign Virgo and disposed of by Mercury (the car). She is in his vehicle, clearly, and not because she wants to be. So we now know that Cindy was kidnapped.
The next few charts, I fear, are not going to be pretty. In these cases, they hardly ever are. I am waiting for the Moon to move into the eighth house, which should happen in an hour or so. Also, Pluto opposes Mars from the twelfth house. This precursors violence coming and when it enters the eleventh house, this could mean a sexual assault. Perhaps this is the means by which he intends to collect? He never did fix her tire, but what does that matter? His true intentions were to kidnap her and have his way with her.
And here it is. Right in this chart. Mars has moved into the fifth and Pluto, opposite Mars, is in the eleventh. There is quite a struggle going on with this assault. He rapes her but not without a fight. I see the sexual assault this way- Jupiter is rising at the first house cusp and from there controlling events. Jupiter is disposed of by Mars and Pluto, which make up the sexual dynamics from the fifth and eleventh houses. Notice that Venus now rules the seventh house and Mars is on the first? With that change, Venus moves into the third house. There is good chance he assaulted her in his vehicle. Saturn in Taurus (ruler of the third), Venus in Aquarius (placed in the third and ruling the seventh) and Moon in Cancer (ruling the ninth and placed in the ninth) tell us about his vehicle. These are feminine planets with double emphasis on Venus and the Moon. So this is not a truck, a work vehicle, like Mars would indicate but most likely a large luxury vehicle. Taurus indicates luxury and Saturn would indicate an older vehicle. I am thinking possibly a light blue or silver color. Venus and Aquarius point to a light blue while the Moon may indicate silver. So it is likely this man was driving a light blue or silver older luxury vehicle. I wish witnesses were more clear on what other car was there at that time. I mean, something other than a "light colored vehicle". The charts bear that out but it would be nice to know if it was a Cadillac or a Lincoln.
Another point I'd like to make is that there is no aspect between the first and seventh house rulers. This means she did not know this person; it was a complete stranger. The Moon, as well, does not make or receive any aspects during this period; the closest aspect is a sextile / trine to the Mars - Pluto opposition but this is over 10 degrees away and will not finalize during our analysis. The Moon has also just passed an opposition with Mercury in Capricorn and is now dexter by 4 degrees.
I am still running charts to see if I can find the death pattern and if there was a death, where the body might be. The Moon does reach the eighth house in the 2 am chart. But I am not seeing supporting placements. So I move on to the 3 am chart and there I find more supporting placements. The Moon is still in the eighth and it also rules the eighth; the fourth house ruler has moved into the twelfth; the twelfth house ruler is in the fourth. This is a death pattern. From the moment of death in the chart Saturn rules the body. Saturn is in Taurus and in the fifth house. It is opposite the first house ruler, Jupiter in the eleventh house. She died during sex and he probably strangled or suffocated her (Saturn in Taurus; Taurus rules the throat). Her ruler is in the eleventh, showing the sexual connection but his (Mercury) is now in the second. This money thing has been consistent throughout this chart and leaves me wondering if he didn't want money from her, had planned to rob her, considered sex a payment for some thing or other along these lines. I see money often in charts where women are stolen for porn or slavery. But this just looks like a kidnapping, assault and murder. However, Neptune is known to represent film and movie making so perhaps this was a snuff film. These rape and murder movies were popular in the 1970s. But at the time of death, as shown in these charts, I do not see aspects pointing at cameras, film making or movies.
We have a pretty good description of this man, given by eyewitnesses so I am not going to try to read traditional descriptors. I am not that good at it and the descriptors are too narrow anyways. But I might be able to tell where he may have taken her body. In the chart for 4 am, you can see that the seventh house ruler is now Mercury in Capricorn and this is in the first house. Also, Saturn is disposed of by Saturn in Taurus, which describes her body, in the fifth house (cusping the fourth). This is a strong indicator that he killed her during sex when you consider his marker in her first house, where it seems he was right in front of her, on top of her, somehow in her face and at the same time Saturn in the fifth shows a sexual act. Saturn as the ruler of the body shows us that she was most likely smothered or strangled (Saturn in Taurus) most likely with his hands (Mercury in Capricorn). These are earth signs so might we think she was buried somewhere? Maybe but you have to note that Saturn in Taurus is disposed of by Venus in Aquarius. Aquarius is a fixed air sign and often describes Uranian things like airports, radio towers, tv stations, runways, air planes or other flying objects, electronics and electrical fixtures. As an air sign, it often describes things that are up in the air but the fixed nature of the sign brings things closer to the earth. Libra and Gemini often describe high places such as mountains or tall trees but Aquarius would more commonly describe hills and places with an uneven skyline, such as rugged areas with steppes or buttes. The secondary rulership of Aquarius by Saturn brings Venus together with Saturn as Saturn is in Taurus and is disposed of by Venus. So the area where she is buried is most likely attractive in landscaping with flowers and colorful blooms (Venus), standing water like retention ponds or man made fountains (the water bearer, Aquarius). The area would be small in size (Taurus) and would be inhabited by slow crawling land creatures like turtles, snails, armadillo, porcupine (earth signs). The area may well have access to a lovely little park or memorial. Her body would be buried but in somewhat muddy ground, or ground that gets wet and muddy some of the year and may be dry and dusty other times of the year. Saturn gives age and weathering so the area may have been just as it is for many many years. There would be no new construction or other development there, at least not at the time in question. Aquarius has affinity for ground that has been disturbed so there may have been recent plantings or digging going on, but on a small scale. The fixed signs would indicate that this area has lots of rocks and stones (especially with Capricorn) and is somewhat rugged. Again, there had been no major fixes or upgrades done to the park, or the memorial, or the area in general.
This man who took her is described by Mars in Pisces. We have a pretty good description already from eyewitnesses who saw him with Cindy on the side of the road. He was apparently a tall, slim white man. His clothes would be clean and his hair would be combed but his car would be full of junk and his home would be a mess. He is most likely a mechanic by trade, as shown in the first chart. He is also an artist in his spare time, he does something creative as a hobby, such as painting, music or photography. I am pretty sure he took pictures of Cindy but I cannot see anywhere in these charts where he filmed this event or used it to make money. He appears, from the general course of events, to be a man who trolls for women, offers to help them and then kidnaps them if the opportunity arises. I think the uncharacteristic thing that Cindy did was to agree to go with this man. He may have told her that he could not fix her tire and would take her to a service station. Or perhaps he offered to take her home. However it went, she went into his car with him, not without some cajoling and manipulating by him, but got in there willingly. When he began to push her around and get rough with her, it was too late. And I believe, after looking at these charts that the entire event occurred in his car. She was killed in that car and dumped. She is somewhere close to home, in an area similar to the one the charts describe, and is buried in muddy ground.
Missing 37 Years: Mary, Jessie and Fannie Stuart
Mary Stuart (L), Jessie Stuart (M) and Fannie Stuart (R). (Photo Credit Jenniferjslate.com)
ON December 10, 1977, 32 year-old Mary Elizabeth Stuart left her home at 10:00 AM in Honeydew, California with her two daughters, 2 year-old Jessie Flo and 1 year-old Fannie Fawn Stuart to run errands. Mary was headed to a television repair shop in Eureka or Fortuna, California, along with errands to the grocery store and possibly the optometrist. She was driving a red Opel Station Wagon with license plate number 456-AII, and was supposed to be home before dark. Mary and her two daughters were never seen or heard from again.
On January 19, 1978, the family's station wagon was found a few miles from their home on an old logging road.
ON December 10, 1977, 32 year-old Mary Elizabeth Stuart left her home at 10:00 AM in Honeydew, California with her two daughters, 2 year-old Jessie Flo and 1 year-old Fannie Fawn Stuart to run errands. Mary was headed to a television repair shop in Eureka or Fortuna, California, along with errands to the grocery store and possibly the optometrist. She was driving a red Opel Station Wagon with license plate number 456-AII, and was supposed to be home before dark. Mary and her two daughters were never seen or heard from again.
On January 19, 1978, the family's station wagon was found a few miles from their home on an old logging road. Groceries were still in the car, and upon examination it was discovered that the car's gas line had been broken. According to investigators, there was no sign of a struggle or foul play near the vehicle. The discovery of the vehicle did not give many clues as to the trio's whereabouts, but the idea of Mary leaving of her own free will with her daughters seemed even more certain then ever before.
In 1977, Mary weighed 135 pounds and was 5'5" in height. She has brown hair and blue eyes, and may possibly go by the last name of Danckert. Jessie Flo was 2 years-old when she went missing, and had blond hair and hazel eyes. She was 2'8" in height and 26 pounds in 1977. Fannie Fawn was 1 year-old when she vanished, and had red hair and hazel eyes. In 1977, she weighed 20 pounds and was 2'4" in height.
At the time of their disappearances, Mary was living in Honeydew, California with Byron McCray Stuart, who was her husband and the father of Jessie and Fannie. However, he would not be the one to report the girls and Mary missing, even though he should have noticed that they never returned home for the evening. Instead, one of Mary's friends reported that the three were nowhere to be found, and filed a missing persons report the following Tuesday. On the following Friday, 25 volunteers would comb through Windy Nipn Panther Gap, Bull Creek, Honeydew and up by Ferndale. The four-wheel drive club, mounted posse and Marine posse would also join the search that would turn up nothing. It would be a month later until the next clue, Mary's red Station Wagon, would turn up off of an old logging road close to her home.
From the start, Mary's husband, Byron Stuart, would be the prime suspect in the investigation. He had a history of violence and was described as having no problem starting fights due to his very hot temper. His failure to report his daughters and his wife missing was also a red flag. However, back in 1977, authorities did not have enough evidence to prosecute him in the presumed murders of Mary, Jessie and Fannie. Sadly, they would never get the chance to bring him to justice. In 1991, Byron was diagnosed with AIDS. In 1996, he would succumb to Hepatitis, taking with him to the grave the answers to what really happened that day to his beautiful family.
In 2009, the case was reopened, and police mentioned they believed Mary, Jessie and Fannie are deceased. Their prime suspect was still Byron Stuart. This time, they were able to interview people with information that they did not get to decades back. Despite not being able to bring Byron to justice, they believe there are other individuals who were involved with the disappearances of Mary, Jessie and Fannie. They made a plea to the public for anyone with even the smallest shred of information to come forward. Their main focus is to find the burial site, which they believe is in the Honeydew, Panther Gap or Petrolia areas. They also want to find closure for Mary's daughter from a previous marriage, who wants to know what happened to her mother and sisters that day.
This is a case that seems pretty cut and dry. Given Byron's history of violence, he seems capable of committing this crime. Byron also knew Mary's destinations for the day, so it would have not been to difficult to cut the gas line to the station wagon in the parking lot while she was grocery shopping. Also, why did he not report his wife and daughters missing when they failed to be home by that evening? Wouldn't he have been worried about them? My question is, was Mary thinking of leaving him? Did the violence and fighting escalate to the point she was fearful for her safety and that of her children? Byron did not seem like the type of guy who would be too happy about having to split his assets, not have custody of his children and possibly the responsibility to pay child support. If this was the case, it would be a great motive. Other questions I wondered about are where was he that day? Since he is the prime suspect as of 2009, it's doubtful he has a dependable alibi. If others were involved, who would have helped him commit such a horrific crime? Were his closest friends and family interviewed? Was Byron into drugs or the world of crime that drugs bring? Was he an alcoholic? If he committed this crime, there has to have been someone out there he mentioned it to. Perhaps they are too scared to come forward because they think they will get in trouble for having information all along, but it is the right thing to do!
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This is one of many cold cases I found online that have few facts, if any. In fact, the media coverage on these cases was very limited in the 1970s and since they have gone stone cold, the coverage in recent years is scant. No new information on these cases because there was no DNA testing at the time and in some cases there were no witnesses. This is one case where there were no witnesses and the victims have never been found. In this case, most people believe her husband did it and got away with it. Will the charts tell the same story?
The first thing I do is check the charts for viability. For some reason unknown to me, some of them aren't. Of course, I can't even think about doing a chart without a timeline. I questioned this timeline from the very beginning because it was given by her husband, who was their prime suspect. Let's say she was dead already and he just told them this story? It has happened before, think of Susan Powell. So I ran the first chart and studied it to figure out if it was viable and the timeline was correct. I think it is and I'll tell you why. They say she had a red Opal Station Wagon, right? Well, looking at the third house ruler, it is Mars and this points to the color red. They also report that she left to do errands and brought the kids. Well, the first house ruler, Saturn, is disposed of by Mercury, showing her to be with her kids. Also, Mercury rules little things like errands, especially things like getting your appliances serviced and going to the eye doctor. And although this is not the strongest indicators I've ever seen, I went with viability and finished the analysis.
The thing about this first chart is that Mercury is in the twelfth. Also looking at the car, the red car mentioned in the report, I see that there are no planets in the third so I am not sure she is actually in it. But Mars is in the seventh, disposed of by the Sun in the eleventh and I do believe she was headed to a friends house, regardless of what she told her husband. Errands may have been for later. Noticing that Saturn and Mercury are in mutual reception, I do believe that this came to pass. Her purpose was to hide the children. She left that house with those kids to leave them with a friend. Notice that the Moon is in the eleventh house, showing us a friend. Also there is the Sun, which disposes of Mars and Mars is the marker for the car. So she drove that car to a friends house. That's how I see it. And since Mercury is in the twelfth, she was doing this to hide the kids. Perhaps she was afraid her husband would harm them. Reports claim that he was capable of that and she could have been afraid. Or this could have been her usual babysitter. Just leaving the kids so she can get her errands done.
There is no death pattern in this chart so I would assume she was still alive. Also, the fourth house ruler is in the tenth, showing her current location to be away from her home, most likely someone else's home. Moon as the ruler of this other person may indicate a family member. So the kids may have been spirited off by a family member and kept safe all these years. This would be a lovely thought. In this next chart, the planets support that theory.
An hour later the charts show us Mary on the road. At the same time, Mercury is settled in the eleventh, showing us the children in the hands of her friend. The first house ruler is now Uranus and you can see it placed in the ninth house. The ninth house can be many things and among them is a highway. Also, the woods or a wooded area. Now, we know her car was found much later on in the woods near a logging road. But we also know that if she went about running errands as she said was going to, then she would be on a highway or in a public parking lot. The ninth house is often a parking lot (or a car lot on the other hand). Notice that the Moon is in the tenth with the seventh house ruler, the Sun. The Sun and Moon are closely conjoined by less than a degree. Both planets are disposed of by Jupiter in the fifth. Did someone go with her while she shopped or did she run into someone there? The fifth house rules pleasure so she was in a public place shopping for something she wanted and this could be clothes, perfume, toys for the kids or a treat like cake or cookies. She could have been in the grocery store or it could have been a toy store. The Moon in the tenth makes a case for groceries. So it looks like she made it to the store. But it also looks like someone ran into her there and it may have been in the parking lot.
Uranus is disposed of by Pluto in the eighth. Pluto is conjoined the node, which indicates planning. She may have been shopping with a credit card, which was planned because she did not have cash (the second house is empty). But this could also be something more sinister so we need to keep our eye on this position.
The first house ruler is now Neptune and we can see it there in the ninth house. She is still on a highway, in the woods or in a parking lot. Neptune is with Venus and Venus rules both the third and eighth houses. It looks like she might already have a problem with the car. Mercury rules the seventh and it is in the eleventh, cusping into the tenth, so it looks like someone is coming to help her. The charts do not show her calling anyone but it just seems someone comes along and tries to help her. Mercury indicates this is a young person, most likely younger than Mary, but one with handy skills. Mercury is disposed of by Saturn and also in mutual reception with Saturn so this person will arrive with good intentions. The Moon, along with the first house ruler, in the ninth house does show her still in the parking lot. This is where she meets this other person, this younger person, who tries to help her. It looks like this person may have been successful. Notice that Mercury is disposed of by Saturn in the sixth house so this younger person has mechanical skills and may actually work at a job as a mechanic or someone who does mechanical work. I say this because Mercury also rules the third house, a house that describes vehicles.
I do not see her children in this chart or in any other at this point or later. Does this mean the children are safe? They were left with a friend who has hidden them since? Perhaps this friend or babysitter feared the father would get custody of the kids and hurt them in some way? It seems that everybody believed he was violent and dangerous and the idea that the children have been kept from him is not unrealistic. Anyways, the kids are not present in this chart; Mercury is describing somebody else. And then looking at the fifth house and it's ruler, we see that it is the Moon, which is often a marker for the mother. The Moon is right at the midheaven in the ninth house, showing her children to be in someone else's home. The Moon is disposed of by Jupiter in the fourth house so this other person's home is very near Mary's own home, in the same neighborhood, in fact.
Mary had a lot of good luck this day, including this young person with mechanical handy skills that helped her with the car. In fact, this person fixed it well enough for her to get back in it and drive. This is shown by the Moon in the tenth disposed of by Jupiter with Jupiter entering the third house. The Moon and Jupiter are in mutual reception so this in fact did happen and she was able to drive it away. But if you are astute and study the chart as a whole you will readily see the problem with the seventh house. The seventh house ruler is now Venus and this planet is sliding into the eighth. What does this mean? This means that the next person Mary will meet will be a violent criminal. This is supported by the presence of Pluto and the node in the seventh house. This is a violent person who lives a seedy, criminal lifestyle and has been violent in the past (the node with Pluto). The first house ruler at this time is Mars and it is in the fifth, showing us that Mary was trying to get back to her kids. She was trying to go get them or check on them.
The charts are moving swiftly in this case, it seems that sidereal time was fast at that time of year as the first house cusp changes the ruler almost every hour. This has something to do with the vernal equinox and I think everything is shorter and faster in the dark of winter. I have to keep posting more charts to show how the picture keeps changing. Every little event in this case has a bearing on the outcome.
It looks like her car has another problem at this point. You can see that the third house ruler is Mercury (showing us her car) and it is in the ninth house. In turn, it is disposed of by Saturn. To me, this looks like the car is parked again, either in another parking lot or in the woods or along a major highway. I am not sure which at this point and I am not sure it matters because the car wasn't found for over a month and for all we know the killer was using it. Mercury in Capricorn doesn't help us figure out where she parked it because Capricorn can indicate businesses and government buildings, which would point to a public parking lot but it can also rule wood and other earth materials because it is an earth sign. It is disposed of by Saturn in Virgo, another earth sign, but also a sign ruled by Mercury, which can indicate cars again. Mercury can mean another parking lot. So I just cannot tear this one apart. All I know for sure is that after the young person fixed her car, it broke down again and was parked somewhere at 2 pm.
And then here comes a brazen criminal and somehow she gets involved with him. Venus is not only in the eighth but so is the twelfth house ruler, Neptune, and the Moon, Mary's secondary marker. With Pluto in the seventh, this does not look good for Mary. But I am still not able to tell you whether this was her husband or a stranger. Her husband had a violent temper and could easily have been in trouble before, even though I have no proof of that. Also, it would be important if he had a physical job that required a degree of violence, such as being a boxer, a police officer, a soldier, a security guard, a bouncer, a bodyguard, etc.. This chart shows that some degree of violence was involved in the job her murderer had. This is shown clearly by Pluto, which disposes of the seventh house ruler in the sixth. Mars, a secondary ruler of the seventh house, is in the fourth house. This is a serious placement that indicates either that her killer lived in the same house with her (which would be her husband) or went to her home after killing her for some reason. If there wasn't a break in or other appearance of an unwanted third party, then indicators point at the husband.
Perhaps he was angry when he realized she had put the kids somewhere? I still do not see the children dead or in danger in these charts. What I believe is the husband went back home to look for the kids, as shown by Mars disposed of by the Sun while the Sun rules the fifth.
I believe he shot Mary during an argument, maybe about the kids. She had hidden them somewhere, handed them off to a friend, and he was irate. Pluto shows a level of anger that is dangerous and is a marker for violence. Pluto disposed of by Venus and Venus rules the first, it certainly looks like a violent death for Mary. I say he shot her because Mars rules him and Mars shows guns but also all the planets in the eighth house in Sagittarius while Sagittarius describes ammunition. It also shows bows and arrows but who uses a bow and arrow for killing people? Some hunters use them hunt deer but I have hardly ever heard of a murder with a bow and arrow. Because Sagittarius describes ammunition clearly and mostly bullets in any case, I am pretty sure he shot her. Mars in Leo disposed of by the Sun in Sagittarius in the eighth, I think he shot her in the chest area and probably hit her heart.
After accepting a death pattern as an indicator of death (Mars in the fourth, Venus and the Moon in the eighth, the twelfth house ruler in the eighth and the fourth house ruler in the eighth) the chart then changes. Saturn takes over rulership of the body, which is no longer alive and will eventually be nothing but bones. So we follow Saturn and try to connect it to the seventh house ruler to discover the movements of the killer with the body after death. And we want to locate that body if we can.
I realize there are a lot of fire sign markers in this chart and at first blush it seems that the body must have been burned. But I do not believe he did burn the body at all. Saturn is in the sign Virgo, disposed of by Mercury in Capricorn in the eighth house, which shows us again that the body is dead. But these are earth signs that show burial and Capricorn is a descriptor for a grave, even in traditional Astrology. At the same time, the seventh house ruler, Mars, is in the fourth house along with Saturn, which marks the body. I think he took her back home, maybe hid her for awhile and then buried her. This may be why he did not report her missing; he needed time to dig the hole. Notice that Saturn is right at the cusp of the fourth and fifth houses. This cusp shows the bedroom, the bedroom window, an area near to the back door in the backyard, or a door from the bedroom to the back yard. I believe he buried her right there on the home property, not far from the back door of the house. Nobody ever searched there from what I understand and he has since died of AIDs. Her body appears to right there, buried fairly deeply, behind the house.
Also, I still do not see the kids or a death pattern involving the kids. It would seem they were left with the friend who has since hidden them from their father. There is a good chance they are still alive and possibly living with different names and different parents.
Forensic Astrology is the art of using charts to determine the nature of events as they occurred in unsolved crimes and missing persons cases. The method I use is uniquely mine as I have over 35 years experience in Astrology, both Forensic and in general.
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