Friday, November 14, 2008

ARTICLE #141) Missing Las Vegas Prostitutes to be Profiled on National Television



Las Vegas NOW
with Alyson McCarthy
November 11, 2008

On the news tonight in Las Vegas: Missing Las Vegas Prostitutes to be Profiled on National Television with Alyson McCarthy:

The four women are described as young and beautiful and now they have something else in common: Three are dead and another is missing. The women worked in the Las Vegas area as prostitutes.

Their murders and disappearances are unsolved and America's Most Wanted will feature the case on its Nov. 15th show.

In the three murder cases, the women were dismembered and dumped along remote stretches of highway.

Lindsay Harris, Misty Saens, Jodi Brewer and Jessica Foster all disappeared between March 2003 and April 2006.

Foster, who is believed dead, has never been found.

America's Most Wanted website says that police suspect the killer could be a truck driver.

LINK TO VIDEO: http://www.lasvegasnow.com/global/video/popup/pop_playerLaunch.asp?clipId1=3138974&at1=News&vt1=v&h1=Missing+Las+Vegas+Prostitutes+to+be+Profiled+on+National+Television&d1=130567&redirUrl=www.lasvegasnow.com&activePane=info&LaunchPageAdTag=homepage&clipFormat=flv

ARTICLE #140) SIMILAR SLAYINGS: Prostitutes share tragic fate






Jodi Brewer:

Pamela Brewer, Jodi's mom:

SIMILAR SLAYINGS: Prostitutes share tragic fate

Police theory: Truck driver possible killer


LINK TO STORY: http://www.lvrj.com/news/34451949.html

REVIEW-JOURNAL By LAWRENCE MOWER
Friday, November 14, 2008

Police are investigating whether several young prostitutes working in the Las Vegas Valley might have been slain by the same person, possibly a truck driver.

Las Vegas police Lt. Lew Roberts said authorities are investigating the possibility, but he was unavailable for further comment.

In three cases, a dismembered body was found in trash bags along highways in California, Nevada or Illinois.

A fourth case matches the same profile as the others -- that of a young, attractive white woman who had fallen into prostitution.

Law enforcement officials stressed that a truck driver serial killer is, at this point, a theory.

"It's a theory that's been looked at, but until we get something more, it's just a theory," said North Las Vegas police Sgt. Justin Ryan.

Sgt. Tom Bradford of the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Office in California said the theory wasn't new.

"We thought that was a possibility, anyway, but we don't have any person as a suspect," Bradford said.

Law enforcement officials indicated they were looking at possible links among several cases:

• Jodi Brewer, 19, disappeared from Las Vegas in August 2003. Her torso was wrapped in plastic and a sheet and was found later that month in the desert near the Interstate 15 offramp to Cima Road , about 25 miles south of the Nevada-California border.

• Jessica Foster, 21, was last seen in North Las Vegas between late March and early April 2006, according to a Web site set up in her memory. She has not been found.

• Lindsay Harris, 21, disappeared from Henderson on May 4, 2005. Nineteen days later, her legs were found in a grassy area a few hundred yards off of Interstate 55, about 15 miles south of Springfield, Ill. Investigators didn't identify the remains until this year.

A fourth case that might be linked, that of 25-year-old Misty Saens, has been identified by "America's Most Wanted," which is profiling the cases in an episode to air this Saturday.

Partial remains of Saens, 25, was found by two bikers in the desert off of State Route 159, the road that leads to the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.

The partial remains were found wrapped in plastic and a cloth sheet on March 6, 2003, according to the Clark County coroner's office.

Investigators have had few clues to go on. Boyfriends who doubled as pimps for some of the women are not being named as suspects.

A lieutenant with the Illinois State Police, who are handling Harris' case because her remains were found in their jurisdiction, said they still don't have any suspects.

North Las Vegas' Ryan said because Foster's body has not been found, "It's still just a missing person case."

Las Vegas police weren't able to comment on the case Thursday because of what a department spokesman described as an "extraordinarily high amount of activity" for the homicide unit in the past few days.

Pamela Brewer, the mother of Jodi Brewer, said she had heard from law enforcement officials that her daughter's death might be linked to the other cases.

"I feel wonderful, absolutely wonderful," Pamela Brewer said about the development in the case. "It's been five years. I think the only way they could have found justice in this case is if they linked her case to other cases."

Glendene Grant, Foster's mother, said from Canada that she believed her daughter was still alive and hadn't been abducted because all of her things were taken from her North Las Vegas house.

"How did all of Jessie's things go missing if somebody took her?" she said.

In addition to having fallen into prostitution, the young women share other similarities, according to "America's Most Wanted."

All were between 5 feet 4 inches and 5 feet 6 inches tall. Three had dyed-blonde hair. Three of them had the middle name of "Marie."

Grant said she originally believed her daughter's case was closely related to Harris'. The two women were the same age, pretty, and not originally from Las Vegas.

"Her story, her descriptions, are just so similar to Lindsay's," Grant said.

Grant believed so strongly that the cases were linked that she got in touch with Harris' parents in the small town of Skaneateles, N.Y.. She has continued to keep in touch with them, as well as with the family members of the other two missing women.

Foster, a native of Canada, had been an honor roll student through most of high school and had never gotten into trouble before, Grant said.

In 2005, she went on a vacation with a boyfriend who took her to Florida, New York and New Jersey.

She moved to Las Vegas with a friend and fell into prostitution with a new boyfriend. She was arrested twice for prostitution in 2005, according to the Web site set up in her memory.

Harris had followed a similar path, moving with a boyfriend from New York to Henderson and being arrested for prostitution five times by Las Vegas police.

"I know that Lindsay's mother and myself believe that our children were brainwashed into, or were forced into becoming, prostitutes," Grant said.

That was not the case for Jodi Brewer, who fell into prostitution at 17, her mother said. She struggled in school but eventually earned her general education degree and a grant to go to beauty school.

"She was into hair and makeup and was real bubbly," Pamela Brewer said.

When Jodi Brewer lost her school grant, she fell back into prostitution. When Brewer turned 19, Pamela Brewer filed a missing person report, and 14 days later her daughter's remains were found in Southern California.

Contact reporter Lawrence Mower at lmower@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0440.

ARTICLE #139) Is A Serial Killer Murdering Las Vegas Prostitutes?

1) Lindsay

2) Misty

3) Jessie

4) Jodi

Copy and paste this direct link to the AMW site: http://www.amw.com/features/feature_story_detail.cfm?id=3049

Three of the women were dismembered and their remains had been dumped just off of remote stretches of highway. Two of them were found near industrial areas, and the body of the fourth woman, Jessie Foster, has never even been found.
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Since 2005, AMW has been following the story of Lindsay Marie Harris, a small-town girl with big dreams who disappeared after moving to Las Vegas. Three years later, her remains were identified near an Illinois highway.

Between March 2003 and April 2006, four known Vegas prostitutes -- Lindsay, Misty Marie Saens, Jodi Marie Brewer and Jessica Edith Louise Foster -- disappeared under similarly suspicious circumstances.

Three of the women were dismembered and their remains had been dumped just off of remote stretches of highway. Two of them were found near industrial areas, and the body of the fourth woman, Jessie Foster, has never even been found.

Now, cops need your help to determine if the crimes are linked to a vicious serial killer.

If you know anything about these cases, call our hotline at 1-800-CRIME-TV.
============================================
1) LINDSAY MARIE HARRIS: On May 23, 2005, police outside of Springfield, Ill., made a shocking discovery when they arrived at a crime scene and found a pair of severed legs (see below - http://www.amw.com/fugitives/brief.cfm?id=45603). For three years, the Illinois State Police diligently worked the Jane Doe case, and their hard work paid off in May 2008 when an FBI report and a DNA comparison helped to identify the victim as missing person Lindsay Harris (see below - http://www.amw.com/missing_persons/brief.cfm?id=31826).
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2) MISTY MARIE SAENS: In 2003, human remains found near a deserted stretch of Las Vegas highway left investigators scratching their heads. But two years later, they were able to put a name to the victim, Misty Saens (see below - http://www.amw.com/fugitives/brief.cfm?id=60901). Now, they need your help to find her cold-blooded killer.
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3) JESSICA EDITH LOUISE FOSTER: Jessie Foster (see below - http://www.amw.com/missing_persons/brief.cfm?id=60803) had it all. The Canadian-born beauty had plenty of friends and a close-knit family, but in the spring of 2006, she vanished without a trace. Now, cops in Las Vegas need your help ============================================
4) JODI MARIE BREWER: The last time anyone ever saw 19-year-old Jodi Brewer (see below - http://www.amw.com/fugitives/brief.cfm?id=60899) alive was in mid-August 2003. For just over two weeks, her friends and family waited on baited breath, hoping for her safe return. But on August 29, cops in northern California made a grisly discovery that's left all those who knew Jodi completely and utterly devastated.
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LINDSAY: (from above) - http://www.amw.com/fugitives/brief.cfm?id=45603
Jane Doe Body Discovered
Since May 23, 2005, Illinois State Police have worked to solve a baffling murder mystery: police were called to the shoulder of an exit ramp off Interstate 55, in Divernon, Ill., where they were faced with a shocking crime scene.

About 120 yards southeast of the Exit 80 overpass of Interstate 55, detectives found two severed human legs in a marsh along side the road.

On the upper right thigh, near the hip, was a partial tattoo, which investigators believed was their best chance to identify the victim.

The subsequent investigation of the legs and the surrounding area led the team's forensic anthropologist to believe that the death and dismemberment of the victim had happened one to three months before the remains were discovered.
********************************************
(from above) - http://www.amw.com/missing_persons/brief.cfm?id=31826
An All-American Girl With A Plan
Lindsay Harris left her small hometown of Skaneateles, N.Y. in January 2003 with a plan in mind. She left on a cross-country drive to the west coast, eager to start a new and adventurous chapter of her life.

The shy, funny 19-year-old had a new boyfriend, then 26-year-old Solomon Barron, who she had met at a jazz festival in Syracuse, N.Y. Barron was a hip-hop promoter with businesses in Syracuse and Las Vegas, and it was in Sin City that Lindsay planned to start her life anew.

Initially, Lindsay lived with her aunt in San Diego, but two months later, relocated to Las Vegas and secretly moved in with Solomon. Martha and Robert Harris, Lindsay's parents, knew nothing of Solomon Barron until she brought him home for Christmas 2004. On May 5, 2005 -- just five months after their visit -- Solomon was calling the Harris family with bad news: Lindsay was missing.

Lindsay's disappearance quickly exposed her double life: she had been working as an escort in Las Vegas.
A Tale of Two Lindsays
Shortly after she moved in with Solomon, Lindsay told her family she was dancing in a nightclub, but they didn't know about the double life she was really leading.

Her disappearance quickly exposed the truth: she had been working as an escort in Las Vegas, and was even arrested for solicitation. Yet despite the sting of this reality, Lindsay's parents were only concerned with locating their daughter.

Police say Lindsay made a bank deposit near her home in Henderson, Nev. at 3:36 p.m. on Wednesday, May 4, in the last independent confirmed sighting of the young woman.

Lindsay's boyfriend, Solomon, was in Syracuse, N.Y. at the time of her disappearance. Solomon says he received a voicemail message from Lindsay nearly 12 hours after her trip to the bank, on the morning of Thursday, May 5, 2005.

Solomon says Lindsay said she was leaving the Monte Carlo Casino and heading to the Luxor Casino, where her Mercedes was parked. After repeatedly calling Lindsay's cell phone with no success, a concerned Solomon flew back to Las Vegas. He later phoned the Harris family to find out if they had heard from their daughter, but they hadn't.

As for Lindsay, authorities say she never made it to her car. Las Vegas Metro Police found Lindsay's Mercedes on May 9 in a parking lot between the Excalibur and Luxor casinos.
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MISTY: (from above) - http://www.amw.com/fugitives/brief.cfm?id=60901
Missing Woman's Remains Discovered In Vegas Valley
In early March 2003, a pair of bikers made a gruesome discovery in a deserted area of the Las Vegas Valley: the dismembered body of an unidentified woman, wrapped in black plastic bags and bed sheets.

For nearly two years, investigators were perplexed on two fronts -- they had no idea who the victim was, nor could they fathom how someone could commit such a monstrous act against another.

But in 2005, detectives with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department finally caught a break, when they positively ID'd the victim as Misty Saens.

Misty's body was discovered just three weeks shy of her 26th birthday, and the last information known about her is that she was working as a prostitute in Las Vegas.

And that key piece of information has investigators intrigued.
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JESSIE: (from above) - http://www.amw.com/missing_persons/brief.cfm?id=60803
Free-Spirited Young Woman Disappears From Vegas Home

Canadian-born Jessie Foster was a beautiful, free-spirited young woman, who cops say got mixed up with the wrong crowd.

After visiting the United States in 2005, she eventually moved in with a man almost twice her age on the outskirts of Sin City.

The man lived in the swanky suburb of North Las Vegas and, according to reports, he drove a number of expensive cars.

Jessie told her family that he was independently wealthy, but cops believe he was a pimp -- and Jessie may have become one of his prostitutes.

The petite blonde last called her mother on March 24, 2006, planning to come visit her at home in Canada a few days later.

But that trip never took place, and cops believe Jessie disappeared for good between March 28 and April 3, 2006.

Jessie Foster was last known to be at the home she shared with her boyfriend/pimp, and she has not been seen or heard from ever since.

Now, cops need your help to piece together the mystery surrounding her bizarre disappearance.
********************************************
Cops Try To Determine Link Between Missing And Murdered Prostitutes
Due to the demographic that Jessie fits in, cops feel that there are numerous similarities between her and three other Vegas prostitutes who were discovered dead and dismembered since 2003.

Between March 2003 and April 2006, Misty Marie Saens, Jodi Marie Brewer, Lindsay Marie Harris and Jessica Edith Louise Foster all disappeared under similarly suspicious circumstances.

All were white, skinny and pretty, with strawberry blonde hair and ranging in age from 19 to 26. Each girl ranged in height between 5'4" and 5'6", and all of their boyfriends or pimps were black males. Three of the girls' middle names were "Marie."

Three of the women were dismembered, and their remains had been dumped just off of remote stretches of highway. Two of them were found near industrial areas, and the body of the fourth woman, Jessie Foster, has never even been found.

Are all of their similarities mere coincidence, or is there someone out there abducting and viciously taking the lives of Las Vegas-area prostitutes?

Cops are actively pouring over all of the evidence and are hellbent on finding the culprit or culprits, though leads are few and far between.

If you know anything about the brutal, cold-blooded murders of Misty Saens, Jodi Brewer or Lindsay Harris, as well as the disappearance of Jessie Foster, you've got to call our hotline right away at 1-800-CRIME-TV.
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JODI: (from above) - http://www.amw.com/fugitives/brief.cfm?id=60899
Remains Of Missing Vegas Prostitute Found In Calif. Desert
Jodi Brewer grew up in a loving home, but as time went on and she became her own person, Jodi did what she felt was right for herself, whether or not her family consented with her decision.

According to reports, by the time Jodi was 17, she became caught up in the world of prostitution, where money came fast and easy.

But her quick financial gains did not come without one horrific consequence.

Jodi's mother reported her missing on August 14, 2003, after Jodi failed to return home one evening. She was just 19 years old and still had purple braces on her teeth.

Less than three weeks later, cops found a dismembered female body off a deserted stretch of road in San Bernardino, Calif.

While the family held their collective breath, hoping and praying it wasn't their beloved Jodi's, investigators ultimately proved their greatest fears to be true.

What was left of Jodi's body provided enough clues for her family to identify the remains -- she had a hummingbird tattoo above her left breast, and a distinct letter 'M' tattooed on her lower back.

But the piece of information that intrigued cops the most about Jodi was the fact that she had been working as a prostitute on the Las Vegas Strip.
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ARTICLE #138) Fox show to feature Jessie Foster


Friday, November 14, 2008
Fox show to feature Jessie Foster
Kamloops This Week by Tim Petruk

The mother of a missing Kamloops woman hopes some national exposure south of the border will help locate her daughter.

Glendene Grant said she’s excited to hear the Fox TV show America’s Most Wanted will make mention of her daughter, Jessie Foster, during tomorrow night’s episode.

“It is exciting,” she said.

“It’s been a long time coming.”

Foster disappeared in 2006 while living in Las Vegas.

She was 21 and her mother fears she’s become part of a human-trafficking ring.

When contacted by KTW, a producer of America’s Most Wanted confirmed Foster’s case will be brought up, but stressed it will be a small segment profiling four women who have gone missing in the Las Vegas area in recent years.

“It’s a pretty short piece, actually,” Jenna Griffiths said.

“It’s just sort of a brief look at the four girls.”

Griffiths did say, however, the show’s producers would like to follow the case in the future.

“America’s Most Wanted hopes to continue to look at this investigation,” she said.

Grant said her daughter appearing on the hit TV show is the second-best thing that could have happened in the investigation.

“My No. 1 wish has always been for Jessie to come home and my No. 2 wish has been for her case to be on America’s Most Wanted,” she said.

“I just hope that it turns out that someone knows something.”

Grant said she has no idea if her daughter is alive, but hopes that, either way, Jessie is aware of the effort going into tracking her down.

“All I can say is, wherever she is, I hope that she knows we’re searching as hard as we can,” she said.

America’s Most Wanted airs at 9 p.m. Saturday on Fox.