Backhoe, modus operandi in the Jennifer Kesse case?

News from California might bear indirectly on the Jennifer Kesse abduction case: the disappearance of college student, Lynsie Ekelund, in early 2001.

Calif. Mother I.D.s Missing Daughter's Bracelet November 07, 2010 Associated Press

FULLERTON, Calif. -- The mother of a Southern California woman who vanished almost 10 years ago said Saturday a bracelet found on recently unearthed remains belonged to her daughter. Nancy Ekelund of Fullerton told The Associated Press that she had met with a coroner's investigator and instantly recognized the gold-link bracelet she had given as a present to her daughter Lynsie Ekelund, a 20-year old Fullerton College student who disappeared in 2001... Christopher McAmis is suspected of strangling her and burying her in a canyon 50 miles north of Los Angeles in Santa Clarita, where he directed investigators to look, Los Angeles County sheriff's officials said. McAmis said he used a tractor to dig a 4-foot grave in the canyon where he had done construction work, officials said.

If a construction worker can use a former work site for disposing of a body in California, then is it possibly the explanation of what happened to Jennifer Kesse in Florida, in 2006? Was Kesse's kidnapper another construction worker digging, for instance, the foundation for the Amscot building, 2033 Americana Blvd., a short distance from the drop off point of Kesse's vehicle? That construction site was at the earth-moving stage soon after the Kesse disappearance, and it would be simple to check whether is was under construction in January, 2006, when she was abducted.

That would be a total luck shot if that were the case -- some murdering construction worker at the nearby Amscot.

In actuality, however, it could be any one of a huge number of construction sites in Central Florida at that time. The suspect in the Ekelund disappearance identified a point in Santa Clarita, north of Los Angeles, about 50 miles as a crow files, north and west of Fullerton, where Lynsie Ekelund disappeared. As a car drives, it is a straight shot up Interstate-5. But that is definitely not a short distance.



Image: As a crow flies, Fullerton to Santa Clarita. Click for larger size.

Stalker slays student in Orlando

Another horrible stalker kidnap and slaying in Orlando.

Jogger abducted, killed by someone familiar with area, investigator says Amy L. Edwards, Sarah Lundy and Walter Pacheco Orlando Sentinel Staff Writers 2:02 PM EDT, June 12, 2008

A jogger killed Tuesday night in east Orange County was abducted from the trail by someone familiar with the area, a sheriff's investigator said today. Nicole Ganguzza, a graduate student at the University of Central Florida, probably was killed where she was found, off the Little Econ Greenway just north of Colonial Drive, sheriff's Sgt. Allen Lee said.

Police think it is someone who knows the area near this park.

Television viewers will have their hearts broken to hear the sadness in this woman's voice.

On Wednesday night, Jessica Gallo came to the overpass on Econlockhatchee Trail to pray for Ganguzza's family. Gallo said Ganguzza was her marriage counselor. "She's just truly a great person. Just wonderful. I mean she helped so many people," Gallo said. "My prayers are with her family. In my heart, she's my family, and I love her so much," she said.

Who is this person that kills young women in Orlando? Is it the same person who "disappeared" Jennifer Kesse two years ago? On the surface, one would say no, it is clearly another person. Even so, I wager that the police are double-checking very carefully.

And there seem to be undercurrents. From the same news report:

1. "Investigators think the killer planned the attack carefully and may have sat off the trail, working up his nerve, Lee said." So perhaps the bloodhounds found this beaten down patch of grass near the trail? If working up nerve, was Ganguzza the planned victim or just the first potential victim to come by?
2. "Detectives have searched transient camps in the area ..." This is a small similarity to the Jennifer Kesse case. There is a transient camp behind the shopping center near where her car was found.
3. "Investigators planned to review surveillance tapes from local convenience stores for any signs of Ganguzza." I hope they find something, but why are they looking for signs of Ganguzza at convenience stores? Not the murderer? She was jogging the trails. Did the reporters make an error here? Or have the police inadvertently let slip a small piece of evidence? Usually they are very careful to avoid that.

I sincerely hope that this guy gets caught quickly, and then the police can get back on the Jennifer Kesse case.

Soon, oh Lord.

Jennifer Kesse case similar to Ft. Lauderdale case?

This Ft. Lauderdale kidnap/murder case has a few factors that resemble the Jennifer Kesse kidnap case up in Orlando.

LAUDERHILL: 2 bodies found in trunk June 18, 2007 Nirvi Shah and Jennifer Mooney-Piedra, Miami Herald

An hour after Lauderhill police were called and told that someone was placing what looked like a body in the trunk of a silver car Saturday night, Sunrise police found a car matching the description about a mile away... The car had apparently been driven from the 5200 block of Northwest 16th Court in Lauderhill to an apartment complex about a mile away at 6121 NW 11th St. in Sunrise near Sunset Strip, Lauderhill police said.

The similarities are that the criminals drove a mile away and dumped off the car at an apartment complex near a shopping center with easy access to major highways. The Fort Lauderdale crime involved a group of three criminals, not an individual.
Geographic layout of Lauderhill/Sunrise crime scene