Post by admin4laney on Jul 20, 2005 14:12:17 GMT -5
Investigators: ‘We’re rolling on this case’
Thursday, June 16, 2005
The Butler County Sheriff’s Department Cold Case Unit is now focusing its efforts on the Great Miami River.
That’s where investigators hope they will uncover a key piece of evidence in the case involving Alana “Laney” Gwinner, who was mysteriously killed in 1997 — her black Honda del Sol.
Following Gwinner’s disappearance seven years ago, investigators have turned up little in finding her killer, a fact that still haunts friends of the former Union Twp. woman, who would have been 31 in March. In the past few months, however, the mentality surrounding the case has changed dramatically.
“This is our No. 1 priority right now,” said Butler County Detective Frank Smith, who is spearheading the effort for the Cold Case Unit. “We are rolling on this case.”
Gwinner disappeared the night of Dec. 10, 1997, from Gilmore Lanes in Fairfield, where she was playing pool with her friends. Around midnight, she left the bowling alley in a 1993 Honda del Sol, telling one friend she was going to visit her boyfriend.
Her body was eventually found in the Ohio River near Warsaw, Ky., on Jan. 11, 1998.
Less than two months ago, Butler County Sheriff Richard K. Jones reopened the Gwinner homicide case and three other cold cases in the county.
In the past month, Smith has resubmitted evidence such as Gwinner’s clothing and shoes to Ohio’s Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation. They have been in regular contact with officials from the Warsaw Police Department. Last week, a search team spot checked the Great Miami River from Fairfield south to the river’s mouth, but turned up nothing.
Next week, weather pending, the search team will scan the remaining stretch of the river’s 31 miles with equipment borrowed from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
And even though Gwinner’s vehicle is believed to have been under water for the past seven years, there’s still a chance important evidence could be found inside, Smith said.
“There’s a misconception that water destroys evidence, and that’s not the case always,” he said. “Even though the vehicle has been uncovered for many years, it’s not uncommon to retrieve evidence from one that has been submerged for so long.”
Locating Gwinner’s car would be a huge step in the case, Smith said, and could lead to narrowing down potential suspects.
“Everybody’s a suspect until we solve this case,” Smith said.
In addition to a new stepped-up effort, Smith said his department is expected to offer “a significant reward in the near future” for any information leading to arrests in the case. Smith said a reward amount has not been set. Mindy Durham, Liberty Twp. resident and friend of Gwinner expressed gratitude for Smith’s diligence on the case. Like many of Gwinner’s friends, Durham has been heavily involved in the investigation.
“I’m just glad that something is moving forward instead of standing still like it has for the past seven years,” Durham said. “I really think that (the car) will be key.”
Added Durham, “It’s nice to know that (Gwinner) is someone’s priority right now, especially for people out there who think they are getting away with this.”
Smith agreed.
“There’s been a lot of people who have forgotten about Laney Gwinner,” he said. “But I’m certain that the sheriff’s office has not and will not.”
www.pulsejournal.com/services/content/news/police/stories/2005/06/16/pj0616gwinnerWeb.html
Thursday, June 16, 2005
The Butler County Sheriff’s Department Cold Case Unit is now focusing its efforts on the Great Miami River.
That’s where investigators hope they will uncover a key piece of evidence in the case involving Alana “Laney” Gwinner, who was mysteriously killed in 1997 — her black Honda del Sol.
Following Gwinner’s disappearance seven years ago, investigators have turned up little in finding her killer, a fact that still haunts friends of the former Union Twp. woman, who would have been 31 in March. In the past few months, however, the mentality surrounding the case has changed dramatically.
“This is our No. 1 priority right now,” said Butler County Detective Frank Smith, who is spearheading the effort for the Cold Case Unit. “We are rolling on this case.”
Gwinner disappeared the night of Dec. 10, 1997, from Gilmore Lanes in Fairfield, where she was playing pool with her friends. Around midnight, she left the bowling alley in a 1993 Honda del Sol, telling one friend she was going to visit her boyfriend.
Her body was eventually found in the Ohio River near Warsaw, Ky., on Jan. 11, 1998.
Less than two months ago, Butler County Sheriff Richard K. Jones reopened the Gwinner homicide case and three other cold cases in the county.
In the past month, Smith has resubmitted evidence such as Gwinner’s clothing and shoes to Ohio’s Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation. They have been in regular contact with officials from the Warsaw Police Department. Last week, a search team spot checked the Great Miami River from Fairfield south to the river’s mouth, but turned up nothing.
Next week, weather pending, the search team will scan the remaining stretch of the river’s 31 miles with equipment borrowed from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
And even though Gwinner’s vehicle is believed to have been under water for the past seven years, there’s still a chance important evidence could be found inside, Smith said.
“There’s a misconception that water destroys evidence, and that’s not the case always,” he said. “Even though the vehicle has been uncovered for many years, it’s not uncommon to retrieve evidence from one that has been submerged for so long.”
Locating Gwinner’s car would be a huge step in the case, Smith said, and could lead to narrowing down potential suspects.
“Everybody’s a suspect until we solve this case,” Smith said.
In addition to a new stepped-up effort, Smith said his department is expected to offer “a significant reward in the near future” for any information leading to arrests in the case. Smith said a reward amount has not been set. Mindy Durham, Liberty Twp. resident and friend of Gwinner expressed gratitude for Smith’s diligence on the case. Like many of Gwinner’s friends, Durham has been heavily involved in the investigation.
“I’m just glad that something is moving forward instead of standing still like it has for the past seven years,” Durham said. “I really think that (the car) will be key.”
Added Durham, “It’s nice to know that (Gwinner) is someone’s priority right now, especially for people out there who think they are getting away with this.”
Smith agreed.
“There’s been a lot of people who have forgotten about Laney Gwinner,” he said. “But I’m certain that the sheriff’s office has not and will not.”
www.pulsejournal.com/services/content/news/police/stories/2005/06/16/pj0616gwinnerWeb.html
