THE COMMERCIAL APPEAL
PHONE APPEALS FOR 3 FAMILIES PROBED
SEPARATE REWARD FUND AT $32,000
Date: May 20, 1993
Section: Metro
Page: B1
Source: Rob Johnson and Charles Bernsen The Commercial Appeal
Edition: Final
West Memphis police detectives say that so far, not even a $32,000 reward has led to a suspect in their two-week-old investigation of the murders of three 8-year-old boys. As the case has spawned various fund-raising efforts, the Arkansas Attorney General's Office is investigating whether someone has mounted an unauthorized effort to raise money for the boys' families.
Police said Wednesday what they've been saying for days: No one has been arrested, and they're busy with routine interviews of potential witnesses and suspects.
Inspector Gary Gitchell, who heads the investigation into the deaths of Michael Moore, Steve Branch and Christopher Byers, has suspended regular contacts with press because of a heavy demand for interviews. He communicates through a daily news release.
Police issued a statement Wednesday explaining a rapid police response to a fleeing person on Tuesday - an action that helped fuel rumors sweeping the community.
When an individual fled from state troopers who attempted to stop him Tuesday, the statement said, West Memphis police were curious. But authorities said the incident turned out to be unrelated to the homicide case.
Since May 6, Gitchell and his detectives have been looking for the killer or killers who left the boys dead in a boggy, undeveloped wooded area known by locals as Robin Hood Park. The three friends had fatal blows to the head, and their hands and feet were bound.
A man purporting to represent a group called Vanishing Children of Arkansas called two Benton, Ark., businesses this week seeking donations for the families, said Asst. Atty. Gen. Wendy Michaelis of the office's consumer affairs division. A similar call was made to a business in Cave City, Ark., she said.
Michaelis said her office had no record of such a group. Anyone raising money for charity in Arkansas must register with the Attorney General's Office, she said.
Michaelis said two West Memphis churches - Holy Cross Episcopal and Trinity Missionary Baptist - have been authorized to raise money for the families.
Rev. Fred Tinsley, rector at Holy Cross, said the church has collected about $26,000. Kim Spears, a spokesman for Trinity Missionary, which has established an account in the boys' names at First National Bank of West Memphis, said thus far $17,600 has been divided equally among the three families.
The money raised for the families is separate from a reward fund established by West Memphis Crimestoppers. That fund stood at about $32,000 Wednesday.
PHONE APPEALS FOR 3 FAMILIES PROBED
SEPARATE REWARD FUND AT $32,000
Date: May 20, 1993
Section: Metro
Page: B1
Source: Rob Johnson and Charles Bernsen The Commercial Appeal
Edition: Final
West Memphis police detectives say that so far, not even a $32,000 reward has led to a suspect in their two-week-old investigation of the murders of three 8-year-old boys. As the case has spawned various fund-raising efforts, the Arkansas Attorney General's Office is investigating whether someone has mounted an unauthorized effort to raise money for the boys' families.
Police said Wednesday what they've been saying for days: No one has been arrested, and they're busy with routine interviews of potential witnesses and suspects.
Inspector Gary Gitchell, who heads the investigation into the deaths of Michael Moore, Steve Branch and Christopher Byers, has suspended regular contacts with press because of a heavy demand for interviews. He communicates through a daily news release.
Police issued a statement Wednesday explaining a rapid police response to a fleeing person on Tuesday - an action that helped fuel rumors sweeping the community.
When an individual fled from state troopers who attempted to stop him Tuesday, the statement said, West Memphis police were curious. But authorities said the incident turned out to be unrelated to the homicide case.
Since May 6, Gitchell and his detectives have been looking for the killer or killers who left the boys dead in a boggy, undeveloped wooded area known by locals as Robin Hood Park. The three friends had fatal blows to the head, and their hands and feet were bound.
A man purporting to represent a group called Vanishing Children of Arkansas called two Benton, Ark., businesses this week seeking donations for the families, said Asst. Atty. Gen. Wendy Michaelis of the office's consumer affairs division. A similar call was made to a business in Cave City, Ark., she said.
Michaelis said her office had no record of such a group. Anyone raising money for charity in Arkansas must register with the Attorney General's Office, she said.
Michaelis said two West Memphis churches - Holy Cross Episcopal and Trinity Missionary Baptist - have been authorized to raise money for the families.
Rev. Fred Tinsley, rector at Holy Cross, said the church has collected about $26,000. Kim Spears, a spokesman for Trinity Missionary, which has established an account in the boys' names at First National Bank of West Memphis, said thus far $17,600 has been divided equally among the three families.
The money raised for the families is separate from a reward fund established by West Memphis Crimestoppers. That fund stood at about $32,000 Wednesday.
