Post by Scumhunter on Apr 14, 2014 8:55:33 GMT -5
(above photo credit: kpvi.com)
POCATELLO, Idaho (AP) — Oneida County Sheriff Jeff Semrad was in Colorado about a year ago when he received the darkest phone call of his 31-year career in law enforcement. Three people had been found murdered in a remote farmhouse near the tiny community of Holbrook.
One of Semrad's deputies shared the shocking news on Friday, April 5, 2013.
The bodies of Brent L. Christensen, 62, his son Trent Jon Christensen, 32, and Trent's girlfriend, Yavette Chivon Carter, 27, were found in the home of the Christensen ranch about 25 miles west of Malad City. An infant girl was in Carter's arms and another 2-year-old girl was in the home with the bodies. Both children were unharmed and authorities think they had been in the home with the gunshot victims for at least 12 hours.
"I thought this really couldn't happen," Semrad said about his initial reaction to that long-distance call. "Then I thought, I need help."
Semrad said he immediately made calls to Bannock County Sheriff Lorin Nielsen, Idaho State Police, Bingham County Detective Lt. Paul Newbold and the Blackfoot Police Department.
"Within 20 minutes help was on the way, including the Idaho State Police mobile lab," Semrad recalled. "It was very humbling to me."
Eventually the investigation would include the FBI, U.S. Marshals Service and law enforcement agencies in Utah.
After checking his logs on the case last week, Semrad said he estimates about 10,000 man-hours have gone into the investigation this past year.
"There's not a day goes by that we're not working on it," the sheriff told the Idaho State Journal (http://bit.ly/1n4yOgL). "We actually have a motive now."
And Semrad said there are suspects — dangerous ones now living in Utah — with connections to major gang activities in California.
Detectives made a trip to California to chase leads just this month.
"These are hardcore people," Newbold said. "They absolutely knew where they were going and what they were going to do."
Lt. Newbold has been the lead investigator because he has handled other multiple homicides during his career. He said the Oneida triple-homicide has been a tough one.
"In this particular case we're out in the middle of nowhere with no neighbors or witnesses," Newbold said. "If a normal murder case has 500 pieces to the puzzle, this one had 5,000 pieces. I think it's going to come together."
Investigators quickly determined that the remote crime scene had been a hub of illegal dogfighting and drug use. Officers discovered more than 60 pit bull terriers in makeshift pens on the property and a marijuana growing operation in the basement of the residence.
The animals were transported to Boise and given shelter by the Idaho Humane Society. Experts there examined the dogs and eventually a large number of them were adopted by families. Last week 19 of the local adoptive families and their dogs held a reunion at the Idaho Humane Society complex in Boise, according to Human Society communications and outreach coordinator, Hannah Parpart.
The surviving children of Yavette Carter have been living with family members. The oldest girl celebrated her third birthday last week, according to Semrad.
"That's who we're working for, those two little girls," Semrad said.
More than 200 pieces of evidence have been sent to the FBI lab for analysis and investigators work the case every week, according to Newbold. When detectives are working the case, he said they put in 12 to 14 hour days.
Semrad said building an ironclad case to bring those responsible for the killings to justice is not an easy task.
"People watch television shows and get the wrong idea about solving murder cases," the sheriff said. Semrad said in reality investigations like this take time and the effort "never stops."
"All of the people working this case have said they've never seen anything like this," Semrad said. "It's a very complicated case."
Meanwhile, the murder that marked the tiny unincorporated town of Holbrook has taken its toll on the people who live there. People in this rural part of Oneida County now watch more carefully for strange vehicles and out-of-state license plates, according to the sheriff.
"It's changed our whole county, but it's changed that community a lot," Semrad said. "Strangers no longer stop and ask for directions to Stone Reservoir. They ask where the murder house is."
www.sfgate.com/news/crime/article/Oneida-County-triple-homicide-still-unsolved-5399095.php
www.ktvb.com/news/crime/Oneida-County-triple-homicide-still-unsolved-255089801.html
Thoughts? Although our posters here are mature enough to never make such statements, I do want to stress that although the victims may not have necessarily lived pristine lives based on what was found, it does not mean they deserved what happened to them, since I have read comments elsewhere that have insinuated that. Parents are now without children, and children are now without parents, and the thought of an infant girl being held in her dying mother's arms is tragic beyond words.
It does sound though like police are on the right track, so hopefully they are closing in on their suspect, or most likely suspects in this case.
Admin Note #1: Based on crime location, our advice for anyone with information on this case would be to contact the Oneida County Sheriff's Office's at (208) 766-2251
Admin Note #2: If you have any news-related updates on this case, please contact us here: amwfans.com/thread/1662/website-contact-form
