Betty Alexander did not voluntarily walk away from her home. She is not living on the streets homeless, not knowing who she is or where she lives. Betty did not walk into the woods and perish from the elements in a state of dementia. She did not accept a ride from a trucker in a state of confusion.
The last confirmed sighting of Betty was around 3:00pm on Wednesday, April 10th, 2019. It’s believed she was abducted between the hours of 7:00pm that evening and Noon the following day. She was last seen at her apartment located at 6 South Center Street in Sullivan Missouri. This is not a retirement community or an assisted living facility.
Betty is 69 years old. She is a white female, 5′ 2″ tall, 145 pounds, with brown hair with blonde all-over highlights and blue eyes. She wears her hair at shoulder length. It’s unknown what clothing she wore. She does not have her eyeglasses.
Betty resided at the Center Street Apartments in Sullivan. She and her husband Don moved there four years ago. Don passed on only two days before Christmas 2018 leaving Betty in a more vulnerable state as he had handled most of their affairs. Betty continued to live in the apartment after her husband’s passing and had recently made future plans to move in with her daughter.
Just prior to her husband’s passing Betty had updated her hairstyle with blonde highlights at his request. She had also lost weight as her weight does fluctuate from time to time. The photo below most accurately represents Betty’s current look.
Betty has three children from a prior marriage. She has a daughter, Tonya, and two sons, Dave and John. All three children live in the Sullivan area. She has three step-daughters from her marriage to Don.
After Don’s death Betty began spending more time with her daughter. She would often spend a week at a time with her daughter’s family who lived on the outskirts of Sullivan, just a short drive from Betty’s apartment. As time went on those week-long visits turned into weekend visits. Each weekend Tonya would pick Betty up on Friday evening and then return her to her apartment on Sunday.
Dave and Cathy Schoonveld, Betty’s son and daughter-in-law, visited with Betty every Tuesday and Thursday evening after they dropped their daughter off at kickboxing.
The weekend Betty disappeared there were two changes in her schedule.
Tonya was to attend a family activity that was a two hour drive outside of Sullivan that weekend. Betty had a history of back pain and wasn’t comfortable sitting for long periods. Instead of making the long trip she decided to stay home and attend church on Sunday. Tonya and her Mother decided they would see each other that Sunday, after church, for an afternoon of shopping.
That Thursday, April 11th, Dave and Cathy allegedly skipped their visit with Betty and instead Dave visited Cathy’s uncle, Jerry, who lived in the same apartment complex as Betty. Dave allegedly stated that Betty’s lights were off at 7:15pm that evening and he saw no reason to disturb her. It’s unknown if Cathy also visited with her uncle Jerry that night.
When Sunday rolled around Tonya called her Mother as she drove to the apartment to pick her up for their arranged outing. Her call went unanswered. When she arrived Betty didn’t answer her knock at the door. The door was locked so Tonya used her key to enter.
There was no sign of Betty. Her eyeglasses were unfolded and rested upside down on the arm of the reclining seat of the sofa where Betty always sat and sometimes napped. She couldn’t function without those glasses. An outfit hung separately from the others in Betty’s closet. She would often choose her outfit for the following day and hang it separately for convenience. Betty’s purse was in the closet where she always kept it when in the home. It contained her apartment key, an ATM card, around $40 in cash tucked into her wallet, her typical spending money. But the wallet also contained an additional and mysterious $200. There were two envelopes in Betty’s wallet. Each envelope contained $100 in cash.
Also missing…one new box of Fentanyl patches.
How did Betty obtain the two envelopes containing the $200? Betty did not withdraw the cash. In fact, Tonya managed her Mother’s bank account after her Step-Father passed away. She held the checkbook and paid Betty’s bills. Betty had her debit card for purchases and the $40 cash if needed. Her bank account has not been accessed.
Where was Betty? She doesn’t own a vehicle and doesn’t drive. She did not go for walks outside of her apartment complex. She cannot see without those glasses and she always took her purse but it had remained there in the closet in her absence. The door was locked yet Betty’s key remained in her purse. The only other key to Betty’s apartment was held by her daughter, Tonya.
Tonya spoke with one of her brothers and found that they had also tried to call Betty over the weekend and received no answer. Betty didn’t have a cell phone as she found it too difficult to use but she did have a home landline and almost always answered on the first ring.
This was unlike Betty. She never left the home on foot. There was no one who would have picked her up. She would have never left without her glasses or her purse. But she was gone, her personal effects left behind.
Betty was recently diagnosed with the beginning stages of dementia. She took a low dose medication to control what few symptoms she experienced. At first, it was misinterpreted that perhaps Betty suffered an episode related to the dementia and had wandered off in a state of confusion. It was later clarified that Betty only had a touch of dementia. She would sometimes forget a name momentarily. Those who knew her, outside of family, had no idea she suffered from any memory problems. Her physician has since stated that Betty’s condition would not have caused this type of confusion and even missing a dose of medication would have very little effect if any to her cognitive abilities.
A detective with the Sullivan Police Department was tasked with investigating Betty’s disappearance. It’s likely he and others involved in the investigation suspected Betty had simply wandered off and either, in a confused state, caught a ride with a trucker or ended up on the streets unsure of her surroundings. In time they would come to determine that it wasn’t this simple. Betty did not likely wander off. In fact, some person or persons, are likely responsible for her disappearance. But who? And why?
Betty received local services available to seniors. She had a housekeeper who cleaned on Mondays and often stopped in with groceries from a local food pantry later in the week. She received a delivered meal from Meals on Wheels each afternoon. Her medication was delivered to her home by a local pharmacy. She also received in-home therapy for a physical ailment. These services have proved to be invaluable in tracking Betty’s whereabouts. But there were also surprises…
Monday morning of that week a plumber from Mr. Rooter serviced Betty’s apartment at 10:30am. The in-home physical therapist arrived at 11:30am.
Sinks Pharmacy made a delivery on Tuesday at 12:30pm.
Monday and Tuesday were seemingly typical days for Betty.
Wednesday, the morning of Betty’s disappearance, around 10:30am, she was witnessed at City Hall changing the name on her electric utility account from her husband’s name to her own. This wasn’t unexpected as she had her daughter change the name by mail but the request had been returned for an unknown reason.
The City Hall witness stated that there was a man standing behind Betty that appeared ‘scraggly’. Who was this man? Did he drive Betty there that day? Or was he simply a stranger standing behind her? His description didn’t appear to match anyone her daughter was aware of and she wasn’t aware of anyone who took Betty to run errands. It was highly unusual for Betty to walk away from her apartment or run errands on her own. There were allegedly no cameras at City Hall or surrounding businesses.
Regardless of the stranger or her means of travel, Betty arrived home safely that afternoon.
The housekeeper arrived around Noon. She brought Betty a box of food from a local food pantry. She later noted that Betty had seemed fine and had even commented that she was sleeping better.
Also around Noon the two volunteers from Meals on Wheels arrived with Betty’s meal for the afternoon. Betty was home and received her meal.
At 1:15pm Betty received her medication delivery from Sinks Pharmacy. She received multiple medications that included two boxes of Fentanyl patches that Betty used to ease her back pain. At 1:33pm Betty made her last phone call to Sinks Pharmacy but it’s unknown what was discussed. It has been confirmed that all medication was delivered.
Betty was last seen around 3:00pm by her daughter-in-law’s uncle, Jerry, who also lived in the apartment complex and had a view of the front of Betty’s apartment. Betty was alone and attending to her small flower garden. The garden was a small patch located right in front of her home adjacent to the front door.
It’s speculated that Betty was still in her apartment at 7:00pm that evening. She takes a bedtime medication and her dose for that night was not in it’s container, presumably taken at 7:00pm, which was the schedule she kept for her bedtime medication.
What happened that Wednesday evening after 7:00pm is a mystery. It’s unknown if she slept in her apartment that night and disappeared the next morning or if she was abducted that evening as she rested in her recliner. It’s strongly suspected that Betty disappeared on Wednesday evening after 7:00pm but before she went to bed for the night.
What we do know is that Betty did not take her morning medication on Thursday. The in-home physical therapist’s calls went unanswered at 10:16am and 11:53am. Meals on Wheels arrived at 11:15am to find the door locked. They tried again at 12:15pm, again with the door locked and their knocks unanswered.
That Thursday evening Betty’s son Dave allegedly didn’t visit with his Mother as he typically did on Thursday evenings. He visited his wife’s uncle, Jerry, within the same apartment complex and allegedly later noted that Betty’s lights were off at 7:15pm. It’s unknown why Dave didn’t check in on his Mother as it would be unusual that her apartment was dark at this time of evening and she was not expected to be away from her home.
On Friday, Meals on Wheels once again arrived at Noon to deliver Betty’s meal. This time they found the front door ajar. They entered the apartment and left the meal and a small carton of milk inside. When they left, per policy, they left the door ajar as they had found it. There was no sign of Betty inside or outside of the apartment.
When Tonya arrived on Sunday Betty’s door was locked. Who locked Betty’s door between Noon on Friday and Sunday afternoon?
Cadaver dogs and scent dogs were brought in. The cadaver dogs had no hits. Numerous sets of scent dogs, brought in on different dates, traced Betty’s scent down numerous paths away from the home but most consistently traced her scent from her front door to the parking lot. Did Betty leave in a vehicle? Who did Betty leave with? Did she leave willingly without her purse and eyeglasses? Betty doesn’t drive and does not own a vehicle. There are no surveillance cameras at the apartment complex.
The only sign of potential force was the positioning of Betty’s glasses and a long deep scratch in the glass of Betty’s storm door. The cap to a syringe was later found in the front yard but it is unknown if it’s related to the disappearance. Fingerprints were never taken. Luminal was later used with a negative result.
The only item missing, besides Betty, was the one new box of Fentanyl patches. Betty received a delivery of two boxes of Fentanyl patches and other non-opioid medications that day. The bag of medication, including the other box of Fentanyl patches, was found in the home, seemingly untouched. These two boxes would cover April and May. The empty March box was found discarded in the kitchen trash. The remaining March patches were found stacked on her dresser.
How can we explain a missing box of Fentanyl patches and the addition of $200 to Betty’s wallet found in two separate envelopes? Is it possible that Betty was selling her Fentanyl patches? According to family, this is very unlikely. She allegedly would not even know anyone who would make such a transaction. Could someone have convinced Betty to sell the patches or even forced her to?
After local searches and a vigil turned up no leads to Betty’s whereabouts, Tonya hired a private investigator to look into the disappearance of her Mother. On Saturday, May 11th, the PI entered Betty’s apartment to gather potential evidence. It’s unknown what may have been found. But that was the last time the apartment could be viewed as it was the day Betty disappeared.
That evening the apartment was unexpectedly rummaged through possibly removing or destroying potential evidence. Allegedly, with no expected lease termination, Betty’s son John, his brother Dave and Dave’s wife Cathy entered Betty’s apartment that evening after the PI had left. Without a key, it’s unknown how the three gained entry and they allegedly did so without permission from the apartment complex and unbeknownst to investigators and their sister Tonya. Most of Betty’s belongings and personal items were removed from the apartment, including the remainder of the Fentanyl patches. The lock was allegedly changed without the permission of the apartment manager.
Tonya received a call on that Saturday evening from a neighbor at the apartment complex. The neighbor had heard loud banging on Betty’s door and peered out to see a watering can containing flowers and a small black car. The car was not familiar to Tonya therefore the police were called by the neighbor.
Tonya notified the detective and headed over to see what was taking place. Upon arriving at the apartment Tonya found the door secured and her key no longer fitting the lock. She contacted the detective who informed her that he would send officers out. The officers located a key to the new lock under the doormat.
The brothers did not return Tonya’s calls or text messages.
Eventually the remainder of Betty’s items were removed and the apartment was later rented by Cathy’s uncle, Jerry.
An odd discovery was made just days before the disappearance. Allegedly, just five days or so before Betty disappeared, Cathy’s uncle Jerry saw framed family photos of Dave and Cathy in the complex’s dumpster. Believing Betty threw them away he allegedly gave the photos to his niece Cathy. Betty was sentimental when it came to photos. Why would she throw photos of her son and his family in the dumpster? Did someone else remove them from the apartment and throw them away? Was there a riff between Betty and her son and/or his wife?
Betty’s circle is small. She had no known regular visitors outside of her children and delivery workers – Meals on Wheels, a housekeeper a physical therapist and Sinks Pharmacy.
Had anyone unusual visited recently? Was anyone working in the area in the days surrounding the disappearance?
According to reports, a Mr. Rooter serviceman had worked within Betty’s apartment that Monday. He was allegedly checked out thoroughly and is not considered a suspect.
There was a maintenance man that was employed by the apartment complex at that time. He has since been terminated for reasons unrelated to Betty’s disappearance. The maintenance man drew some suspicion as his son allegedly is a recovering drug addict and they resided near Betty’s apartment. The maintenance man most likely had a master key. Is it possible that his son, or someone else known to him, was able to sneak the key away and use it to enter Betty’s apartment in search of the Fentanyl?
It’s unknown if there were tree trimmers, landscapers or other workers in the area at the time.
Sullivan investigators and the PI have not identified the ‘scraggly’ man seen standing behind Betty at City Hall the day she likely disappeared. Is this man connected to her disappearance? Who drove her to City Hall or did she walk? Did someone offer to take her out to run errands? This person may hold some insight into Betty’s disappearance.
Along with the cadaver and scent dogs investigators also used drones and helicopters equipped with infrared to search for Betty. Volunteers searched door-to-door as well as conducted searches in nearby wooded areas. Nothing was found.
The PI was able to locate two witnesses, Fidelity employees, who claim to have seen Betty around 5:00pm Thursday evening, the day after it’s speculated she disappeared. The witnesses recall that she was standing in the road and looking toward a fire station near her home. They stated that she looked frightened. The witnesses do not know what happened to the woman and no other witnesses reported seeing her. Was this Betty? If so, had she escaped her captor and was blindly searching for her home? Where did she go from there? There have been no other alleged sightings and it’s not been confirmed that this was Betty.
For every missing person you must start with ‘why?’. Why would anyone want to abduct or harm Betty Alexander? Once you know why then you must determine ‘who?’ Who could abduct or harm Betty for these reasons? Then ‘where?’. Where is Betty? Someone knows. More than one person likely knows.
If you have any information in regards to Betty’s disappearance please contact the Sullivan Police Department at 573-468-8001. Or, call anonymously at 573-860-5637. There is a $3000 reward.
Please do not hesitate to call and do not justify away something you may have found suspicious or even a minor detail you noticed in the days surrounding Betty’s disappearance. Sometimes a minor detail remembered is that last puzzle piece that solves a case.
If you would like to donate towards the reward fund for Betty Alexander you may mail a donation to the People’s Bank at following address:
People’s Bank, Attn: Bring Betty Home, 112 S Service Rd W, Sullivan MO 63080
Betty’s daughter, Tonya, is holding a benefit dinner for Betty’s 70th Birthday. Tickets are $25 and does include dinner. Items are being accepted for a baked goods sale and a silent auction. Volunteers are needed. Details can be found on the flyer below and at the Bring Betty Home Facebook page: Bring Betty Home
Unused funds will be donated to the various organizations that have assisted in the search for Betty.
Truth Tellers 
Why couldn’t city hall elec comp.make list who paid Bill’s that day Betty was there,surely they have that info then they can narrow down the men and find who was behind her,plus why wouldn’t city hall have cameras for outside to see if they left together,so much doesnt make since city hall uses computer system so they surely can tracy sales that day.
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They would have a record of anyone who paid a bill there that day. They would have a record of any transaction that took place that day. Now this person may have just asked a question but that’s unlikely.
This is where the detective comes in. He would need to ask for those records.
More importantly, how did Betty get there that day? She didn’t walk away from the complex. No one claims to have taken her there. How did she get there? Why did she choose that day? Did someone offer to take her to run errands?
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The complex is literally only a few blocks from city hall. Now tell me why she wouldn’t take a walk there and back?
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She may have walked there and back. Someone may have taken her.
There are conflicting statements. Betty’s daughter, Tonya, stated that she’s not aware of Betty ever leaving the complex on foot. City Hall is actually a good distance away from Betty’s home considering she’s elderly and has a bad back.
Think about this…. Just days before Betty disappeared she told Tonya she wanted to change the name on the electric bill. Rather than walk there or drive there they sent in the change by mail. For some reason that letter was returned in the mail.
I don’t know Betty so I don’t know if she was capable of that walk. But I’m told it would be very unlikely. It should also be noted that there could be a lot of sketchy characters encountered in this area had she walked.
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I was thinking the same thing… why can’t city hall look into that days payments and find the name of the person behind Betty? Seems as if she was at home abducted since her glasses and things she would use normally was still in her apt. Did she know her abductors ? Betty may have trusted someone she knew and let them inside. What I don’t understand about this is, why was she seen by two men and she had nothing with her? Why was she so confused? And why didn’t someone try to help her if they saw an older woman in a confused state and not help? The fentanyl is a concern since there are so many opioid users in Sullivan and where did the extra 200.00 come from? Sounds as if this lady was taken from her home by some kind of force or went with people she trusted. The only thing that comes to mind is, they dumped her out to get lost, but why? Did anyone have any thing to gain by her demise, an insurance policy? And why did those people go into her apartment without permission and take her belongings ? Why her picture thrower out? Seems as if they were trying to rid her of her past and existence. I pray for this lady a lot to be found. I Pray that the Lord shows someone , soon where this lady is… someone surly knows something.. there are too many weird things here I read about her days after she went missing that seems suspicious.
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I’m unsure if the detective has asked City Hall to provide those records. It’s also unknown if the guy made any type of transaction or was just there standing behind Betty. I certainly thing this is a top priority.
As far as the sighting at the firehouse, I’m not sure I believe that was Betty. There were questions as to whether or not it was actually her and on what day this took place. This leas came in quite late in the investigation when memories weren’t quite as fresh.
If that were Betty and she was seen in that state and it was on Thursday at 5pm then I think the only reasonable explanation is that she somehow evaded her captor and was trying to find help but couldn’t see without the glasses. But then were did she go afterwards?
I’m not sure who the black car belonged to. The flowers have turned out to be unrelated. The neighbor saw the flowers but they were not related to Betty. This all took place the night the brothers entered Betty’s home to remove her belongings .
I believe she was abducted from her home, likely as she napped on that reclining sofa.
I’m told that Betty was very trusting and would answer the door to a stranger. However, would she answer the door without her glasses? I wouldn’t.
This is only my opinion but I believe she was taken by force. Or, as we see occasionally, she may have left willingly while she was wearing her glasses. After she was harmed the glasses could have been taken back to the apartment and places there as a ruse at the same time the door was locked. Although, the simplest answer is usually the answer. A stranger would not have returned to the scene. Someone known to her could have.
The insurance policy is less than $2000. Unless there is a police that’s unknown.
I wish we knew about the photos. I’m positive someone knows why this happened. I don’t know what happened but I know someone does know. There are only so many people who could have done this and only so many reasons why. Did it play a role in her disappearance or was it coincidental?
Someone does know something. I don’t know who has the knowledge but someone does.
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As with any case, so many questions and few answers. I’ve researched this case extensively. I’ve spoken to neighbors, people in town, various LE not related to this case. It all leads back to Betty’s sons. I’m not saying they are the abductor of Betty. I think they know what happened.
Something was leading up to this. I think someone had convinced her to allow them to sell her fentanyl patches. She probably didn’t really want to but agreed to it and this person gave her a cut of the money.
Betty’s two sons have displayed some odd behavior. I spoke to people in town. They claim the boys lack of worry had led some of them to contact Sullivan police. The boys have not posted anything in regards to Betty missing. They’ve not taken part in the continuing searches. One person even told me that one of the boys handed them a flyer at the vigil and said ‘this lady is missing’. He did not care this was his Mother. Odd.
It’s all very odd. I didn’t post this in the blog but one of the neighbors told me that Cathy’s uncle not only moved into Betty’s old apartment but that Betty’s son gave him some of her furniture! Why would they do that? Tough to find suspect DNA when the potential suspects are all over the crime scene.
I did hear some evidence was found. Hopefully it’s being tested. Most people forget about all of the methods of leaving parts of themselves behind.
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I believe in one of daughters post that a brother wanted her to stop posting or something to the sort cause she was upset about it apparently and made it a point to post the scolding or words from him to her just to get it off her chest I guess.
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It’s my understanding that the brothers thought the daughter was posting too much and flooding everyone’s newsfeeds. I think they asked her to slow it down and she refused.
Now, this does not point to guilt or innocence… The daughter created the Bring Betty Home Page. I can’t see that the brothers or their immediate families have participated in that. The brother’s children have alleged that they were blocked. The daughter states they weren’t blocked but maybe some unsupportive comments have been removed. I may not have that exactly right.
There has been a lot of talk about the brothers and their families not posting about Betty. This doesn’t mean someone is guilty. I do find it u usual. There were two private posts that I was made aware of to Dave’s page. His son stated that it’s because he doesn’t know how to use Facebook. But…he hanged to post other public posts so I’m unsure why he hasn’t posted or shared more about Betty publicly. I’ve not heard anything in regards to the frequency John has posted about Betty.
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I would look into the son more. Why change the routine of visits, why were photos in dumpster. Sounds like she was removing herself from that son from a family disagreement or something.
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I don’t know that he changed his routine that day. It could be that he was there to visit his Mother and her lights were off so he instead visited his wife’s uncle. Or he may have skipped visiting his mother that day and instead visited the uncle and then noticed her lights were off.
I just thought it was an important part of the timeline. I think this tells us that Betty had been abducted before 7:15pm that night and it tells us that her lights were off.
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Maybe that’s why they removed things from her apartment? Why was any one allowed to go into a potential crime scene and disturb possible evidence? Don’t need a bunch of people coming into a missing persons place , in and out removing things that could have DNA that doesn’t belong there. The family member sure jumped on the chance to move right in where Betty may have been taken from. Sadly, this sounds like family is involved in her disappearance. Any one who needs glasses would not leave them behind and how did she pay her bill at the electric company didn’t the article say she had everything at home? This is just weird . She may have gotten a ride from a family member . Sounds as if she didn’t intend to do anything else but pay her bill and go back home or was abducted after she left the city hall? Too many unanswered questions.
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I’m quite certain the home was not considered a crime scene a month later when the sons removed Betty’s belongings. However, there was an active investigation going on and I don’t think it was wise to take those actions when it’s all involves a missing person. Perhaps it was just a bad decision on their part.
I don’t understand why Jerry moved into that apartment and no one has told me why. It may be just that he wanted a nicer apartment? I don’t know. But it’s another red flag that could draw suspicion.
I don’t think Betty’s sons harmed Betty. I do think it’s someone known to them all that is involved and I think they know more than they’ve stated. That’s only my opinion. They may know nothing. Perhaps it’s all just coincidental.
She made it home from City Hall that day. We don’t know how she got there. But she did make it home safely.
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Just a reminder… all comments are anonymous. You do not have to register or use a real name to comment.
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Why is there no mention of the 3 step-daughters? Is it not possible they are involved?
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I was only able to write about what information was available to me publicly at the time. My article was strictly about Betty’s timeline the week she disappeared and anything unusual that stood out within that time frame.
The three step-daughters were all questioned. Only one allegedly kept in contact with Betty. If any of the three step-daughters spoke to Betty within those days or visited with her then it’s not known to me.
I do not know if they were asked to take polygraphs or if they did take one or not.
If there is any reason any of the three would want to harm Betty I’ve not been made aware of it.
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Arrest one, (especially the creepy uncle that has way to convenient answers to everything then moved into the apartment?) The others will squeal
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Well, they can’t arrest someone without reason. I truly don’t believe anyone in the family is guilty of anything. I don’t think they have the faintest idea who it might have been. Unless maybe they have their own potential suspect based on that second sketch.
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