The Wallet
Allo Police photo of wallet from April, 1979
Professor Pierre Blackburn from Sherbrooke University, who specializes in heuristics and is reading Criminal Investigative Failures writes,
"...and when was the wallet found ? did it not automatically discredit the overdose theory ?"
I have discussed this frequently, but it is always worth repeating. The simple answers are, "A week after the body was found", and "No".
The lead inspector, Roch Gaudrault reasoned that finding the wallet by the side of the road, 10 miles away from where the body was found was irrelevant. To quote the detective, "Wild animals could have carried the wallet there".
Wild animals... traveling 10 miles... being careful so as to not allow the contents to spill from the wallet.... being careful not to leave any bite marks... wild animals, carefully using the organized travel patterns of humans, keeping to the roads, and leaving the evidence by the side of a road.
The kicker here is that M. Gaudreault, after retirement became and "expert" adjunct professor at Sherbrooke University, influencing an entire generation of new cadets on what he considered proper policing procedures. That's right, the same cegep / school where Professor Blackburn now teaches students on psychology, heuristics and the dangers of cognitive bias.
There is some good in all of this. Professor Blackburn has been granted permission to translate two chapters from Kim Rossmo's book into French. It is his goal to use the chapters as a module for teaching new students about cognitive bias traps, and proper policing technologies.
Full circle.
posted by John Allore @ 1/18/2009 10:11:00 AM
6 comments
6 Comments:
John...YOU and I and many many readers "KNOW"...
I wish I could add something else..but when it comes to a few cases, the investigations/investigators had tunnel vision..and then some.
Doreen P
The only animal that put that wallet in that ditch is the one that murdered Theresa Allore and left her face down in a bog.
'Anon'
But John, contrary to your belief that the wallet had spent the winter in the ditch, I believe that the reason the wallet was spotted soon after Theresa's body was found is because it was tossed in the ditch soon after Theresa's body was found.
'Anon'
Anon: what is your evidence for it being put there in the Spring?
JJA
Well John, I know you did your experiment of leaving a similar wallet out in the elements over a period of time and it faired well, but I'm not so sure that the contents of the wallet, mostly paper items, would have faired so well. I believe that if the wallet had been left in the ditch in November 1978 and discovered in April 1979, having spent over five months in rain and snow, the papers inside would have been affected.
On April 20, 2007, you wrote about the farmer finding the wallet containing a photo ID, library card and 'some papers.' The comments for that post are gone, but I think that's where you mentioned that you had done your experiment with a wallet. Coincidentally, that day, a little water from my water bottle had leaked in my purse and the papers that were in there were wrinkled and the writing had faded or bled. Some of the papers were important so I blotted and tried to flatten them but they showed evidence of having been damaged by the water.
Another reason: the wallet is bright red, I'm sure it would have been spotted sooner if it had been there since November.
My opinion...someone had that wallet in their possession for 5 months but decided to toss it when Theresa's body was found.
'Anon'
And with her money, on their way wild animals could have stopped at the Hotel in Waterville for a beer.
NI
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