When I got home last night and read all the updates on the death of Melissa Jenkins, I was just too stunned to even update. This has got to be one of the weirdest stories I’ve ever heard.

From all accounts, Melissa Jenkins was just about the nicest person in the world. A beloved teacher, a wonderful mother. Someone who would help anyone in any way she could. Which, I guess, is why she agreed to leave her home to help Allen and Patricia Prue when they called her, claiming their car had broken down. Obviously, she had qualms, as she took the time to first call a friend to tell him what she was doing.

And what was Melissa’s payback for being so kind? She was grabbed, beaten and choked (in front of her 2 year old child, who has been able to give some information to the police as to what happened to Mommy), thrown into a car and murdered. I’m still confused as to the motive. Allen Prue has said that he wanted to “get a girl”. This sounds like things I’ve heard Ted Bundy say. Why did his wife help him? What else have these two creeps done? We have a number of unsolved missing women cases in Vermont (Brianna Maitland, for starters). Did they have something to do with that? I sincerely hope that the Vermont State Police are looking closely at them.

And to make things weirder, the family of Allen Prue are insisting that the police “have the wrong man”. Did they miss where Allen confessed, and led police to where he and his wife dumped Melissa’s body, and to where they burned her clothes? The man confessed! How can they be defending such a person? I understand that a parent will always love their child, but when they are clearly in the wrong (and you can’t get much more wrong then this), don’t be singing the blues about how the police have the wrong man. I think it’s pretty clear that they don’t.

The police affidavit

News sources are reporting that arrests have been made in the murder of Melissa Jenkins. From what I’ve read so far, it’s not what any of us expected, I don’t think. They’ve arrested a husband and his wife. Allen Prue, 30, and his wife Patricia, 33, were taken into custody late last night.

A husband and wife?! I really don’t understand what this world is coming to.

A news conference is expected at 10am with further details. If I am able to find a link to it, I’ll post it. And I’ll update as I can.

Again, please say a prayer for Melissa, her little boy, and all of those that loved and cared for her.

Police Make Arrests In Jenkins Murder
TODD WELLINGTON
Staff Writer

Police took Allen Prue, 30, and his wife Patricia Prue,33, into custody late Tuesday night in connection with the murder of Melissa Jenkins.

Both are being held at the Northeast Region Correctional Facility in St. Johnsbury. Police plan a press conference to announce these developments at 10 a.m. today.

Allen Prue was an independent snow plow driver and a sub-contracted newspaper delivery person for the Caledonian-Record. He delivered newspapers to the Peacham, Groton area but did not service a route in the Goss Hollow area of Danville. He started with the paper in late January, 2012.

Police executed a search warrant at the the Prue residence, at 91 Old County Road in Waterford beginning at approximately 8 p.m. Tuesday night. A mobile crime unit was parked outside of the home, which was designated a crime scene. Six troopers were involved in the warrant’s execution.

Vehicles were towed from the scene.

Around the same time Patricia Prue was being questioned at the state police barracks in St. Johnsbury.
She experienced a medical episode and was transported by ambulance to NVRH. She was listed in stable condition at 11 p.m. and returned to the barracks at approximately midnight. She entered the correctional facility at approximately 1 a.m.
Allen Prue was taken into custody around that time and was taken to the correctional facility.

Allen Prue completed his delivery route for the Caledonian Record on both Sunday and Monday nights. Route drivers reported, however, that the Prues arrived an hour late on Sunday night.

I’m slowly finding information on the disappearance of Melissa Jenkins. Here is the only video that I’ve located so far.

Well, this is not the update that I wanted to be posting tonight. I had to work tonight, and spent most of the day hoping that this story would have a good ending. Tonight, it looks like that may not be the case. Vermont State Police are reporting that they have found a body in Barnet, which is about 11 miles from where Melissa lived and where her car was found. They have not positively identified the body as Melissa, but common sense tells you that this will be the case. My thoughts and prayers are with her family and with her 2 year old son, Ty.

Police suspect body found is that of missing St. Johnsbury woman

Vermont State Police say a body of a woman found in Barnet is believed to be that of missing St. Johnsbury teacher and mother Melissa Jenkins. Barnet is about 11 miles from St. Johnsbury, where Jenkins, 33, lived and where her car was found.

Police said an area off of Comerford Dam Road was disturbed, and that’s where the body was found. An autopsy will be conducted Tuesday, police said.

State police Maj. Ed Ledo said investigators looking into Jenkins’ suspicious disappearance were checking “remote pull-offs in the greater St. Johnsbury area” when they located a site along the road that had been disturbed, and there they found a body.

“Although I cannot disclose the details of how the body was found, the death is considered suspicious,” Ledo said during a solemn 6:30 p.m. news conference at the St. Johnsbury Academy, where Jenkins worked as a science teacher.

“The body recovered this afternoon is believed to be that of Ms. Jenkins, however a positive identification of the body will not be made until the autopsy is performed,” Ledo said. “The state police have reached a critical part of the case; therefore the release of additional information will be limited as to not inhibit the investigative process.”

Ledo answered few questions at the news conference at 6:30 p.m., including whether the case is an isolated incident or whether police had any suspects. He said Vermonters should exercise normal diligence.

“The Vermont State Police cannot emphasize the importance of citizens coming forward with any and all information regarding this case,” Ledo continued. “We especially want to hear from anyone who may have traveled along Goss Hollow Road in St. Johnsbury on Sunday evening between the hours of 7 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. and along Comerford Dam Road in the town of Barnet.

“If anyone has information regarding this case,” he said, “please call the St. Johnsbury barracks at 802-748-3111 or submit a secure and anonymous tip.”

People in Vermont can send in tips by text message to “CRIMES” (274637) with the keyword VTIPS, state police said. Users also can use an online form at https://www.tipsubmit.com/WebTips.aspx?AgencyID=1064.

Earlier today:

Earlier, police said the St. Johnsbury Academy teacher’s disappearance was suspicious, and she was a victim of foul play. Police said Jenkins last was seen Sunday night, and her 2-year-old son was found alone in her SUV a quarter-mile from their St. Johnsbury home.

Her son is with family, according to authorities.

A friend reported Jenkins missing at about 11:30 p.m. Sunday, saying she had not heard from her in about three hours, Vermont State Police said.

“She didn’t go willingly; there’s evidence of that at the scene,” Lt. Mike Henry of the St. Johnsbury state police barracks said Monday morning. “There was evidence of a struggle.”

The Vermont Army National Guard was searching for Jenkins by helicopter, and police used search dogs. Henry said police were not searching for anyone else.

Jenkins has been a science teacher at St. Johnsbury Academy since 2004, said headmaster Tom Lovett. She had coached freshmen girls basketball, but stopped when her son was born to spend more time with him. Lovett said Jenkins, a single parent, was working toward her master’s degree in education.

“We’re emotionally exhausted, but we’re still hopeful,” Lovett said Monday afternoon, before Jenkins’ body was found. “It’s pretty unnerving. Very unnerving, actually.”

He said Jenkins taught his daughter chemistry. This year she is teaching physics. He said she is a popular teacher.

“My daughter loved her,” he said.

The school might hold a vigil on campus later this week if Jenkins is found, Lovett said earlier.

“She was very patient and very accommodating to students’ learning needs,” Lovett said.

Jenkins also works four days a week at The Creamery Restaurant in Danville. Restaurant owner Marion Cairns said Jenkins was well-known around town, and when she wasn’t working she was spending time with her son, Ty. She said she didn’t know of any reason why she would be missing.

“She’d cut her arms off before she’d let anything happen to that little boy of hers,” Cairns said.

About a dozen customers and staff were sitting in the restaurant Monday afternoon talking about Jenkins’ disappearance.

“I hope to see her tomorrow; that would be a blessing,” Cairns said before police said the body had been found. “I can’t imagine why anyone would ever take her and leave her little boy in the car.”

Leah Mourice of Danville said she’s known Jenkins her whole life, but got to know her better after they both had children at about the same time. Mourice’s daughter, Jamison, played with Ty. The two women went to playgrounds, walked around town and got ice cream with their children, she said.

“She’s a great mother,” Mourice said. “Everyone’s really worried and scared.”

Cairns and Mourice wiped away tears as they talked about the disappearance. A candlelight vigil was planned for 7 p.m. tonight at the restaurant.

After the friend of Jenkins reported her missing at about 11:30 p.m. Sunday, the friend went looking for Jenkins, and found her 2006 silver Suzuki Grand Vitara parked on the side of Goss Hollow Road, a short distance from Jenkins’ home, Vermont State Police Detective Lt. Robert Cushing said.

Troopers searched the area and found evidence “to indicate that Jenkins’ disappearance is potentially suspicious,” according to the detective.

Melissa Jenkins, 33, from St. Johnsbury, Vermont, went missing sometime yesterday, leaving her 2 year old behind in her car. Missing women in Vermont are not very common (at all), so I’m sort of surprised that it isn’t receiving more press coverage. I’m guessing it will soon, if she isn’t found.

St. Johnsbury isn’t close to me, so I don’t know what kind of attention it’s receiving up there. From the comments on the WCAX Facebook page, it sounds like a fair amount. From what I’ve read, Melissa is a much loved teacher who wouldn’t just go wandering off.

As I said, there’s not much information right now, but I’ll share what there is, and do my best to keep updating. I sincerely pray that there is only one update necessary, and that is that Melissa has been found, safe, and reunited with her family. But until that happens, please keep an eye out for her, and pray for her and her family.

Article below is from the Burlington Free Press.

Police say disappearance of St. Johnsbury woman “suspicious.”

Police are calling the disappearance of a St. Johnsbury woman “suspicious,” after finding her 2-year-old child abandoned in a car on the side of the road.

A friend of Melissa Jenkins, 33, reported the woman missing at about 11:30 p.m. Sunday, saying she had not heard from her in about three hours, Vermont State Police Detective Lt. Robert Cushing said. The friend went looking for Jenkins, and found her 2006 silver Suzuki Grand Vitara parked on the side of Goss Hollow Road, a short distance from Jenkins’ home, Cushing said.

Troopers searched the area and found evidence “to indicate that Jenkins’ disappearance is potentially suspicious,” according to the detective. The child was placed in the custody of a family friend.

Police described Jenkins as white, about five-feet-four-inches tall, 130 pounds with blond hair and hazel eyes. Cushing asked anyone who traveled Goss Hollow Road between 7 and 11:30 p.m. Sunday, or who has information regarding Jenkins whereabouts, to call the St. Johnsbury State Police barracks at 748-3111.

Police said they will release more information about the investigation at a press conference this afternoon.

So, it’s winter in Vermont. Kind of a weird winter, at that. It’s hardly snowed at all, and half the time it feels like spring. Except that the trees are all bare and the grass is brown. Kind of depressing, and not terribly motivating. So, what’s a girl to do besides go to work and clean the house?

Well, there’s online games. A great way to burn time. At one point, I was addicted to Farmville on Facebook. I got over that. Talk about time consuming! Getting up at 6 in the morning to harvest imaginary strawberries got old, eventually. Although I was sad to see my beautiful farm go fallow.

My mother-in-law has recently taken up playing bingo. It’s a way for her to get out with her friends and socialize, and perhaps make a couple of dollars at the same time. My lack of a vehicle prevents me from doing that. But, hey, why not play bingo online? I don’t need a car to do that, and don’t even have to leave my house when it’s cold (and if it ever snows!). And it’s something I already know how to do (back when I was a kid, we even played bingo in school….remember that?). It can be done at my pace. I don’t have to wake up at 6 am, or stay awake late into the night….unless I want to!

Guess I’ll go check it out…at least it will give me something to do today besides clean!

I was so happy to read that the Supreme Court upheld the murder conviction against Michael King. Now, to me, this was a no-brainer, but it’s been a while since they heard the appeal, and the lack of a decision was actually making me nervous. I knew that they wouldn’t overturn the conviction, but was concerned that they might throw out the death penalty. I’m glad to say, the justices saw right through his nonsense.

This is what the Supreme Court had to say:

“As noted in the sentencing order, rarely is a court able to experience first-hand what a deceased victim encountered,” the Florida Supreme Court wrote in the opinion released Thursday.

“In this case, anyone who listens to the 911 call placed by Denise Lee will hear the abject terror she was experiencing plus her panicked, frantic pleas to the 911 dispatcher (for help) and King (to be returned home).”

The Florida Supreme Court also cited the horrific details of the crime and wrote “are in complete agreement” that the death penalty was appropriate in King’s case.

One could wish that Michael King would just give it up and accept his fate. Quit wasting everyone’s time and money with appeals, and man up. That’s what a real man would do. Of course, we’re not talking about a real man here, we’re taking about an evil monster. I guess that’s why he’ll continue to appeal, over and over. Doesn’t seem fair. Denise appealed to him, over and over, to be taken home, back to her family. He did not hear her pleas. Why should we have to hear his?

Remember Denise. She’s the victim, not Michael King.

So, one of the problems with working in retail (and especially retail that involves heavy dishes/pot and pans/bed in a bags that weight a thousand pounds!) is back pain. I’ve gotten really skilled at tweaking my back lately. I’ve actually had to call off from work because of it (and I NEVER call off from work). Usually, a few days of taking it easy and watching what I lift do the trick, but sometimes it takes more.

A couple of years ago, I managed to hurt my back doing nothing. Literally. I was on vacation. Can you hurt your back sitting at the computer? Apparently I can, lol. It was awful. I ended up having to do physical therapy, and taking muscle relaxers. What I wonder now (since I keep tweaking it over and over!) is if going to a nyc chiropractor would be a better solution. I’ve never been to a chiropractor. I know a lot of people who have, but I’ve always shied away from it. Maybe it’s something to think about.

In the meantime, I guess I’ll just try to watch what I lift, and keep that big tube of Icy Hot handy. After all, I have a sales goal to meet! And the best sales seem to involve great big heavy boxes. Such is life. :)

So, there’s a new video circulating that claims to be a video blog by Casey Anthony. I can’t decide for sure if it’s her, but if it is, she sure hasn’t changed. The whole video consists of “me, me, me”. Not a word about Caylee. She talks about how she bought a computer (with what money?) and adopting a dog (that poor dog, what kind of fool would allow her to adopt a dog?). So, what say you? Is this Casey?

A couple of the news stories about this:

Alleged Casey Anthony video diary surfaces on Internet
Supposed Casey Anthony Video Diary Surfaces

So, for starters, I’ll share a couple of “only in Vermont” pictures. :) A week ago, I was headed to work, with a horrible cold. Full of cold medicine. I stopped at Dunkin’ Donuts, as I frequently do (yeah, I run on Dunkin’. I freely admit it). I knew something was going on, because the streets were blocked off. But, things looked pretty normal. But when I came back out, here is what I was greeted with!

A thousand Santas, running down Pearl St. I thought I was hallucinating for a minute! Cold medicine overload! Turns out it was a marathon to benefit the Make A Wish Foundation. But what a sight! The first picture doesn’t show you just how many Santas were running down the road, so here’s another shot. Even this picture only shows about a third of them. There were a LOT of Santas! You should have seen me trying to dodge them to get across the street.

Only in Burlington.

Lindsay goes to school, is enrolled in the culinary program at the Tech Center (and is a darned good cook, too!), and works part time at a local grocery store. All while keeping up with good grades and helping around the house. A mom couldn’t ask for more.

Happy Birthday, Lindsay! You’ve grown into a beautiful young woman, and I couldn’t be prouder. We love you!

I work full time now at Macy’s. I enjoy it, but the earning potential leaves a bit to be desired. I do a bit of web designing on the side, and hosting. That brings in a little bit. But there have to be other ways for moms to make a bit of extra money. After all, the older the kids get, the more expensive they seem to get!

That leads me to the web in a search for ways to make extra income. If you google it, one thing it brings up is playing free bingo online. Now, we all know women who go off and play bingo. But that’s not so easy for me, with my crazy work schedule. But playing bingo online….now, that’s something I can probably do. There’s all kinds of different games and rooms to get involved with. There’s social interaction, and chat rooms, all kinds of good stuff. There’s even bingo no deposit available, which would be my kind of bingo (after all, I want to make money, not spend it!).

So, maybe I’ll check it out. Never know….I might hit it big! Stranger things have happened. :)

Truth is you’re an amazing mommy, You make me mad sometimes but at the end of the day i couldn’t ask for anyone better, You’re always there for me no matter what. I can talk to you about anything and everything and trust you with everything, I love you so much?

Made my night! Love you, too, Baylee!

I close again at work today. I hate days when I close, because by the time it’s late enough to leave for work, I no longer feel like going. Just once, I’d love to just skip work, jump on a bus (or a plane, or in a friend’s car), and go somewhere far way. Like New York City. Where no one knows me, no one expects me to work, or clean, or do (endless) laundry. Just spend the day in a spa, a NYC wellness center, any place but home or work. How nice would it be, to spend a day all to myself, not thinking about any of the day-to-day stress I regularly face? If I could just get away for a day, I’d probably be able to focus, to think again, without stressing out all the time.

Well, sadly, I don’t see that happening today. But, one day, maybe it will. Hey, a girl can dream, right? Until then, I guess I’ll go do some more dishes and get ready for work!

What’s really frustrating is some of the things that they are arguing. They’re saying that the shell casings found where King had been target shooting the day before could not be connected to him…even though they found casings that an expert says were shot from the same gun that killed Denise. The reason those casings shouldn’t be considered? Because they were unable to test them with the actual gun. Well, it’s kind of hard to test them with the actual gun when the gun has never been found.

King’s lawyers are also once again trying to drag Robert Salvador, the man who had been target shooting with King, into the murder again. They already ripped Salvador apart in court, and now they want to do it again. There has never been any indication that Salvador had anything to do with Denise’s murder. The only thing Salvador did wrong (sadly for him) was to be friends with Michael King in the first place.

I’m still trying to read the court document listing the arguments. It’s 110 pages. It’s going to take me a while. But everything I’ve read so far does nothing to convince me that Michael King deserves anything less than the death penalty. The sooner the better. I attended court several times, once during the trial, and on the day that Michael King was sentenced. I can sincerely say that, when looking at Michael King, I did not see a person….I saw and felt true evil.

My thoughts and prayers are with the Lee and Goff families, who are having to go through this nightmare yet again. Nate, Rick and Sue, Amanda and Tyler, Mark and Peggy, stay strong. He will get what he has coming.

More on the story here.

The court document here.