Parts of a woman in a suitcase
 

I doubt this has made national news yet but this has me totally freaked out. This happened about 1/4 mile from my kids' high school. Police are saying they believe it was a stranger who did this, not the boyfriend or brother. I have warned hypoallergenic (haha.. I can refer to her as her GC name now) to call/text me when she's leaving somewhere and when she arrives at her destination. I have warned her that if her car breaks down or someone hits her to lock the car doors, roll up the windows and call 911. Warning her and her friends to not let someone walk alone or bike alone anywhere, to stay in groups.

This has me FREAKED out. The city where this happened is a sleepy little town of 5000 with extremely little crime.


http://www.wxyz.com/dpp/news/region/...s-in-gibraltar

I know too many people who live within a block from there. (not to mention my fave Mexican restaurant) If it was a stranger it had to have been brought on by her.

I hope that I am reading this wrong and that you are not blaming the victim for the actions of someone else. Please clarify.

Dee- I watched the video, but obviously do not live in your region of the country. Has there been an explanation as to how/why it was the brother who happened upon the suitcase and just happened to have opened it?

PM_Mama00, please explain your comment. I'm sure you didn't mean to imply the murder victim caused her own death. She had a broken ankle which may have made her an easy target. Is that what you meant?

Blondie93, I believe the brother was searching for his missing sister in the river behind her condo when he found the suitcase.

Again I will recommend Gavin DeBecker's book, The Gift of Fear. I learned so much about how to be aware of my surroundings, how to protect myself, etc. Ted Bundy was skillful in the way that he lured his victims into his web. You just never know.

Since you have not provided an alternate explanation for your comments:

Go fuck yourself, you victim-blaming asshole.


/these comments to be revised should an alternate explanation actually arise.

My first explanation will be toward Drolefille... I work M-F, and I'm gone between 7am-7pm. My Saturdays aren't used to sit on Greekchat. I'm not a coward like some posters on this board.

Dee knows my feelings on this story. People from our area have been discussing it on FB.

MomofPNM- Thank you for not being an assuming dumbass.

Yes, I should have elaborated but didn't get a chance seeing as how I had to run out to errands and hit the button quickly. Didn't think I'd get THAT response. I'm not blaming her, but because of how our community is, if it was a stranger, it had to be someone she had come into contact with.... not just a random murder. Maybe someone from the internet she knew, maybe a drug situation (not a violent community but filled with many drug users), maybe someone from a bar. A neighbor that had a problem with her. That is what I meant by brought on by her.... that it wasn't a RANDOM murder.

I have strong feelings that it was the brother. People who were boating in the creek alerted him to the suitcase... which I find weird because where are these people now? The brother is the one who opened to the suitcase to find her. He also did an interview with a local news station and seemed rather calm. I find this all very odd, because if I found ANY body in a suitcase I'd be a basket case. Dee had explanations for why he may have been calm. I still get a weird vibe.

Thursday night and Friday morning were a little nerve-wracking, as we didn't get a name or picture till later Friday. When something this close happens, in a community where about 60-70% of people spread within 5-8 cities/townships know each other, you wonder if it was someone you knew. One of my best friends' parents live right there and you think the worst but hope the best. I really hope they find out who her killer/s is/are. This is a gruesome situation.

They had reported her missing to police on Monday night. Then her brother was going door to door with her driver's license to see if anybody had seen her. One of the people he talked to called him later to tell him there was a suitcase in the creek. The brother went and got the suitcase and opened it and then called police. I know PM_Mama thinks the brother did it but I'm not so sure. The police appear pretty confident that it was a stranger.

The brother was really calm in the video but I've seen my brother like that too. After my mom died, I was an emotional basketcase and my brother was Mr. Professional, handling everything and only breaking down in private. That's why I think the brother could have maintained his cool on camera. That's how some people roll.

While I can't speak for PM_Mama, I think everybody around here was hoping the body found initially was someone from Detroit who just happened to get dumped here or something. We don't WANT to believe that someone local has done this. That said, it's only a couple miles from I-75 and it's a secluded area so it could have been someone who stopped in the area and not someone who actually lives around here. We don't want to believe that someone who lives around here is capable of this. I know I don't.

I LOVE this book and recommend it to everyone I know. Just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get me.

What an awful story. So sad and gruesome.

(bold emphasis mine)
I want to think the best here, but it still sounds like you're blaming her. Kinda how someone says 'No offense, but' just before saying something they know is offensive.
Just because a particular murder isn't random, it doesn't mean it was brought on by the victim.

Ok let's bring this back to high school composition classes since we're going to pick apart people's words and try to analyze them, and give our own interpretations.

There is no "No offense, but". My point is that I am NOT... NOT... blaming her AT ALL. (I can bold too) If it was a stranger, it had to be someone she had come into contact with.... not just a random murder. Maybe someone from the internet she knew, maybe a drug situation (not a violent community but filled with many drug users), maybe someone from a bar. A neighbor that had a problem with her. That is what I meant by brought on by her.... that it wasn't a RANDOM murder.(Yep I copy and pasted that because I don't feel like retyping everything out)

This is not saying that it is her fault. Is it a girl's fault that she was raped while on a date? No. Is it my friend from high school's fault that she married a "To catch a predator" kinda guy? No. It happens.... IN OUR COMMUNITY.... and it doesn't have to be the girl's fault. THAT IS WHAT I MEANT BY "BROUGHT ON BY HER".

Just so everyone knows, I have plans tonight. So if you have more to pick apart and I don't answer, it's not because I can't verify my post or what I meant, it's because I have a life.

Oh, the tired "I have a life" reasoning that somehow implies that no one else does. Boring.
Who're these here cowards?


Just used your own words there, didn't have to assume anything.

Your words were, and your response is still ass backwards. "I didn't mean it was her fault, I'm just saying that she had to have known him."

All your speculation aside, I'm going to guess the police looked at the brother first and unless this is spectacular misdirection on their part, probably ruled him out.

Oh yes, lets.
"Brought on by her" implies she had control over the situation. She did the action, by "bringing" it "on." You did not say "someone she had contact with" or "someone from outside the community that knew her" because really that is speculation and wishful thinking. Which many people do following a tragedy. It is, after all, far more easy on the mind if it's not someone you know.

So, a "stranger" to you means "not a stranger?" Do you not understand what the definition of "stranger" means? A random encounter at a bar is a stranger, a neighbor is not. A drug dealer is not a stranger, nor is an internet friend.
Additionally, your use of the phrase "brought on by her" would get you flunked out of high school comp if you were using it to suggest "she brought this individual into the community."

Moreover, it is wishes and rainbows to insist that it could not have been someone from IN the community who was the murderer just because you know them. Obviously we don't know who the murderer was yet, no matter who it turns out to be, your belief is still based on sprinkles and cupcakes.


That is not what those words mean. Good try though. I mean, I know what you're trying to say now, but eh, you did a shitty job of it and I think you have no factual basis for it other than you want it to be true.
You want a cookie or something?

I get that. That makes a lot of sense, really as a coping skill, but it doesn't make it true, unforunately. And in the process of trying to remove the killer from the general population PM_Mama really did imply at least some level of blame, if only a bare minimum of "she brought him into the community."

The police implied that they have ruled out the woman's boyfriend and brother. Those were the two most likely "known" people to have done it.

All the women and teenage girls around here are being very careful though. I've read enough stories about serial killers to know that a lot of the time, people considered them charming and nice guys.

Yeah they can, and without knowing the reason for the murder or the pattern of a potential serial killer, all of a sudden everyone is a possible 'next victim.'
And someone who can dismember a victim would seem to fall into the antisocial/sociopathic sees victim as 'meat' category so it's not an unreasonable fear. Hopefully the police find the killer quickly and put an entire community at ease.

I really hope the local police are getting help. I'm honestly not sure this police department has ever had a murder before.

I read in one article (can't remember because I feel like I've read almost all of them) that there is a person of interest. I'm really curious who that is.

They had one a few years ago. It was at Drinks Saloon (directly behind my friend's house, across the creek) but that was in front of multiple people. They didn't really need to find a murderer. I haven't heard anything else.

ETA: Of the people I know from Gibraltar, no one knows her name. I wonder where she was from originally if not there?

While I generally always enjoy your posts and your reasoning behind them, I found the bolded sentence odd. I don't think you meant to imply that the murder/death would have been any less tragic had it was someone from Detroit, did you?

It would affect the fear factor in a different way. This is a town with a population of 5000 and the woman was found in a creek immediately behind her condo. That makes for a very fearful community. It wouldn't have been less tragic, but it wouldn't have instilled the kind of fear that this has. We wouldn't have been as worried about our teenager daughters going to school 1/4 mile down the street. We wouldn't be as afraid for ourselves.

It is tragic either way, but when you know there was a murderer who could do this in your own backyard, it's more unsettling. I think we all tend to have a sense of security in our neighborhood, even if it's not well founded in statistics. In this instance though, it IS founded in statistics. This is the fourth homicide in this city in the history of the city, which was founded in 1837.

So, we expect murders in Detroit. We don't expect them in Gibraltar. It doesn't make the murder any less tragic. It does affect how afraid we are.

ETA: PM_Mama: She is from Wayne originally.

Whoever did this really didn't want her to be able to be identified. Reports are now saying that not only were her head and hands missing to make identifying her more difficult but her tattoos were removed also. Given all of that, I am more convinced that it was not the brother because he is the one who told the police that it was her. If he didn't want her identified, he could have taken that suitcase and tossed it into the Detroit River with some cement and it would never have been found.

One of my sands is a Detroit Police officer (SWAT) and he told me on average there's about 8 murders in Detroit/day...to the point most of it doesn't even make the news. He sees these types of (dismembered body) murders often. Outside of Detroit, it's not very common.

ETA: With the exception of Flint, which in some areas is worse than Detroit.

Dee where are you getting your info? I can't find anything updated. It's very frustrating! I didn't hear anything about the tattoos. HOW SICK can someone be to do all this?!

It was in the Detroit News:

http://www.detnews.com/article/20110...nd-in-suitcase

I deleted my earlier statement about her tattoos being removed because I was afraid that it was "insider" information that could damage the case but then I thought for sure I had read it somewhere. I've added it back to the original post.

"Pamela Prpich had tattoos, and it appeared tattoos were removed from the body, police said."

They have arrested someone. Hope it's the right person. They've also found more of her parts (that is so hard to say).

http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/28971523/detail.html

Police have said they'll release more details later this morning.

He confessed!

http://thenewsherald.com/articles/20...9900132575.txt

He confessed to dismembering her but not to murdering her. They still haven't established a cause of death. It's so creepy that he lived in the apartments right next door. Some reports are saying that they were both involved in some heavy drugs.

I'm glad he's behind bars. I will rest easier tonight.

Well they didn't have all the pieces before.

while I suppose she could have died and he decided he should pack some of her up in a suitcase or... something. He's going to be digging a big old hole trying to show that he didn't kill her too.

I do hope that they read him his rights and followed procedure so there's not a technicality that could be used to throw out the confession.

That is exactly why many serial killers are able to amass many, many victims before they're caught. They're charming and charismatic and are skilled at luring intended victims into bad situations, often against their own instincts and better judgement.

His name has leaked to the press and some more details are coming out. This was the last person she had talked to her on her cell phone. He bought several containers of bleach at the little store right next to the condo complex and police were alerted to this "unusual" behavior. He was a regular at this store. The police took him in for questioning after two nights in a row of buying large amounts of bleach when he confessed to dismembering her (but not to murdering her). So, if they were into some heavy drugs and she OD'd or something, I guess he could be afraid to call anybody about it because he'd get in trouble. We'll see if that's what actually happened.

Other articles also say that the brother talked to this guy when he was going door to door trying to find his sister.

Oh yeah, and the guy is a butcher.

how the heck can anyone just chop up a body like that? it freaks me out just seeing a dead body. i hope he fries.

I'm thinking drugs plus being a butcher?

He won't fry.. we don't have the death penalty here. He's also dying of cancer according to another neighbor. He's on oxygen. It's all so bizarre. I don't know that he'll live long enough to go to trial because that can take a long time in most instances.

well then he can fry in hell. :D

This is why you don't do drugs...

Part of me wants to exclame on here... I WAS RIGHT. She knew him. Random murders just don't happen here! They could, but they haven't. Thank God and let's hope it stays that way. (and let's hope to God that no more of this happens)

Once I heard about him, my thoughts were that they were doing drugs, she overdosed, he freaked out, and killed her. Hence, he didn't MURDER her, just dismembered her. (um, guy, and that makes it ok?!)

I'm with Drolefille. I hope they did everything according to the book so there are NO loopholes for him. Dee do you remember the Riverview murders a few years ago? Those 3 teenagers who were obviously guilty got off because someone on the prosecution side lied (amongst other things done wrong)

Still, after someone dismembered someone else and was able to do that, yet had the presence of mind to go to Sav-Mor for bleach repeatedly (wondering how much bleach he bought if it raised suspicion), I'd still worry about all the teenage girls in the area, with the high school being so close. If you read a lot about serial killers, sometimes the first one is an accident and they get such a rush from it that they get more organized about it.

Just really glad he's behind bars.

We also never really know who has moved into the neighborhood, especially in apartment complexes which are more transient. If you ever look at the Sex Offender Registry, a lot of those people live in apartments. With all the foreclosures, a lot more homes are being rented, which also attracts more transients. On top of all that, you never really know your neighbor and as we talked about earlier, sociopaths are often charming. How often do you hear "We never thought he would do something like that!" after a murder?

ETA: Today's paper has a little more info:

James Thomas Bommer, 52, was charged with one count of dismembering and mutilating a dead body and one count of obstruction of justice.

He was not charged with the murder of 32-year-old Pamela Prpich.

Police said Bommer told them he and Prpich were doing drugs when he found her dead from an overdose. He told police he cut up her body to hide her death because he panicked.

Bommer is being charged as a habitual offender, which could lead to life in prison.

http://www.thenewsherald.com/article...4301729281.txt

Remember this case http://writ.news.findlaw.com/colb/20031119.html

This guy was aquitted in Texas after killing his neighbor, dismembering him and dumping him in Galveston Bay.

Which is why they charged him with dismembering and mutilating a dead body but not murder. I'm hoping he pleads guilty to that and spares us from a trial, honestly.