Troy Dean Carney, Oregon murder Sept. 1, 2008

[dreamweaver]

Troy Dean Carney, murdered Sept. 1, 2008, found dead in his sleeping bag Sept. 4, 2008.
http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080906/NEWS07/809060324
http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081025/NEWS/810250312


October 25, 2008

By Anita Burke
Mail Tribune
A stark black and yellow mask from the Marvel Comics character Wolverine might give Jackson County Sheriff's Department detectives a look into the final hours of a man who was murdered along the Bear Creek Greenway outside Central Point in early September.

Investigators discovered the distinctive mask at a campsite near where Troy Dean Carney, 44, was found dead in a sleeping bag Sept. 4, hidden in brush between the Central Point freeway interchange and Table Rock Road.

Related Stories
Police identify victim of apparent greenway homicideGreenway body prompts investigation Four camps were tucked in the blackberry brambles not far from the Pilot truck stop — Carney's and three others, Jackson County Sheriff's Detective Sgt. Colin Fagan said.

Investigators tracked down a couple who had left one of the camps a few days before the murder likely occurred on Sept. 1 and a man who moved on from one of the others in the weeks following the crime, Fagan said. But at the final abandoned camp, they found only a small dome tent and a scattering of debris and personal items, including the Wolverine mask, which was propped up as if on display.

"It might not have anything to do with the murder, but we hope it can help us narrow down who had camped there," Fagan said.

Investigators want to talk to whoever stayed there to find out if they had seen Carney or anyone with him in the days or hours before he was killed.

Carney had lived in the Rogue Valley 10 years ago, but in the past decade had traveled the country with truckers. He worked as a "lumper," loading and unloading trucks and riding along with the driver, Fagan said.

This summer, Carney rode into the Willamette Valley from Idaho. He decided to visit old friends in the Medford area and stayed with them for a while, but his presence stressed their relationship, they told investigators. Carney planned to camp near the Central Point truck stop until he could find a ride to a larger transportation hub where he could resume his nomadic lifestyle, Fagan said.

Carney ate at the Pilot and used the phones there. In the parking lot, he offered to do odd jobs, such as polishing chrome, for truckers to earn money. He was last seen in surveillance photos at the business on the evening of Sept. 1, wearing camouflage cargo shorts and a dark T-shirt, the same clothes he was found dead in, Fagan said.

"He was pretty friendly," Fagan said. "We're hoping somebody saw him Sept. 1 or later."

Carney's friends thought he had left the area until his mother in Florida called to ask where he was, as she hadn't heard from him and he usually called regularly. His friends called police to see if the man found dead near the Greenway could be Carney. It was.

In the days following the discovery, many of the homeless men moved their camps out of the immediate area because they were afraid, Fagan said.

Around 1 a.m. on Sept. 14, however, someone returned to set a fire in the midst of the now-empty campsites. Distance and natural barriers kept fire crews from the blaze for 24 minutes, so by the time they arrived to douse the flames, no one was around.

Still, investigators say the fire was intentionally set and they suspect it could have been started to cover up evidence and keep detectives away.

They would like to talk to anyone who has information on the fire. They also want information on the mask and who might have owned it. They also would like to talk to anyone else who Carney might have associated with around the time of his death.

Investigators ask people with details on any of this to call the department's tip line at 774-8333.

[packy]

Very good picture of the mask here. http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081025/NEWS/810250312/0/GREENWAY

[justice4troy]

Thank you so much

[packy]

Welcome, Troy's Mom. I do hope they can find the other camper to find if he/she would be able to give any leads. I am so sorry for your loss.

[Roamer]

Welcome, Linda.

[justice4troy]

Troy Dean Carney, murdered Sept. 1, 2008, found dead in his sleeping bag Sept. 4, 2008.
http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080906/NEWS07/809060324
http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081025/NEWS/810250312


October 25, 2008

By Anita Burke
Mail Tribune
A stark black and yellow mask from the Marvel Comics character Wolverine might give Jackson County Sheriff's Department detectives a look into the final hours of a man who was murdered along the Bear Creek Greenway outside Central Point in early September.

Investigators discovered the distinctive mask at a campsite near where Troy Dean Carney, 44, was found dead in a sleeping bag Sept. 4, hidden in brush between the Central Point freeway interchange and Table Rock Road.

Related Stories
Police identify victim of apparent greenway homicideGreenway body prompts investigation Four camps were tucked in the blackberry brambles not far from the Pilot truck stop — Carney's and three others, Jackson County Sheriff's Detective Sgt. Colin Fagan said.

Investigators tracked down a couple who had left one of the camps a few days before the murder likely occurred on Sept. 1 and a man who moved on from one of the others in the weeks following the crime, Fagan said. But at the final abandoned camp, they found only a small dome tent and a scattering of debris and personal items, including the Wolverine mask, which was propped up as if on display.

"It might not have anything to do with the murder, but we hope it can help us narrow down who had camped there," Fagan said.

Investigators want to talk to whoever stayed there to find out if they had seen Carney or anyone with him in the days or hours before he was killed.

Carney had lived in the Rogue Valley 10 years ago, but in the past decade had traveled the country with truckers. He worked as a "lumper," loading and unloading trucks and riding along with the driver, Fagan said.

This summer, Carney rode into the Willamette Valley from Idaho. He decided to visit old friends in the Medford area and stayed with them for a while, but his presence stressed their relationship, they told investigators. Carney planned to camp near the Central Point truck stop until he could find a ride to a larger transportation hub where he could resume his nomadic lifestyle, Fagan said.

Carney ate at the Pilot and used the phones there. In the parking lot, he offered to do odd jobs, such as polishing chrome, for truckers to earn money. He was last seen in surveillance photos at the business on the evening of Sept. 1, wearing camouflage cargo shorts and a dark T-shirt, the same clothes he was found dead in, Fagan said.

"He was pretty friendly," Fagan said. "We're hoping somebody saw him Sept. 1 or later."

Carney's friends thought he had left the area until his mother in Florida called to ask where he was, as she hadn't heard from him and he usually called regularly. His friends called police to see if the man found dead near the Greenway could be Carney. It was.

In the days following the discovery, many of the homeless men moved their camps out of the immediate area because they were afraid, Fagan said.

Around 1 a.m. on Sept. 14, however, someone returned to set a fire in the midst of the now-empty campsites. Distance and natural barriers kept fire crews from the blaze for 24 minutes, so by the time they arrived to douse the flames, no one was around.

Still, investigators say the fire was intentionally set and they suspect it could have been started to cover up evidence and keep detectives away.

They would like to talk to anyone who has information on the fire. They also want information on the mask and who might have owned it. They also would like to talk to anyone else who Carney might have associated with around the time of his death.

Investigators ask people with details on any of this to call the department's tip line at 774-8333.
Troy's myspace page.. www.myspace/findjustice4troy

[justice4troy]

Please keep Troy's memory alive...

[justice4troy]

Thank you deramweaver for posting

[Grande]

Unsolved murders confound officials
December 21, 2008
By Anita Burke
Mail Tribune

In little more than a year, the number of unsolved murders facing Jackson County sheriff's detectives has soared as a string of tough-to-crack cases stacked up.

Since December 2007, the sheriff's department has investigated three new murders — the deaths of Roger Johansen, Troy Carney and David Lewis — without finding suspects. The body of Kaelin Glazier also was discovered this year, reclassifying the long-open missing person case as a homicide.

Cold cases
For years, the most prominent unsolved murders lurking in the files of the Jackson County Sheriff's Department were those of Vida Mae Hirschy and Sheron Kaye Cheney.

Cheney, 50, of Caldwell, Idaho, was found dead of blunt force trauma, possibly from being pushed from a vehicle, on a rural road near Hyatt Lake in July 1997. Investigators suspected her boyfriend, Glenn Keagle. He hired an attorney and refused to cooperate with detectives.

Hirschy walked out of her Griffin Creek Road home in her bathrobe in December 1984 to get some firewood. The next year, her body, weighted with a lead pipe, was found just beneath the surface of Applegate Lake when water dropped to an unusually low level. Investigators said they have built a circumstantial case against her husband and still hope for a break that will enable prosecutors to consider charges.

Other agencies also have high-profile unsolved cases. Oregon State Police still hope for a break in the case of Blanche Campbell, whose body was found in the ruins of her burned Butte Falls home in May 2001. They are also hoping to find the man they suspect stabbed Ana Bertha Meraz in May 2005, leaving her to bleed to death on the side of Interstate 5 near Ashland.

How to help

Anyone with information about any of these open cases are asked to call the Jackson County Sheriff's Department tip line at 774-8333.
It's a sharp change from previous years, when the department made arrests in all of its new murder cases, often within days or even hours of a violent death.

"If this keeps up, somebody's going to have multiple open homicide cases on their hands," said Lt. Rich Fogarty, who heads the department's eight-person investigation division.

The division includes three detectives who work on major crimes, one who specializes in child sexual abuse cases, two deputy medical examiners, and a detective sergeant and Fogarty who handle cases and administrative duties.

Sheriff's detectives and investigators from other police agencies that make up the county's Major Assault and Death Investigation Unit vigorously attack new homicide cases with lots of resources so they can collect evidence and interview witnesses and associates as quickly as possible, he said.

"We spend a lot on the initial phase of the investigation," Fogarty said. "That's when we get the basics and why most suspects are identified within a day or so."

Murderers are usually someone the victim knows — angry spouses, disgruntled drinking buddies or neighbors in conflict — and quick-but-thorough investigators can gather that story and make their case, he explained.

In fact, FBI statistics for 2007 indicate that 22.2 percent of murder victims were killed by family members and 53.7 percent were slain by acquaintances, such as neighbors, friends or people they dated. Only 24.1 percent were murdered by strangers.

FBI figures also show that the percentage of murder cases handed over to prosecutors or closed by other means such as the death of the suspect, denial of extradition or other extraordinary circumstances that prevent arrest and prosecution has dropped nationwide. What police call the "homicide clearance rate" has slipped from 91 percent in 1963 — the first year records were kept in the manner they are now — to 61 percent in 2007, The Associated Press reported this month.

The number of homicides committed in the U.S. climbed from 4,566 in 1963 to 14,811 in 2007, the FBI reported. The clearance rate has dropped fairly steadily over the past four decades, slipping under 80 percent in the early 1970s and below 70 percent in the late 1980s.

Richard Walton, author of "Cold Case Homicides: Practical Investigative Techniques," attributed the falling clearance rate to a "significant change in crime patterns."

Many slayings nowadays are gang- and drug-related killings, often drive-by shootings that involve a burst of gunfire so indiscriminate that killer and victim don't know each other, he told The Associated Press.

The AP story noted gang-related killings often go unsolved because witnesses are too scared to help police.

That's not what's happening in Jackson County, but easily proven ties between victim and murderer are lacking in the three recent killings, investigators said.

David E. Lewis, 46, was found dead Sept. 4 in the burned remains of a cabin he had rented for decades on Dead Indian Memorial Road. An autopsy confirmed that he was killed before the fire was set with accelerants, Fogarty said.

Investigators suspect someone who knew Lewis had ventured up the long driveway to his secluded mountaintop cabin, then had come inside and killed him. Detectives aren't disclosing how Lewis died. They also note that the total destruction of the cabin has eliminated much evidence.

Lewis was a longtime area resident, known for protecting the land and helping neighbors, his family said.

"We've talked to a lot of people," Fogarty said, listing friends, family, neighbors, people Lewis did work for, teens partying at a nearby quarry and bow hunters stopped in the area the night before Lewis' death.

"There's no business deal or personal relationship gone bad that we can see," Fogarty said. "There's no clear motive."

Investigators haven't turned up a motive or suspect in the death of Troy Dean Carney, 44, who was also found dead Sept. 4. Carney's body was found in a sleeping bag off a path that leads away from the Bear Creek Greenway between the Central Point freeway interchange and Table Rock Road. He had been shot at close range a few days earlier, most likely on Sept. 1, by someone he was comfortable around, Fogarty said.

Unlike Lewis, who had deep, sprawling roots in the community, Carney was something of a loner, although he was remembered as friendly, investigators said.

Carney had lived in the Rogue Valley a decade ago and had recently returned. In the interim he had worked as a "lumper," loading and unloading trucks and riding along with drivers.

This summer, he had made his way from Idaho to Portland to Medford, where he stayed with a friend for a while. He didn't want to cause tension in the friend's home, so he set up camp near the Pilot truck stop in hopes of finding work again.

Fogarty described Carney's transient lifestyle as high risk, but said he wasn't part of "the regular Greenway population." Many of the homeless people who live along the trail know one another and look out for each other, Fogarty said.

Carney didn't appear to have clashed with others camped in the area and hadn't been robbed, investigators said. They have talked with people who were camped nearby, combed the area for evidence with metal detectors and divers in Bear Creek, and even pursued contacts in Carney's cell phone.

"We're still tracking things we wouldn't normally check just because we can," Fogarty said of searching through Carney's cell phone records.

Phone records from the Jackson County Jail provide the strongest clue in the death of Roger Johansen, who was stabbed and beaten before his shop and home were set on fire Dec. 11, 2007, Fogarty said.

"We're pretty certain it was drug-related," Fogarty said. "We have information that he was in an argument about a drug debt."

In fact, investigators have a recorded conversation from the jail phone system in which threats to kill Johansen and burn his house down can be heard. Johansen allegedly had sold meth brought to the Rogue Valley by cartels based in Mexico and refused to pay for what he claimed was poor quality drugs.

"We're pretty certain we know the group of people involved," Fogarty said. "It's an organization that does heavy-duty drug dealing."

However, investigators aren't sure if the group is still active here and are confident that the primary suspect, whom they haven't named, was swept off to California until the heat from the murder died down, Fogarty said.

"It's frustrating that we think we know who was involved, but we need substantial evidence to take to the grand jury," he said.

Since the body of Kaelin Glazier, a 15-year-old who disappeared in the Ruch area in November 1996, was discovered in April, investigators have sent the details of that case to Jackson County District Attorney Mark Huddleston. Billy Frank Simmons, who was reportedly the last person to see Glazier alive, has been named a suspect, but investigators said that building a case on circumstantial evidence must proceed with great care.

"You only get one shot at these people," Fogarty said of the murder suspects, named and unnamed, that the department seeks. "It's a big step to indictment."

His team won't give up, though.

"It never goes away," he said of any unsolved murder case. "We lose sleep on these things."

Investigators share files, hoping new eyes will turn up previously unseen details in old reports. They track tips that trickle in and hope public attention to the cases will generate new leads.

"Anytime we can get interest in the cases, that's good," Fogarty said. "Circumstances change. People (who resisted talking with detectives initially) might be ready to talk now."

He said clearing an old murder case has almost become a contest among his detectives.

"We're always ready to bring justice to these people," he said.

Reach reporter Anita Burke at 776-4485, or e-mail aburke@mailtribune.com

http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081221/NEWS/812210332

[Grande]

David E. Lewis unsolved murder >

http://www.helpfindthemissing.org/forum/showthread.php?t=7921

[justice4troy]

Thank You Dreamweaver posting...
Troy's Mom

[justice4troy]

I do appreciate all your help.
Troy's Mom

[nanabillie]

Linda, I am reading and trying to catch up on your son's case. If there is anything I can do please let me know.

[nanabillie]

I have thought so much about all of you since the new movie came out with the mask like they found. That should be a good way to get attention to this case.

[nanabillie]

New posters or flyers with the Woverine mask on it should draw a lot of attention I would think.

[sarahhod]

Reward offered in Central Point murder case

KDRV Staff

May 20, 2009

CENTRAL POINT, Ore. -- A $5,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for the death of a man on the Bear Creek Greenway.

Troy Dean Carney was found shot to death more than nine-months ago.

The Carole Sund-Carrington Foundation is offering the reward. In the past, the foundation has assisted in locating nine missing persons, the arrest of 37 murder suspects, three kidnappers, and one suspect charged with the murder of a peace officer.

Police say it appears Carney had been living in a camp near the greenway after recently returning to the area.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Jackson County Sheriff's Office.

http://kdrv.com/page/120035

[sarahhod]

Reward offered in unsolved Greenway killing

May 22, 2009
By Chris Conrad (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:NewWindow%28740,530,%27/apps/pbcs.dll/personalia?ID=mm0013%27,0%29)
Mail Tribune


CENTRAL POINT — Police hope a $5,000 reward will help them solve the murder of a 44-year-old man found dead inside his sleeping bag along the Bear Creek Greenway late last summer.
Jackson County sheriff's detectives have hit a wall in their investigation into the death of Troy Dean Carney, whose body was found Sept. 4 hidden in brush between the Central Point freeway interchange and Table Rock Road.
When officials from the Carole Sund/Carrington Memorial Reward Foundation contacted the department offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the case, sheriff's detectives were happy to cooperate.
"We certainly do appreciate the assistance and hope the money inspires someone to come forward," Jackson County sheriff's Detective Sgt. Colin Fagan said.
Money provided by the foundation has helped police across the country solve tough cases over the years.
According to the foundation's Web site, rewards offered by the fund have been instrumental in locating nine missing persons, the arrest of 37 murder suspects, three kidnappers and one person charged with the murder of a police officer.
The foundation has paid $272,600 in rewards to people who have dropped tips to police to close those cases.
The origins of the Sund/Carrington foundation date to 1999, when Carole Sund, Juli Sund and Silvia Pelosso disappeared while hiking in Yosemite National Park. They later were found murdered in the park.
A reward posted by Carole Sund's parents, Francis and Carole Carrington, led to a break in the case.
Their belief in the value of cash rewards inspired the Carringtons to create the fund to help police officers crack homicide and missing person cases.
The Carney murder has sent detectives deep into the world of homeless people who live in temporary camps along the Bear Creek Greenway. Such people rarely stay in one place for any length of time, so pinning down a suspect has been difficult, Fagan said.
"We have spoken with several people who were camped near the spot where Mr. Carney was found and have not come away with a suspect," Fagan said.
Police have not released details of the manner in which Carney was killed.
At the time of Carney's death, four camps were hidden in the blackberry bushes not far from the Pilot truck stop in Phoenix. Carney frequented the truck stop in the weeks before his death, often eating and taking showers there.
Detectives found a mask of the Marvel Comics character Wolverine in one of the campsites. They managed to track down the owner of the mask and determined he had nothing to do with Carney's death, Fagan said.
Carney had lived in the Rogue Valley years ago, but during the past decade had traveled the country with truckers. He worked as a "lumper," loading and unloading trucks and riding along with the drivers, Fagan said.
"There is a possibility someone who he had contact with at the Pilot truck stop might have had a hand in Mr. Carney's death," Fagan said.
On Sept. 14, someone set a fire that burned the empty camp sites. Fagan believes the fire was intentionally set by the killer to cover up evidence and keep detectives away.
All detectives can do now is wait for someone with insight into Carney's last days to contact them with information that could turn up a suspect, Fagan said.

http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090522/NEWS/905220338

[Faith]

Link sought in unsolved murders

September 23, 2009

Police believe the murders of an Ashland man living on Dead Indian Road and a transient camping out along the Bear Creek Greenway last September might be linked.

A little over a year has passed since David E. Lewis, 46, was found inside his burnt home in the 12800 block of Dead Indian Memorial Road and Troy Dean Carney, 44, was discovered at his campsite, the victim of a gunshot wound.

Nine days after Carney was found a fire swept though the area where he had been camping. Investigators determined the fire was intentionally set by someone trying to destroy the scene of the crime.

"We find two men killed by homicidal violence on the same day and both scenes were covered by fire," Jackson County Sheriff's Detective Sgt. Colin Fagan said. "We cannot ignore the commonality here."

In addition, sheriff's investigators believe they have discovered a piece of evidence linking both crimes, but they decline to specify what it is.

"We need to keep that to ourselves so we know good tips from bogus ones," Fagan said. "If someone gives us that information we know we are onto something."

However, investigators have yet to find a link between to the victims.

Despite spending hundreds of man hours pursuing leads in the cases, detectives have yet to prove Carney and Lewis knew each other.

"We are fairly certain these two never spoke to each other when they were alive," Fagan said.

By releasing the information that the crimes might be linked, detectives are hoping someone might contract the department with information connecting the victims.

"Maybe we are overlooking something," Fagan said.

The men led different lifestyles.

Lewis had deep roots in the local community. He was a longtime area resident, known for protecting the land and helping neighbors., according to his family.

Investigators suspect someone ventured up the long driveway to his secluded mountaintop cabin, then had come inside and killed him. Detectives aren't disclosing how Lewis died. They also note that the total destruction of the cabin has eliminated much evidence.

Investigators haven't turned up a motive or suspect in the death of Carney, who was also found dead Sept. 4. Carney's body was found in a sleeping bag off a path that leads away from the Bear Creek Greenway between the Central Point freeway interchange and Table Rock Road. He had been shot at close range a few days earlier.

Carney had lived in the Rogue Valley a decade ago and had recently returned. In the interim he had worked as a "lumper," loading and unloading trucks and riding along with drivers.

"They lived different lives, but we cannot ignore the similarities in their deaths," Fagan said. "These have been long, exhausting investigations."

The sheriff's department is asking the public's assistance in providing information which links the victims. Tips can be left anonymously at the sheriff's at 774-8333.

http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090923/NEWS/909230327