Robert Lee Vendrick, 71 MSG From Dana Point, CA Since 02/18/08

[Grande]

Mystery of missing investor deepens after boat turns up
Feb. 21, 2008
Kimberly Edds and Salvador Hernandez - The Orange County Register
Issue date: 2/21/08

DANA POINT, Calif. _ There were two men aboard the 23-foot sailboat when it sailed out of Dana Point Harbor for what was supposed to be a quick trip on the high seas to close a business deal. Only one man came back with the boat. What happened on the open seas remains a mystery.

Authorities are desperately trying to find the missing man, a 71-year-old retired computer programmer from Phoenix who traveled to Southern California on Friday with visions of finally cashing in on a get-rich software investment to the tune of $1.2 million.

His investment partner, a Virginia man, turned himself in to authorities Tuesday after showing up with the boat and without his partner.

He has been named a person of interest.

The vanishing of Robert Lee Vendrick is a tale of money, intrigue and deception, and one that has not yet worked itself to a conclusion as U.S. Coast Guard crews scanned the ocean Wednesday for signs of the missing man.

Authorities spent Tuesday searching for Shawkey, a self-proclaimed entrepreneur, motivational speaker and married father of two teenage boys, hoping to find clues to Vendrick's mysterious disappearance. But it was Shawkey who called Long Beach, Calif., police about 8 p.m. Tuesday and wanted to talk, authorities said.

During hours of questioning by sheriff's investigators, Shawkey said he and Vendrick sailed out of Dana Point on their newly purchased boat, Odyssey, said Sheriff's Department spokesman Jim Amormino. And Shawkey was the one who sailed the boat to Long Beach, without Vendrick, Amormino said.

But what authorities are still trying to figure out is what happened to Vendrick _ and why.

"It is a really suspicious story," Amormino said. "He said he just doesn't know where he is."

Shawkey tried to rent a permanent berth for the Odyssey but was turned down because he was not listed as the boat's registered owner, Amormino said. Shawkey docked the tiny sailboat in a temporary mooring and wandered around Long Beach before calling police, authorities said.

Vendrick and Shawkey are both listed on the purchasing receipt of the Odyssey, bought from a San Clemente, Calif., man. Shawkey took possession of the boat Feb. 14. The next day, Vendrick touched down at the Long Beach Airport, rented a car and made the short drive to Dana Point.

He told family members he was going with Shawkey to San Clemente Island to meet some "highly placed government people" to sign the papers on a computer programming contract.

It was Shawkey who lured Vendrick to California with promises of a cut of a federal government contract and fortune, according to Vendrick's younger brother Fred. But to secure the contract and convince them that the venture was viable, Vendrick needed to have $100,000 in an account at a Laguna Niguel Wells Fargo Bank.

Bob Vendrick wired $60,000 to the bank and persuaded his brother to wire $40,000 to the same bank. Fred Vendrick sent the money.

"It was stupid, I know, but I did it," Fred Vendrick said. The account where the money was deposited, authorities said, belongs to Shawkey.

Deputies found a roaring fireplace in Vendrick's second-floor room at the Dana Point Marina Inn on Monday night. Vendrick's suitcase, laptop and diabetes medication were all inside the room. Vendrick was gone.

Sheriff's investigators expect to have the Odyssey towed to the Orange County crime lab in Santa Ana, Calif., on Thursday to comb it for clues. The Odyssey's previous owner is not connected to Vendrick's disappearance, Amormino said.

Shawkey, who runs several Internet-based companies with his wife, Stephanie, is the target of numerous complaints of ripping off true believers in get-rich-quick schemes and children's charities. He is the author of "If I Can ... Anybody Can."

Shawkey was released after questioning.

http://media.www.ecollegetimes.com/media/storage/paper991/news/2008/02/21/MctNews/Mystery.Of.Missing.Investor.Deepens.After.Boat.Tur ns.Up-3226650.shtml

[Grande]

Detectives Search Missing Man's Boat in Long Beach
February 21, 2008, 6:48 AM PST

http://i30.tinypic.com/2sbanti.jpg

Homicide detectives searched a sailboat Wednesday for clues in the mysterious disappearance of a 71-year-old Phoenix man who came to Southern California to cash in on what he thought was a $1 million-plus investment, a sheriff's spokesman said.

Sheriff's deputies began searching for Robert Lee Vendrick after he failed to return home to Phoenix on Monday as planned. They found his rental car parked near a dock in this beachfront city and his clothes, suitcase and medicine still at his hotel room.

In Long Beach, a port city north of Dana Point, authorities found a 23-foot sailboat Vendrick had bought with his investment partner, Gary Shawkey.

Authorities also found Shawkey in Long Beach, said Lt. Fred Furey of the Orange County Sheriff's Department, Shawkey, who was interviewed by homicide investigators, is considered a person of interest in the case but not a suspect, Furey said.

Shawkey runs several Internet-based companies and is the author of "If I Can...Anybody Can: Part One in Gary Shawkey's 'Anybody Can' Series."

He did not immediately respond to an e-mail message sent to one of his companies.

Meanwhile, investigators were waiting for a warrant to search the boat, which they said remains in their custody.

While it is not clear how the two men met, Vendrick invested more than $1 million in the deal, said sheriff's spokesman Jim Amormino.

Promises of a handsome contract with the federal government persuaded Vendrick to ask his brother Fred Vendrick to wire him $40,000 more after he arrived in California.

"I just have this feeling that something terrible has happened," Fred Vendrick told the Orange County Register. "I just feel it in my heart."

On Friday, Vendrick left his wife in Phoenix and flew to Long Beach, where he rented the car and drove to Dana Point. He called his wife on Saturday and told her he was preparing for a boat trip to San Clemente Island to close the deal with some government workers.

http://ktla.trb.com/news/ktla-missingman,0,7447810.story

[Grande]

http://i27.tinypic.com/11uby11.jpg

http://cbs2.com/local/Missing.Robert.Lee.2.658127.html

[Grande]

http://i26.tinypic.com/sbikaf.jpg

[Grande]

Saturday, February 23, 2008
Person of interest says he returned partner to Dana harbor
By KIMBERLY EDDS
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

DANA POINT - A motivational speaker from Virginia told investigators he took his business partner back to Dana Point Harbor after the 71-year-old Phoenix man had a change of heart during a boat trip to cash in on a get-rich-scheme.

Gary A. Shawkey said he continued on alone, sailing the 23-foot sailboat to Long Beach, unaware of the fate of his partner, Robert Lee Vendrick.

Vendrick has been missing since Saturday, a day after he arrived in Southern California to meet with Shawkey and “highly placed government officials” to receive a $1.2million return on his software programming investment.

Sheriff's investigators believe Vendrick and Shawkey sailed out of Dana Point between 6:30 and 8:30 a.m. Feb. 16, said sheriff's spokesman Jim Amormino.

Sailboats maneuvering into the private dock routinely draw complaints to the Sheriff's Harbor Patrol, but there were no complaints about the sailboat making its way back to the dock Feb. 16.

Vendrick had no sailing experience but was listed on the sailboat's purchase receipt.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7829 or kedds@ocregister.com

http://www.ocregister.com/news/vendrick-sailboat-shawkey-1986274-dana-sheriff

[Pauli]

Sailboat parts replaced

By Kelly Puente, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 02/27/2008 09:20:31 PM PST


LONG BEACH - The anchor, chain and engine on a sailboat purchased by a missing Phoenix man were allegedly replaced by the man's investment partner before authorities took custody of the boat last week in Long Beach's Rainbow Harbor, authorities said Wednesday.

Robert Lee Vendrick, 71, and his investment partner Gary Shawkey jointly purchased the 23-foot sailboat Odyssey on Feb. 14 with the intention of sailing to San Clemente Island for a supposed $1.2 million investment deal, said Jim Amormino, a spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff's Department.

Shawkey, who remains a person of interest in the case, told authorities that the men were out sailing when Vendrick changed his mind about the deal, Amormino said.

Vendrick has not been seen since. He was expected to return home on Feb. 18.

Shawkey told investigators that both the anchor and chain were lost at a mooring spot after he dropped off Vendrick in Dana Point Harbor that Saturday. Shawkey then sailed to Long Beach, where he purchased a new chain and anchor at the West Marine boat supply store, Amormino said.

Authorities are now trying to determine if an old anchor, discovered by divers in a Dana Point mooring, belonged to the Odyssey, he said.

Shawkey also told authorities that he replaced the boat's four-stroke, 1983 Honda outboard engine after it died the first day he took the boat out on Feb. 15.

He reportedly left the old engine sitting on a fueling dock in Dana Point. Authorities are now searching for the engine and are asking for the public's help. Amormino said the engine is a key part of the investigation. The boat was purchased under both men's names, Amormino said, adding that Vendrick has no sailing experience. Shawkey took custody of the boat the day before Vendrick arrived in the Southland on Feb. 15.

When he arrived, Vendrick rented a car at Long Beach Airport and then drove to Dana Point.

Deputies went to the Dana Point Marina Inn where Vendrick had been staying and found all his belongings, including medication and a laptop computer, Amormino said. His blue, rented Chrysler PT Cruiser was found at a marina dock about a mile away.

The sailboat was found docked in a temporary mooring near the Yard House Restaurant last week after authorities heard the Coast Guard description of a white boat with a red stripe and mini skull flag.

Shawkey sailed the boat to Long Beach on Tuesday, Amormino said. He contacted authorities from a pay phone near the Aquarium of the Pacific after he heard that detectives were looking for him.

Shawkey bills himself as an entrepreneur and motivational speaker and runs several Internet-based companies.

http://www.presstelegram.com/news/ci_8386980

[Pauli]

Police seek info on Phoenix man missing after business meeting

Leeann Skoda
The Arizona Republic
Mar. 3, 2008 04:27 PM

Police are looking for help in verifying information in the case of a missing Phoenix man, Robert Lee Vendrick, who disappeared more than two weeks ago after arriving in Southern California to close a multi-million dollar business deal.

The Orange County Sheriff's Department is looking for anyone who might have seen Vendrick, his business partner Gary Shawkey, and possibly a third man having dinner at a hotel or restaurant near Phoenix's Sky Harbor International Airport between 6 and 10 p.m. Feb. 9, spokesman for the Sheriff's Department Jim Amormino said.

On Feb. 15th, Vendrick took a US Airways flight to Long Beach to meet Shawkey for their business deal, officials said. Vendrick's wife alerted police Feb. 18 after he didn't return home as scheduled.

Police searched Vendrick's hotel room and found neatly folded clothes, medication, and a lit fireplace. His rental car was found at a nearby boat dock. Police called the business deal "highly secretive" and said it was to involve high-ranking government officials, although no officials have been identified in the case.

The two apparently bought a boat to sail out to San Clemente Island, which is controlled by the US Navy.

Shawkey apparently replaced the engine of the sailboat that the two had recently purchased.

The boat's anchor and several feet of chain were not on the 23-foot sailboat either, police said. The Coast Guard found the sailboat at a dock in Long Beach, police said.

Shawkey told police that the engine had not been working properly, and he had replaced it, said Jim Amormino, of the Orange County Sheriff's Department, on Tuesday.
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0303abrk-vendrickupdate0303-ON.html

[Pauli]

Friday, March 7, 2008
Person of interest in missing investor case leaves state

Motivational speaker heads to Florida for bike week to search for missing man, authorities say.

By KIMBERLY EDDS
The Orange County Register

DANA POINT – A motivational speaker named as a person of interest in the disappearance of his business partner after a boat trip last month has left California to attend a bikers' week in Florida, "to look for the missing man," authorities said Friday.

Sheriff's Department officials said they cannot keep Gary A. Shawkey, 44, of Virginia from leaving Orange County while they continue to hunt for his investment partner, Robert Vendrick, a 71-year-old diabetic from Phoenix.

Vendrick has been missing since Feb. 16, a day after he arrived in Southern California to meet with Shawkey and "highly placed government officials" to receive a $1.2 million return on his software programming investment.

Shawkey told investigators a few days ago that he was headed to Daytona Beach, Fla., to attend an annual motorcycle rider pilgrimage, and that he planned to search for his missing partner at the event, said Sheriff's Department spokesman Jim Amormino. The week, known for wild parties and big motorcycle rides, runs from Feb. 29 to March 9. After that, Shawkey planned to return to his home in Virginia, where he lives with his wife and two teenage sons, Amormino said.

Sheriff's investigators believe Vendrick and Shawkey sailed out of Dana Point between 6:30 and 8:30 a.m. Feb. 16 for what Vendrick believed was a trip to cash in on their get-rich-quick scheme.

But Shawkey said Vendrick had a change of heart during the trip, and Shawkey told investigators he returned the older man to shore. Shawkey said he continued on alone, sailing the 23-foot sailboat to Long Beach, unaware of the fate of his partner.

Sailboats maneuvering into the private dock routinely draw complaints to the Sheriff's Harbor Patrol, but there were no complaints about the sailboat making its way back to the dock Feb. 16.

Investigators later discovered the anchor, chain and engine of the tiny sailboat were replaced before authorities took possession of the craft as part of their investigation into Vendrick's disappearance.

Shawkey told investigators that both the anchor and chain were lost at sea after he dropped off Vendrick at Dana Point Harbor. Shawkey purchased a new chain and anchor when he arrived in Long Beach a few days later, said Amormino.

Divers searched a 2-mile stretch of the Dana Point Harbor on Feb. 21. Divers recovered an anchor and portions of a chain but have been unable to verify if they belonged to the Odyssey.

The engine of the sailboat was also replaced, and authorities said it could provide investigators with clues as to what happened to 71-year-old Vendrick.

Sheriff's investigators discovered that the 4-stroke 1993 Honda outboard engine that the boat originally had was replaced sometime between Feb. 15, the day Vendrick arrived in Southern California, and Feb. 19.

The Odyssey was bought by Shawkey and Vendrick from a San Clemente man Feb. 14. Although Vendrick had no sailing experience, he was listed on the boat's purchase receipt.

Shawkey told investigators that the engine was not working properly and he purchased a brand new engine Feb. 15, Amormino said.

http://www.ocregister.com/news/shawkey-vendrick-feb-1995130-investigators-engine

[Pauli]

Man Last Seen Boarding Sailboat in DP Is Still Missing Thursday, March 13, 2008 2:09:00 PM Last updated: Thursday, March 13, 2008 2:09:00 PM Divers, searches have found no signs of Robert Vendrick, 71.


DANA POINT -- A 71-year-old Phoenix man who boarded a 23-foot sailboat on Feb. 16 with a business partner, in hopes of sailing to San Clemente Island to sign a million-dollar software contract with the federal government, has not been seen since his disappearance that day.

Orange County Sheriff’s Department investigators are still looking for Robert Vendrick, a diabetic, who left the dock in a newly purchased sailboat with partner Gary Shawkey, a 44-year-old entrepreneur and motivational speaker from Virginia.

Vendrick’s hotel room in Dana Point reportedly had a fire burning in the fireplace -- and his laptop computer, clothing and diabetes medicine were still in the room, waiting for his return, at the time of his disappearance. Family members said they fear for his safety.

Vendrick had previously told his family he expected to receive $1.2 million as return on his investment in software programming, following a planned meeting with officials on Navy-controlled San Clemente Island. He had put $100,000 in a bank account in Laguna Niguel that bank officials say belongs to Shawkey, and Vendrick asked his brother, Fred, to wire an additional $60,000 to the account.

According to the Sheriff’s Department, several complaints from previous investors about past dealings with Shawkey and failed “get-rich-quick schemes” are posted on the Internet.

Vendrick and Shawkey purchased a 23-foot sailboat on Feb. 14 from a seller in San Clemente. The pair reportedly replaced its 1993 Honda four-stroke outboard engine with a new one, before their planned trip to the island.

Witnesses reportedly saw both Shawkey and Vendrick on the boat at a Dana Point fuel dock. However, Shawkey told the Sheriff’s Department that Vendrick had become uncomfortable on the small boat, and he had let Vendrick off at Dana Point Harbor, then sailed to Long Beach Harbor alone.

Police said Shawkey purchased a new anchor and chain when he arrived in Long Beach, reporting the old anchor and chain had been lost at sea. Shawkey also tried to lease a permanent mooring for the vessel, but was turned down because he was not the boat’s registered owner, a Sheriff’s Department spokesman said.

When news of Vendrick’s disappearance hit local news media, Shawkey contacted police and was questioned, then released. According to the Sheriff’s Department, Shawkey is not a suspect in the incident, but is a “person of interest.”

Divers have searched several locations in the Dana Point area and recovered an anchor and chain that may be from the vessel, but they have not found any sign of Vendrick.

Authorities said Shawkey told investigators he left California to attend a motorcycle riders’ convention in Florida Feb. 29-March 9, where he said he planned to “look for” Vendrick.

The Sheriff’s Department is still seeking information on Vendrick’s disappearance and asks anyone who witnessed Vendrick and Shawkey leaving Dana Point Harbor to call (714) 628-7170.

http://www.thelog.com/news/logNewsArticle.aspx?x=5474

[KittyMom]

I don't understand why the engine would provide clues as the the whereabouts of Robert. What am I missing?

[Faith]

Bob Vendrick, 71, disappeared while looking for $1 million. His business partn...er, who is also missing, is considered a "person of interest." Suzie Suh reports.

VIDEO (http://video.aol.com/video-detail/phoenix-man-missing-under-strange-circumstances/2986950571)

[Faith]

What Happened to Robert Vendrick?

http://www.danapointtimes.com/uploads/images/articles/20080328_vendrick.jpg

Harbor regulars speak up about the missing Phoenix man—and common opinion isn’t hopeful

The bar at Turk’s Restaurant overlooks the water, giving patron Don Hayden a clear look at the Harbor’s fueling barge a few hundred yards away. “They dove right out there, looking for him,” he says, remembering the search for Robert Vendrick in February. Hayden pauses, sips his drink and makes a prediction. “They’ll never find him,” he says, sipping again. “He probably took him 10 miles out, tied an anchor to him and dropped him in the ocean.”

It’s been more than six weeks since Vendrick, a 71-year-old Arizona investor, vanished from Dana Point without a trace, leaving locals to guess at his fate. Reports lead Hayden and many others to assume foul play.

Vendrick—a father of two and grandfather of three*—was last seen on Saturday, February 16 at Dana Point Harbor with his business partner Gary Shawkey. The two headed out to sea in a 23-foot sailboat, and Vendrick’s wife in Phoenix and brother in Hermosa Beach haven’t heard from him since. Shawkey later told police he dropped him back off at the Harbor, but Orange County Sheriff’s Department investigators have found no evidence to support that claim.

The story sounds fishy to the afternoon crowd at Turk’s, which is packed with Harbor folk and tourists. “Based on the little information I have, it sounds like the guy was up to no good,” says Hayden, a retired firefighter. “I think there was some hanky-panky.”

Hayley Wenzel, sitting a dozen barstools down from Hayden, says it more plainly: “I think he’s shark bait out there.”

Wenzel and her lunch companion Carolyn Roberts agree the story has already begun to fade from the minds of the Harbor community, especially after all signs of an investigation disappeared from the Harbor’s walkways and docks. Days after Vendrick vanished the Sheriff’s Department sent divers searching for clues and fliers went up detailing the case. That’s since changed. “The posters came down, and no one heard anything else about it,” says Roberts.

Turk’s bartender Tyler Phillips recalls plenty of chatter about Vendrick after he vanished. “When it first went down we heard a lot about it from our customers, but since then it’s really died down,” he says. If Vendrick is never found Phillips expects the tale will be adopted into local Harbor lore as one of the community’s classic unsolved mysteries. “It’ll get talked about once in a blue moon, like one of those ‘do you remember’ stories,” he says.

Vendrick’s disappearance isn’t only conversation in Dana Point’s bars. Mike Swenson, a barber and proprietor of the King’s Club Barbershop, says his customers had plenty to say about Vendrick in the days following the incident. “It’s just one of those peculiar stories that gets people thinking,” he said. “If they never find him and nothing ever happens it could become one of those urban legends that people like to talk about.”

While Vendrick may be an unsolved mystery in the making, investigators and his family hope to avoid the infamy. His brother Fred Vendrick continues taking calls from the media and answers every question he can. Still, he admitted Tuesday that there’s little his family can do without a huge investment of money.

“We’re not so well-off that we can hire an investigator 24 hours a day to find more answers,” he says in a phone interview from his home in Hermosa Beach. “[Paying] $1,500 a day really adds up quickly and doesn’t really seem to be an option. At this point we need to allow the Sheriff’s Department to continue investigating the case and hope that it doesn’t become a cold case.”

Sheriff’s Investigator Mike Thompson dismisses the notion that Vendrick will ultimately end up in the cold-case file. He’s not ready to give up. “We still have leads,” he says.

While Thompson continues his investigation, Fred Vendrick is coming up with the same assumptions about his brother as Hayden and the others sipping drinks and eating lunch at Turk’s. “To me, the reality is this,” he says, “people saw Bob leave with that guy and no one saw him come back. Why wouldn’t anyone see him come back to a busy place like Dana Point?

Timeline of Robert Vendrick’s Disappearance

Thursday, February 14: Gary Shawkey, 44, of Virginia buys the Odyssey, a 23-foot sailboat, from a San Clemente boat owner. Robert Vendrick’s name is included on the sales receipt, although he is not present at the time of purchase.

Friday, February 15: Vendrick flies from Phoenix to Long Beach, rents a car and drives to Dana Point. He checks in to the Dana Point Marina Inn around 4:30 p.m. and later meets Shawkey for a meal. Shawkey also buys a new outboard engine for the Odyssey and later claims he abandoned the old motor at a fueling dock at Dana Point Harbor after the station closed for the night. The old motor has not been found.

Saturday, February 16: Vendrick meets Shawkey for a trip aboard the Odyssey. The two head out to sea around 7 a.m. or 8 a.m. Vendrick is never seen again. What happened aboard the Odyssey is in dispute. The Vendrick family told authorities that the two were headed to San Clemente Island to meet with highly placed government officials to complete a deal worth more than $1 million.

“Shawkey’s statement is different than the story the family has told us,” says Orange County Sheriff’s Department Investigator Mike Thompson. “They are in conflict with each other.” While the Vendricks don’t know how the sailing trip ended, Shawkey gave his own version. “He said he came back in and dropped him off. [Vendrick] walked away and [Shawkey] never saw him again,” says Thompson. Thompson has not been able to verify Shawkey’s story.

Monday, February 18: Vendrick isn’t on his scheduled flight home to Phoenix and his wife reports him missing. Deputies search his room at the Dana Point Marina Inn and discover his clothes, suitcase and diabetes medicine. They later find his rental car parked in a Harbor parking lot.

Meanwhile, Shawkey buys a new anchor and chain for the Odyssey. He later tells investigators that he lost the original anchor and chain at sea. Investigators have since recovered what they believe to be the anchor and chain, although they admit it’s impossible to be sure if they are the originals.

Shawkey contacts authorities from Long Beach and gives his statement on what happened the morning of the boat trip. Based on the interview and evidence gathered, he remains only a person of interest and is not arrested or charged with any crime. He later returns to the East Coast.

The Latest: Vendrick is still missing, and Shawkey remains a person of interest. “At this point we haven’t run out of leads and we’ll continue working on it,” says Thompson. “We are still looking for any witnesses who have seen Mr. Vendrick or Mr. Shawkey in the Dana Point Harbor.”

—Compiled by City Editor Nathan Wright through interviews with Orange County Sheriff’s Department Investigator Mike Thompson and spokesperson Jim Amormino.


More Dana Point Cases of Intrigue

• In 1980 Dana Point residents Keith and Patrice Harrington were found bludgeoned to death in their homes in the Niguel Shores gated community, apparent victims of the Original Night Stalker serial killer. The Original Night Stalker was never caught but is believed to have killed six people in Southern California between 1979 and 1986. Investigators were able to link the murders in Dana Point, Ventura and Irvine through DNA evidence but have never identified the man behind the attacks.

• In another case that some say remains unsolved, Ned Doheny—who purchased the land in 1928 that ultimately became Capistrano Beach—was gunned down on February 16, 1929, and never got the opportunity to testify in the ongoing Teapot Dome Scandal trial. In an odd twist of history, Robert Vendrick disappeared on February 16, 2008, 79 years after Doheny’s death, which some believe was a murder-suicide. Doheny was the son of Edward Doheny, the man who donated the land that is now Doheny State Park.

Source (http://www.danapointtimes.com/index.php?mact=News,cntnt01,detail,0&cntnt01articleid=169&cntnt01dateformat=%25B%20%25d%2C%20%25Y&cntnt01returnid=51)

[Faith]

Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Boat-trip mystery thickens: Partner of missing man vanishes

http://images.ocregister.com/newsimages/2008/05/14/Shawkeymed.jpg
Gary A. Shawkey

File Photo, The Orange County Register



Gary Shawkey, 44, disappears after he says he's going to look for Robert Vendrick, 71 – missing since February, when they bought a boat together.


SANTA ANA – A motivational speaker named as the only person of interest in the disappearance of his business partner after a boat trip in February has also mysteriously disappeared. Authorities are also searching for a third person who may have met with the now missing business partners just days before one of the partners disappeared.

In the latest twist in an already bizarre case, Gary Shawkey, 44, of Virginia has apparently disappeared after returned to Orange County on Sunday to look for his missing investment partner, Robert Vendrick, a 71-year-old married diabetic from Phoenix, said Sheriff's Department spokesman Jim Amormino.

Vendrick has been missing since Feb. 16, a day after he arrived in Southern California to meet with Shawkey and "highly placed government officials" to receive a $1.2 million return on his software programming investment.

Shawkey and the $1,000 boat he and Vendrick bought showed up several days later in Long Beach. Vendrick remains missing.

Three months later, investigators say, Shawkey appears to have disappeared in an eerily similar way to his business partner. A day after arriving in Orange County on a Greyhound bus and checking into the Golden West Lodge at Main Street and the I-5, Shawkey disappeared.

Shawkey checked into the motel about 12:50 p.m. Sunday and left a message for Orange County Sheriff's Department Investigator Ken Hoffman, who is investigating Vendrick's disappearance and has been in constant contact with Shawkey. Shawkey told Hoffman he was headed to Mexico to look for Vendrick. Hoffman was not in the office on Sunday and did not speak to Shawkey, Amormino said.

Shawkey also called a co-worker to ask that if he didn't call back by noon Monday, to call Hoffman, Amormino said. Shawkey's call never came – and the co-worker called authorities.

Acting on the tip from Shawkey's concerned co-worker, investigators went to Shawkey's room Monday afternoon, Amormino said. The television was on. Shawkey's passport, wallet, medication and toiletries were all left behind – just as Vendrick's were the day he disappeared from his Dana Point hotel.

"He's now an official missing person," Amormino said. Authorities are looking into reports that Vendrick and Shawkey met with a third unidentified person in Phoenix on Feb. 9, just a week before Vendrick disappeared.

Sheriff's investigators believe Vendrick and Shawkey sailed out of Dana Point between 6:30 and 8:30 a.m. Feb. 16 for what Vendrick believed was a trip to cash in on their get-rich-quick scheme.

But Shawkey said Vendrick had a change of heart during the trip, and Shawkey told investigators he returned the older man to shore. Shawkey said he continued on alone, sailing the 23-foot sailboat to Long Beach, unaware of the fate of his partner.

Sailboats maneuvering into the private dock routinely draw complaints to the Sheriff's Harbor Patrol, but there were no complaints about the sailboat making its way back to the dock Feb. 16.

Investigators later discovered the anchor, chain and engine of the tiny sailboat were replaced before authorities took possession of the craft as part of their investigation into Vendrick's disappearance.

Shawkey told investigators that both the anchor and chain were lost at sea after he dropped off Vendrick at Dana Point Harbor. Shawkey purchased a new chain and anchor when he arrived in Long Beach a few days later, said Amormino.

Divers searched a 2-mile stretch of the Dana Point Harbor on Feb. 21. Divers recovered an anchor and portions of a chain but have been unable to verify if they belonged to the Odyssey.

The engine of the sailboat was also replaced, and authorities said it could provide investigators with clues as to what happened to Vendrick.

Sheriff's investigators discovered that the 4-stroke 1993 Honda outboard engine that the boat originally had was replaced sometime between Feb. 15, the day Vendrick arrived in Southern California, and Feb. 19.

The Odyssey was bought by Shawkey and Vendrick from a San Clemente man Feb. 14. Although Vendrick had no sailing experience, he was listed on the boat's purchase receipt.

Shawkey told investigators that the engine was not working properly and he purchased a brand new engine Feb. 15, Amormino said.

Homicide investigators executed two search warrants at Shawkey's house in Mechanicsville, Va. two weeks ago, carting out several computers and other items, Amormino said. Forensics experts are still going through the computer files in the hopes of finding leads to Vendrick's whereabouts.

Shawkey's latest bus trip is not the first time the motivational speaker and author has gone to look for his missing business partner. While investigators were still combing the area for clues, Shawkey left California in early March to attend a bikers' week in Florida, "to look for the missing man," authorities said. Shawkey was in Daytona Beach, but there was no sign of Vendrick.

Last week, he was in Brownsville, Tex. looking for Vendrick.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7829 or kedds@ocregister.com

More photos at the link
http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/homepage/abox/article_2042244.php

[Faith]

Do I need to make a new thread for Gary A. Shawkey? or, keep it here b/c they are related?

[packy]

I believe I would refer to it here as you did but maybe make a thread for him separately and reference this thread.

[Faith]

I believe I would refer to it here as you did but maybe make a thread for him separately and reference this thread.

Thanks packy, I will. :)

[Faith]

Gary Shawkey's Thread ( He went missing 5/11/08)

http://helpfindthemissing.org/forum/showthread.php?p=212310#post212310

[Faith]

Gary Shawkey's Thread ( He went missing 5/11/08)

http://helpfindthemissing.org/forum/showthread.php?p=212310#post212310

Person of interest in Phoenix missing man case found

More Phoenix Local News

10:25 PM Mountain Standard Time on Wednesday, May 14, 2008

PHOENIX - The key figure in the disappearance of an Arizona businessman has been captured after vanishing himself this week.

Border Patrol officers caught up with Gary Shawkey as he crossed from Mexico into Nogales. Shawkey told authorities he went to Tijuana to speak to his missing business partner, 71-year-old Robert Vendrick.

Vendrick, who is from Phoenix, disappeared in February while on a business trip to California with Shawkey.

Shawkey left police a message on Sunday saying he was headed to Mexico to pick up Vendrick but he was alone when picked up at the border.

Tonight, Shawkey is headed back to California to speak with homicide investigators about Vendrick's case.
http://www.azfamily.com/news/local/s....ffb5dbd8.html

[Nut44x4]

Could be just about anyone, but I have human remains at Camp Pendleton, CA...just apx. 28 miles south of Dana Point.

Body found at Camp Pendleton; clues sought
The Associated Press
Last Updated 6:31 pm PDT Friday, August 8, 2008
CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- A forensic anthropologist is looking for clues to the identity of human remains discovered at Camp Pendleton.

A Marine spokesman said Friday the forensic anthropologist determined the remains were that of a white male who had been dead four or five months.

Maj. Kristen Lasica (LAH-seek-uh)says a Marine doing groundskeeping work discovered the body Thursday. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service is also looking into a cause of death.

Lasica says there are no active investigations into reports of missing persons at Camp Pendleton. She said no information was available about whether there were any cases of Marines with unauthorized absences.

Citing an ongoing investigation, Lasica said she had no further information on the case, including whether the man was wearing a military uniform.

http://www.sacbee.com/114/story/1143554.html

[sarahhod]

http://www.amw.com/missing_persons/brief.cfm?id=55285

[sarahhod]

UPDATE: Partner of missing man claims he is alive

http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/news/local/crime/article_2042244.php


Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Gary Shawkey, 44, claims he found Robert Vendrick, 71 – missing since February, when they bought a boat together.
By KIMBERLY EDDS
The Orange County Register


SANTA ANA - A motivational speaker named as the only person of interest in the disappearance of his business partner after a boat trip in February is back in Orange County with a wild tale of his adventures in Mexico of finding his missing friend, only to lose him on a bus in Tijuana.

The disappearance of Robert Vendrick, a 71-year-old diabetic from Phoenix, was strange from the start. But the story appears to becoming stranger by the day as his investment partner – and the central figure in his vanishing – crisscrosses the United States on Greyhound buses looking for him. All the while, Gary Shawkey, a 44-year-old self-help author and investment guru, keeps Orange County Sheriff's investigators apprised of the near-misses with his friend, Bob.

Bob, he claims, is alive and well. And Shawkey says he wants to help find him.

Shawkey, who lives in Virginia with his wife and two teenage children, was discovered Wednesday afternoon in Nogales, Mexico, by Mexican authorities who noticed he was on a missing person's list. Orange County officials put Shawkey on the list after he abruptly disappeared from his Orange County motel room over the weekend, said Sheriff's Department spokesman Jim Amormino.

Vendrick showed up Feb. 15 in Southern California to meet with Shawkey and “highly placed government officials” to receive a $1.2 million return on his software programming investment. Vendrick and his brother Fred had deposited thousands of dollars into an account belonging to Shawkey, money needed to seal the government contract. The deal never happened. Vendrick and Shawkey disappeared Feb. 16.

Shawkey and the $1,000 sailboat boat he and Vendrick bought showed up several days later in Long Beach. But Vendrick was not aboard. Shawkey, who has a reputation bilking investors across the United States out of millions, claims Vendrick had a change of heart and backed out on the deal.

But Bob, along with boat's original motor, anchor and some metal chain remain missing.

Three months later, investigators said, Shawkey appeared to have vanished in an eerily similar way to his business partner. A day after arriving in Orange County on a Greyhound bus and checking into the Golden West Lodge at Main Street and the I-5, Shawkey himself disappeared.

Shawkey had checked into the motel about 12:50 p.m. Sunday and left a message for Orange County Sheriff's Department Investigator Ken Hoffman, who is investigating Vendrick's disappearance and has been in regular contact with Shawkey. In his message, Shawkey said he was headed to Mexico to look for Vendrick.

Shawkey also called a co-worker to insist that if he didn't call back by noon Monday, to call Hoffman, Amormino said. Shawkey's call never came – and the co-worker called authorities.

Investigators went to Shawkey's room Monday afternoon. The television was on, his passport, wallet, medication and toiletries were all left behind – just as Vendrick's were the day he disappeared from his Dana Point hotel. Shawkey was nowhere to be found. He was declared a missing person.

After being handed over to U.S. officials, Shawkey called Orange County investigators from Nogales, Ariz. to tell them he had found Vendrick in Mexico and was bringing him to the Border Patrol when Vendrick jumped off the bus in Tijuana. He was headed to Mazatlan, Shawkey told investigators. Shawkey arrived in Santa Ana by bus about 6:45 a.m. Thursday and talked to Sheriff's investigators about his now-international quest to find his missing partner.

Vendrick remains missing. Shawkey is staying in Orange County, voluntarily. Authorities have not arrested Shawkey, or named him a suspect in Vendrick's disappearance. Officials are also searching for a third unidentified person who may have met with the two business partners Feb. 9. in Phoenix, just days before Vendrick vanished.

Two weeks ago, homicide investigators executed two search warrants at Shawkey's house in Mechanicsville, Va., two weeks ago, carting out several computers and other items, Amormino said. Forensics experts are going through the computer files.

Shawkey's latest bus trip is not the first time the motivational speaker and self-help author has gone to look for his missing business partner. While investigators were still combing the area for clues, Shawkey left California in early March to attend a bikers' week in Florida, “to look for the missing man,” authorities said. Shawkey was in Daytona Beach, but there was no sign of Vendrick.

Last week, he was in Brownsville, Texas, looking for Vendrick.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7829 or kedds@ocregister.com

[annalyzer]

http://gretawire.foxnews.com/2008/02/22/open-thread-57/

Comment by JoAnne Schnepp
March 6th, 2008 at 9:43 pm
Robert Vendrick age 71 is still missing. No one seems to care! How many people will be duped or die, before someone gets interested in this Gary Shawkey guy??? He’s been destroying people’s lives…especially older folks like Vendricks….for MANY years.

Someone needs to follow up on this story. I’ve been a victim of this Shawkey guy and he is BAD news!

[sarahhod]

Warrant Issued in Offshore Murder Mystery

By Vikki Vargas
NBCLosAngeles.com
updated 1:46 p.m. ET Feb. 14, 2009

SANTA ANA, Calif. -- A Virginia man has been charged with the special circumstances murder for financial gain of an elderly Arizona investor after allegedly luring the victim out to sea from the Dana Point Harbor, officials said Friday.

Orange County Sheriff's investigators issued the murder warrant for 44-year-old Gary Shawkey -- a self-described investment guru. He is currently in a Virginia jail where he was initially arrested for passing a bad check.

According to the Orange County District Attorney's office, in February 2008, 71-year-old Robert Vendrick became reluctant to invest more money with Shawkey. Vendrick, from Phoenix, and his brother had deposited tens of thousands of dollars into Shawkey's bank account as seed money.

"The defendant is accused of convincing (Vendrick) to invest in a new venture involving the development of 'top secret computer software' for the federal government. The defendant is accused of convincing the victim to wire $100,000 to a bank account and telling the victim to fly to Orange County to meet with federal agents to finalize the project," according to the Orange County District Attorney's office.

"When the defendant and the victim arrived in Orange County, the defendant is accused of buying a boat and convincing the victim to sail to San Clemente Island to meet with 'federal agents.' Shawkey and Vendrick got on the boat and sailed out of Dana Point Harbor, and the victim was never seen again," according to the Orange County District Attorney's office.

Investigators say Shawkey faces one count of murder with special circumstances.

Shawkey, who is also a motivational speaker, claims he spent the last year searching for Vendrick from Mexico to Florida.

Detectives say several items were missing from the boat when it was discovered in a Long Beach Harbor, including the motor, the anchor and some rope.

The Orange County District Attorney's office said Friday it has requested that Shawkey be extradited to Orange County to face charges. There are no California court dates set at this time. If convicted, Shawkey could be sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29186642/

[sarahhod]

Virginia Man Charged With Murder in Case of Man Missing from Dana Point

February 13, 2009 (http://www.danapointtimes.com/index.php?mact=News,cntnt01,print,0&cntnt01articleid=665&cntnt01showtemplate=false&cntnt01returnid=51)

SANTA ANA - The Orange County District Attorney filed special circumstances murder for financial gain charges against a Virginia man, for luring an elderly Phoenix investor onto a boat off Dana Point Harbor last February.
Gary A. Shawkey, 46, Mechanicsville, VA, was charged with one count of murder with a sentencing enhancement of intentional murder carried out for financial gain. If convicted, the defendant will be sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. Shawkey is currently in custody in Virginia on unrelated theft charges. The defendant is not eligible for bail. The Orange County District Attorney has requested that Shawkey be extradited to Orange County, CA to face charges. There are no California court dates set at this time.
In the past, Shawkey has claimed to be a professional fisherman and a bail bonds man, among other professions. At the time of the arrest by Virginia authorities on the unrelated charges, the defendant claimed he was working for a limousine company in New Jersey. For a few years prior to February 2008, the defendant is accused of swindling about $1 million from a 71-year-old Phoenix man, who had retired from the software industry, by promising him great returns on imaginary investments. In February 2008, with victim Robert Vendrick becoming reluctant to invest more money, the defendant is accused of convincing him to invest in a new venture involving the development of "top secret computer software" for the federal government. The defendant is accused of convincing the victim to wire $100,000 to a bank account and telling the victim to fly to Orange County to meet with federal agents to finalize the project.
When the defendant and the victim arrived in Orange County, the defendant is accused of buying a boat and convincing the victim to sail to San Clemente Island to meet with "federal agents." Shawkey and Vendrick got on the boat and sailed out of Dana Point Harbor and the victim was never seen again. Sometime between Feb. 14, 2008, and Feb. 24, 2008, Shawkey is accused of murdering Vendrick and disposing of the body for financial gain.
The Orange County Sheriff's Department investigated this case. Senior Deputy District Attorney Ebrahim Baytieh of the Homicide Unit is prosecuting this case.


http://www.danapointtimes.com/index.php?mact=News,cntnt01,detail,0&cntnt01articleid=665&cntnt01dateformat=%25B%20%25d%2C%20%25Y&cntnt01returnid=51

[sarahhod]

February 14, 2009


SANTA ANA

Virginia man is accused of killing retiree at sea



A motivational speaker from Virginia was charged Friday with murder with special circumstances for allegedly swindling a 71-year-old Arizona man and then luring him out of Dana Point Harbor to his death.

Prosecutors allege that Gary A. Shawkey, 46, of Mechanicsville, Va., duped Robert Vendrick, 71, a retired software programmer from Phoenix, into investing $100,000 in a fraudulent "top secret computer software" project for the federal government.

Shawkey then bought a battered 23-foot sailboat and traveled out of Dana Point Harbor with Vendrick in February 2008, authorities said, on the pretext that they would meet "federal agents" on San Clemente Island to seal the deal. Prosecutors allege that Shawkey killed Vendrick and disposed of his body.


Shawkey portrayed himself as an Internet marketing guru and published a self-help book in 2003 titled "If I Can . . . Anybody Can." He once tried, unsuccessfully, to break a world record by walking across 200 feet of hot coals.

Prosecutors will seek to have Shawkey extradited to Orange County from Virginia, where he is in custody on unrelated theft charges.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-briefs14-2009feb14,0,7491699.story

[annalyzer]

http://www.danapointtimes.com/index.php?mact=News,cntnt01,detail,0&cntnt01articleid=667&cntnt01dateformat=%25B%20%25d%2C%20%25Y&cntnt01returnid=51

Virginia Man Faces Murder Charges For Man Missing From Dana Point Harbor

February 17, 2009

The bizarre disappearance of Arizona investor Robert Vendrick took an unexpected turn last Friday when the man who last saw him alive was charged with his murder.

The Orange County District Attorney’s office on February 13 charged Gary Shawkey, 46, of Virginia with one count of murder with a sentencing enhancement of murder for financial gain. If convicted, he faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.

The charges came just three days before the one year anniversary of Vendrick’s disappearance.

“It just takes time, unfortunately, for cases like this to come together with sufficient evidence to file charges,” said Senior District Attorney Ebrahim Baytieh. “This case has been investigated continuously since it happened.”

Vendrick, 71, vanished on February 16, 2008 after meeting with Shawkey at the Dana Point Harbor. Vendrick’s family later told police that he had planned to take a sailboat to San Clemente Island with Shawkey to meet with government agents to discuss a lucrative investment in “top secret computer software.” Records later showed that Vendrick had wired $100,000 to Shawkey before flying to Southern California.

Vendrick was never seen again and his body has never been found.

His wife reported him missing two days later on February 15 after he missed his flight back home to Phoenix, and authorities found only his suitcase, clothes and diabetes medicine when they searched his hotel room at the Dana Point Marina Inn. His rental car was found in the parking lot.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department declared Shawkey a person of interest, but he told authorities that he had dropped Vendrick back off at the Harbor and had not heard from him since. Investigators later discovered that Shawkey had purchased the 23-foot sailboat just days earlier to make the trip, and that he’d replaced the motor and the anchor two days after Vendrick disappeared.

The old motor, which Shawkey claimed to have abandoned at the Harbor’s fuel dock, was never found. Divers found an anchor at the Harbor’s bottom, but it could not be identified as one replace by Shawkey.

With Shawkey’s denials and no body, investigators have spent the last 12 months gathering enough evidence to file charges. On Feb. 13 those charges were finally made, much to the relief of the Vendrick family.

“We’re glad he was finally arrested, although we don’t know what the smoking gun was,” said Fred Vendrick of Hermosa Beach, Robert’s brother. “I think the weight of the evidence finally added up.”

Vendrick said Tuesday that his brother’s death—assumed, although never proven—has been hard on the family. His opinion of the man accused of murdering his brother for financial gain?

“He’s a sociopath, in my opinion,” said Fred Vendrick. “A narcissistic sociopath. He thinks that nothing will stick to him.”

Shawkey is currently in a Virginia jail on theft charges unrelated to the Vendrick case. The Orange County District Attorney’s office has requested he be extradited back to California following the court proceedings for the theft charges have concluded. “I’m hoping we get him back in California hopefully in the next few weeks,” said Baytieh.

[sarahhod]

Bad-check suspect charged in slaying

FL–S Customer Care (http://www.freelancestar.com/) Man wanted in California murder case makes appearance in Stafford

Date published: 2/18/2009

BY KEITH EPPS

A Mechanicsville man who was charged Friday in a highly publicized California murder case was arraigned in Stafford County yesterday on far less serious charges.
Gary Allen Shawkey, 45, is charged in Stafford with obtaining money by false pretenses and writing a worthless check. A June 4 trial date was set yesterday in Stafford Circuit Court.
Shawkey is currently being held in the Rappahannock Regional Jail, but there is a good chance he'll leave Virginia before his scheduled trial date.
He was charged with murder in Orange County, Calif., in connection with the February 2008 disappearance of his business associate, 71-year-old Robert Lee Vendrick of Phoenix, Ariz.
According to police and news reports, Vendrick was last seen on Feb. 15 of last year leaving the Dana Point Harbor on a boat with Shawkey, described in reports as an Internet marketing guru and motivational speaker.
Shawkey had convinced Vendrick to invest a large amount of money in a "highly secretive" software program for the federal government.
The pair left the dock for what was supposed to be a 60-mile trip to San Clemente Island to sign some paperwork.
Shawkey returned, but Vendrick was never seen again. His medication and personal items were still in his hotel room.
Shawkey told police that Vendrick was fine when he dropped him off at the pier. Vendrick's family said he left home with $100,000 in cash.
The story was the subject of a series of stories in Orange County newspapers and television stations. It was also featured in a May 8 segment on "America's Most Wanted."
According to the Stafford warrants, Shawkey wrote a check to Scooter Works in Stafford for just over $300 for repairs to his motorcycle.
That check was written on March 21 from an account that was frozen as part of the California investigation.
A Stafford grand jury indicted Shawkey on Jan. 5, and he was arrested in New Jersey on Feb. 6, a week before the California warrant was obtained.
Stafford prosecutor Lori DiGiosia said Sgt. Ray Davis headed the Stafford investigation and has been in touch with California investigators.

http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2009/022009/02182009/446825

[sarahhod]

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Self-help guru extradited on charge of killing missing partner

Phoenix man, 71, vanished after Dana Point boat trip with investor, investigators say.

By KIMBERLY EDDS
The Orange County Register

http://images.ocregister.com/newsimages/news/2009/03/shawkey-md.jpg (http://www.ocregister.com/photos/shawkey-vendrick-investigators-2347385-orange-county)



SANTA ANA – A motivational speaker charged with the murder of his business partner during a boat trip was extradited to Orange County after more than a year of wild tales of his adventures around the world trying to find his missing friend.
The disappearance of Robert Vendrick, a 71-year-old diabetic from Phoenix, has always been odd. But it became more unusual as his investment partner – and the main figure in his vanishing – crisscrossed the United States on Greyhound buses looking for him.
All the while, Gary Shawkey, a 44-year-old self-help author and investment guru, kept in close contact with Orange County Sheriff's Department investigators and of the "near-misses" with his friend, Bob.
Vendrick, he claimed, is alive and well (http://www.ocregister.com/articles/shawkey-vendrick-investigators-2042244-feb-amormino). And Shawkey said all he wanted to do was to help find him. Vendrick's body has never been found.
But prosecutors and investigators didn't buy the story – and last month charged him with murder. Shawkey was booked into Orange County jail Thursday evening.
Shawkey, who lives in Virginia with his wife and two teenage children, was tracked down in Nogales, Mexico, by Mexican authorities last May who noticed he was on a U.S. missing person's list. Orange County officials put Shawkey on the list after he suddenly disappeared from his Orange County motel room, Sheriff's Department spokesman Jim Amormino said.
Vendrick arrived Feb. 15, 2008, in Southern California to meet with Shawkey and "highly placed government officials" for a payday on $1.2 million return on his software programming investment (http://www.ocregister.com/articles/vendrick-shawkey-point-1983653-investment-boat). Vendrick and his brother Fred had deposited thousands of dollars into an account belonging to Shawkey, money Shawkey said was needed to seal the government contract. The deal never happened. Vendrick and Shawkey disappeared Feb. 16, 2008.
Shawkey and the $1,000 sailboat boat he bought surfaced several days later in Long Beach. But Vendrick was not aboard. Shawkey, who has a reputation of bilking investors across the United States out of millions, said Vendrick had a change of heart and backed out on the deal.
But Vendrick, along with the boat's original motor, anchor and some chain, remain missing (http://www.ocregister.com/articles/vendrick-investigators-shawkey-1988845-anchor-boat).
Three months after his business partner disappeared, Shawkey apparently vanished in an eerily similar way (http://www.ocregister.com/articles/shawkey-vendrick-feb-1995130-investigators-engine), investigators said. A day after arriving in Orange County on a Greyhound bus last May and checking into the Golden West Lodge at Main Street at the I-5, Shawkey himself disappeared.
Shawkey checked into the motel and left a message for Orange County Sheriff's Department investigator Ken Hoffman, who is investigating Vendrick's disappearance and has been in regular contact with Shawkey. In his message, Shawkey said he was headed to Mexico to look for Vendrick.
Shawkey also instructed a co-worker to call Hoffman if he didn't call back by noon the next day, Amormino said. Shawkey's call never came – and the co-worker called authorities.
Investigators went to Shawkey's room. The television was on, his passport, wallet, medication and toiletries were all left behind – just as Vendrick's were the day he disappeared from his Dana Point hotel. Shawkey was nowhere to be found. He was declared a missing person.
After being handed over to U.S. officials, Shawkey called Orange County investigators from Nogales, Ariz., to tell them he had found Vendrick in Mexico and was taking him to the Border Patrol when Vendrick jumped off the bus in Tijuana. He was headed to Mazatlan, Shawkey told investigators. Shawkey arrived in Santa Ana by bus and talked to sheriff's investigators about his now-international quest to find his missing partner.
Homicide investigators executed two search warrants at Shawkey's house in Mechanicsville, Va., last year, carting out several computers and other items, Amormino said.
Shawkey's latest bus trip is not the first time he had gone to look for his missing business partner. While investigators were still combing the area for clues, Shawkey left California in March 2008 to attend a bikers' week in Florida, "to look for the missing man," authorities said. Shawkey was in Daytona Beach, but there was no sign of Vendrick.
He also traveled to Brownsville, Texas, looking for Vendrick.


http://www.ocregister.com/articles/shawkey-vendrick-investigators-2347385-orange-county

[sarahhod]

Man extradited on charge of killing investor in OC

The Associated Press
Posted: 03/27/2009 02:48:28 AM PDT


SANTA ANA, Calif.—A motivational speaker from Virginia charged with murdering his business partner during a sailing trip has been extradited to California. Gary Shawkey was booked into Orange County jail Thursday evening and will make his first court appearance on Monday, prosecutors said.
Shawkey, of Mechanicsville, Va., is accused of luring 71-year-old Robert Vendrick on a sailing trip off the Southern California coast last February under the guise of finalizing a business deal. The businessman from Phoenix has not been seen since.
Shawkey, who was being held without bail, also faces a special circumstance allegation that he murdered Vendrick for financial gain—making him eligible for the death penalty if convicted.
Shawkey ran several Internet-based companies and co-authored a motivational autobiography called "If I Can ... Anybody Can."


http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_12009657

[sarahhod]

Suspect in Death Aboard Boat Extradited to Orange County

By: Ambrosia Sarabia | Friday, March 27, 2009 12:00:00 AM Last updated: Friday, March 27, 2009 2:32:00 PM


SANTA ANA – Gary Shawkey, a self-help book author charged with the murder of his investment partner Robert Vendrick during a boat trip out of Dana Point Harbor was extradited to Orange County March 26.

http://www.goboatingclassifieds.com/fishrap/rappix/Shawkey_032709.jpg Gary Shawkey

Shawkey, 45, of Mechanicsville, Va., was in custody in Virginia on unrelated theft charges at the time of his arrest. He is charged with the murder of Vendrick, a 71-year-old diabetic who flew from Phoenix to Orange County last year to meet Shawkey and discuss investment in a new venture. Vendrick was last seen aboard a small sailboat in Dana Point Harbor on Feb. 16, 2008.

The Orange County District Attorney’s office charged Shawkey with one count of murder with a sentencing enhancement of intentional murder carried out for financial gain, a year after Vendrick’s disappearance.

According to the Orange County District Attorney’s office, Shawkey is accused of swindling about $1 million from Vendrick by promising high returns on an investment scheme. When Vendrick became reluctant to invest more money, the D.A.’s office alleges Shawkey convinced him to invest in a new venture that involved the development of “top secret computer software” for the federal government. Shawkey then allegedly convinced Vendrick to wire $100,000 to a bank account and fly to Orange County, to meet with federal agents and finalize the deal.

Once in Orange County, Shawkey allegedly bought a small sailboat and asked Vendrick to sail with him to San Clemente Island, where they would supposedly meet the federal agents.

Vendrick, who retired from the software industry, was seen aboard the boat with Shawkey, and the pair sailed out of Dana Point Harbor. Vendrick was never seen again.

In the past, Shawkey has claimed to be a professional fisherman and a bail bondsman, among other professions, according to the D.A.’s office. At the time of his arrest by Virginia authorities on unrelated charges, he claimed to be working for a limousine company in New Jersey.

If convicted, Shawkey could be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, the D.A’s office reported.

He is expected to be arraigned March 30 at the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana.

http://www.thelog.com/news/logNewsArticle.aspx?x=9250

[annalyzer]

Missing man's family sees suspect in court

Monday, March 30, 2009

SANTA ANA, Calif. (KABC) -- A Virginia man awaits his day in court to face justice. He's accused of murdering his business partner, Robert Vendrick, during a sailing trip. But a body has never been found.
The victim from Phoenix mysteriously disappeared following a sailing trip. Investigators were puzzled until they uncovered a series of clues that pointed at their suspect.

It was an emotional day for the Robert Vendrick's family. They came to court specifically to see the defendant in person for the first time since losing their loved one last year.
"I don't feel vindictiveness, I just feel sad," said Fred Vendrick, Robert's brother.

Fred Vendrick wanted to see the man accused of killing his older brother, Robert, more than a year ago. A court order has banned showing any images of the 45-year-old defendant during the hearing.
Gary Shawkey was extradited from Virginia to Orange County last week, charged with murdering his 71-year-old business partner. Prosecutors allege he lured Vendrick from Phoenix to Dana Point to take a boat ride in February 2008, having him believe he was about to secure a secret government contract.

"What we intend to prove in court is he took him on a boat and threw him overboard," said Ebrahim Baytieh, Orange County Senior Deputy District Attorney.
The boat turned up in Long Beach days later, but Vendrick has not been seen since.
Vendrick's clothes, medication and identification were left behind in a hotel room. Investigators say the boat's original motor, anchor and chain are also missing.

Prosecutors allege Shawkey stole more than a million dollars from Vendrick over the years, promising high returns on investments that didn't actually exist. Investigators say Shawkey allegedly convinced the retiree to take part in one last venture, to develop computer software for the government.
They were to sail to San Clemente Island to meet with federal agents. Fred and Bob Vendrick invested $100,000 to seal the deal. Authorities say Shawkey told them Vendrick changed his mind and dropped him off at a dock.

"It got to a point where Mr. Vendrick was not very happy with the fact that he wasn't getting all of his money back," said Baytieh.
Shawkey, a motivational speaker, has been accused of bilking other investors across the U.S. out of millions of dollars. Months after Vendrick vanished, Shawkey himself disappeared from a motel in Orange County in a very similar way, leaving behind essential items. Shawkey was eventually located in Mexico.

"Mostly I'd like to know how it happened and why he did it," said Fred Vendrick Monday.
Gary Shawkey was serving time in jail in Virginia for unrelated theft charges when he was arrested for Vendrick's murder. He is being held in Orange County without bail awaiting his next court appearance next month.

http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/local/orange_county&id=6736588

[Nut44x4]

Sunday, August 2, 2009

Several Questions Remain In Investor's Disappearance
Suspect Says Man He Is Accused of Killing Is Alive

DANA POINT, Calif. -- Two men were aboard when the sailboat Odyssey motored out of the marina here on Feb. 16 last year, chugging past the breakwater under the power of an outboard motor installed a day earlier by the rotund, talkative man at the tiller.

Gary Shawkey billed himself as a motivational speaker, and police say that over the previous three years he had motivated his passenger mightily. From retiree Robert Vendrick, 71, Shawkey -- a Virginia bail bondsman, Internet marketing promoter and onetime holder of the Guinness world record for walking on hot coals -- allegedly coaxed a grand total of more than $1 million.

Vendrick, an Arizona resident, told his wife their life savings were being invested in a software program essential to homeland security. He described the project as secret and lucrative, as so much government contracting came to be after Sept. 11, 2001. Before the Odyssey set out, Vendrick told family members he was confident he would return with a fat check from a meeting that "government agents" insisted take place on San Clemente Island, a U.S. Navy property 50 miles offshore, beyond the horizon.

Three days later, the Odyssey returned without one of its anchors, a 70-pound outboard motor, a measure of rope and Vendrick.

How Vendrick, a mathematics major who spent his career calculating decisions for engineering firms, came to put seemingly total faith in a salesman he met on the Internet stands as a mystery on par with his disappearance. One factor, investigators note, is the peculiar intimacy of hours spent online, presenting a new spectrum of opportunities for confidence artists who rely above all on the illusion of trust.

"Once you get in so deep, you lose all sense of things," said Fred Vendrick, whose brother has not been seen since.

Shawkey was alone on the Odyssey when it docked at a pier in Long Beach. He told police he had returned Robert Vendrick to Dana Point after the retiree complained of choppy seas, then put to sea again and enjoyed a solo weekend on Catalina Island. Customers at an island bar confirmed his presence there, recalling a large, extroverted man who made a strong impression everywhere he went.

"He does have quite a life story," said Orange County sheriff's Det. Mike Thompson, who investigated the case for more than a year. "Have you read his book?"

There are two. "Gary Shawkey's Secrets" and "If I Can . . . Anyone Can!" both promote the notion that bundles can be made "mining the Internet for money." Shawkey's formula involved not arcane algorithms but, rather, simply persuading people to send you checks.

Tom Vendrick said his father, bored in retirement, was looking to parlay his wealth "into more than he had in order to take care of his kids and family.

"My dad built up a hell of a credit card bill left for my mom, through what he thought was going to be the road to riches."

One year after Vendrick's disappearance, Shawkey, 45, was charged with murder for financial gain. He was extradited from Mechanicsville, Va., to Orange County and pleaded not guilty. Public defender Brian Waite, who is representing Shawkey, declined to comment.

Police and prosecutors said that the defendant has consistently maintained that Vendrick is alive, and that Shawkey spent much of the year before his arrest looking for him.

Shawkey telephoned police from Mexico. He announced that he had spotted the missing man in Tijuana and was trying to coax him to return north, but lost him when Vendrick boarded a bus to Mazatlan. Earlier, Shawkey urged detectives to look for Vendrick in Daytona Beach, Fla., saying the retiree had expressed an interest in Bike Week.

Detectives dutifully made inquiries, but they also studied ocean currents and dead-weight buoyancy. Investigators learned that Shawkey, who told police he did not know how to sail, had bought the Odyssey one day before Vendrick arrived from Phoenix for the trip to San Clemente. Vendrick never returned to a motel room that contained his laptop, diabetes medication, the keys to a parked rental car and a television set that was still on.

In Orange County, the investigation recalled the 2004 murder at sea of Thomas Hawks and his wife, Jackie, who was pregnant and, according to testimony, begged for her life before being pitched overboard. The two were offering a test cruise of their 55-foot motor yacht Well Deserved to a gang led by a failed child actor who had brought along his girlfriend and their 9-month-old baby to win the Hawks's trust.

But local officials see Shawkey's case as an unusual escalation of the white-collar crimes that lard the prosecution docket of this affluent Southern California county of 3 million. In one case last year, a man under investigation for allegedly bilking investors of $11 million was arrested on charges that he drugged the cocktail of an Olympic ice dancing gold medalist during a business dinner to discuss a vitamin line.

Shawkey has no record of violence beyond a conviction for discharging a firearm while corralling a bail jumper in Virginia. Though he has faced no previous fraud charges, an online search produces pages of warnings from angry former investors.

"We are dedicated to the removal of Mr. Gary Shawkey from the internet," reads a posting by one investor in BizOpAlliance, which Shawkey had pitched as a "business in a box."

"He has a very powerful personality," said Stephanie Shawkey, in a brief phone interview from Ohio, where her husband long raised funds in the name of a camp for special-needs children that those who contributed say never opened. He also spent time in Florida, where in a 2000 publicity triumph he walked on 165 feet of burning embers.

In Mechanicsville, the company Gary Shawkey International reported annual sales in 2008 of $1.3 million. That is about how much Vendrick's family told police he invested in a "top secret project," which he described vaguely as people-tracking software, including $100,000 wired just before he disappeared. Shawkey has denied any knowledge of a project with the government.

Thompson said the salesman's knowledge of information technology appeared to reach no further than contracting with the servers that hosted his Web sites.

"I can't find any service that Mr. Shawkey was capable of providing that the United States government would be interested in," he said.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/01/AR2009080102226.html?hpid=moreheadlines