July 1, 2013

[Nikki Forbes]

Today, July 1, is the date and fourth year of the murder of Bob Ford, a 30+ year resident of Ludington.  His sister wants you to have a glimpse of the kind of person he was, and for you to remember him, and never forget.  He was conscientious, peace-driven, and tender-hearted, innocent, naive, and gullible.

When he was eight years old, and sister five, they walked together to the five and dime store behind the new construction behind their new home.  She stole a piece of nickel candy and half-way back home told her brother.  Bob calmly told her it was wrong and that they had to go back to the store and tell the owner, which he did.  Bob never told their parents, and she never stole anything again. 

Bob gave the name "Sweet" to his sister, and would use it instead of her name.  He was always good to her, and they liked spending time together.  He would invite her to play baseball with him in the back yard, and in turn, he would play house in the newly-built walk-in doll house their dad made for them that their dad constructed out of house-siding with windows and a roof to match.

In high school, Bob was voted most quiet and shy, and remained an A-student even through culinary classes he took while living in Ludington.

After high school, Bob attended David Lipscomb college to become a preacher, and would later, regularly substitute for the minister when the minister would be out of town.  Bob was a regularly faithful bible-studying church goer, who could be just as regularly counted on to lead singing and prayer before the congregation.

Musically, Bob played the piano. Besides his favorite hymns with melodies of Bach or Beethoven, he liked the Beatles, Motown (especially Smokey Robinson and the Miracles), the Beach Boys, Frankie Valley and the Four Seasons, to name a few of his favorites.  A favorite memory of his sister's is when, in his early years of high school, she overheard him singing Motown songs to put himself to sleep at night, and while rocking his head back and forth on his pillow.  When his sister would have a friend over to spend the night, they would take on the challenge of oh-so quietly and slowly, climb the carpeted stairs to his room, and while hiding themselves at the top of the stairs, they would make quick burping noises, stopping only after their chirps would compel Bob to stop singing for a few seconds.  Bob would then continue singing only to soon be met with more chirping and burping noises of his sister and her friend.  After three or four bouts of these interruptions, in a low-keyed tone, he would say, "... I know that's you, Jean."  The girls then, while still hidden and while working hard to hold in their laughs, would just as quietly and slowly slip back downstairs, adding the adventure to their list of fun.

Bob was patient and thoughtful.  He would have welcomed the man posing as his friend on July 1, 2013.  Bob even offered, as well as began, to make the man spaghetti in the middle of the afternoon, after the two o'clock hour that day.  Yet the start of Bob's kindness was abruptly unfinished because Bob was murdered between 2:20 and 2:40 p.m., July 1.

Bob's sister still takes comfort in knowing that God misses nothing, and missed nothing from the start of the pay-for-hire plan that took her brother's life at the age of 61.  God watched everything from the time the manager, Bob's visiting uncle, and his mother arrived to Bob's place on the evening of July 2, looking for him.  God watched as "Detective" Wells and Evidence Examiner, Sgt. McMellen arrived at the scene after receiving the request to do so from responding police officers calling them at 8:50 p.m. on July 2.  God has missed nothing to date, of anything occurring subsequently related to this death.  And while the murderer still runs "free," God still misses nothing.  

"The wicked plots against the just, and gnashes at him with his teeth.  The Lord laughs at him; for He sees that his day is coming."  Psalm 37:12 - 15 (NKJV).

"Do not fret - it only leads to harm.  For evil doers shall be cut off.  But those who wait on the Lord... shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace."  Psalm 37: 7 - 9a, 11 b)

[XLFD]

Very sad for your loss four years ago, Nikki.

I've read this police report, seen the photographs, the apartment map, and can't determine how JB Wells managed to classify this as an accidental death.  It's like when he looked at the evidence of the marina death of Ling Yan Zou, noted she took anti-depressant medication, and came to the conclusion it was suicide, when either accidental drowning or foul play were more likely.  His input to the Baby Kate case involved plant residue on shoes that likely were not even worn by Sean Phillips that afternoon. 

I can't wait to get the police incident report from the Baby Kate case, in which I'm having to fight a very resistant and unreasonable City of Ludington in court for.  I love the science fiction of HG Wells, but the science fiction of a JB Wells police report is a bit short on reality and science.

[Nikki Forbes]

Thank you for your kind thoughts. Additional note on Ling Yan Zou, from a reliable resource professional in Ludington - her lungs were not filled with water, which proves she was killed before thrown into the marina. But it's better to fight disturbing the tourism industry than it is to bring justice to the victims by

[Willy]

I remember seeing a photo of the Police and rescue standing on the edge of the marina and looking at her body in the water. What I found strange about this is that when she was found floating nobody made an effort to pull her out of the water. for all anyone knows she may still have been alive.

[XLFD]

The police weren't the first to find the body of Ling, they arrived many minutes after it was found, and being face down for several minutes in the murky cool water would lead them to believe she was dead, so I will defend the authorities for likely preserving and documenting the setting, before proceeding rashly.  I will also note that it is highly unlikely but people have drowned without having their lungs filled with water. 

I would have hoped the investigation would explain why that happened in this case if she was actively seeking to kill herself by jumping in that cool muck to drown, as they infer.  She had been missing for over a day, she had not came to her rental unit to sleep the previous night.  Her landlady said this had never happened before, nor had she a boyfriend.  In the time she was missing, volunteer informants said a woman matching her description was seen a couple of times with a man apparently enjoying themselves around the marina/beach area. 

This would normally pique the interest of an investigator, but Detective Wells was unimpressed, just like he was when he could pin the blame on a visiting Russian bicyclist for stealing the right of way from a car driver who plowed into her after having crossed over half of the street's crosswalk.   

[Willy]

My first reaction would have been to see if the victim was unconscious, not to  stand around with my fingers up my nose.

[Nikki Forbes]

... while murderers run free in this quaint, resort town.  They are at least learning where to hide, and, the common Ludington euphemism', "we take care of our own" only applies in certain circles, like criminal/corrupt circles.

[Willy]

Nikki, I'm' drawing a blank on this incident. Do you have any links to newspapers or television media regarding this. Thanks

[Nikki Forbes]

No.   And of course there wouldn't be any publicity when none of the other seven residents in the building were ever questioned by the police, either the night of the four-hour investigation, nor at any other time.  In fact, the one neighbor on the same floor as Bob's apartment, who opened his door to step out and find out from the police officer who was stationed at the entry door of Bob's apartment that night, "got the distinct message (non-verbal) from the officer to just be quiet and get back into (his) apartment."    For many reasons, this case was not publicized.  In fact, by August 8, at my first interview with Wells, the case was closed without Well's having finished the reports on it.  Well's first comments to me were that he "didn't understand why the case was closed, why there was no autopsy, and why it had been cited as 'no foul play.'"    Under Freedom of Information Act, the public is able to obtain a copy of the photos taken by Sgt. McMellen that night.  They are also free to ask for and obtain the photos in color.