Joan Diver Missing 9/29/06 NY/ Body Found

Search Continues for Missing Woman Created: 9/29/2006 9:54:24 PM Updated: 9/30/2006 1:08:31 PM Police and volunteers are continuing to scour a Clarence bike path searching for a mother of four whose been missing since Friday afternoon. Investigators say Joan Diver's husband called police around one o'clock after his wife did not pick up their kids at daycare. According to authorities, Diver is an avid jogger. They went to check out the Clarence bike path along Shisler Road and found her SUV abandoned. There were no signs of foul play. A police K-9 unit from Rochester has been called in to assist in the search. Officials have closed parts of the bike path and have asked the public to stay away from it while the investigation continues. Diver is described as being 5'5" tall, about 140lbs. with green eyes. She is believed to be wearing a navy sweatshirt and possibly black shorts or black running pants with a green stripe. Rescue crews are planning to search the area throughout the night. Stay tuned to Channel 2 News and WGRZ.com on this developing story. http://www.wgrz.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=41519

Search Called Off...Investigation Continues Created: 9/29/2006 9:54:24 PM Updated: 9/30/2006 5:02:54 PM Authorities have called off the search for missing Clarence woman Joan Diver but the investigation continues. Police and volunteers searched a Clarence bike path looking for the mother of four who was last seen Friday afternoon. Authorities have not found any evidence at the scene. Investigators say Joan Diver's husband called police around one o'clock after his wife did not pick up their kids at daycare. According to authorities, Diver is an avid jogger. They went to check the Clarence bike path along Shisler Road and found her SUV abandoned. There were no signs of foul play. A police K-9 unit from Rochester has been called in to assist in the search. Officials have closed parts of the bike path and have asked the public to stay away from it while the investigation continues. Diver is described as being 5'5" tall, about 140lbs. with green eyes. She is believed to be wearing a navy sweatshirt and possibly black shorts or black running pants with a green stripe. The Erie County Sheriff's Office is asking anyone who was jogging in the Town of Clarence on September 29th, 2006 on either Kraus Road or Greiner Road between the hours of 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM to please call (716) 667-5201. Stay tuned to Channel 2 News and WGRZ.com on this developing story. http://www.wgrz.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=41519

Missing Mom: Clarence Search Called Off... Investigation Continues Posted by: Robyn Young, Reporter Created: 9/29/2006 9:54:24 PM Updated: 9/30/2006 11:57:49 PM Authorities have stopped searching for missing Clarence woman Joan Diver, around the Clarence bike path. Erie County Sheriff's Lieutenant Ron Kenyon says the investigation continues. "I was devastated. I just can't believe it. It's not normal for this area," said Deborah Grimm, who said she is an acquaintance of Diver from their children's elementary school. Here is the timeline on this case: Authorities said Diver's husband, Steve, a UB chemistry professor, called police at 1pm Friday to report his wife missing. Told Joan regularly jogs on the Clarence bike path, they searched that area, and found her Ford Explorer parked at the path's entrance on Shisler Road. Police said the vehicle was not broken into and did not appear to have been tampered with. It has been impounded as evidence. Hundreds of law enforcement and volunteers fanned out along the entire 8-mile trail, from Wehrle Drive to the Village of Akron, Friday afternoon. Searchers used hand-held infrared devices, police dogs, and atv's. A Border Patrol helicopter was also used in the search. The search continued through Friday night, with the Clarence Fire Hall serving as the base of operations. Scores of volunteer firefighters were on hand to assist in the effort, which continued into Saturday. At 4pm Saturday, the search was called off. "They've gone over literally every inch of path, as far as we can tell, and found nothing," said Lt. Ron Kenyon with the Erie County Sheriff's Office. He said the investigation continues, focusing now on phone tips and any other information that comes into their office. One lead they are following is a report of a woman matching Diver's description seen jogging in Clarence at Kraus and Greiner between 4pm and 5pm Friday. Lt. Kenyon said they are not sure if the woman was Diver, and are asking any women who were jogging in that area to call his office at 667-5201. Meanwhile, the mystery is upsetting to those who live in Clarence, and those who frequent the bike path. Norm Trost, who regularly rides his bike on the path and recognized Diver's picture released by police, said, "If harm has befallen her, it makes me darn mad when I can't do a thing about it." Joan Diver has four children, ages three to 14. She is described as being 5'5" tall, about 140lbs., with green eyes. She is believed to be wearing a navy sweatshirt and black shorts or black running pants with a green stripe. Stay tuned to Channel 2 News and WGRZ.com on this developing story. http://www.wgrz.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=41519

BODY OF MISSING MOM FOUND IN CLARENCE :cry: Updated by: Marissa Bailey, Weekend Assignment Editor Posted by: Athan Kompos, Producer Created: 10/1/2006 3:15:07 PM Updated: 10/1/2006 10:43:38 PM Local volunteers made up of family and friends, discovered Joan Diver's body Sunday afternoon just 20 feet from the bike path where she was last seen jogging. A source tells Two On Your Side, her body was found partially clothed in thick, wooded brush. Joan Diver's husband Steve Diver, a UB Chemistry professor, identified her body one hour after she was found. He called police at 1pm Friday to report his wife missing. Hundreds of law enforcement officials and volunteers searched the entire 8-mile trail of the Clarence bike path on Saturday. Diver regularly runs on the path. But according to authorities no sign of Diver was found. The search was called off by the Erie County Sheriff's Department on Saturday night. Volunteers who searched for the body of Joan Diver told Two On Your Side, they are frustrated police called off the search just 24 hours after they started looking for her. "There's some anger at authorities that they stopped when they could have gone further. I mean we are not professionals. We are just out here as a community trying to find someone who we miss very much and we love very much and we found her," said one volunteer searcher. Family and friends tell 2 On Your Side Joan Diver's kids were everything to her. "She was just one of those good Moms. One of those stay at home, do whatever you can, your kids are your life -- kind of Moms." According to the Erie County Sheriff's Office, there are no suspects at this time. Donations to the Diver Family Fund can be sent to: Village Preschool 10205 Griener Road Clarence, NY 14031 2 On Your Side will continue to follow this story as developments occur. Stay tuned to wgrz.com for the latest information. http://www.wgrz.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=41529

Missing Mother's Body Found Updated by: Marissa Bailey, Weekend Assignment Editor Posted by: Athan Kompos, Producer Created: 10/1/2006 3:15:07 PM Updated: 10/2/2006 11:35:48 AM The Discovery An autopsy is underway to determine the cause of death of a Clarence mother of four whose body was discovered Sunday. The Erie County Sheriff's Department has called a 2pm press conference to announce the results. WGRZ.COM EXCLUSIVE: Live Streaming video of Sheriff's Department News Conference Approximately 2pm Investigators are stopping short of calling this a homicide right now, they say, until the cause of death is official. Right now, crews are back on the scene looking for any evidence. A spokesperson for the Sheriff's Department tells Two-On-Your-Side there are no suspects and no motive at this time. Volunteers made up of family and friends, discovered Joan Diver's body Sunday afternoon just 20 feet from the bike path where she was last seen jogging. A source tells Two On Your Side, her body was found partially clothed in thick, wooded brush. Erie County Undersheriff William Donovan said, "It's a suspicious death, probably a homicide." Joan Diver's husband Steve Diver, a UB Chemistry professor, identified her body one hour after she was found. He called police at 1pm Friday to report his wife missing. Hundreds of law enforcement officials and volunteers searched the entire 8-mile trail of the Clarence bike path on Saturday. Diver regularly runs on the path. But according to authorities no sign of Diver was found. The search was called off by the Erie County Sheriff's Department on Saturday night. The Frustration Volunteers who searched for the body of Joan Diver told 2-On-Your-Side, they are frustrated police called off the search just 24 hours after they started looking for her. "There's some anger at authorities that they stopped when they could have gone further. I mean we are not professionals. We are just out here as a community trying to find someone who we miss very much and we love very much and we found her," said one volunteer searcher. Family and friends tell 2 On Your Side Joan Diver's kids were everything to her. "She was just one of those good Moms. One of those stay at home, do whatever you can, your kids are your life -- kind of Moms." According to the Erie County Sheriff's Office, there are no suspects at this time. Donataions Donations to the Diver Family Fund can be sent to any of four Bank of Akron locations: 9865 Main Street Clarence, NY 14031 9470 Clarence Center & Goodrich Road Clarence Center, NY 14032 46 Main Street Akron, NY 14001 77 Buell Street Akron, NY 14001 2 On Your Side will continue to follow this story as developments occur. Stay tuned to wgrz.com for the latest information. http://www.wgrz.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=41529

Investigation into Death of Clarence Mother Underway Larry Haneberg, Webmaster Created: 10/1/2006 3:15:07 PM Updated: 10/2/2006 11:21:59 PM The Discovery An autopsy has been comleted, but results are not back yet in the death of a Clarence mother of four whose body was discovered Sunday. Investigators are stopping short of calling this a homicide right now, they say, until the cause of death is official. Right now, crews are back on the scene looking for any evidence. A spokesperson for the Sheriff's Department tells Two-On-Your-Side there are no suspects and no motive at this time. Volunteers made up of family and friends, discovered Joan Diver's body Sunday afternoon just 20 feet from the bike path where she was last seen jogging. A source tells Two On Your Side, her body was found partially clothed in thick, wooded brush. Erie County Undersheriff William Donovan said, "It's a suspicious death, probably a homicide." Joan Diver's husband Steve Diver, a UB Chemistry professor, identified her body one hour after she was found. He called police at 1pm Friday to report his wife missing. Hundreds of law enforcement officials and volunteers searched the entire 8-mile trail of the Clarence bike path on Saturday. Diver regularly runs on the path. But according to authorities no sign of Diver was found. The search was called off by the Erie County Sheriff's Department on Saturday night. The Frustration Volunteers who searched for the body of Joan Diver told 2-On-Your-Side, they are frustrated police called off the search just 24 hours after they started looking for her. "There's some anger at authorities that they stopped when they could have gone further. I mean we are not professionals. We are just out here as a community trying to find someone who we miss very much and we love very much and we found her," said one volunteer searcher. Family and friends tell 2 On Your Side Joan Diver's kids were everything to her. "She was just one of those good Moms. One of those stay at home, do whatever you can, your kids are your life -- kind of Moms." According to the Erie County Sheriff's Office, there are no suspects at this time. Donataions Donations to the Diver Family Fund can be sent to any of four Bank of Akron locations: 9865 Main Street Clarence, NY 14031 9470 Clarence Center & Goodrich Road Clarence Center, NY 14032 46 Main Street Akron, NY 14001 77 Buell Street Akron, NY 14001 http://www.wgrz.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=41557

Are There Connections Between Joan Diver Murder & Bike Path Rapist? (October 2, 2006) - - The Sheriff's Office is comparing notes with Amherst and Buffalo police to see if the Joan Diver murder could be linked with the unsolved Bike Path Rapist case. Police believe the Bike Path Rapist attacked nine women in Western New York between 1986 and 1994. Two of the women, including UB student Linda Yalem, were murdered. Amherst police note that there are similarities, but have not linked the cases. Chief John Moslow of the Amherst Police Department said, "The similarities are there. The bike path; the same date, to me, is significant, and the fact that the victim was dragged off the bike path. Those three things are enough to pique our interest." Joan Diver turned up missing on September 29, the 16th anniversary of Linda Yalem's disappearance. http://www.wivb.com/Global/story.asp?S=5487738

Woman With Utah Ties Murdered in New York October 2nd, 2006 @ 9:14pm By CAROLYN THOMPSON Associated Press Writer BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) -- A mother of four apparently struggled with her attacker before being killed while jogging on a suburban bike path, investigators said Monday as they waited for autopsy results to determine when and how she died. The body of Joan Diver, 45, was found about 30 yards off the path in Newstead on Sunday, two days after her husband reported her missing when she failed to pick up their youngest child from day care. "There were some signs of a struggle," Erie County Undersheriff Richard Donovan said Monday. Donovan would not comment on the condition of the body, other than to say Diver had not been stabbed or shot. Diver's body was found around noon Sunday by volunteers who descended on the 6 1/2-mile path a day after police suspended their search. Her body was found in an area that had been searched by officers and dogs, leading to speculation it may have been dumped there after police left. Donovan indicated it was more likely that officers had overlooked the body in the thick brush. Odors from a nearby farm may have thrown off cadaver-sniffing dogs, he said. "We may have missed it," he said. Diver's car was found Friday at an entrance to the path, three miles from where her body was found. Diver's death was compared Monday to the unsolved murder of a college student who met a similar fate on the same date 16 years ago. The body of University at Buffalo student Linda Yalem, 22, was found along a bike path in nearby Amherst. She had been raped and strangled. DNA evidence from the two cases would be compared, Donovan said. "There are similarities between crimes that have happened in this area and this particular crime," he said. "There also could be copycats....This could be just an entirely independent-type situation." Diver grew up in Salt Lake City, the youngest of seven children, according to her father, William Barney, who spoke with the Buffalo News, for a story published in its Monday edition. Barney told the newspaper his daughter attended the University of Utah and graduated with a degree in community health and nursing. http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=536529

Police: Clarence Mother Was Strangled, Beaten Larry Haneberg, Webmaster Created: 10/1/2006 3:15:07 PM Updated: 10/3/2006 11:22:35 AM An autopsy has been completed, and it has been determined that Joan Diver died of strangulation and blunt force trauma, according to Erie County Undersheriff Richard Donovan. During a Tuesday morning news conference, Donovan also said they believe Diver's murder took place at that location, and that her body wasn't moved from a different location. Donovan would not say whether Diver was sexually assaulted, saying tests that could answer that question are not back yet. Donovan did say it appeared Diver struggled with her attacker before she died. Crews are back on the scene looking for any evidence. A spokesperson for the Sheriff's Department tells 2-On-Your-Side there are no suspects and no motive at this time. The Discovery Volunteers made up of family and friends, discovered Joan Diver's body Sunday afternoon just 20 feet from the bike path where she was last seen jogging. A source tells 2 On Your Side, her body was found partially clothed in thick, wooded brush. Joan Diver's husband Steve Diver, a UB Chemistry professor, identified her body one hour after she was found. He called police at 1pm Friday to report his wife missing. Hundreds of law enforcement officials and volunteers searched the entire 8-mile trail of the Clarence bike path on Saturday. Diver regularly runs on the path. But according to authorities no sign of Diver was found. The search was called off by the Erie County Sheriff's Department on Saturday night. The Frustration Volunteers who searched for the body of Joan Diver told 2-On-Your-Side, they are frustrated police called off the search just 24 hours after they started looking for her. "There's some anger at authorities that they stopped when they could have gone further. I mean we are not professionals. We are just out here as a community trying to find someone who we miss very much and we love very much and we found her," said one volunteer searcher. Family and friends tell 2 On Your Side Joan Diver's kids were everything to her. "She was just one of those good Moms. One of those stay at home, do whatever you can, your kids are your life -- kind of Moms." According to the Erie County Sheriff's Office, there are no suspects at this time. Donataions Donations to the Diver Family Fund can be sent to any of four Bank of Akron locations: 9865 Main Street Clarence, NY 14031 9470 Clarence Center & Goodrich Road Clarence Center, NY 14032 46 Main Street Akron, NY 14001 77 Buell Street Akron, NY 14001 http://www.wgrz.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=41557

Are They Connected? Created: 10/3/2006 9:10:07 PM Updated: 10/3/2006 9:13:21 PM Could the person who killed Joan Diver be the same person who may have attacked eight other women between 1986 and 1994, including UB student Linda Yalem? Amherst and Erie County investigators say they have to acknowledge the similarities but, they're waiting for results from DNA and other tests. They won't draw a hard line between the so-called bike path rapist in Amherst and the murder of Joan Diver in Clarence. There are some similarities to the two cases. Investigators now say Joan Diver died from blunt force trauma and ligature strangulation. UB student Linda Yalem, who died during her 1990 attack on the Ellicott Creek bike path, also died from ligature strangulation. There have also been nine other unsolved attacks from 1986 to 1994 across western New York where the victim was caught in a remote area alone, attacked from behind, using something like a cord or clothesline to control her and in some cases bring the victim in and out of consciousness. In some cases, tape was used on the victim's face. Still, sheriff's officials are not ready to link the Clarence attack, yet. "It could be a copycat or it could just be something completely different from that, so there's nothing right now that we can say definitively links it to that. there are similarities, obviously," says Erie County Undersheriff Richard Donovan. They are still awaiting DNA test results. Six of the past nine unsolved cases , including the Yalem murder, are linked through DNA. http://www.wgrz.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=41576

Murdered NY Jogger Has Ties to Utah October 3rd, 2006 @ 9:52pm Sandra Yi Reporting Police in upstate New York are investigating whether the death of a jogger is connected to a serial murderer and rapist. The victim, a wife and mother, has Utah ties. Eulaween Barney, Victim's Mother: "It'll hit me one of these times. Right now, I can't cry, but I wish I could." Four days after police found Joan Diver's body, her loved ones still can't believe it. William Barney, Victim's Father: "I would suspect the worst thing a person can go through is to lose a child or a spouse." Diver's husband reported her missing on Friday when she failed to pick up their four-year old son from school. Diane Humphreys: "And we knew as a family that she wouldn't leave her little ones." On Sunday volunteers made the grim discovery. Diver's body lay just 20 feet from a bike path where she had been jogging. Investigators in Erie County, New York, say Diver was strangled and suffered blunt force trauma. They say Diver tried to fight off her attacker. They're awaiting test results to see if she was sexually assaulted. Authorities are also investigating whether the crime is connected to a string of unsolved rapes and murders from two decades ago. Diane Humphreys, Victim's Sister: "It's a terrible feeling that somebody would do that to such a sweet girl." Diver moved to Buffalo five years ago with her husband, who teaches chemistry at the University there, but Utah was her home, where she was born and raised. William Barney: "Every summer she and usually her husband would come back and spend two or three weeks here." Diver received her nursing degree from the University of Utah and was an ICU nurse here at Pioneer Valley Hospital. In New York she was a stay-at-home mom who devoted her life to her four children." Diane Humphreys: "It's just so senseless, and what's the worst part about it, is her children won't have her now." Diver's parents now hang on to pictures of their youngest daughter. William Barney: "We know that's all we'll have left of her." They're comforted by their faith and the belief they'll see justice. Diver's family is leaving for New York tomorrow morning. Her funeral is planned for Friday. http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=538379

$50,000 Reward Offered In Diver Case Posted by: Stefan Mychajliw, Reporter Created: 10/4/2006 10:49:00 PM Updated: 10/5/2006 7:14:00 AM Clarence business owner Dean Penman wanted to make sure the person responsible for killing Joan Diver is brought to justice. "I just woke up one morning and said 'something has to be done.' We've got to get this predator off the streets," said the owner of Seal & Design, Inc. in Clarence. So, Penman called a number of business owners to see if they’d donate money to start a reward fund. Practically every single business owner he called said ‘yes’. "When I started doing this, I picked up the phone and everybody I talked to, instantly said 'yes'. Thanks for starting this, let me get in on it. Within the first day we had $50,000," said Penman. The business owner is only accepting a minimum donation of $1,000. That’s why the reward grew so fast, so quickly. "I want to at least get this to 100-thousand. After that, I hope somebody comes forward, somebody has a tip, that somebody brings something forward to help the police catch this man, because he's a sick person that we have to get off the streets," added Penman. If you’d like to make a donation, please call 759-2222 during regular business hours. http://www.wgrz.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=41605

New Information in Diver Investigation Larry Haneberg, Webmaster Created: 10/1/2006 3:15:07 PM Updated: 10/5/2006 11:27:57 PM A source within the investigation tells Channel 2 News there is no obvious sign of a sexual attack. Forensic tests that could definitively answer that question could be back as early as Thursday afternoon. Investigators say they have not spoken to Joan Diver’s husband in several days, allowing him time to grieve with his family. Calling hours for Joan Diver are Thursday; the funeral is planned for Friday. Investigators say they would expect to talk to him again after the funeral. The Diver family released this statement Thursday that was delivered by family spokesperson Huw Davies: "The Diver family would like to thank the community for their prayers and their outpouring support. Your love for Joan, and your concern for our welfare, overwhelm us. We want to thank all of those who helped to find Joan, especially the area fire companies, our local scouts, our community, our neighbors and our dear friends. Last, we thank the media; for their respect for our family's privacy during this devastating time. We love and miss Joan. Thank you for coming." Investigators spent much of day Wednesday at the University of Buffalo campus, where Steve Diver is a chemistry professor. They interviewed his colleagues and friends. Police have not searched the Diver home, although they have removed computers from the home. Police say Steve Diver was working on campus the day his wife was murdered. Police say they still don't know whether Joan Diver’s vehicle was moved, or where the car keys are. They are working to get a search warrant for the vehicle. The focus now turns to who saw what near the Clarence bike path the day Joan Diver was murdered. The section of the Clarence bike path that was closed for the investigation has re-opened. Police say they have been contacted by national media interested in the possible link to the so-called bike path rapist, who attacked several women in the late 1980s and early 1990s. On the campus of UB, police say they've posted notices in all residence halls and buildings, warning students to stay safe and not travel alone. UB police are working with Amherst Police to increase presence on the bike path. While investigators acknowledge there are similarities, there are also differences in the Diver death and the cases from twenty years ago. Meanwhile, Joan Diver's family is arriving from Utah for the funeral. They say they first learned of her disappearance late Friday night in a phone call from the Erie County Sheriff's department. They say Joan and Steve Diver were married 16 years ago. Steve Diver came to the UB campus from Harvard five years ago. The couple has four children and Diver's attorney says he is speaking with investigators less so that he can have time to grieve with his family. A Clarence business owner started a reward in the hopes someone comes forward to help authorities crack this case. Dean Penman, owner of Seal & Design, Inc. in Clarence, has already organized a reward for $50,000. If you'd like to make a donation, please call 759-2222 during regular business hours. An autopsy on Diver's body determined that she died of strangulation and blunt force trauma, according to Erie County Undersheriff Richard Donovan. During a Tuesday morning news conference, Donovan also said they believe Diver's murder took place at that location, and that her body wasn't moved from a different location. At the time, Donovan would not say whether Diver was sexually assaulted. He did say tests that could answer that question were not back yet. Donovan did say it appeared Diver struggled with her attacker before she died. http://www.wgrz.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=41557

No DNA evidence found on Diver
No DNA evidence found on Diver Police beginning to rule out "bike path rapist' By MAKI BECKER News Staff Reporter 10/7/2006 Whoever killed Joan Diver didn't leave any DNA evidence, according to forensic tests conducted over the last five days. And that finding is steering investigators away from the theory that the "bike path rapist" killed the Clarence mother of four. "We have not gotten any confirmation of any foreign DNA," Erie County District Attorney Frank J. Clark told The Buffalo News on Friday, adding that more tests are being done. Clark's announcement came as family and friends gathered Friday morning at the Zion Lutheran Church in Clarence Center for Diver's funeral. The day also marked a full week since she dropped off her youngest son at day care before heading to the Clarence bike path - and vanishing. A volunteer searcher found her body Sunday in thick brush off the bike path near the Clarence-Newstead border. Late Thursday, sheriff's investigators secured a warrant to search Diver's Ford Explorer, which was found parked on Shisler Road in Clarence, where the road intersects with the bike path. The vehicle could provide clues to Diver's death: authorities received a tip that it was seen at another spot along the bike path last Friday morning. Sheriff's officials said Thursday the lawyer for Diver's husband, Steven T. Diver, a chemistry professor at the University at Buffalo, had been stalling on giving permission to search the vehicle. But the search warrant negated that issue. The husband is not considered a suspect or a person of interest in the case, sheriff's officials have said. Authorities initially suspected that Diver may have been the victim of the elusive "bike path rapist" linked to nine sexual attacks on women in Amherst, Buffalo and Hamburg in the 1980s and 1990s. Two of his victims were killed during the assaults. An autopsy revealed no signs of sexual assault but other similarities between Diver's death and the bike path rapist cases were indeed striking: First, she was a woman attacked on a bike path. The bike path rapist approached his victims on bike paths, a park and near railroad tracks. Diver went missing 16 years to the day that University at Buffalo student Linda Yalem, the victim of the bike path rapist, was killed on an Amherst bike path. On Sept. 24, a memorial run was held for Yalem on the North Campus. The autopsy showed Diver had been strangled with some sort of ligature. She also suffered some form of "blunt force trauma." The ligature was the bike path rapist's trademark. He used a device that didn't leave any fiber or other trace evidence behind when wrapped around his victims' necks. He usually used the ligature to render this victims unconscious, before raping them. Diver's body was found partially clothed. The bike path rapist always raped or tried to rape his victims. Investigators in the Diver case were waiting for results of forensic tests from her body that could have been compared with the bike path rapist samples. Police have matching DNA evidence in seven of the confirmed "bike path rapist" cases - including both homicides. Over the years, Erie County's crime lab workers have compared the bike path rapist's DNA profile against tens of thousands of others in law enforcement databases across the country. They have yet to get a hit. They began to doubt that the bike path rapist had attacked Diver after the initial autopsy results on her failed to find any signs of a sexual assault. Now, with no trace of foreign DNA on Diver's body, investigators have no leads. "When you have a woman killed on a deserted country path, normally there's a rape or robbery involved," Clark said. "Neither appears to be a viable motive. So you have to start looking at other areas." Investigators knew the chances were slim that a serial killer had murdered Diver. Studies have shown that most homicide victims usually aren't killed by strangers. Last year, only a quarter of the nation's murder victims didn't know their assailants, according to FBI figures. An analysis by Washington-based Violence Policy Center of girls and women murdered by males in 2004 showed that 92 percent were killed by a boy or man they knew. In New York State, 88 percent of female victims knew their male killers, the study found. Investigators in Diver's murder are now hoping for tips from the public to help them solve the case. They are also canvassing the neighborhoods and talking to family and acquaintances in search of any possible hints as to who may have killed her - and why. Anyone with information pertaining to the case or who may have seen Joan Diver, or her car, on the morning of Friday, Sept. 29, is asked to call the Sheriff's Office at 667-5201. Clarence business owners are offering more than $100,000 as a reward to anyone with information that leads to the arrest and conviction of Diver's killer. e-mail: mbecker@buffnews.com http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20061007/1022695.asp

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