Shannon Paulk, 11, Murdered in 2001, AL
New Information In Shannon Paulk Murder Mystery Aug 17, 2006 07:57 PM EDT The reward money in the case of a murdered Prattville girl just got bigger. The Autauga County district attorney joined by a half-dozen law enforcement officials on Thursday to formally accept Governor Bob Riley's offer of 10-thousand dollars for reward money. That comes two days after Prattville city officials put in the same amount. 11-year-old Shannon Paulk vanished from her mobile home park neighborhood 5 years ago. Rabbit hunters found her remains two months later. With the hope of new leads, investigators once again are publicizing a new sketch of the man they believe was last seen with Paulk. The man is said to be six feet tall, muscular and has a large mole under his right eye. One interesting fact about this case; investigators say they will look at the suspect arrested in Thailand in connection with the death of Jonbenet Ramsey. District attorney Randall Houston says because John Mark Karr lived at one time in Hamilton, Alabama. Investigators will look at him but Houston made it clear, detectives still believe the man in the composite is the suspect they're looking for. http://www.wsfa.com/Global/story.asp?S=5296266

August 18, 2006 Paulk's death may be linked By Marty Roney Montgomery Advertiser PRATTVILLE -- Investigators in the Shannon Paulk slaying said Thursday they're treating the man who has confessed to the murder and rape of JonBenet Ramsey as a possible suspect in their case. John Karr, 41, was arrested Wednesday in Bangkok, Thailand, and will be taken within the week to Boulder, Colo., where he'll face charges of first-degree murder, kidnapping and child sexual assault of Jon Benet. The 6-year-old was found dead in her Boulder home on Christmas Day 1996. Shannon Paulk, 11, went missing from her Candlestick Park neighborhood Aug. 16, 2001, and her body was discovered two months later by hunters. Karr was arrested on the fifth anniversary of Shannon's disappearance. The Shannon Paulk Task Force is interested in Karr because he lived in Alabama, Florida and Georgia during the time of Shannon's abduction. Investigators now are investigating his whereabouts during that time, said District Attorney Randall Houston. It's standard procedure to eliminate suspects who may have connections to Alabama, said Houston. "We have eliminated several suspects in Shannon's case," he said. "It's just that 'John Smith' isn't as high a profile as John Karr. We are asking the public to concentrate on the composites we have distributed in Shannon's case. All our evidence points to that man as being the strongest suspect." Houston announced at a news conference Thursday in Prattville that Gov. Bob Riley had matched a $10,000 reward offered earlier by the city of Prattville for information in Shannon's case. Investigators are urging the public to consider the prominent physical characteristics of the man in the composite sketch -- a large mole under his right eye, a bump on the bridge of his nose as if the nose had been broken and deep creases around his eyes and mouth. "People have to realize this isn't a photograph. It's a composite of how the man looked five years ago," said Bob Furlong, the Prattville Police Department detective who is lead investigator in the case. "He may have changed his appearance somewhat. But the creases, mole and bump on the nose wouldn't change." Sheriff Darren Mitchum of Twiggs County, Ga., who was also at the news conference, said investigators believe Shannon's case may be connected to the disappearance of two other girls. Teresa Melissa Dean, 11, disappeared from a Macon, Ga., mobile home park on Aug. 15, 1999. In another case, Heaven LaShae Ross, 11, disappeared from a Northport mobile home park Aug. 19, 2003. Neither girl has been found. Mitchum later took part in the filming of a segment that will air on the popular television show "America's Most Wanted" on Sept. 2. The piece will deal with the disappearances of the three girls. "I got chills when I found out about the arrest in the JonBenet case," said Houston. "In JonBenet's case it shows that even after 10 years, there is still a chance for justice. I want to assure Shannon's family and this community that not a day goes by that we aren't working Shannon's case. I fully believe that one day we will make an arrest and get a conviction." http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060818/NEWS/608180335/1001

December 21, 2006 Missing girl's remains discovered; child may have link to Shannon Paulk The Associated Press TUSCALOOSA -- The remains of a Northport girl who disappeared in 2003 have been found in an abandoned house in Holt, authorities announced Tuesday. Tuscaloosa County Sheriff Ted Sexton said the remains were those of Heaven LaShae Ross, who was 11 when she disappeared on Aug. 19, 2003, while apparently walking on a rainy morning to a school bus stop near her home in Willowbrook Trailer Park. Sexton said the remains were found Monday in the abandoned house at Holt, a Tuscaloosa County community about six miles east of Northport. Authorities said the girl's backpack was found near the body. The site was being combed by a forensics team and FBI agents. The federal agency had joined the three-year hunt for the missing girl. In August, Prattville police said investigators were trying to determine whether the missing Northport girl's case was connected to the unsolved abduction and murder of a Prattville girl, Shannon Nicole Paulk, five years ago, as well as the disappearance of Teresa Melissa Dean of Twiggs County, Ga., near Macon, in 1999. All were 11 when they disappeared. Investigators in the Shannon Paulk case will likely travel to Tuscaloosa in the coming days, said Prattville Police Chief Alfred Wadsworth. "I'm sure the investigators up there are very busy right now," Wadsworth said. "Whenever there is a case where a young child goes missing, we are interested in it. It's just most cases don't get this much attention." Shannon's body was found in woods seven weeks after she disappeared on Aug. 16, 2001. Teresa, who disappeared on Aug. 15, 1999, has not been found. District Attorney Randall Houston, who represents the 19th Judicial Circuit, urges the public not to get their hopes up. "Upon further investigation, it may prove that these cases aren't connected," he said. "On the surface they look eerily similar. But this office and law enforcement are going to follow any and all leads. Shannon's case is an active case." The Tuscaloosa News reported that Heaven's family members and friends weren't ready to comment Tuesday afternoon, but Beth Lowery, the girl's mother, did say police confirmed the remains are of her daughter. In the weeks after Heaven's disappearance, her picture was on posters across north Alabama and her case was featured on a national television program. Her mother said she believed her daughter saw someone she knew and accepted a ride to avoid the ominous weather. Her sister, Alex Ross, then 13, told The Tuscaloosa News she had been waiting at the bus stop and that her sister never made it there. Kevin Thompson, described at the time as Lowery's common-law husband, told The Tuscaloosa News in August 2005 that he replays that morning over and over in his mind. He said he offered to drive Heaven to school because her book bag looked heavy, but she declined the offer. He said she had been out the door only a few minutes when he heard a loud thunderclap. He said thunderstorms scared Heaven and he went to go after her. "But when I came out the door, I didn't see her at all," he said. "It's like she just vanished." -- Staff writer Marty Roney contributed to this report. http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061220/NEWS/612200350/1001

September 17, 2007 Billboards, another 'AMW' episode aid hunt for Paulk's killer By Jess Nicholas Progress editor A billboard campaign and another episode of "America's Most Wanted" are appearing this week in the continuing search for Shannon Paulk's ab­ductor and killer. Paulk, who disappeared Aug. 16, 2001, from Candlestick Trail­er Park in Prattville, was found slain Oct. 6, 2001. Two hunters discovered her remains 17 miles from her home in the Autauga County Wildlife Management Area. Law enforcement officials in Alabama and other states have suspected Paulk's killer may be involved in the disappearance and murder of other children. Raven Jeffries of Detroit, Mich., was abducted Aug. 4, 2006, killed and burned. He body was found a few days later. As part of the renewed focus on the case, Lamar Outdoor Ad­vertising has donated space on two electronic advertising boards in Montgomery. A third billboard, 14-by-48 feet in area, near the intersection of Eastern Boulevard and Calmar Drive south of Interstate 85, was un­veiled Tuesday. In addition to the billboard blitz, Fox Network's "America's Most Wanted" will air its third episode on the Shannon Paulk case and the second of Jeffries' case Saturday at 8 p.m. The epi­sode will highlight the potential connection between the Paulk case and other murders. The case has received a great a mount of attention recently, punctuated by a donation from actress Pauley Perrette. Per­rette, of CBS' "N.C.I.S.," donated $10,000 towards a reward fund for information leading to the arrest of Paulk's killer. Perrette also donated $10,000 to Detroit officials for use in gathering in­formation in the Jeffries case. Anyone with information in the Shannon Paulk case can con­tact local law enforcement, or call toll-free 1-800-CRIME-TV. http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070906/PROGRESS/709060304/1040