M’Linda’s son was nearly abductedfrom a Toms River, New Jersey, shopping center over the Christmas holiday in 1998 (then age 8). M’Linda was told that the store manager was responsible for filing a police report on the incident. She later learned that no police report was filed, in direct violation of the store’s policy.
She and her daughter (then age 4) were aggressively pursued in a shopping center in Manahawkin, New Jersey, in July of 1999. Police reports were filed with the Stafford Township Police Department. The investigating officer stated that approaches to two children within one family and within a six month period was very rare, unless someone is trying to send a message. He then asked M’Linda, “What are you involved in?”
Consistent trails of Marlboro cigarette butts are foundon M’Linda’s property, leading into and through the fenced area, right to the front door. There are no smokers in the house, nor do welcomed visitors of the family smoke on the property.
While at a local diner, M’Linda was called by nameand glared at by a man unknown to her. Eye contact was maintained for over two minutes in a “stare-down.” The incident was reported to the Mayor who assured M’Linda that the matter would be reported to the police and that her family would be put on police surveillance. M’Linda was with her two children during this visual attack.
*On June 15, 2000, M’Linda met with four members of New Jersey’s law enforcement agencies at the Ocean County Justice Complex. She spoke at great length (for three hours) regarding the aforementioned facts with two representatives of the Ocean County Sheriff’s Department and two representatives of the Toms River Police Department. When she described the man involved in the diner incident, the younger detective laughed and said, “That sounds like G_____.” The older detective shot the younger one a stern look. An uncomfortable silence followed. She later learned that “G_____” was a detective at a neighboring police department and that this was his known technique for intimidation.
The next day she delivered additional information to these men. Little more than 24 hours after M’Linda’s meeting with these men, a dead rat was neatly deposited on the front doorstepof her home (inside a small fence-enclosed area). A trail of Marlboro cigarette butts and the clear foil wrap from a cigarette pack, (tax stamp was on the wrapper), were found next to the dead rat. This gruesome warning was left between the hours of 1:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. on Father’s Day, June 18, 2000.
Lacey Police Department Investigation Report #00-011701 was reported on June 18, 2000. At that time, a Lacey Township Police Officer stated, “a cat may have deposited the dead rat.” The local police busied themselves on a tangent of what type of dead animal this was, when it was clearly a rat. It was obvious to M’Linda that these officers were making a mockery of her situation and the fact that she felt personally threatened and was afraid for the safety of her family.
Immediately after leaving the Lacey Township Police Department, M’Linda took the dead rat, as well as Polaroid pictures of how the rat was found, to the forensic detective in Ocean County so it could be properly examined and it could be determined how this dead rat came to her front doorstep. This forensic detective confirmed the animal was a dead rat and it did not have a hairy tail, as the Lacey Township Police had erroneously reported. He also noted cigarette butts and the clear wrap from a pack of cigarettes (tax stamp included) near the dead rat on the porch. He stated that someone (referring to the Lacey Police) needs glasses. He felt someone was conveying a message of warning to M’Linda and her family.
*A member of the Colorado Bureau of Investigation has told M’Linda that the local police should check the DNA of the cigarette butts to determine if this stalker is the same person that left a DNA sample under JonBenét’s fingernails.
Proper procedure would be for the local police to collect the cigarette butts as evidence of a stalker. A request should then be made to the Ocean County Forensic Lab to perform a DNA check on the filters.
Finally, a call needed to be made to the Boulder Colorado Police Department, or any police agency in charge of the case at the moment, to crosscheck the DNA traces on the filters with the samples collected from JonBenét. This was never done by the Lacey Township Police Chief N____, in fact, this same man laughed at M’Linda while she made this request on behalf of the Colorado Bureau of Investigations Agent.
A police report was filed reporting freshly broken brancheson the tree located on M’Linda’s property withinten feet of the front door. Four branches in a row were snapped. It appeared to the police officer that this was done in an attempt to have a clear view of all front windows and door of M’Linda’s home.
On August 14, 2000, M’Linda found approximately one-half of a pack of smoked Marlboro cigarette butts directly in front of the white bench located on M’Linda’s property in front of the house. An officer of the township police department took the report any many of the additional incident reports thereafter. M’Linda has found hope in her dealings with the conscientious, insightful police officer. Some members of the police department have been most helpful in assisting with the protection of M’Linda’s family from the “Marlboro Man.”
On August 27, 2000, a friend of the family and a professional mechanic by trade visited M’Linda and informed her that her vehicle had a flat tire. Her vehicle had been parked close to her home on her driveway. A new roofers’ nail was found in the side of the rear left tire.A full-size, un-smoked Marlboro cigarette was found on the driveway next to the flat tire at the point where the nail was sticking out from the tire. This is the only time that the Marlboro cigarette was not smoked down to the lettering of the butt end. It was evident that the person who left this cigarette wanted M’Linda to know that he, the “Marlboro Man” had come calling.
Also, around August 27, an old jagged-edge kitchen knife, most likely a steak knife, was found outdoors on M’Linda’s neighbors’ grill between their houses. The knife handle had been damaged, as if it had been chewed in the same manner that nervous children chew on the ends of their pencils. Her neighbor brought the knife to her, questioning if it had belonged to her as it did not belong to him. The families were known to borrow freely from one another. The knife, however did not belong to either family. Her neighbor was certain that the knife was not there the evening before since he had used the grill to prepare dinner that night as well.
On September 13, 2000, M’Linda returned home after a late meeting. As she pulled into her driveway, a feeling of danger overtook her. She sounded the car horn to gain the attention of her husband. When he opened the house door, she quickly ran inside. The next morning, M’Linda found a clear foil wrapfrom a cigarette pack at the front gate, just a few feet from the front doorand Marlboro cigarette butts leading up to the gate alongside the driveway. It seems to M’Linda’s family that the stalkeris available Tuesdaysbetween the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 4:00 a.m.This is the time when many incidents occur. Cigarette butts have been found during the hours when M’Linda arrives home after picking up her daughter from school. M’Linda is careful to inspect her yard before leaving her home. Within the half hour it takes to return home, the “Marlboro Man” leaves one cigarette butt halfway up the driveway and another by the mailbox. Coincidentally, mail delivery usually occurs during the time of M’Linda’s absence. The US Postal Service worker that delivers her mail, by truck, is a non-smoker.
As of mid-December, 2000, Marlboro cigarette butts were still being left on her property at her mailbox and at the center point of her driveway leading up to her garage door and the main entrance of the home.
On December 11, 2000, yet another tirewas found to have very low air pressure. M’Linda was able to drive the vehicle to a nearby Sears Automotive Center. The technician there informed her that the flat was caused by a roofers’ nail with the head sheared off, so that the nail could not be pulled out and a plug put in. The nail was strategically inserted in the tire at a point where an economical plug should not be used for safety reasons, forcing the purchase of a new tire. A police report was filed regarding this incident as well as the tire puncture on August 27, 2000.
While driving home after picking up her six-year-old daughter from school, as well as another six-year-old little girl, M’Linda drove over the bridge near her home and found herself and the two innocent children in imminent danger. A small, black older model pickup truck with a short bed and no cap on the back was coming straight at M’Linda. At the same time, her daughter screamed, “Mommy, why is that man trying to kill us!?” The truck stayed in her lane for the length of three houses, coming straight at her and the children and forcing her off the road and onto the easement of a home immediately on her right. This person continued over the bridge still in the wrong lane and quickly disappeared once on the other side of the bridge. She quickly took the children to her home and spent the next several hours redirecting their attention in order to calm them down. However, that following morning, M’Linda contacted a police officer she was familiar with because of the previous incidents and stated on his voicemail what had happened within the last 18 hours. She also contacted a detective from the Manahawkin, New Jersey, Police Department and reiterated what she had already told her local police because she wanted to know if the aforementioned alleged murderer does in fact drive a small black pickup truck. If he doesn’t, does his girlfriend or his other two friends own or operate a small black pickup truck. One of his friends does, in fact, work with a construction team! M’Linda later learned that the alleged murderer did own a black Ford Ranger pickup truck. NJ license plate #JJW2 __ __.
The type of tactical maneuvering of his vehicle, forcing the oncoming vehicle off the road, could explain what happened, in theory, in the death of John Ramsey’s daughter from his first marriage. She died in a one car accident. There was no visible damage to her vehicle by another vehicle, however her vehicle ended up off the road and she died from injuries resulting from the “accident.”
*M’Linda learned his black truck is now red.Did he paint it or simply buy a different Ford Ranger pickup truck? The license plate remains the same.
For years, Marlboro cigarette butts were constantly being left around her mailbox, up her driveway and even on her front porch, during the times of her absence. Even now, in a new residence, in a new town, the stalking behavior of the “Marlboro Man” continues.
A woman driving an older model black Ford Ranger pickup truck pulled into the drive-through banking facilities at M’Linda’s bank. The surveillance camera filmed the woman in this vehicle. This bank location is the one where the unknown woman does her banking, however, this was not a branch M’Linda had ever used. This woman wanted to cash a large check against the family’s account. The bank teller said no because the amount was too large and according to the bank’s rules, she had to come inside. This woman then pulled her truck out of the drive-through and parked it. A description of this woman and her pickup truck could be found on the surveillance tape of this bank. Once inside, using the name Linda vs. M’Linda and a social security number, this woman was instructed to deposit the check into the personal checking account and once it was processed, she would be able to remove the monies. The bank asked for identification, but she said she had left her wallet at home. She did have a scrap piece of paper in the palm of her hand, with Linda and a social security number on it. The teller pulled up M’Linda’s account number based on the social security number given and completed the deposit slip for this customer (which now included M’Linda’s checking account information) and made the deposit into M’Linda’s personal account. This same person returned the very next day using the deposit receipt as means to pulling not only the initial $2,381.81 but requested an additional $300.00 of M’Linda’s money on top of the bogus deposit of the prior day. The case number is with the Berkeley Police as No. 010390032. This ties in with the fact that someone had been watching M’Linda’s mail deliveries. She did report her suspicion to her post office. The deliveries are simultaneous to the time M’Linda picks up her daughter from school.
This woman fit the description of the 3rd Santa’s girlfriend at the time. Later, this same woman was seen battered, bruised and burned by cigarettes. The next day, she was found dead.
On February 23, 2001, at approximately 11:30 p.m., a quick series of three loud explosionstook place outside M’Linda’s home. Although M’Linda’s husband searched the snow-covered property, he could not find the source of the explosion. The following day was M’Linda’s son’s 11th birthday. They had been away from the house most of the day. It wasn’t until Sunday, February 25th, 2001, when their six-year-old daughter found the explosive devise and brought it to a houseguest for examination. She thought since it was so brightly colored, it was a toy to play with. This device was cone shaped with a flat base bottom and a protrusion on each side of the cone near the base. The explosions took place from the two protrusions and the base of the cone. M’Linda telephoned in an incident report to the Lacey Township Police.
Seven days later, on March 1, 2001, M’Linda returned to her home at exactly 8:30 p.m., but parked across the street using her neighbor’s driveway for overnight parking purposes. With her lights on, pulling onto the driveway, she was certain there was nothing blocking her path. However, after an abrupt stop at the end of the driveway, she heard a muffled rattle sound from the right rear of her van. Her six-year-old daughter jumped out of the vehicle on the passenger side and M’Linda jumped out of the vehicle on the driver’s side, fearful of her daughter running into the street toward their houseguest. Her daughter stopped in her tracks, distracted by what she thought was an odd shaped pinecone. She stated that it had fallen from the rear right of their van. M’Linda was more interested in putting two children to bed, so she left the item on the gravel at the edge of the driveway where it had stopped rolling and raced her children off to bed. The following morning, after getting her son on his school bus and driving her daughter to school, she examined this odd shaped pinecone. To her horror, it was another explosive device. This device was about eight and one-half inches in length. It had a base and then three balls connected on top of each other. The bottom ball was about the size of a golf ball with the other balls piled on top of one another. Each ball was smaller than the one below it. This was connected to a base about two inches long. She brought this device to her houseguest who advised her to call the police immediately as it was another explosive device. She picked the device up using a plastic bag so as not to mar any fingerprints, which could have been left on it. The police arrived shortly after her telephone call. Unfortunately, the police officer picked up the device with his bare hand. She had asked him to use a plastic bag. At this point, he went to his police vehicle and put on rubber gloves, which he had in his trunk. However, it was too late, his fingerprints were now on the device. He contacted headquarters and requested help. The police sent a sergeant detective and junior detective to investigate further. The detectives suggested two possibilities. The first, that she had picked this item up on her way home. She may have run it over in the street causing it to become adhered to her tire. The two detectives said they saw that it had been smashed. When M’Linda brought it to their attention that it was not smashed at all, they then implied that teenagers probably drove down the street and tossed it out of their car window. Her question to them was, what about the three simultaneous explosions that occurred in front of M’Linda’s children’s bedroom window a few days ago. At that point, in the presence of three of her neighbors, everyone brought up the dead rat, repeated trails of Marlboro cigarette butts, four sizable broken branches in a row (allowing a clear view of all front windows), tampering with the mail, etc. and wondered why all of these incidents were happening to just one family. The detectives stated that she was merely being, “sensitive to her surroundings” and that the two explosive devices were not spent on her property. However, her houseguest stated clearly that there was a bed of snow the night of the first series of explosions and therefore there would not be any remnants from the explosion on the rocks below. They completely disregarded his every word. At this point, the younger detective completely changed the subject to his being aware of M’Linda’s many correspondences to numerous agencies of law enforcement.Their attitude was one of annoyance rather than assistance. M’Linda reminded these two men she did bring the information to their police department first.
On Wednesday, March 21, 2001, at 5:38 p.m., M’Linda received a telephone call from a male who was probably in his late 20’s to mid 30’s whose only words to here were in a low, deep, drawn-out voice, “He’ll die!”She called the Lacey Police to register a complaint regarding this threatening call.
M’Linda cannot help but wonder what it will take before the proverbial blinders are removed from the officials who have the power to request the needed DNA. She finds herself wondering if she too will end up murdered as her sister was. How horrible that would be fore her parents and siblings, as well as her husband and children.
Both M’Linda’s parents were savagely murdered on October 22, 2006. Her Father was shot twice in the abdomen with a full barrel shotgun and her Mother was stabbed 63 times. This was a double murder.
M’Linda has told her children she is doing what she feels is the right thing to do for a child who cannot speak for herself. She intends to see this quest through to the end, seeking justicefor JonBenét. If she dies in the process, she wants her children to remember she died fighting for a child’s right to justice. She reminds them to get involved when someone needs them. That is the right thing to do.
Above all, she wants them to “Trust in God.”
He will always guide their path.
I Asked For . . .
I asked for Strength…
God gave me Difficulties to make me strong!
I asked for Wisdom…
God gave me Problems to solve!
I asked for Prosperity…
God gave me Brain and Brawn to work!
I asked for Courage…
God gave me Danger to overcome!
I asked for Love…
God gave me Troubled people to help!
I asked for Favors…
God gave me Opportunities!
I received Nothing I wanted…
I received Everything I Needed!!
Thank You God!
Chapter 9
The Cost of Courage