Where's the Evidence Against Melinda Duckett?

Here are some snippits from the news covering this case discussing the investigation and "evidence" against Melinda Duckett. You will be surprised at their findings.

http://www.wpbf.com/news/10156990/detail.html


MOM'S BELONGINGS HOLD NO CLUES About Son's Disappearance

POSTED: 3:44 pm EDT October 25, 2006
UPDATED: 8:08 pm EDT October 25, 2006

LEESBURG, Fla. -- State crime labs investigating the belongings of a missing toddler's mother found no evidence of where Trenton Duckett may be.

The state investigated her computer, personal writings and belongings to look for clues about the boy's whereabouts.

Leesburg police said four knives and a box cutter taken from Melinda Duckett's apartment were not used to cut the screen in Trenton's room.

According to crime lab investigators, they can't tell whether the screen was cut from the inside or outside.

Investigators are still looking over Melinda Duckett's computer for clues.

"We did check for any forensic evidence and one of the things taken into consideration is that the walls were freshly painted, and nothing was found of evidentiary value," said Rockefeller.

Channel 9 has learned technicians even used a special spray that would show evidence under the paint, but still found nothing.

The last hours of the lake search relied heavily on sonar technology. It revealed more than 30 objects masked by this water all of which turned out to be nothing

The only debris removed from the lake getting a second look is a punctured trash bag recovered earlier in the search. It is similar to bags found at Melinda Duckett's apartment complex. Initially, the bag from the lake tested positive for blood evidence. It turned out that was false, but the lab work will continue.

Investigators in the search for a missing Leesburg, Fla., boy said they found some type of child's shoe in the Ocala National Forest Tuesday but do not believe it belongs to the child, according to Local 6 News.

Plans to capture alligators and examine their stomachs in an area where crews have been searching for Trenton were called off Monday night.

Law enforcement sources in Lake County told the WESH 2 I-Team that Melinda Duckett became a potential suspect almost immediately after she reported her 2-year-old son, Trenton, missing because of her initial reactions.

Police asked to search her apartment on Aug. 27 -- the night she reported Trenton missing. She consented, but investigators also went to court to get a search warrant.

But what grabbed investigators' attention was pictures, officials said. They said a lot of pictures of Trenton, including the sonogram printout from when Duckett was pregnant, were all thrown away in the trash.

Investigators said the photos are what made them take a hard look at Duckett from the beginning of the investigation. Detectives said they are still trying to figure out how those clues might relate to Trenton's disappearance

Police said there's no evidence as to who threw the photos away, but (Melinda) Duckett was staying in the apartment.

On the bag, investigators discovered a substance that some believed was blood and holes that appeared to be from alligator bites. The bag was sent to a Florida Department of Law Enforcement lab in Jacksonville for analysis, and forensic tests showed that the substance on that bag is not blood.

Since the suicide, investigators have been leaning toward the possibility that Melinda Duckett staged her son's disappearance.

posted 09-07-2006 08:12 AM
quote:
Originally posted by sask:

plazaroyale, that's all very interesting info about Trenton's grandfather. 'A likely serial killer!'

It's almost like they are working hard to use this media attention to exonerate the father by portraying him as a caring a loving grandfather i.e. "jimmy".. they have touted him to be more and helping "poor" Joshua, the father, than exemplefying the MOTHER and her pain over all of this. It's like they want to point the finger at the mother.
Orlando crime sleuthing community.

We Pause for a Commercial - God Bless America

PENSACOLA (FBW) — Is “God Bless America” — the unofficial anthem of the United States — illegal in the Santa Rosa County School District?

That’s the argument of lawyers seeking to intervene in a potential landmark religious liberty case concerning an ACLU-written “Consent Decree” sharply curtailing religious speech in the Pensacola-area school district.

God Bless America, Land that I love. Stand beside her, and guide her; Thru the night with a light from above.

“This ‘prayer’ or ‘blessing’ is now illegal in the schools of Santa Rosa County, under the Consent Decree drafted by the American Civil Liberties Union, entered by this Court, and reasonably interpreted and actually applied by the School District,” according to the written closing argument submitted to the court Dec. 18 by Orlando-based Liberty Counsel.

Source: Dec 18, 2009 By JONI B. HANNIGAN Florida Baptist Witness

The ACLU should be called ACLUeless in what this Country and Her People are all about.
God Bless America. Click below and join in.
It Ain't Over Until the Fat Lady Sings!

Christmas Blessings

Melinda's Mitsubishi Eclipse

According to the vehicle history report, Melinda's car was reported at auto auction and announced as a fleet lease on January 30, 2007. Then on February 23, 2007 a lien was recorded to a woman in Eustis, Florida.

On February 13, 2007 a letter from Leesburg Police was sent to Kimberly Schulte notifying her that the car was "repossessed" by the bank. Melinda's car was part of her estate, and the estate was not notified that any payments needed to be made, or that the car was going to be given up to whomever, without first asking the Personal Representative if it was to be kept as part of the estate or sold, rather than repossessed. Melinda had paid the car down to below $7,000. It could have sold according to the NADA bluebook for at least $7,200.

Also curious at that time was that Kevin Massero, (Josh Duckett's step father, and Carla Massero's estranged husband) telephoned Nancy and Bill Eubank to ask them about Melinda's car, and that Josh wanted it. Nancy told him that there was still payments owed on the car, or did Josh expect them to pay for it and hand it over to him?

So when Nancy and Bill received the letter below they were quite surprized and a little angry. Why were they told after the fact? How can something being held in evidence be released so easily? And now for the big question. Why didn't the vehicle history state that the car was repossessed in January or February? The history shows that it was repossessed September 17, 2007. Someone drove it 10,000 miles.

Josh Duckett's Dilemma

I am also wondering, if the paternity settlement agreement he signed and is recorded in Sumter County Florida states anything about custody of Trenton. I believe it does.

Also, DCF would no longer take any allegations from Josh after his November stunt. 5 cases opened, 5 cases closed. So the "crew" had to come up with another plan to get custody, even though Josh signed those papers. This would be tricky, so Melinda would have to be arrested and put in jail or killed.

Here's something to consider, there is no such thing as a posthumous divorce in Florida and I do believe only a judge has the final word on custody whether it's in divorce proceedings or probate. I believe no judge signed off on Josh's agreement as to custody.

The Protective Injuction situation might stop Josh from becoming plenary guardian. Josh would like to get that charge thrown out and has been trying since September 2009. Also, Josh is vying for 50% custody of his other son, and having an order for protection involving his first son may affect the outcome of the court's decision.

I would think for the probate plenary guardian (guardian of Trenton and Trenton's property) issue, a GAL could be assigned and would be able to protect Trenton in that matter and speak for him in the probate proceedings if indeed the TRO still exists. The GAL could attempt to see if LE took all the necessary measures to investigate - like taking the computer Josh used to do his regular posting and e-mailing with for one, or his friends who may have access to his passwords.

If Josh was able to have the will voided on some matter, I believe he could take from the estate under elective share and exempt property,so he would then be also taking from Trenton's share in effect, plus profit from any wrongful death or misuse of image award the estate itself receives.

With that said, it is obvious why Josh wants to have the Protective Order against him dropped and has attempted to do so. That, and if and when Trenton returns, legally Josh Duckett is ordered to have NO Contact with Trenton per the court order.

Josh Duckett Challenged Validity of Will

As part of the probate process, the administrator is required to notify all surviving members of the decedent's immediate family. Those members then must sign papers acknowledging that certain facts are correct and/or giving permission for the personal representative to do certain things.

Since Melinda and Josh were still legally married at the time of her death, he would be required to answer the appropriate documents. It appears that Josh has filed an answer to the petition for formal administration

Also, Florida law automatically prohibits a spouse or child from total exclusion from the estate despite what may be included in a will.

Josh wanted to be the personal representative of Melinda’s estate, and his attorney has sent letters to the grandparents (their copy) stating that the will is not valid. Now Melinda made the Will at the same time she was getting the divorce. Josh was going to be an EX spouse. She made the will to provide for Trenton, no other reason. Josh, on the other hand, wants to have control of the estate, so that when CNN settles, there would be money in the estate. Then guess WHO would get control of the MONEY? It's a possibility.

I think if CNN was behind Josh contesting the will, (and let's not forget CNN is footing the bill for his legal representation) and he won control of her estate, he could drop the lawsuit against them. It was also a possiblity.

However, Melinda's Aunt Kathy was named her Personal Representative.

Last Will and Testament

When Should You Make A Will?
A Will should be made while the maker is in good health, free from emotional stress. A prudent person does not wait for a catastrophe or other compelling reason before making a decision. If you have children and you and your spouse dies, do you want to name the guardian of your children, or do you want the court to appoint one? If you do not have a Will, the court, by law, will appoint the guardian.

Melinda definitely did not want the court to appoint a guardian. DCF awarded sole custody of Trenton to Melinda on May 26, 2006. She signed her Will on June 6, 2006 and she signed her divorce papers on June 14, 2006. All BEFORE the threatening myspace email from Josh Duckett on July 3, 2006.

Josh Duckett's Other Son

Josh Duckett has another son, who just turned two in November. It appears that the same pattern is emerging. One of the reasons for this blog is to make sure that history does not repeat itself. The pattern displayed is one of retaliation. Josh does not want to PAY CHILD SUPPORT.

DCF Takes Trenton

Notice time that Trenton was given over to DCF - 2:02 AM on April 30, 2005.
Notice page 2 that Joshua Duckett was given the hearing notice "FACE TO FACE" and that Melinda Duckett was NOT notified of hearing.
It states that the the first contact with DCF was an emergency (reminder: April 6, 2005 was when DCF was first called)
Page 3 "THE FATHER HAS STATED THAT THE MOTHER HAS HAD A HISTORY OF MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES."

Now please read the affidavit of Josh Duckett under the article titled "The Liar".
http://duckettbucket.blogspot.com/2009/08/liar.html

Petition for Custody of Trenton

Marshall Frank - Call Me Mommy

Retired police captain, Marshall Frank, has written another excellent read in his latest work, Call Me Mommy. Marshall is definitely a prolific writer - he has authored five books and hundreds of short stories and essays to date.

I would classify Call Me Mommy as a tragic suspense saga. Marshall succeeds in making the book more realistic by using elements of some factual events within the story line.

The main character, Laura is fooled into having sex with a callous and selfish boy while she was still in high school. Lloyd was ill prepared for fatherhood and was forced into marriage with a girl he did not love. His greed and animosity is apparent from the beginning. Lloyd ruthlessly ripped Laura out of his home and his life when he arranged through corrupt contacts to have her committed to a mental health clinic. When released from this prison sentence, she discovered she lost all rights to see her son.
This well-written novel is an emotional story of a mother with a deep level of compassion, commitment and loyal endurance. Her self-sacrificing efforts might not save her son, but she may be able to save her grandson and have a little taste of revenge as well. Through it all, Laura remains a strong individual who learns to make room for true love and sexual passion.

Call Me Mommy is tastefully written; full of action and suspense with elements of underground crime, professional corruption and vengeance.

ISBN#: 0974727865
Author: Marshall Frank
Publisher: Harlan Publishing

~ Lillian Brummet: co-author of the books Trash Talk and Purple Snowflake Marketing, author of Towards Understanding; host of the Conscious Discussions radio show (http://www.brummet.ca)

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lillian_Brummet

Marhsall Frank is also the ex-Miami detective who believed that Josh Duckett's father James Aren Duckett was innocent and wrongly accused. James was sentenced to the electric chair 20 years ago for the rape and murder of 12 year old Theresa McAbee, while a policeman in Mascotte, Florida. After interviewing James, Marshall stated that he felt James was lying and could be responsible for two other murders of children.

This book "Call Me Mommy" was released March 2005. Did Josh Duckett and his mother get their idea to "baker act" Melinda to gain custody of Trenton from reading this book? Or is this just another "coincidence" in this case?

Trenton Kidnapped April 2005

"Josh would not get a job, OR HIS MOTHER WOULD NOT LET HIM and he wanted his mother to pay his bills so Mindy said she was through with him. He wanted Trenton so he could get back to Melinda, when Mrs.Crew of DCF found no problems, he set up Bushnell Police to kidnap Trenton." - Bill Eubank's note at the bottom of the Emergency Motion for Temporary Relief court document.

Little did he know, that his words were prophetic.

The Yellow Post It Note

The Prime Suspect

This is the handwritten note given to Melinda by her attorney during Melinda's visit with Leesburg police. This was well before her death. The date noted on top - Sept 13- was the date of the next court hearing regarding the threatening email.


In case it is difficult for readers to decipher Ms. Schulte's handwriting, here is the typed version:

They are accusing you of
placing Trenton w/your grandparents or Skip
& protecting him from Josh or Carla so you would
hide Trenton.

He’s trying to get you upset
and make you say something not
true or to turn situation around on you.

I believe they consider you to be the prime suspect.

You show no emotion, too
concerned about conditions of
apt, etc.


When was Melinda Duckett declared the prime suspect? According to the WESH News and Nancy Grace Show, it was announced by Leesburg police on September 21, 2006. What EVIDENCE came about to make them absolutely sure that the only person who could have been responsible for Trenton Duckett's disappearance was Melinda Duckett?

Here are some excerpts from the media:

From Wesh News Sept 21, 2006.

Nearly one month after she reported her 2-year-old son missing, the Leesburg Police Department on Thursday officially named Melinda Duckett the prime suspect in Trenton Duckett's disappearance

"We've got the issues of failing to build the timeline with our investigators, failing to build the timeline with FDLE agents, with the FBI," said Capt. Steve Rockefeller of the Leesburg Police Department. "No polygraph examination, failure to comply with the investigators' requests to provide us with a timeline, and it's just an on and on process. We consistently tried to get that timeline. We were never able to get it, right up through the 8th, the day of the suicide."

Rockefeller said her suicide raised even more red flags.

"When you reach the point of her suicide, that is just, to non-psychologists, that's an unnatural act for a grieving mother," Rockefeller said.

And from Nancy Grace transcripts on September 21, 2006

"GRACE: Good evening, everyone. I`m Nancy Grace. Thank you for being with us tonight. Straight out to Florida and the latest, the breaking news out of the Leesburg, Florida, Melinda Duckett named the prime suspect in either the death or disappearance of her 2-year-old son, Trenton. Out to Jean Casarez of Court TV. What`s the latest?

JEAN CASAREZ, COURT TV: Well, the latest is investigators are saying that a letter that Melinda Duckett said her ex-husband wrote her, threatening harm to she and Trenton, was actually written by Melinda herself and e-mailed to herself. Melinda took that letter back to authorities back in July of this year, said she wanted to prosecute her ex- husband for threatening that harm. The result was the temporary restraining order saying he could have no contact with his baby. Days later, the child went missing, and following that, as we all know, she committed suicide."

And from Josh Duckett as reported by Steve Hudak of the Orlando Sentinel:

Josh Duckett, Trenton's father and Melinda's estranged husband, said Thursday he still thinks his son is alive "In my views, I feel that she stashed him somewhere. Somebody out there has him because just to me, I don't think she would have harmed him. I mean, it's always a possibility, don't get me wrong, but I feel that she would have stashed him somewhere and has somebody holding him. That's what I felt all along," Duckett said.

Leesburg police Capt. Steve Rockefeller confirmed Wednesday that the trash included toys and photographs of Trenton, including his sonogram, an image of a child in the mother's womb.Police refused to characterize the findings as "smoking-gun" evidence against Duckett, 21, who committed suicide Sept. 8 at her grandparents' home in The Villages.
But Joshua Duckett, Melinda's estranged husband and the boy's father, said Wednesday he was stunned to learn that she had thrown out the toddler's keepsake pictures.
"It strikes me as very odd. I mean, I've still got all of my photos of him and all of my sonogram pictures from when she was pregnant," he said. "I've had my suspicions from the start. [But] they're just suspicions."

Suspicions or allegations?

Mark Fuhrman - The Murder Business- Chapter Three

Mark Fuhrman's new book "The Murder Business" has an entire chapter about Melinda Duckett. Unfortunately, he got his information from the police department, the media and Josh Duckett. Of course, he believes Melinda Duckett was unbalanced, immature, and set up her alibi by having two people in her apartment with her when Trenton went missing. He stated that Melinda Duckett killed herself and that she was the ONLY one who knew what happened to Trenton, who most likely is dead.

According to his book, he was swayed by the fact that there was a sonogram and pictures in the trash, as most media and the public were duped into believing that Melinda put those items there. Again, here is a picture, which is featured in his book and which I have also posted here within the article "Damning Evidence or Set Up?.


I am very concerned that this misinformation is going to be spread again with the publishing of this book. While the sonogram is not a sonogram but a picture of the monitor showing the ultrasound and a hand pointing to the image, and the picture also included in the collage is in Melinda's Baby Book, and the newspaper clipping is among her momentoes, I have this question.

Why did Josh Duckett have his lawyer request the newspaper clipping, if he so believed that Melinda placed it in the trash?

Where is Josh Duckett's newspaper clipping? Where is his picture of Trenton? Where is his picture that he or one of his cohorts in all this took of the monitor?

Trenton's Bedroom

The above is the outside of Trenton's bedroom, showing the window.



This is the window raised to the fullest extent. Enough room to pass through and lift out a small child.



This is Capt.Ginny Padgett "examining the 10 inch slit" of the screen. Melinda didn't think the screen was taken out, because she didn't think they cut it only to set her up. She was blind-sided again.



Here are the crumpled blinds, showing someone had tampered with them.



Here is the blanket lying askew on the bed. Melinda folded it later that night in his bedroom as she waited for word about Trenton.



Here is a crime scene picture of the room. Notice the picture on the floor out of the frame that had been on the window sill. Notice also, that the blinds were not down all the way. Melinda left the window slightly open about 4 inches as was her habit to let fresh air into the room.


Here is a diagram of the layout of Melinda's apartment.



Here is a "straightened up" picture of Trenton's room.

This is what Melinda had to say about that night:

Melinda Ducketts words on Nancy Grace:

MELINDA DUCKETT, MISSING BOY`S MOTHER: The bed is underneath the window Well, it had only been cracked about three or four inches to begin with. And second of all, when I walked in there, that`s obviously not the first thing that I was looking for.

As soon as I saw him not in the bed, I was looking throughout the room and in the closet. He`s in a toddler bed right now. He`s not in a crib. And there`s a lot of things... Oh. It`s real low to the ground. It`s got a wooden frame on it, all soft curves and everything, soft edges, a regular crib mattress inside. Just basically what you use for an average toddler.

Yes, he was. But he was very good. He would -- you know, once he was tired, he would lay down. He wouldn`t, you know, fuss or anything. And he wouldn`t get out and, you know, start messing around or anything

GRACE: Was he sleepy that night? Was he ready to go to bed, or did he resist?

MELINDA DUCKETT: No. Extremely. He was tired. We had had a long day out. And my son is not a light sleeper whatsoever. You can move him from room to room, and he`ll still be asleep. And on top of that, he is very friendly and very outgoing to everyone. He can walk in a room full of strangers and make friends with people. And so I mean, if he met someone new, he would start playing with them. He wouldn`t cry. He never had tantrums or anything.

The bedroom is connected to the hallway. The living room is -- gosh, if you picture the apartment like a U shape, the front door would be at the bottom of the U shape. The living room would be at the top left-hand corner. His bedroom would be, I guess you`d say, catty- corner... ... from the living room. Quite a ways. Right. The TV`s at the other end of the living room, right.

GRACE: OK. Last time you saw him was around 7:00, when you put him to bed. And what time...
MELINDA DUCKETT: It was before 10 to 7:00 because that`s when I got the phone call that they said they were on their way. It was after the first movie that we had watched. We`d actually planned on two. We went back and we asked them what time we had called the officers, and they said, I believe, it was 9:14. So it was between that time period I`d say...10 or 15 minutes before.

GRACE: ... is all that had passed since you had checked on him. Now, it`s my understanding thought he was hiding, and you started looking for him.

MELINDA DUCKETT: Yes. He had just learned how to open up the closet door that morning. And I thought that it was, you know, really a moment, like a Kodak moment, there. So that was the first place that I looked. The window, the rest of the room -- there`s nothing there for him to hide or anything, so I didn`t even think about it. And he`s not one to go under the bed or anything like that.
MELINDA DUCKETT: Well, when -- after I checked out his room, I checked the bathroom and my room, which are right down the hallway, which he could have gotten to without me seeing him. Like I say, he doesn`t ever do that kind of thing, so it would have been extremely unusual, but you know, when you`re in panic, you, you know, want to check every possible thing there is. When I came back up the hallway, I looked in his room again, and there was actually a picture that had been on the windowsill and that had fallen. And that`s why I looked to the window because there`s curtains and everything else there. So it`s not like, you know, it`s just open to the world.

The window was open, and the screen -- I know they have taken measurements. It was cut up, up to 10 inches on one of the sides. and that screen -- it is not a hard-wire screen, where you`re going to get cut by it if you touch it. It is very soft. It`s very old because it`s been in that apartment complex. And so for them to say, Well, you know, we think that, you know, he`s fine and all this other kind of stuff, you`re not going to get hurt on that thing.

GRACE: OK, question. Did the person -- I mean, did they take the screen off in order to get the boy out?

MELINDA DUCKETT: No. No, and I don`t know why all these things are coming up. It was in the window. All it was was cut along the sides and the bottom. There was nothing that was missing. Yes. When they came in, the investigators, they measured everything, and they said it was 10 inches high.

GRACE: OK. I`m just -- so you think the person went in and out leaving the screen on the window?

MELINDA DUCKETT: Well, I don`t think it came off at all... because it was still there. They dusted everything for fingerprints. Unless someone was wearing gloves or whatnot, they wouldn`t have been able to do that. And we`ve gone over this a million and one times and thought of all the possibilities with it.


GRACE: So you think the screen stayed on the window and the person came in and out, out that window. Was there any other entrance to the bedroom, other than that window and the door?

MELINDA DUCKETT: No. There aren`t.

GRACE: To Melinda Duckett, Trenton`s mom, was it already dark at 7:00 p.m. there?

MELINDA DUCKETT: Honest to goodness I don`t remember. But I do know that when the investigators came in to do the visuals and everything, when they leaned in through the window they could hit the bed. God forbid if Trenton was up or something like that and he was standing up or what not. Nobody would need to crawl in the window. I don`t know if that would be a possibility or not, they`ve already gone over that. But the people, I mean they`d stretch in there and they`d be perfectly fine getting in and out.