by Kirk Mitchell of The Denver Post, 5/8/2011
The skeleton of a woman last seen staying in an apartment with Jon Harrington was stuffed in a Rubbermaid container sealed with duct tape.
The container was found among belongings he left on the back porch of an Aurora home in 2005. He told police the box in which Carolyn Jansen's bones were found was his, though he said he hadn't seen her since 2002 and didn't know what happened to her.
But while Harrington was briefly arrested for investigation of murder, he has never been charged with the crime — and denies any role in her death. Jansen's murder officially remains unsolved — if it was a murder at all.
The case has exposed a deep disagreement among Arapahoe prosecutors, Aurora police and the county's coroner. The coroner said he believes Jansen's death was murder and police officers think there is enough evidence to make a case against Harrington.
But Arapahoe prosecutors say there is a chance Jansen died accidentally, perhaps during a drunken fall. They offer no hypothesis for how her bones came to be sealed in Harrington's Rubbermaid box.
"It's pretty doggone suspicious, but maybe he's covering up for a friend," said Chief Deputy District Attorney Daniel Plattner. "A gut hunch that he's probably the guy is not enough to try him on. You have to have proof beyond a reasonable doubt."
His position on the case aggravates the Arapahoe coroner, who has declared the cause of death a homicide, not an accident.
"I never knew it was the DA's job to determine cause and manner of death. The idea about this being possibly an accidental fall — I suppose there is a remote possibility of that," Dr. Michael Dobersen said. "The only problem is . . . why does she disappear in this suspicious manner?"
Aurora police determined that substantial circumstantial evidence pointed to Harrington, Detective Shannon Youngquist-Lucy said.
"We felt it was strong enough to make an arrest," Sgt. Scott Pendleton said.
But Aurora police also never searched the apartment where the alleged killing took place, which was in Adams County, not Arapahoe County where the murder charge was filed. Even though Jansen's body was not found until three years after she disappeared, a search of the apartment where she lived with Harrington may still have yielded evidence.
"I am very surprised they did not do a crime-scene investigation," former FBI profiler Pete Klismet said. Aurora Police Department officials declined to say why the apartment was not searched.
Harrington, now working out of a temporary labor company in east Denver, said recently that he doesn't really recall what happened to Jansen.
"I don't remember that much," Harrington said. "She just didn't show up some day. I never saw her again."
That Harrington is free is agonizing to a woman who searched for years for her birth mother, only to learn she was kept in a box like a forgotten souvenir.
"It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out he was concealing this body for a reason," said Victoria Baker of Racine, Ohio.
Baker, who is legally blind, has no memory of her birth mother. Jansen signed papers she thought would get Baker subsidized medical care, only to learn they were adoption papers, Baker said.
When Baker turned 31, she hired an Arizona private investigator
to find her mother. That was in 2001, the same year Jansen began working with Harrington at a Waffle House near 33rd Avenue and Peoria Street.
Richard Johnson, who was a friend of Harrington's, helped Jansen move her furniture into Harrington's apartment in late 2001. Harrington said they roomed together to save expenses, not because they had a relationship.
In February 2002, Jansen quit her Waffle House job when she was moved to an overnight shift. Harrington told Johnson that Jansen stole his rent money and left. He asked if he could store his things at Johnson's house after getting evicted, Johnson said.
Johnson said he helped Harrington move, but noticed that lots of Jansen's possessions, including her furniture, were still in Harrington's apartment despite his declaration that she had moved out.
Johnson recalled helping Harrington carry a large, heavy white Rubbermaid container sealed with duct tape through the apartment window. Harrington said he had work boots and quilts in the container.
They moved Harrington's things to Johnson's back porch, stacking boxes on his plastic container. Harrington later moved into Johnson's house with the agreement he perform home-health duties for his elderly mother, Bernice, and him. Johnson suffers from multiple sclerosis.
About 18 months after Harrington moved in with the Johnsons, he vanished one day in 2004. Aurora police arrested Harrington on suspicion of theft and forgery in June 2004. Johnson said he began noticing a foul odor coming from the back of his house but assumed it was caused by cats.
On June 28, 2005, when he was moving Harrington's things into a locked storage shed, he lifted the boxes off the Rubbermaid container and there was an overpowering smell. The lid was cracked. A blanket inside the container was teeming with insects. He saw a skeletonized foot and long brown hair.
"As soon as I saw the hair, the reaction in my mind was: 'Oh, my God, it's Carolyn,' " Johnson said. He called police.
Dobersen's autopsy determined Jansen died of a "blunt impact injury to the head." She had a 1 3/4-inch crack on her forehead over her left eye.
"This is about as suspicious as it gets," Dobersen said. He said it would require considerable force to cause a crack in the skull like Jansen sustained, making it unlikely that it was an accident.
Over the years, DA Plattner said Aurora police presented the case twice for charges and both times the most senior prosecutors reached the same conclusion. He said he not only has a right but a responsibility to disagree with the coroner or police on charging decisions when warranted.
"No matter how much our hearts go out to the victims we can't sacrifice our ethics," Plattner said.
Plattner's decision not to file also mentioned that if Jansen was murdered, it happened in Adams County. Harrington's apartment was a half block inside Adams County. He said he could have still filed the case in Arapahoe County, where the body was found, if evidence justified that, but, in his view, it didn't.
When contacted recently on Colfax Avenue, Harrington said about a week after Jansen left his house, someone from work told him they saw her at a bar. It was an alibi similar to one he had given to police.
He said he had his own theories about who put Jansen in the container, but he would keep them to himself. It wasn't him. Although he told police the container would have his fingerprints on it because it was his, he told a reporter that police never showed him the container, so he isn't sure.
Baker, who found her mother too late, said she hoped the investigation would continue.
"It's quite a twisted tale," Baker said. "I don't know why there is a lack of interest in this case."
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Friday, May 13, 2011
How a Private Investigator Can Help You
The following was written by Jeff Kimble, P.I., owner of Arizona Legal Document Services, L.L.C. http://www.arizonalegaldocs.com/. It is intended to provide general information regarding the business of private investigations and should not be considered legal advice.
The public perception of the private investigator is varied and nebulous, both from the frequently exaggerated and inaccurate portrayals of "private eyes" in film and television, and also from the simple fact that, compared to other occupations, a relatively small percentage of citizens run across or require the services of a private investigator in the first place.
A simple yet precise definition of a private investigator is one who is employed to collect information. Once the drama, the mystique, and the ridiculous (just watch one episode of Magnum P.I. to get the wrong idea of the investigation business) are stripped from the fictitious versions of the job description, a private investigator is essentially a collector of information. He or she—if ethical, professional, and experienced—knows how to retrieve this information legally, whether through research, observation, or technical means, and then provides this information to his or her client for a fee.
Private investigators are hired by individuals, families, small businesses, large corporations, and even by government entities. Cases range from industrial espionage to lost pets, from criminal investigations to pre-employment screenings, and the types of P.I.'s and their specialties are as diverse as are the clients who hire them and the varied cases they present.
The first step toward determining whether a private investigator can help you is by clearly defining your reasons for hiring one in the first place. What do you want? Are you simply trying to find out the truth in a personal matter? Or are you planning to use the information you obtain from the investigation in court? Or both? These kinds of questions are important to ask yourself before you begin your search for a reputable investigator, as they may affect the outcome of your case, as well as its cost.
If you are considering litigation (going to court) you may want to hire an attorney before hiring a private investigator. The attorney should advise you as to whether your case requires the services of an investigator to be successful. There is no sense in making a financial investment in information that may ultimately not be useful or admissable in court.
If you are purely interested in "the truth" regarding a matter, then calling a P.I. directly may be your best option. A private investigator can be your confidential resource for what you cannot (or do not want to) ascertain on your own. He or she can be "your eyes" into matters the police may not be able to help you with, and can effectively be your agent or representative in matters familial, civil, and/or personal in nature.
Always keep in mind that different investigative agencies offer different services, and those services can vary greatly in cost and scope. A large agency with hundreds of operatives may not be economically appropriate to help you find a long lost relative, but may be perfect to handle a complicated case of corporate fraud. A small agency may be ideal to help you determine if your spouse is unfaithful, but may be the completely wrong choice for the countersurveillance needs of a Fortune 500 Company. Investigate your investigator first. Research online, contact the Better Business Bureau, read client testimonials, and thoroughly review the agency's licensing and qualifications. (See: Things You Should Know before Hiring a Private Eye in the May 2010 archive of this blog.)
Once you feel satisfied with your choice, meet the investigator(s) in person. How do you feel about him, her, or them? Do they handle themselves professionally? Do they appear trustworthy? What is your "gut reaction"? Do you feel comfortable with them in general? These are valid questions, and often the best test when making the final determination. You could very well end up having a long and intimate business relationship with this person or persons, and they may see your significant other, family, friends, business associates, and acquaintances at their best or worst. If you don't feel completely comfortable trusting him or her with your personal and/or business information—look elsewhere.
Once you have determined that you require the services of a private investigator and have made your choice from the many agencies available, what are some of the specific services private investigators have to offer?
My company, Arizona Private Investigations, a subdivision of Arizona Legal Document Services, L.L.C., offers the following:
Child Custody and Infidelity Investigations
Pre-Employment Screening
Criminal History Reports
Individual Background Profiles
Adult and Youth Caregiver Abuse/Neglect Investigations
Teen Whereabouts/Lifestyle Investigations
Premarital Screening
Tenant Screening
Missing Persons /Skip Traces
Witness Location
Witness Interviews (statements and affidavits)
Police Interviews
Expert Witness Research and Interviews
Evidence Collection
Surveillance (physical, photographic, and GPS tracking)
Testimony/Deposition
Location and Recovery of Property (including replevins)
Threat Investigations
Criminal Investigations
Hiring a private investigator can be one of the most valuable and life changing choices you ever make. To further appreciate what a private investigator can do for you, contact Jeff Kimble at 480-318-9936, or visit the Arizona Legal Document Services, L.L.C. website at:
http://www.azprivateeye.com
"The Truth will set you free..."
The public perception of the private investigator is varied and nebulous, both from the frequently exaggerated and inaccurate portrayals of "private eyes" in film and television, and also from the simple fact that, compared to other occupations, a relatively small percentage of citizens run across or require the services of a private investigator in the first place.
A simple yet precise definition of a private investigator is one who is employed to collect information. Once the drama, the mystique, and the ridiculous (just watch one episode of Magnum P.I. to get the wrong idea of the investigation business) are stripped from the fictitious versions of the job description, a private investigator is essentially a collector of information. He or she—if ethical, professional, and experienced—knows how to retrieve this information legally, whether through research, observation, or technical means, and then provides this information to his or her client for a fee.
Private investigators are hired by individuals, families, small businesses, large corporations, and even by government entities. Cases range from industrial espionage to lost pets, from criminal investigations to pre-employment screenings, and the types of P.I.'s and their specialties are as diverse as are the clients who hire them and the varied cases they present.
The first step toward determining whether a private investigator can help you is by clearly defining your reasons for hiring one in the first place. What do you want? Are you simply trying to find out the truth in a personal matter? Or are you planning to use the information you obtain from the investigation in court? Or both? These kinds of questions are important to ask yourself before you begin your search for a reputable investigator, as they may affect the outcome of your case, as well as its cost.
If you are considering litigation (going to court) you may want to hire an attorney before hiring a private investigator. The attorney should advise you as to whether your case requires the services of an investigator to be successful. There is no sense in making a financial investment in information that may ultimately not be useful or admissable in court.
If you are purely interested in "the truth" regarding a matter, then calling a P.I. directly may be your best option. A private investigator can be your confidential resource for what you cannot (or do not want to) ascertain on your own. He or she can be "your eyes" into matters the police may not be able to help you with, and can effectively be your agent or representative in matters familial, civil, and/or personal in nature.
Always keep in mind that different investigative agencies offer different services, and those services can vary greatly in cost and scope. A large agency with hundreds of operatives may not be economically appropriate to help you find a long lost relative, but may be perfect to handle a complicated case of corporate fraud. A small agency may be ideal to help you determine if your spouse is unfaithful, but may be the completely wrong choice for the countersurveillance needs of a Fortune 500 Company. Investigate your investigator first. Research online, contact the Better Business Bureau, read client testimonials, and thoroughly review the agency's licensing and qualifications. (See: Things You Should Know before Hiring a Private Eye in the May 2010 archive of this blog.)
Once you feel satisfied with your choice, meet the investigator(s) in person. How do you feel about him, her, or them? Do they handle themselves professionally? Do they appear trustworthy? What is your "gut reaction"? Do you feel comfortable with them in general? These are valid questions, and often the best test when making the final determination. You could very well end up having a long and intimate business relationship with this person or persons, and they may see your significant other, family, friends, business associates, and acquaintances at their best or worst. If you don't feel completely comfortable trusting him or her with your personal and/or business information—look elsewhere.
Once you have determined that you require the services of a private investigator and have made your choice from the many agencies available, what are some of the specific services private investigators have to offer?
My company, Arizona Private Investigations, a subdivision of Arizona Legal Document Services, L.L.C., offers the following:
Child Custody and Infidelity Investigations
Pre-Employment Screening
Criminal History Reports
Individual Background Profiles
Adult and Youth Caregiver Abuse/Neglect Investigations
Teen Whereabouts/Lifestyle Investigations
Premarital Screening
Tenant Screening
Missing Persons /Skip Traces
Witness Location
Witness Interviews (statements and affidavits)
Police Interviews
Expert Witness Research and Interviews
Evidence Collection
Surveillance (physical, photographic, and GPS tracking)
Testimony/Deposition
Location and Recovery of Property (including replevins)
Threat Investigations
Criminal Investigations
Hiring a private investigator can be one of the most valuable and life changing choices you ever make. To further appreciate what a private investigator can do for you, contact Jeff Kimble at 480-318-9936, or visit the Arizona Legal Document Services, L.L.C. website at:
http://www.azprivateeye.com
"The Truth will set you free..."
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