"We had nothing to do with it," says Randy Patrie (left) of the death of 5-year-old Evelyn Miller. He and Dan Slick (right) acknowledge that they talked briefly with Evelyn early on the morning she disappeared. (Globe Gazette photo by Sarah Schutt)
Posted on 07/12/2005 6:39:00 AM PDT by newgeezer
"We had nothing to do with it," says Randy Patrie (left) of the death of 5-year-old Evelyn Miller. He and Dan Slick (right) acknowledge that they talked briefly with Evelyn early on the morning she disappeared. (Globe Gazette photo by Sarah Schutt) |
Randy Patrie and Dan Slick said Friday that they went to police in an effort to cooperate.
"They tell us that we're not suspects," Patrie said. "Yet they asked us some real sick and pathetic questions. They're talking like Dan and I are guilty, like they're just waiting for the evidence. I'm sick of this."
Patrie and Slick share an apartment in Charles City. Authorities executed a search warrant there on Monday, three days after the little girl vanished early July 1 from her mother's apartment south of Floyd.
The body of the 5-year-old was pulled from the Cedar River near Charles City Wednesday evening.
"We had nothing to do with it," said Patrie. "We have done nothing but cooperated. Any time they (authorities) wanted to talk, we've talked."
Patrie said he "doesn't really know" the family. He said he met Noel Miller, Evelyn's mother, about 12 to 15 times, and Casey Frederiksen, Miller's fiance, four or five times.
Slick said his 2-year-old daughter lives in the same apartment building and played with Evelyn Miller.
The two men said they had been out and had four or five beers Thursday, June 30.
"We picked up a 12-pack in Floyd around 2 (a.m.)," Patrie said. "We were taking the back road home and noticed the television was on, so we stopped to see Casey (Frederiksen). It was about 2:30."
They said Evelyn Miller answered the door and Slick had a conversation with her.
"Dan knocked and she answered the door," Patrie said. "She opened it right away. We asked if Casey was up, or if he was asleep. She said he was sleeping."
Patrie said they thought Frederiksen might have been sleeping in the living room, but were told by Evelyn that he was in bed.
"So Dan said, ‘OK, honey, we're going to leave then.'
"When we left, that little girl was safe," Patrie said.
The men estimated their time at the apartment at between two and three minutes.
They said that when they left the rural apartment, they returned to their Charles City home.
Later that morning, Patrie said, his mother told him that a little girl was missing.
"When we heard that, we went to the police," he said. "If we hadn't, they might not even known we were there."
The two said they have undergone hours of questioning.
"They asked me if I was still wearing the same pants from that night," Patrie said. "I told them they were the same pants and I took them off and gave them my pants. I've taken a DNA test and given them my sandals."
They said authorities took some items, including a shirt, when they executed a search warrant on Monday at their apartment.
On Friday, just after 2:15 p.m., Patrie said, his 1986 Honda Accord was seized and would be searched for a third time.
"They even had a cadaver dog go through the car," he said.
Patrie admitted that he has had trouble with the law, but said he has served his time.
"The last time, I was convicted on a burglary charge," he said. "I got caught red-handed. I was sentenced to five years in prison and served 11 months."
Patrie said he received his discharge papers from the Department of Corrections on July 1, the same day Evelyn Miller disappeared.
Slick said little during Friday's interview on the outside steps of the apartment. But he said he shared Patrie's frustration.
"I'd like to know the value of ruining someone's life," Slick said. "What are they going to do when we're cleared?
"I'm unemployed right now," he said. "Where am I going to get a job now?"
Patrie said he has no idea what happened to Evelyn Miller.
"They asked us who we thought took her," Patrie said. "I ain't got no clue who did it."
Reach Bob Link at 421-0538 or bob.link@globegazette.com
what the heck?
Imagine that....questioning an ex-con who was one of the last to speak to the victim. What's this world coming to.....
Very strange situation. In general it's not good to be a couple of no work bums with a prison record who are the last ones to see a missing 5 yearold girl at 2 AM while you've been out drinking. If you're innocent the best you can possibly do is cooperate 1000 percent. Give them all of your possessions and be sure to do a hell of a lot of searching for the child and consoling. If you're quilty...we're gonna get ya so you might as well just kill yourself.
"The men estimated their time at the apartment at between two and three minutes"
I would guess that cell phone records could be usefull here assuming they have cell phones and that they moved between towers.
Cooperate, yes, but you sure don't want to be the one to find the body.
Do these losers have any history of child freakishness?
It's typical for someone to be sentenced to, say, five years, with all but a year of that time to be suspended. That is to say, the perp actually spends a year in jail, and then is released and has to be on his best behavior for the next four years, constantly reporting in to his parole/probation officer. At least that's the theory. The alternative is to put him away for five years, which would send him to a really tough state prison, from which he would emerge as a truly hardened, irredeemable criminal. And after he is released from his full term he doesn't have to report in to anybody--he's free as a bird. So some prosecutors actually like the shorter time served and more supervision afterward, especially for borderline cases of people who did something wrong but aren't deeply evil.
LOL
You cooperate to a degree. However only a moron does not avail himself of legal counsel when YOU ARE THE PRIME SUSPECT! Innocent or not.
Oh sh*t I never even thought of that! No wonder these things are pure witch hunts.
I agreed with you up until I saw that. ... Oh, guilty. I first thought you meant quality. Now I get it.
Anyway, if I'm one of these guys, I'm finding it hard to be surprised that I'm being treated like a suspect. Something about "reaping what you sow" and/or "lying with dogs and waking up with fleas" comes to mind. I mean, sure, I might be perfectly innocent in regard to this case. But, given what I've done in the past, I'd say there's something wrong with our system if it didn't put me under the microscope.
Perhaps the best thing they have going for them is the fact that they didn't act like they're guilty. Rather than hide, they came forward.
At any rate, I look forward to something or someone breaking this case open. It's bound to happen.
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