Uncle of slain girl [Evelyn Miller, 5] testifies before grand jury [about computer, over 2 hrs]

KWQC-TV ^ | 9/9/05

[newgeezer]

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Evelyn Miller's uncle says he was questioned for more than two hours about a computer in the child's apartment before a federal grand jury in Cedar Rapids.

The five-year-old girl disappeared from the apartment in Floyd on July first. Her body was found six days later in the Cedar River about two miles away.

The child's death has been ruled a homicide, but details about how and when she was killed have not been released. Police have not announced any arrests.

Jeremiah Christie of Waterloo told The Des Moines Register that he was called to testify before the grand jury yesterday about a five-day period in which he stayed at the apartment -- where Evelyn lived with mother, Noel Miller, and her mother's fiance, Casey Fredericksen.

Christie says most of the questions were about the computer.

Authorities refused to comment on whether the computer is central to the case. Grand jury proceedings are secret.

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Grand Jury Witness Talks About Being Called in Evelyn Miller Case
KIMT-TV, Mason City IA - 12 hours ago

Floyd [,Iowa]'s Evelyn Miller disappeared in early July. Her body was found days later in the Cedar River.

Her death has been ruled a homicide.

Last week, investigators searched Noelle Miller's home. She's the mother of Evelyn.

Neighbors say several items, including a computer, were taken from their home.

A federal grand jury determines if prosecutors have enough evidence to issue an indictment.

Evelyn's uncle, Jeremiah Christie spoke with KIMT NewsChannel Three.

He spent the day in Cedar Rapids and says investigators asked about a computer as well as Evelyn's mother and boyfriend.

Christie says he was only questioned for about ten minutes, but there were several other people he believed were waiting to testify.

One of those people was Tanya Martinez, a former neighbor of Evelyn's family. Martinez reportedly handed a computer over to police that Evelyn's mother had given to her to hold on to.

Nobody has been charged with Evelyn Miller's murder at this point.

Jeremiah Christie says neither Noelle Miller or her boyfriend, Casey Frederickson were at the hearings.

Christie said they didn't give him any sort of time table as to when an indictment could come down, if any.

Count on us to keep you up to date on the details.

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Evelyn Miller witness quizzed on computer
DesMoinesRegister.com, IA - 5 hours ago

(DesMoinesRegister.com content cannot be posted on FR; only title and link)

[newgeezer]

Be sure to take a look at the Register story; it has many more details about Jeremiah Christie's testimony and his interview last week by Division of Criminal Investigation agents.

Whether the witness was questioned for ten minutes or over two hours, it seems the grand jury is getting close to indicting someone on murder charges.

Since it's a federal grand jury, I wonder if that means they have found a way to make it a federal case. If so, perhaps the death penalty would be in play.

[newgeezer]

Ping.

That Register article is much more informative than the ones posted above. If I see that a wire service picks it up, I'll post it in its entirety.

[stinkerpot65]

Kiddie porn?

[Rightone]

I've been watching this case. There has been very little information released and it has been frustrating. Hopefully, the lady county attorney who has been handling this has been doing her job.

[newgeezer]

Kiddie porn?

That's what I wondered, too, upon seeing this:

Christie said he told grand jurors that Fredericksen seemed nervous after investigators searched the apartment in the days after the disappearance and that he was concerned about some files on the computer hard drive.

[cgk]

Kiddie porn... or maybe some "how to" manuals. "how to" dispose of a body, etc... everything is on the internet. :(

[newgeezer]

There has been very little information released and it has been frustrating.

Frustrating, sure, but I'm convinced there's a very good reason why the authorities have been tight-lipped. At the very least, it affords the guilty more chances to slip.

[Calico Cat]

So, Mom had a live-in boyfriend?

Well, since 90% of these kinds of cases seem to involve Mommy's boyfriend, I think the police already know who did it.

Poor kid.

[yellowdoghunter]

So, Mom had a live-in boyfriend? Well, since 90% of these kinds of cases seem to involve Mommy's boyfriend, I think the police already know who did it.

Yes, poor kid. Another example of a mother putting her lust before the safety of her child. Even if the shack-up honey did not do it, that lifestyle left this kid vulnerable. The mother should be in jail along with the murderer, in my opinion.

[yellowdoghunter]

oops....forgot to turn italics off....:)

[newgeezer]

Miller Grand Jury Underway
WHO-TV, Des Moines, IA - 1 hour ago

Floyd County, September 9th, 2005 — It's been more than two months since someone killed Evelyn Miller, and now a grand jury is hearing testimony in the case. As we were the first to tell you last night at ten, one of Miller's relatives was called to testify.

Jeremiah Christie is Evelyn Miller's uncle. He says an officer brought this subpoena to his home on Tuesday. Christie took the stand in a Cedar Rapids courtroom, along with a handful of other witnesses. He says most of the questions focused on a computer that investigators siezed from the home of Evelyn's mother and boyfriend.

Christie says, "He asked about Casey's computer and a lot about Casey and Noel and what their life was about and what they did during the search, because Casey and I hung out a lot during the search. It's brought back all those emotions, just as strong as when she was gone. Sometimes it's hard to get through the day."

Grand jury proceedings are closed to the public and there is no comment from investigators on the case.

[Calico Cat]

I agree! I have two kids and my husband once asked me what I would do if anything ever happened to him. I said, "Even if I ever became interested again, I'm waiting until the kids have gone to college." Not that I don't trust men. It's just that my kids are my priority until they're adults.

[yellowdoghunter]

Even if I ever became interested again, I'm waiting until the kids have gone to college."

If only more women were like that......I know many are, we just don't hear about them....we just hear about those who sacrifice their children for some loser guy. I know that I would never show any sympathy for this mother, none whatsoever....she has the blood of her child on her hands, I hope it haunts her for the rest of her life.

[hilaryrhymeswithrich]

That is what I was thinking....porn and then perhaps the child was rebelling....or threatened to tell and mom and/or the boyfriend flipped out

[newgeezer]

Here's that story, from the Associated Press:

Friday, September 9, 2005 12:07 PM CDT

Grand jury probes Evelyn Miller case

CEDAR RAPIDS (AP) -- The uncle of a slain Floyd County girl says questions in front of a federal grand jury Thursday focused on a computer that was in the apartment the child's mother shared with her fiance.

Jeremiah Christie, 24, of Windsor Heights, said he testified about a five-day period when he stayed in the apartment in rural Floyd.

"Most of the questions they asked me were about the computer, the hard drive and software on the computer," Christie said after his testimony concluded Thursday.

Evelyn Miller, 5, disappeared from the home July 1. Her body was found six days later in the Cedar River about two miles away. Her death was ruled a homicide, but details about how and when she was killed have not been released. Authorities have not announced any arrests.

Jeremiah Christie --- whose brother, Andy Christie of Waterloo, is Evelyn's father --- said he was also interviewed last week by agents from the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation. He said their questions focused on the lifestyles of Evelyn's mother, Noel, and her fiance, Casey Frederiksen, around the time the child vanished.

Authorities refused to comment Thursday on whether the computer is central to the case. Grand jury proceedings are secret.

Christie said police "tore apart" the computer during a search of the Floyd apartment shortly after Evelyn vanished but that they left without the hard drive.

Miller's former neighbor, Tanya Martinez, told sheriff's deputies Miller gave her a computer hard drive for safekeeping after Evelyn's death, and "freaked out" when she turned it over to authorities in August, according to an investigative report. Martinez was unavailable for comment.

Federal prosecutors won't say whether they've taken over the case or whether Floyd County Attorney Marilyn Dettmer asked them to step in.

State and federal agents on Sept. 2 searched the Charles City home where Miller and Frederiksen moved after the girl's funeral. Dettmer said the search was part of the investigation but would not comment on what, if anything, was taken from the home.

Court documents pertaining to earlier searches have been sealed by a judge. A Department of Human Services file on the child has also been kept secret.

Miller and Frederiksen's two children, a 2-year-old and a 1-year-old, were placed in foster care July 12, according to court records. A family friend at the time said Miller and Frederiksen voluntarily gave up custody.

Human Services was involved with Evelyn Miller's family before her disappearance. After a review of records, Gov. Tom Vilsack said state workers handled the case properly.

Diane Miller, Noel's mother of Charles City, said she is unhappy about the handling of her granddaughter's case.

"I don't like how long it's taken for everything. It seems to me like they are mostly centering on my daughter and her fiance, but for smaller stuff instead of on the murder of my granddaughter," Diane Miller said. "They are making me feel that my daughter ... was involved, and she wasn't."

Courier staff writer Jessica Miller and Courier Lee News writer Bob Link contributed to this report.

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Copyright © 2005 Waterloo/Cedar Falls Courier

[iowamark]

It is very interesting.

Neither murder or kidnapping are usually federal crimes unless the crime reached across state lines, unlikely in this case.

The Feds could be working on another type of offense as a way to pressure someone into cooperating.

[chrishmphry]

im not sure what crime kidnapping is but abduction, rape, molestation, etc. are federal crimes

[sarasmom]

Ya'll sound like you both would be really willing to be supportive of the many struggling single parents, such as myself, who do not have much of an opportunity to socialize with other friendly adults, much less their family, outside of work.
Tell me how many times in the last year you invited a single mother and her child(ren) to your home for lunch on a Saturday?
Thankfully, I am the "older and wiser", worthless, taxpaying, military veteran, bane on society", so I am not actually in any need of your somewhat twisted version of what seems to pass for "moral support" amongst some parents on this site.
Do either of you have a mirror?

[ccwoman]

sarasmom. I am not sure why you choose to post your tyrant here but I agree with you..at least the parts I was able to understand.
We tend to stay away from people who aren't just like us. Maybe if someone from a church or school had befriended the couple (Noel and Casey) for the children's sake this tragedy could have been avoided.
Sometimes people make the poor choices that they do out of loneliness. Believe it or not sometimes immature young people follow the only examples of parenting that they themselves had. If young people from unstable homes aren't shown a better way the patterns repeats. Asking single Moms and their kids to lunch or treating them to movies is a wonderful idea!!! Alot of times women stay in bad relationship simply because there isn't anywhere else to go or there isn't anyone to watch the children while the mom works so a "bad" man is better than no man at all.

[demsux]

Is this the case where two ex-con friends of the mom/boyfriend showed up with beer to party at about 2am?