If additional deaths occur that have clearly not been committed by Scott Peterson while he's been in custody, or even if he's found *not guilty* in an OJ-style mockery of a trial, who else can the Modesto police use to deflect criticism from their own failings, and how else would you expect them to do so. Thye previous victim [Smart] was a college girl, and they've had no great success in apprehending her killer/s in the last 5 years, so there's no particular reason to think they've done any better with Lacy Peterson's case, other than having a more convenient- and admittedly unsympathetic- scapegoat upon which to hang the blame.
Three women. Two murdered. One still missing. One year after Rachel Newhouse disappeared, police now reflect on what made the cases different, what investigators learned following Cal Poly student Kristin Smart's disappearance and what actions the FBI and San Luis Obispo Sheriff's Department are now taking to find her. Rex Allen Krebs is scheduled to go on trial in April for the murders of Newhouse, a Cal Poly student, and Cuesta College student Aundria Crawford. Their bodies were found eight months ago, buried on property Krebs was renting at the time. But Krebs is not a suspect in the Smart case, who has been missing for more than three years.Sgt. Sean Donahue of the San Luis Obispo Sheriff's Department said the differences in timing after the disappearances of Newhouse and Smart were vital in law enforcement's ability to solve the cases.
"Smart's disappearance was reported to Cal Poly University," Donahue said. "It is not unusual for a young adult to be gone. There was no report of foul play, no ransom notes. It was a holiday weekend." Donahue said San Luis Obispo's low crime rate gives a false sense of security, which had an impact on the speed with which the disapppearance was reported.
"They (Public Safety) waited to give the case to us two weeks later," Donahue said. "The first 72 hours are crucial. Cal Poly handled the Smart case like most other cases. There was nothing suspicious."
Kristin's mother, Denise, also said timing was crucial in finding her daughter.
"If Cal Poly hadn't stalled and the sheriff's department had come and made a task force, we might have found her," Denise said.
Donahue said the suspicious circumstances surrounding Newhouse's disappearance prompted action from law enforcement more quickly than in Smart's case.
"Newhouse was intoxicated to the point where she couldn't feel for her own safety," Donahue said. "The blood on the bridge made it suspicious."
However, Denise said it was not just an accumulation of evidence that lead police to find a suspect in the deaths of Crawford and Newhouse.
"Law enforcement did learn from Kristin's case," she said. "I think that was one reason (Newhouse's case) was solved so quickly. The police, Sheriff's Department and FBI all cooperated. In Kristin's case, there were lots of territorial attitudes and nobody wanted to work together. It takes a lot of people to work together. That didn't happen for Kristin."
Donahue had a similar point. "The major thing we've learned is the importance of working together, putting away rivalries to solve this crime," Donahue said. Since handing the case over to the San Luis Obispo Sheriff's Department, Cal Poly's Public Safety officials will not comment on Smart's case.
"It is out of the norm for Public Safety to handle these cases. They aren't as equipped," Donahue said. San Luis Obispo Sheriff Pat Hedges said the investigation into the whereabouts of Smart is ongoing.
"The Sheriff's Department still has an investigator who is working with the FBI and the SLO police." Hedges said. Hedges said Smart's case is still unfolding and questions are being answered.
"We do have some work being processed by the crime lab in Washington, D.C., and we are interviewing some folks outside the area who, previous investigations show, might have some leads."
But Denise said law enforcement is still without any substantial leads in her daughter's disappearance.
"Three years later it's almost the same as three days after she disappeared. In terms of being any closer to finding her, I don't think we are," Denise said.
Smart was a 19-year-old speech communication freshman at Cal Poly when she disappeared. She was last seen leaving an off-campus party at 2 a.m. on May 25, 1996 with former Cal Poly student Paul Flores. Flores was the last person seen with Smart and is one of the few suspects in the case, but police do not have enough evidence to arrest him or charge him with a crime.
Newhouse was last seen on Nov. 12, 1998, after leaving Tortilla Flats restaurant in downtown San Luis Obispo. She was alone and on foot.
Crawford was abducted from her Branch St. apartment on March 12, 1998.
Investigators found the bodies of Newhouse and Crawford on April 12, 1998.
Rachel Newhouse:
Aundria Crawford:
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