After three years, no answers in Grobe case
Publication:Daily American Republic;
Date:Nov 29, 2006;
Section:Front Page;
Page Number:1A
After three years, no answers in Grobe case
By JACKIE HARDER Staff Writer
(EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the third in a four-part series on missing people from this area.)
More than three years after an elderly Poplar Bluff woman went missing from her home, investigators are still unsure exactly what happened or who might be responsible. But as time goes on and the chances of finding Mary Lee Grobe alive diminish, Butler County Sheriff Mark Dobbs said the investigation continues.
Grobe was 74 when she was last seen by her granddaughter, Amy Bridgewater, on the evening of Sept. 27, 2003 at her home at 1557 Highway B, Dobbs said.
When family mem- bers didn’t hear from Grobe within a couple days, they entered her home to find the elderly grandmother and her 100-pound black lab, “B-B,” missing. Grobe’s purse and medications were still inside.
B-B returned home in good condition in a few days. But now, three years later, the whereabouts of the dog’s owner remain a mystery.
“I guess, good or bad, you look at life differently when you have been hit with something like this,” said Joyce Caldwell, Grobe’s daughter who lives in Wentzville. “On one of my trips down to Poplar Bluff, I stared out the car window and it struck me that I used to see open fields and wonder what the farmer planted, and how his crop was growing or how beautiful the surroundings were. Now I look and wonder if my mom is out there somewhere or if there is another missing person out there somewhere. Sad isn't it?”
Grobe’s disappearance has since been investigated by the sheriff’s department, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Department of Aging and the Butler County Emergency Management Agency -- not to mention many Internet blogs and websites devoted to hashing out the details of her disappearance and speculating what happened to the woman.
“I do have a theory of what I think happened, but nothing I can speak of or divulge without more proof,” Dobbs said. “Right now, we are just trying to keep everything up to date and following any new leads that come in, no matter how far fetched some of them might be. Unfortunately that is often the case with (this particular disappearance).”
Making the investigation even more complicated, Dobbs said, is the bitter and longstanding feud in Grobe’s family. Before Grobe went missing, family members were split over whether or not she was capable of caring for herself and her own finances. Since Grobe disappeared, the distrust and accusations have only escalated.
“It’s greatly hindered this investigation. Several times, when we have tried to make steps in the right direction and make progress, we’ve been hindered by certain family members,” Dobbs said. Elected in 2004, Dobbs took over the investigation from former Sheriff Bill Heaton. A short time later, Dobbs pursued draining an out-of-use lagoon near Grobe’s home in search of her body.
“There were family members and even one elected official who tried to get that stopped,” Dobbs said. “In this case, they were more concerned with family grudges than actually seeing the truth.”
The lagoon was eventually drained to no avail.
Inheriting a case that hadn’t been properly investigated from the start has also complicated things, according to Dobbs.
“We feel it’s unfortunate that we didn’t get to start the investigation,” Dobbs said. “We feel there would have been a different outcome based on the way (my administration) does things and the manner that we are more thorough with investigations from the start.”
“The problem with (the Grobe) investigation is it wasn’t thorough from the start,” he continued. “It was speculated that a family member from northern Missouri had taken Ms. Grobe and in the midst of that speculation, a thorough investigation was not done, such as crime scene processing and so forth.”
The investigation is still on-going, Dobbs said, and his department continues to run down all leads and tips. “It’s been difficult for us,” he added. “It’s something I would very much like to see solved and brought to an end.”
Joe Mammana, a philanthropist from Philadelphia, has offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of person(s) responsible for Grobe’s disappearance. Grobe is described as being 5 feet 2 inches and weighing about 160 pounds. She has blue eyes and gray hair. A diabetic, Grobe was on several medications, all of which were found inside her home.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Butler County Sheriff’s Department at 686-8070.
DAR Newspaper 11/29/2006 www.darnews.com
http://activepaper.olivesoftware.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=REFSLzIwMDYvMTEvMjkjQXIwMDEwNA==&Mode=HTML&Locale=english-skin-custom
Date:Nov 29, 2006;
Section:Front Page;
Page Number:1A
After three years, no answers in Grobe case
By JACKIE HARDER Staff Writer
(EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the third in a four-part series on missing people from this area.)
More than three years after an elderly Poplar Bluff woman went missing from her home, investigators are still unsure exactly what happened or who might be responsible. But as time goes on and the chances of finding Mary Lee Grobe alive diminish, Butler County Sheriff Mark Dobbs said the investigation continues.
Grobe was 74 when she was last seen by her granddaughter, Amy Bridgewater, on the evening of Sept. 27, 2003 at her home at 1557 Highway B, Dobbs said.
When family mem- bers didn’t hear from Grobe within a couple days, they entered her home to find the elderly grandmother and her 100-pound black lab, “B-B,” missing. Grobe’s purse and medications were still inside.
B-B returned home in good condition in a few days. But now, three years later, the whereabouts of the dog’s owner remain a mystery.
“I guess, good or bad, you look at life differently when you have been hit with something like this,” said Joyce Caldwell, Grobe’s daughter who lives in Wentzville. “On one of my trips down to Poplar Bluff, I stared out the car window and it struck me that I used to see open fields and wonder what the farmer planted, and how his crop was growing or how beautiful the surroundings were. Now I look and wonder if my mom is out there somewhere or if there is another missing person out there somewhere. Sad isn't it?”
Grobe’s disappearance has since been investigated by the sheriff’s department, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Department of Aging and the Butler County Emergency Management Agency -- not to mention many Internet blogs and websites devoted to hashing out the details of her disappearance and speculating what happened to the woman.
“I do have a theory of what I think happened, but nothing I can speak of or divulge without more proof,” Dobbs said. “Right now, we are just trying to keep everything up to date and following any new leads that come in, no matter how far fetched some of them might be. Unfortunately that is often the case with (this particular disappearance).”
Making the investigation even more complicated, Dobbs said, is the bitter and longstanding feud in Grobe’s family. Before Grobe went missing, family members were split over whether or not she was capable of caring for herself and her own finances. Since Grobe disappeared, the distrust and accusations have only escalated.
“It’s greatly hindered this investigation. Several times, when we have tried to make steps in the right direction and make progress, we’ve been hindered by certain family members,” Dobbs said. Elected in 2004, Dobbs took over the investigation from former Sheriff Bill Heaton. A short time later, Dobbs pursued draining an out-of-use lagoon near Grobe’s home in search of her body.
“There were family members and even one elected official who tried to get that stopped,” Dobbs said. “In this case, they were more concerned with family grudges than actually seeing the truth.”
The lagoon was eventually drained to no avail.
Inheriting a case that hadn’t been properly investigated from the start has also complicated things, according to Dobbs.
“We feel it’s unfortunate that we didn’t get to start the investigation,” Dobbs said. “We feel there would have been a different outcome based on the way (my administration) does things and the manner that we are more thorough with investigations from the start.”
“The problem with (the Grobe) investigation is it wasn’t thorough from the start,” he continued. “It was speculated that a family member from northern Missouri had taken Ms. Grobe and in the midst of that speculation, a thorough investigation was not done, such as crime scene processing and so forth.”
The investigation is still on-going, Dobbs said, and his department continues to run down all leads and tips. “It’s been difficult for us,” he added. “It’s something I would very much like to see solved and brought to an end.”
Joe Mammana, a philanthropist from Philadelphia, has offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of person(s) responsible for Grobe’s disappearance. Grobe is described as being 5 feet 2 inches and weighing about 160 pounds. She has blue eyes and gray hair. A diabetic, Grobe was on several medications, all of which were found inside her home.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Butler County Sheriff’s Department at 686-8070.
DAR Newspaper 11/29/2006 www.darnews.com
http://activepaper.olivesoftware.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=REFSLzIwMDYvMTEvMjkjQXIwMDEwNA==&Mode=HTML&Locale=english-skin-custom
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