|
Police identify young murder victim
Updated: 5/16/2005 6:19 PM
Albany police have identified the body of young girl found murdered
Friday afternoon.
Police said Gretchen Perham, 14, died from multiple stab wounds to the chest. Her body
was found in a wooded area on Mount Hope Drive Friday afternoon.
Perham attended Hackett Middle School and was there Thursday. But police still aren't sure
whether she went to school Friday.
Perham's body was found about an hour before school would have let out that day. But nobody
knows whether she was killed on Mount Hope Drive, or if her body was taken there.
Albany Police Det. James Miller said, "What they need to determine is who she was with.
Was she home Thursday night? Was she not? She wasn't reported missing. There's a lot of questions that need to be answered
for them to be able to piece this together, at least get a better idea of where she was, who she was with and who's responsible
for her death."
Perham lived at 324 Quail Street with her brother, who is her legal guardian.
Family mourns the loss of 14-year-old
Updated: 5/17/2005 2:08
PM
Robert Linen, 29, of Albany said when he said goodbye to his sister, Gretchen Perham,
14, on Friday morning before school, he could never have imagined it would be for the last time.
He said, "I was getting up, getting ready to walk out the door and she was like, bye Rob."
She never made it to Hackett Middle School that day and never came home that night. Saturday, the family got
the news. Gretchen had been murdered, and her body was dumped in a wooded area -- no explanation, nothing to offer closure.
Linen said, "My family's really hurting. Part of our life was taken from us. A 14-year-old, for no reason,
I can't imagine the reason to take a 14-year-old's life. I can't imagine."
Mother Kimberly Perham said, "I feel so lost. I feel so empty inside. And I just want to grab her and hold
her, tell her how much we miss her."
Now the family is coping with their loss, remembering the young, talkative teenager, the honor student, the
girl with the huge smile.
Perham said, "How could you do something like this to a child who was so smart. She was going to be somebody.
She was somebody."
Police are continuing to interview anyone they can, hoping someone saw something that will lead them
to her killer. The family said they won't rest until that day comes.
Linen said, "We want justice. We are not going to stop until we get justice because this little girl did not
not deserve this. She had so much to live for."
A memorial will be held in Gretchen's honor on Wednesday
Investigation continues into girl's death
Updated:
5/18/2005 9:13 AM
Albany police said they are dedicating every possible resource to search for 14-year-old
Gretchen Perham's murderer -- that is, every resource not working on the recent string of fires in the city. Still, that's
almost 70 detectives sifting through dozens of leads.
"Part of the process of all the information that's coming in is eliminating those tips
and some of the information, see if they're credible or valid, and if they're not move in another direction," said Albany
Police Det. James Miller.
But so far they haven't eliminated anyone. What police do have is a timeline. The family
said they saw her last on Friday morning before school -- but she never made it there.
It's a matter of trying to narrow down that time frame and see who she was with. Did any
of her schoolmates see her walking to school? Did someone pick her up and drive her somewhere? Those are all questions we
want to get answered," said Miller.
Then there's the question of her safety plan at school. She was let out early at dismissal
time to avoid confrontations with other kids.
"They did that for her own safety. But again, she wasn't here for a long period of time
either, so that hampers you also. If she doesn't have a large network of friends, you're limited to the amount of people you
can talk to or who can provide you with some information," said Miller
Her body was found only hours later, in broad daylight in a wooded area off of Mount Hope
Road.
Miller said, "It sticks out because you're talking about a pretty young girl, 14 years old, who lost her life
very violently. And I think that strikes home to everyone
Memorial for murdered teen
Updated: 5/19/2005
7:16 AM
A community gathered to honor a young Albany murder victim.
The Evangelist Protestant Church in Albany hosted a memorial service for 14-year-old Gretchen Perham.
Her body was found on Mount Hope Drive on Friday, sparking an intense homicide investigation by Albany police.
Gretchen's family said the last time they saw her was that morning, just before she left for school. Police
said she never made it to class at Hackett Middle School.
So far, investigators said there are no solid suspects.
Murder and fire investigations continue in Albany
Updated:
5/19/2005 7:09 PM
Two high-profile investigations continue in Albany today.
A day after a memorial was held in her honor, Gretchen Perham's killer remains at-large.
Investigators said they're following dozens of leads, but they have yet to name any suspects
in the 14-year-old's death.
Gretchen's family said the last time they saw her was Friday morning before she left for
school. Her body was found later that day on Mount Hope Drive in Albany with nine stab wounds to the chest.
The community gathered Wednesday night at the Evangelist Protestant Church to remember
her
Gretchen Perham's diary entries
Updated:
5/21/2005 2:14 PM
Family still looking for answers
Updated: 6/10/2005 8:31 AM
Gretchen Perham's family said there's just one too many similarities of the young
Albany girl's attempted abduction Thursday morning, and the circumstances surrounding Gretchen's murder for it to be a coincidence.
Gretchen's brother, Robert Linen, said "Right now, whoever did this to her is out there, and if this is the
gentleman, now's his time. He's not going to get away with it this time."
And that, they hope, will finally bring much needed closure. For a month they have been waiting for answers.
"No one's been brought to justice yet, it's been a hard road. My mother's suffering a lot, my wife, my whole
family," said Linen.
They have tacked up pictures all around Albany asking for help and offering reward money. Every night for
the past four weeks, they have lit a candle in her memory.
All this time they have never lost hope that Gretchen's killer will be caught.
"We pray everyday. If this is the guy, regardless, he's gotta be caught for what he did to this other little
girl. And if it isn't the guy, we're going to keep looking for you. Whoever did this they will be brought to justice," said
Linen.
Something the Perham family said will never bring Gretchen home, but will finally give them the peace they
need to begin to heal
Perham murderer still on the loose
Updated: 6/13/2005 5:01
PM
It's been one month since 14-year-old Gretchen Perham was brutally murdered in Albany -- and her killer
is still on the lose.
Gretchen was found stabbed to death on Mount Hope Drive. Police said she was attacked on her way to school.
Investigators are looking to see if there is any connection between Gretchen's murder and the attack on another
young girl last week. That girl was walking to Hackett Middle School when a man tried to kidnap her.
She was cut on her hand, but managed to escape.
Police have interviewed the girl, along with several witnesses and have released a sketch of the suspect.
Search for Gretchen's murderer continues
Updated: 6/15/2005
1:29 PM
It's been more than a month since the murder of 14-year-old Gretchen Perham, and neither
her family nor the police are close to giving up the hunt for her killer.
Albany Detective James Miller said, "The show America's Most Wanted contacted us Friday. Basically what they
want to do is shed whatever light they can. Give it national exposure."
Gretchen's brother Rob Linen said, "If the person or persons who did this is running, there's not going to
be anywhere to hide."
The America's Most Wanted television crew, which decided not to talk to local reporters, concentrated on Gretchen's
murder -- revisiting the crime scene and taking a look at the attempted abduction of another 14-year-old girl last week. They
retraced steps and recounted her story.
"We're considering the potential that you have one person responsible for Gretchen's murder and this girl's
attack last week, but also being in respect that it could be two separate individuals," said Detective Miller. He continued,
"Bringing to focus all the information we have from the witness accounts to the composite to get that out there to see if
someone will come forward who hasn't already."
Police have gotten several leads since releasing a sketch of the man who tried to grab the teenager near Hackett Middle
School last week.
Since day one the Perham family has been doing their own part. They've been contacting television and radio
stations, and raising reward money to catch her killer. And Tuesday morning even more help poured in.
Linen said, "PYX 106 broadcast today that they were setting up a reward fund on behalf of Gretchen and the
other little girl. It was a shocker, but come to find out it was going pretty well."
So well in fact, that the radio station brought in another $17,000 in donations. That's in addition to the
almost $2,000 the Perham family brought in. And with America's Most Wanted broadcasting this Saturday, hopes are high that
Gretchen's killer will finally be caught
America's Most Wanted in Albany
Updated: 6/22/2005 7:10 AM
They were filming a commercial Tuesday -- promoting a program that truly works.
America's Most Wanted already has a great reputation, and now it's New York's turn.
John Walsh of America's Most Wanted said, "Already 30 plus of these creeps have been taken off the streets.
I think it's a great idea, uniting all the law enforcement agencies in New York State, the troopers, the sheriff's, the chiefs
to bury the hatchet and to say let's go get these guys."
New York's 100 Most Wanted is a model of the national television show, cracking down on criminals running from
the law. It was launched back in January and it's already working. Now they're asking for the public's help.
Governor George Pataki said, "If you are aware or think you might be aware of any of the 100 most wanted in
New York State, call us, we will use that information and you might help us get a murderer, a rapist, a child molester off
the street."
Just last week America's Most Wanted filmed a segment on the murder of Gretchen Perham and the abduction of
another 14-year-old girl. They've already gotten more than a dozen leads and a surveillance video.
"Hopefully we'll be able to identify this fugitive or this suspect, or be able to identify some of his clothing
and we'll keep doing it on America's Most Wanted until this guy is caught," said Walsh.
Albany Mayor Jerry Jennings said, "In this city, the governor worked for many years together with different
strategies to make sure our crime rate goes down and has continually gone down since 1994 when I took office. It's going to
continue to go down cause we're doing smart things, we're working together, we're using our resources."
And they're hopeful that these resources will finally help catch Gretchen's killer. The commercial is set to
air later this summer.
Rape suspect being looked at in murder case?
Updated: 7/16/2005
9:26 AM
Police will not make the connection between the arrest of Darius Ashley who was arrested Thursday for
the rape of a 22-year-old woman and the murder of 14-year-old Gretchen Perham back in May. But just the possibility is frustrating
for Gretchen's family.
"Similar things go on, we're thinking oh, maybe that was the same circumstances. It does get our hopes up,
I'm going to lie to you, the things that went on today, it got my hopes up today because it could be a possibility," said
Robert Linen.
Linen, who is Gretchen's brother, said it has been a long road for him and his family. He said he can't even
watch the news anymore because of all the different stories surrounding his sister's killer -- stories that have yet to pan
out.
"Until we get proof, I'm just not going to listen to hearsay, I could drive myself crazy or drive the next
person crazy," said Linen.
And so far, there is no proof. Another young girl was almost abducted a few weeks ago walking the same street
Gretchen took on her way to school. Police were able to put together a sketch based on witness accounts. Even America's Most
Wanted produced some results with dozens of phone calls offering leads, but still nothing
"It's been frustrating, trying to deal with it because my little sister isn't able to rest in peace until whoever
did this is brought to justice," said Linen.
Linen said he'll continue to look for his sister's murderer, and regardless of what police have or don't have,
he won't rest until her killer is caught
Friday, July 15, 2005
The Albany Times-Union reports that police have a man in custody and that he might be the individual
who murdered 14-year old Gretchen Perham back in May. NO SURPRISE: He appears to be some sort of repeat sex offender! Here
is a sketch of the Perham "suspect" we can use later today to compare with any pictures that might surface of the "man in
custody" "...Detectives close to the case said DNA evidence has linked two of the attacks: the rape of a young woman on Central
Avenue in April and the failed sexual assault of a 14-year-old Hackett middle school student on June 9
Gretchen Perham RAPE
Although I found nothing in Googling the sequence
Gretchen Perham Rape, it has come to my attention that WGY radio 810 Schenectady is reporting or will report that the suspect
being held for questioning may be connected with "the Gretchen Perham Rape and Murder." Maybe I missed it when it was reported
previously, but I had no reason to believe a sexual attack had been perpetrated on Perham. So I figure if it got by me, it
may have gotten by some of my readers as well. Be sure to listen to the 11am local newscast from WGY.
UPDATE: WGY
DID INDEED report that Gretchen Perham was raped.
|
