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September 12th, 2009
For a brief overview of the basic facts surrounding
this case, please see the post from Sept. 9, 2009.
A TALE OF TWO SEARCHES
On Friday afternoon Eric Stukel washes his car, gets “stood
up” by Tammy, (but has the foresight to throw a chili party
for his friends,) then he goes to the Yankton high school
dance, and tells classmate Darcy Isburg he’s ready to marry
Tammy. *
The next day, Vicki Larsen calls Stukel to ask if he’s seen
Tammy.
He responds (according to his sworn statement)** by
driving out to the party spot north of Yankton…
In search of what?
Supposedly, according to Stukel, Tammy walked southward
to her aunt’s house at the end of her night with Stukel…so
to go in search of her, he travels northward to the site of the
first party he and Tammy attended Thursday night?
Was this an act of panic on Stukel’s part? What did I do that
night? What do I do now? How do I explain myself? Or when
asked by law enforcement whether he helped search for
Tammy that weekend, did Stukel make up the story about
going northward toward the airport to look for Tammy as
some sort of feeble diversionary tactic?
Did Stukel say he searched for Tammy at the party spot
north of Yankton to make law enforcement think he had no
idea what happened to Tammy, to make law enforcement
think he had no idea where to start looking for her, to
disconnect his activities at the Stephenson farm and ravine
Thursday night?
Sure, I looked for Tammy. I just didn’t know where to begin.
But the plot thickens.
According to Jason Adamson, Eric Stukel’s best friend, he
and Stukel drove around Nebraska in the Gavin’s Point area
that Saturday afternoon after “learning” Tammy never
arrived back at her aunt’s on Thursday night. ***
If Tammy did walk from Stukel’s house to her aunt’s and
disappeared somewhere along the way, why would Stukel
and Adamson be searching for Tammy over in Nebraska, on
the very road where Tammy’s body was discovered?
In other words, Stukel tells law enforcement he drives to
the party spot north of town to look for Tammy, mentioning
nothing about Jason Adamson, while Adamson says he and
Stukel were down in Nebraska, on County 121, “searching
for Tammy.”
Why would Adamson say one thing and Stukel another?
One of them had to have been lying.
Is it safe to assume Stukel felt he could not tell law
enforcement he was in Nebraska for fear of drawing
suspicion his way?
What about Jason Adamson—why would he say he was on
County 121?
What if Jason Adamson knew he had to account for his
vehicle being in Nebraska?
What if he feared somebody might have seen him and Stukel
lurking about on County 121 near or in that ravine?
Jason Adamson knew he had a solid alibi Thursday.
He had no good reason to lie about being in Nebraska with
Stukel. He might not have even been aware of the cover story
Stukel had told Tammy’s friends and family (that Tammy
had walked from his house.)
Then again, all of this may be a bit too much speculation.
What we do know is that Adamson told law enforcement
that he and Stukel were on County 121 looking for Tammy
on Saturday, Sept. 19th, 1992, and Stukel didn’t—one of
them had to be lying.
One thing is for certain: if Stukel’s story about taking
Tammy home on Thursday night were true, County 121
should have no logical geographical or chronological
connection to Stukel’s activities Thursday night or Saturday.
Being out on County 121 “looking for Tammy” would be like
trying to find the proverbial needle in the haystack.
The only logical reason Stukel and Adamson would have to
be on County 121 was to visit Tammy’s body.
When I challenged Adamson on this in 2006, he was unable
to deny it.
m.c. merrill
* SOURCE: Rothanzl, Lorna. “Stukel’s Sister Back Up
Alibi at Trial.’ Yankton Press and Dakotan. Oct. 5th, 1996
** Law enforcement interview of Eric Stukel. Sept. 24th,
1992.
***Law enforcement interview of Jason Adamson, Oct 3rd,
1992.
For a brief overview of the basic facts surrounding
this case, please see the post from Sept. 9, 2009.
A TALE OF TWO SEARCHES
On Friday afternoon Eric Stukel washes his car, gets “stood
up” by Tammy, (but has the foresight to throw a chili party
for his friends,) then he goes to the Yankton high school
dance, and tells classmate Darcy Isburg he’s ready to marry
Tammy. *
The next day, Vicki Larsen calls Stukel to ask if he’s seen
Tammy.
He responds (according to his sworn statement)** by
driving out to the party spot north of Yankton…
In search of what?
Supposedly, according to Stukel, Tammy walked southward
to her aunt’s house at the end of her night with Stukel…so
to go in search of her, he travels northward to the site of the
first party he and Tammy attended Thursday night?
Was this an act of panic on Stukel’s part? What did I do that
night? What do I do now? How do I explain myself? Or when
asked by law enforcement whether he helped search for
Tammy that weekend, did Stukel make up the story about
going northward toward the airport to look for Tammy as
some sort of feeble diversionary tactic?
Did Stukel say he searched for Tammy at the party spot
north of Yankton to make law enforcement think he had no
idea what happened to Tammy, to make law enforcement
think he had no idea where to start looking for her, to
disconnect his activities at the Stephenson farm and ravine
Thursday night?
Sure, I looked for Tammy. I just didn’t know where to begin.
But the plot thickens.
According to Jason Adamson, Eric Stukel’s best friend, he
and Stukel drove around Nebraska in the Gavin’s Point area
that Saturday afternoon after “learning” Tammy never
arrived back at her aunt’s on Thursday night. ***
If Tammy did walk from Stukel’s house to her aunt’s and
disappeared somewhere along the way, why would Stukel
and Adamson be searching for Tammy over in Nebraska, on
the very road where Tammy’s body was discovered?
In other words, Stukel tells law enforcement he drives to
the party spot north of town to look for Tammy, mentioning
nothing about Jason Adamson, while Adamson says he and
Stukel were down in Nebraska, on County 121, “searching
for Tammy.”
Why would Adamson say one thing and Stukel another?
One of them had to have been lying.
Is it safe to assume Stukel felt he could not tell law
enforcement he was in Nebraska for fear of drawing
suspicion his way?
What about Jason Adamson—why would he say he was on
County 121?
What if Jason Adamson knew he had to account for his
vehicle being in Nebraska?
What if he feared somebody might have seen him and Stukel
lurking about on County 121 near or in that ravine?
Jason Adamson knew he had a solid alibi Thursday.
He had no good reason to lie about being in Nebraska with
Stukel. He might not have even been aware of the cover story
Stukel had told Tammy’s friends and family (that Tammy
had walked from his house.)
Then again, all of this may be a bit too much speculation.
What we do know is that Adamson told law enforcement
that he and Stukel were on County 121 looking for Tammy
on Saturday, Sept. 19th, 1992, and Stukel didn’t—one of
them had to be lying.
One thing is for certain: if Stukel’s story about taking
Tammy home on Thursday night were true, County 121
should have no logical geographical or chronological
connection to Stukel’s activities Thursday night or Saturday.
Being out on County 121 “looking for Tammy” would be like
trying to find the proverbial needle in the haystack.
The only logical reason Stukel and Adamson would have to
be on County 121 was to visit Tammy’s body.
When I challenged Adamson on this in 2006, he was unable
to deny it.
m.c. merrill
* SOURCE: Rothanzl, Lorna. “Stukel’s Sister Back Up
Alibi at Trial.’ Yankton Press and Dakotan. Oct. 5th, 1996
** Law enforcement interview of Eric Stukel. Sept. 24th,
1992.
***Law enforcement interview of Jason Adamson, Oct 3rd,
1992.
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