The Disappearance of Iris Brown (Vermont)

Summary

Dark Downeast: Episode Summary – "The Disappearance of Iris Brown (Vermont)"

Release Date: May 22, 2025
Host/Author: audiochuck

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Introduction

In this gripping episode of Dark Downeast, investigative journalist and storyteller Kylie Lowe delves into the haunting case of Iris Brown, a 27-year-old woman who vanished in Burlington, Vermont, in 1976. Combining meticulous research, narrative storytelling, and interviews with key individuals, Lowe unravels the complex layers of this unsolved disappearance, offering new insights into a case that has lingered in the shadows for decades.

The Disappearance of Iris Brown

On the evening of March 15, 1976, Iris Brown returned home from work to find her friend, Bernard Posey, waiting at her apartment in Burlington, Vermont. Posey, who had recently been released from the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) in Danbury, Connecticut, informed Iris that her boyfriend, Martin, was nearing his release. Posey offered to drive Iris to Connecticut to pick up Martin, promising a reunion the following day.

Despite a nearly 300-mile trip requiring an overnight stay, Iris agreed. She made a brief call to her father, assuring him she would return the next day. However, Iris never returned. Her last known activity was a visit to her father at Mary Fletcher Hospital, estimated around 5:30–6:00 PM, after which she left again, marking the last time her family saw her alive.

Initial Investigation

Iris was expected home by March 16 or the 17th, but when she failed to return, her roommate, Maureen, grew concerned. On March 18, Maureen contacted Bernard, who claimed they had reached Danbury but that Iris had insisted he return to Vermont, leaving her with $200. Bernard’s inconsistent stories and suspicious behavior, including discrepancies about Iris’s intended destination, raised immediate red flags with investigators.

Detectives Gloria Bancroft and Lt. Wayne Liberty of the Burlington Police Department (BPD) began scrutinizing Bernard Posey, uncovering a web of deceit. They discovered that Posey was not his real name but an alias for William John Posey, Jr., a man with a substantial criminal history, including charges for lying under oath and aggravated assault.

Notable Quote:
Bernard Posey's inconsistent accounts "just kept coming" (00:20).

Bernard Posey’s Criminal Background

Posey's criminal record painted him as a slippery individual with a propensity for violence. His history included multiple instances of dishonesty and aggression, notably an aggravated assault in February 1976, where he brutally attacked a woman who had been hired as his secretary. Despite these red flags, Posey managed to evade immediate repercussions, further complicating the investigation.

Evidence and Suspicion

Key pieces of evidence emerged, including blood stains matching Iris's blood type found in Posey’s car and on his clothing. However, without advanced DNA testing available at the time, the forensic evidence was inconclusive. Posey's erratic behavior, such as fleeing to Florida and later being involved in suspicious activities in multiple states, only deepened the mystery surrounding Iris's disappearance.

Posey’s Arrest and Confession

After evading authorities for several years, Posey was finally apprehended in Texas in February 1980 under another alias, James Thomas Scorpione. Faced with multiple charges, including kidnapping and murder, Posey stood trial for Iris Brown’s disappearance.

In a pivotal moment during the early 2000s, Detective Emmett Helrick reopened the case, seeking closure for Iris’s family. In 2008, facing severe health issues, Posey agreed to an interview under immunity agreements. During this interview, he confessed to murdering Iris Brown:

Notable Quote:
Upon agreeing to confess, Posey stated, "Tell them I'm very sorry. I've always felt remorse" (40:04).

Posey detailed how an argument over a failed drug scheme led him to strangling Iris near the Shelburne Museum in Vermont. He admitted to disposing of her body in a nearby stream, though he remained vague about the exact location.

Legal Proceedings and Convictions

In 1981, Posey pleaded not guilty to kidnapping but was swiftly convicted based on circumstantial evidence, receiving a life sentence. Later, he also pleaded guilty to the murder of Judith Ann Bishop in Illinois, sentenced concurrently to 40 years in prison. These convictions underscored Posey’s dangerous nature and his potential involvement in other unsolved cases across multiple states.

Ongoing Efforts and Closure

Despite Posey’s confessions, Iris Brown’s remains have never been found. The Burlington Police Department, now decades later, continues to seek closure for Iris’s family. Detective Helrick’s attempts to secure further details from Posey were thwarted by his declining health and reluctance to provide precise information. As of Posey’s death in 2020, Iris remains missing, her family still yearning for answers.

Notable Quote:
Iris’s sister expressed profound relief upon hearing the confession, stating it was, "the best call of my life," despite the lingering pain (40:04).

Unanswered Questions and Future Investigations

The case leaves several questions unanswered, including the exact location of Iris's remains and whether Posey was responsible for additional disappearances or murders. Efforts to match Posey’s DNA with unsolved cases are ongoing, but challenges remain due to the lack of initial genetic evidence.

Conclusion

Kylie Lowe’s detailed exploration of Iris Brown’s disappearance not only sheds light on the dark undercurrents of criminal activity in New England but also highlights the enduring quest for justice and closure faced by families of the missing. "The Disappearance of Iris Brown" serves as a poignant reminder of the human stories behind true crime cases and the relentless pursuit of truth by those determined to uncover it.

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For More Information:
If you have information that could help bring Iris Brown home, please contact the Vermont State Police via their tip form or text VTIPES to 2746.

Follow Dark Downeast:
Connect on Instagram and visit darkdowneast.com for more details and source materials on this case.

This summary was crafted based on the episode transcript provided and aims to encapsulate all critical elements and discussions presented in the podcast.

Transcript

[Scott Weinberger]

I'm Scott Weinberger, investigative journalist and former deputy Sheriff.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

And I'm Anna Sega Nicolasi, former New York City Homicide prosecutor.

[Scott Weinberger]

We've each spent decades on the front lines of crime, witnessing the devastation that violence leaves behind.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

And for us, the heart of these cases is the people involved, the victims whose stories deserve to be told and not forgotten.

[Scott Weinberger]

Every week on Anatomy of Murder, we dissect the layers of a homicide through the lens of those who know know them best, the families, the detectives, and.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

The prosecutors with experience that runs deep and access to those closest to each case. We take you well beyond the headlines.

[Scott Weinberger]

Listen to Anatomy of Murder wherever you get your podcasts.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

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Decades later, a determined detective reopened the case with one mission to give Surviving family members. A version of closure, even if it meant the killer would never face the consequences. I'm Kylie Lowe and this is the case of Iris Brown on Dark Down East. It was early evening on March 15, 1976 and 27 year old Iris Brown had just returned home from work to find a friend waiting at the apartment she shared with a roommate in Burlington, Vermont. 28 year old Bernard Posey had arrived around 4:30 that afternoon and insisted on waiting for Iris to get home. He had some good news. No sooner did Iris walk through the door, Bernard announced that he'd received a message from her boyfriend Martin, who was incarcerated at the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, Connecticut. But not for much longer because Martin was set to be released the next morning. Bernard himself had been released from FCI Danbury the previous year, which is where he got to know Martin. So he offered to drive Iris down to pick him up. Iris agreed to go with Bernard to Connecticut. It was a nearly 300 mile trip over four and a half hours in the car so they'd be gone overnight. Bernard started calling around to make arrangements for a hotel along the route while Iris called her father to let him know she wouldn't be able to visit him that night. Iris father was a patient at Mary Fletcher Hospital at the time. Despite this phone call, case file documents obtained from the Burlington Police Department show that Iris did end up paying her dad a quick visit that night. Though the exact time is hard to pin down, the general estimate is that Iris arrived at the hospital sometime around 5:30 or 6:00pm she wouldn't tell her dad where she was going, but she explained she was going out of town and assured him that she'd be back the next day. After just about 10 minutes, Iris left. That's the last time Iris family ever saw her. But it's not where Iris trail ends. Tracking Iris and the man she knew as Bernard Posey would become a several years long effort. Iris was expected home sometime on March 16, or at least by the 17th. Iris was working at the family business at the time. Her father owned a large local chain of home and auto stores across Vermont and she had made a phone call from a gas station on the night she left to ask a friend to cover for her at work on the 16th. But she hadn't made arrangements beyond that. So when she still wasn't home by March 18, her roommate Maureen started to worry. Maureen called over to Bernard's house in Essex center where he lived with his wife to see if he knew where Iris was. But Bernard had No idea. He said they'd made it to Danbury, Connecticut, but Iris didn't want him to stay. So he said he gave her $200 and they parted ways. From there, he told Maureen he headed back to Vermont alone. Two more days passed without any sign of Iris. On March 20, Iris mother and father got word that she never returned home from the trip to pick up her boyfriend from the federal penitentiary. Their worry mounted when a check with the prison revealed Martin was still incarcerated. He was not scheduled to be released that month, and he hadn't even spoken to Iris for weeks. For two days, Iris family tried calling Bernard's house over and over again, but no one answered. On March 22, they walked into the Detective bureau of Burlington Police Department with Iris roommate to report iris missing. Burlington PD's first ever female detective, Detective Gloria Bancroft, was assigned to Iris case. And it's her narrative of the early investigation that allows me to tell you Iris story. Detective Bancroft requested a general broadcast call from Vermont State Police with Iris details and Description. She was 5ft 6 and a half inches tall, 135 pounds, fair complexion, long dark brown hair, hazel eyes, slim build, no glasses, no scars or marks, and was last seen wearing a long green wool coat and blue jeans. The same afternoon, Detective Bancroft and Burlington PD's Detective Lt. Wayne Liberty paid a visit to the Posey residence. They knocked on the door and rang the doorbell several times that it was clear nobody was home. So the detectives dropped a note for Bernard in his mailbox. When they arrived back at the station, police learned that Bernard was actually on probation, so they got in touch with his probation officer. Apparently, Bernard had called his probation officer on March 22 to ask permission to leave the state. Bernard explained that his wife's father was very sick and they needed to visit him in Florida as soon as possible. The probation officer gave Bernard permission for the trip with the understanding that he was supposed to return home by the 26th. Detectives spent the next several hours following up on possible explanations for Iris absence. They learned that Iris used to live in New York City and she still had a brother there. But according to her parents, she would not have made a spontaneous decision to head to the city without telling her brother, and he hadn't heard from her. But New York City might have been part of her plan after all. At least according to Bernard. He called Burlington PD on the afternoon of March 23, explaining that he was in Florida. But a neighbor who was checking his mail for him found the detective's note. They'd already heard a secondhand Version of Bernard's story about the night of March 15th and early morning hours of the 16th from Iris roommate Maureen. But Bernard clarified a few things for the detectives. According to Bernard, the plan was to go to Danbury, but they'd reached the Springfield, Massachusetts, area When Iris changed her mind and decided she wanted to go to New York city instead. Bernard told Iris he was too tired for that drive, so he dropped her off outside a hotel in Springfield around one in the morning. Iris was supposedly going to take a bus from there. Bernard said he did give Iris $200 to fund her trip, but it was a loan. Bernard promised to get in touch with detectives as soon as he was back in Vermont on the 26th, but he wouldn't leave a number for detectives to reach him in Florida. He said he'd be on the road from that point on anyway, if red flags weren't already waving in the minds of detectives Spancroft and Liberty. That first phone call with Bernard had to have set them off. Bernard had told Maureen he left Iris in Danbury, Connecticut, but now he was saying he dropped her off in Springfield, Massachusetts. And the inconsistencies just kept coming. Detectives Bancroft and Liberty confirmed that the whole story about Iris boyfriend Martin getting out of prison was a fabrication. Martin's furlough wasn't expected for a few more months. But why would Bernard make that up? What motivation did he have to get Iris in his car under false pretenses that night? And where was Iris now? Investigators set out to answer those questions and more. Among the most foundational of those questions. Who is Bernard Posey? Turns out that's not even his real name. Bernard Posey was the chosen alias for a man whose legal name was William John Posey, Jr. And he had a criminal record spanning multiple states and severity of charges, Everything from lying under oath to aggravated assault. According to case file documents, Bernard had been in the military from 1966 to 1972, but was AWOL several times during that period and eventually received a dishonorable discharge from the service. Then, In December of 1974, he was sentenced to three years in federal prison for false declaration under oath. He was released from Danbury Federal Correctional Institution December 18, 1975, and was placed on probation. So Bernard was on probation when, In February of 1976, South Burlington Police investigated an assault involving Bernard. According to statements by the female victim, Bernard had hired the woman to work as his secretary. And during one of their early conversations about the job, Bernard claimed he dealt, quote, unquote, hot diamonds, which I assume means they were stolen or otherwise illegally obtained. The woman said Bernard wanted her to meet an associate of his that she'd be dealing with as part of the gig. But things went sideways as they sat in his vehicle outside Joe Berry's restaurant. She told police how Bernard tried to strangle her, saying they that he needed to shut her up. She grabbed a glass and managed to throw it at the windshield to break Bernard's focus. She was able to calm him down enough to say she had to go to the bathroom and Bernard agreed to let her go inside the restaurant, but told her she had to tell staff that someone had shot at the car windshield. After that, Bernard threatened the woman with more violence, saying he owned two guns and that someone who was about to get out of prison would find her if she took him to court court over the assault. The threats didn't stop her, though. She reported the assault to South Burlington police. She sustained a black eye and marks on her neck in the assault, but when police asked Bernard about the incident, he claimed someone shot at the car while they were driving and he slammed on the brakes, which caused her to collide with the windshield. Police didn't buy it and Bernard was charged with aggravated assault. He was supposed to be in court on March 26 to face those charges, which was the day he told his probation officer he'd be back from his urgent trip to Florida. But somewhere along the way, he called the court and asked to have the hearing moved to the 29th. Bernard didn't show up to either of those scheduled court dates, though. 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He said he'd be back in an hour to pick her up, but he never returned. When Mrs. Posey finally got back to their motel room, she realized that her Mercedes was gone and her jewelry and fur coat were missing, too. Bernard's wife reported the car stolen in Florida, and he was apprehended with the Mercedes and her valuables. Within a day, he was arrested for reckless driving and later released on $250. Bailey when his wife asked why he drove off with her car and left her stranded at the mall, he said he did it just to shake her up. The day after, Bernard tried to, quote, unquote, shake her up. Mrs. Posey called Burlington Police. Mrs. Posey explained that she knew Bernard was planning to go to Danbury with iris on the 15th, and her memory was a little fuzzy. But she believed he got home around 2 or 3am on the 16th. It was the night of the 19th that really stuck out to her. It was late when Bernard came home, his face all scratched up, and told her he'd been shot at and they needed to leave for Florida asap. She said he was acting desperate and panicky. They left a little after midnight on the 20th. She explained that they had a neighbor looking after their house, and sometime after they got to Florida, Bernard called the neighbor and asked him to lock their car, an Audi that was sitting in the driveway. Now what? Bernard said to his wife about needing a plane ticket to make it back to Vermont to close on their new house. The closing part was true to a degree. They were scheduled to close on a house either March 29th or 30th. So on the 30th, police drove out to the Posey residence again to see if he was home. But something caught the attention of detectives before they even made it to the front door of the house. In the backseat of that Audi that Bernard was known to drive, the one he'd apparently asked a neighbor to lock up in his absence, they spotted a white article of clothing with what appeared to be spots of blood on it. Looking closer, they saw what also appeared to be blood on the car's interior. The officers tried knocking on the door of the Posey house, but no one answered, so they left. Later that day, police obtained a warrant to impound and search the Audi. As detectives zeroed in on possible blood evidence in Bernard's vehicle, they learned from his probation officer that in a recent phone call, Bernard claimed he was tired of running and he needed help. He was supposedly going to get back to Vermont on a bus on April 1. But none of the buses, or planes for that matter, that arrived in Vermont on that date had a passenger by the name Bernard Posey. Wherever Bernard was, he was now a wanted man. The FBI had entered the chat and informed Burlington PD that there was a federal warrant for Bernard's arrest on charges of interstate flight. To avoid prosecution, he was arrested in a Florida restaurant soon after and held on $10,000 bail, which he posted on April 7. His bail was increased to $35,000, and after a bonding company posted his new bail, Bernard called his wife. She agreed to meet him outside a bank in Florida under the impression that he was going to give her power of attorney over all their assets. Thankfully, Mrs. Posey did not meet Bernard alone. She brought her mother along, and when they arrived at the bank, Bernard lunged out from behind a column and tried to drag his wife into a waiting vehicle. Mrs. Posey's mother helped fight bernard off, but who then got in the car and fled the scene. Two weeks passed, and there was at least one reported sighting of Bernard Documented in the case file. He was in long island, new york, to see his rabbi. The rabbi reported that both of Bernard's arms were in casts, but he didn't say what caused his apparent injuries. However, bernard soon told his probation officer they broke his thumbs up because he was supposed to, quote, Pay some people off, but hadn't been able to come up with the money. Who they were, Bernard didn't say. When the probation officer asked bernard about iris brown and if he knew what happened to her, he responded, quote, I had nothing to do with that. End quote. This whole time, while bernard was on the lam, Iris was still missing. She hadn't called home. She hadn't turned up at her apartment. And when police checked the hotel where she and bernard had reservations on the night of the 15th, they learned nobody had checked in under either name that night. Employees at the hotel near where bernard claimed to have dropped iris off in the early morning hours of March 16th didn't recognize either iris or bernard. In early April, police printed and distributed 500 missing persons posters around town and to the media as well as nearby police agencies. One of the first stories ran in the Rutland Herald on April 11 with a photo of iris smiling at the camera. By the end of the month, Iris family had hired their own private investigator to look into the case, too. Finally, on April 22, Bernard was spotted back in vermont. He was boarding a bus at the St. Paul street terminal Bound for montreal, canada. Officers boarded the bus and located Bernard, Taking him into custody that same day. It's a little hard to keep track of all the things Bernard was wanted for. At the time of his arrest, Burlington PD wanted to talk to him about iris brown. But there was also a federal warrant for interstate flight and that aggravated assault charge out of south burlington. The assault case seems like it was in flux, and sbpd may have dropped the charges at one point, as the case was expected to reach a financial settlement. But it was that crime that ultimately got bernard arrested. Bernard demanded a lawyer and refused to speak to anyone about anything. But the next day, he changed his tune and agreed to a taped interview with burlington PD about iris disappearance. Although the interview was taped the details of this interview are scant in the case file documents I have access to. But from what is detailed in Detective Bancroft's report, Bernard claimed when he told Iris that Martin wasn't actually going to be released from prison the next morning. He said Iris was upset about it for a matter of seconds and then was happy to have time off from work so she could go to New York. Over the coming weeks, police continued to uncover bizarre behavior and suspicious evidence as they tracked Bernard Posey's movements immediately before and after Iris disappeared. In another interview with Bernard's wife, she told police how the phone lines in their house had been cut sometime on or around March 18th. A telephone repairman came out to fix them on the 19th, but Bernard said it wasn't necessary because no one was going to be home for a while anyway. Mrs. Posey had reason to believe that Bernard cut the phone lines himself. But again, this begs the question, why? Why? At least the cut phone line explained why Iris family and roommate couldn't reach him for days on end. When they tried calling the Posey residents. Mrs. Posey was clearly harboring her own suspicion and even fear of her husband. As of May 10, she had been living elsewhere, but asked police to go with her to their house in Essex. Once inside, they noticed that the house looked like someone had gone through it, throwing open drawers and rifling through the contents in search of something. And then they found something truly bizarre. In the back of a closet, tucked away in a clear attempt to conceal them, police found what appeared to be cast making supplies, like for broken bones, possibly the broken thumbs Bernard claimed to have when he visited his rabbi in New York the previous month. It was clear to police that Bernard had been inside the house since he and his wife had left together after Iris disappear. Less than a week later, police were back at the posey residence with Mrs. Posey. She'd called, crying and very upset, and wanted an officer to come look at something she found in the house. When the officer arrived, Mrs. Posey pointed to two articles of clothing. A men's suede coat with sheepskin lining and a beige sweater, both of which belonged to Bernard, and he was wearing them when he left with Iris on March 15. The officer glanced over the coat and the sweater and saw that there were apparent blood stains on both items. He placed them in an unused trash bag and brought them to the detective bureau for processing by the FBI lab in Washington, D.C. where other pieces of evidence recovered from Bernard's Audi were already undergoing examination. For months on end, police had been Uncovering countless red flags waving around the man last seen with Iris Brown. He was a slippery guy with a criminal history and a changing story about what happened as they drove off towards Connecticut, based on a lie he'd told her. What detectives hadn't yet uncovered was evidence or anything close to proof of what happened to Iris or where she might be now. But the investigation would soon take on a whole new intensity when results came back from the tests conducted on the apparent blood stain evidence at the FBI lab. The youth mental health crisis is all over the news, and it's no surprise that social media is a big driving force behind it. Gab is addressing this problem by doing something no one else is doing. Their approach is tech in steps. Tech in Steps works by providing a kid safe phone and watch with no social media or Internet apps for every age and stage. So whether you have younger kids, tweens, or teens, Gab keeps them socially connected, safely telling these stories on Dark Down East. I know too much about the dangers of the Internet and the social media spiral that can contribute to so much pressure for kids and teens. I love that Gab is actively working to combat these potential dangers with phones and watches that allow me to reach my daughter without my daughter having unfettered access to the world wide web. Plus, she's going to look like a little spy kid running around with that watch on her wrist. And I just love it. If you get that reference, we can be friends. Protecting your kids has never been easier. For the best results, sign up to Gab today. No contract [e-mail] downeast that's Gab G A B B.com downeast gab.com downeast Terms and Conditions App In July of 1976, four months into the missing persons investigation of Iris Brown, an FBI agent informed Burlington PD that blood stains found on several items related to Iris's case had come back showing type O blood. Iris had type O blood, but police had not yet been able to determine Bernard's blood type. They needed a liquid sample for further analysis and they intended to obtain one through court order. A Burlington detective contacted the state's attorney's office to obtain a non testimonial evidence court order to obtain a blood sample from Bernard Posey. The court order would be prepared under the state statute of kidnapping, not homicide. Bernard managed to dodge the court order to submit to a blood draw until the end of September. When that sample was finally obtained and submitted to an FBI lab, the results revealed that Bernard had type A blood. The blood found on his clothing and in his car was not Bernard's blood, but it did match Iris blood type. It felt like a breakthrough, and it was. But it wasn't enough for an immediate arrest. Someone's blood, the same type as Iris's blood, was on items related to the case. Sure, but without more advanced DNA testing that wasn't available to the case in that era, the blood couldn't be further identified as belonging to Iris. What's more, its presence on the evidence didn't show how it got there or who, if anyone, caused it to spill. Investigators kept at it, and they believed Slippery Bernard wouldn't be going anywhere while they continued to build the case against him. He'd pleaded no contest to a lesser charge of simple assault for the attack on the woman in South Burlington and was sentenced 10 to 12 months with credit for time served. He was paroled not long after, but the U.S. marshals Service had filed a detainer charging that Bernard had violated parole when he was convicted of assault among other violations. So he was jailed once again and remained in custody for the better part of a year. Towards the end of his federal sentence, Bernard was housed in the Community Treatment center center in New York City. That is, until he escaped. According to Mike Donahue's reporting for the Burlington Free Press, on December 5, 1977, Bernard Posey walked away from the center and never returned. He was still a fugitive when, four months after his escape in April of 1978, following a two year long investigation by Burlington Police, the FBI, the U.S. attorney's office and the Chittenden County State's Attorney's office, a federal grand jury indicted William Bernard Posey on kidnapping charges relating to the disappearance of Iris Brown. The charge carried a potential life sentence if he was convicted. Frustratingly, Bernard managed to evade capture for over two years. While he was on the lam, he was free to live his life and claim the life of another woman. It was the night of January 24, 1980 and 37 year old Judith Ann Bishop was sitting at a motel with her sister in law Joyce, enjoying an all woman band that was performing in the lounge. According to an Associated Press report published in the Pantagraph, somewhere over the course of the evening, Judith and Joyce met two truck drivers named Harry and Jim. They left with the men around 1am Joyce pairing off with Harry. And the last time anyone saw Judith, she was sitting in her vehicle with the trucker she knew as Jim. She never made it home that night and the next morning Judith's husband found her vehicle abandoned in the motel parking lot with bloodstains inside. Police were able to track down the trucker named Harry, who said Jim had asked for the keys to the truck at one point that night. And when Harry returned to the truck to sleep, Jim's belongings were gone. He actually didn't know much about Jim. Harry picked him up as a hitchhiker somewhere in Kentucky earlier that week. An Associated Press report in the Carmi Times indicates that Harry passed a lie detector test regarding his account of the evening as the search for the suspect known only as Jim continued, the search for Judith ended on Sunday, January 27th. Judith's nude body was found in a wooded area near Kun Mundy, Illinois. She'd been strangled with a pair of pantyhose. Her time of death was estimated around 2am and 10am on January 25, and her death was ruled a homicide. Early media coverage suggested that the physical description of the guy known only as Jim sounded a lot like a prison escapee named Allen Lightheart. Allen had fled Menard Correctional center in Chester, Illinois over a week earlier. Allen had been serving a six to 15 year sentence for a rape conviction at the time. Brad Boetker reports for the Southern Illinoisan that the suspect in Judith's murder was believed to be 160 to 170 pounds and 5 foot 10, with a full beard, a bald spot and a neat appearance. But that wasn't an exact match for Ellen lightheart, who was 5 foot 8 and around 205 pounds. However, that description did match another escapee on the run at the time, and Illinois authorities had reason to believe this other fugitive was the true suspect in Judith's slaying. Over the course of the investigation into Judith's murder, Illinois authorities had recovered some jewelry from a pawn shop near Dallas, Texas that they believed was stolen from Judith on the night of her murder. At the same time, federal authorities were tracking a new alias for a fugitive known in Vermont as Bernard Posey, and someone using that new alias had checked into a motel just outside of Dallas in January of 1980. An FBI law enforcement bulletin published in February of 1980 listed off several more names for the man suspected of kidnapping Iris Brown and who was now a suspect in the killing of Judith Ann Bishop. According to the bulletin, William Bernard Posey also used the names Earl D. Cox, James Joseph Lutz, James William Lutz, Russell Martin, William Snyder, Robert Thibadore, and more. The bulletin also included photos of William, AKA Bernard, AKA all those other names, with the warning that he was an escapee from custody who has been armed With a pistol in the past, who is sought in connection with a series of assaults on females, including the kidnap and apparent murder of one victim. Posey, who has been characterized as a schizophrenic With a propensity for violence against women, should be considered armed, dangerous, and an escape risk. End quote. Federal authorities had been tracking Bernard and his many aliases, Including a new one, James Thomas Scorpione. When a person using that name checked into the Motel 6 in Mesquite, Texas, on February 11, 1980. Federal agents chased Bernard just briefly before they were able to take him into custody. He was under arrest for the kidnapping of Iris Brown. And there were those outstanding federal charges. Resulting from his escape from the New York City facility Over two years earlier, too. Only after he'd been apprehended did the agents realize this was the same person who was wanted in Illinois for the murder of Judith Ann Bishop. Before any of the charges would land, though, the court had to prove who the suspect was at an identity hearing. According to Margot Howland's reporting for the times Argus, the man repeatedly denied being the person named William or Bernard Posey and insisted his name was James Thomas Scorpione. Whatever the guy's name was, he was being held without bond on the federal charges While the identity issue was sorted out. Interestingly, police in Ohio had arrested a man named James Thomas Scorpion about five months earlier. He'd been charged with criminal trespass on September 13, 1979, but failed to show up for his arraignment after posting Bailey. The name wasn't a known alias listed in the national crime information center index at the time. So Scorpion, or William, AKA Bernard, Slipped out from under the noses of police until that name landed on their radar. Months later, the identity issue was finally put to rest when fingerprints proved that the man claiming to be Scorpione Was, in fact William John Posey, AKA Bernard Posey. Bernard was returned to federal prison, where he would await trial. He was supposed to first face the murder charge in Illinois for the homicide of Judith Ann Bishop. But pretrial appeals caused delays in that case, which had him back in Vermont sooner than anticipated. In May of 1981, William, aka Bernard, pleaded not guilty to the federal kidnapping charge for the disappearance of Iris Brown. In August of 1981, William Bernard Posey Faced a judge and a jury for the kidnapping of Iris Brown. The case against him was largely circumstantial. Witnesses testified to his changing stories and strange behavior. The fact that no trace of Iris was found after she left in Bernard's car that night. Iris boyfriend Martin testified that he wasn't going to be released until May of that year. Despite Bernard's claim that he received a telegram stating that Martin would be released on March 16, he said he never contacted Bernard about his release. The defense called no witnesses, and Bernard did not testify in his own defense. A U.S. district Court jury found Bernard guilty of kidnapping after just one hour of deliberations. The case may have been built on circumstantial evidence, but it was strong enough for that conviction and strong enough for the maximum sentence of life in prison. Bernard later filed an appeal, but his conviction was upheld. Meanwhile, Illinois officials announced their intent to seek the death penalty if Bernard was found guilty of murder in the death of Judith Ann Bishop. The sentence was warranted in cases where murder was committed during another felony and they believed Bernard had robbed Judith before killing her. Securing that sentence was not a guarantee. But the mention of capital punishment was enough to shake a guilty plea out of Bernard. William H. Braun reports for the Burlington Free Press that In August of 1982, Bernard pleaded guilty to murdering Judith and was sentenced to the maximum 40 years in prison, to be served concurrently with the life sentence for Iris Brown's kidnapping. If Bernard earned all the credit available for good behavior, he might be eligible for parole in about 20 years. After Bernard's conviction for kidnapping and Iris Brown's disappearance, it seems like the case was stuck in purgatory. Her name rarely surfaced in news reports after the early 80s, and lacking any indication to the contrary, it appears police let the search for Iris or her remains fall down the list of priorities as other homicides in missing persons cases took over their caseload. In all the years the case was left to linger without true closure, Iris never came home. Her parents and many siblings were left without answers, but they always believed that the man convicted of kidnapping Iris knew much more about what happened on the night of March 15, 1976, 25 years after Iris disappeared, a new detective with the Burlington Police Department wanted to give them the closure they deserved.

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Burlington Police Detective Emmett Helrick assigned Iris Brown's case to himself in 2001 Interesting factoid about Detective Helrick. He actually advised author Gillian Flynn on police procedure for her book Gone Girl. His name is listed in the acknowledgments. After meeting with two of Iris's sisters and her father, who was still living in the community, it was clear to Detective Helrick that all the Brown family wanted was to recover Iris remains. Prosecution wasn't their goal, not anymore. In fact, they were so determined to just bring Iris home after so many years that they wanted the suspect offered immunity in exchange for revealing the location of her remains. Detective Helrick contacted U.S. district Attorney Peter Hull with his proposition. By the time Detective Helrick tracked Bernard down in the early 2000s, he was housed in the medical unit of the Federal Correctional Facility in Butner, North Carolina. He was suffering from a vascular disease and not doing very well. After hearing the circumstances of Iris case, the years of unknown faced by the family, and the convicted kidnapper's health condition, the DA agreed to draft a letter of immunity promising no prosecution if Bernard was forthright about what happened to Iris. A Chittenden county state attorney prepared a similar letter. On April 24, 2003, Detective Helrick and AG's investigator Peter Bottino met with Bernard at the correctional facility. When the investigators entered the room, Bernard remarked that he always wondered when someone would be coming to see him. The officer showed Bernard the two letters of immunity, and he seemed to consider them seriously. He went on to tell the detectives about his disease. He had to have parts of his feet removed because of it. He said he would talk to the detectives once he was able to consult with an attorney, and his wish was to live out the rest of his days on his sister's porch in Pennsylvania. Bernard wanted assurance that he'd be released on parole when he was up for consideration in April of 2011. That was all up to other officials, Detective Helrick explained to Bernard, but it was something they could check into. And then the detective asked Bernard a few hypothetical questions. Hypothetically, did Iris suffer when she died? Bernard said that hypothetically, she did not suffer. He did not go any further. The officers asked Bernard what county they might be dealing with in this case, and he responded that it was only Chittenden County. But that's where he stopped talking. He did not give the investigators any further useful information that day. After speaking with Bernard, Detective Helrick consulted with the federal parole office and learned that there was no scenario in which Bernard would be released from prison due to his prior history, and he would not be offered any Deals by the government. After that, the case stalled again for a few years until Detective Helrick had a gut feeling he decided to act on. In March of 2008, Detective Helrick contacted the North Carolina Correctional Facility again and learned that Bernard's condition was getting worse. And so he scheduled an interview on April 25th of that year. When the detective and other officials arrived for the meeting, Bernard was very obviously ill. He said he didn't remember the detective. Detective Helrick again presented two letters of immunity, and Bernard read them slowly before remarking that they were pretty straightforward and he knew what he was being promised should he choose to disclose the information he had about Iris Brown, but also said that one thing he'd learned while incarcerated was to always talk to a lawyer first. Detective Helrick explained that an attorney wasn't necessary because, as the letters promised, no charges would come from what Bernard told them, and because he wasn't being read his Miranda rights, nothing he said could be used against him in court. Bernard sat in silence for a while, considering everything the detective had just told him. Detective Helrick finally broke the silence, saying that he did not believe Iris ever left Vermont, and reminded Bernard of the hypotheticals they discussed a few years earlier. That, hypothetically, Iris had not suffered. Bernard responded, yes, that's true. End quote. The investigator said that they were prepared to sit with Bernard all day, but Bernard said that wasn't necessary because the whole story would only take two minutes. He read the two letters of immunity again and glanced back up at the detectives before him. He agreed to tell them everything. Bernard began by admitting that the story about a telegram from his old prison pal was all part of a scheme to make a quick buck. Bernard explained that he'd secretly taken $10,000 from his wife's bank account and needed to make it back quickly. He figured selling drugs, specifically cocaine, was the easiest way to do that. His goal that day, March 15, 1976, was to get Iris to join him in a cocaine distribution enterprise. He thought Iris might be able to talk to her boyfriend, Martin, who was at that time incarcerated on cocaine charges, into supplying the product, and then Iris would sell it in Burlington. Bernard presented this idea to her soon after they left her apartment that night. An argument ensued. Iris didn't want to help him. As has been made clear by Iris loved ones, she did not use drugs and was not associated with that scene at all. They stopped at a gas station in Waterbury, and Iris made a call from a payphone there, which checks out with records from the original Investigation navigation. But Bernard said that once they got back in the car, they headed back north towards Burlington and did not continue on to Springfield, Massachusetts, or Danbury, Connecticut, as he'd previously claimed. They'd reached an area near the Shelburne Museum in Shelburne, Vermont, less than 10 miles outside of Burlington, when he stopped to relieve himself off the side of the road. He said he never actually got the chance to do that because he claimed Iris was calling him names and yelling at him. He said Iris wanted to fight him, so he reached inside the driver's door and grabbed her by the arm. He pulled her out of the car and onto the ground. He strangled her with his hands. Bernard said he panicked when he realized he'd killed Iris. He placed her body on the floor of the front seat of the car and then got back onto the interstate heading south. Somewhere just south of the Waterbury exit. He pulled over on the side of the road. He took Iris body out of the car, and I just laid her in a stream, end quote. Thinking back, he wasn't sure if it was actually a stream or just trickling water from snow melt. He couldn't be sure if Iris would have been carried downstream by the water because he remembered it being very shallow. Bernard said he got back in the car and drove south on the interstate until he was south of Barry and then turned around and headed north again. He ran out of gas near the Barrie exit, and a cop helped him get gas before sending him on his way. This part of the story also checks out. It was all out in the open now, but Bernard was either unable or unwilling to get any more specific about the location of Iris remains. The detectives offered to have U.S. marshals bring Bernard to Vermont to point out the area where he left Iris body, but he said that would be a waste of money. He really wasn't sure. When asked if he had anything to say to Iris family and if he felt any remorse, Bernard responded, tell them I'm very sorry. I've always felt remorse. One thing I can say is that it was pretty fast. There was no torture and no sex. He said that he never intended to kill her that night. It just happened. With that, Bernard signed the back of the prosecutor's letters, and the detectives handed him their business cards should anything else come to mind. When Iris sister received the call from police that the man suspected in her disappearance all along had confessed, she said it was, quote, the best call of my life, end quote. Iris's family was relieved, if that word can even capture their range of emotions. Following the news. But this form of closure did not put an end to their pain. Closure is a word that people reach for in situations like this. But it does not mean that a terrible experience comes to an end. It does mean we finally understand with certainty what happened to Iris and the horrible chain of events that resulted in her death. End quote. After William Bernard Posey's confession, an attorney who was federal prosecutor back in the 70s, Jerome O' Neill, was said in no uncertain terms he was a very dangerous man. I have no doubt that if Posey had not been caught when he was, he would have killed more women. Did he kill more women? Is it possible that this dangerous man is responsible for other homicides and missing persons cases that have yet to be linked to him? His movements before and after Iris disappearance were traced from Vermont to Florida to New York, across the United States border into Canada, back into the U.S. in Ohio, in Kentucky, in Illinois, and then Texas before he was apprehended. I'm putting it out there that if any cases in Those states between 1976 and 1980 sound similar to the strangulation deaths of Judith and Iris, and if those cases are unsolved, maybe take a look at William, AKA Bernard Posey, and remember he might not have used that name at the time. Over the last few months I've been trying to track down information about William Posey. I'm super curious to find out if his DNA was ever entered into codis. Quick refresher on codis. It stands for the Combined DNA Index System and it is a nationwide program using FBI developed software that allows DNA profiles to be added to a database under certain categories like forensic crime scene samples, convicted offender samples, unidentified human remains, and relatives of missing persons. Comparisons can be made among samples to hopefully generate new investigative leads. In every state in the United States and at the federal level, there are laws that require certain convicted individuals to provide DNA samples for inclusion in codis. But CODIS in its current form was established well after the crimes and convictions of Bernard Posey. Trying to figure out if his sample was collected as a retroactive participation in these requirements has not been easy. I actually got in touch with Detective Helrick, who has since retired from police work and he didn't collect anything from Posey to generate a DNA profile for CODIS. And we know that back in 76 that wasn't even a topic. So was a DNA profile ever generated and submitted? If not, is it still a possibility? I know that William Posey is deceased. He died in 2020. But at one point during the investigation. He gave a blood sample. Does that specimen still exist? Can that be used for anything? Clearly, I'm still working on this. Something is just nagging at me. To get Bernard's DNA profile checked against unsolved crimes in the places he tore his way through while on the run. So tbd. But you know, I'll update you when I can. Iris Brown's name and photo are now listed on the Vermont State Police website of unsolved cases. Her remains have not yet been recovered. Police have dental records on file for Iris should unidentified skeletal remains ever be recovered. And in 2010, Burlington police thought they might have had a hit from the NCIC index. On September 13, 2010, Burlington police received a teletype from the Records Division regarding human remains that were recovered in the state of Delaware in 1977. The teletype apparently matched the NCIC dental records from Iris Brown's missing persons case. However, upon direct comparison between Iris dental charts and radiographs on file, the victim in Delaware was not a match. So Iris is still missing. Iris parents have since passed away, but she has surviving siblings who love and miss her. Each day. They want to bring her home. She's out there. If the person who confessed to her murder is to be believed, her remains may be located somewhere in Chittenden county, somewhere just south of the Waterbury exit. Somewhere in a wooded area just beyond a guardrail, possibly in a stream. If you have information that could help bring Iris Brown home, please contact Vermont State Police via the tip form linked in the description of this episode. You can also submit a tip anonymously by texting VTIPES to 2746. Thank you for listening to Dark Down East. You can find all source material for this [e-mail] Be sure to follow the show on Instagram arkdowneast. This platform is for the families and friends who have lost their loved ones and for those who are still searching for answers. I'm not about to let those names or their stories get lost with time. I'm Kylie Lowe, and this is Dark Down East. Dark down east is a production of Kylie Media and Audio. Chuck. So what do you think, Chuck? Do you approve?

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