The Crime Scene

Summary

Who Killed Roxanne?

Episode: The Crime Scene

Hosted by Charles Dowdy | Date: March 18, 2025

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Episode Overview

This episode marks a pivotal moment in the "Who Killed Roxanne?" series, as host Charles Dowdy and law enforcement investigators walk listeners through the actual crime scene of Roxanne Sharp's brutal unsolved 1982 rape and murder near the Covington, Louisiana fairgrounds. After three episodes of exploring the aftermath and challenges of the case, Dowdy and the investigative team now examine the physical evidence, layout of the crime scene, witness accounts, and criminal profiling data, hoping to trigger new leads and critical recollections from the public.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Personal Recollections from Those Who Knew Roxanne

Timeframe: 02:05–06:42

• Cindy, a childhood acquaintance, and Rufus, a friend of Roxanne's brother, share memories of Roxanne's personality and social circle:
  • Roxanne was described as "kind of tough" and "a little distant," keeping to herself more than others.
    "She was just tough, you know... she was fun, but she was a little distant and kind of a little bit to herself more than the rest of us." - Cindy [02:53]
  • Rufus recalls,
    "She was sweet, good girl... she liked boys, she liked to get high, messed up. She was tough old girl. You didn't just walk up to her...she'll slap you back. But she just. Nice girl." [04:56, 06:19]
  • Regarding the injustice of her murder, Rufus says:
    "No way. I know she liked boys and stuff, but not that way. Ain't nobody deserved that." [06:57]
• Investigative Perspective: Dowdy sums up that Roxanne was guarded but capable of joy, and her loss is still felt among those who grew up with her.

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2. Preparing to Re-Examine the Crime Scene

Timeframe: 07:13–13:05

• The investigative team (Dowdy, State Police Investigator Stephan Montgomery, and Sergeant Bart Owenby) assemble at the intersection of East McGee and North Florida, near the historic crime scene.
• Using period photographs and original police sketches, they reconstruct the site as it would have appeared in 1982—now an open lot, but then a pine woodland with brush and trails that provided cover for illicit activity.

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3. Walking Through the Crime Scene Evidence

Timeframe: 13:05–21:44

• Officers use measuring tapes, paint cans, and markers to reconstruct the position of Roxanne's body and various pieces of evidence as originally documented.
• Key points:
  • Roxanne's body was found 119 feet east from the intersection, deep into what was then woods—much further from the street than the original report numbers had suggested.
  • "While there's still things we don't know about this, and we're still working on what day and time this actually occurred, the evidence does clearly tell us that her rape and murder occurred at that location at the fairgrounds. She was not killed somewhere else and then brought to that location." —Montgomery [14:40]
  • Items of clothing, including shoes, belt, pants, and underwear, formed a trail into the wooded lot.
  • Discovery of evidence was complicated by changes to the landscape and unclear identity of some items (e.g., a sweater found a football field's length away).

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4. Details and Implications of the Physical Evidence

Timeframe: 21:44–25:04

• Investigators detail a sequence of clothing dropped along the path into the woods, consistent with force rather than consent:
  • "As you leave North Florida street...you enter this thick grass and brush, and right as it begins to open up, there is a trail of her shoes, her belt, and her undergarments...Then you go another, you know, 80ft before you actually reach her body." —Montgomery [23:57]
  • The severity of the crime is clear; Dowdy emphasizes the brutality based on law enforcement descriptions of withheld crime scene photos.
  • Frigid temperatures at the time (dipped into the teens) suggest clothing was forcibly removed:
    "They weren't just getting naked in 15 degree weather." —Montgomery [21:22]

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5. The Mystery of the Purse and Missing Items

Timeframe: 28:30–33:44

• Roxanne was last seen with a distinct brown purse with wooden handles; it was missing from the crime scene and never recovered.
  • About a month after her death, a neighborhood kid found her purse containing her school ID, but several items listed by her mother—most notably, a Zippo-style lighter with Roxanne’s name engraved—were never recovered.
• Montgomery urges public help:
  • "If anyone has seen that lighter or knows where that lighter is, I would ask you to please contact us. It could have been collected by the person who killed her as a trophy." [32:40]
  • A generic Bic lighter was found at the scene, raising more questions.

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6. Criminal Profiling and Behavioral Analysis

Timeframe: 34:18–37:56

• The FBI's Behavioral Science Unit profiled the crime in 1982:
  • Summary read by narrator [36:15]:
    "Manifestations of more than one type of personality in this crime scene. Factors indicate that at least two individuals acting in concert were responsible...Sharp knew one or more of her murderers and might have rejected one of the individuals for sexual intercourse...unsophisticated local young men of normal to below normal intelligence...unplanned, spontaneous, impulsive."
  • The attack appears to have been fueled by sexual rejection and rage, with subsequent evidence of remorse (the body was partially covered with a jacket).

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7. Unresolved Questions and Call to Action

Timeframe: 37:56–39:15

• Dowdy circles back to lingering questions:
  • Did Roxanne know her killers?
  • Who were the people seen with her shortly before her disappearance?
  • Does anyone recall the purse or the distinct lighter?
  • Were other young people or “hippie types” at the fairgrounds that night, possibly witness to or involved in the events?
• Listeners are directed to whokilledroxann.com for images of the purse and lighter and encouraged to submit tips if they recall anything about the missing items.
  • "If anyone has seen that lighter, or knows where that lighter is...it could be huge for the future of the case." —Dowdy [33:44]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• Cindy on Roxanne's personality:
  "She was kind of tough, kind of...she did laugh and she was fun, but she was a little distant and kind of a little bit to herself more than the rest of us." [02:53]

• Rufus on injustice of Roxanne's fate:
  "No way. I know she liked boys and stuff, but not that way. Ain't nobody deserved that." [06:57]

• Montgomery on location and certainty:
  "Her rape and murder occurred at that location at the fairgrounds. She was not killed somewhere else and then brought to that location." [14:40]

• Montgomery on missing items:
  "The list of things that weren't recovered is probably way more important in this investigation." [28:30]

• FBI Profile summary:
  "At least two individuals acting in concert were responsible...Sharp knew one or more of her murderers and might have rejected one of the individuals for sexual intercourse. This act was unplanned, spontaneous, impulsive, and the result of anger..." [36:15]

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Important Timestamps

• [02:05] – Cindy’s early memories of Roxanne
• [04:30] – Rufus describes Roxanne and her family life
• [13:05] – Investigators begin crime scene walkthrough
• [14:40] – Montgomery asserts certainty about the crime location
• [23:57] – Step-by-step account of the evidence trail and clothing removal
• [28:30] – Montgomery on missing purse and lighter, asks for public’s help
• [36:15] – FBI behavioral profile summary read aloud
• [39:15] – Dowdy poses unresolved questions and directs listeners to the website

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Analysis & Tone

• The episode is methodical, somber, and reflective—balancing hope for new leads with the tragedy and rage of an unsolved, violent crime.
• Charles Dowdy is candid about making logical assumptions based on the evidence, always distinguishing between confirmed facts and speculation.
• Both investigators and the host urge sensitivity, respect for the victim, and a clear call for community involvement to finally solve the case.

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Next Episode Tease

The next episode, “Clearing Up More Loose Ends,” promises to revisit remaining mysteries and address any new information.

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Listener Call-to-Action

If you remember anything about Roxanne’s missing lighter, her purse, or her last days, visit whokilledroxanne.com or contact Louisiana State Police:

• Phone: [phone]
• Email: [e-mail]

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Transcript

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[Cindy]

Hello?

[Charles Dowdy (Podcast Host/Investigator)]

Hey, is this Cindy?

[Cindy]

Yes.

[Charles Dowdy (Podcast Host/Investigator)]

Hey, Cindy. My name is Charles Dowdy. I'm working on a podcast about Roxanne Sharp.

[Cindy]

Yeah, I'm. I, I'm. I was waiting for you to call.

[North Shore Media Group Announcer]

Any individuals mentioned in this podcast are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. This case remains an active, ongoing investigation and all discussions are based on publicly available information, investigative updates, and legal proceedings where applicable. The goal is to seek justice, provide awareness, and encourage the public to come forward with any relevant information. This podcast does not make any allegations of guilt against the individuals discussed and is intended for informational purposes only.

[Cindy]

Yeah, I was closer to him. He was more friendly. He was more. More open and like, more kind hearted. But not that she. She wasn't mean. I mean, she. But she was just tough, you know, and. And then we moved. So I don't know if they stayed there. And then I heard what happened to her, of course, like everybody else did, and I thought it was solved. I thought Henry Lee Lucas did it.

[Charles Dowdy (Podcast Host/Investigator)]

Cindy was 12 or 13 when she spent time with Roxanne Sharp, although she admitted being closer to Roxanne's brother. We've talked to a few people who said that maybe Roxanne kept a little distance.

[Cindy]

She was kind of tough, kind of. Well, she a little hard, but she did laugh and she was fun, but she was a little distant and kind of a little bit to herself more than the rest of us. There was a group of us that hung out and it was summertime that year that I hung around with her and we would walk to a creek down over the railroad tracks and through the woods and swim in a creek. And she. I remember her laughing and having fun with that. And

[Charles Dowdy (Podcast Host/Investigator)]

I'm Charles Doughty with North Shore Media Group, and this is our fourth episode about an unsolved murder from 1982 near the fairgrounds in Covington. If you haven't heard the previous episodes, then go back and start at the beginning because this will not make a lot of sense if you've been diligently listening each week. Thank you. Please continue to listen, comment, share, and like as much as possible. The more people who hear Roxanne's story, the better chance we have to find someone who knows something that could help solve her crime. Cindy came forward after listening to the podcast and offered her take on Roxanne. And Louisiana State police investigator Stephan Montgomery ran into a man named Rufus who also knew Roxanne and her brother. The descriptions that both of these people gave us about Roxanne are somewhat similar.

[Stephan Montgomery (Louisiana State Police Investigator)]

How did you know Roxanne?

[Rufus (Friend of Roxanne's Brother)]

Well, we all lived there on Lee Road and I was best friends, went to school stuff with her brother and then got to know her and her and my sister was come friends and she come to the house and stayed and me and Eddie was real tight.

[Stephan Montgomery (Louisiana State Police Investigator)]

Describe her for me.

[Rufus (Friend of Roxanne's Brother)]

She was sweet, good girl. She just, she. She liked boys. She liked to get high. Messed up.

[Stephan Montgomery (Louisiana State Police Investigator)]

What was her family life like?

[Rufus (Friend of Roxanne's Brother)]

It wasn't. It wasn't rich. And I think. I don't know if they had. I think it just Mama raised them. I don't remember their daddy or nothing.

[Stephan Montgomery (Louisiana State Police Investigator)]

Did she make friends easily?

[Rufus (Friend of Roxanne's Brother)]

Oh, yeah.

[Stephan Montgomery (Louisiana State Police Investigator)]

She a friendly person. Yeah, tell me about that.

[Rufus (Friend of Roxanne's Brother)]

She just very friendly. I mean she'd talk to you. I don't know.

[Stephan Montgomery (Louisiana State Police Investigator)]

She hung around in the ozone a lot.

[Rufus (Friend of Roxanne's Brother)]

Not a lot, but you know, there. I mean we all born and raised together.

[Stephan Montgomery (Louisiana State Police Investigator)]

Yeah.

[Rufus (Friend of Roxanne's Brother)]

I mean I know her by Eddie. I mean I knew Eddie first,

[Stephan Montgomery (Louisiana State Police Investigator)]

then

[Rufus (Friend of Roxanne's Brother)]

her and my sister got tight and.

[Stephan Montgomery (Louisiana State Police Investigator)]

Anything else you remember about her? About her, how she looked or how she carried herself or stuff she said that was.

[Rufus (Friend of Roxanne's Brother)]

She was tough old girl. You didn't just walk up to her and. And stuff. She. You wouldn't gonna just slap her or nothing like that. You. She'll slap you back. But. She just. Nice girl.

[Stephan Montgomery (Louisiana State Police Investigator)]

If you could. If you could see her again, if you saw. If you could see her today and tell her something, what would you tell her?

[Rufus (Friend of Roxanne's Brother)]

I tell. Hey, Roxanne, how you been? I love you.

[Stephan Montgomery (Louisiana State Police Investigator)]

You think she deserved what happened to her?

[Rufus (Friend of Roxanne's Brother)]

No. No way. I know she liked boys and stuff, but not that way. Ain't nobody deserved that.

[Charles Dowdy (Podcast Host/Investigator)]

This episode will be a little different. For three weeks now, we have told Roxanne's story, really from the perspective of after the crime almost, to try to explain the crazy situation after her death that may have impeded the investigation. And your response has been great. We've gotten plenty of good feedback and even a few tips. As Stephen Montgomery has made clear, in a case this old, any bit of information helps. Now, we're going to the crime itself. Something terrible that happened a long time ago that we do not have a lot of information about. And I'm telling you now, I will make a few assumptions as we go through this one, or at least I will try to explore possibilities about what could have happened. Well, I need to make clear that I am the one making those assumptions, unless otherwise stated. I told you the police have been sharing some information with me and they have given me plenty of access. But their end game is a successful prosecution of whoever killed Roxanne Sharp. And they are not going to do or say anything that would get in the way of that. So as we look at some of the evidence and as I make some assumptions based on what I see, know those thoughts are mine and mine alone. And unless you hear it said by one of the law enforcement officials. But we will start with something a little more absolute. As officers lay out the crime scene from a long time ago based on measurements taken when Roxanne's body was discovered in 1982. I met with Louisiana State Police Investigator Stephan Montgomery and Covington Police Sergeant Bart Owenby at the corner of East McGee and North Florida, right outside the St. Tammany Parish Fairgrounds. We all parked beside a metal building, and one of them went inside to explain what we were doing. In fact, one of them entered each of the neighboring buildings to check in with the people there and explain who they were and what they were up to. Well, what were we up to? Finally, after all the talking and all the explaining and setup of the last three episodes, finally we were going to look at the actual crime scene itself. I was going to see where Roxanne Sharp was raped and murdered in 1982. And I wasn't really sure how I felt about it. Across the street from us was an open lot with a few small trees on it, a gravel drive, and the rest of it grass. There was a utility trailer parked there, a boat on a trailer backed in nearby, and a Bobcat on a heavier trailer near the open doors of the back of an auto repair shop. Small trees had been planted in a line a few years before that looked like they were trying to make up their minds if living was worth the effort. There was an auto parts store next door with both of these businesses facing Collins Boulevard, which we could not see, but we could definitely hear. It was windy, and Steffen wanted to pass around some documents, so we gathered in his truck to talk through what he wanted to do. He passed around a few overhead photos from 1982, and Steffen and Bart talked through the. How they would map out the scene.

[Stephan Montgomery (Louisiana State Police Investigator)]

All right, so that's the photograph that Henry Lucas was looking at that said it was by a racetrack, the aerial photo. And then that's the same photograph. It's just a little more. It's more close. You know, it's more of a close up. And then that's the one picture of it looking down north Florida.

[Charles Dowdy (Podcast Host/Investigator)]

Where is that from where we are right now?

[Stephan Montgomery (Louisiana State Police Investigator)]

So this, where this car is parked right here is right there.

[Rufus (Friend of Roxanne's Brother)]

Okay.

[Stephan Montgomery (Louisiana State Police Investigator)]

Is the corner. You'll be able to see it when we get out. We'll get out with them, huh? Sorry. So this is the actual sketch. So we're parked basically where those boats are. That's where we're parked right now. So from the. From the middle of the intersection from McGee in North Florida, she's 100 and she was 119ft east. Right. Where's the north? Yeah, it's north. She's 119ft east down this roadway. So what I figured we'd do is we'll just roll a tape out to 119. Miss her? Yep. And put a mark on the road right there. And then I've got the measurement here going down north Florida. And then we'll just, you know, we'll roll it in like straight line in. Now, granted, there was woods here at the time, so we're probably going to be. There's probably a little bit of approximating here. So I don't know how much of a straight line they could go, you know, that they could go to.

[Charles Dowdy (Podcast Host/Investigator)]

How often y' all do this? Something like this. I mean, I assume it's part of the. If there's a regular Investigation.

[Stephan Montgomery (Louisiana State Police Investigator)]

Yeah, we do it immediately right when there's a regular investigation now. But of course, with the woods being cleared out now, we have the advantage of going directly to the spot, but we have the disadvantage of not knowing

[Rufus (Friend of Roxanne's Brother)]

what it looked like.

[Stephan Montgomery (Louisiana State Police Investigator)]

What it looked like. Trails in, trails out. You know, apparently it was a bit of a clearing, you know, at the time.

[Charles Dowdy (Podcast Host/Investigator)]

So where she was found, there was a clear. A little bit.

[Stephan Montgomery (Louisiana State Police Investigator)]

A little bit of a clearing here. But I don't think she's that far. I think she's up in here. When I say a clearing, I mean just not. Just not thick brush. Yeah, just a. Just a bit of an opening. And pine trees, mainly, is what this was. Was back then. It was a big stand of pine trees.

[Charles Dowdy (Podcast Host/Investigator)]

But if you were cutting through that lot, where would you be going?

[Stephan Montgomery (Louisiana State Police Investigator)]

So if you look at the. This photo right there, you see the fairgrounds on one side, and you see Collins Boulevard and the ozone is on the other side.

[Charles Dowdy (Podcast Host/Investigator)]

It was a big lot. And as they began getting themselves organized to map it out, I thought about the question I had just asked. Maybe the wooded lot avoided traffic, or probably it gave a little cover. If you wanted to misbehave,

[Stephan Montgomery (Louisiana State Police Investigator)]

basically just go to the middle of that intersection and run a tape from the middle of the intersection. 139ft.

[Charles Dowdy (Podcast Host/Investigator)]

And I'll just make a mark.

[Stephan Montgomery (Louisiana State Police Investigator)]

Mark right there on the. On the edge. Start with that.

[Rufus (Friend of Roxanne's Brother)]

Got it.

[Charles Dowdy (Podcast Host/Investigator)]

They called out measurements to each other, found the spot, shook the paint can and marked it. Then he would call out what the marking signified. And that was the creepiest part of all. Now, there are some uncertainties with a case this old, but not about the crime and where it occurred.

[Stephan Montgomery (Louisiana State Police Investigator)]

While there's still things we don't know about this, and we're still working on what day and time this actually occurred, the evidence does clearly tell us that her rape and murder occurred at that location at the fairgrounds. She was not killed somewhere else and then brought to that location.

[Charles Dowdy (Podcast Host/Investigator)]

First they located where the body had been discovered. I was surprised at how far into the lot her body had been. The numbers on the report didn't sound like this much when I was looking at it from the road. When it was measured off, she was well away from either road, McGee or Florida. Now, the other markings that signified other pieces of evidence kind of made a diagonal line from her body a little more west than north toward Florida Street. I was surprised that some of the marked locations were so close to the road compared to her body. Again, which was well into what was a bunch of woods.

[Stephan Montgomery (Louisiana State Police Investigator)]

So we know the pants are hers, Without a doubt.

[Charles Dowdy (Podcast Host/Investigator)]

But that was a sweater there that you don't know if it was hers or not. And then one crime scene marker was put down around the corner on McGee street near where we had parked. And another crime scene marker placed 300ft down north Florida. That was a sweater, one that may have belonged to her. The rest of the evidence, locations that were marked were solid. They were Roxanne's. They were marking items that had been on her body and ripped off. Shoes, a belt, pants, her bra. They were the items found and documented at the crime scene in 1982. One aspect of the crime scene that I'm going to make very clear, and that is how brutal this was. And so when I was first approached, two other officers came in. They had a file. We were talking about the potential to do this podcast. And one of the things they said to me and you repeated later was that you can see some of the photos. You will not see the actual crime scene photos. And I have no problem with that. But one of those officers said, it's something that once you see it, you just can't unsee it, and there's no need for you to see it. And your reaction to that, 100% accurate.

[Stephan Montgomery (Louisiana State Police Investigator)]

You'll see it for the rest of your life.

[Charles Dowdy (Podcast Host/Investigator)]

So there is no value in knowing more about her than what we've already said.

[Stephan Montgomery (Louisiana State Police Investigator)]

Yeah, we talked about this from the beginning. We're not going to sugarcoat what happened or the story. But the details of that crime scene, one, have significant evidentiary value for a prosecution, and two, they bring. They add nothing more to the story we're telling.

[Charles Dowdy (Podcast Host/Investigator)]

Okay, so we got out there, you and Sergeant Owen B. Walked off the measurements. You guys were pretty, you know, making sure that you were getting things in the right places once everything got on the ground. And explain what that looks like. Right, because you were taking the. You know, you would take the spray paint and you'd make a mark, and then you. What is that, a little placard? What do you call that thing?

[Stephan Montgomery (Louisiana State Police Investigator)]

Yeah, Crime scene marker.

[Charles Dowdy (Podcast Host/Investigator)]

And so you take each one of those, it has a number. Talk about that real quick.

[Stephan Montgomery (Louisiana State Police Investigator)]

When they took the measurements back in 1982, they used the center line of North Florida and East McGee street as their point of measure. And they go so many feet down east McGee, they go so many feet down Florida Street. And where those intersect is where that article was collected from. So what we did is we go out there, we roll off those measurements and we put a marker down and we do that for everything that was collected or everything that was noted in the crime scene. We're looking at photos of entryways, looks like trails into the woods, but we can't really tell where that's at until you start lining it up with landmarks and where items were discovered. And then you start seeing the path that was. That was taken into the woods once

[Charles Dowdy (Podcast Host/Investigator)]

the crime scene was recreated, then they put up a drone.

[Stephan Montgomery (Louisiana State Police Investigator)]

So how you want to. You just want to take overall shot? Okay. Yeah. I mean, if we can get it. If we can get an overall shot of just this scene. And then if you can raise it up and get the aerial. I don't know how the wind is up there. It's pretty bad down here. But if you can raise it up and get an overview with the fairground so we kind of can lay it over the picture, the old picture we have now.

[Charles Dowdy (Podcast Host/Investigator)]

Let's address why I keep connecting the body's location to the fairgrounds.

[Stephan Montgomery (Louisiana State Police Investigator)]

The Covington Fairgrounds was kind of a popular place for these young adults to hang out because they could ride around and cut up, they could drink, and nobody really fooled with them up in there. We actually have some witness sightings of Roxanne in a truck with a guy named Daryl Spell, Glenn Loper, and a few other residents from the ozone area that hung together about three days prior to her body being found. But we also have a sighting of her after that at the Covington Quick Stop right there at Lee Road in Hornsby. It's. It's after that sighting, within about two days of her death, that she seemed

[Charles Dowdy (Podcast Host/Investigator)]

to disappear after it was all laid out, and you kind of got to see that perspective. There were a couple things that jumped out at me, but what jumped out at you like, once you saw that?

[Stephan Montgomery (Louisiana State Police Investigator)]

So it gives us a pretty good indication of where they entered the woods and how as they were going through the woods, they. Clothing items were being discarded or removed from the victim. But then it also tells us how much further into the woods that she actually was when she was found.

[Charles Dowdy (Podcast Host/Investigator)]

Any chance in your mind that those items were being removed willingly?

[Stephan Montgomery (Louisiana State Police Investigator)]

I can't say that specifically, but by looking at the trail, I would say probably not.

[Charles Dowdy (Podcast Host/Investigator)]

Do we know the temperature when this happened?

[Stephan Montgomery (Louisiana State Police Investigator)]

We do. Investigators actually called the weather center and got the five day forecast from the highs and the lows, and it had dipped down into the teens during that time frame. So in my opinion, those clothes were being stripped off or ripped off as they were going in, as she was Going into the woods, they weren't just getting naked in 15 degree weather.

[Charles Dowdy (Podcast Host/Investigator)]

I want to get into some of the specific items, but can we go back real quick and talk about this sweater? Because we did all these measurements. Everything's kind of in a roughly the same area. And then you guys walked off a long way measuring off where a sweater was found.

[Stephan Montgomery (Louisiana State Police Investigator)]

Yeah. So when they went out there and started collecting the items, they located a sweater that was probably a football field's length away from everything else, and it was in a ditch. There has been some speculation that that may just have been a random article of clothing that was there. Granted, it had rained by the time that she was found and items were collected, so the ditches were full of water. So to this point, there's a question mark about whether that article actually belonged to. However, her pants were also located. The day after she was found. They went back out and located her pants, and her pants were also in another direction, away in the ditch. So that's where a lot of the mapping becomes as important.

[Charles Dowdy (Podcast Host/Investigator)]

And the pants are almost, in a sense, around the corner from what we believe to be where they entered that wooded lot. Is that fair to say?

[Stephan Montgomery (Louisiana State Police Investigator)]

That's fair.

[Charles Dowdy (Podcast Host/Investigator)]

The mother, was she able to identify the items that we're about to talk about? The pants. And did she say anything about that sweater?

[Stephan Montgomery (Louisiana State Police Investigator)]

She didn't say anything about the sweater, but she had previously described what she was wearing, her clothing, her jacket, and her purse at the time that she was. That she left home.

[Charles Dowdy (Podcast Host/Investigator)]

Do you feel like there were articles of clothing missing? Based on what was recovered, it's possible

[Stephan Montgomery (Louisiana State Police Investigator)]

there's still some question mark about what shirt she was wearing at the time.

[Charles Dowdy (Podcast Host/Investigator)]

Okay, so can we enter the woods, you know, just from that line of items that were left on the ground? Can we just walk through those items and talk about what they were?

[Stephan Montgomery (Louisiana State Police Investigator)]

So as you leave North Florida street, the roadway and you are walking would be east or towards the ozone area. You enter the woods, you enter this thick grass and brush, and right as it begins to open up, there is a trail of her shoes, her belt, and her undergarments leading into, you know, into that wooded area. Then you go another, you know, 80ft before you actually reach her body.

[Charles Dowdy (Podcast Host/Investigator)]

Based on your experience, that amount of distance, and I know she was not a large individual, but that amount of distance. Is it possible to carry someone, slash drag someone that far that's trying to fight back?

[Stephan Montgomery (Louisiana State Police Investigator)]

It's possible. It's possible. From my experience, I don't think that her clothes are removed as Cold as it was over here. And then she willingly walked another 80ft. But that's speculation.

[Charles Dowdy (Podcast Host/Investigator)]

It's time for some of those assumptions. Back in journalism school, I had this old professor who used to yell, if you assume it makes a blank out of you and me, you can figure it out. But I'm gonna do it anyway. Again, these assumptions belong to me alone. There would have been a couple of good reasons for Roxanne to be where she was cutting through the fairgrounds to the old Schultz grocery where they used to get alcohol. Or more likely, hanging out with some people she knew in the fairgrounds. I wonder if there was some kind of campfire. We know the people who found her body a few days later were actually looking for firewood. It was cold. And there's nothing more Southern redneck than a good tire fire. If Roxanne was hanging out in the fairgrounds on the night she was raped and murdered, then I would think that maybe they had more than whiskey and drugs to keep them warm. Why does that matter? Because people congregate around a fire, Especially when it's really cold. Maybe even people who did not come to the fairgrounds together or even know each other. There have been a few conversations about some hippie types who hung out around the fairgrounds around this time. No one has ever really accounted for them. Who were they? Did they see anything? Could one or more of them have done it? Maybe Roxanne was leaving the fairgrounds alone, headed back to the ozone, and a few people followed her. Hold this thought for a second. I'll come back to it. Prior to laying out the crime scene, my assumption had been they left the fairgrounds on McGee. But if the sweater was hers, maybe they cut across from the fairgrounds to North Florida. And if the sweater was taken off of her near where it was found, that meant she was carried or drug a long way. Just to get to the point where they entered the wooded lot that still left. A question about her pants. How did they get where they were found? Around the corner from the entry point into the woods, totally opposite where the sweater was found. Now think about the rape and murder of a young girl. Think about how clothes and undergarments were strewn through the woods. Take my word for it that the rape and murder were beyond anything you want to imagine. Brutal and showing a rage you wouldn't think a human being would be capable of. Does that sound like a couple of random people who happened upon a vulnerable young girl? I think this crime had been percolating for a bit. I think what ended with her rape and murder might have been visible back at the fairgrounds where other people could have seen it. Maybe some suggestive comments, maybe even an argument or perhaps a rejection for others to witness. Now, let's talk about the purse. There's some really important details in here, and Stephan Montgomery will explain. You had a list of items that were recovered at that scene, and that list becomes important as you kind of move forward with your investigation. Can you talk a little bit about how that has transpired?

[Stephan Montgomery (Louisiana State Police Investigator)]

Well, the list of things that were recovered is one thing. The list of things that weren't recovered is probably way more important in this investigation.

[Charles Dowdy (Podcast Host/Investigator)]

And can you elaborate on that?

[Stephan Montgomery (Louisiana State Police Investigator)]

She left out carrying a little brown purse that had wooden handles, and that was one that she carried with her most of the time. And her mother was able to provide a description of what items that she typically carried in that purse. But the purse was not found. The purse was not found with her at the scene or anywhere in the woods. And actually, the purse has never been found. However, about a month later, there was a kid from the neighborhood who was going to Lee Road, Quick Stop and Seafood, right there at the corner of Hornsby and Lee Road. And he saw a purse laying right there in the woods off the trail. And he picked that purse up, opened it up, looked in it, and he pulled out Roxanne's school id.

[Charles Dowdy (Podcast Host/Investigator)]

So the purse, you have a pretty good description of the purse that she had with her when she left her home for the last time. Has that purse been seen since?

[Stephan Montgomery (Louisiana State Police Investigator)]

No.

[Charles Dowdy (Podcast Host/Investigator)]

And if someone knew something about that purse, they saw someone else with it, they saw it somewhere. Would that have value to you?

[Stephan Montgomery (Louisiana State Police Investigator)]

That would be extremely important to what we're doing here.

[Charles Dowdy (Podcast Host/Investigator)]

So there was a list of items that you were trying to. Or I'm going to let you elaborate on this, but you were trying to reconcile what was in that purse versus what was recovered.

[Stephan Montgomery (Louisiana State Police Investigator)]

I came across this later in my investigation. There's an evidential receipt of the contents of the purse. And, you know, in looking through them, it's typical things that someone would have. There was some medication. There were some family photos, and there was a picture of her niece. There was a picture of the father of her child. There was a key. Just things that you would normally find in a purse. Well, in going over this stuff in the handwritten notes, I had come across a note from one of the investigators, and it was a list of similar items. And I made an assumption just in quick, in looking over that at the time, that this had just Been transferred over to, you know, this was initial notes that had been transferred to an evidence receipt. But when I went back and looked at it again later, I noticed that there are a couple items on this handwritten list that were not in the purse, that were not listed on the evidence receipt. So I started pulling this out to figure out why. And I actually figured out that her mother had provided a list of the items that she thought would be in the purse. And one of the things that she mentioned was a Zippo cigarette lighter that had her name engraved on it. And that cigarette lighter was not recovered. It was not in the purse and has never been found.

[Charles Dowdy (Podcast Host/Investigator)]

That lighter had special value to her?

[Stephan Montgomery (Louisiana State Police Investigator)]

It did. It was given to her as a present. It had her name inscribed on it. And back at that time, everybody had a cigarette case, and they had a pretty decent lighter if they were a smoker. I know that my mom did, and my family members all had. You know, they didn't just carry around the little bix that everybody has today. And apparently somebody had gifted her that. That lighter, the.

[Charles Dowdy (Podcast Host/Investigator)]

You mentioned that it has her name on does. So this would be what I imagine to be a small, little square or rectangular lighter that would say Roxanne.

[Stephan Montgomery (Louisiana State Police Investigator)]

That's correct.

[Charles Dowdy (Podcast Host/Investigator)]

And so if anybody has seen that lighter, that would have value.

[Stephan Montgomery (Louisiana State Police Investigator)]

If anyone has seen that lighter or knows where that lighter is, I would ask you to please contact us. And it could have been left somewhere. It could have been. It could have fallen out of the purse and never be found, or. Or it could have been collected by the person who killed her as a trophy.

[Charles Dowdy (Podcast Host/Investigator)]

So we know Roxanne had a very nice inscribed lighter. I also believe, based on what you've told me already, that there might have been a lighter recovered at the scene.

[Stephan Montgomery (Louisiana State Police Investigator)]

Yeah, that's what was odd, is there was actually a Bic lighter that was at the scene right in the same area of her clothing. And so that lighter was probably dropped by someone, but then her lighter was missing. So it just throws up 10 more questions.

[Charles Dowdy (Podcast Host/Investigator)]

Are there any other items you mentioned, some items that were missing from the purse versus the mother's list? Any other items that would stand out or need to be asked about?

[Stephan Montgomery (Louisiana State Police Investigator)]

Nothing that I'm aware of.

[Charles Dowdy (Podcast Host/Investigator)]

So a purse and a lighter, those are pretty solid. Now, it's not much, but if someone knows something about either one of those, it could be huge for the future of the case. And, yeah, I've been making some assumptions that could be totally wrong about how the crime was committed, but some people way better than me. At this whole solving crime thing had a say in this too. The FBI weighed in on Roxanne's death way back in 1982.

[Stephan Montgomery (Louisiana State Police Investigator)]

One of the things that the investigators did was they reached out to the behavioral science unit with the FBI, which we know as the profilers today. And FBI profiling was developed in the 70s and early 80s by some FBI agents who started studying serial killers and interviewing. They went to the prisons and started interviewing all these people. And they used. And they used that information along with some psychologists to really figure out the minds and the traits of these people and then use them towards unsolved crimes. There's a guy by the name of John Douglas who was featured in, I think it's a show called Mindhunter. And he was instrumental in solving the Atlanta murders in late 70s and early 80s, which were a bunch of children who were getting killed in Atlanta. And they actually solved. They solved that crime with the help of John Douglas through the profiling program. So that's where they really got off the ground. And who knows where they're at now with what they can do. But the basics are the same. They looked at, they look at the victimology, you know, who was Roxanne, where is she from, what's her background, what's her habits? And they look at things as they are to determine, you know, the very. The smallest of things that they look at those traits through a very clear lens. And they start looking around at who would be in a position and who would have the motive to. To do this.

[Charles Dowdy (Podcast Host/Investigator)]

So what did the FBI say back in 1982? Hear their own words from this summary read by a narrator.

[American Medical Association Narrator]

This is a psychological profile of the subjects responsible for the rape and homicide of a 16 year old white female. The crime was committed on approximately February 10, 1982 in Covington, Louisiana. The victim was discovered in a wooded area of Covington in the proximity of residential neighborhoods. The victim was discovered lying face up with both arms above her head, with her jacket covering her genitalia. The victim suffered fatal blunt force trauma to the head and fatal penetrating trauma. There are manifestations of more than one type of personality in this crime scene. Factors indicate that at least two individuals acting in concert were responsible for Sharp's death and that others may have known of the events immediately preceding Sharp's death. Sharp knew one or more of her murderers and might have rejected one of the individuals for sexual intercourse. This crime scene manifests two different personalities, both of whom knew and were known to the victim. The location of the scene and the behavior manifested indicate the subjects are unsophisticated local young men of normal to below normal intelligence. This act was unplanned, spontaneous, impulsive, and the result of anger brought on by the victim's sexual rejection of the subjects. The blow to the victim's head indicates persistent refusal by the victim, causing anger of subjects. The covering of the victim with a jacket indicates remorse, a fantasized relationship with the victim, and an inadequate personality.

[Charles Dowdy (Podcast Host/Investigator)]

So did Roxanne know her killers? It seems more likely that she did than not. Over the years. Has anyone seen that lighter? A nice Zippo style lighter with Roxanne's name inscribed on it. Does anyone remember anything about that purse? And why would the purse be switched? Did someone come along Roxanne's purse on the side of the road and simply switch out hers with theirs? What else makes sense? Was there a gathering at the fairgrounds? Who were the hippies drinking at the fairgrounds around that time? Was there a fire at the fairgrounds for warmth? And did anyone witness Roxanne with other people right around the time she went missing? Who were those people? We have recreated images of what the purse or the lighter could possibly look like and you can see them and [e-mail] still have some loose ends at the end of this episode and the next episode. The fifth is entitled Clearing Up More Loose Ends. That's next time on who Killed Roxanne?

[North Shore Media Group Announcer]

Who Killed Roxanne is a North Shore Media Group production. New episodes drop weekly. Original music by Cresley Calura Connect with the podcast [e-mail] if you have a tip or information for Louisiana State Police, call 980-563-53167 or email northshore cold casella.gov

[Musical Artist (Cresley Calura)]

Every good thing I do gives me something to lose Every year that goes by I lose what can what if I'm not who I say I am? What if it doesn't work out? What if I started the drought? What if I'm out of the things that make you want me? What if I'm not who I say I am And I'm scared to admit that maybe this is as good as it gets what if this is as good as it gets? When I'm feeling like you don't see me maybe you don't need me Am I talking just to talk? What if I'm not who I say I am? Cause I'm scared to admit then maybe this is as good as it gets maybe this is as good as it gets.

[Rufus (Friend of Roxanne's Brother)]

Sat.