S29.E07: The Hunter: Searching For Kelli Bordeaux

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Quote

A beautiful young soldier’s disappearance rocks a military town – did Kelli Bordeaux fall victim to a killer? Troy Roberts investigates.

[One Tough Cookie]

Just  minor irritating question?  If one is not "beautiful" should one even bother calling the cops for assistance?

[walnutqueen]

I really liked David Marshburn, the P.I. bounty hunter.  It must have been very difficult for a man like him to befriend the perp; you can tell this case took it's toll on him, but he persevered and achieved results with his unorthodox tactics.

[starri]

I found his obsession with the case creepy.

 

I guess you can't argue with a good outcome, but something just seemed off about him.  Partially because I'm generally not a fan of vigilante justice.

[ridethemaverick]

I agree that David was creepy. If I were married to a man who was that fixated on the case of a pretty young stranger, I'd be very concerned.

Im glad the family got closure though.

[ari333]

I rarely sit and watch tv. I have it on and listen while Im doing other things so maybe I missed something. The bartender, Nick, who supposedly gave her a ride to the bar and home, I have a question. It was unclear to me, but it sounded like he said that she said at 1:30 am, "Im tired; I'm ready to go home" SO he is an employee there and could just up and leave to give someone a ride home?

[RedheadZombie]

Just  minor irritating question?  If one is not "beautiful" should one even bother calling the cops for assistance?

 

I have been complaining about this for years.  A female victim is almost always described as beautiful, and quite often popular is thrown in as well.  I have a problem with this for a couple of reasons.  For one, it reduces a woman to her physical appearance (and/or popularity), and a murdered man is rarely described this way (men are described as brilliant and successful).  It also implies that only the attractive women dying is a tragedy. 

 

Paula Zahn is particularly guilty of calling all murdered women bee-u-tiiiiii-ful, so much so I often time how long it takes her to mention the word.

 

I was confused as to why the victim would have chosen to hang out with the killer.  He looked "weird", she had a boyfriend who told her the guy was weird, and she had met him for about a minute.  This isn't victim blaming, I just really don't understand what drew her to the guy.  She wasn't naïve or inexperienced, and she didn't have a lack of friends.

[ari333]

I have been complaining about this for years.  A female victim is almost always described as beautiful, and quite often popular is thrown in as well.  I have a problem with this for a couple of reasons.  For one, it reduces a woman to her physical appearance (and/or popularity), and a murdered man is rarely described this way (men are described as brilliant and successful).  It also implies that only the attractive women dying is a tragedy. 

 

Paula Zahn is particularly guilty of calling all murdered women bee-u-tiiiiii-ful, so much so I often time how long it takes her to mention the word.

 

I was confused as to why the victim would have chosen to hang out with the killer.  He looked "weird", she had a boyfriend who told her the guy was weird, and she had met him for about a minute.  This isn't victim blaming, I just really don't understand what drew her to the guy.  She wasn't naïve or inexperienced, and she didn't have a lack of friends.

 

 

THIS!

And I also noticed that they only give the weight of the dead woman if she is overweight. I understand giving height weight etc of a missing person when people are out looking for someone; but after they're dead... it seems that the weight is only mentioned if the woman is overweight.

Edited October 25, 2015 by ari333

[One Tough Cookie]

I found his obsession with the case creepy.

 

I guess you can't argue with a good outcome, but something just seemed off about him.  Partially because I'm generally not a fan of vigilante justice.

 

He gave creepy vibes to me as well.  I half expected him to be unveiled as the killer.

[ari333]

I agree. I was creeped out by Warshburn or whatever his name is. Great that he found her body and brought the killer to justice, but he was creepy... especially the "baby girl, baby girl, you're goin home."

Edited October 25, 2015 by ari333

[ncbelle]

I watched this one last night with interest - I live about 20 miles or so from where all this occurred. There were actually a few things that were surprising to me from the program (things I didn't know) such as the fact Kelli and her husband were actually separated when this happened. The way I remember it being reported in the paper was that he was just visiting family in Florida and I don't remember anything being mentioned about a boyfriend. Did anyone else think the family really disliked the husband and were a little disappointed he had an alibi? 

 

It was also the first time I heard very much about the private investigator guy. Good that he found her obviously, but I'm also one of the people wondering if he would have spent so much time on the case if she hadn't been so pretty? Also, something the mom said kind of got me. I can't remember the exact wording but it was something like when her daughter disappeared she wanted the investigators to realize this wasn't just "some girl" this girl was special, and I'm just thinking that nobody who disappears or becomes the victim of a crime is just "some girl," they are all someone special. I'm sure that's not the way she meant it, but it goes with the fact that if a victim is young and attractive, their case gets a lot of attention while many other people have been victims and need someone to focus on their case as well.

 

As to Holbert working at that bar (which is closed now by the way). I'm sure he was working under-the-table. I don't know what it's like on the inside, but it looks dumpy on the outside. It's in an area right before you get into Fayetteville where they are building I-295 to cut across town (but it isn't finished and it starts/ends right there from the country and a heavily wooded area). It basically looks like a little rundown dive with a dirt and gravel parking lot. 

[Soobs]

I'm pretty embarrassed that I know this, but Swamp Murders covered this case awhile back and did a better job laying out the timeline. The P.I. also came across a lot less creepy and emotional. I had a really different impression of him before seeing him on 48 Hours. Interesting how these different shows have different vibes to them.

Edited October 27, 2015 by Soobs

[applecrisp]

Thanks Soobs, I was trying to remember where I had seen it.  I, too , thought they did a better job.

[ari333]

Iv'e never watched Swamp Murders, but if they cover cases like this one I will give it a go.

 

The mom's "not some girl" thing bugged me too. Everyone (well almost) is special to someone.

 

The "baby girl" thing by the PI bothered me more. She was a grown woman and a soldier.

[ncbelle]

Was this covered in the episode? I missed the very end. More weirdness.. apparently some bones were left where Bordeaux was buried after her body was initially recovered...

 

http://www.fayobserver.com/news/crime_courts/additional-bones-recovered-at-kelli-bordeaux-site/article_82ba713b-da37-53e9-973f-19befe945328.html

 

Here's the highlights of it for those who can't access the link...

Posted: Tuesday, January 13, 2015 9:51 am | Updated: 3:58 pm, Mon Aug 3, 2015.

By Nancy McCleary Staff writer
The mother of Fort Bragg soldier Pvt. Kelli Bordeaux is angry with Fayetteville police after a private investigator said he recovered additional remains Sunday from the site where the 23-year-old's skeletal remains were found last May.
"I tried to tell them at the autopsy that I don't have all of her," Johnna Henson said (Tuesday) from her home in St. Cloud, Florida. "Would you want your daughter lying in the dirt?"

Marshburn returned to the site after Henson contacted him with concerns that some of Bordeaux's remains were missing. Henson said she made the discovery after reviewing two autopsies, one conducted by the military and the second by the state Medical Examiner's office in Raleigh.
One of them included pictures taken at the crime scene, Henson said When she looked at them, she saw several bones were missing. She said she contacted Fayetteville police about the matter but was dismissed.
Marshburn did find additional remains on Sunday, including bones that he said are from Bordeaux's fingers and toes as well as fingernails.
He said he also recovered the hyoid bone, which Marshburn says backs the story Holbert told him about Bordeaux's death.
The state Medical Examiner's office released autopsy findings in October saying that Bordeaux died from repeated blows to her head.
However, Marshburn said Holbert initially told him he choked Bordeaux. A broken hyoid bone is an indication of strangulation, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information website.
The hyoid bone and other remains have been sent to the state Medical Examiner's office for examination, Marshburn said.
The state-conducted autopsy determined Bordeaux died of repeated blows to her head.
"Everything in the autopsy was leaning toward what Nick told me," Marshburn said. "But I couldn't make it conclusive because the neck (hyoid) bone was missing."
The most recent discovery has done little for Henson, she said.
"They (police) didn't do their job," she said. "David did their job."

Investigators recovered enough evidence to warrant the charge of first-degree murder against Holbert, the release said.
"In every case, the Fayetteville Police Department strives to return a victim to their family in a fashion that they remembered their loved one," Medlock said in the release.
Henson remains unconvinced.
"This has been the most traumatic thing in my life," she said. "They can go on to the next case. I can't go on to the next case. I can't just move on. Time doesn't heal wounds; it makes them worse.
"They've taken Kelli away from me."

 

Edited October 27, 2015 by ncbelle

[ari333]

WHAT? Some bones were left? Im not where I can open the link. WUT?

[ChristmasJones]

Finally just watched this. I didn't see the Swamp Murders episode, so my feelings might be different if I did. While on the one hand I did feel mildly creeped out by the PI's "obsession" with this case....on the other, I think it sometimes takes someone having such a drive/interest/obsession/whatever you want to call it to get results. The truth is the PI got really invested and he put a lot of energy and time into the case, and it got results. It doesn't appear that the cops would have been able to get those same results.

 

It did make me feel slightly better that he had his wife involved with the case, to some extent. But I do think that if this had been a not-so-attractive female, or a man, its doubtful he would have gotten so hooked, which is sad.

 

But that's the way it is with murders and abductions, sadly. The good-looking, and often white, victims get way more attention than anyone else.

 

Regardless, I am glad there are men like that who are willing to go to the lengths he did to get a confession. He has worked as a bounty hunter, so I didn't take it as purely vigilante justice. He seemed to be good at using his skills to forge a fake relationship with the guy, and that impresses me.

[starri]

Regardless, I am glad there are men like that who are willing to go to the lengths he did to get a confession. He has worked as a bounty hunter, so I didn't take it as purely vigilante justice.

Even after he said he would have killed the guy?

[ChristmasJones]

Even after he said he would have killed the guy?

 

Saying it and doing it are very different things. I believe many people have both thought about and/or said comments out loud about wanting to kill someone.... fortunately, the majority of them never act on those thoughts or comments.

 

Given how invested this guy got, how close he got to the murderer, and then how he came to know about the woman's family....I can understand why he says, in retrospect, he thinks he could/would have killed him.  It seems that he wasn't having that thought/feeling at the time though.

 

Had he actually killed him, then he would be in the wrong, and it would be vigilante justice IMO.

Edited November 1, 2015 by ChristmasJones

[ari333]

What puzzled me is that the bartender/murderer creeped me out just on tv, so why IRL (In Real Life)  did this young woman associate with him and give him her phone number? Maybe she was very trusting and naïve and tried to see the good in people. IDK, but that puzzled me. Also when she found out he is a pervert/sex offender I'm not sure taunting him with that info was a wise move. Not blaming the victim, just thinking out loud.

Edited November 1, 2015 by ari333

[ChristmasJones]

What occurred to me about this case is that it is yet another example of some loser guy killing a perfectly nice, normal woman- lashing out in violence due to his own feelings of inadequacy, anger, rage, etc. There are so many cases like this, its really sickening.  Yes women do commit murder, but statistically speaking, it is overwhelmingly men. And these cases of women who did nothing wrong except cross paths with a crappy guy - so many examples - Hannah Graham, Morgan Harrington, Zoe Hastings, I could go on and on and on. I get sick of thinking how a perfectly nice person just ends up in the wrong place at the wrong time and some jerk has to kill her, for no reason.