STATEMENT OF FACTS - University of Illinois Springfield

eceived calls from Junior’s sister, mother, and Larry Hearn. (Vol. LXXI, R. 93)
Junior made a few calls to his mom and dad. (Vol. LXXI, R. 93) Trina did not see
him use his cellular phone that night. (Vol. LXXI, R. 94) Junior was upset and
concerned. (Vol. LXXI, R. 84) Trina went to bed around 10 o’clock but did not
remember if Junior went to bed at the same time. She woke up around 8 o’clock
the following morning and Junior was home. (Vol. LXXI, R. 94-95)
September 29 and 30 – a Body Is Found
State’s Case-in-Chief
At around 2:20 p.m., on September 29, 1996, Tracy Seabaugh and his wife
were boating when they saw a black plastic trash bag in about 2 inches of water
near point 6 on Lake Shelbyville. Seabaugh and his wife called the Moultrie
County Sheriff and they all returned to where the bag had first been seen. It was
determined that this spot was approximately 1 mile from the Coal Shaft Bridge
and three quarters of a mile from the Findlay Marina. (Vol. LIII, R. 260; 266-67)
Jeff Thomas, Chief Deputy with the Moultrie County Sheriff’s Department,
met Tracy and Sherry Seabaugh. (Vol. LIII, R. 270-71) The area where the plastic
bag was found was difficult to get to without a boat and no foot prints were seen
on the shoreline. (Vol. LIII, R. 277) Deputy Thomas cut into the plastic bag and
discovered a human head. Thomas never touched the head nor did he remove it
from the bag. (Vol. LIII, R. 279) Deputy Thomas called the coroner and crime
scene technicians who arrived approximately 45 minutes later. (Vol. LIII, R. 281)
Officer Joe Siefferman was called to Lake Shelbyville where he was met by
Deputy Thomas. (Vol. LIV, R. 485-86) After processing the scene, the head was
transferred to the local funeral home where it was kept in the embalming room.
(Vol. LIV, R. 490-91; Vol. LVI, R. 899-900)
Siefferman observed cinders and vegetation stuck in the hair. (Vol. LIV, R.
491) These items were taken and placed into an evidence bag. (Vol. LIV, R. 492)
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