• You must be logged in to see or use the Shoutbox. Besides, if you haven't registered, you really should. It's quick and it will make your life a little better. Trust me. So just register and make yourself at home with like-minded individuals who share either your morbid curiousity or sense of gallows humor.

Friendly handyman James Childers was a serial killer

Dakota

Dakota

FORUM BITCH / Beloved Cunt
Bold Member!
Forty-five year-old James Childers was known as a handyman about town; police say he was friendly and never gave them a problem.

But yesterday, Lieutenant Robert Matheny received letters and audio tapes in the mail, leading authorities down a path of fires and murders that spans months, if not years.

"Was very friend with most people he came in contact with," said Matheny at a press conference Tuesday afternoon. "Very much under the radar of the police."

It was under that radar that James Childers is suspected to have committed arson ...and worse.

The first fire happened in January, a house fire on Northcott Street in Clarksburg. The second in March, on the same street.

Twice more, houses were consumed by fire on Northcott; the latest - his - just last week.

The correspondence also led authorities to Route 57 in Barbour County Monday night, where they found decomposed remains, now believed to be female.

They say this first homicide took place in Clarksburg last July.

Childers also specifically noted where the State Police would find a second body, also female, at his family farm on Bull Run Road.
[...]

"We believe in addition to the one body buried in Braxton County that there are three additional bodies buried," reported Matheny in the press conference.
[...]

Childers shot himself in a motel room Tuesday morning as Harrison County sheriff's deputies tried to serve several warrants, leaving the authorities to complete a puzzle without all the pieces.
[...]
Click to expand...
http://www.statejournal.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=60231
“He was always very nice,â€￾ said Clarksburg Police Det. Dave Wygal. He added Childers was the subject of a complaint about harassing phone calls recently, but other than that he had apparently never been in trouble.

But clearly Childers was leading some sort of double life.

Wygal described the audio tape supplied by Childers as “packed with information,â€￾ but he refused to divulge any of it. He said the audio tape was not one long recording, but rather stops and starts of a monologue.
Click to expand...
http://www.wvmetronews.com/index.cfm?func=displayfullstory&storyid=30688

More detailed article: http://www.dailymail.com/News/200906020770
 
sounds like he was either feeling guilty or wanting credit.
I give him credit for shooting himself. Hopefully he left enough info so any family he ruined can have closure.
 
Yes, I hope there is closure for the family.

Bet thisi guy was flying UNDER the radar. So did people like Ted Bundy and Scott Peterson. People that you would never suspect. I bet the BKT killer's neighbors thought he was the ultimate boyscout.

They walk among us unseen every day!!!
 
Matheny said they are also looking for anybody who may have come into contact with Childers through a series of personal advertisements he had taken out in area publications.

Matheny said they were not necessarily romantic in nature, calling them a "Single White Male looking for Single White Female for companionship" ads.

"We have no idea how he came into contact with his victims," Matheny said, adding that they discovered the personal ads through an investigatory lead.
Click to expand...

http://theintermountain.com/page/content.detail/id/519316.html?nav=5014
 
519315_1.jpg

Carolyn Sauerwein

Investigators have not released the identity of the body of a woman found buried behind a cabin in Braxton County, but the family of Carolyn Sauerwein believe it is her remains. On Friday, Clarksburg police declined comment on whether the Philippi woman was among the victims of Clarksburg handyman James Childers.

Meanwhile, the search for three or possibly four additional bodies buried at the family farm of 45-year-old Childers in the rural community of Flowers is "on hold" to allow for authorities to review handwritten notes and a two-hour audiotape sent to Clarksburg Police Lt. Robert Matheny on Monday. In the messages, Childers confessed to the murders and several arsons. The remains of another woman were discovered just off Route 57 in Barbour County.

Childers, who had little or no prior police record, took his own life inside the Town House West motel along U.S. 50 west of Clarksburg around 10 a.m. Tuesday as deputies were closing in with warrants for his arrest. According to Clarksburg police, Childers had possibly checked into the motel under an assumed name.

Belington businessman Chris Sauerwein contacted The Inter-Mountain saying his family has been provided information they believe confirms the death of his sister, who had been friends with Childers for several years and had been missing for about a week.

"According to information received by an investigating officer, it is almost 100 percent certain that the victim recovered from the Braxton County site is Carolyn," Chris Sauerwein said. "It is my understanding that security video obtained from Carolyn's place of residence indicated that the clothing at the recovery site matched the clothing she was wearing when she last left the building on May 25."

Chris Sauerwein reported his sister missing earlier this week after he learned she had not gone to an appointment.

"I contacted the police on Monday after receiving several phone calls from concerned people in Carolyn's therapy group, as she had missed her usual session. I filed a missing person's report Tuesday morning at about 6 a.m."

Chris Sauerwein said the state medical examiner's office is awaiting results of "a scientific identification of the remains since the body was not visually identifiable."

On Tuesday, police recovered a white Chevy Aveo they believed had been in Childers' possession. According to Chris Sauerwein, the car belonged to his sister and was not Childers' as had been reported. He said she purchased the car about a month ago.

"At this point, we do not know whether the car was registered in Carolyn's name or Childers'," Chris Sauerwein said.

Clarksburg police have said Childers had access to at least four cars but owned only one.

Chris Sauerwein said family members had encouraged Carolyn, who suffered from a mental illness, to stay away from Childers because "we all new it was an unhealthy relationship."

"The James Childers we knew was quite different from the amiable person described in the recent news media," Chris Sauerwein said. "He was mentally abusive towards Carolyn and would take money from her. He would show up during times when Carolyn received her disability check. At least once he had stolen her glasses so she couldn't see."

Chris Sauerwein described his sister as "an intelligent and compassionate woman" who possessed a degree in finance from West Virginia University.

"She had friends from college and high school who stayed in contact with her even after her illness manifested itself," Sauerwein said. "Recently, she was doing better than she had been in many years and appeared to be on the fast road to recovery. She organized my father's 80th birthday party in March, and had been traveling to see family and friends frequently. She was doing great."

He said the family greatly appreciates all the area law enforcement officers whose professionalism and respect for the family has been exemplary.

He said the family's "thoughts and prayers" are with the other victims' families.

Chris Sauerwein said it was the family's decision to release information to "trusted and responsible news sources first in hopes of avoiding a media barrage."

He said the family was not asked to keep the information private and does not believe it will hamper the investigation.

"Our family is extremely distressed and grieved at these recent events and we are requesting that the news media respect our privacy and allow us to mourn in peace," he said.
Click to expand...
 
Cause of Death Released for Childers' Victims


duovictim1.jpg


A cause of death is released for two of James Childers' alleged murder victims.

On Thursday, Clarksburg Police released the names of the two bodies found in Barbour and Braxton counties last week.
Carrie Lynn Baker, 26, of Clarksburg and Carolyn Sue Sauerwein, 40, of Philippi were named as the two recovered victims.

Harrison County Prosecuting Attorney Joe Shaffer says that Baker died of blunt force trauma to the head. Her remains were discovered along Route 57 in Barbour County last Monday.

Clarksburg Police believe she was killed in July of 2008 at Childers' home on Northcott Street, and that Childers set that house on fire to conceal evidence.

Carolyn Sauerwein died of two gun shot wounds to the head. She was reported missing last Tuesday, the same day her remains were found at the Childers family farm in the Flower area Braxton County.

Childers shot and killed himself last Tuesday as authorities were closing in on his arrest after he sent police a taped and written confession to four arsons and five murders the day before. No other bodies have been recovered.

Police are still looking for more people that may have known Childers. If you have any information, please call them at 304-624-1618 extension 124.
Click to expand...

http://www.wdtv.com/news/47951817.html
 
Last edited:
Childers placed ads to lure possible victims!

http://www.wboy.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=60496
NEW DEVELOPMENTS: Police Get Info on Ads Placed by Childers
Posted Saturday, June 6, 2009 ; 05:55 PM
Updated Saturday, June 6, 2009 ; 07:40 PM

The information came from a tip.
Story by Dani Brake


CLARKSBURG -- New developments in the James Childers murder and arson investigation.
Authorities say they received more information Friday night regarding ads that Childers was placing in local publications.

Police say Childers placed 2 separate ads, one stating that he was looking for someone to clean house twice a week, and the other asking for help to sit with an elderly woman.

Clarksburg Police are asking that anyone with more information about the ads...or anyone who might have responded to the ads to call Detective Mike Walsh at 304-624-1609.
Click to expand...

WOW!! People trying to earn a living, anyway they possibly can, walking innocently into a demons dream...Evil, is all I can say, Childers earned his horns that's for sure!
 
Possibly as many as 5 victims!!

So far, the LE definitely knows of two of Childers victims!
http://www.wboy.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=60428
Childers began taping and writing his confessions on or around May 26, police said.
There is some discussion over exactly how many potential bodies Childers mentions on the tape, that may be found on his family's Braxton County farm.
Click to expand...
Police had initially believed that Childers was referring to four bodies on that property, but say he may have mentioned five bodies there.

Police say they could not discern a motive for the murders, from the tape.

Detectives are hoping behavioral experts from the FBI, who are listening to the tape now, will be able to help them with both the number of bodies and the motive.
Click to expand...
The tape contained approximately 15 minutes of indiscernible heavy metal music, police said.
Click to expand...

Police described Childers as being "very mobile" and say they plan to spend much of Friday afternoon searching for Childers personal belongings.
Click to expand...
This was written on June 6!

Childers owned and lived at 214 Northcott St,Clarksburg,WV....just off Locust Avenue....And buried one body at the family farm off Bull Run Road (which Childers called,in the tape, Murder Farm Road,google Harry Powers-Murder Farm road) near Copen,WV in Braxton County,WV (Google street view-Bull Run Road and Walker Road,Braxton County,Copen,WV)

Good video of search here : http://www.boomboxradio.net/boombox/PlayerSetup/Players/WBOYPlayer.aspx?FileId=184198_wboy

It's also been reported that the reason he sent taped confession to Lt. Matheny is because Matheny, as a young police officer, helped Childers during an accident years ago!!!

Any one that knows of someone missing around these areas should contact WV FBI with the information!!!

I am sickened by this, yet, relieved that Childers is gnashing and gnawing in the pits of hell.....
 
It's been almost a year since accused serial killer James Childers killed two women, before taking his own life. State police say they don't plan on searching his 96-acre farm in Braxton County again for any more bodies, unless there's a break in the case.

Last June, Childers sent a two-hour long audiotape and handwritten statement to police, admitting to multiple murders and arsons. He took his own life at the Towne House West Motel, as police were getting ready to arrest him.

His confession to police led them to the bodies of Carrie Lynn Baker and Carolyn Sauerwein.

His confession also suggested more bodies could be found on his property in Braxton County, but troopers searched the area thoroughly over a couple of days and came up empty-handed. They say there's nothing to suggest any other bodies are on his farm.
Click to expand...
http://www.wdtv.com/index.php/home/local-news/1877-update-search-for-bodies-unlikely
 
I realise that is a lot of acreage to be digging up, but what do they mean by "break in the case"? Are they waiting to find a map with little crosses on it?

The "multiple murders" he confessed to surely were not just two? Did he not give enough details to locate any other bodies/identify any other victims? :dong:
 
I realize this is an old thread. It appears that Lost Valley Studios in WV is filming a documentary about Childers and it has sparked some interest in the case and when it's released it will spark even more interest. Lost Valley Studios has released two trailers for the documentary on YouTube, it's called Mountain of the Missing if anyone is interested. Their Facebook page can be found at https://m.facebook.com/lostvalleystudios/

I am wondering if anyone can share the audio and/or written confession of Childers? I had the written confession and never got to read all of it and cannot find it now. The links to it all seem to be dead and not working now so I am hoping someone that has it is willing to share it, please.
 
Hi Amber.

This may be what you're looking for. It is a transcript of the audio tapes he delivered to the police right before he killed himself.

--Al
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Latest posts

Back
Top