Summary of Events, 18-Oct-2013

Author's Note: This is an entry into HumboltLycantrhope's Werewolf Story Contest

This is a summary of events in the investigation regarding the incident at the Wright household on 18-Oct-2013. For more details, please contact the detective in charge or the relevant authority at offices related to the investigation. Please have proper documentation in order before any such request to ensure expediency.

On 18-Oct-2013, at 22:37, emergency dispatch received a call from Mrs. Hudson on Bailey Road reporting a fire at her neighbors’ farm a mile away from her own. Dispatch asked if she meant the Smiths or the Wrights and she indicated the latter. Mrs. Hudson exhibited a great degree of panic during the call, repeatedly mentioning the weather conditions and requesting rapid response since she did not know how large the fire actually was.

Note: ''18-Oct-2013 was a night with a high level of fog related to a cold front in the region. A full moon further obscured vision as it illuminated the fog. Mrs. Hudson later indicated this was the cause of her panic as she believed she would have noticed the fire sooner in less adverse conditions.''

Engine 2 of the local fire department arrived on the Wright premises at approximately 23:01 and reported the inside of the house garage to be completely engulfed in flames based on vision through the windows of the garage door. The fire did not appear to have spread to the main house, but a window on the opposite side of the garage had shattered from heat and its outside had caught flame. It is believed that the fire’s spread outside was what made the flames visible to Mrs. Hudson.

While the other members of Engine 2 took efforts to begin controlling the fire, Captain Lowry and Lieutenant Stewart performed a forced entry of the front door to the household to search for any persons who may have been incapacitated. Both were familiar with the fact that the household consisted of three persons: Mr. Wright, Mrs. Wright, and their daughter, Sheila Wright. None were found outside.

After confirming the fire had not spread to the main house, Captain Lowry and Lieutenant Stewart effected a thorough search of the bottom floor, but found it to be undisturbed except for the back door which was open. Moving to the second floor, they discovered significant damage to the main hallway, with numerous slash marks on the walls and torn up carpeting. The doors for both bedrooms on the second floor were noted to be removed from their hinges via violent force, apparent by damage on the exterior of the master bedroom’s door and the interior of the second bedroom’s door.

At approximately 23:17, Lieutenant Stewart discovered the remains of what would later be determined to be Mr. and Mrs. Wright in the master bedroom. He assumed them to be deceased based on appearance, and Captain Lowry concurred after responding to Stewart's explicative-filled request for assistance. Continued search of the house did not find any other persons, so Lowry and Stewart determined the best course of action to be aiding in the extinguishing of the fire.

This was accomplished at approximately 00:47, with the aid of Engine 1, which arrived at 23:15 with pumps that could take advantage of the farm’s well for assistance. By this time, multiple police units had arrived and begun a search for Sheila Wright, who was believed to have been home when the fire began. While police were advised not to enter the house until the fire was sufficiently contained, the testimony of Captain Lowry and Lieutenant Stewart led to an immediate decision to create search units for the nearby woods in consideration of the open backdoor.

After the fire was contained, and the grounds examined, at 08:24 a preliminary decision was made by senior officers present to treat the incident as a double-homicide, arson, and possible kidnapping, pending further investigation.

Coroner examination of the bodies of Mr. and Mrs. Wright found that both had died due to violent and brutal assault with a bladed weapon, presumably also the source of damage to the interior of the building, as noted above. Both bodies demonstrated defensive wounds upon the arms. However, Mr. Wright also suffered multiple bruises and contusions to his hands while Mrs. Wright exhibited additional lacerations to the legs and bruises to her back.

Considering these details in light of descriptions of the state of the room the bodies were discovered in, as well as the determination that the causes of death to Mr. and Mrs. Wright are blunt force trauma to the head and asphyxia due to blood entering the lungs (respectively), it is believed that Mr. Wright attempted to defend his wife bare handed before being overwhelmed, at which point the assailant drove Mrs. Wright to the floor and attacked her until she succumbed to her wounds.

Investigation into the cause of the fire demonstrated a failed attempt to build a makeshift furnace inside the garage. A damaged cast iron pot was found to be the source and fire marshal examination found evidence of what was described as an “extremely amateur” attempt at creating conditions capable of melting metal objects. The fire marshal expressed skepticism that such an attempt would have succeeded.

Of note is a heavily fire-damaged laptop found in the garage. At the time of writing, it is not determined if any information on it is salvageable. However, it is suspected that, considering the amateur nature of the furnace, the laptop was being used to find online instructions. Even if this is not the case, considering the proximity to the furnace, it is reasonable to believe that further information relevant to the incident may also be on the laptop. A request has been sent out to neighboring districts for the contact information of resident computer experts who may know more about salvaging any data on the laptop in its condition.

The search for Sheila Wright is ongoing, with little evidence as to her whereabouts. The aforementioned search parties found the foliage and ground to be greatly disturbed near the entrance to the forest, but this damage quickly dropped off to a level typical of an otherwise undisturbed forest. This prevented further tracking due to inexperience among the searchers. K-9 units brought to assist were impeded by unexpected disobedience by the dogs, who exhibited uncommon agitation and aggressively refused to follow commands.

The search, while failing to ascertain Sheila’s whereabouts, did have minor success. The discovery of a torn sheet of paper at approximately 13:15 on 19-Oct-13 just inside the treeline provides potential evidence to the events that occurred the prior night. The sheet was not noticed in the shadows during the initial search. Despite significant blood and dirt stains, the contents are legible, though difficult to read. The sheet contains an apparent suicide note in highly erratic handwriting, suggesting intense distress.

The tears along the edge of the paper match tears in a journal found open and face-down on the floor of Sheila Wright’s bedroom. Many pages were bent, which, along with damage to wall paint above the area it was discovered in, suggest the journal was thrown violently. Examination of DNA evidence on the torn sheet and journal pages near its suspected origin reveal matches to all three members of the family.

The suicide note appears to have been written from the perspective of Sheila Wright due to numerous identifiers, particularly the constant references to “Mommy” and “Daddy” and mention of guilt in relation to their recent murder by the author. The author then expresses a great desire to die in atonement so he or she can meet them in the afterlife. This is followed by an expression of despair at the apparent difficulty in committing suicide, the solution to which is the melting of the family's silverware. The word “silver” is written many times in the margins, indicating an obsessive focus on the metal.

The suicide note has led to a debate among investigators as to whether the missing Sheila Wright should be considered a possible kidnapping victim or a fleeing suspect. No evidence conclusively shows the presence of any other persons within or around the house on the night of 18-Oct-13. However, it is questionable that a 13 year old girl who has been described as “bookish” and “the indoor type” by neighbors would be able perform the attacks that led to her parents demise.

Besides the note, the only current evidence suggesting Sheila Wright as a suspect is an abnormal quantity of her hair found throughout the house, with a particularly large amount near the bodies of her parents. This is not considered compelling as its presence indicates nothing about her actions. Therefore, it has been determined that unless further evidence is found, Sheila Wright will be considered a missing juvenile and not a suspect.

Additional note: ''Investigators using Sheila Wright’s journal as a reference should remember that she is a young girl, and very impressionable, particularly to fiction, per neighbor descriptions. Her accounts of events in the weeks prior to the incident should be treated with the professional skepticism expected of a detective.''

04-Oct-15 Biennial Status Update: Case remains OPEN, no further evidence or leads found. See relevant attached documents for specifics on investigative efforts.

02-Oct-17 Biennial Status Update: Case remains OPEN, no further evidence or leads found. See relevant attached documents for specifics on investigative efforts. Note: Sheila Wright will be considered a missing adult next year.

Written by Flumeje 

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