/Courtesy of the Henry County Sheriff's Department
Posted on 08/17/2002 6:40:28 PM PDT by GummyIII
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/Courtesy of the Henry County Sheriff's Department |
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| Mary Hall Short and Michael Wayne Short were killed; their daughter, Jennifer Renee Short, is missing. | |
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Friday, August 16, 2002
9-year-old Henry County girl missing after her parents are found shot to death in home
Killings lead to anxious search
"We have to presume she's been abducted," said Henry County Sheriff's Captain Kimmy Nester.
By MIKE ALLEN
THE ROANOKE TIMES
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OAK LEVEL - A nationwide search for a missing 9-year-old Henry County girl began early Thursday after her parents were found shot to death in their home alongside U.S. 220.
Authorities believe that an intruder or intruders kidnapped Jennifer Renee Short after gunning down her parents, Michael Wayne Short, 50, and Mary Hall Short, 36.
The couple were the owners of a small mobile-home moving company, and were planning to move as soon as they could sell their home, which is along northbound 220 about 200 yards south of the Franklin County border.
By Thursday afternoon, police had no leads as to Jennifer's whereabouts. As investigators fanned out through Franklin County and Henry County to interview family, friends and business associates, dozens of law enforcement officers from all over the region combed the rolling hills and dense forest behind the brick ranch house.
"We have to presume she's been abducted," said Henry County Sheriff's Captain Kimmy Nester.
Helicopters circled above the well-kept home and police dogs scoured the woods. Weeping family members ducked under yellow police tape to speak to the rubber-gloved investigators who swarmed around the house.
The killings were discovered about 9:30 a.m., when a male acquaintance of the Shorts stopped by the house and found Michael Short's body on a couch in an enclosed carport, Nester said. The friend summoned police, who soon found Mary Short's body on the bed in her bedroom. Both were killed by single gunshot wounds to the head, Nester said.
Investigators believe the killings unfolded in a "quick, surprise scenario" by someone who knew the family and was familiar with the home, Nester said. But he declined say what led detectives to those conclusions, or to release details about the weapon used or a possible motive.
The same man who called police told them he had visited around midnight Wednesday, and at that time the family was together and well. Nester declined to identify the man, who was held for questioning at the Henry County Sheriff's Office on Thursday.
The killings baffled the Shorts' family and friends. "I'm just sick," said Valerie Spradlin, a co-worker and friend, as she burst into tears. "I can't imagine ... they were good people.
"And that poor little girl, they worshipped her," Spradlin continued. "They didn't have money. They were just everyday people."
As the number of reporters and cameras at the scene grew during the afternoon, Nester asked for anyone who had any contact with the Shorts to call the sheriff's office. On camera, he pleaded for Jennifer Short's safe delivery to law enforcement authorities.
A student at Figsboro Elementary School in Henry County, Jennifer is described as white, 4 feet 3 inches tall, weighing 58 pounds, with brown hair.
Spradlin and Jesse Rickman, who operate A-1 Mobile Homes Inc. in Boones Mill, described how Jennifer liked to answer the phone in their office when her parents were visiting or working on a contract job.
Michael Short, who was self-employed, operated M.S. Mobile Home Movers Inc. out of his home.
His wife worked with him in the business, sometimes driving the trucks, and their daughter rode with them when she wasn't in school. Friends and business acquaintances described the Shorts as a close-knit, hard-working, blue-collar couple who sometimes struggled to make ends meet, often working seven days a week.
Mike Short sometimes went outside or into the carport to smoke when he was having trouble sleeping, Rickman said. The couple didn't drink, and though Rickman sometimes lent Mike Short money, Short always repaid him. "They're just like our own family," Rickman said.
Rusty Hartsock, owner of Henry County Mobile Home Movers, watched the scene from the lot next door.
"Right now I'm kind of just devastated," he said. "When it's a little child involved and good friends, it's just sad."
The couple had plans to sell their home and move to a lot near Callaway, Hartsock said. "Every time we would talk I asked him how he was getting about on his project. He said he had to sell his house first."
Over the last week, the Shorts worked on cleaning their $79,000 home to prepare it for sale, said Marlene Dalton with Berry Elliot Realtors.
When she visited Tuesday, Mike Short was eating sandwiches with his daughter. He put his shirt on before answering the door, Dalton said. She called the couple "sweet as could be ... They were just really excited about selling their house."
Four family members arrived about 3 p.m. to speak to investigators, including Linda Hogan of Franklin County, Michael Short's sister. Hardly able to talk through her tears, she asked reporters if there had been any news about Jennifer.
Yet authorities knew no more than they did when the search began. "We have nothing," Nester said.
Authorities are trying to piece together a time line of the family's recent whereabouts and actions. Anyone with information is asked to call the Henry County Sheriff's Office at (276) 638-8751. Crimestoppers is offering a $1,000 reward for substantial information about the crime.
She's adorable, and what happened to her parents is so terrible - what kind of monster would do this sort of thing?
I am praying very hard for this poor little girl.
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