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Search Halted for Missing Student Jenni-Lyn Watson, 20 - UPDATED
With Few Leads, Investigation Approaches One-Week Milestone
Body found - boyfriend arrested as suspect in her murder
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Jenni-Lyn Watson, 20, has been missing for over a week		  

Search Halted for Missing Student Jenni-Lyn Watson, 20

With Few Leads, Investigation Approaches One-Week Milestone
UPDATE: Body found - boyfriend arrested (see below)


by Russell Goldman

November 25, 2010

Police halted the ground search Thanksgiving Day for a young New York woman who went missing almost a week ago, after coming from college for the holiday break.

Over the course of the past two days, D'Eredita said, search teams have covered more than 600 acres, focusing on a swath of land where Watson was believed to have been last, according to cell phone records.

Police are asking local residents to call with any tips, regarding anything that might seem out of the ordinary, or information pertaining to a dark colored pickup truck last seen near Watson's home.

 

Some 600 students attended a vigil Wednesday night at Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pa., for the pretty and popular ballet dancer.

Neighbors said it was not like the young woman to be out of touch with her family for so long.

"She's a ballerina, a wonderful student, keeps in touch with her family, loves her family. It's very out of character for her not to contact anybody," Stacey Kinahan told ABC affiliate WSYR.

Since her disappearance, Watson's friends and family continue to hand out more than 1,000 missing person fliers daily.

A Facebook group has been created to help find Watson. It now has more than 17,000 members.

Watson was last seen at home Friday morning with her parents and 17-year-old sister. When they returned home Friday afternoon, Watson was gone, along with her cell phone. Watson's purse, wallet and house keys were still at home.

 

Sheriff's Dept. Says to Stay Clear of Search Area

Authorities are urging people to call if they have information but not to look for Watson on their own, saying it would interfere with the investigation.

Jenni-Lyn's mother, Jackie Watson, delivered the same message in a written statement: "Thank you for all of the offers of help and assistance. It is greatly appreciated. At this time, we ask that you respect the advice of the Sheriff's Department and do not go near the designated search area. Professionals are covering that part of the search. However, what you can do is check any property you own, to include buildings, basements, sheds or places that you do not normally spend time in."

Police would not confirm if they had a suspect in the case.

Friends say they would not give up searching for Watson.

"I'm hoping that someone will see Jenni-Lyn's photo, recognize seeing her in the past day or two or three because it's been four, and report it immediately to the Sheriff's Department and it will be a good lead to bring her back home," Kinahan told WSYR.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/search-halted-missing-student-jenni-lyn-watson-20/story?id=12244752

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EDITOR'S NOTE: Ms. Watson's body was found. Her boyfriend has been arrested, accused of her murder. Here is the UPDATE:


Steven Pieper was arraigned Sat night in the death of Jenni-Lyn Watson.
  

Accused killer Steven Pieper left his phone at crime scene,
then tried to create alibi, DA says

by Jim O'Hara

The Post-Standard

November 29, 2010

Syracuse, NY - Authorities investigating the disappearance of Jenni-Lyn Watson quickly focused on former boyfriend Steven Pieper because he left his own cell phone in the victim's home, District Attorney William Fitzpatrick said today.

Fitzpatrick also revealed authorities believe Pieper then used Watson's cell phone in an attempt to create an alibi for himself and to focus police attention on someone else.

Watson's body was found by authorities Saturday in a swampy, wooded area - covered with vegetation in an attempt to conceal the remains - in Clay Park Central.

The park is a short distance from her home. It was within the area authorities had focused their search after Watson was reported missing Nov. 19.

Fitzpatrick today said the medical examiner has completed his autopsy examination of the victim's body but is still working on tissue samples before formally determining a cause of death. But the medical examiner has determined the case to be a homicide, the DA said.

Fitzpatrick said he would have no public comment on a cause of death until a grand jury hears the case against Pieper, The DA said he will be handling the case personally and he expects to present the case to the grand jury before the end of the year.

Defense lawyer Scott Brenneck waived Pieper's right to a preliminary hearing in order to avoid having the prosecution rush the case into the grand jury, Fitzpatrick said.

While authorities have concluded Watson was killed in her own home, Fitzpatrick today continued to decline to reveal what led officials to that conclusion.

But he said he believes Pieper got Watson's body out of the house by backing his car into the residence's garage and then tossing the remains in the trunk of the vehicle where he could not be seen from outside.

According to Fitzpatrick, Pieper admitted being with Watson in her home that morning. But he claims Watson was alive and well when he left the house about 11:20 to 11:30 a.m. that day, the DA said.

Watson was discovered missing when her sister returned home about 2:30 p.m. It was that sister who discovered Pieper's cell phone in the residence, Fitzpatrick said.

The DA also said he was "fairly certain" Pieper had the location in Clay Park Central in mind as a place to dispose of the body when he left the Watson home with the victim's body in the trunk of his vehicle.

But Fitzpatrick said he did not know if Pieper actually had planned to kill Watson when he went to the house that morning. He also said authorities suspect he may have had some other locations in mind for disposing of the body if there had been people around in the park area where the remains were found.

Fitzpatrick today remained cryptic about Watson's cell phone. Authorities have said its use is what led authorities search the wooded area where her body was eventually found.

Watson's phone had been used in "an attempt, in my opinion, to create an alibi for him," Fitzpatrick said of Pieper.

"Ironically, if he had not used the phone, we wouldn't have caught him as quickly as we did," the prosecutor said.

Fitzpatrick declined to say exactly how Pieper used the phone to try and create an alibi. But he said it was done in an attempt to focus law enforcement attention on someone as a suspect.

Fitzpatrick declined to say who that other person was. He also said authorities do not believe anyone else was involved in Watson's death.

He also said authorities do not have Watson's cell phone but are not conducting a search for it. He would not elaborate.

Authorities seized Pieper's vehicle with a search warrant about the same time he was being arrested Saturday on a second-degree murder charge, Fitzpatrick said. He said he did not know if authorities had found any conclusive evidence in the trunk to show that Watson's body had been there as the examination of the vehicle is still taking place.

He also declined to elaborate further on his Saturday comment that Pieper could face more serious charges once a grand jury reviews the case. The only more serious charge would be first-degree murder under a finding Watson was intentionally killed during the commission of a felony.

http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2010/11/accused_killer_left_his_phone.html