Cassandra “Cassie” Warren practically begged her mother for permission to sleep over at the home of her best friend, Heather Martin. “Pulleeeeeze Mommy”, groveled the precocious ten year old, “ It’s summertime and it’s a Friday and we can play all day together tomorrow and you can sleep in late and …” “OK, OK “, conceded Caroline as she picked up the phone. Caroline Warren was unable to find a real reason why Cassie couldn’t go. Heather was a nice girl and her mother, Carla Martin was a responsible woman. Carla’s husband had been killed in an auto accident a few years before so it was now just Carla and Heather. Caroline had been divorced since Cassie was just a baby so she and Carla had similar experiences in raising the girls alone. After a quick call to Carla, Caroline packed some clothes for Cassie. Caroline kissed the blonde-headed Cassie on the cheek and sent her off with an overnight bag containing a toothbrush, change of clothing, sleeping bag and what Cassie wore for summer pajamas - a pink tank top and panties with a likeness of Barbie on each piece. “Call when you get there!” she reminded Cassie as the child skipped off the porch and down the sidewalk toward her friend’s house just a few blocks away.
Gary Farber moved slowly through the shadows of the unfenced back yard as he made his way to a clump of overgrown blackberry bushes. It was a warm and slightly overcast Oregon summer night. The ambient light from nearby houses and streetlights was his enemy. Farber crouched down among the bushes to avoid detection from any of the neighboring homes. He sat silently as he reviewed his plan. His mind wandered back to the mistakes he had made only a few years before.
Then twenty, Farber had befriended and then abducted a pretty, little 16-year-old girl with curly blonde hair. He had taken her to an abandoned house near River Road in Willamette County where he tied her to an old bed. He had lured the girl to the house with the promise of alcohol and pot. Once inside, he forced her onto a rusty old bed where he blindfolded her and tied her to the rickety frame. Unfortunately for him and most fortunately for his intended victim, the girl escaped while his attention was focused on checking the outside area for interlopers. He had tied the ropes tightly on the victim. He just didn’t realize that the bed frame would come apart… allowing her to slide the ropes off the frame and run for help. The lucky girl reported the incident to the sheriff’s department and Farber was arrested. Since this was the first time Farber had been arrested, a quick plea bargain allowed the young girl to avoid the trauma of testifying. Farber pled guilty to the creative misdemeanor charge of custodial interference and was placed on probation with the very strong suggestion that he receive psychological counseling.
The overworked probation officer interviewed Farber and apparently believed the offender’s declarations that he was just playing a game with an underage girlfriend who suddenly became scared and reported their planned liaison as a crime. Farber had completed his year of probation with no more law enforcement contact and without the suggested psychological examination.
“No mistakes”, the more sophisticated Farber reminded himself, as he reviewed his plan. He remembered his downfall and he was not going to repeat his previous mistakes. Farber knew he was smarter than the police, the judge and especially the probation officer he had so easily manipulated. He had two years to think about his mistakes and about how it would be different the next time. His plan was now coming to fruition.
Farber had been in the Martin house many times. He occasionally stopped by to chat with his friend Carla and performed minor household repairs for her. His last visit there was earlier in the evening as Carla was finishing dinner with her daughter Heather and their guest, Cassie. There was something about the petite little neighbor girl that ignited a dark feeling in Farber.
Things hadn’t gone well for Farber lately. He had lost yet another job. His alcoholic father’s health was rapidly failing. He needed to reassert himself…to take control…to prove himself. That need brought his plan to the forefront of his thoughts.
It was nearly ten p.m. when the lights had all gone out in the one-story frame bungalow. Farber waited in the dark for more than an hour before he started to move. He carefully stretched his joints, which had stiffened slightly from the hour-long inactive crouch. He slowly stood and began his cat-like approach. Farber moved deliberately from tree to tree, staying in the shadows whenever possible. As he neared the house, Farber removed his Buck Folding Hunter knife from the black leather pouch on his belt. He pried the blade from the handle and with a definitive “click” the blade was locked into place. The offender’s mind raced as he stepped into the flowerbed and peeked through the rusty window screen. His quarry lay in one of two twin beds of the tiny ground-floor bedroom. Although Farber had first laid eyes on the little girl only a few hours before, he knew he must have her.
Farber cut the rusty screen from the lower left corner along the sill and then up the right side. He pushed the screen aside with gloved hands and held onto the sill as he climbed into the window. He placed a hand over Cassie’s mouth and held the knife at her throat as he whispered into her ear, “Don’t make a sound or I’ll hurt Heather!” Cassie obeyed and only whimpered softly as Farber first blindfolded her and then bound her hands and feet. She didn’t dare resist as he carried her petite body from the house and into the dark night.
Morning brought the frightening discovery of a missing child. Carla immediately placed a call to Caroline Warren to make sure that Cassie hadn’t gone home during the night. Her second call was to the Ellwood Police Department. The first patrol car to arrive was driven by Officer Jack Latham. A five-year veteran of the department, Latham had recently been selected for a rotation as a burglary detective. He had shined in uniformed patrol. He was an exceptional investigator with a good eye for detail.
Although there was evidence of abduction, it was still necessary to search inside the single-story house while other units searched the neighborhood. Latham was careful not to disturb anything as he looked under the beds and in the closets. He then searched the rest of the house and found no sign of Cassie.
Other patrol officers would occasionally stop by for an update as they conducted searches of the surrounding area. Another officer had already contacted Cassie’s mother and would search the Warren house in case Cassie had returned unnoticed. When Caroline Warren arrived at the Martin home, she tearfully described Cassie’s “pajamas” and provided a recent photograph. Caroline, Carla and Heather all stood together in a tearful embrace as they waited for news.
Criminalist Dan Ellis arrived and Latham walked him through the scene. In addition to the cut window screen, they saw a partial muddy shoe print on the bedroom carpet, two smears on the siding below the bedroom window and two relatively clear shoe prints in the muddy flowerbed. The morning dew was undisturbed on the back lawn. Latham opted to protect the scene and call for a K-9 unit to attempt a track. Latham and Ellis would search the yard after the dog had “cleared” the area.
There were no K-9 officers working in Ellwoodt this morning but a mutual-aid pact with neighboring Lumberton Police Department assured that there was 24-hour coverage in the two cities. A Lumberton officer John “J.B.” Bradshaw was dispatched and on the scene within twenty minutes. Latham explained the situation and directed him to the bedroom window. The officer brought the dog out to begin a search. The five-year-old male Malinois named Fritz showed signs of excitement as soon as Officer Bradshaw attached the long lead. They walked to the back yard and began the track. Latham had worked with K-9 officers countless times. In a building search or a situation where a potentially dangerous suspect might be encountered, Latham would follow at a reasonable distance to provide cover for the officer. The K-9 officer would be concentrating on the dog and looking for subtle signs that might indicate a directional change or loss of track. The cover officer would be scanning the area ahead and looking for danger. In this instance, Latham stayed to secure the scene as another officer provided security for Officer Bradshaw and Fritz.
When searching for a particular individual, the dog searches for a ground track. The handler might notice ground disturbance like trampled grass and broken branches to redirect the dog if it appears to have lost the track. If searching for any human in a given area the animal often uses air scenting. Either way, the officers would be thrilled if the dog found Cassie Warren alive and well.
The track took a zigzag pattern from the bedroom window to a large tree, along a hedgerow and back to a clump of blackberry bushes. The grass around the blackberry bushes had been stamped down, as if someone had been on it for a considerable length of time. From there, it led through an alley and south to a side street. The dog lost the track about forty feet west of where it had emerged from the alley. Several trips up and down the street indicated that the suspect and victim had most likely left in a vehicle. Officer Bradshaw reported his findings to Latham and then parked his patrol car in the shade to complete the paperwork. His supplemental report would serve a few purposes. It would justify the time expended, document the dog and handler’s experience, and record the findings in this particular investigation. He would be prepared to testify or assist in other ways. For now, Officer Bradshaw and Fritz would soon return to Lumberton.
There would not be any detectives responding quickly so early on a Saturday morning so for now, Latham was the primary investigator. He began his in-depth interviews of Carla, Heather and Caroline as Ellis began processing the scene. It was common practice at crime scenes for one person to serve as the designated “finder” of evidence. It didn’t matter who had seen the item first. The “finder” would document any evidence on the appropriate forms and collect it. He would be the one person to testify in any subsequent court appearances. In this case, Dan Ellis would be the designated finder. Some of this evidence would require forensic analysis. That would also be Ellis’s responsibility.
Ellis set about photographing the scene. His Nikon 35 mm SLR seemed to click steadily. He started with some orientation photos showing the house and the entire back yard. He then took a series of each important item and area. He photographed the blackberry bushes and the trampled grass from different perspectives, starting at a distance and then moving progressively closer. He also took photos showing what the suspect would see from that location. After taking shots of each item as it was originally found, Ellis placed a measuring device near the item to provide a frame of reference for size.
When in court, the deputy district attorney would have the photographs entered into evidence with just a few questions for Criminalist Ellis. “Did you take these photographs?” “Do they accurately represent the scene as you saw it?” and “Did you alter or manipulate these photographs in any way?” Although Ellis was very familiar with the mechanics of SLR photography, the particular F-stop and aperture opening didn’t matter as long as the photographs accurately depicted the scene. It was also important to have photos with and without reference devices. Devices could be considered to taint the photographs or hide something. By having the same perspective shown with and without the reference device the photographs are usually considered to be acceptable.
Ellis then collected each item of evidence and placed it in the appropriate container. He marked each container with the case number and a sequential number that he next diligently recorded on the evidence sheet. He sealed each container with red evidence tape and wrote his initials over each seal. If anyone broke the seal by breaking the tape, Ellis’s initials would also be destroyed. Each subsequent time that Dan or another criminalist opened an item or broke a seal, it would be documented on the accompanying evidence sheet. The original seal would be left to show that nothing had been changed. A new seal of evidence tape with initials would finish the process.
The shoe prints in the flowerbed appeared to have come from size ten work boots with a Vibram sole. The outline wasn’t clear but there was some identifiable detail. Dan took the photographs of the shoeprints according to protocol. He then photographed the smears on the siding, the cut screen and the muddy deposits inside the bedroom. He also photographed the entire room and contents in the same fashion before finishing up with photographs of the bed where Cassie Warren had slept.
Ellis’s evidence collection included samples of the mud from the siding and bedroom floor. He also took the entire window screen. Dan also poured the solution for castings of the suspect’s shoeprints. He went inside and collected samples from the mud on the bedroom floor and the bedclothes from the bed. He also took a mud sample from the flowerbed near the footprints. As he was working, he could hear Officer Latham trying to interview the upset women.
“We’re doing all we can”, Latham consoled Caroline Warren, “I need to ask each of you some questions and we really need to do it as quickly as possible. We’ve got officers searching the area and we have to let them know as much as we can.”
Heather sobbed aloud as Officer Latham spoke. “The first question I need to ask is whether any of you knows anyone who you would suspect of taking Cassie”, he said, “It is unlikely that a total stranger would be responsible. What about her father?” Caroline answered first, “No, he lives back East with his new family and hasn’t expressed much interest in having a relationship with Cassie. Our divorce was somewhat amicable and I think that if he wanted to see her, he’d ask me first. I’ll call him right away to make sure, if you think I should.” “Please do, Mrs. Warren. If nothing else, it will notify him that she’s apparently missing and it will help eliminate him as a suspect.” Caroline Warren went to use the phone as Carla answered Latham’s question next, “ I don’t even know of anyone who was aware that Cassie was here.” Heather joined in “ Only Mommy and Mr. Gary were here and Mr. Gary is always so nice. ” “Oh yes”, replied Carla, “I had forgotten about him. His name isn’t really Mr. Gary; it’s Gary Farber. I insist that Heather call him Mister since he is an adult.” “Tell me more about him”, urged Latham.
The hair on the back of Latham’s neck stood up as Heather described how “Mr. Gary” was always tickling and hugging her. Carla Martin looked shocked and totally unaware of such activities. “I’d never seen or heard of that before”, she declared. This behavior was inappropriate for a casual adult acquaintance and Latham began focusing his questions on Farber. “When did you last see him, Mrs. Martin?” he asked. Carla recalled that Farber had stopped by for a few moments while she, Heather and Cassie were eating dinner. Farber occasionally did work around the house for Mrs. Martin.
“What was he wearing last night?” inquired Latham. Carla Martin thought for a moment and then described Farber’s clothing as being a dark T-shirt with some type of logo, tan work pants and work boots. “Where does he live?”, asked Latham who even now was feeling more of a sense of urgency. “He lives somewhere on Garfield Street, south of 13th Avenue with his parents,” answered Carla. She recalled that Farber was nearly six feet tall and that he drove a small dark pickup truck that sometimes had a white camper shell.
Latham’s supervisor, Sgt. John. Parker arrived at the scene for a status report. Latham requested that the on-call detective be notified and updated Sgt. Parker on the possibility that Farber may be involved in Cassie’s disappearance. John was one of the good guys, even if he was a supervisor. He knew that Jack Latham was a competent and professional officer and had learned to trust Jack’s instincts. He placed calls to the detective supervisor and to the day shift patrol lieutenant. The on-call “persons” detective was already on his way to the scene. Additional patrol officers would be called in to cover waiting calls since the manpower was strained in the search for Cassie.
Latham telephoned the police dispatcher and requested a CARS check on Farber. The Comprehensive Area Resource System stood as one of the best local records management systems in existence. Individuals would be indexed and cross-referenced by incidents, arrests, addresses, vehicles, associates and other criteria - whether suspect, victim, witness or other involved person. CARS also listed active local warrants, physical descriptions and parole/probationary status. The database was centered in Willamette County and most input was from the Ellwood Police Department but the system covered several counties throughout the State of Oregon. With nearly a quarter of a million individual records, it was no surprise that there was an immediate reply to Latham’s inquiry.
Gary Farber had been previously contacted for a minor traffic violation, some juvenile field contacts and one previous arrest for abduction. His address was listed as 1511 Garfield Ave., Ellwood. The CARS record also indicated that Farber’s vehicle was a blue 1979 Ford Ranger pickup.
A patrol unit was immediately dispatched to check the residence for the vehicle. It was now nearly nine A.M. and the discovery that Cassie was missing had been over an hour before. Officer Mark Scott – 2 Adam 41 - did a “drive by” of the Farber residence and reported to Latham and other units on Channel 4, the car-to-car conversational channel. The Ellwood Police Department did not use many radio codes. It was simple language that didn’t require a playbook to understand. “The property is a one-story ranch house with an open detached garage”, Scott reported, “There are no vehicles in the open garage or in the driveway. The last known vehicle of the subject is not in the immediate area.” Scott was able to park alongside the nearby National Guard Armory to watch the Farber residence. The garage access was from the front and there was no alley behind the property. “Maintain surveillance”, commanded Sgt. Parker. Scott responded with a simple “Copy!”
An Attempt to Locate (ATL) was broadcast from the Channel One dispatcher to all units. The broadcast gave the vital information. “ATL a dark blue 1979 Ford Ranger pickup truck, possibly with a camper shell. Oregon license ADAM DAVID NORA 4 4 3. Registered owner is Gary H. Farber – white male – 22 years of age – 5 foot 10 – 200 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. Subject was last seen wearing a dark t-shirt with logo, tan pants and work boots. Suspect is a person of interest only at this time in relation to the possible abduction of Cassie Warren – white female – 10 years of age – 4 ft – 90 lbs with shoulder-length curly blonde hair and blue eyes. Warren was last seen wearing pink tank top and panties with a Barbie logo.
Detective Sgt. Thom Lee and Detective Dennis Wilson arrived at the Martin home and were briefed by Officer Latham and Sgt. Parker. They would assume primary responsibility for the investigation. Latham would prepare written reports of his findings and activity related to the incident. Criminalist Ellis had completed his crime scene examination including a search for latent fingerprints and body fluids. He had packaged, documented and marked all evidence before leaving the scene. At the lab, he would ensure that the evidentiary items were logged in before processing. Although the scene had not revealed any latent fingerprints or body fluids, he did have the shoe print that could be used for comparison if a suspect was found.
“2 Adam 41 to 2 X-Ray 11” called Officer Scott. “2 Adam 41, go ahead”, was the response from Sgt. Parker. “2 Adam 41, the ATL vehicle is now back at the residence and the driver appears to be alone”, reported Scott. By this time, Farber had parked his pickup in the driveway and entered the residence alone. Scott noticed that Farber was carrying something in his left hand but could not make out the item. It was also apparent from the water dripping from rear bumper and bed that the truck has just been through the car wash. Sgt. Parker again advised Officer Scott to maintain surveillance as he, the detectives and Officer Latham responded to the Farber residence.
A sleepy Mabel Farber answered the door and greeted the officers while still wearing her housecoat. Her hair was matted and unkempt, indicating that she had been awakened by the knock on the door. “I’m Sgt. Thom Lee of the Ellwood Police Department, “ stated the detective supervisor, “We’d like to speak with Gary”. “Oh…. Well he is in the shower”, responded the puzzled Mrs. Farber, “Wait here and I’ll go get him.” They stood outside, looking at the truck as they waited. Their observations confirmed that the truck had just been cleaned. Even the rubber floor covering and vinyl seats showed signs of having been sprayed off. There were water droplets throughout the cab. There was the strong and unmistakable odor of chlorine bleach emanating from the vehicle. The truck had probably never been so clean.
When Gary Farber finally came to the door, he was wearing a pair of green sweatpants, a white T-shirt and white Reebok gym shoes. His freshly scrubbed skin was pink. There also seemed to be a faint odor of bleach coming from Farber. “Hi! How can I help you?” he asked in the friendliest voice he could muster.
“We’re investigating the disappearance of a young girl from the Martin house during the night”, started Sgt. Lee, “I understand that you were there in the evening”. Farber stood silently as he considered his response. He hadn’t thought that he would ever become a suspect and therefore had not even formulated an alibi. All of his elaborate preparations had still been incomplete. “Yes, I was there very briefly”, said Farber “ but that was as they were eating dinner. Carla paid me some money she owed me. I left and never returned.” “We found some shoe prints outside the window” stated Sgt. Parker, “Is there any reason we’d find your footprints there?” Farber thought for a moment and then replied “I’ve done work around the house before. I wouldn’t be surprised if my footprints were there.“ “Where did you go after you left the Martin’s house?”, inquired Sgt. Lee. “I ran some errands later and then came home and went to bed” Farber claimed “Just ask my parents.”
“I am sure he must have been home last night”, said Mrs. Farber “ I go to bed rather early and just got up myself when you came to the door. He was here when I went to bed and here when I got up. My husband is invalid and doesn’t leave the bedroom much.”
Thom Lee continued, “Where were you this morning?” “Where was I this morning?”, Farber parroted. “I was… I just decided to go wash my truck. You can see that’s it’s still wet”. Lee looked at Jack Latham as those both recognized Farber’s response as a delaying tactic. When lying, a suspect will often repeat the question so as to stall for time while he formulates or fabricates a response.
“I’d like to see the clothing that you wore last night”, Lee told Farber. “Would you mind if we search your truck and house?” “Of course he won’t mind, will you Gary?” volunteered Mabel Farber. Gary Farber was caught unaware by his mother’s well-meaning offer. He didn’t think it would be wise to rescind consent so he feigned his best cheerful response “Sure, feel free to look anywhere you’d like. Here are the truck keys.” He hoped that they would look at the truck first.
Officer Scott stayed with Farber while the others conducted a quick examination of the inside of truck. That verified that a stream of water had indeed been projected inside the cab of the truck. There were pools of water in the recesses of the floorboard and the foam underneath the seat was quite wet. The odor of bleach was nearly overpowering.
Farber used his hand to hide the little smirk that developed as the investigators realized that there would be nothing useful found inside the truck. His confidence was building as he followed the officers inside for a search of the house. They began searching different rooms. “Where are the clothes that you wore last night?” asked Latham. Farber pointed to the washing machine that was now finishing the final spin cycle. The delay of searching the truck first had helped. Latham quickly opened the lid to stop the machine. He nearly swore aloud when he saw the contents spun tight against the cylinder. A T-shirt, pants and socks wreaked of chlorine bleach. They were barely recognizable as the items described and were mottled and nearly colorless from the excessive use of bleach. Latham removed the items from the machine but held out little hope that they’d be of any evidentiary use.
Farber chuckled slightly. “I never could remember how much bleach to use. Anything else I can do for you?” he mocked. “Yes, put your hands behind your back”, commanded Sgt. Parker. Farber turned around quickly to see that Parker and the detectives were walking from a back bedroom. Sgt. Lee was holding a clear plastic evidence bag that contained a pair of pink girls panties with a Barbie logo clearly visible. “They were hidden behind a dresser drawer”, commented Lee to Latham. “Go ahead and hook him up!”
“You’re under arrest,” Latham told Farber. As Latham handcuffed Farber, Sgt. Parker pulled out the washing machine dial to ensure that the cycle would not continue. The residence would be “frozen” with Officer Latham staying there to prevent any tampering while the detectives returned to the office to prepare a search warrant affidavit and search warrant so as to avoid any challenges to the seizure of additional evidence.
Farber’s last words to investigators were not at all unexpected. “I think I need a lawyer”, he said.
