My hometown Vet's husband murdered 3 people :(

[Mississippienne]

I got an email from my aunt telling me about a missing persons case in my hometown in Mississippi -- a man, his wife, and their 4-year-old son had disappeared back in February, not long after I left for Maryland.

I got another email the other day from my aunt. It turns out the bodies of the three were found buried behind a veterinary clinic, and the killer is the husband of our local vet. The victims were his cousins. I'm just horrified, I've known our vet forever, I can't even imagine what she's going through.

Serial killers, eugh. :(

[alice_in_wonderland]

Holy crap! It's creepy when people you know wind up in hideous situations, isn't it?

The body of the best-friend of my cousin who was killed by a drunk driver just turned up in the grave of the mother of my Uncle's business partner. You just don't want to know that you know people capable of that sort of shit.

[Toddly]

I remember seeing a piece on that story on the national news. Did they indicate the motive behind the crime?

[Zabali_Clawbane]

Here are several links to various news stories about this. I believe there was a thread about this a while back, but I may be mis-remembering.

Missing family (http://abcnews.go.com/sections/GMA/US/Missing_family_040223-1.html)

FBI join investigation (http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/news/politics/7984326.htm)

Cousin is a suspect (http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2004/2/29/122916.shtml)

Bodies found (http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2004-03-01-missing-family_x.htm)

Family's thoughts (http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGA4FPD8DRD.html)

It is quite shocking to me as well, and would be even more so if it were my hometown. :(

[Zabali_Clawbane]

I remember seeing a piece on that story on the national news. Did they indicate the motive behind the crime?


I believe it was speculated that the man charged with the crimes was jealous due to the fact that Michael inherited some things from a relative, and he didn't. The man charged is a step child or adopted, I don't recall which.

[Zabali_Clawbane]

Another thing, it wasn't her husband, her husband is dead too. It was her husband's cousin, who was adopted that is charged with murder.

[Zabali_Clawbane]

The inaccuracies in the OP have been bugging me, so I'm posting to this again to clarify what's been going on.

Investigators also searched Hargon's property in southern Mississippi on Saturday as they tried to solve the disappearance of Michael and Rebecca Hargon and their 4-year-old son, James Patrick. There has been no trace of the family since Feb. 14. Lawmen reported finding blood and spent bullet casings at the family's home, but no signs of forced entry. Authorities closed off a county road on both sides of Leaf River Veterinary Services as part of the investigation. The clinic is on Hargon's property, and his wife works there as a veterinarian, Strain said.

From the link titled "Cousin is a suspect" in my post above. Your aunt got her facts mixed up. (So did one of the news articles I linked, which said she was a physical therapist, all the other stories I read months ago said the female murder victim was a veternarian.) The veternarian was missing, along with her husband and 4 year old child. Their bodies have been found, and the husband's adopted cousin is being charged with capital murder.

[kung fu lola]

The veternarian was missing, along with her husband and 4 year old child. Their bodies have been found, and the husband's adopted cousin is being charged with capital murder.

Then shouldn't it have been "worked as a veterinarian", not "works"?

Me confoozed.

[Zabali_Clawbane]

The quote was taken from a story just shortly after the people had gone missing. It was thought that they'd been kidnapped, and were still alive. Now, it's come out, they were kidnapped and murdered, allegedly by a relative of the husband.

[kung fu lola]

That'll learn me good to drive-by a thread like this!

[peri]

The dead woman, Rebecca Hargon, was a physical therapist. Her husband, Michael Hargon, was in construction. The arrested suspect, Earnest Hargon, is married to veterinarian Lisa Ainsworth.

[kung fu lola]

Vindicated!

[sturmhauke]

This guy (http://lists.envirolink.org/pipermail/ar-news/Week-of-Mon-20030728/004169.html) used to be my landlord. Creeped me right the hell out.

[Zabali_Clawbane]

Vindicated!

kung fu lola Since it seems important to you to be the correct one in this, I'll say: You're right, I'm wrong. Better now?


Authorities believe Earnest Lee Hargon, a 43-year-old cattle truck driver, acted alone.

It's hard to tell by the news stories who had what occupation. One of the four stories I linked said that the murdered people were "a physical therapist" and "worked construction" . The media isn't too clear as to which "Hargon" they mean. The above quote, taken from the story I linked titled "Family's Thoughts" is definite at least. I can't find the story I'd read about this in February, I seemed to recall it saying that it was the veternarian, her husband, and child who went missing. Must be mis-remembering. Can anyone supply a news story with clear facts?

[peri]

Zabali_Clawbane, here's a CNN (http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/South/03/01/missing.family/) article. You're right about the confusing nature of much of the coverage of this story. The name Hargon would be used in a paragraph with no first name. I'd have to backtrack a sentence or two to determine whether it was victim or suspect. Later reports used full names.

[Zabali_Clawbane]

peri Thank you, that's finally cleared up. Wish there was a way to show budding journalists this thread and the linked stories to demonstrate the need to be clear when attributing things. Anyway it's still a horrible crime whatever the careers of the victims were. Very, very sad. :(