Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, March 7, 1991 TAG: 9103070556
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-6 EDITION: EVENING
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium
"My mom's not doing too well," said Brandy Geier, the sister of Daniel Geier, 9, whose body was found Tuesday.
Then, beginning to cry, the 11-year-old girl buried her face in the arms of a friend of the family. "Why did this have to happen?" she sobbed.
The mother of the other victim, Christopher Scot Weaver, 7, serves aboard the USS Yellowstone, a destroyer tender that participated in Operation Desert Storm. Tamara Weaver was en route home Wednesday night.
The boy's father, Robert Weaver, also served in the Navy.
The slayings have perplexed police and horrified this quiet community two miles from the oceanfront.
The boys, who lived across the street from each other in the Wadsworth Homes military housing complex, were last seen at 5:30 p.m. Monday and were reported missing to the police about two hours later.
After a half-hour's search, the boys' bicycles were found, one sunk up to the handlebars in nearby Birdneck Lake, the other on shore. A round-the-clock search involving dogs, divers, helicopters and hundreds of officers, neighbors and members of the military turned up their fully clothed bodies.
Autopsies Wednesday determined that the boys died of cuts to their throats and that they were not sexually abused. Police said there were no signs of a struggle at the scene.
They were found lying next to one another, partly hidden under branches about a half-mile from home.
A friend of the Weavers said the family was told that investigators have a possible suspect. However, police spokesman Lewis B. Thurston said the department has neither a suspect nor any concrete leads.
About 30 police officers spent the day combing a section of woods, bringing back bags of items to a mobile evidence laboratory. A young boy who knows the woods well helped guide police. Meanwhile, a special hot line set up by police to take tips received "tons of calls," Thurston said.
The families remained secluded today, making funeral arrangements.
"Right now we just need a lot of prayers and hope that justice is done," said Melissa Bailey, a friend of the Geiers.
Swing sets, bicycles and other toys are abundant around the housing complex, but few children were playing outside Wednesday.
Across from the Geiers' town house, a small group of youngsters played but never left the security of the small fenced-in back yard. Police and Navy patrol cruisers drove through the neighborhood, while a helicopter hovered overhead.
"The parents are fearful, but the kids, that's who it really affected," said Rick Colson, a neighbor who was keeping close tabs on his 7-year-old daughter, Denise. "They considered this place safe . . . and now they're afraid to be out and about in their own neighborhood."
by CNB