Authors: Corey Mitchell
Dead And Buried (4 page)
PART II
AUNDRIA
SEVEN
March 11, 1999
Branch Street, San Luis Obispo, California
2:00
A.M.
Branch Street, San Luis Obispo, California
2:00
A.M.
Aundria Lynn Crawford was ready to call it a night. The twenty-year-old Cuesta College student had made it through another hectic day of school and she was pooped. She had worked hard ever since she moved to San Luis Obispo to attendthe respected junior college. Aundria had been an excellent student and ballerina, until she turned sixteen. That year she discovered that she walked on her feet incorrectly and would have to rework her bones to correct the problem. The pain on her point toe, the one she tiptoed on, was unbearable. It forced her to quit her first true passion. As a result Aundria missed the one thing that helped her stay focused and disciplined.Subsequently, with her diminished enthusiasm came diminished grades. Her senior year at Clovis High School proved to be a killer. Academically she performed poorly. Her lack of a solid grade report prevented her from attending her dream college—Cal Polytechnic Institute. Therefore, she settledinto the next best thing—she enrolled in junior college.
Aundria spent her first year of college at Fresno City College,where she drastically improved her grades. She then transferred in her sophomore year to Cuesta College, another junior college, in San Luis Obispo. She intended to do everythingin her power to transfer to Cal Poly. Cuesta College had one of the highest transfer rates in the state, so she knew if she stayed focused, her chances were excellent.
This evening, however, she was worn out and ready for bed. She kissed her cat, Riley, good night and stripped out of her clothes. She usually slept in her panties and a well-worn T-shirt, in her cozy upstairs loft bedroom. The brown duplex reminded her of a ski lodge in Colorado. Aundria retired to her bedroom and read a little before turning off the lamp on her nightstand.
She was not aware of the man standing outside.
Or that he wore something over his face.
The man had pulled a pair of panty hose over his mug and crept toward Aundria’s duplex. It was the fourth time he had been there, spying on the lithe, dirty-blond-haired college student.The half a fifth of Jack Daniel’s that he had drunk earlier in the evening seemed to release his inhibitions. Before when he had spied on her, he did not have the courage to approach her.
Aundria had turned out the lights in her bedroom. It was time to go to sleep.
Now was his chance.
The man strode directly toward the front door of the duplex.It was locked. He went around back. He checked the large windows, but they were locked. He went back to the front. He looked around, wondering what to do, when he spottedher bathroom window. It was a tiny window, but he was determined to get inside. Much to his surprise and glee, it was unlocked. He quietly removed the screen and began to crawl through the window. It was an amazingly tiny window. Too tiny for his hefty frame, but he was determined. There was a reason he wanted inside so badly and he was going to get in, no matter what happened to him. He continued to squeeze through the window; however, he hurt himself in the process. Despite the pain he successfully made his way into Aundria Crawford’s duplex.
“Meeeoooo www ww!”
The loud screeching noise that emanated from the bathroomtemporarily paralyzed the man. He had no idea what caused the shrill sound.
It was Riley.
Aundria awoke from her slumber. She decided to go check on her cat. Riley had felt sick, due to a recent surgery.
The intruder stood quietly, but anxious, in her bathroom. The encounter with the damned cat had increased his heart rate substantially, and he seriously contemplated getting the hell out of there. Just as he was ready to turn around and sneak back out, the bathroom door opened.
A sleepy-eyed Aundria Crawford looked at the man standing in her bathroom. They both froze in their tracks for a split secondand then the intruder reared his arm back and punched her solidly in the mouth, splitting her lip and slamming her up against the bathroom wall. He then advanced on her and continuedthe forceful melee. He punched her, at least three or four more times in the face, until he knocked her unconscious.
The man stopped for a moment and looked down at the attractivegirl lying at his feet in the cramped bathroom. He then pulled out a rope from his back pocket, which he purposefullybrought just for this occasion, and knelt down on the floor and grabbed Aundria’s limp body. Immediately he wrapped the rope around her wrists and secured them behind her back. He also tied her feet together and wrenched them up her backside until they reached her bound wrists. He then looped the rope around her feet and her wrists so she was in a hog-tied position. He then looped the rope around her neck. He checked the rope to make sure it was secure. She was not going anywhere.
He also made sure she could not make a noise, so he grabbed a roll of silver duct tape, which he also brought for the occasion, and unfurled it across her mouth.
Still not feeling entirely confident, he bolted up Aundria’s staircase and into her bedroom. While there, he grabbed one of her pillowcases and quickly returned to the bathroom. He grabbed Aundria’s still-unconscious body and draped the pillowcaseover her head. He did not want her to see him in case she woke up.
Aundria was unconscious, hog-tied, gagged, and blindfolded.But she was still alive.
The intruder returned to her bedroom and grabbed another pillowcase. He began to survey the room and realized that he wanted to take some of this girl’s items with him. Using the pillowcase as a carrying bag, he stuffed random items inside. He took some of Aundria’s country and classic rock CDs, videotapes, and even a VCR. He also grabbed some of her clothes.
The intruder rushed outside to Branch Street and located his blue Ford Ranger pickup in front of her house. It was nestledunder several large oak trees, which served as a natural canopy over the quiet neighborhood street. The darkness createdby the trees provided a cover, so no one would see him. He tossed the pillowcase full of stolen items into the car and returned to Aundria’s brown duplex.
When he returned, he panicked.
She was conscious!
She was valiantly struggling against her numerous restraints,but the exertion only frightened her more and slowed her down. The man did not punch her again. Instead, he grabbed her in a bundle, tossed the 5’6”, 120-pound girl over his shoulder, and headed out onto Branch Street. He placed her in the back of the truck cab behind the seats and quietly shut the passenger door. Instead of getting into the truck and driving off, the man returned to the duplex.
He scurried to the bathroom and grabbed a towel. He used it to wipe off Aundria’s blood from the floor. There were only small spots, but several dispersed throughout the house. When he finished, he turned off the lights and headed out. As he was about to exit the back door, something shiny caught his eye.
Aundria’s keys.
He raced over to the dining-room table, where they lay. He grasped them in his large hand. There was something unusual attached to the keys.
A tiny black eight ball key chain. He looked at the key chain with a certain sense of bemusement.
It brought back memories. Just as quickly, he was gone.
EIGHT
March 12, 1999
Clovis, California
12:15
A.M.
Clovis, California
12:15
A.M.
“This is Gail Eberhart. I need to report that my daughter is missing.”
A San Luis Obispo Police Department dispatcher took the call. The woman caller did not sound too stressed, but concerned.The dispatcher calmly asked the woman for her daughter’s name.
“Aundria Crawford,” the woman replied. “She lives on Branch Street in San Luis Obispo, near the Greyhound bus station.”
“When was the last time you spoke with your daughter, Mrs... ?”
“Eberhart. I spoke with her this past Tuesday. But I paged her last night and I haven’t heard from her since. She always returns my beeps.”
The dispatcher could tell Eberhart was getting slightly more frantic as the conversation continued. He wanted to calm this situation down before the woman became too upset.
“Ma’am, I am going to send someone over there right away,” he assured her. “We will check it out for you right now.”
The dispatcher did not want to waste a second in tracking down the young woman. It had been four months since the disappearance of Rachel Newhouse. The last thing the police force of San Luis Obispo wanted was for word to spread that another local college girl had gone missing. He hoped he could nip this problem in the bud before it blew up into an all-outfrenzy. Besides, he assumed, she probably just took off for an early weekend and decided not to call her mother. The mom is probably just overprotective and panicky.
The dispatcher put a call out to beat patrol officer Jon Paulding, who whisked over to the small brown duplex, less than a half mile from the Jennifer Street Bridge. Officer Paulding pulled up in front of the apartment and noticed a white Ford Mustang in the driveway. He jotted down the plate numbers and made a mental note to check them out later. OfficerPaulding walked up to the front door on the right-hand side of the duplex and knocked. No one answered the door. The officer, not too concerned, wrote a note to Aundria and informed her that she should call her mother. He left it on her Mustang.
Meanwhile, back in Clovis, Gail Eberhart began to get scared. She continued calling for several more hours and still could not get a hold of Aundria. Finally, at 5:15
A.M.
, she called the San Luis Obispo Police Department again. The dispatcherdirected her call directly to Officer Paulding.
A.M.
, she called the San Luis Obispo Police Department again. The dispatcherdirected her call directly to Officer Paulding.
The police officer returned to Aundria’s duplex. This time he attempted to gain entry into Aundria’s home. Once he realizedhe could not enter through any of the doors, he asked for Eberhart’s permission to break in. She agreed without hesitation.He did not need to, however, as the dispatcher had already contacted the landlord, who would arrive soon with the keys.
Officer Paulding checked Aundria’s car again. He clasped the door handle, and to his surprise, it was unlocked. He looked in and noticed a brown leather purse, which belonged to Aundria, lying on the floorboard. He searched the purse for a set of house keys but found nothing. At the same time the landlord arrived.
Officer Paulding called for assistance and a second officer arrived at the Branch Street residence. The landlord unlocked the front door and both officers began to search the duplex. Officer Paulding checked upstairs in Aundria’s loft. He looked up at a countertop and spotted her pager.
Nothing looked unusual to the officers.
Officer Paulding contacted Gail Eberhart to inform her that nothing looked suspicious. She asked him if they should go ahead and file a missing-person report. The officer agreed and took the pertinent information.
NINE
Aundria Crawford did not know Rachel Newhouse. They did not go to the same college, even though they lived in the same town. They did not hang out with the same crowd, even though they were the same age. They did not live similar childhoods, even though they would both end up in the centralcoastal town of San Luis Obispo.
Many people knew Aundria Crawford as Aundria Eberhart. She was born on July 10, 1978, in Pasco, Washington, to Jim and Gail Eberhart. Her parents were hardworking middle-classAmericans. Her mom worked in retail for the local Sears department store and her dad worked as an electrician. Despitea love for their only daughter, Mom and Dad did not share a love for one another. They divorced when Aundria was only six months old. After the divorce Gail packed up the car and relocated with Aundria to her grandparents’ home in Fresno, California. Don and Jody Crawford gladly took them in and nurtured their precocious granddaughter.
Aundria enjoyed growing up with her grandparents. They were warm and loving and did everything possible to assure that she had a normal childhood. She loved to play outside and inspect the creatures that wandered the yards in their neighborhood. Her grandfather recalled her deep love for animals:“When she was a child, she would get mad at me for crushing snails.”
Aundria also developed a fondness for ballet. She danced in
The Nutcracker
and
Alice in Wonderland
and impressed everyone with her ability.
The Nutcracker
and
Alice in Wonderland
and impressed everyone with her ability.
After Aundria’s foot problem forced her out of ballet, she turned her attention to horses. Her father owned some horses and she always loved to ride them when she visited him. Even though she already knew how to ride, she took additional lessons. She got so good that she began to compete in barrel racing. She even won several awards.
As Aundria got older, she branched out beyond stereotypicalfemale obsessions. Despite a definite feminine exterior, Aundria accepted her masculine side. She especially loved working on cars. She was not just some weekend warrior wanna-be either. She knew her way around the inside of an engine block and even learned how to change an alternator. She met some boys who were also into cars and racing and she started to attend various car races around Fresno Valley and Bakersfield.
Aundria attended Bullard High School in Fresno and made several friends. She also began to slip while she was there. Some of her friends ran in some interesting circles and were not the best of influences. She allowed too many distractions to take away from her schoolwork and soon fell behind. She was not into drugs or alcohol; she just liked to hang out. Her grandfather Don Crawford stressed the point that “she did not do drugs and she didn’t drink. She was just a good girl.”
Gail and Aundria relocated to Clovis, California, in 1996, her senior year. By then, Aundria was prepared not to graduatewith her classmates. Her grades had fallen so far that she had to attend a special home-study program known as ReStart to help get her back on track. Embarrassed by her lack of discipline,she took her studies seriously this time. Her ReStart instructor, Joy Cravens, met with Aundria once a week and went over her assignments to make sure she showed signs of improvement. Cravens explained that Aundria was studious, considerate, and quiet, but had a tendency to show up late for their meetings. Cravens also stated that Aundria did not leave much of an impression on her because the teacher mainly remembered the bad students.
Aundria’s efforts paid off. She upped her grade point averageand walked in her senior high school graduation ceremony with all of her classmates.
She was extremely proud of her redemption and was determinedto continue the cycle.
Aundria’s first collegiate adventure took place at nearby Fresno City College. After a year of doing well there, she was ready and eager to be on her own. With financial help from her grandparents, she packed up her 1988 white Ford Mustang and headed out to Central California. San Luis Obispo was her destination. Her ultimate goal was to attend Cal Polytechnic Institute, but first she would have to earn her way in one more time. Aundria’s high school and junior college grades were not quite good enough for Cal Poly’s standards, so she had to registerat another junior college and work her way up. Aundria was used to obstacles and looked forward to the challenge. She enrolled at Cuesta College, located on Highway 1, less than five miles from Cal Poly. On the surface Cuesta College appeared to be the rougher of the two colleges—a smaller campus, with older, more run-down buildings, and more students standing around smoking and flashing multiple piercingsand tattoos. In many ways it is the polar opposite of Cal Poly, which exudes a more polished exterior. Its student body is populated by the Hollywood stereotype of the surfer dude jock types and beautiful blond California girls.
Underneath the rough outer shell of Cuesta College lies a launchpad for better and brighter things. Cuesta has one of the highest transfer rates for its students in the state. Many students attend the junior college to get their grades back up so they can attend colleges such as UCLA, USC, and Cal Poly. Aundria was fully aware of Cuesta’s exceptional transferrate. She planned to take full advantage of the opportunity.
Aundria began in general studies but switched to interior designing. She exhibited a knack for how to make a room look good—if it involved furniture positioning, drapery hanging, or color schemes, it coursed through her bloodstream.Her favorite class during the spring 1999 semester was interior-space planning. She learned about the effects and value of proper lighting, use of space, and the power of walls.
Margaret Collier, dean of the school’s design department, spoke highly of Aundria. “She loved school,” the dean praised. “Her teachers thought she was doing great.”
Aundria made a positive impression on her coworkers as well. Since money was always tight, Aundria usually stayed employed to keep up with the bills for school and her duplex. Aundria turned her love of cars into a job working for the local Kragen Auto Parts in San Luis Obispo. Her auto knowledge,positive demeanor, and ability to communicate with total strangers proved to be a winning combination at the huge automotive repair superstore. Her coworker Robert Santos,who was also a classmate of hers from Cuesta College, sang her praises. He spoke highly of her intelligence, wit, and confidence.
“She wasn’t afraid to speak her mind and tell you how she felt,” Santos recalled. “I think she was going to do good in life. I think if there was something she wanted, she would go get it.”
Santos was surprised when Aundria quit her job at Kragenafter five months to go work for veterinarian James Waldsmith at the Equine Center in town. Her family, however, was not. They knew how much Aundria loved animals. For her, it was the dream scenario: this beautiful California girl, who loved the ocean and animals, working in a vet’s office and living in gorgeous San Luis Obispo.
What more could she ask for?
Unfortunately, the veterinarian’s assistant position did not work out for Aundria. Dr. Waldsmith let her go after only one month of employment. Aundria had shown up late to work far too many times in her short stay at the company. Dr. Waldsmith found her congenial yet unreliable.
“She was a nice gal,” the doctor recalled. “The typical Cal Poly kid [she was a Cuesta College student] that shows up at our door.”
Aundria would not let this setback throw her off course. She set out to get back her job at Kragen. Her former manager,Gil Luera, spoke with her just before she disappeared. Luera stated that Aundria had “just come back to reapply here when all this came down.” Luera also stated he was looking forward to giving her old job back to her.
He never got the chance.
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