| Joshua Whittier Is His Death Florida's Best Kept Secret? |
| Eagle Photo by Doug Domedion |
The following account of what happened to Josh Whittier is told by his Mother,
Melody.
My son died February 18, 2007. Joshua Michael Whittier had been in Miami for
three weeks putting together his Modeling Portfolio for Ford Models in Miami.
The past weeks had been busy ones for Josh. He worked in Mississippi and had
come home to Navarre for the weekend. This was his first paycheck since
turning 21, and it was Mardi Gras weekend.
On Februrary 18, 2007 at 6:30 am, someone called the police stating there was a
body on the beach. This was the morning after Mardi Gras in the town of Navarre,
Florida, known as "Florida's Best Kept Secret." I am told my son was found by a
pastor, what a blessing to me.
We were notified of his death by a note on his door asking us to call the Sheriff's
office. I called the number on the note and Detective Sloan said they needed my
husband and I to come to the Sheriff’s office right away. They had found a body
on the beach. We went immediately. We identified Josh, discussed the protocol
concerning Josh's body, went home, called family members, and were in shock.
The next day we went to the beach where Josh’s body was found. I found a
Corona beer bottle at the edge of the water. (We found out later that Josh had
been drinking Coronas that night) I picked it up thinking, could this be evidence?
So I kept the bottle, which I still have. We also found a pack of cigarettes near
where his body was found, the same brand he smoked.
I called the medical examiner, Andrea Minyard, a couple of days later to ask her
what she thought had happened to Josh. She explained to me about pulmonary
edema, and said that Josh could have drowned but we wouldn’t really know if he
had until the toxicology reports came back and that wouldn't be until the middle
of May. She told me that she thought that something else had happened to my
son, and that she was considering foul play. She thought maybe he was pushed
or fell.
For the first couple of weeks I accepted that Josh had probably drowned because
he had most likely had drank too much. But as I began learning more facts and
saw how the investigation was being handled, I started becoming concerned that
there was a lot more to his death than an "accidental drowning."
About two weeks after Josh’s death, Detective Sloan called me and told me that
she had Josh’s ID which had been found in Shawn C.’s truck. Detective Sloan
wanted to give it to me. She told me that they usually would keep it for evidence
but she thought that I would want it. I thought, “what happened to keeping it for
evidence?”
I spoke with Dr. Minyard again a couple of weeks later and told her that I was
frustrated with the investigation. She suggested that I call Detective Panchaud,
that he had just received a promotion and that he could probably help me. I
called him and scheduled an appointment with him two days later. When I walked
into his office, sitting in his office was Detective Sloan! I was polite and spoke
with both of them and explained to Detective Sloan that I didn’t have any ill will
towards her but that I was frustrated with some things regarding the
investigation. Detective Sloan stepped out of the office while Panchaud and I
discussed my concerns, then Sloan returned to the office.
Panchaud then told me that I had misunderstood the Medical Examiner and that
she (Dr. Minyard) had never said that she thought there was foul play in Josh’s
death. Sgt. Panchaud was not receptive to my concerns. Everything I brought up
to Detective Panchaud at this meeting, he brushed me off.
Panchaud then asked me as ”a courtesy to me” what I would like to see done on
this case. I was thinking to myself “as a courtesy? What happened to the
investigation?” But I asked him to find out how much beer Thomas and Josh
bought when they went to the Tom Thumb on Navarre Beach. I asked him to find
out what the last phone calls were showing on Josh’s phone records. I also
asked if he would find out if Ricky had been at the Mardi Gras festival, because
Ricky supposedly had ripped Josh off for some money earlier in the day. In the
police reports Detective Panchaud wrote up regarding this meeting, Detective
Panchaud says I made completely different requests that I did not even make,
and didn't write in the report the requests I DID make!
A couple of weeks later I spoke with Medical Examiner Minyard again and then
she said that we won’t know cause of death on Joshua, be it drowning,
hypothermia, or drugs, even when the toxicology reports come back.
I called Detective Sloan to let her know that I had received Josh’s final phone bill.
She asked me to fax it to her. I informed her that the last calls made were to our
main suspect. I asked her about questioning one individual again and possibly
having him take a lie detector test. She said, “I don’t like lie detector tests.” This
person was the first person at our house after the funeral, and he had never been
to our home before. He came up to speak to me all giddy, like he was high or
something, and said, "Hi, My name is Ricky, and I am the last one that talked to
Josh the night he died." I thought, “how does he know he was the last one to
talk to Josh that night?” After looking into that kid’s eyes, I will never forget the
strangest sensation came over me about him.
The story of what transpired that Saturday, February 17, 2007 as we (the family)
believe it was this: Josh and Thomas went to the beach around 11:30 Saturday
morning; they went to Tom Thumb and bought some beer. Thomas told
Detective Sloan he thinks Josh consumed about 15 beers that day. They hung
around the beach then went to Cocadries, a restaurant at Navarre Beach. The
guys were at the parade, and then went to Waffle House or Subway, it's not clear
which one. Josh was buying some pot and we have been told that Ricky took a
hundred dollar bill from Josh and took off with his money and Josh never got his
pot or his change back. The guys went to Juanas Pagoda after that, a bar at
Navarre Beach. About 7:30 pm a woman and her friend, saw Josh intoxicated,
and talked with him for quite some time. She stated that Josh was very
intoxicated and couldn't even hold his head up in the palm of his hand, but the
bartenders continued to serve him alcohol. This woman and her friend offered to
take Josh home but he didn’t want to go. They had decided to go to a bar in
Destin and said they would take him home on their way, but he wanted to go with
them to the bar instead. She told him no, she wasn’t going to drive all the way
back to Navarre to bring him home after that. She went around the bar asking
different people to keep an eye on Josh, then she and her friend left.
The bartenders were questioned at Juana’s Pagoda and they said they don’t
remember how many beers they served Josh but they remember he was
drinking Corona. None of the bartender’s stories match up to each other as far as
what they say happened.
Later that night we have a witness who met Josh at Juana’s. They talked for
some time. She said around 1:30 am, she saw Josh walk out one of the doors
with either Ricky or Davey, the other person went out the other door. Josh was
with Thomas, Ricky, Davey and Chris according to witnesses.
After that Thomas and Shawn say that Josh called Shawn to come pick he and
Thomas up at Juana's because they were too drunk to drive home. Thomas said
he didn’t know Josh had called Shawn. They say that Josh got into Shawn's truck
and got back out because Shawn was taking too long to get Thomas out of the
bar. Josh’s ID was found in Shawn’s truck. They say that Josh took off walking
towards the beach and they left. The phone records and testimonies do not
match up with what these young people are saying happened, including the
bartenders.
At around 3:30 am two people were delivering newspapers to Sailor’s Grill (a
restaurant connected to Juana’s) and ran into two people, one of them being the
main suspect, when they came walking from Juana’s to the parking lot and
scared the crap out of them. The delivery person said an eerie feeling came over
them when they ran into these two individuals. The newspaper delivery people
said they called the Sheriff multiple times over the next couple of days to tell
them this information and nobody would respond to their calls. Months later,
after the case had been closed, David Craig of Reality News did a photo line-up
for the newspaper delivery people and they identified one of the kids who was
seen leaving the bar with Josh at 1:30 am.
I believe Shawn brought cocaine for the kids to buy, because at one point he said
he wouldn’t come to the beach because he was with his kids, then he changed
his mind and came, why? I think they were doing the coke in the truck that is
why Josh’s ID was found in Shawn’s truck. It was way too windy to do any
cocaine outside.
I have statements from a person stating that Shawn came to their house between
5:30 and 6: 30 am to borrow a tire for his Mom’s blue Kia, at this time he
described to her Josh’s wounds, when Josh’s body hadn’t even been found yet!
Shawn used to share a truck with his brother who is a police officer. Was he
trying to get the truck out of the picture? I distinctly remember Detective Sloan
telling me Josh’s ID was found in Shawn's TRUCK. So this story doesn’t match
up.
Josh was found the following morning. In the police reports, it says his wallet
was found down the beach from his body, then it says it was found in Shawn’s
truck, empty. Detective Sloan did not seem concerned at all that it was found
empty, she said it probably washed out of his coat pocket. Seems to me it could
be a motive for a murder. I called Josh’s co-worker to ask him to describe the
wallet to me, it fit the description. A couple of days after Josh’s death his sweater
was found at Juana’s, under the steps. The main witness said to the bartender,
“you should wrap that up and give it to the police, it is evidence.” They put it in
the office and it has since disappeared. The bartender says he left it on the ice
chest outside - these stories don’t match. The bartenders who served Josh are
related to the owner of the bar. Josh had a knit style hat on that night, and it has
since disappeared. Nobody has followed up on this at all, where are Josh’s hat
and sweater?
Josh was found within 200 yards of Juana’s, just within the boundary line of the
property leased from the county. When he was found, his jacket and shirt were
up over his head, his knees were scraped up, his chin was scraped up, one side
of his chest, and his hands and fingers were scraped up, as if he were grabbing
at the sand. There were a lot of seashells in the area which probably caused his
fingers damage. His eyes and nose were full of sand. He was face down. It was
as if someone had drug him across the sand. We have pictures that the police
took of his body and it shows drag marks in the sand up to the body. We believe
that whoever was there, was trying to take his money, because they knew he
had a lot of money. They pushed him down and held him down too long and
suffocated him, not meaning to. They drug him down to the water to make it look
like he had drowned. Davey has even stated a similar scenario to people. He also
e-mailed my daughter (Josh’s sister) saying that Josh was drug to the water and
the people ran off and left him there. He even states this in the police reports.
Everyone who knew Josh says he wasn’t stupid. If he ever drank too much, he
always called somebody for help. He was very trusting. We think Josh was with
people he knew, and that’s how this happened. Everyone who knows Josh says
the entire thing is just weird.
About three weeks after Josh died, I received a call from Josh’s girlfriend around
midnight. She said that a guy was on his way over to her house and that he said
he had been told from his friend that had been at a party that Ricky had told him
that he killed Josh. He was bragging that it was a drug deal gone bad, and they
ended up killing him. When this man got to her house they called me back and I
talked to him. I immediately called Detective Panchaud’s cell phone thinking it
was Sgt. Johnson’s and left a message stating I didn’t know what to do,
explaining this kid’s statements, and asking for him to please call me, he NEVER
did. The next morning I met with this individual and we went to the sheriff’s
office. Detective Sloan took his statement. This young man was very kind and
told me he'd do anything he could to help. He also asked me not to tell anyone
that he had come forward because he was afraid that somebody had a gun.
Within 30 minutes he called me saying his friend wanted to make a statement to
the police about the individual that had made comments about killing Josh to
him. I immediately called Detective Sloan and she wouldn’t pick up her phone.
After that I couldn’t get in touch with the young men. I called Sgt. Johnson to let
him know what was going on, he said they’d set up a drug situation to try and
arrest this person and give him a lie detector test, but NOTHING was ever done.
Eventually, the State Attorney’s office put David Rimmer who is an assistant to
the State Attorney on the case, because I kept complaining to the higher
authorities on how this case was being handled. Phone records were never
even checked.
WEBY Radio Station conducted an interview with Detective Panchaud and David
Craig (news reporter with Reality News) and the State Attorney’s assistant, David
Rimmer. Rimmer didn’t even show up, and Panchaud spent the entire time
ripping David Craig. David Craig has done nothing but help with my son’s case,
spending endless hours researching information trying to find out what
happened to my son. I was told that Detective Panchaud was very nervous and
was shaking and chain smoking while waiting to be interviewed. I wonder why?
Sgt. Panchaud made the comment that David Craig is stressing my family by not
allowing closure, because he won’t leave this case alone. My family’s stress is
caused from the obvious negligence in the investigation of my son’s murder,
certainly NOT by David Craig’s investigative reporting. Recently Sgt. Panchaud
has stepped down from his new position in the Crimes Division Unit which
originally was a promotion. Why?
Why aren’t people working together on this? I thought the police were here to
serve the community, I don’t see that happening in Santa Rosa County. The State
Attorney’s assistant David Rimmer told me that the Sheriff’s department's job is
to investigate crimes in his county. The Sheriff is supposed to preserve the
peace and public order and enforce criminal law and to prevent and detect crime
and provide security for the courts.
The Medical examiner said that she would change the ruling in Josh’s death from
accidental drowning to homicide if we had more evidence turn up. We have had
a lot more evidence and now Dr. Minyard says that she will have to see what the
DA and Detective Panchaud say. Dr. Minyard has absolved herself from any
obligation to correct her errors or take responsibility for her job.
Main Points to Ponder:
1. Josh’s phone turned on, which it wouldn’t have had it been in the water for any
length of time. His phone was in his jacket pocket.
2. There were blood stains on Josh’s pants, the Medical Examiner or the police
weren’t even aware of them, and again: had Josh been in the water for any
length of time this would have washed out. DNA tests were never performed on
the blood stains.
3. We have photos of drag marks up to where the body was found. All of the
injuries on Josh’s body coincide with if he had been drug in the sand face down
which would not have happened if he just passed out and drowned.
4. We have a witness stating she saw Josh leave with our main suspect at 1:30
am. One of these main suspects was under house arrest at the time and nothing
has been done about this.
5. The statements from the last people who were with Josh say he fell off the
floating dock. The direction of the winds do not work with this scenario. If he fell
off the dock he would have been in the opposite direction of where his body was
found. If Josh drowned, why were there a Corona beer bottle and pack of
cigarettes near the body?
6. We have a witness that was there when the police arrived at the scene, he
says Josh wasn’t in the water and didn’t look like he had been in the water. The
person who first found Josh said the same thing.
7. We have a witness stating she saw Josh with two individuals who were being
served alcohol that were under age at the bar, and these individuals are the main
suspects that we believe killed my son. Nothing has been done about this.
People are constantly over-served at the bar. The bartenders who were serving
these underage kids and Josh, are related to the owner of the bar.
8. One person evaded the police and multiple people have lied to the police and
nothing has been done about this.
9. No one was questioned about the truck that was seen earlier in the day. Is this
truck Shawn’s, where Josh’s ID was found? Shawn is related to a law
enforcement officer. Is this why there is a cover up? Shawn has recently left the
state.
10. Josh’s belongings, which were evidence, were released prematurely.
11. The Medical Examiner has destroyed evidence on this case. She originally
took nasal swabs to see if there was sand in Josh's nose. However, the lab said
she didn't label them properly and threw them out, thus evidence was
destroyed. She also failed to include some of Josh’s clothing in her reports. She
failed to have the reports completed in a timely manner. Andrea Minyard has
been fired from District 14 in the past for being incompetent. She includes
statements from other people in her autopsy reports which is unheard of.
12. Nobody identified Josh’s wallet. And his hat and sweater are still missing.
13. Main witnesses weren’t even questioned.
14. We have too much suspicious evidence pointing to foul play and think it
should be ruled a homicide and investigated as such.
15. I spoke with Chris, who he says he feels that Josh was suffocated, how would
he know this?
16. Juana’s has told our main witness she isn’t welcome there anymore. That is
when I confronted the owner. I said, “this lady is trying to help my family and
you are going to treat her like that?” He picked up the phone and started to call
the police to tell me I couldn’t go there any more!!!!! I told him, “we know what
happened to Josh that night.” He looked at me, looked to the ground and would
not look me in the eye again.
17. When I got into town after the incident above, I called the Sheriff and the
Medical Examiner each three times to ask them to sit down with me and discuss
Josh’s case in a professional manner; they won’t return my phone calls.
18. We had Josh’s pants checked by an FBI forensics specialist because we
believe that the blood is from the outside, meaning it is somebody else’s blood,
meaning he was murdered. It has been proven the blood is from the outside.
19. The Sheriff’s office conducted a police line up with photos with a key witness
months after Josh’s death, but didn’t bother to include the two main suspects.
20. Statistics for a drowning that have occurred in shallow waters show they
usually are not an accident.
21. The bar is required by the county to have had $300,000.00 in alcohol liability
insurance because they lease this property form the county. They didn’t have
this as required BY LAW at the time of Josh’s death and nothing has been done
about this either.
22. Recently the bar, Juana's Pagoda has given me a no trespassing warning so
that I can no longer go to their bar, because I was talking about my son's death to
one of the bartenders who served Josh the night he died. Chris, the bartender,
was very agitated and shaken throughout the entire conversation. This
individual is the one who last had Josh's sweater. They are very defensive at
Juana's.
23. I have recently been informed that Detective Sloan is very good friends with
Thomas, the individual that spent the entire day with Josh. Isn't this a conflict of
interest, and shouldn't she have removed herself from the investigation because
of this?
24. I have had three forensic specialists and three private detectives look at this
case, and they are all in agreement with me...my son, Joshua Michael Whitter did
not "accidentally drown."
Joshua had a 4.0 grade point average in school. He had two scholarships to
college, he was a recreational drug user. Josh was a hard working individual.
Any one who knew him would say what a kind hearted and respectful person he
was. I believe just because an individual uses drugs, that does not make them
any less of a person. Yes Josh made some bad choices the night he died, but I
still love my son. Too many people are so judgemental. I guess they walk on
water though.
I have been told by the Commission of Ethics committee that I don’t have any
valid complaints, that these public servants are immune. I was told that the
Sheriff’s department can be as negligent as they want! I am told that to file a
complaint you have to have a blatant act of corruption. So who do you go to
when the public servants aren’t doing their jobs?
I am horrified with the laws in Florida. Restaurants and Bars are only held
responsible if a bartender knowingly serves a person with a drinking problem,
but if you have a dog and get rid of it you are held responsible for his behavior
for two years.
The county leases the property to the bar where my son lost his life. Should the
county be held responsible for my son’s death since no one is holding the bar
responsible for anything at this point? I have spoken to so many people in the
town of Navarre Florida and they have told me of similar situations where
someone has died or had an accident and nothing gets investigated properly and
everything gets swept under the rug. I do not understand why. I am concerned
that no one is checking into the negligence and errors involving the Medical
Examiner and the Sheriff’s Department. Negligence is a sign of corruption. It has
been hard enough to lose my precious son, but to have to do all of this
investigating myself and to see the corruption in Santa Rosa County has been an
absolute nightmare.
I don’t understand why no one is doing anything. Is it because the police
screwed up so bad that they don’t know what to do? Is it because an individual
possibly involved in Josh’s death is related to a law enforcement officer? Is it
because of a drug ring they are afraid to confront? Do they think the bad
publicity would affect tourism? Or is it all of the above?
I hope justice is served for the sake of my son but also for the people of Santa
Rosa County.
The most important thing in all of this is I hope these people find salvation. To
have no hope and carry around the burden of killing someone must be
unbearable. And for the law enforcement officers and medical examiners who
must know they are taking part in covering up a crime, the burden must be on
their consciences also.
I'm asking for the public's help in contacting people and agencies that might
make a difference in Josh's case. Please take a minute to contact the people
listed and help find justice for Josh. We don't want "Florida's Best Kept Secret"
to be what really happened to Josh.
Originally Published to this website 5/16/2008
Melody.
My son died February 18, 2007. Joshua Michael Whittier had been in Miami for
three weeks putting together his Modeling Portfolio for Ford Models in Miami.
The past weeks had been busy ones for Josh. He worked in Mississippi and had
come home to Navarre for the weekend. This was his first paycheck since
turning 21, and it was Mardi Gras weekend.
On Februrary 18, 2007 at 6:30 am, someone called the police stating there was a
body on the beach. This was the morning after Mardi Gras in the town of Navarre,
Florida, known as "Florida's Best Kept Secret." I am told my son was found by a
pastor, what a blessing to me.
We were notified of his death by a note on his door asking us to call the Sheriff's
office. I called the number on the note and Detective Sloan said they needed my
husband and I to come to the Sheriff’s office right away. They had found a body
on the beach. We went immediately. We identified Josh, discussed the protocol
concerning Josh's body, went home, called family members, and were in shock.
The next day we went to the beach where Josh’s body was found. I found a
Corona beer bottle at the edge of the water. (We found out later that Josh had
been drinking Coronas that night) I picked it up thinking, could this be evidence?
So I kept the bottle, which I still have. We also found a pack of cigarettes near
where his body was found, the same brand he smoked.
I called the medical examiner, Andrea Minyard, a couple of days later to ask her
what she thought had happened to Josh. She explained to me about pulmonary
edema, and said that Josh could have drowned but we wouldn’t really know if he
had until the toxicology reports came back and that wouldn't be until the middle
of May. She told me that she thought that something else had happened to my
son, and that she was considering foul play. She thought maybe he was pushed
or fell.
For the first couple of weeks I accepted that Josh had probably drowned because
he had most likely had drank too much. But as I began learning more facts and
saw how the investigation was being handled, I started becoming concerned that
there was a lot more to his death than an "accidental drowning."
About two weeks after Josh’s death, Detective Sloan called me and told me that
she had Josh’s ID which had been found in Shawn C.’s truck. Detective Sloan
wanted to give it to me. She told me that they usually would keep it for evidence
but she thought that I would want it. I thought, “what happened to keeping it for
evidence?”
I spoke with Dr. Minyard again a couple of weeks later and told her that I was
frustrated with the investigation. She suggested that I call Detective Panchaud,
that he had just received a promotion and that he could probably help me. I
called him and scheduled an appointment with him two days later. When I walked
into his office, sitting in his office was Detective Sloan! I was polite and spoke
with both of them and explained to Detective Sloan that I didn’t have any ill will
towards her but that I was frustrated with some things regarding the
investigation. Detective Sloan stepped out of the office while Panchaud and I
discussed my concerns, then Sloan returned to the office.
Panchaud then told me that I had misunderstood the Medical Examiner and that
she (Dr. Minyard) had never said that she thought there was foul play in Josh’s
death. Sgt. Panchaud was not receptive to my concerns. Everything I brought up
to Detective Panchaud at this meeting, he brushed me off.
Panchaud then asked me as ”a courtesy to me” what I would like to see done on
this case. I was thinking to myself “as a courtesy? What happened to the
investigation?” But I asked him to find out how much beer Thomas and Josh
bought when they went to the Tom Thumb on Navarre Beach. I asked him to find
out what the last phone calls were showing on Josh’s phone records. I also
asked if he would find out if Ricky had been at the Mardi Gras festival, because
Ricky supposedly had ripped Josh off for some money earlier in the day. In the
police reports Detective Panchaud wrote up regarding this meeting, Detective
Panchaud says I made completely different requests that I did not even make,
and didn't write in the report the requests I DID make!
A couple of weeks later I spoke with Medical Examiner Minyard again and then
she said that we won’t know cause of death on Joshua, be it drowning,
hypothermia, or drugs, even when the toxicology reports come back.
I called Detective Sloan to let her know that I had received Josh’s final phone bill.
She asked me to fax it to her. I informed her that the last calls made were to our
main suspect. I asked her about questioning one individual again and possibly
having him take a lie detector test. She said, “I don’t like lie detector tests.” This
person was the first person at our house after the funeral, and he had never been
to our home before. He came up to speak to me all giddy, like he was high or
something, and said, "Hi, My name is Ricky, and I am the last one that talked to
Josh the night he died." I thought, “how does he know he was the last one to
talk to Josh that night?” After looking into that kid’s eyes, I will never forget the
strangest sensation came over me about him.
The story of what transpired that Saturday, February 17, 2007 as we (the family)
believe it was this: Josh and Thomas went to the beach around 11:30 Saturday
morning; they went to Tom Thumb and bought some beer. Thomas told
Detective Sloan he thinks Josh consumed about 15 beers that day. They hung
around the beach then went to Cocadries, a restaurant at Navarre Beach. The
guys were at the parade, and then went to Waffle House or Subway, it's not clear
which one. Josh was buying some pot and we have been told that Ricky took a
hundred dollar bill from Josh and took off with his money and Josh never got his
pot or his change back. The guys went to Juanas Pagoda after that, a bar at
Navarre Beach. About 7:30 pm a woman and her friend, saw Josh intoxicated,
and talked with him for quite some time. She stated that Josh was very
intoxicated and couldn't even hold his head up in the palm of his hand, but the
bartenders continued to serve him alcohol. This woman and her friend offered to
take Josh home but he didn’t want to go. They had decided to go to a bar in
Destin and said they would take him home on their way, but he wanted to go with
them to the bar instead. She told him no, she wasn’t going to drive all the way
back to Navarre to bring him home after that. She went around the bar asking
different people to keep an eye on Josh, then she and her friend left.
The bartenders were questioned at Juana’s Pagoda and they said they don’t
remember how many beers they served Josh but they remember he was
drinking Corona. None of the bartender’s stories match up to each other as far as
what they say happened.
Later that night we have a witness who met Josh at Juana’s. They talked for
some time. She said around 1:30 am, she saw Josh walk out one of the doors
with either Ricky or Davey, the other person went out the other door. Josh was
with Thomas, Ricky, Davey and Chris according to witnesses.
After that Thomas and Shawn say that Josh called Shawn to come pick he and
Thomas up at Juana's because they were too drunk to drive home. Thomas said
he didn’t know Josh had called Shawn. They say that Josh got into Shawn's truck
and got back out because Shawn was taking too long to get Thomas out of the
bar. Josh’s ID was found in Shawn’s truck. They say that Josh took off walking
towards the beach and they left. The phone records and testimonies do not
match up with what these young people are saying happened, including the
bartenders.
At around 3:30 am two people were delivering newspapers to Sailor’s Grill (a
restaurant connected to Juana’s) and ran into two people, one of them being the
main suspect, when they came walking from Juana’s to the parking lot and
scared the crap out of them. The delivery person said an eerie feeling came over
them when they ran into these two individuals. The newspaper delivery people
said they called the Sheriff multiple times over the next couple of days to tell
them this information and nobody would respond to their calls. Months later,
after the case had been closed, David Craig of Reality News did a photo line-up
for the newspaper delivery people and they identified one of the kids who was
seen leaving the bar with Josh at 1:30 am.
I believe Shawn brought cocaine for the kids to buy, because at one point he said
he wouldn’t come to the beach because he was with his kids, then he changed
his mind and came, why? I think they were doing the coke in the truck that is
why Josh’s ID was found in Shawn’s truck. It was way too windy to do any
cocaine outside.
I have statements from a person stating that Shawn came to their house between
5:30 and 6: 30 am to borrow a tire for his Mom’s blue Kia, at this time he
described to her Josh’s wounds, when Josh’s body hadn’t even been found yet!
Shawn used to share a truck with his brother who is a police officer. Was he
trying to get the truck out of the picture? I distinctly remember Detective Sloan
telling me Josh’s ID was found in Shawn's TRUCK. So this story doesn’t match
up.
Josh was found the following morning. In the police reports, it says his wallet
was found down the beach from his body, then it says it was found in Shawn’s
truck, empty. Detective Sloan did not seem concerned at all that it was found
empty, she said it probably washed out of his coat pocket. Seems to me it could
be a motive for a murder. I called Josh’s co-worker to ask him to describe the
wallet to me, it fit the description. A couple of days after Josh’s death his sweater
was found at Juana’s, under the steps. The main witness said to the bartender,
“you should wrap that up and give it to the police, it is evidence.” They put it in
the office and it has since disappeared. The bartender says he left it on the ice
chest outside - these stories don’t match. The bartenders who served Josh are
related to the owner of the bar. Josh had a knit style hat on that night, and it has
since disappeared. Nobody has followed up on this at all, where are Josh’s hat
and sweater?
Josh was found within 200 yards of Juana’s, just within the boundary line of the
property leased from the county. When he was found, his jacket and shirt were
up over his head, his knees were scraped up, his chin was scraped up, one side
of his chest, and his hands and fingers were scraped up, as if he were grabbing
at the sand. There were a lot of seashells in the area which probably caused his
fingers damage. His eyes and nose were full of sand. He was face down. It was
as if someone had drug him across the sand. We have pictures that the police
took of his body and it shows drag marks in the sand up to the body. We believe
that whoever was there, was trying to take his money, because they knew he
had a lot of money. They pushed him down and held him down too long and
suffocated him, not meaning to. They drug him down to the water to make it look
like he had drowned. Davey has even stated a similar scenario to people. He also
e-mailed my daughter (Josh’s sister) saying that Josh was drug to the water and
the people ran off and left him there. He even states this in the police reports.
Everyone who knew Josh says he wasn’t stupid. If he ever drank too much, he
always called somebody for help. He was very trusting. We think Josh was with
people he knew, and that’s how this happened. Everyone who knows Josh says
the entire thing is just weird.
About three weeks after Josh died, I received a call from Josh’s girlfriend around
midnight. She said that a guy was on his way over to her house and that he said
he had been told from his friend that had been at a party that Ricky had told him
that he killed Josh. He was bragging that it was a drug deal gone bad, and they
ended up killing him. When this man got to her house they called me back and I
talked to him. I immediately called Detective Panchaud’s cell phone thinking it
was Sgt. Johnson’s and left a message stating I didn’t know what to do,
explaining this kid’s statements, and asking for him to please call me, he NEVER
did. The next morning I met with this individual and we went to the sheriff’s
office. Detective Sloan took his statement. This young man was very kind and
told me he'd do anything he could to help. He also asked me not to tell anyone
that he had come forward because he was afraid that somebody had a gun.
Within 30 minutes he called me saying his friend wanted to make a statement to
the police about the individual that had made comments about killing Josh to
him. I immediately called Detective Sloan and she wouldn’t pick up her phone.
After that I couldn’t get in touch with the young men. I called Sgt. Johnson to let
him know what was going on, he said they’d set up a drug situation to try and
arrest this person and give him a lie detector test, but NOTHING was ever done.
Eventually, the State Attorney’s office put David Rimmer who is an assistant to
the State Attorney on the case, because I kept complaining to the higher
authorities on how this case was being handled. Phone records were never
even checked.
WEBY Radio Station conducted an interview with Detective Panchaud and David
Craig (news reporter with Reality News) and the State Attorney’s assistant, David
Rimmer. Rimmer didn’t even show up, and Panchaud spent the entire time
ripping David Craig. David Craig has done nothing but help with my son’s case,
spending endless hours researching information trying to find out what
happened to my son. I was told that Detective Panchaud was very nervous and
was shaking and chain smoking while waiting to be interviewed. I wonder why?
Sgt. Panchaud made the comment that David Craig is stressing my family by not
allowing closure, because he won’t leave this case alone. My family’s stress is
caused from the obvious negligence in the investigation of my son’s murder,
certainly NOT by David Craig’s investigative reporting. Recently Sgt. Panchaud
has stepped down from his new position in the Crimes Division Unit which
originally was a promotion. Why?
Why aren’t people working together on this? I thought the police were here to
serve the community, I don’t see that happening in Santa Rosa County. The State
Attorney’s assistant David Rimmer told me that the Sheriff’s department's job is
to investigate crimes in his county. The Sheriff is supposed to preserve the
peace and public order and enforce criminal law and to prevent and detect crime
and provide security for the courts.
The Medical examiner said that she would change the ruling in Josh’s death from
accidental drowning to homicide if we had more evidence turn up. We have had
a lot more evidence and now Dr. Minyard says that she will have to see what the
DA and Detective Panchaud say. Dr. Minyard has absolved herself from any
obligation to correct her errors or take responsibility for her job.
Main Points to Ponder:
1. Josh’s phone turned on, which it wouldn’t have had it been in the water for any
length of time. His phone was in his jacket pocket.
2. There were blood stains on Josh’s pants, the Medical Examiner or the police
weren’t even aware of them, and again: had Josh been in the water for any
length of time this would have washed out. DNA tests were never performed on
the blood stains.
3. We have photos of drag marks up to where the body was found. All of the
injuries on Josh’s body coincide with if he had been drug in the sand face down
which would not have happened if he just passed out and drowned.
4. We have a witness stating she saw Josh leave with our main suspect at 1:30
am. One of these main suspects was under house arrest at the time and nothing
has been done about this.
5. The statements from the last people who were with Josh say he fell off the
floating dock. The direction of the winds do not work with this scenario. If he fell
off the dock he would have been in the opposite direction of where his body was
found. If Josh drowned, why were there a Corona beer bottle and pack of
cigarettes near the body?
6. We have a witness that was there when the police arrived at the scene, he
says Josh wasn’t in the water and didn’t look like he had been in the water. The
person who first found Josh said the same thing.
7. We have a witness stating she saw Josh with two individuals who were being
served alcohol that were under age at the bar, and these individuals are the main
suspects that we believe killed my son. Nothing has been done about this.
People are constantly over-served at the bar. The bartenders who were serving
these underage kids and Josh, are related to the owner of the bar.
8. One person evaded the police and multiple people have lied to the police and
nothing has been done about this.
9. No one was questioned about the truck that was seen earlier in the day. Is this
truck Shawn’s, where Josh’s ID was found? Shawn is related to a law
enforcement officer. Is this why there is a cover up? Shawn has recently left the
state.
10. Josh’s belongings, which were evidence, were released prematurely.
11. The Medical Examiner has destroyed evidence on this case. She originally
took nasal swabs to see if there was sand in Josh's nose. However, the lab said
she didn't label them properly and threw them out, thus evidence was
destroyed. She also failed to include some of Josh’s clothing in her reports. She
failed to have the reports completed in a timely manner. Andrea Minyard has
been fired from District 14 in the past for being incompetent. She includes
statements from other people in her autopsy reports which is unheard of.
12. Nobody identified Josh’s wallet. And his hat and sweater are still missing.
13. Main witnesses weren’t even questioned.
14. We have too much suspicious evidence pointing to foul play and think it
should be ruled a homicide and investigated as such.
15. I spoke with Chris, who he says he feels that Josh was suffocated, how would
he know this?
16. Juana’s has told our main witness she isn’t welcome there anymore. That is
when I confronted the owner. I said, “this lady is trying to help my family and
you are going to treat her like that?” He picked up the phone and started to call
the police to tell me I couldn’t go there any more!!!!! I told him, “we know what
happened to Josh that night.” He looked at me, looked to the ground and would
not look me in the eye again.
17. When I got into town after the incident above, I called the Sheriff and the
Medical Examiner each three times to ask them to sit down with me and discuss
Josh’s case in a professional manner; they won’t return my phone calls.
18. We had Josh’s pants checked by an FBI forensics specialist because we
believe that the blood is from the outside, meaning it is somebody else’s blood,
meaning he was murdered. It has been proven the blood is from the outside.
19. The Sheriff’s office conducted a police line up with photos with a key witness
months after Josh’s death, but didn’t bother to include the two main suspects.
20. Statistics for a drowning that have occurred in shallow waters show they
usually are not an accident.
21. The bar is required by the county to have had $300,000.00 in alcohol liability
insurance because they lease this property form the county. They didn’t have
this as required BY LAW at the time of Josh’s death and nothing has been done
about this either.
22. Recently the bar, Juana's Pagoda has given me a no trespassing warning so
that I can no longer go to their bar, because I was talking about my son's death to
one of the bartenders who served Josh the night he died. Chris, the bartender,
was very agitated and shaken throughout the entire conversation. This
individual is the one who last had Josh's sweater. They are very defensive at
Juana's.
23. I have recently been informed that Detective Sloan is very good friends with
Thomas, the individual that spent the entire day with Josh. Isn't this a conflict of
interest, and shouldn't she have removed herself from the investigation because
of this?
24. I have had three forensic specialists and three private detectives look at this
case, and they are all in agreement with me...my son, Joshua Michael Whitter did
not "accidentally drown."
Joshua had a 4.0 grade point average in school. He had two scholarships to
college, he was a recreational drug user. Josh was a hard working individual.
Any one who knew him would say what a kind hearted and respectful person he
was. I believe just because an individual uses drugs, that does not make them
any less of a person. Yes Josh made some bad choices the night he died, but I
still love my son. Too many people are so judgemental. I guess they walk on
water though.
I have been told by the Commission of Ethics committee that I don’t have any
valid complaints, that these public servants are immune. I was told that the
Sheriff’s department can be as negligent as they want! I am told that to file a
complaint you have to have a blatant act of corruption. So who do you go to
when the public servants aren’t doing their jobs?
I am horrified with the laws in Florida. Restaurants and Bars are only held
responsible if a bartender knowingly serves a person with a drinking problem,
but if you have a dog and get rid of it you are held responsible for his behavior
for two years.
The county leases the property to the bar where my son lost his life. Should the
county be held responsible for my son’s death since no one is holding the bar
responsible for anything at this point? I have spoken to so many people in the
town of Navarre Florida and they have told me of similar situations where
someone has died or had an accident and nothing gets investigated properly and
everything gets swept under the rug. I do not understand why. I am concerned
that no one is checking into the negligence and errors involving the Medical
Examiner and the Sheriff’s Department. Negligence is a sign of corruption. It has
been hard enough to lose my precious son, but to have to do all of this
investigating myself and to see the corruption in Santa Rosa County has been an
absolute nightmare.
I don’t understand why no one is doing anything. Is it because the police
screwed up so bad that they don’t know what to do? Is it because an individual
possibly involved in Josh’s death is related to a law enforcement officer? Is it
because of a drug ring they are afraid to confront? Do they think the bad
publicity would affect tourism? Or is it all of the above?
I hope justice is served for the sake of my son but also for the people of Santa
Rosa County.
The most important thing in all of this is I hope these people find salvation. To
have no hope and carry around the burden of killing someone must be
unbearable. And for the law enforcement officers and medical examiners who
must know they are taking part in covering up a crime, the burden must be on
their consciences also.
I'm asking for the public's help in contacting people and agencies that might
make a difference in Josh's case. Please take a minute to contact the people
listed and help find justice for Josh. We don't want "Florida's Best Kept Secret"
to be what really happened to Josh.
Originally Published to this website 5/16/2008
| Florida's Best Kept Secret? Was Joshua Whittier Killed on February 18, 2007? |
| Please view these videos produced by Reality News to gain more insight into Josh's case. |
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| The Murder of Joshua Whittier - Part 1 of 4 |
| The Murder of Joshua Whittier - Part 2 of 4 |
| The Murder of Joshua Whittier - Part 3 of 4 |
| The Murder of Joshua Whittier - Part 4 of 4 |
| The Murder of Joshua Whittier - Update Part 1 of 2 - August 2007 |
| The Murder of Joshua Whittier - Update Part 2 of 2 - August 2007 |
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| On May 21, 2008, after 15 months, Joshua Whittier's case was reopened...according to the Santa Rosa County Sheriff's office. However, not much has been done so far, as far as we can tell. Story in the Northwest Florida Daily News, May 21, 2008 |
Contact the TIP LINE scrolling across the top of this page, or contact Josh's mother, by emailing her at: melodygrell@yahoo.com |
| Joshua's family is wondering: Is there JUSTICE in the system, or JUST US in the system? |
| Joshua's family has had to request DNA testing, ask that photo line-ups be conducted, and request that phone records of certain individuals be these things done in an investigation? Shouldn't law enforcement be doing this on their own if they are why hasn't this been put on Crime Stoppers? All of has made us wonder if this case is REALLY being INVESTIGATED, or if it is just lip service. |
| July 15, 2008 - The Florida Governor's Office of Legal Affairs agreed to look into how Joshua's case has been handled. However, a few days later he told Joshua's mother "there is nothing we can do." |
| December 5, 2008 - Joshua's mother was a guest on a radio program and told the host, Click here to hear the broadcast. Advance to 23:35 to hear the segment about Joshua. After speaking to Melody, (Joshua's mother,) Dana Petzer said, "this case deserves a proper investigation." Robin Sax, a prosecutor from Los Angeles who was on the broadcast by phone, she said she doesn't know why this case is closed. She thinks there should be an ongoing investigation also. |
| - A retired 30 year veteran homicide investigator out of Miami has examined the evidence in Josh's case, and has stated it is "probable homicide." |
| Click HERE to hear the July 28, 2008 broadcast on blogtalkradio about Joshua's death. |
| December 24, 2009 - NBC NEWS report on NEW INVESTIGATION into Josh's Death. |
| January 3, 2010 - Northwest Florida Daily News article about ongoing investigation into Josh's death. |
| If you have any information regarding this case, please phone the tip line at 850-637-5574 |
| As of August 1, 2011, SIX independent investigators have concluded that Joshua's death was most likely HOMICIDE and NOT accidental drowning. |
| If you have any information regarding this case, please phone the tip line at 850-637-5574 |