Members of Egypt Covington’s family have pressed the Van Buren Township Board of Trustees to turn the investigation of Egypt’s murder over to the Michigan State Police to solve. Letters to the board have increased in intensity over the last week.
At Tuesday’s Zoom meeting of the board, they again demanded the board turn the case over to MSP, while attacking Trustee Paul White and Clerk Leon Wright for comments they have made on the issue.
Supervisor Kevin McNamara, who is in charge of the public safety department, stood behind his professional law enforcement officials and refused their demand they give up the case to MSP.
Supervisor Kevin McNamara, who is in charge of the township, including the public safety department, stood behind his professional law enforcement officials and refused the demand they give up the case to MSP.
“We do not comment on active police investigations,” Supervisor McNamara said, adding the MSP has 100% of the file on the case, as do the investigators for the Wayne County Prosecutor’s office.
“We are not moving to a basement in Lansing with 25 other cases,” McNamara said.
He said the township is not going to let this case go cold and, “No, we are not giving this thing up.” When pressed, he said he would call Lt. Robert Weimer of the MSP as family members insisted.
We applaud Supervisor McNamara for standing with his professional law enforcement officers who are actively pursuing the solving of this case. Everyone wants to find Egypt’s killer.
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He needs to give this case to MSP. Egypt deserves more than for this to be some kind of pride case. They can’t get it solved, let fresh eyes take it over.
This is so sad that after 3 years that this case hasn’t went any further until Lindsay & D’Wayne really took charge and been speaking up !!!
The people want justice..The cops aren’t doing their job. McNamara can’t tell whether to scratch his watch or wind his butt.In the zoom meeting he looked like he could careless about this case. I think they won’t fully hand over the case cause it will prove the have done a crappy job from the minute they got on the crime scene or they are protecting their own.
This OPINION piece is total BS. Way to spin the truth! This paper is now just a rag piece of fake news. If you watched the zoom meeting at all you know this OPINION piece was written out of pure politics and not intended to promote justice. Why do you keep publishing lies?
What a terrible synopsis of the Township meeting! This article is misquoted, uniformed, and inaccurate. Please reach out to me for the FACTS.
FACTS!! Where are they coming up at VBT? This should go to Litigation!! Messed up! Lindsay Ann you got pages and pages, let’s see yours VBT!! Litigating over this cover up somewhere!
The Independent is just another rag publishing fake news. I wouldn’t use it to wipe my *ss! You were obviously watching a different zoom meeting but from your editorial it’s also apparent that you are part of the good ‘ol boys club that is VBPD!
Let’s look at some additional facts:
* How about Egypt’s chief investigator butt dialing one of the informant’s phone and then proceed to recklessly discuss the current murder case he was investigating? Fortunately the informant had enough common sense to record the conversation and pass it on to Egypt’s family. We knew about the murder before the victim’s family did. Ineptitude at its finest. Furthermore, no one has apologized to the victim’s family. Any consequences to said detective? Zip, zero, nada although he did remove the informant’s phone number from his device.
* Did you happen to miss McNamara laughing at the family during that zoom meeting? Great way to show compassion and that he actually gives a damn about solving Egypt’s murder.
* How about McNamara shutting down his trustees that suggested the case be turned over to MSP? Downright rude and unprofessional.
* How about them not doing a tower dump of cell phone usage in the area on the night of Egypt’s murder? They said they didn’t know what that was. My 10 yr old nephew knows what a tower dump is! What kind of detectives do they have working for them?
* Wright & White were not attacked. We simply wanted the “stupidness” comment addressed. So far we have I think 5 different explanations, all of which are BS! We know the truth!
* I guess I’d like the township to give us their definition of “cold”. It’s been 1157 days and they are no closer to solving it than the day they found her body. That is the real injustice here. MSP has the file but it does them no good unless VBPD gives them authority to use the information and actively investigate.
It’s clear you have no interest in bringing her murderers to justice as long as you continue to spew their rhetoric.
Why have a comment section when you have no plans to approve any to be posted?
I sit here wondering if u actually watched the Zoom. Because what we all saw is not what you have written. The attacks you speak of came from McNamara when trustee’s sided with family to turn this case over to MSP clearly McNamara was given the opportunity to do the right thing. Instead he literally laughed out loud when he was invited to become the hero in this investigation. He stated he has final say so. Ànd his answer is no. Tell me where that’s fair for everyone especially Egypt! Try to be honest when you write.. there are a lot of gullable people who do not investigate, and believe fake news and lies.
Rosemary,
How do you applaud a man who is refusing to seek help from Michigan State Police and turn the case over to them? The same man who is aiding in the fact that a murderer has lived free for three years now. The same man who very well could be feeding a coverup to save his own.
It’s disheartening to know you continue to print such words, just to play into local politics in an effort to earn a good standing with those in higher positions of the community. Division in this town is caused with every weekly paper you disburse. So many individuals have been hurt. I haven’t lived in Belleville for several years now, but it’s clear your old ways haven’t changed.
This is not journalism. This is repugnant and an embarrassment to those who have careers in the journalism field.
Perhaps you should do the proper investigative research and seek the truth on this matter. Or better yet, retire and let someone with higher standards and a moral compass be the voice of the community and the voice of Egypt’s justice.
Run a front page article about the facts of this case and the situation with McNamara, which is based on lies and corruption, while calling on McNamara to 100% hand Egypt’s case over to Michigan State Police so justice will be served. Egypt and her family deserve better than this. They have been enduring hell and have been for three years.
Isn’t the duty of journalism to be a voice in the community in an effort to do good and promote honesty and integrity? Try a little harder, Rosemary.
Leon Wright wasn’t “attacked” he was asked why he “accidentally” forgot to remove Egypt’s brother from a response to an email regarding his sister’s unsolved murder….that said….
And I quote “Is there anyway these emails to everyone can be blocked. I’m personally not interested in the stupidness.”
This article states that McNamara stands by his “Professional law enforcement officials” as he “refused the demand to give up the case to the MSP.”
These “professional law enforcement officials” are the same ones who BUTT DIALED someone WE KNOW from the scene of the homicide victim, found on Belleville and Quirk Rd on August 9th. We knew every single detail of that homicide, via the pocket of the investigator at the scene, before the family was ever notified that their loved one was missing, let alone had been murdered.
We have since been in contact with them. No officers contacted them to let them know that there had a breech of information, nor did they apologize for it. The person WE KNOW, who was BUTT DIALED by the investigator at the scene was also never contacted or apologized to, nor were they asked to keep everything they heard to themselves, as the family had not been notified yet. THANKFULLY, we were made aware of it and made sure it was not shared, as we understand the importance of sensitive information and wanted to make sure the family of the victim had every detail, before anyone was made aware of Van Buren’s massive screw up.
The only repercussion this investigator had that we were made aware of….was to “delete this PERSON’S number from their phone” as if their phone number existing in the investigator’s phone was to blame for his massive screw up.
Even Trustee Sherry Frazier asked, at this meeting….why not just give it to the state police?
Blind ignorance and pride is nothing to flaunt or be proud of.
I watched the zoom. His peers suggested to him that there were no valid reasons to not turn the case over to MSP. He laughed yes laughed and stated he was not going to do so. Very unprofessional and no solid reason was given (stating the case would sit in a basement in Lansing). He does not schedule work within the MSP. So his reason is strictly an opinion not a fact.
Rosemary I was wondering if you really watched the zoom meeting ? Nobody attacked anyone except McNamara attacking his board members for using their voices as that is what their job is ?
I will never ever pick up a copy of your BS again! How can you even actually publish such a horrible crap cover for a township POS supervisor!? How anyone could write this especially after his last zoom township hall and saw his assinign behavior? I wish you cared more for the victim than the township supervisor and I will definitely be looking for a conversation with you this week myself… Because I have a lot more to say to you and open your eyes to myself!
???? well said!!!
Why do I believe Belleville is going to be the backdrop of Netflix’s next series. Ineptitude, negligence, corruption, and scandal, and our Source of Record rag printing stories as reliable as the Enquirer. They need to bury it deeper so people don’t uncover the skeletons in the case.
If YOU WATCHED THE ZOOM CALL YOU WOULD SEE THE AMOUNTS OF DISRESPECT TO EGYPT AND HER FAMILY OVER AND OVER AGAIN!!! THAT CLOWN IS HIDING SOMETHING!! YOU DON’T LAUGH ABOUT A UNSOLVED MURDER CASE AND ACCORDING TO HIS EYE ROLLING AND YAWNING AS WELL HE CLEARLY DON’T KNOW WTF HIS “PROFESSIONAL” LAW ENFORCEMENT IS REALLY DOING PUTTING LIFES AT STAKE….. WHEN LINDSAY ANN SAID ON CRIME STOPPERS “NOBODY IS SAFE” SHES NOT KIDDING.. I THINK YALL TOOK THAT AS A JOKE!!
What in the hell is this?!? This is such a poorly written article and filled with more lies spewing from this pathetic township!
3 years of this family suffering!!!!! Then for you to write this bullshit is just further proving you and your colleagues ignorance! Continuing to down this family after what they’ve gone through is so disgusting, you should be ashamed of yourself!
We see how foolish you all are and what you’re willing to do to protect and hide the facts and truth. I can’t wait to see all you incompetent pieces of shit squirming when the truth is revealed and everyone knows how poorly you guys have handled this case!
Rosemary, this article shows how brown your nose is from being so far stuck up McNamara’s ass!
So how do we go about getting the Eagle to pick up Van Buren as the source of record? Is this something the community votes on, or do the corrupt politicians keep this POS around just because it’s willing to lie to make them look good?
I found this after hearing the Dateline podcast. I can’t believe anyone would defend reckless and feckless (yes, feckless) Supervision and Investigation of such a heinous murder. These men failed the victim and her family and ultimately the entire community miserably. They would have been diligent and seen the entire picture and fact pattern had they been true seasoned professionals and not narrow minded with tunnel vision. They zeroed in because they were LAZY. If Egypt had been one of their daughters or sister they would not have done arrogant cop-work. They needed to stick their egos in their pockets. I am so glad I don’t live there, and thank god for Lyndsay and D’Wayne. I hope heads rolled. And the County Clerk needed instant termination!!!!