A Special Post By Susan-Murphy-Milano
Another woman vanishes. This time the young mother of 2 children, ages 3 and 5, while walking to the mailbox in front of her parents home, still in her pajamas, is abducted.
Venus Stewart has been missing since the morning of April 26, 2010. If you have learned anything from this site it is that I do not jump to conclusions. There are many cases of missing women and those found murdered that you do not see written about here because of various information I am unable to obtain about the case at the time. And sticking my neck out without the facts or restricted information is not healthy to the victims nor their families. But, bringing their case,s whenever possible, to the public's attention and those who are in a relationship with an abusive person is the very least we can each do in hopes of preventing another tragedy.
My work and expertise is based solely on 20 years with these cases of intimate partner violence, police officer abuse within the home, stalking, domestic violence and homicide.
The case of missing Venus Stewart has many scratching their heads, with the exception of law enforcement and few others, myself included. The estranged husband was in another state and by car he would have had to drive 13 hours there (maybe he rented a car or borrowed one) and 13 hours back by the time police questioned him after Venus was abducted.
Lets get out my note book on this case-
Fact: the couple was going through a divorce;
Fact: the couple was going through a major custody battle;
Fact: Venus moved out of the marital residence in Virgina and into her parents home in Michigan;
Fact: The couple had 2 children;
Fact: Vensus Stewart had obtained numerous police reports;
Fact: Vensus Stewart had obtained a minimum of 2 orders of protection from a judge;
Fact: She told friends and family she was in fear for her life from this man;
Fact: According to Venus and in court orders of protection she informed the courts her life was in danger.
It is possible that someone was hired by the estranged husband the day Vensus was abducted. This reminds me of another recent case where the person of interest was in another location, a casino, gambling, at the time of the murders. Allegedly, a month before the shooting, Johnny Borizov hired his best friend, Jacob Nodarse to kill Angela and her parents. The evening of the shooting, Borizov was at a Joliet casino, captured on casino video, which he could conveniently claim as an air-tight alibi. According to sealed DuPage County court documents, Angela and Borizov had been scheduled to appear at a hearing a week after the killings. To read the case go here.
Police are looking for a man, in the Venus Stewart disappearance, who people in the rural town saw hanging around the day before and thought it was suspicious. And police have issued a sketch of the man. Could this person have been hired by the estranged husband to help the day Venus was abducted? At this point, no one seems to know that answer. 
Now, if I am an angry abuser, not wanting the person with whom I am in a realtionship with to leave, and I have a violent temper, I am going to boil over like hot liquid on a stove. And, as an abuser, I have a lot of time to think out a plan of action. I am going to threaten the person where no one else can hear me. I will make a victim's life unbearable in mediation meetings with mental health evaluators, while sitting dressed neatly and showing the world what a wonderful person I am. The moment the session is over I will shoot those looks of "now you did it" and "you are going to pay for this." Next, as custody is being determined, as an abuser I am outraged and say to myself, "she is not getting away with this alive."
I then, as the abuser, figure out where to get that "handbook" available to members only in an e-book format that the recently formed "secret society of abusers" are all reading titled, "How to Get Away With the Ultimate Murder," author unknown.
For some abusers, in my expert opinion, the "handbook" has worked in cases where the victim has vanished without a trace. There must be a chapter in the "handbook" on how to correctly lawyer up, as you will notice each "person of interest" no longer cooperates with authorities, often hiring a fairly skilled defense attorney, almost immediately. Thelegal hired gun acts as the shield or the mouth piece for the only person, once again in my expert opinion, behind the vanishing act of their loved one.
Isn't it rather strange that the victim is often the mother of their children, estranged wife or former girlfriend. And, more often than not, they are going thru a divorce or custody battle. And, yes, I need to mention that a person is innocent until proven guilty.
Every single one of these cases has a common theme, the person has been erased from the planet. And a common theme does not make one guilty of the crime. But, it is highly unusual that the person with whom the relationship has ended does not have a motive. The facts, although circumstantial, do carry a lot of weight, but, often not enough for a grand jury indictment unless you have a body.
So, I offer the following suggestions to law enforcement in this case where the "handbook" has obviously been downloaded:
First obtain a search warrant for all computers both business, personal, close friends and perhaps those of a relative, too.
Gas receipts, credit cards used within that time period must be gathered.
Unusual purchases at hardware and drugstores.
Where was the person 72 hours prior to the abduction? Were they at work? Did they call in sick?
Bank withdrawals within a two week period prior to her being taken.
Cell phone activity needs to be captured between the time of the abduction and the following 36 hours after the abduction.
I will close with the words I copied today from a post at Websleuths following this case:
"I think that many women who've had an abusive spouse in their past may somewhat identify with Venus. She left her abuser, did what was RIGHT, and yet she's currently missing and her abuser is the only named person of interest in the case.
I give Venus kudos for, against all odds, leaving her abuser and getting her children out of that environment. There is no telling what her poor daughters have witnessed in the past. Worse, it can't be as awful as what they're experiencing now and will in the future...everything that we know about spousal abuse has come to fruition in this case. And as a result, these two girls will probably grow up motherless, but at least knowing that their mother mustered the courage to get them out of an abusive situation, even though it cost her life."
Anyone with information on the case is asked to contact Michigan State Police White Pigeon Post at 269-483-7611 Rockford Regional Dispatch Center, 616-866-6666.
Been there, done that…” Susan Murphy- Milano has turned a tired phrase intodemonstrable realism through the gift of her newly published book, "TIME'S UP: A GUIDE ON HOW TO LEAVE AND SURVIVE ABUSIVE AND STALKING RELATIONSHIPS
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