Seeking Savannah Spurlock Part 2: A Bluegrass Beat Case Study
In this conclusion of the Bluegrass Beat case study: Seeking Savannah, Richmond Police Sgt. Kelli Fraze discusses her agency’s experience as the high-profile missing person’s case turned toward seeking justice for a murdered young Kentucky mother—Savannah Spurlock.
Fraze, who was one of the case’s lead investigators, speaks about steps taken, lessons learned, gaining information from technology and more.
Richmond Police Chief Rodney Richardson also talks about the hard work and dedication from his department that led to the case’s resolution, and Savannah’s aunt, Lisa Thoma, talks about the family’s interaction with RPD and what Savannah was like while she was living.
Special Notes from Richmond Sgt. Kelli Fraze on investigations and the Spurlock case.
“(Investigations) can be, and will be, a long exhausting process. Every single piece of physical evidence you collect, every detail of the information you have gathered or processed over time is significant, and it's ok if things need to be done a second time. Leave no room for human error. It's all worth it, and it's all necessary. You must challenge your opponent, continue learning and keep trying. Find the people that’s going to make this possible. It is your duty to exhaust all possibilities and find the truth in the stories being told, to speak for the innocent and to seek justice.”
I want to note that Sgt. Casey Scott did a phenomenal job with developing this case against David Sparks. We all did what we thought was best or most helpful. But what matters most in the end is pen to paper. Being capable of taking on all the demands of putting it all together and developing proof beyond a reasonable doubt, especially in this type of case, is exceptional.”
Sgt. Fraze also cited the importance that a trusted family/victim’s advocate through the FBI played in developing a relationship with Savannah’s family. The advocate served as Fraze’s negotiator when stressful situations arrived and helped her connect the family to many beneficial resources.
Additionally, the RPD sergeant noted that sites, such as Leads Online, provided amazing resources that helped teach her how to write warrants for technology companies and connect her with the company's tech portals to obtain information.
The Bluegrass Beat is recorded and produced by the Kentucky Department of Criminal Justice Training’s Public Information Office, a proud member of Team Kentucky.
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Music:
”Dark Fog" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
"Plaint" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
