Taylor Behl - 1987 - 2005 Taylor Behl - Benefit Concert
These collages and the hosting of the images on this site provided courtesy of E-mail me at willnotagz@aol.com.

Stories and Articles on Thursday, September 22, 2005


On Thursday, September 22, 2005, The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports a bizarre twist in the disappearance case involving 17-year old VCU coed Taylor Behl. The article reports that "person of interest" Ben Fawley filed a police report the day after Taylor Behl was seen last. This is interesting, as the police have established that Fawley is among the last people to see Taylor before her disappearance. The report indicates that Fawley, a 38-year old amateur photographer, told police that he had been assaulted, robbed, forced into a vehicle, and driven to a dirt road before being released. (I have attempted to avoid speculating on this site; however, one has to wonder about the timing of this alleged assault/abduction/robbery.)

The article says that Fawley claims to not know who abducted him, and claims that a stranger picked him and gave him a ride home. Fawley reports that the attack occurred as he walked in a Richmond alley, claiming that the assailants struck him in the stomach with an unknown object. Then the attackers shoved him down and placed some kind of a bag over his head before forcing him into a vehicle. Fawley says that he does not know where they released him. The attack happened at about 5:00 A.M., on September 6, 2005, just over six hours after Behl left her dormitory. Fawley says that his attackers stole a camera and tripod valued at around $375, and $20 in cash. Fawley claims that he is unclear about all of the details due to the fact that he took his medication for his bipolar disorder and then had a few drinks. The police report was filed at 4:42 P.M., nearly 12 hours after Fawley alleges he was attacked.

On Wednesday, September 21, 2005, the family attorney, George O. Peterson, and Taylor's uncle removed all of her belongings from her dormitory room, the attorney. The attorney said that when Taylor comes home, it would not be to VCU. In possibly the most direct criticism by the family to date, the attorney says that Janet Pelasara, Taylor's mother, was disappointed in the way that the campus police handled the case. She believes that the VCU police did not recognize the seriousness of the case nor were they aware of their own limitations. The campus police retained control of the case until the Richmond Police Department took over the lead role on September 12, six days after the coed was reported missing. The university's Dean of Student Affairs, Dr. Reuban Rodriquez defends the campus police saying that they involved the same local, state, and federal agencies that comprise the current task force.

The Times-Dispatch obtained more information regarding the young man arrested for drug possession following the execution of a search warrant of his apartment. 22-year old Jesse Schultz's apartment is located just blocks from where Taylor's car was discovered on Saturday. Schultz underwent intense questioning by police, and later admitted to failing two questions on a polygraph. Schultz is a friend of the owner of the tan Nissan Altima that the police issued an all points bulletin for on Monday. The police interest in the car arose because they believe that Taylor had been in the car just prior to her disappearance. On Tuesday, 09/20/2005, new reports indicate that the task force formed to find the missing 17-year old college student, Taylor Behl, issued a BOLO (Be On The Look Out) for a tan colored 4-door Nissan Altima bearing VA plates JTE-6886. The BOLO was issued following a tip that Taylor was seen inside of the car sometime before she disappeared. Shortly after issuing the BOLO, and before it could be reported in the news, the police recovered and impounded the vehicle. Forensic teams are examining the car for any evidence to support the report that Taylor was seen in the car shortly before her disappearance.

With comments to the press from Ben Fawley's attorney, it now seems that a romantic relationship existed between Fawley and Behl. The statements do not indicate whether or not the romantic relationship involved any sexual contact. The age-of-consent for sex in the state of Virginia is 18. Earlier in the investigation of the missing VCU coed, the police executed a search warrant at Fawley's apartment seizing seven computers, several boxes of CD's, and other computer equipment including hard disk drives. Fawley's criminal-defense attorney, Chris Collins, advised Fawley not to submit to a polygraph, despite Fawley's desire to do so.



It is now reported that the basis for the warrant was a suspicion that Fawley possessed child pornography. The police have not confirmed this. The police have confirmed that Fawley remains a "person of interest" in the case. Reports coming from several sources now confirm that Fawley received a thirty-day suspended sentence for assault reported by a then 20-year old ex-girlfriend. This was not Fawley's first brush with the law. Records from Ohio indicated that Fawley spent some time incarcerated for car theft in the late 80's and early 90's. Despite his history, the police have no evidence to indicate that he was involved with Taylor's disappearance. The possibility that Taylor left of her own free will is still one theory that the police continue to explore.




The second scent that was tracked by a police K-9 team has now been reported to have lead the police to the home of a couple living about three blocks from where the police found Taylor's car. At the time that Chess, a bloodhound tracking dog, lead police to the home, the occupants were not at home. When they returned a couple of hours later, the couple was greeted by a score of plain clothed law enforcement personnel. The couple has understandably asked that their identities not be revealed. The couple immediately consented to a search of their home by the police. During their interview with the couple, the police determined that a nephew had recently visited their home. The nephew lives several blocks from where the police discovered Taylor's car. The police took a shirt that the nephew left at the home into evidence. The shirt is one that the nephew wears at the restaurant where he works. The police questioned the nephew for several hours. The nephew told the police that he knows nothing about Taylor or her car. While the police questioned the nephew, one of his former roommates was being arrested on an unrelated out-of-state warrant. Later on Sunday, the nephew was again questioned by the police as they executed a search warrant at his apartment.


The police took several items into evidence including videotapes, cigarette butts, empty beer bottles, some shaving gear, film, gloves, and sheets. The young man submitted to a polygraph test and later told reporters that the police told him that the test indicated deception to the questions about whether he knew Taylor Behl or if he had been in her car. The young man denies knowing Taylor and ever being in her car. The young man recounted that the police told him, "...that they knew he did it." The young man says that he knew he was being, "...sweated by the police..." because he does not know Taylor, he has done nothing associated with Taylor, and that the police had never asked him for an alibi. When the police finished interviewing him for the second time, the young man went to the house of his parents who live in a nearby neighborhood. On Monday, the young man was arrested for possession of cocaine based on residual traces found on a razor blade. It should be noted that the young man shares the apartment with several other young people.


He was later released on a $3,000.00 bond. The young man, his parents, as well as his aunt and uncle spoke to Mark Holmberg, a columnist with the Times-Dispatch. The interview took place late Monday night, following the nephew's release on bond. Shortly after the interview, the aunt returned home to find her basement door had been kicked in and that someone had rifled through the belongings of the family. The aunt feels certain that the police conducted the search, though Lt. Venuti denies the allegation. In his denial, Lt. Venuti pointed out that the police would gain nothing of evidentiary value, as anything found in the search would be nadmissible in court. Venuti says that the police are in firm control of the investigation. "We are going to be as aggressive as we possibly can with the case. When you're aggressive, things happen."
On Tuesday, 09/20/2005, The Washington Post reported that the Ohio tags on Taylor's car when it was found early Saturday, had been stolen from a former VCU student's car, now living in Richmond, VA. The tags were reported stolen nearly two months before Behl's disappearance. Richmond Police Chief Rodney D. Monroe says that the plates were removed from the former VCU student's car parked near the city's US Post Office. For now the police are not releasing man's name.

With no evidence to support that Behl traveled beyond Richmond, police continue to focus their search in and around Richmond. The police no longer consider this a case of a missing person; rather they now classify the case as a criminal investigation. While the police have no suspects in the case, they interviewed Ben Fawley in part because of the photographs of Behl posted on his website. Much speculation regarding the relationship of the missing 17-year old coed and 38-year old Fawley has circulated around the Internet and the local communities. On BLOGS posted both by Behl and Fawley, there seems to be some indication that the two were romantically involved. Fawley removed the pictures of Behl posted on his website. The police executed a search warrant on Fawley's residence and seized several pieces of computer equipment. A CBS report indicates that Behl did meet with Fawley on the night of her disappearance. According to Fawley's roommate, Behl and Fawley had become friends online.
Saturday, after finding Behl's 1997 white Ford Escort less than 1.5 miles from her dorm room, police brought in K-9 search teams in an attempt to locate the missing teen. One K-9 picked up Taylor's scent and followed it to the nearby apartment of a friend of a skateboarder with whom police believe Taylor had been seen with in the days prior to her disappearance. It is believed that this was one of the friends that Taylor was meeting to go skateboarding.
On MySpace, Behl's friends, and even complete strangers, continue to circulate missing notices in an attempt to reach as many people as possible. The common sentiment is that the more peole that see the bulletins, the greater the chances of finding someone with information as to the whereabouts of Behl. Located near the bottom of this page are links to news media coverage and to BLOG sites with a lot of activity regarding Taylor Behl an her disappearance.
On Monday, 09/19/2005, the family of Taylor Behl, the 17-year old coed missing from her college dorm for two weeks, offered a $10,000.00 reward for any information that leads to the return of their daughter.

Late on Saturday, 09/18/2005, Richmond police report that an off-duty police lieutenant walking his dog located Taylor Behl's car early Saturday morning. When found, the car's Virginia license plates had been removed and replaced by plates from Ohio. The car was found parked outside of a church less than 1.5 miles from her dorm room. After staking out the car for some time, late tonight the police impounded the car and the FBI began their forensic examination. K-9 officers searched the immediate area without success.


Behl's father, Matt Behl, after learning that his daughter's car had been found stated, "I'm very pleased, very optimistic. The fact that they found the car makes me feel 100 percent better." He continued saying, "I feel that we're going to find her real soon. FOX's Americas Most Wanted also aired a brief synopsis of the case Saturday evening. So far, police report receiving in excess of 150 leads generated by news accounts and websites.
-Information culled from various sources, including Norfolk, VA's NBC10 WAVY and the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
In another report, Richmond Police officials acknowledged that they are investigating the possibility that Taylor left of her own free will, and that no abduction took place. The spokesperson for the Richmond Police, Cynthia Price issued the following plea to Taylor, "We want her to know that she shouldn't worry that it's gotten so much attention. We just want her to let us know she's safe. If she's hearing any of this, we want her to call in.
-Information culled from various sources, including http://www.borsa-italia.net/article18356.html.
In an interview with Taylor's mother, Janet Pelasara said, "The new eyes, the new ears listening to the responses could bring, could shed new light and hopefully a lead that's [going] take us to Taylor."
-Information culled from various sources, including WRIC TV8 News out of Petersburg and Richmond.


After reading this alert, please send this link to your family, friends, and co-workers.

Taylor's family and friends have created a web site located at:

Family & Friends of Taylor Behl.


Name & Description:
Name: Taylor Behl
Age: 17
Body: 5' 6" 135 pounds small to medium build
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Brown
Where: Richmond, VA - Freshman VCU student
Known Facts:
She went missing on Labor Day, Monday, 09/05/2005
Last seen leaving her dorm around 10:30 P.M.
UPDATE: Last seen wearing blue jeans and a black hooded sweat shrit
When she left her dorm room, she had her car keys, credit card, and a borrowed skateboard
Her car is gone - 1997 White Ford Escort - VA Plates JPC-2848
UPDATE:Her car was found on Saturday 09/16/2005, at about 8:30 A.M., less than 1.5 miles from her dorm
There have been no outbound cell phone calls since Monday evening around the time she left - 10:30 P.M.
Her cell phone was still ringing several times before going to voice mail 7 days later
UPDATE: She has a credit card with her, but it has not been used
The campus and surrounding neighborhoods have been very thoroughly searched
UPDATE: She left her dorm room to give her dorm mate and a gentleman friend some privacy
UPDATE: Her dorm mate reported her missing at around 1:30 A.M. on Wednesday, 09/07/2005.
UPDATE: She was reported to have planned to meet three young men go skateboarding.


The campus police, local police, state police, and the FBI are working together on the case. If you have any information, or believe that you have seen Taylor Behl, or her car, call the TIP LINE at:

1-877-244-HELP.


You may also call the Richmond Police at:

1-804-828-1196.


Taylor's car was found early Saturday less than 1.5 miles from her dorm room. These pictures are here in case you saw her sometime between her disappearances and when the car was found. This is a picture of a 1997 Ford Escort Sedan similar to Taylor's. This is not a picture of her car, merely a likeness of one similar.
Photo collage courtesy E-mail me at willnotagz@aol.com.


Below are samples of the tags as they may have appeared on Taylor's 1997 White Ford Escort.


These samples were generated by E-mail me at willnotagz@aol.com at:
https://www.dmv.virginia.gov/dmvnet/plate_purchase/select_plate.asp?




This is a partial transcript from FOX NEWS "On the Record," on September 20, 2005. (Edited for clarity.)

Greta: Your daughter is supposed to be at college tonight.

Mr. Behl: That's right -- should be in class.

Greta: Tough isn't it, I mean it's unthinkable what parents have to go through on this.

Mr. Behl: Very tough.

Greta: When did you last speak to your daughter?

Mr. Behl: The day she left for Labor Day, the day she turned up missing, I saw her at about 4:30 in the afternoon at my home in Springfield.

Greta: So, she was leaving the Northern Virginia area headed back to school?

Mr. Behl: Correct.

Greta: She give you any idea what she was going to do that evening or plans?

Mr. Behl: No. She called me about 20 minutes of seven and let me know that she arrived at school safely and that there, you know, she basically didn't have any problems so that was it.

Greta: So you never heard from her the rest of the evening or into the next day until you received a phone call from Janet about 5 A.M. Wednesday?

Mr. Behl: Wednesday, right.

Greta: Where did she usually park her car do you have any idea?

Mr. Behl: She parked it over by an acquaintance of hers from Madison High School where she graduated from over on Marshall, pretty close to the intersection of Hancock and Marshall across the street from the VCU Police Substation that's located there.

Greta: All right, so that's near Ben Fawley's house coincidentally.

Mr. Behl: Right around the corner.

Greta: And but that's about a mile and a half from where her car was discovered at least.

Mr. Behl: Yes. Yes.

Greta: All right. And you don't know that she did it for sure but that's usually where she parked her car?

Mr. Behl: She parked it there all the time because she didn't have to pay for parking there.

Greta: You've met Ben Fawley?

Mr. Behl: Yes, I have.

Greta: When did you first meet him?

Mr. Behl: Early February when Taylor was interested in going to VCU I ended up taking her down there to spend the night at that house and go with her friend from high school to classes the next day and to the student union to eat, things like that.

Greta: All right, your impression of him, I mean which may be favorable or unfavorable? It doesn't necessarily mean he had anything to do with her disappearance but I'm curious what did you think about him?

Mr. Behl: At first I didn't know at that time, of course, that he was 38 years old. I honestly thought he was probably mid to late 20s. He was a little different with greenish hair and different colors in his hair but very personable to me, shook my hand, invited me into the house with Taylor, told me that the boy that she was going to see down there and his girlfriend would be back.

I didn't have any apprehensions at that timeof, you know, letting Taylor be there, you know. I look at it from a standpoint that in a few months she was going to be going to college there anyway and I didn't see anything wrong. Nothing caused the hairs on the back of my neck to rise.

Greta: Are you suspicious that he knows something about where your daughter is?

Mr. Behl: I honestly don't know if he's telling everything. Certainly he knows something and whether he's told the police or not I don't know.

Greta: Why do you think that? I mean it's conceivable that she walked to her car if she left her dorm room with the keys and she could have been nabbed by somebody else and never even made it to his house.

Mr. Behl: Could have been, absolutely. I just don't know. It's just a very strange relationship.

Greta: In what way?

Mr. Behl: 38-year-old man, 17-year-old girl, do the math.

Greta: Any idea, I mean the stolen tags on the car or the car give -- any clues in this car?

Mr. Behl: Well, all of us are still waiting for the forensics information from the police, which has not been released yet.

Greta: So how do you get through this?

Mr. Behl: You just wake up every day and try to think about it and see what's coming up next. Some days are good. Some days are not so good. You go through euphoric highs like Saturday when they discovered the car thinking your daughter is coming home the next day and here we are four days, three days later and she's still not home.

Greta: And still not a word. Well maybe tonight someone will call who knows something or sees something. I hope soon.

Mr. Behl: That would be great.

Greta: Thank you, Matt.


Visit Taylor's MySpace Profile to view pictures of Taylor, to read her BLOG entries, and to see comments left by her friends.

The links below are to the major network news and the stations in the area providing full coverage of Taylor's Case. These are the major source of the information provided on this site. Also included are links to the various Weblogs and other sites of interest.

Local Broadcast News

  WVEC 13 NEWS ABC
  WRC NBC4 News
  WWBT NBC12 News
  WRIC TV8 News - ABC
  WAVY NBC 10 News
  WTOP Radio Network
  WJLA ABC7 News
  WTVR CBS 6 News
  
Local Print News

  Hampton Roads Daily Press
  Richmond Times-Dispatch
  The Washington Post
  Glocester-Mathews Gazette-Journal
National News

  FOX News
  ABC News
  NBC News
  CBS News
  MSNBC News
Weblogs & Other Web Sites

  Riehl World View - Excellent Weblog
  The Dark Side - True Weblog
  Court TV's Crime Library - Full Coverage & BLOGS
  Slobokan's Site O' Schtuff - A Weblog
  Scared Monkeys - A Weblog
  Observations of a Misfit - A Weblog
  Missing & Abducted - Discussions
  
The information on this page was obtained through public and private sources. The images may be updated, changed, corrected, or deleted by E-mailing me at willnotagz@aol.com. You may also view an updated version of this webpage at: http://taylorbehl.notagz.com/. You may use the pictures and host them on official or other private sites. Where possible give collage credit to E-mail me at willnotagz@aol.com. I also welcome messages regarding broken links, continuity, grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc.
Permissions: Anyone may quote from, reprint, repost, or otherwise transmit the article above provided they give credit to the writer, William Drummond, and reference the website http://taylorbehl.notagz.com.