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| The Baileys WE Catt Street runs alongside the Robin Hood Hills. As presented in court, the children were last seen entering these woods. Although Bryan Woody's testimony presented him as the last one to see the children, he was unfamiliar with the victims. In contrast, the Bailey family knew the victims, their children also attended Weaver Elementary. Three households of the Baileys lived next door to each other along WE Catt. At 1200 WE Catt lived Otto Bailey, Sr., 54 years old in 1993, along with his wife, Lylia. At 1202 WE Catt lived Otto Bailey, Jr., his wife, Sheila, and their children, Otto Allen Bailey, III (called Allen), Fallon Bailey and Ashley Bailey. One more door over at 1204 WE Catt, lived Brenda Webb, daughter of Otto Bailey, Sr. She was in the hospital for a two week stay at the time of the murders. Otto Sr. and Jr. together owned a truck wash, Mr. Clean. From the door to door notes, Lylia Bailey stated: 1200 W.E. Catt . . . Wed. the victims stopped at her grandsons house between 3:30 + 6:00 p.m., 1202 Catt. Allen is a 4th grader @ Weaver.Which her grandson confirmed: 1202 Allen ^Jr Bailey^ said Michael said he had to hurry to leave and Steve wouldn't talk at 5:45 both boys had back packs green. Steve had w/red shorts + w T shoes. They were going to pick up Chris.In another visit to this address in the door to door interviews, Otto Bailey, Jr. didn't mention this encounter. He said "went to ball practice till 7 - 7:30 Taco bell 9:00 didn't see anything strange." However, in a later interview, he gave more details. On Wednesday May 5th 1993 at 5:45 pm as my son and I were backing out of my driveway on the way to ball practice, we saw steven and mike (Branch & Moore) riding down the street right in front of my drive way. My son holloured out the window at them to say hi. As I got to the back end of the drive way I stoped to see if any cars were coming that when I first noticed Steven and Mikeal had backpacks on. Riding there bikes toward Mayfair apts. I told Allen to tell them bye cause we were going to be late to practice and had to get going. My son said bye and I proceeded to drive on out and down the road. And thats the last we seen. [Otto Bailey, Jr., September 8, 1993]Sheila Bailey, Otto Jr.'s wife, conveyed somewhat the same story to the West Memphis Evening Times. She identified one of the children passing by as Chris, although she may have been relating this story second hand. Shelia Bailey, 1202 W.E. Catt said Christopher played on her T-Ball team. "He and one of the other boys were in her yard and riding their bikes around in the street out front shortly before her son went to practice Wednesday", Mrs. Bailey noted. [WMET, May 7, 1993]At least one neighbor of the Baileys considered Otto Bailey, Jr. a suspect. Mrs. Comer then began talking about Otto Bailey Jr. who she says is the person she thinks committed the murders. She states that he has threatened to cut her son's "penis" off and stuff it up his "ass." She stated that there are three suits against Otto Bailey filed by her and her husband. One is concerning an incident of threatening her husband with a handgun, one is for loss of business, and one is for Terroristic Threatening. She stated that she is aware of an abuse case and some type of drug cases. She further stated that she believed Otto Bailey could have gotten the trust of the kids and would have been able to kill them after getting their trust.Mrs. Comer also made allegations against John Mark Byers, although those were not based on personal experiences. The police did not interview Otto Bailey, Jr. as a suspect, but they did look into his father after receiving a tip. Otto Bailey, Sr. 5/12/93 Received information from a female who called from 318 N. Center who advised that there is a person who lives across the street named Richard Strickler, they are big with C.B. Radios + when they transmit on C.B.'s they broadcast over the telephones, radios + telivision. She advised that on 5/11/93 her daughter overheard a conversation with a guy parked in the drive accross the street. She thinks his name is Otto Bailey. She heard him over his C.B. talking to unknown person "I'm going to kill your fucking ass like the three boys that were killed. Caller stated she know Otto Bailey lives on the street behind the location the boys were found. He drive a maroon van with a large antenna on it. [M. Allen 5/12/93]Detective Burch interviewed Otto Bailey, Sr., although dismissed his threats as being due to a big mouth. At 1500 on Wed. the 26 of May I meet with Mr. Otto Bailey at my office here at the police station. Mr. Bailey was here not at my request but for municipal court. The interview of Mr. Bailey was done without any problems. He answered all my questions and had nothing to add that was not already in the news or in the papers. The day of the homicides he was at work or home between 1800 and dark. He will have to check for the time he left work. He stated he knew the boys from the area and had seen them riding their bikes on his street but not that evening. He did not know the boys name.After having received tips from several children about having been threatened by the driver of a white van, the police put together a list of all white vans registered in Crittenden County. A white van was registered under the name of Rex A. Hester at 1200 WE Catt. This is the husband of officer Diane Hester. Otto Bailey, Sr. had an extensive criminal record. 02/24/81. West Memphis Police. Case #: 810112  Otto Allen Bailey, Jr., 1993 |
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Copyright © 2008 Martin David Hill
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