FOIA Request
Submitted | May 23, 2017 |
Est. Completion | June 16, 2017 |
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Communications
From: Tom Nash
To Whom It May Concern:
Pursuant to Virginia Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following records:
To Whom It May Concern:
This is a request under the Freedom of Information Act. I hereby request the following records: Any and all files relating to the investigation into the 'finders' cult from 1987 to 1988. Including the searches conducted of property on the farm in Madison County, 100 miles southwest of Washington, near Shenandoah National Park; the remote farm at the base of Old Rag Mountain owned by Marion Pettie; as well as the cabins and outbuildings in the mountainous Nethers and Etlan area of Madison County.
Relevant articles include:
February 7, 1987: CULT LINK SEEN IN CASE OF UNIDENTIFIED CHILDREN
Link: http://archive.is/xf4l3
*Statement in article given by Lieut. M. G. Millner of the Virginia state police
February 8, 1987: VIRGINA, D.C. POLICE CONTINUE SEARCH FOR MORE CLUES ON FINDERS GROUP WITH AM-UNKNOWN CHILDREN
Link: http://archive.is/OeBWo
*Statement in article given by Lt. J.P. Henries, Virginia State Police
*Search of farm in Madison County, 100 miles southwest of Washington, near Shenandoah National Park.
February 8, 1987: The Nation: Virginia Cult Sites Raided
Link: http://archive.is/kgOkN
*Virginia authorities searched cabins and outbuildings in the mountainous Nethers and Etlan area of Madison County.
February 9, 1987: FINDERS MEMBER SAYS GROUP DOESN'T PERFORM SATANIC RITUALS, ABUSE CHILDREN
Link: http://archive.is/UsOxs
*Virginia state police raided a remote farm at the base of Old Rag Mountain over the weekend after Virginia tags and evidence inside the van seized in Tallahassee led police to two farms owned by George Marion Pettie, 66.
February 10, 1987: D.C. Police: Finders Odd, Not Criminal; FBI, Virginia and Florida Expand Probes
Link: http://archive.is/uuNxx
*Statement given by Charles Vaughan, Spokesman for the Virginia State Police:
*Virginia state police said yesterday that they found goat skins and a goat's head in their search of the Finders' rural lands over the weekend. Spokesman Charles Vaughan said police also found computer equipment and documents, but he did not comment on the significance of the material. In an affidavit supporting the search, Virginia authorities included photographs showing three white-robed Finders men and several children dismembering two goats. The photographs were in a scrapbook titled "The Execution of Henrietta and Igor." In one picture, a crying child looked at a decapitated goat. Another photo was captioned, "Ben finds Henrietta's Womb." Three pictures showed children playing with goat fetuses.
February 11, 1987: FINDING TRUTH ABOUT FINDERS PROVES TO BE NO SIMPLE MATTER
Link: http://archive.is/myQbI
*Statement given by Charles Vaughan, Spokesman for the Virginia State Police:
*Virginia state police used a backhoe to dig up a 30-foot-by-12-foot plot of land at a Finders-owned farm in rural Madison County.
I elect to receive these records electronically, via e-mail or on a computer disk. Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response in the coming days.
The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.
In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.
Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 5 business days, as the statute requires.
Please note that I am a citizen of Virginia, and am using MuckRock's services to help manage and track my request.
Sincerely,
Tom Nash
From: MuckRock.com
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on May 23, 2017. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: MuckRock.com
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on May 23, 2017. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: MuckRock.com
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on May 23, 2017. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Ostwinkle, David L., 1/Sgt.
Mr. Nash,
I apologize about the delay in contacting you. The Department has been
experiencing network connectivity issues. The search for the requested
documents has been delayed due to the age of the incident. Due to these
circumstances, I ask that you agree to an extension. I ask that you
allow the Department until Friday, June 16, 2017 to make a response
under FOIA. Please acknowledge if you are agreeable to extension. Thank
you.
First Sergeant David L. Ostwinkle
Virginia Department of State Police
Office of Legal Affairs
Bureau of Administrative and Support Services
Office: (804) 674-2642
Mobile: (804) 393-0011
From: Ostwinkle, David L., 1/Sgt.
Mr. Nash,
Pursuant to Virginia Code § 2.2-3704(B)(3), the requested records could not be found or do not exist.
First Sergeant David L. Ostwinkle
Virginia Department of State Police
Office of Legal Affairs
Bureau of Administrative and Support Services
Office: (804) 674-2642
Mobile: (804) 393-0011
From: Kenneth Whittle
I would like to appeal, as I have provided numerous articles pertaining to the VA State Police & their investigation regarding the Finders. I have also provided Statements from the Spokesman of the VA State Police, Charles Vaughn, as well as Lt. J.P. Henries & Lieut. M. G. Millner. I have also provided information on the properties and areas the VA State Police said they had investigated, and I have also provided an article from the Washington Post, regarding the following statement given by then Spokesman for the Virginia State Police, Charles Vaugh, pertaining to the search of the property as well as the evidence uncovered:
Virginia state police said yesterday that they found goat skins and a goat's head in their search of the Finders' rural lands over the weekend. Spokesman Charles Vaughan said police also found computer equipment and documents, but he did not comment on the significance of the material. In an affidavit supporting the search, Virginia authorities included photographs showing three white-robed Finders men and several children dismembering two goats. The photographs were in a scrapbook titled "The Execution of Henrietta and Igor." In one picture, a crying child looked at a decapitated goat. Another photo was captioned, "Ben finds Henrietta's Womb." Three pictures showed children playing with goat fetuses.
If the Virginia State Police have no records of the investigation, which they conducted, and stated numerous times that they had conducted it, where can I be referred to for this matter?
Files
There are no files associated with this request.