OK, so I started the public record research for a woman named Abbott. I checked the Kalamazoo Gazette index for any homicides involving a woman named Abbott. Nothing.
Called the crime reporter for the Kalamazoo Gazette who does a round up at the end of every year on local homicides. He did not recognize the name but did recall an instance of a homicide involving a woman in her apartment. He asked if there could there be another name? I told him I only had second hand information and it was pretty thin at that. If another name was involved, I couldn’t know. He’d see what he could find out and get back to me. Might take a day or two.
I checked the only remaining White Pages we had that actually listed residential numbers. Who has landlines anymore? I found 17 Abbotts including one V. and one Valerie. The number for V. turned out to be a woman originally from Indiana with no relations here. The number for Valerie is now for Farm Bureau Insurance.
I started thinking that cold calling residences for information about a murdered woman is not the best strategy.
