Who Killed Molly Walker?

Molly with "Skokie" in 2014

Molly Walker was a talented singer/songwriter who lost her life before she could realize her dream of stardom.  Molly was found dead under a pile of mulch in the fall of 2015.  Molly was 26 years old.

The body of Molly Walker was discovered in a Philadelphia community garden, fifty-three miles from her home in Central New Jersey on Thursday, September 16th 2015.  Molly had been missing for three days before she was found dead.  The police say Molly's whereabouts during those three days remain unknown. 

Molly performing at The World Cafe in 2013

The police say Molly's roommate Dawn was the last person to see Molly but my research has turned up several individuals who say they saw or interacted with Molly during the time she was missing.

 Molly's eggshell blue VW Beetle went missing at the same time she did so it is safe to assume she had the means to drive a great distance in those three days.

Molly's roommate Dawn says when Molly left her apartment she didn't pack a bag or bring anything with her.  Molly left her bedroom undisturbed.

The search party in Metuchen was called off early Wednesday night due to a heavy rainstorm.   Before the search could resume on Thursday morning, Molly's body was found in Philadelphia.

The Palmer Street Garden, still wet from the rain as investigators pour over the scene.  

Molly's body was found behind the gray drums on the left.  It became immediately clear to the police that Molly Walker was not the only one in the garden the night before.

Understandably, investigators were very interested in speaking with all neighbors who had a decent view of the garden.

Molly's cause of death remains unknown but foul play has been suspected.  Police interviewedRandal Scott, a Fishtown resident who entered the garden to do his morning meditation around 6:15 am.

"I normally don't go that far into the garden" said Randal.  "I was looking for a new place to put my mat when I saw something shiny in the mulch reflecting the light."

Randy walked closer to inspect when he realized a diamond was sticking out of the pile of mulch.  As he bent down he realized the diamond was attached to a ring which was on the ring finger of a human hand.  Molly's hand.

The 72 karat diamond ring Molly was wearing had an estimated worth of $125,000.  There is no evidence she was engaged in fact, she'd recently broken up with her boyfriend, Francis Russo, partly because he wouldn't propose.

On Saturday September 9th, a week before her body was found, Molly performed at a wedding in Atlantic City.  Molly was the lead singer of "The Possession" a local band that recorded and toured the greater Philadelphia area.

By Sunday afternoon, Molly complained of a sore throat and mild fever.

Did Molly Walker want to disappear?

Did Molly disappear on purpose?  It's possible.  She was missing for 3 days, all of which could have been intentional.  It's not illegal to disappear and Molly Walker had reasons to want to disappear:

-Two weeks before her disappearance, Molly broke up with Francis Russo, her boyfriend of 3 years.

-Molly had debts.  She owed her landlord several months rent.  She owed her record producer for the production and distribution of her forthcoming album.  She owed her parents for a loan from July.

-Molly's booking agent was likely going to drop her because of several dissatisfied customers including a recent wedding where her band showed up late and was caught smoking by the maid of honor.

Suspects:

Randal Scott: Resident of Palmer Street.  Discovered Molly's body.  Didn't know her.  No motive.

Francis Russo: Molly's ex boyfriend.  Alcoholic.  No alibi the night Molly disappeared and also no alibi the night she was murdered.  Molly thought he was behaving in strange, unpredictable ways.  Does that make him her murderer?

Dan Kaslow: Molly was hired by Dan Kaslow and his wife Shelby to perform at their wedding.  She and the band were over an hour late and the band got in fight with some of the guests.  Flimsy motive.

Henry Rowe:  Molly was found in the Palmer Street garden.  Across the street, with a clear view of the entire garden, is Henry Rowe's town house.  Henry was home sick in bed the night her body wound up under a pile of mulch 52 feet from his front door. 

 

 

 

Henry Rowe speaks to Detective John Schmit about the body found in the garden

 

 

Holden Slaughter: Freelance reporter who wrote about the strange sleep habits of Molly's ex boyfriend, Francis, and was hoping to write a larger book about him and several others he was profiling.  Molly was against Francis participating in the book.  Holden's motives aren't clear but he was communicating with them during the final weeks of Molly's life.

 

Stan Parks: Molly reached out to Stan looking for hope and help with her then boyfriend's condition.  In August, Stan met with Molly at least once.  After their meeting, Molly told her roommate that Stan was a fraud.  Why would Stan want to kill Molly Walker?  I'm not sure but Stan has been very evasive with my attempts to contact or locate him.

The Virus: Did the virus kill Molly Walker?  She may have had more symptoms than she let on but the only known parallel was that she was having trouble playing ukulele because her finger was locking up.  While there are other cases where the virus has no major symptoms, it is more likely that Molly's boyfriend has the Virus.



Missing for 3 days:
Where did she go?
Did she see anyone?
Did anyone see her?
When did she die?
Did she die in the garden or another location?
Who killed Molly Walker?