Over a period of several days following the Michaelis murder, Sheriff's Officers conducted a canvass from Rowan Oak on Old Taylor Road to the Ole Miss Motel at 1517 University Avenue, looking for anyone who may have seen Wenzel Hitzig walking that route the morning of the murder. Locations canvassed include the Bancorp South bank at 517 South Lamar Boulevard, the McPhail Chevron at 502 South Lamar Boulevard, the Sonic Drive-In restaurant at 1207 University Avenue, and several private residences.

These witnesses were shown a photograph of the subject, Wenzel Hitzig, and asked whether they had seen him at any time on April 30, 2001. The interviews summarized below are those relevant to the investigation and are representative of all interviews conducted.

• Cynthia Bennett, Bancorp South teller. Bennett stated she stepped outside the bank to have a cigarette at approximately 9:15 a.m. She said she saw a man, whom she identified from the photograph as Hitzig, walking quickly down South Lamar past the bank at approximately 9:20 a.m. Bennett stated she remembered the man because she had wondered at the time whether he had some kind of mental problem as he was gesturing and talking to himself. She said the man continued walking by without stopping or looking around and she returned to work shortly after.

• Bobby Haight, McPhail's Chevron clerk. Haight stated saw a man resembling the man in the photograph (Hitzig) walking past the Chevron the morning of April 30, 2001 around 9:30 a.m. Haight said that the man was gesturing and seemed to be talking to himself, but Haight could not hear whether the man was actually talking or not. Haight added that he recognized the man from earlier that morning because the man had stopped in with another adult male to buy some Krispy Kreme doughnuts and coffee. Haight stated the man and his companion seemed a little tense and Haight speculated they might have been arguing before they came in. However, Haight could not say for sure whether that was true and said the men were civil to each other and to him while they were selecting and making their purchases.

• Benjamin Lauder, Bancorp South manager. Lauder stated he did not personally see the subject on April 30, 2001, but agreed to give the investigator access to the bank/ATM security footage to determine whether Hitzig had been captured on tape as he passed by. A review of the security tapes showed an adult male resembling Hitzig walking past the bank at 9:22 a.m. on April 30, 2001.

• David Talley, Sonic cook. Talley stated he was walking west on University Avenue going to work at approximately 9:35 a.m. when a man, whom he identified from the photograph as Hitzig, walked past him going the opposite direction. Talley said he noticed the man because he was talking to himself in a foreign language, which Talley believed was German. Talley stated he could not understand what the man was saying but that the man seemed angry. Talley said the man did not acknowledge him as he passed and Talley proceeded into the Sonic Drive-In for work.