Interview summaries: Neighbors of victim

Over several days following the murder of Amy Bledsoe, the Yoknapatawpha County Sheriff's Office conducted a canvass of homes near the residence of Mary Bledsoe at 17 Van Buren Street. They were looking for potential witnesses who saw or heard anything on the afternoon or evening of Sunday December 4, 2005, the date of the murder of Amy Bledsoe. The interviews summarized are some of the most typical or relevant to the investigation and are representative of all interviews conducted.

• Mrs. Sandra Ashcroft, age 50, lives at 18 Van Buren St, directly across the street from Mary Bledsoe. She stated that she knows Ms. Bledsoe and Amy by sight but doesn't really know them well since she's only lived in the house a few months. Mrs. Ashcroft was home the afternoon and evening of December 4 but didn't notice anything strange or different about that day. She left in her car about 3:30 p.m. to run an errand and when she returned an hour later Ms. Bledsoe's car was in the driveway. Mrs. Ashcroft went into her house and didn't notice any unfamiliar cars on the block.
  
• Joe Forrester, age 40, lives at 19 Van Buren St, next door to Mary Bledsoe. He said he was working on his car in the driveway until about 4:15 p.m. when he went in to the house to clean up because he knew it would begin to get dark soon. He looked out around 4:45-5:00 p.m. when he heard Mary pull her car out of the garage into the driveway but didn't see any other cars and couldn't say exactly what time she left. He took his dog outside in the yard around 5:15 and saw no strange cars at the Bledsoe's or on the block, nor did he notice Amy outside waiting for anyone.
  
• Jimmy Wilkins, age 15, who lives at 14 Van Buren St, saw Ms. Bledsoe's car drive away the evening of December 4 when he was returning home from the movies. He's not sure of the exact time, but thinks it was around 5:00p.m. He saw the back of her car as it was going down the block away from him. The garage door was shut and he didn't see Amy, not did he see any unfamiliar cars at the Bledsoe's or on the block around that time.
  
• Rosie Belfast, age 33, lives a few houses away from the Bledsoe's and down the street at 27 Van Buren St. Ms. Belfast states she didn't know the Bledsoe's and wouldn't know what she, the daughter or their car looked like—and didn't have the time nor inclination to care what was going on with people who lived a half block away.