Overhead view of a suburban neighborhood

Neighbor canvass

YOKNAPATAWPHA COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT

Investigating Officer(s): Det. T. Armstrong, Det. S. Murphy
Incident No.: 005299-18J-2023
Case Description: Hoyt Biffle death investigation

Yoknapatawpha County Sheriff's Department investigators canvassed residents of the Under Glass neighborhood to ascertain if any information could be discovered about Hoyt Biffle's homicide.

The interviews summarized are some of the most typical or relevant to the investigation and are representative of all interviews conducted.


Lytal

Kacie Lytal (35)
910 Muirfield Drive

Kacie Lytal lives on the south side of the street, opposite the Under Glass property and east of Harvey and Lorna Olinghouse. She is a women's studies professor at Ole Miss on sabbatical, working on a book on the #MeToo movement.

She was fascinated by the culture shift at the beginning of the #MeToo Movement, and when she heard that Hoyt Biffle was starting Under Glass, she decided to write her book from a local perspective. She was even able to get impromptu interviews a year ago with some of the Under Glass women, including Tanya Ryder, Mackenzie Collins, and Shiloh Bates.

Professor Lytal said the women felt they had a fair amount of liberty living in the Under Glass house. However, Lytal found the social dynamics were such that Hoyt Biffle had a high degree of control and influence in their lives. Although there were no signs that Biffle was involved in a romantic or sexual relationship with any of the women, Professor Lytal characterized Biffle's business relationship with the women as "pimp-like."

Professor Lytal reported that the protesters who picketed Under Glass were often no better than Biffle in that they often treated the women like objects of scorn rather than the victims of the 24/7 male gaze inside and outside of Under Glass.

Within the protester group, Professor Lytal witnessed many examples of hypocritical actions where the men of the group would publicly chastise Biffle for his business and turn around and expect the women protesters to get them coffee and doughnuts mid-morning to keep their fires fueled for more afternoon pickets. She likened Biffle and the protesters to "two sides of the same coin."

Olinghouse

Harvey (97) and Lorna (85) Olinghouse
890 Muirfield Drive

Harvey and Lorna Olinghouse live on the south side of the street, opposite the Under Glass property and west of Kacie Lytal. They have lived in Oxford since their marriage 65 years ago. Harvey is a Korean War veteran and former used car salesman, while Lorna spent most of her adult life as a secretary for St. Sylvester's United Church.

Harvey and Lorna have strong feelings against Under Glass, believing that the business has destroyed the peace of the neighborhood. The couple said they used to enjoy sweet tea on their porch almost every night during the summer months, but since Biffle moved in, there have been near-constant protests. They acknowledged that they don't know what goes on in the Under Glass house, but since the protesters treated it as a whorehouse, they resented Biffle for opening a business of ill-repute across from their home.

When asked about the day of Hoyt Biffle's homicide, Harvey and Lorna said they were home but had never found the "urge" to see what Biffle was up to, so they do not know anything specifically about Biffle's whereabouts on that day. Lorna did say, however, that protesters were in the neighborhood later that afternoon in the rain.

Rawcliffe

Jeremy Rawcliffe (21)
1000 Park View Lane

Jeremy Rawcliffe has lived his whole life in Oxford, Mississippi. He has recently moved out of his parents' home and is renting his grandparents' guesthouse, which is on the street behind the Under Glass property. He currently works as a stock boy and checker at the High Cotton Wine & Spirits Warehouse.

Jeremy said he knew about Hoyt Biffle's operation, and he subscribed to the service. He described the service as "Oxford's Big Brother" and said Under Glass would be only rated "PG" if it was shown on television. He believed the protesters were overreacting and had caused more problems in the neighborhood than Biffle.

As an example of how irrational the protesters had been, Jeremy said he was coming home from work when one of the protesters, who had been driving around the Under Glass neighborhood, randomly yelled at him for wearing "a liquor shirt like they thought it was 1920 and we were still under Prohibition."

Because he had a day off from work, Jeremy was home on the day of Hoyt Biffle's homicide. However, he said the trees that line the backside of the Under Glass house obscure the view of Biffle's property, so he can never see what goes on at the house. He said he went to the mailbox around 4:30 p.m. and noticed a green mid-size car parked on the street, which was unusual because he knew the nearby residents were out of town and people rarely park on the street in that neighborhood. Jeremy never saw the car's owner.

Tetterling

Adam Tetterling (33)
860 Muirfield Drive

Adam Tetterling lives on the south side of the street, west of the Under Glass property, with his teenage daughter, Iris, and his dog, Fleabag. He is a divorced comedian who frequents Harrison's Bar and Grill's comic stage and is a local favorite.

Adam admitted to occasionally walking Fleabag in the midst of the neighborhood protesters to get material for his stand-up routines. He said some interactions between Biffle and the protesters are "comic gold," like the time that an elderly protester tried to throw a punch at Biffle but missed and the time that one middle-aged protester tried to talk one of the women out of working at Under Glass by promising to GoFundMe her law degree.

Adam said he did know Hoyt Biffle personally. They occasionally had drinks together at the bars after Adam's sets were over. Adam said Biffle had even sat through sets that included Under Glass material, which Biffle found hilarious.

Adam had just returned from Memphis, where he'd had a show, and was not at home that afternoon. He said no one was at the Tetterling residence but Fleabag in his backyard kennel. Iris was at her mother's house per the couple's joint custody arrangement.


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