Canvass – Miller neighbors

On April 11, YCSD investigators spoke to residents in Frederick Miller's neighborhood to find out if they had observed any suspicious activity in the neighborhood recently.

The neighbors were asked about their relationship with the Miller family and any recent interactions they may have had with any of the Miller family members.

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

David J. Porter
242 Siske Ave
Next door to the west of the Miller residence

Mr. Porter said that he doesn't know the Miller family very well. He was home around 5:00 p.m. on Thursday and said he didn't see or hear anything unusual that day.

However, Mr. Porter noted that for about a week in late March, a white pickup truck was parked on Avent Street, directly in front of his house. He thought this was strange because it didn't appear to belong to anyone in the neighborhood, and it didn't move at all during that time. On the 5th or 6th consecutive night, Mr. Porter considered calling it in to have it towed, believing it may have been abandoned. But the next morning, the vehicle had been moved, and he hasn't seen it since.

Karen Clark
243 Sisk Ave
Northwest across the street from the Miller residence

Mrs. Clark said she is somewhat new to the neighborhood and hasn't met all the neighbors. However, she has met Mrs. Miller and talked with her on a couple of occasions. Mrs. Clark is aware that Mrs. Miller lives with her husband and children based on conversations they have had, but has never met anyone else in the Miller family and doesn't know anything about them.

Around 11:00 a.m. on April 10th, Mrs. Clark and her husband, Dennis, left for a long weekend visit with family in Memphis. She doesn't recall seeing anything out of the ordinary that morning.

However, Mrs. Clark noted that she had seen two teenagers—a male and a female—hanging around the neighborhood on two separate occasions over the last month. Both times, it was after dark, probably around 10:00 or 11:00 p.m. She said she did not recognize either of them, nor did she see them leaving or entering any particular house.

Mrs. Clark described the girl as a Caucasian female between the ages of 15 and 16 and of average height and weight. She had brown hair that, on both occasions, was pulled back into a ponytail. The girl's clothing didn't stand out in any memorable way.

The boy also appeared to be a Caucasian teenager, perhaps between the ages of 16 and 18. He was taller than average and slim. He was wearing a dark jacket with an unidentified logo or text on it. He also wore a hat of some kind.

Both times that Mrs. Clark saw the teens, they were near the intersection of Sisk Avenue and Avent Street. The first time she saw them, about 4–6 weeks ago, she noticed the girl hurrying down Sisk Avenue heading towards Avent Street, where the boy appeared to be waiting for her. A couple of weeks later, she saw them holding hands and strolling down the sidewalk on Avent Street, heading towards the same intersection.

Tianna Schwartz
245 Sisk Ave
North across the street from the Miller residence

Mrs. Schwartz said she was home all day on Thursday, April 10th, and observed the Miller family going about their regular routine. She remembered seeing Lizzie arriving home from school at about 3:45 p.m. because Mrs. Schwartz had gone out to check her mail at the same time.

Mrs. Schwartz described some unusual behavior she had observed in the recent past.

One evening, about two or three weeks ago, Mrs. Schwartz was taking her evening walk when she stopped to talk to Mrs. Miller and her daughter as they were about to leave. When Mrs. Miller asked where they were headed, Mrs. Miller said they were going to a yoga class, and Lizzie said they were going to get coffee.

Mrs. Miller quickly tried to explain, but Mrs. Schwartz thought she was hiding something.

The most recent incident occurred about two weeks ago, according to Mrs. Schwartz. She saw Mrs. Miller and Lizzie drive away from the family home around 5:00 p.m. At about 5:30 p.m., Mrs. Schwartz left her home to go to the grocery store. On her way there, she saw Mrs. Miller's vehicle parked a few blocks away. She said Mrs. Miller was sitting alone in the car reading a book, but she appeared to be okay.

Michael Hayes
247 Sisk Ave
Northeast across the street from the Miller residence

Mr. Hayes said he wasn't home until around 10:00 p.m. on Thursday because he was working late. He said that nothing unusual has occurred in the neighborhood recently, as far as he knows.

The last time he remembers seeing anyone in the Miller family was on Saturday morning, April 5th, when he was out jogging. He passed by the Miller home and saw Frederick doing some yard work, but he doesn't remember anything unusual about the encounter.

Cassandra Williams
246 Sisk Ave
Next door to the east of the Miller residence

Ms. Williams said that the last time she saw Mr. Miller was early Thursday evening, April 10th, as she was arriving home from work, shortly after 5:30 p.m. He was pulling out of his driveway and presumably going to choir practice at the church where Ms. Williams is also a member.

Ms. Williams said she had observed some unusual behavior over the last couple of months. A few weeks ago, she saw Mrs. Miller arriving home one evening around 7:30 p.m. with her daughter, Lizzie.

Just before they reached the front door, Mrs. Miller started and rushed back to the car while Lizzie waited for her. Mrs. Miller hurriedly grabbed something from the trunk of the car before rushing back to enter the house with Lizzie. Ms. Williams couldn't tell what the object was, but it was about the size of a pillow or a rolled-up yoga mat.

Ms. Williams remarked that she thought nothing of this incident until she began to notice other unusual behavior. For example, on Thursday evenings, she has seen Mrs. Miller's car coming and going at irregular intervals.

Last Thursday, while sitting out on her front porch, Ms. Williams saw Mrs. Miller and her daughter leave just a few minutes after Mr. Miller had left. About 20 minutes later, she saw Mrs. Miller return by herself, go inside the house for just a few moments, and then drive off again. Ms. Williams didn't notice if Mrs. Miller was carrying anything on that occasion.

Ms. Williams added that another neighbor, Tianna Schwartz at 245 Sisk Avenue, had mentioned that she had also noticed this kind of behavior from Mrs. Miller in recent weeks.