YCSD investigators canvassed businesses, private residences, and pedestrians along the route from Rowan Oak on Old Taylor Road to the Rebel Inn at 2133 South Lamar Boulevard, looking for anyone who may have seen Gus Heller the morning Rolf Warner was killed.
Locations canvassed include Oxford in Bloom at 1446 South Lamar Boulevard, Chevron at 2100 South Lamar Boulevard, FNB Oxford at 2049 South Lamar, and several private residences.
These witnesses were shown a photograph of Gus Heller and asked whether they had seen him at any time on Wednesday, March 13, 2024.
The interviews summarized below are those relevant to the investigation and are representative of all interviews conducted.
Bennett
Cynthia Bennett
Oxford in Bloom clerk
Bennett said she stepped outside to have a cigarette at approximately 8:45 a.m. A few minutes later, she saw a man, whom she identified from the photograph as Heller, walking quickly down South Lamar past the bank at approximately.
Bennett said 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.
Haight
Bobby Haight
Chevron gas station clerk
Haight said he saw a man resembling the one in the photograph (Heller) walking past the Chevron on the morning of March 13 around 9:00 a.m. Haight said 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 said the man and his companion seemed a little tense, and Haight speculated they might have been arguing before they came in. However, Haight said the men were civil to each other and to him while they were selecting and making their purchases.
Lauder
Benjamin Lauder
FNB Oxford bank manager
Lauder said he did not personally see Heller on March 13 but agreed to give the investigators access to the bank/ATM security footage to determine whether Heller had been captured on video as he passed by.
A review of the security videos showed an adult male resembling Heller walking past the bank at 9:02 a.m. on March 13.
Talley
David Talley
Square Pizza cook
Talley said he was walking north on South Lamar going to work just before 9:00 a.m. when a man, whom he identified from the photograph as Heller, walked past him going the opposite direction at the roundabout north of Highway 6.
Talley said he noticed the man because he was talking to himself in a foreign language, which Talley believed was German. Talley said he could not understand what the man was saying, but the man seemed angry.
Talley said the man did not acknowledge him as he passed, and Talley continued to work at Square Pizza.
