Baby Shannon Verhage- Missing for a long time

[Komak]

http://i533.photobucket.com/albums/ee336/oncejaded002288/genthumb.jpg

On June 15, 1996, Shannon Verhage was born to Rachel Timmerman. My brother and Rachel's brother were good friends. Although I never knew Rachel, her story and Shannon's story have touched me, perhaps because I also had a child born in 1996.

Six weeks after Shannon was born, Rachel was raped by Marvin Gabrion. Gabrion was arrested for the rape. Gabrion was then released on bond. Just before the date of the rape trial(6/6/97), Rachel and Shannon disappeared. On June 3rd, 1997, she and Shannon got into a car with an unknown male, stating they would return in two hours, yet they did not return.

Rachel's remains were found a few weeks later on July 5th in a nearby lake-she had been bound, gagged, chained to blocks and thrown into the lake alive.

Shannon has not been seen since.

An alleged witness to the rape, Wayne Davis, is also missing. The man Rachel is believed to have left her father's home with, John Weeks, a known associate of Gabrion's, has never been seen again.

In October of '97, Gabrion was captured in upstate NY, living under the identity Robert Allen. Allen was a transient from MI. Gabrion was collecting Allen's social security checks.
Allen's whereabouts are unknown.

Some believe that Shannon may still be alive, given over to other "associates" of Gabrion who would not, it is believed, harm her.

Michigan does not have the death penalty, but as the murder occured on federal land-the lake Gabrion dumped an ALIVE Rachel in, was on FEDERAL property,, prosecutors were able to secure the death penalty for Gabrion under federal law in 2002. Gabrion has appealed twice that I am aware of, so far his appeals have failed. Yet even from prison he speaks, his associates have Gabrion is Innocent websites, and Gabrion himself, has a website, from prison.

Gabrion refuses to discuss Shannon, in any way. Yet his poetry speaks loudly on his prison page.

10 year's missing news story
http://www.wzzm13.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=75998

Gabrion's federal prison web page
http://www.ccadp.org/marvingabrion.htm

Shannon's Grandma's page-
http://www.geocities.com/lynnser/index.html

[Piper]

He's a M-Fing moron. States on his website that he was a member of "menza" and scored 100% on IQ tests! LOL! What an idiot. He gives me the creeps. At least he is where he belongs.

[Dakota Valkyrie]

What a turd basin. That website is just the tip of his inane insane iceberg.

I actually paged through all of the grandmothers site. Quite a bit on the trial there. This man is a whack job and should have been put down long ago.

I don't know if the baby is alive. The prosecution felt she was not. The family believes otherwise.

Look at the grandmothers web pages. If nothing else, her page hits will increase and with it, a grandmother's hope.

Hope.

[ImmortalOne]

That page is... creepy. Very much so. *sigh* I cannot believe he won't tell them where or what happened to that baby. It isn't like 2 deaths or one death makes a difference in how deep the needles is placed in his arm.

[Silvahalo]

So sad. I looked at all links the fucktard is also a psycho.

It broke my heart to read the grandmother's website. She's desperate and so sad. I'm thinking, very likely this baby is dead or was sold...who knows. I pray to god she's alive and if not that she is resting in peace.

Rest in peace Rachel...I hope your baby Shannon is alive and well.

[Gilbrit]

Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock...
Don't get too comfortable on death row, Marvin Gabrion.
Your number is coming up soon.
You will be paying for the murder and rape of Rachel.

I hope you wake every night in a cold sweat, fearing that today is the day, you stop breathing.

[Komak]

Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock...
Don't get too comfortable on death row Marvin Gabrion.
Your number is coming up soon.
You will be paying for the murder and rape of Rachel.

I hope you wake every night in a cold, sweat fearing that today is the day you stop breathing.

I wrote a much more detailed story before this one, however, while I was busy writing, I got booted and lost the story.

Gabrion is a psycho POS. Doing a simple websearch of his name, brings up many many links. The trial pages are detailed and long on the grandmothers web page. I always remember the horror of Shannon being missing. While Rachel's rape and death are horrible, my son was just a few months younger than Shannon, and I could imagine nothing worse.

Many have felt that Shannon was sold, or taken by the "associates" of Gabrion. Gabrion was an aquantence of Rachel, through friends or family. Small town, and well apparently some folks who babysat for Shannon, ended up being friends of Gabrion. Immediately after Rachel and Shannon disappeared, these "friends" left abruptly for an unplanned vacation. It has always been thought that perhaps, Shannon was given away or sold.

Sometimes I think about the awful, horrible and hysterical thoughts that would have been Rachel's last, and I want to sob.

[Ruby]

What a horrible story! Here's what I want to know: if Gabrion raped Rachel, and she was pressing charges, why would she get into a car and leave with "a known associate" of Gabrion's?? Does that seem sane to anyone? What was their relationship?

I am not in any way blaming the victim -- rest her soul -- but I'd like to understand what was clearly a complicated situation...

[Dakota Valkyrie]

What a horrible story! Here's what I want to know: if Gabrion raped Rachel, and she was pressing charges, why would she get into a car and leave with "a known associate" of Gabrion's?? Does that seem sane to anyone?
Just a guess, based on my sorta rural upbringing, but in smaller towns everyone knows everyone. Frequently there are not a lot of clear defined lines on circles of friends and folks can be a part of several. Not sure about this area. Rockford lists a pop. of just over 5000 so that may be the case here.

[Komak]

DV-exactly! I am not 100% sure of the exact details...I do know this. Rachel had not lived in the Rockford/Cedar Springs area for long. She actually grew up about south of Grand Rapids, her family moved to the Rockford area about max. 2.5 years prior to this happening, she was not "raised" in the Rockford area, and probably trusted too easily. Rachel may or may not have known this person as an assoicate of Gabrion's, this person may have "sided" with Rachel under the guise of "friend" to spy for Gabrion. Rachel's family was life was dysfunctional, there is even rumor that Gabrion was an acquaintance of Rachel's mother. Gabrion on the other hand was firmly rooted in the area.

That said, Gabrion claims many things, most of all his innocence. During the trial he testified in his own defense, during which time he blamed everyone and HIS brother for the murder of Rachel, even the prosecuting attorney and Rachel's father-together- for dumping Rachel in the lake. That said, the ramblings of Gabrion are on a web page associated with this group......http://castleofhopeforlostsouls.org/theinjusticesystem/marvingabrion.html


Lastly, please be fair to Rachel (I know you will), she had three strikes at birth and tried her best to survive and do right by Shannon. If you read Gabrion's ramblings, please balance that with the truth on the Grandmothers page.