Hurst, Leisha 1-22-09 age 30, Barstow, CA - Recovered deceased

[tatertot]

http://www.hesperiastar.com/news/hesperia_...stow_hurst.html

Missing Barstow woman's car found in Hesperia
January 26, 2009 - 11:31 AM
BY BEAU YARBROUGH
STAFF WRITER
A missing Barstow woman's car has been found in Hesperia.

Leisha Ann Hurst, 30, has been missing since Thursday, January 22. Hurst was last seen after dropping off her children at school prior to heading to a doctor's appointment in Loma Linda.

San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department found her orange and rust-colored Honda Element abandoned in Hesperia, near the intersection of Olive and Second Streets with the windows down and key in the ignition.

According to the Barstow Police, her cell phone was used shortly before 11 p.m. in Hesperia near 11500 Mariposa Road in Hesperia.

Hurst is a white female adult, 30 years old, and described at 5'6", 130 lbs., with brown hair and blue eyes.

Anyone with information about Hurst's whereabouts is asked to called Barstow Police Department Detective Keith Libby at 256-2211 or call the anonymous WE-TIP hotline at (800) 78-CRIME.

[tatertot]

http://www.desertdispatch.com/news/barstow...olice_seek.html

Police seek info on man in case of missing Barstow mother
Helendale man checked himself into psych ward after police searches
January 27, 2009 - 5:11 PM
By CHARLES NGUYEN, staff writer

BARSTOW • A Helendale man who checked himself into psychiatric care Monday was romantically involved with a missing Barstow woman and may have more knowledge or be involved in her disappearance last week, police say.

Barstow Police believe Jeami Chiapulis, 36, is connected to Leisa Ann Hurst, 30, who was reported missing after her orange Honda Element was found abandoned in Hesperia, said Barstow Police Det. Keith Libby.

Hurst, a Barstow single mother with two daughters, had visited Chiapulis’ home in the Silver Lakes neighborhood of Helendale several times in the past, according to Libby.

Police conducted two searches of Chiapulis’ home, once on Sunday with his consent and again on Monday with a search warrant. During the searches, investigators found several pieces of evidence that led them to believe that Chiapulis had more knowledge about Hurst’s disappearance, according to Libby.

On Monday, Chiapulis checked himself into the psychiatric ward of an unidentified hospital, said Libby. He has since been uncooperative with investigators, Libby said, so detectives are searching for information on Chiapulis’ whereabouts from Hurst’s Thursday disappearance until Monday, Libby said.

Chiapulis is married and his wife is employed outside of California, Libby said. Police have found at least two other women that were romantically involved with Chiapulis, Libby said.

Hurst’s car was found in the area of Olive Street and Second Street in Hesperia with its windows down and key still in the ignition.
The last sign of Hurst before she disappeared was Thursday at about 11 p.m., according to a police report, when her cell phone was used in Hesperia. Detectives located its signal near a cell tower on Mariposa Road but investigators could not provide details on that call, Libby said. She has not been seen or heard from since.

“Given the nature of [Hurst’s] life and how much she cared for her two daughters we have strong indication that she is the victim of foul play,” Libby said.

Anyone who may have information regarding Chiapulis’ activities from Jan. 22 to Jan. 26 or this case is asked to contact Det. Keith Libby at 760-256-2211. Callers wishing to remain anonymous may call the WE-TIP hotline at 1-800-78-CRIME or leave information on the WE-TIP Web site at www.wetip.com.

[tatertot]

http://www.desertdispatch.com/news/search_...sked_moved.html

Search location for missing woman moved
February 5, 2009 - 2:52 PM
By CHARLES NGUYEN, staff writer

The location of a weekend search party for Barstow resident Leisa Hurst, a missing 30-year-old single mother, has been moved to Helendale.

Volunteers are asked to meet near the neighborhood of Silver Lakes at the intersection of Shadow Mountain Road and Helendale Road at 10 a.m. to begin the search, according to Barstow Police Det. Keith Libby. Case investigators asked Hurst’s family to relocate the search party, which was originally planned for areas in Oro Grande, Libby said.

“Recent investigative information made it imperative that we move the location,” said Libby, who added that he could not offer details on an ongoing investigation.

The search party will move South and West from the intersection, Libby said.

Employees from the Barstow police department will help with the search in an off-duty capacity, Libby said. Libby, the case’s lead investigator, said that he will also attend to inform and guide volunteers.

“BPD officers will be there off-duty to help search and give as much advice as we can,” Libby said. “As far as I know, there’s going to be a pretty good turnout.”

Hurst, a mother of two, went missing on Jan. 22. Her orange Honda Element was found abandoned in Hesperia. Libby said that Jeami Chiapulis, a 36-year-old Helendale resident that had romantic relationship with Hurst, was somehow involved in her disappearance. Police have not named him as a suspect.

Anyone who may have information regarding the case is asked to contact Det. Keith Libby at 760-256-2211. Callers wishing to remain anonymous may call the WE-TIP hotline at 1-800-78-CRIME or leave information on the WE-TIP Web site at www.wetip.com.

How to Help
Search Party for Leisa Hurst
When: Saturday, 10 a.m.
Where: Intersection of Shadow Mountain Road and Helendale Road in Helendale
What to bring: Bottled water, walking shoes, attire for cold/rainy weather, hand-held radio/cell phone

[Ell]

Search party for missing Barstow mother rained out
Comments 3 | Recommend 9
Family planning another search in two weeks
February 9, 2009 - 4:19 PM
By CHARLES NGUYEN, staff writer
The crowd of volunteers that gathered in Helendale on Saturday to search for missing Barstow resident Leisa Hurst struggled with the rain, forcing Hurst’s family to postpone a full search for the single mother who went missing on Jan. 22.

About 175 people showed up for the search, trudging through mud and rain while searching areas around the Silver Lakes neighborhood for nearly four hours, said Debra Walsh, Hurst’s mother. The family called off the search at about 3 p.m. after heavier rains made it impossible, she said. Volunteers were not able to locate any evidence related to the case.

“A few people without four-wheel drive got stuck in puddles of water,” Walsh said. “We decided it was getting unsafe for people.”

A search and rescue team from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department is continuing to search the area and surrounding locations this week, according to Barstow Police Det. Keith Libby.

Horses, ATVs and handheld radios were just some of the pieces of equipment and transportation that volunteers brought for the search, Libby said. Off-duty dispatchers from the BPD worked with volunteers to set up a makeshift “command post” in a motor home that they used to coordinate search efforts. Other off-duty BPD officers also were on hand during the search to offer assistance.

“Putting together the search this time will make it easier, safer and more efficient next time,” Libby said. “I was really impressed with the things the community brought and how we all were able to put together a system to utilize them. There’s nothing more valuable than manpower and that’s what we got from the community.”

Walsh said she plans to hold another search on Feb. 21 in the same area of Helendale Road at 8 a.m.

Volunteers came from a variety of areas, some as far as Nevada and Arizona, Walsh said.

“It felt wonderful to see so many concerned people come out from so many places,” Walsh said. “Some people didn’t know us or Leisa personally, but were concerned enough to come out. That was really touching.”

There have been no new developments in Hurst’s case, Libby said. Police still believe that Jeami Chiapulis, a 36-year-old Helendale resident who was romantically involved with Hurst, has further involvement with her disappearance.

“[Chiapulis] has exhibited suspicious characteristics and we don’t believe he has been truthful to investigators,” Libby said.

Chiapulis checked himself into the psychiatric ward of an unidentified hospital on Jan. 26 and remains a patient there, Libby said. Investigators have not named him a suspect.

Anyone who may have information regarding the case is asked to contact Det. Keith Libby at 760-256-2211. Anyone inquiring about the community search party is asked to contact Debra Walsh at 760-252-9006. Callers wishing to remain anonymous may call the WE-TIP hotline at 1-800-78-CRIME or leave information on the WE-TIP Web site at www.wetip.com.

Contact the writer:
(760) 256-4126 or
cnguyen@desertdispatch.com

http://www.desertdispatch.com/news/hurst_5...html#slComments

[mtnmom]

Man pleads not guilty in murder case of still-missing woman

BARSTOW • Jeami Chiapulis, accused of murdering his girlfriend, Barstow resident Leisa Hurst, pleaded not guilty in a Barstow courthouse on Wednesday in front of a crowd of Hurst’s family, friends and neighbors.

Thorough discussions with the Barstow Police Department led to the District Attorney’s Office decision to file the murder charge against Chiapulis, according to Deputy District Attorney Sean Daugherty, even though Hurst’s body has not been found since she was reported missing on Jan. 22.
Daugherty declined to comment on the case’s specifics.

Chiapulis was arrested at a Redlands motel by Barstow Police on Friday after he was released from a local hospital psychiatric ward, according to Det. Keith Libby. The arrest was made after consultation with the district attorney’s office, Libby said.

“Detectives conferred with the district attorney’s office and determined that, while Hurst’s body has not yet been recovered, enough probable cause exists to arrest Chiapulis for her murder,” he stated via e-mail. “As this is an ongoing investigation, and the search continues for Leisa, no further information should be released at this time.”

Hurst, a single mother with two daughters, remains missing as the family prepares for another community-led search for her body. The first event drew a crowd of more than 175 volunteers that searched areas in Helendale. Trinity Search and Recovery, an organization specializing in searches for missing persons, is managing the Saturday event, which will take place at an elementary school in Oro Grande.

At his arraignment, Chiapulis requested a court-appointed lawyer. Judge Steve Mapes set bail at $1 million.

“I’m just glad that he’s not out on the streets anymore,” Hurst’s next-door neighbor Donna Mass said at the arraignment.
Even with Chiapulis’ arrest, the fact that Hurst’s body still has not been recovered makes closure difficult, said Richard McClain, one of Hurst’s neighbors.

“There’s still a lot of unanswered questions,” he said.

Anyone with information in reference this incident is asked to contact Detective Keith Libby at 760-256-2211. People wishing to remain anonymous can call WE-TIP at 1-800-78-CRIME or www.wetip.com.

CONTACT THE WRITER:
(760) 256-4126 or cnguyen@desertdispatch.com

http://www.desertdispatch.com/news/pleads_...stow_woman.html

[Begood]

Friday, February 20, 2009
O.C. residents help in search for body of missing woman
Leisa Hurst of Barstow went missing Jan. 22; family members look for closure.
By JAIMEE LYNN FLETCHER
The Orange County Register
Comments 25| Recommend 10

GARDEN GROVE – An estimated 120 people will scour the desert Saturday to look for the body of a Barstow woman who was reported missing nearly a month ago.

Family members, friends, church groups and other organizations are heading to Helendale, in San Bernardino County, to find answers in the mysterious disappearance of Leisa Ann Hurst, 30, a single mother of two who was reported missing on Jan. 22.

"We're hoping to find Leisa's body," said Lorren Brewster, Hurst's uncle. "It's going to help supply closure to the family."

Brewster, 43, of Placentia, has helped organize a group from the International Church of Christ in Garden Grove, employees of Toyota of Torrance, neighbors and friends to aide in the search.

Volunteers, with the help of the San Bernardino Sheriff's Department, will survey miles of desert on foot or via ATVs and motorcycles looking for evidence.

A similar search was conducted on Feb. 7 by 175 people armed with handheld radios, but heavy rains cut their efforts short.

Hurst was reported missing after her car was found abandoned in Hesperia with the windows down and the keys in the ignition, said Barstow police Det. Keith Libby.

Hurst was studying to be an elementary school teacher and was expected to attend a class at the University of La Verne satellite campus on Jan. 22.

Libby said she was a loving mother of two daughters, 9 and 12.

"Her children reported her missing," he said. "From what we know, she would not leave them with no contact or anything."

Police have turned their focus to Jeami Chiapulis, 36, of Helendale, after family members said the two were engaged. Chiapulis told police they were just friends.

"He denied any intimate relationship with Leisa even though family members believed that he was her fiancé," Libby said. "He seemed very deceptive."

Chiapulis has been charged with Hurst's suspected murder even though her body has not yet been found, Libby said. He pleaded not guilty to charges on Wednesday.

"He maintains that he doesn't know where Leisa is and that he thinks she ran off," Libby said. "He says they are best friends but he shows no remorse or sadness over her absence."

Libby said a look into Chiapulis' personal life revealed that he is married and had several other girlfriends. His wife, a lieutenant colonel in the Army, is stationed in Houston and had no knowledge of Chiapulis' double life, Libby said.

Officers searched Chiapulis' apartment twice, once with his consent and once under a search warrant. Police found evidence that pointed to his possible involvement in Hurst's disappearance, Libby said.

Because the case is still under investigation, Libby said he could not release details about what was found.

Brewster said that when he first heard of Hurst's disappearance he was hopeful she would return. But as the days passed, hope dwindled.

"As more time went on with no contact and with some of the facts that came out; it was just terrifying," he said.

Neighbors and friends, he said, have been sympathetic to his family's loss and have provided an outpouring of support.

Some have dropped off supplies and cash donations to help with the search. Others even donated their motorcycles and ATVs to use on Saturday, he said.

"It's an overwhelming feeling of gratitude to know that I have people to turn to for help," he said.

Contact the writer: 714-445-6692 or jfletcher@ocregister.com

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/libby-h...-friends-family

[mtnmom]

Normalcy key for missing Barstow woman's mother, daughters
Mother: Before disappearance, daughter and suspect shared warm relationship

On Feb. 15, Leisa Hurst turned 31. The family tried to treat it like any other birthday: Hurst’s mother, Deborah Welch, took her two granddaughters out for sushi, Hurst’s favorite cuisine.

“We cope by living as normal as possible,” said Welch, whose daughter has been missing since Jan. 22. That normalcy rubs off on 9-year-old Tyler and 12-year-old Ashlyn, who Welch said are continuing their habit of scoring A’s and B’s in school while Welch, from Arizona, is staying at Hurst’s Barstow home to care for them.

But life outside of the home has been anything but normal. Daylong searches for pieces of evidence have stoked uncertainty about Hurst’s still-missing body while the arrest of Hurst’s alleged boyfriend has thrown what Welch thought was her daughter’s happy relationship into doubt.

Helendale resident Jeami Chiapulis is in custody awaiting trial and charged with Hurst’s murder. Hurst met Chiapulis at Barstow Community College about two and a half years ago when she began courses to become certified as a teacher, said Welch, who described the couple’s relationship as warm.

According to Welch, who said she spoke to her daughter weekly, Hurst had planned to move into Chiapulis’ Helendale home with her two daughters the weekend she went missing. Welch said she planned to come to Barstow herself that weekend to help with the move.

“In the years they were together, I’d hear ‘Jeami this’ and ‘Jeami that,’” Welch said. “She’d text him all the time. If they had a fight it was usually for a short time.”

Welch said she met Chiapulis twice. He even got along well with Leisa’s young daughters, she said.

“He seemed nice and polite,” Welch said. “He was a likable guy as far as I knew.”

But police believe Chiapulis led other lives that were masked by his relationship with Hurst. According to Det. Keith Libby, the case’s lead investigator, Chiapulis is married and carried on several relationships with other women while with Hurst.

Welch said she and Leisa were completely unaware of Chiapulis’ wife, who does not live in the state, or his other relationships.

Days after Leisa went missing, police began searching Chiapulis’ home. During the first search, Chiapulis agreed to allow detectives into his Helendale home in the Silver Lakes neighborhood. After they found pieces of evidence linking Chiapulis to Hurst’s case, investigators returned the next day with a warrant to search the house again.

By then, Chiapulis had stopped cooperating with police, Libby said, and checked himself into the psychiatric ward of a hospital where he stayed for nearly three weeks.

Chiapulis had been released from the hospital and was at a Redlands motel when he was arrested Feb. 13.

Welch called the community response “very touching.” About 170 people showed up to the first volunteer search party in Helendale. That crowd swelled to over 250 for the second search in Oro Grande, which covered about 17 square miles of area along a 10-mile stretch on both sides of the Mojave River, according to Loren Brewster, Hurst’s uncle.

“Missing persons searches are a process of eliminating areas and we now have eliminated many areas where we know Leisa is not,” Brewster stated via e-mail. Welch said there is no date set for the next search.

Volunteers brought more than just themselves, using horses and ATVs on loan from other volunteers, and even an aerial drone brought by Trinity Search and Recovery, an organization specializing in missing persons cases. The drone provided high-resolution photos of the terrain in the hope that a birds-eye shot would reveal evidence related to the case or the body’s location.

Even without Hurst’s body, prosecutors and detectives said they felt confident enough with other evidence to charge Chiapulis with her murder.

“These kind of prosecutions are not frequent but they have happened,” said Deputy District Attorney Sean Daugherty, who declined to comment on specifics. “The courts have consistently held that in these types of cases you can prove murder through circumstantial evidence. We felt we had enough to pursue a charge.”

Chiapulis’ next scheduled court date is a preliminary deposition on March 24, said Daugherty, who is handling the case.

Anyone with information on the case is asked to contact Det. Keith Libby at 760-256-2211. Those wishing to remain anonymous can call the WE-TIP hotline at 1-800-78-CRIME or visit its Web site at www.wetip.com.


http://www.desertdispatch.com/news/hurst_5...cy_barstow.html

[Begood]

Friends & Family of Leisa Ann Hurst - Missing 01/22/2009
Global
Basic Info
Type: Common Interest - Beliefs & Causes
Description: Leisa Hurst was reported missing to the Police Department after the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department discovered her orange/rust colored Honda Element abandoned in the area of Olive Street and Second Street in Hesperia.

Her cell phone records show it was last used 10:54 p.m. Thursday night near the area of a cell tower at 11500 Mariposa Road in Hesperia. Hurst has not been seen or heard from since.

Jeami Chiapulis, a 36-year-old Helendale, CA resident that had a romantic relationship with Hurst. Two searches of Chiapulis’ home by Barstow Police led investigators to believe that he was connected to her disappearance, but they did not name him as a suspect at that time.

Chiapulis checked himself the psychiatric ward of an unidentified hospital on Jan. 26. He remained a patient there for several weeks.

After leaving the hospital, Jeami R. Chiapulis was arrested by Barstow Police detectives at a Starlite Motel in Redlands at about 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 13.

On Feb. 18, Chiapulis pleaded not guilty in a Barstow courthouse in front of a crowd of Hurst’s family, friends and neighbors. He is currently being held at West Valley Detention Center, awaiting trial for Leisa’s murder.

On Jun. 5, Barstow Judge Cheryl Kersey ruled that Jeami Chiapulis will stand trial for the murder of Leisa Hurst, in the first-degree. If convicted he will face 25 years to life in prison.

Searches for Leisa’s remains are being conducted along the Mojave River and desert regions south of Chiapulis’ home in Silver Lake Community, near Helendale, CA and Oro Grande, CA.

The Carole Sund/Carrington Foundation is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the return/discovery of Leisa's body.

Barstow Police are asking anyone who may have information relevent to the case to contact Det. Keith Libby at (760) 256-2211 or the WeTip hot line at (800) 78-CRIME.
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=53173392426

[Begood]

Man to stand trial for killing of missing woman
Hurst's remains still yet to be found
June 4, 2009 - 5:48 PM
By DAVID HELDRETH, staff writer
BARSTOW • Judge Cheryl Kersey ruled Thursday that Silver Lakes resident Jeami Chiapulis, 37, will stand trial for the murder of an apparent girlfriend, Barstow resident Leisa Hurst.

Although Hurst’s body hasn’t been found, police arrested Chiapulis on Feb. 13. Chiapulis is charged with first-degree murder and faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted.

Hurst, 30, was reported missing January 22. Her family and friends organized searches in the Helendale and Oro Grande areas during the last five months.

During Thursday’s hearing, Barstow Police Department Det. Keith Libby testified that Joyce Fransson, a friend and another apparent sexual partner of Chiapulis’ — who is married — told him that Chiapulis met her at California State University of San Bernardino the night of January 22. Libby said that Fransson had told him that Chiapulis was driving an orange sport utility vehicle that didn’t belong to him.

Libby further testified that Fransson said that Chiapulis asked her where a high crime area was to dump the vehicle because he claimed a friend wanted to fake a vehicle theft. Libby said that Chiapulis then followed Fransson to Olive Street in Hesperia where they left the orange SUV before going to Chiapulis’ house. Hurst’s orange Honda Element was later discovered on Olive Street.

Libby testified that what police believe to be blood was located on the carpet and walls of Chiapulis’ home. BlueStar, a chemical police use to test for blood, was used and tested positive. The carpet sample is currently undergoing analysis at the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department crime lab.

Libby’s testimony also covered a series of purchases Chiapulis made at Home Depot around January 22. Libby testified receipts he obtained from Home Depot revealed that Chiapulis purchased a trash can, gloves, bleach, duct tape, a shovel, and a pick ax.
The final witness of the day was Ryan McKenna. He was Chiapulis’ cell mate at the West Valley Detention Center, serving time for assault with a deadly weapon.

McKenna testified that during a conversation Chiapulis confessed to Hurst’s killing in March. McKenna said that Chiapulis told him that Hurst asked him to choke her while they had intercourse in the jacuzzi at Chiapulis’ home. McKenna testified that Chiapulis said he went too far and Hurst fell unconscious and died.

McKenna also said that Chiapulis told him that he used the trash can, bleach and gloves to clean the house before burying Hurst in the desert.

Chiapulis will now be arraigned at 8:30 a.m. on June 17 at the Barstow Courthouse.

http://www.highdesert.com/news/woman-6233-...ow-killing.html

[mimi]

Accused killer leads police to body of Barstow woman

October 09, 2009
DAVID HELDRETH Staff Writer
BARSTOW • A 37-year-old Silver Lakes man accused of killing his apparent 30-year-old Barstow girlfriend led authorities to her body buried in the desert near Newberry Springs.

Jeami Chiapulis entered into an agreement with the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s office during a pretrial hearing Thursday. Under the deal, Chiapulis will receive 15 years to life in prison for second-degree murder in exchange for revealing the location of Leisa Hurst’s body, according to deputy district attorney Sean Daugherty. Daugherty said the agreement was dependent on the remains being identifiable as Hurst’s.

Daugherty was unable to discuss further details of the agreement or the case.

Chiapulis was released into the custody of Barstow Police Department detectives following the Thursday hearing, according to a Barstow Police Department report. Chiapulis, accompanied by his attorney Paul Henderson, directed the district attorney and detectives to an area near Newberry Springs, where human remains were found.

The remains were turned over to the San Bernardino County Coroner, who positively identified the body as that of Hurst on Friday afternoon, according to Barstow police.

Hurst was reported missing Jan. 22. Chiapulis checked himself into the psychiatric ward of an unidentified hospital on Jan. 26. Police said Chiapulis had a romantic relationship with Hurst, and searched his home twice shortly after Hurst’s disappearance. He was arrested at a Redland’s motel on February 13 just after being released from the hospital. Chiapulis was scheduled to start trial for Hurst’s killing at the end of November. Hurst’s family and friends organized searches in the Helendale and Oro Grande areas during the past eight months in an attempt to find her remains.

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