As the two-year anniversary of her fiancée's killing draws near, Ohio University graduate Angel Ross said she is becoming increasingly upset with the Athens Police Department.
Angel's fiancée, Terris Ross, was shot and killed March 9, 2003, while sitting in the driver's seat of a Cadillac Sedan Deville parked in the University Commons lot. Ross, 23 at the time, was an OU senior.
No arrests have been made yet in connection with the case, though police still have strong suspects and are actively investigating leads, said APD Lt. John Withers, the investigator for the case.
Withers said APD has been continually acquiring new information and conducted an interview for the case as recently as last week. He also said APD has multiple witnesses to the shooting, but would not comment on how many witnesses or what information they had provided police because the case still is under investigation.
Although Angel, a 2003 OU graduate, said she had been upset with APD at different points during the investigation, she generally had confidence in the department's ability to find and to arrest her fiancée's killer.
But she said her confidence recently began to fade.
Angel said she became particularly upset when she called Withers to inform him she had talked to The Post. Angel said that when she talked to Withers, he was upset with her because she had talked to The Post about the possibility of involving America's Most Wanted in the investigation -which Angel and Ross's mother, Dorothy Gamble, had been exploring. At that point, Angel said she became very distressed.
I have given them the benefit of the doubt ... but when I called (Withers) on (Feb. 4)
he really had the nerve to say he was upset you (The Post) were calling asking about 'America's Most Wanted ' Angel said. If they're not going to do anything about it then why won't they turn the case over to someone who will?
Withers said he was not upset with Angel.
She misunderstood that. I wasn't upset with her at all. In fact
the more she talks
the better
Withers said. It surprises me that she thinks that.
Withers said newspaper stories about the case increase talk in the area, and this is beneficial to the investigation.
APD still is looking into the possibility of involving America's Most Wanted
but Withers said the national TV program has certain guidelines and wanted information they could not provide. He would not comment on what this information was.
We've been looking into that possibility
Withers said. There's just some things they want that we can't provide them.
Officials for America's Most Wanted and FOX did not respond after multiple attempts to contact them.
Withers said he has communicated with the show only through e-mails -which described the general process for getting a case on TV -but the show's producers have not formally declined the case.
He also said APD was somewhat reluctant to turn over copies of the case files to the show, though APD still would be in charge of the investigation.
Everybody's reluctant to turn over your complete case files
Withers said. You never know where your files are going to end up.
Angel said she did not understand why APD was unwilling to hand over copies of its files.
I don't know if they want the glory
or if they have the evidence and they're going to wait to find it until some certain time -and then they'll be the good guys and everyone will love the Athens police
she said. I just wish they would stop playing.
Angel also said she was beginning to think race might be a factor in the investigation, though she did not say that the case would be solved if Ross were white.
I hate to say it
