By David Hedges, Pubkisher
The Times Record
Almost two years after a teenager came up missing from the streets of Spencer, her father says he has lost any hope of ever seeing her again.
Now he has to deal with claims that her remains were ground up and devoured after she was killed.
Crystal Dawn Starcher Seabolt, who was 18 at the time, told family members she was going out to get a pack of cigarettes. She walked out of the apartment she shared with her mother above the Salvation Army Store onto Spencer's Main Street and was never heard from again.
That was Aug. 31, 2002, which will be two years ago next week.
Her father, Jesse "Moe" Starcher of Spencer, says he doesn't believe his daughter is alive.
"My God," he said, "it's been almost two years and we haven't heard a word."
Starcher said his daughter had gotten caught up in a world of violence and drugs, with the central figure being a man since convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. Alex Vincent Golosow, also known as "Tattoo Vince" allegedly killed his best friend, Judd Reid, in October 2002 after, he believed, Reid talked to police about alleged drug activity.
Starcher is convinced his daughter met a similar fate, perhaps at the hands of the same killer. There has been speculation that may have been her fate for sometime. That speculation has been fueled by a story which appeared in a newspaper in Clay County, where many of the central figures in the case live.
The report published recently in The Communicator said Starcher Seabolt's body was ground up in a wood chipper and then eaten.
That claim came from a Clay County woman, Renee Boyd, who said her brother, Richard Cummings, allegedly told her that he and his girlfriend, Sandra Kahlaf, ate some of the meat from the woman's body, which Boyd allegedly told the newspaper her brother referred to as "B---h burgers."
Boyd and her brother are on opposite sides in a violent feud in Clay County. Both live in the community of Ovapa, not far from the Roane County line, in an area officially known as Oil Field Road but more commonly called "Murder Mountain."
Since mid-August there has been frequent gunfire in the area, with at least one person injured.
Cummings told police he was in his mobile home on Aug. 16 when bullets began to riddle the trailer. He said he got on top of his three daughters, ranging in age from 5 to 8 years, to protect them. His daughters were unharmed, but Cummings was reportedly shot in the groin and right arm and ended up in a Charleston hospital. When he was released a few days later, the gunfire resumed.
Cummings allegedly told police his sister's boyfriend, Tommy Young Sr., 37, was responsible. Young has been arrested for malicious assault and four charges of wanton endangerment for allegedly shooting at Cummings and his daughters. He was lodged in the Central Regional Jail on Aug. 17, according to the jail's Web site. He is being held on a $150,000 bond.
Cummings allegedly told police Young and his sons were shooting at him so he could not testify, according to court records. The nature of his anticipated testimony was not revealed.
Cummings did testify last year in the murder trial of Golosow. Golosow lived in the Tariff area of Roane County and was convicted of killing his friend, Reid, who had been staying at Golosow's residence.
Golosow did not testify at the trial, but his lawyers said Reid committed suicide and Golosow decided to get rid of the body rather than call police.
Starcher Seabolt lived in the Tariff area for a while and, according to her father, knew all the persons involved in the murder case.
Cummings testified that he helped Golosow dispose of Reid's body in Clay County. Kahlaf testified that she stayed behind to clean up Golosow's house. She claimed Golosow made statements which made her think there may have been another body, that of a female, in the upstairs bedroom. Cummings testified that as he and Golosow drove off to dispose of the body, Golosow licked his own fingers to clean off the blood of the dead man.
Others testified that shortly before Reid was killed outside Golosow's back door, Golosow said from an upstairs window that the commotion outside his house was upsetting a female guest. Reid's death came about six weeks after Starcher Seabolt's disappearance.
Following Golosow's trial, Roane prosecuting attorney Mark Sergent said there was no evidence to link the missing woman with Golosow. That is not enough to convince her father.
The recently published claims about his daughter being chopped up and eaten were nothing new to Starcher, who said he is convinced it is true.
"I've heard it too many times from too many people," he said
Starcher said he has spoken personally with at least two people who were in jail with Golosow and reported Golosow told them the story. After reading the article in Clay County, Starcher said he contacted Boyd and she confirmed that is what her brother told her.
"After you read something like that, it plays havoc with your mind," he said.
According to testimony of those in the front yard, just before he was killed Reid climbed up on a porch roof at Golosow's house to knock on a bedroom window to ask Golosow to let him inside.
Starcher believes that sealed Reid's fate, and perhaps his daughter's as well.
"When Judd climbed up on that roof, he saw something he wasn't supposed to see," speculated Starcher. "I think it was Christian."
One of the men who was in the front yard of Golosow's home that day and testified against him at the trial, Russell Davis, 45, of Creston, was recently arrested in Wirt County on felony drug charges. State Police said Davis had large amounts of cocaine, including crack cocaine, and marijuana which were being distributed throughout the area.
It was only a few days after the arrest that the shooting started in Clay County, although police have not said the incidents are related.
Starcher feels police have mishandled the investigation into his daughter's case. It was more than two months after her disappearance before her picture was posted on a State Police Web site of missing persons. When it finally was, it said she was missing from Martinsburg.
In spite of several attempts Starcher said he can not get police to correct the mistake, which remains on the Web site. State police flyers printed up at the time also said she was missing from Martinsburg.
"She's never even been to Martinsburg," her father said.
The investigation was recently taken over by another state policeman, Spencer detachment commander Sgt. J.E. Elmore, and Starcher has a renewed hope that something may be done.
"I think he's done a good job," said Starcher. "At least he's lit the fire."
Elmore declined to comment for this story.
It may be two years old, but Starcher said he wants the investigation to continue until all the questions have been answered.
"It's not going to bring my daughter back," he said. "I just want to know what happened to her."
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