There is some incorrect information being bandied about.
Aug 7- While Jeremy was speaking with police the moderator and scope were discussed. The investigators thus knew early on that is had a scope and moderator. Indeed the fact the barrel is threaded gives that away as plain as day. Jeremy made the false claim to police that the gun did not fit in the closet with the moderator and scope attached. The investigators assumed the crime scene personnel were smart enough to recognize threaded barrel equals moderator so didn't tell them to look for one. Nor did the investigators ask the crime scene personnel whether they found it, they didn't think the moderator was a big issue so didn't set out to find out if the crime scene personnel missed it.
Aug 8- AE told AP what Jeremy had said to police about the moderator. AP said Jeremy was lying he found the gun in the closet with the scope and moderator attached and even put it back that way. There would be no reason for Sheila or anyone else to remove the moderator and the scope would only be removed for close quarter shooting like the murders.
Aug 8- AP told these same things to police
Aug 8- Jones and Jones visited Jeremy to get him to elaborate on some issues he had put in writing in his initial statement. a day earlier he was very vague and cagey in his claims about the rabbits including refusing to commit to if he fired and how many. He said he missed but when asked how many shots he fired he gave them the runaround. In this interview he was more specific. He also was asked more details about how many bullets he took out and to explain how 30 bullets could have remained but he had no explanation he could come up with. They also asked him to put in writing whether the moderator and scope were on the gun. So the moderator was discussed to a limited extent of whether it had been on the gun when he found it.
Aug 10- The family, Cock and Wilson go to WHF to clean and take stock of things. Cock has the family assist him in inventorying things. Various firearms were found and in the gun closet Boutflour found the moderator, ammunition and scope. Cock told them to take the firearms and all firearms related materials to Oak Farm for safekeeping. They did so, and later at Oak Farm they noticed what appeared to be blood and paint on the moderator and decide police should be notified.
Aug 11- While Boutflour indicate din one statement he notified police he admitted subsequently in another that he believes Ann Eaton notified police of the moderator. Because Jones was not on duty a message was taken and left for him.
Aug 12- DS Jones got the message and this is when he realized the crime scene personnel didn't take it. Late in the day picked up the moderator from Peter Eaton. He declined to take the scope and ammunition at this time. He suggested getting the moderator was just to placate the family he didn't appreciate it held any significance at the time. It has not been publicly established whether Jones locked it in his desk overnight, as many suspect or whether he had it sit in the Witham evidence room.
Aug 13- DS Jones passed the moderator to Cook who was going to the lab anyway so took it with the other items . He added the entry by hand upon arrival at the lab. The lab tech tested stains outside the moderator as well as a deposit that was inside the opening. The tech did not take it apart to test deep inside because Cook wanted her to handle it minimally so as to not disturb potential fingerprint evidence. Cook thought the only real value was in fingerprints. Cook left the lab with it and the Anschutz so that he could fingerprint them.
Aug 14- The lab notified police that human blood was found outside the moderator as well as inside and that there was red paint in the knurled portion. They were stored in the evidence room at HQ.
Aug 14- Jones, Miller and Cook looked over the crime scene photos and the only object they could locate painted red was the mantle so went to WHF to take a paint sample from the mantle just in case it would be useful. The sample wasn't tested until September because only after Ainsley took over did they get in gear and do a proper investigation.
Aug 15- Taken from the evidence room to Sandridge for fingerprinting then returned to the evidence room
Aug 23- Taken from the evidence room to Sandridge for superglue fuming and fingerprinting.
Aug 30- to the lab for detailed analysis which occurred in September.
