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Monday, November 5th, 2007
Funeral Services
It has been over three years since Yolanda Bindics disappeared. Her family is
now finally able to give her a proper burial.
The young mother of four
was last seen August 10, 2004 when she left work at the Family Dollar in
Jamestown. Hunters found her body in September, 2006 in a remote, wooded
area in Chautauqua County.
Police still have not identified her
killer.
Yolanda will be laid to rest on Saturday. Friends and family will
get a chance to say goodbye on Thursday and Friday.
Wake
Service: Thursday, November 8, 2007
Huber Funeral Home
111 S.
Main Street, Jamestown
From 2pm-4pm and 6pm-8pm
Wake
Service: Friday, November 9,
2007
Reddington Funeral Home
657 Abbott Road, Buffalo
2pm-4pm and
6pm-8pm
Funeral: Saturday, November 10, 2007
St.
Thomas Aquinas Church, Buffalo 10am
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Thursday, August 23rd, 2007
A Mother's View
The night of Aug. 10, 2004, the evening sky seemed to shine like a gigantic
sapphire dome, covering our area as far as our eyes could see. That was the
night our precious daughter disappeared; she was later found murdered. Many people in this part of our state remember Yolanda as the uppeat
multitasking young mom (as many young moms are today) spending her time between
her job at the Family Dollar store, dropping her oldest daughter off at school,
shopping and producing meals for her lively bunch. Sometimes she took time to enjoy a breakfast with her Dad and me on a day off
and with her friends and acquaintances, but she was always careful that the
children were in safe care with me, another reliable family member or the friend
who lived downstairs. She always came home on time as planned or called if she
would be a little late. Sadly, that’s all over now.
The other night we had another clear blue sky, but we will never see Yolanda
again! A perpetrator of evil is still running the streets of Western New York.
We’re still on his trail and we still care! I can still visualize in my mind the evening she disappeared. I remember the
hopes, dreams and feelings of my 25-year-old daughter that year. I remember the
big bear hug we shared about a month before she disappeared and her promise of
“I’ll be OK! I’m going to live a long, long time!” I was apprehensive that day about her because a co-worker mentioned to me
something might happen to her but was unable to mention a name.
Yolanda’s babies are getting bigger and growing up more and more each year.
The eldest, Katelyn, is 11. Yolanda would have liked to have seen her now, all
preteen and bubbly with life. She would have liked to have been there for her
children’s teenage years. She had pet names for each and every one of them and a
heart as big as a house, yet she was strict enough and vivacious enough to have
been able to see them through their teenage years safely. Emily, the little one, who was not yet walking when her mother disappeared,
is now in prekindergarten, but the paper flowers she makes for Mother’s Day will
never be seen by Yolanda. Yolanda loved her babies dearly and brought Emily
through the perils of her premature birth. Yolanda nursed her to health and
wholesome healthy childhood through constant attention, medicines carefully
administered at special times and mature, motherly child care. Little Allie, who was 2 that sorrowful summer of 2004, also is in school
this September. She has bright, beautiful cornflower blue eyes and has a very
special closeness with Grandpa Bindics. She is happy with all we do for her and
expresses that to us. Courtney, who started kindergarten in September 2004, will be attending third
grade this September. Due to my grandparent’s visitation rights, Yolanda’s children are able to get
together regularly and spend a week in North Carolina in the summer.
I wish Yolanda was here today to see the strides her children have taken. I
wish Yolanda was still enjoying the warm summer breezes, the beautiful sights
and memories, the hopes of wonderful years she had ahead of her. About what happened to her and the person responsible? I believe someone
needs to be held accountable for the death of our daughter and my
grandchildren’s mother. BuffaloNews
Opinion Patricia Bindics
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Tuesday, August 14th, 2007
Watson's Case in Appeals
Three weeks after state Supreme Court Justice Timothy Walker dismissed the
lawsuit filed against the city of Jamestown by former police officer Michael
Watson, his only hope rests with the Fourth Appellate Division in Rochester,
which will hear his appeal at some point in the months to come. Likewise,
the only hope for Buffalo attorney Edward Cosgrove, the special prosecutor
assigned to pursue the misdemeanor charges filed against Watson, is that the
same appellate judges will grant his own appeal of a decision made by Chautauqua
County Judge John Ward.
Watson’s attorney, Paul Webb Jr., believes he has a good shot
of winning the appeal since he says the judge chose to believe only one side of
the argument rather than leaving that up to a jury. ‘‘A jury should
decide questions of fact — not the court,’’ Webb said. ‘‘That’s his obligation —
finding issues of fact, not to decide them.’’ The question Walker faced was whether police
officials acted maliciously or recklessly when they pursued criminal and civil
service charges against Watson.
One of Webb’s central arguments was that police officials
acted either maliciously or recklessly when they charged Watson with seven
counts of stalking, four counts of aggravated harassment and one count of
official misconduct in the wake of Jamestown resident Yolanda Bindics’
disappearance more than three years ago. According to court documents,
four days after she was last seen on Aug. 10, 2004, one of her family members
told FBI investigators that she and Watson were once involved in a personal
relationship. Ms. Fiore-Nieves, city attorney, said during the recent motion proceedings
that Watson never told his supervisors of the relationship ‘‘even though he was
aware that there was a missing-persons investigation ongoing within the
department for these four days,’’ though Webb said Watson had no reason to tell
his supervisors since it would have contributed nothing to the
investigation. Regardless, that information prompted the FBI to
investigate Watson’s relationship with Ms. Bindics, and it also prompted the
Jamestown Police Department to conduct an internal investigation of its own. As
part of the internal investigation, statements were taken from three woman, two
of them employees of the police department, which resulted in allegations that
Watson had once stalked and harassed them.
Webb questioned the internal
investigation since it was conducted by Lt. Todd Isaacson, who he said did not
get along with Watson. In affidavits, both police Detective John Ferrara and Joe
Genco, a retired police sergeant, said it was ‘‘common knowledge’’ the two
didn’t get along, though Ms. Fiore-Nieves said during the motion proceedings
that it didn’t matter. ‘‘There’s been no indication to indicate that
there’s been any willful misconduct (or) reckless behavior on the part of these
individuals,’’ she said. ‘‘The best the plaintiff could come up with was that
there was some dislike between Lt. Isaacson and the
plaintiff.’’
Webb also questioned the charges
that were brought against Watson since they alleged that he stalked and harassed
the three victims, though the three victims reportedly did not want charges
brought against him. In affidavits, one victim said, ‘‘If I would have had a
problem which required police intervention with Michael Watson, I would have
requested help.’’ Another said that Watson had ‘‘never threatened or harmed’’
her. The judge, however, looked to the three victims’ original statements
on which the charges were based. ‘‘There’s three statements here under
oath where they said they were intimidated,’’ Walker said to Webb during the
proceedings. ‘‘One was so intimidated she had her mother take her kids to school
to avoid a confrontation with the guy.’’
Also central to Webb’s case is the press conference that was
called Oct. 4, 2004, during which William MacLaughlin, former police chief and a
defendant in the civil suit, announced that Watson had been suspended and
charged with the 12 criminal counts alongside numerous civil-service
violations. At that press conference, Watson was reportedly identified as
a ‘‘person of interest’’ in the investigation into Ms. Bindics’ disappearance,
and Webb maintains MacLaughlin did so to destroy Watson’s
reputation. ‘‘When you say something like that and you’re the chief of
police ... you know out there the public is going to think he is a sex predator
and involved in the murder,’’ Webb said. The belief that the police
department’s actions may have been reckless or malicious and may have
contributed to the widespread belief that Watson was involved with Ms. Bindics’
death was something to which Ferrara attested in his affidavit. Ms. Fiore-Nieves argued the term
‘‘person of interest’’ was first used by the FBI because of Watson’s
relationship with Ms. Bindics after interviews and a polygraph examination
produced reportedly mixed results on the veracity of Watson’s early claim that
he had nothing to do with Ms. Bindics’ disappearance. ‘‘As a result of
that, the FBI notified the Jamestown Police Department that they considered Mr.
Watson a person of interest in the Yolanda Bindics missing persons
investigation,’’ Ms. Fiore-Nieves said. Patrick
L. Fanelli Jamestown Post Journal
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Saturday, August 11th, 2007
Bindics Family Still Seeking Closure
Though three years have passed since Jamestown resident Yolanda Bindics
was last seen alive, police say it isn’t time to give up hope that her
murderer will one day be brought to justice. They believe they
know who did it, according to Lt. Todd Isaacson, who heads the
Jamestown Police Department detective bureau and has been on the case
since Ms. Bindics was first reported missing in 2004. He says they
believe they know who murdered Ms. Bindics and then hid her body in a
remote stretch of woods a few miles northeast of Sinclairville.
Isaacson
believes the killer is out there, in the area, almost within reach, and
police only need that one piece of evidence, that silver bullet, to
make the arrest. ‘‘We certainly narrowed the focus of our
investigation to a particular area and a particular individual,’’
Isaacson said. ‘‘The discovery of the body and the location of the body
certainly played into our theory of who is responsible. It is a very
isolated area we believe is very familiar to the individual we believe
is responsible for her death.’’
As early as June 2006, Jamestown
police said they had a pretty good idea what happened Aug. 10, 2004,
the night Ms. Bindics left the Family Dollar store on Fluvanna Avenue
at 8:30 p.m. after telling her brother over the phone that she was off
to buy groceries. Police reiterated their beliefs after Ms.
Bindics’ remains were discovered by hunters on Sept. 10 just west of
the Earl O. Cardot Eastside Overland Trail, which winds through private
property and state forests in eastern Chautauqua County.
But the
assurances are not much comfort to Ms. Bindics’ friends and family, who
had to wait more than two years before knowing what became of her and
another year without knowing who is responsible for her death. ‘‘I
don’t know. I’m not really sure why they haven’t arrested anyone,’’
said Buffalo resident Anne Chmielewski, Yolanda’s sister. ‘‘It sounds
to me, based on everything they’ve said and done and found, that they
should have plenty to make an arrest. ... It gets so frustrating.
They’re supposed to know. Then what’s the problem? Where does the issue
lie?’’
Both Isaacson and Mrs. Chmielewski spoke to The
Post-Journal on Friday, the three-year anniversary of the day Ms.
Bindics was last seen alive. For Mrs. Chmielewski, the biggest regret
seems to be the fact that the remains will probably not be released to
the family until an arrest has been made.
Isaacson says he appreciates and sympathizes with Ms. Bindics’ friends
and family, who may have found some closure when they finally learned
what happened to her but do not have a grave beside which to grieve. ‘‘There’s
closure, but there’s also that healing and grieving part of recovery,
which is literally being able to go to the cemetery and have your
moment,’’ Isaacson said. ‘‘We have to be patient. We’re not going to
change what happened. I’d like an answer sooner rather than later like
the family. ... I await the day to lock this individual up for causing
her death.’’
When the time comes, the family plans to have the
funeral at Reddington Funeral Home in Buffalo and to bury Ms. Bindics
at Holy Cross Cemetery in Lackawanna, since Ms. Bindics grew up there
and other family members are buried at the cemetery.
There is still a $20,000 reward for information that will lead police to Ms. Bindics’ murderer.
Patrick
L. Fanelli Jamestown Post Journal
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Friday, August 10th, 2007
Today marks a difficult anniversary.
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Three years ago
Yolanda did not come home
Three years...
I can't believe it's been that long
It seems like only yesterday...
Sometimes...I fight reality
Maybe it's just a nightmare
That many of us share,
And when we wake,
She'll be right there smiling
But the truth I can't take
Forever shattered
No more dreams
Only nightmares
Forever lost
A silent tear is shed.
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Friday, August 10th, 2007
Yolanda Bindics Murder - 3 Years, No Arrests
On August 10, 2004, 25-year-old Yolanda Bindics, a mother of four, left
her job at the Family Dollar store in Jamestown. She called her
brother, who was watching her kids, around 8:20pm from her cell phone.
When he tried to call her around 8:35pm, there was no answer. That was the last day Yolanda was seen by family and friends.
Her
car was found the next day down the street at the Arby's. In September
2004, her purse, keys, and other items washed up in a storm drain in
Jamestown. More than two years later, in September 2006, hunters found
the woman's remains in a remote, wooded area in the Town of Charlotte,
Chautauqua County.
Investigators have confirmed the remains are
Yolanda's, and that she was murdered, but they remain tight-lipped on
exactly how she died. "We are feeling very fortunate that we did
find the remains, regardless of where they were," said First Assistant
District Attorney Tracey Brunecz, "and we are doing what we can with
the information we have to further determine who did this to Ms.
Bindics." Asked if she still has hope, Patricia Bindics,
Yolanda's mother, said, "That they find someone, yes. I have some hope.
They have hope. At least, that's what they tell us."
During the
case, investigators have focused on three men, Darien Thomas and
Clarence "Carl" Carte, both of whom had children with Yolanda.
Authorities also questioned former police officer Michael Watson, who
reportedly had a relationship with Yolanda. Days after her
disappearance, he was placed on paid leave and arrested on unrelated
stalking charges. According to police, Carte had been seen at the Kwik
Fill across the street from the Family Dollar store the night Yolanda
disappeared, but her family ackowledges that Yolanda went on vacation
in Canada with Thomas about one week before her disappearance. Brunecz declined to comment on whether all three, or any of the men, remain persons of interest in the case.
Yolanda's
remains were taken to Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pennsylvania for
examination. Patricia Bindics has agreed to allow her daughter's
remains to stay in the lab for any further analysis. This means the
family's plans for her funeral, and eventual burial in Holy Cross
Cemetery in Lackawanna, must remain on hold. 2 On
Your Side-WGRZ Robyn Young
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Friday, August 10th, 2007
Bindics Family Marks Sad Anniversary
It's a somber anniversary for the family of a murdered Jamestown mother of four. Yolanda
Bindics dissapeared three years ago Friday. Her remains were found in a
wooded area in the Town of Charlotte last September. Her murder remains
a mystery. Police are offering a 20,000 dollar reward for information
leading to the arrest and conviction of her killer. WIVB-TV
4
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Friday, August 3rd, 2007
Yolanda Bindics' Family Still Hoping for Answers
The family of a Jamestown woman is renewing its plea for help in
solving her murder. Yolanda Bindics' body was found last September
after she'd been missing for a couple of years. Her sister hopes it
won't be much longer until a suspect is behind bars.
Nearly
three years have gone by since Yolanda Bindics disappeared in
Jamestown...and it's almost been a year since hunters discovered her
body in the Town of Charlotte. Her sister is frustrated the killer is
still on the loose, but she remains hopeful. "Everything's not
processed yet, everything's not done and it's taken a long time," said
Ann Chmielewski. Bindics' body was taken to Mercyhurst College in Erie,
Pennsylvania to be examined by forensic pathologists. It's unclear
what, if any, DNA evidence has been recovered. Chmielewski wonders why
DNA tests were so quick to come back in other high-profile cases...like
Altemio Sanchez. "In fact, it kind of surprised me when I was watching
the news and they said 'Well, we expect that evidence to come back
within the next week or two' and I was kind of floored by that."
"We've
narrowed our scope in particular areas and a particular person," said
Jamestown Police Det. Lt. Todd Isaacson last September, shortly after
Bindics' body was found. At least two persons of interest had been
named -- former Jamestown Police officer Michael Watson, who allegedly
had a relationship with Bindics and Clarence Carte, the father of her
youngest child. So far, no charges have been filed..After
all of this time, Yolanda Bindics' family still has not been able to
hold a funeral for her. They want to bury her body and go to a cemetery
to pay their respects. "Mother's Day has passed again. Her children
couldn't go see her. We can't really start to heal until we have a
funeral and the person's arrested," said Chmielewski. She still hopes
someone will come forward with the information police need solve her
sister's murder. "We're pretty confident somebody knows something. Not
just the killer."
Michael Watson sued the Jamestown Police
Department for defamation. The suit was dismissed earlier this week but
his attorney said they plan to appeal. WKBW-TV
7 Melanie Pritchard
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Monday, July 30th, 2007
Judge Dismisses Watson Case
The lawsuit filed by former Jamestown police officer Michael Watson against the
police department and the city was dismissed, though defense attorney
Paul Webb Jr. is intent on appealing the judge’s ruling.
‘‘We are very happy,’’ Ms. Fiore-Nieves said. ‘‘(Watson) didn’t really
articulate in his papers a specified amount of money, but it’s certainly a
relief to the city. It validates the action taken by the police throughout the
length of this investigation.’’ It has been close to three years since
Watson was first identified as a ‘‘person of interest’’ in the investigation
into Ms. Bindics’ disappearance, and nearly a year to the day since Ms.
Fiore-Nieves first filed a motion for summary judgement with the state Supreme
Court.
According to Ms. Fiore-Nieves, police officers are granted
immunity from civil suits unless they act in a reckless and malicious manner,
and she argued Watson’s lawsuit must be dismissed since police acted
appropriately based on the information they had at the time. Justice
Timothy Walker granted the motion for summary judgement and dismissed the case
after hearing arguments from both attorneys Monday in Mayville, though Webb
tried to show that police officials sought to ruin Watson’s reputation by
labeling him as a ‘‘person of interest’’ in the case.
Six misdemeanor charges against Watson are still pending, the other six having
been dismissed.
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Wednesday, June 6th, 2007
Once again, Watson’s day in court
has been delayed
as prosecutors appeal a decision passed
down from Chautauqua County Judge John Ward that stops them from
introducing specific pieces of evidence, according to Paul Webb
Jr., Watson’s attorney. ‘‘What he is trying to do is prohibit Judge
Ward from enforcing the order of March that precluded the people
from introducing evidence that had not been disclosed to the defense,’’
said Webb, an attorney with the Lakewood law firm Erickson, Webb,
Scolton and Hajdu.
The evidence Ward dismissed consists of
e-mails and phone conversations relating to the charges that Watson
stalked and harassed three female employees of the Jamestown Police
Department during his own tenure as an officer, according to Webb.
He also said the evidence had not been disclosed to the defense,
the reason for the dismissal. The charges against Watson originated
during an investigation immediately following the disappearance
of Jamestown woman Yolanda Bindics. Watson was placed on administrative
leave after it was revealed that he had been involved with Ms. Bindics
romantically. After a subsequent investigation, Watson was accused
of stalking and harassing the three female employees. The case went
to a grand jury in December 2004, and he was indicted on three counts
of fourth-degree stalking, four counts of third-degree stalking,
four counts of second-degree aggravated harassment and one count
of official misconduct. In July, Ward dismissed all but one of the
stalking counts and the official misconduct charge on the grounds
that the evidence prosecutors provided to the grand jury was ‘‘not
legally sufficient.’’ Only the official misconduct charge was reinstated
upon appeal, which Webb described at the time as a victory for his
client.
Watson resigned from the Jamestown Police Department
in May 2006, just days before a civil service hearing regarding
alleged violations of department policy that stemmed from the stalking
and harassment accusations. Watson is suing the Jamestown Police
Department and the city of Jamestown, alleging that investigators
maliciously painted him as a suspect following Ms. Bindics’ disappearance.Police,
on the other hand, blame the media and the public for reaching such
conclusions about Watson, saying they only labeled him as a person
of interest, the classification of which included everyone who knew
Ms. Bindics and could shed some light on her disappearance. Ms.
Bindics disappeared in August 2004, and her remains were discovered
by hunters on state forest land in the town of Charlotte last September.
The cause of death was eventually ruled as foul play, and a suspect
has not yet been identified.
Patrick
L. Fanelli Jamestown Post Journal
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