Read

Author's Note  

My grandparents’ story took me three years to research and write. I spent the first year researching: browsing newspaper articles; reviewing the heavily redacted FBI file I received under the Freedom of Information Act; reading the disinheritance case and the ship’s logs and my grandfather Loren’s journals; and finding and interviewing the witnesses still alive who could tell me about my grandparents, the Spellbound, and the other individuals involved in the incident.  I revisited the same conversation I have had my most of my life with my uncle Larry and my mother, debating what happened, what the Edwards family was like when the children were growing up, and why such a terrible event occurred, only this time I took notes and asked questions from an attorney’s perspective rather than that of a family member.  I reviewed information garnered from meetings with the FBI, both sanctioned and off the record.  I read books on criminal intent, sociopaths, crime scene investigation, forensics, and other pertinent scientific information needed to begin to comprehend what might have happened to my grandparents.  I amassed two boxes of research and was ready to gather my thoughts and write.  Then the daily grind of life with small children took over. It was the publishing of a book by a best-selling author that included limited information about the Spellbound which prompted me to ignore the pressures of my daily life and finish what I had started in order to paint a more complete picture of the Edwards family, my grandparent’s death, and the events proceeding their deaths – at least what we know of it.

This book is meant to provide you, the reader, with all of the information I collected so you can decide for yourself how and why my grandparents, Jody and Loren Edwards, died. I look forward to hearing your theories and hopefully discovering new information from someone out there who may have an additional piece of the puzzle I have yet to discover. While all information provided here is based on my extensive research, it is only my opinion and interpretation of the events. Remember, the events took place more than 30 years ago and alas, memories can be faulty things. The story of the Spellbound is relayed to you in the same way I heard it, with overlapping and contradictory facts.  I have chosen to use the first person to describe the primary people involved in the death of my grandparents, including my grandparents, based on what I learned about them.  I hope you can accept this literary style choice, as I feel it provides a more intimate view of the people involved.

In the processes of discussing the death of my grandparents, I spoke with many others who were also touched by unsolved crimes. They too seek answers to what happened to their loved ones. It is my hope to offer readers more cases to investigate in order to provide hope and possibly closure to countless others who have experienced such loss.

I am grateful to everyone who has assisted me in finishing this book. Many contributed in various ways from watching my children while I worked, proof reading, providing constructive criticism, offering legal and professional advice, and debating what happened to my grandparents over and over again. I am forever in the debt of my mom who encouraged me to continue even at the risk of another family rift. And to my husband, I must say thank you for your unfailing support; you have always been here for me through everything - I love you. 

                                             KJ Deyerin

Legal Disclaimer: All information contained in this book is the opinion and interpretation of the author. The names of some individuals tangential to the story have been changed to provide anonymity.  Chapters written in the first person are written by the author and are based on conversations either with, or about, the person. The author has taken small liberties regarding inconsequential details to facilitate the presentation of the known facts.