The last known sighting of Alicia, as documented on the Lost Angelenos website, had taken place on a Friday, around lunchtime, at a small post office on York Boulevard, where Eleanor had stopped in with her daughter to pay a utility bill. She’d had a brief conversation with one of the mailmen, a man named Chuck Lawrence, then paid the bill and left.

As she read on, Jessica discovered Lawrence was also the one who’d found the body while attempting to deliver a parcel to the house on Morrison the next day.

Darla Stevenson, as she was known back then, confirmed in her witness statement she had spent around ninety minutes in the company of Eleanor Lavelle on the night she died. They had shared a bottle of wine at Eleanor’s place and had chatted about trivial stuff, the details of which Darla couldn’t remember. She hadn’t seen Alicia and had assumed the child was in bed asleep. She’d left the house on Morrison sometime after eight p.m. and met her husband, Hank Stevenson, at Ace’s Bar for a prearranged date night. The statement ended with a comment from Darla confirming Eleanor Lavelle was alive and well the last time she’d seen her.

Ace Freeman’s statement to the police was mostly about his employee, Rob Young, whom the cops clearly suspected of the murder by the time they spoke to the bar owner. He told them what he’d told Jessica. Young was in a relationship with Eleanor, albeit probably not exclusive. He’d left the bar around midnight and told Freeman he was planning on spending the night at Eleanor’s place. Freeman had never seen Young again. Interestingly, Freeman mentioned in his statement how Darla Stevenson had been visibly upset when she’d arrived at the bar, and he’d overheard her telling Young that she and Eleanor had argued. Freeman also claimed Hank Stevenson had been surprised when his wife showed up at the bar, as he had been looking forward to what he referred to as “a night off from the old lady.”

In a follow-up interview, Darla Stevenson denied arguing with Eleanor and claimed they had parted on good terms.

Hank Stevenson’s statement was short and to the point. He had been in Ace’s Bar from around six p.m. His wife had joined him, as planned, around eight thirty, and they’d remained in the bar until eleven, when they’d both gone home and turned in for the night. He said his wife hadn’t mentioned an argument with Eleanor Lavelle.