ok I have a suspect whom had access to a paint and body shop so would any on here know if that type of place would have Muriatic Acid?

yes. You can use muratic acid to acid was body parts as a rust proofing measure before painting. It's a common practice. Especially at hot rod and restre shops where the parts maybe old or exposed to weather for a long time.

OK thank artisteroi Now I have the supests first name so now I need I just need to find his last name , find where he is , and then noise around to see what I can find out

Yeah, we are missing a few pieces of information. The info we are getting on the suspect is not enough to track him down. All we have a is one square mile zone in which he could have been employed and a first name.

It is not much to go off of. We need to kick over some more rocks.

I just finished reading this entire thread, and thought I'd pitch my 2 cents in.

Overwatch, I think the meth angle is plausible. This kid really got around town and probably saw a lot of stuff, but most meth labs are not cooking on street corners, so if he saw something, it more likely was in someone's house. Maybe a friend's parents are meth dealers.

Hydrochloric acid in commonly used by plant nurseries to balance pH in soil. Meth cooks will steal the acid from these nurseries for their purposes, because they don't want to be seen buying it in the quantities they need. They'd have to steal a whole tank of it, though, so they'd definitely have enough to cover a young boy.

Joshua had just painted his bicycle, so where did he get the paint? The paint store would have access to HCL, as well, so may be another place to look into. However, I don't consider this the strongest likelihood, because they wouldn't be cooking up meth in the back. The smells alone would give them away.

I was also curious as to Flanagin's statement that he may have known something he shouldn't. Very odd thing to say.

I wonder if you could find the group of kids that found the body?

I don't think the boy was killed in the park. I can't see someone strangling the kid then taking the time to remove his shoes and socks, then bathe him in acid before loading his bike into his vehicle. I believe he was killed in a home, wrapped in plastic to prevent the car seats from being destroyed, then had socks and shoes removed, acid bath, then driven to the park and rolled out of the plastic. If the boy was killed in the park, I don't believe the killer would roll the body over to make sure to get his back. I think the acid was poured on his front, and rolled to his back while in the plastic. In a sufficient quantity, gravity would force it to pool at the lowest point. It also doesn't seem likely that the killer just happened to be carrying acid with him when he killed the boy, unless it was premeditated. But how would the killer know where Joshua would be? I don't buy it.

There is also the matter of superficial abrasions on his nose and right side of the face. If he was struck by the killer, this would seem to indicate a left-handed person. An impromptu smack of the face is going to be performed instinctively by your dominant hand. The only other way this would make sense is if he was smacked from behind, but that is not likely, even if he was taken by surprise by the killer. People just don't attack people from behind in that way.

Sorry this is so damn long guys, and I promise I am done for now. Just a lot to respond to, as I joined the discussion so late.

what was the purpose of the acid bath? I'm lost on this..... does muriatic acid do something aside from bubble and sting when it comes in contact with flesh and hair? this is the one that bubbles somewhat yellowish, yes? knocks the breath out of any idiot that inhales it? does it actually damage the evidence?

Many people have the perception that all acids are devastatingly destructive. Although some people use it in certain industries, the image persists about hydrochloric acid, in large part due to tv and film. It is one ingredient in making meth, and when around the other elements, contributes to the danger inherent in cooking meth. Labs often burn or explode if the people running it do so in a relaxed fashion. A meth cook is not a professional chemist, so wouldn't necessarily be privvy to the real characteristics of the chemicals he is working with.

believe me, some of them are quite aware of the properties of these chemicals. some of them simply melt their brains.

and I guess that answers my question. while possibly inadmissable the evidence would still be basically intact and possibly usable. unless of course the acid had contaminated it too bad. but yes, a body shop would be the place you would most likely find the source. or perhaps a sculptor with an oxy-acetylene fetish would keep some around. perhaps construction sites but I could be stretching. just exercising my extrapolation muscles.

Gauge, thanks for the input!

I imagine the bruising around the nose and mouth was due to the mechanical asphyxiation. The killer probably forcefully covered his nose and mouth with his hand. I could deffinatley be wrong there though.

Yeah, the meth idea is a long shot, but in a ten year old case, you gotta follow what you can. Our current information suggests that it didn't have anything to do with a meth cook.

how prevalent was the meth market in the area 10 years ago. I personally had never heard of meth untill about 6 or 7 years ago. Was there a market for it in teh area at that time?

The article you posted said he had abrasions, didn't it? It still could have been caused by the killers hand, but only if it was gloved (or he had really coarse hands, like an auto worker?). Without actually seeing his face, it's pretty much guess work.

or a rag with paint on it. which once again goes back to the body shop theory.

A rag with paint is also a possibility, only they would have found paint flecks. It is still possible, though, because paint flecks would be a very good piece of evidence NOT to reveal to the media.

Thanks for all the input so far everone I am still trying to find out the last name of my suspect

Artisteroi, yeah. Meth got big around that time. In fact, it was probably the golden age of meth. It was just getting really popular, but it was not on law enforcement's radar yet. It wasn't until about 2004/5 that the Chattanooga police really started kicking ass on it though.

Any progress on this?

no still trying to find out the suspects last name and my source still can't remember

Dark Ghost,

Do you have access to mug shot books? If you have a general description of the person you're seeking, you may be able to find him that way, or by questioning locals who may know him either by description combined with a first name. Tedious, I know, but it could pay off. The police may have already found this person. While I doubt they'd share much info with you, you might be able to at least find out if they questioned him.

@ Gauge I do not have access to mugshot but I will try you other Idea abd I know just were to start and the that is the body shop the he had access to.

Dark Ghost Managed to find another crucial piece of information. Going to do the research on it, and see if we can't get any further.

GJ DG.