DALLAS (AP) — The daughter of a late Dallas judge had told police she was being pursued by men in ski masks and had been subjected to violent attacks and threats of rape. But just how Jeanmarie Tolle Geis and her two young children wound up shot to death in their upscale Dallas home remains a mystery to authorities.
For starters, doubts have begun to surface over claims the 49-year-old woman made earlier this month about attackers trying to assault, rape and kidnap her in two separate incidents.
“There were a lot of things that we were trying to investigate to close the holes and determine exactly what happened,” Deputy Chief David Elliston said Saturday. “There were some things that seemed inconsistent, but we continued the investigation to get answers to those questions.”
There also have been questions raised about statements she had made to a boyfriend about the status of her marriage.
The inconsistencies are at the heart of a mystery in the shooting deaths of Geis and her children. Last Friday morning, officers answering a report of gunfire found the bodies of Jeanmarie Geis, her 8-year-old son Matthew and her 4-year-old daughter Sydney around 9 a.m. The three had been shot in the family’s upscale home.
Authorities said the woman’s husband and children’s father, Frank Geis, was at a doctor’s office when the deaths happened.
The Dallas County Medical Examiner said the children were shot each once in the head and were the victims of homicide. But autopsy results for their mother could take six to 10 weeks pending further testing, the medical examiner’s office said.
The day before the slayings, officials said two detectives had met with the Geises about the attacks she had reported to them, The Dallas Morning News reported.
“We started from the beginning taking it very seriously and dedicating detectives to this,” Elliston said.
The daughter of the late state District Judge Mark Stenson Tolle, Jeanmarie Geis had told police that she was the victim of attackers who were retaliating against her because of a case presided over by her father. “This is for what your sweet daddy did to my family,” she said one of the attackers told her.
Jeanmarie Geis first called 911 around 11:25 on Dec. 13. She said she was ambushed in her home by two men wearing ski masks, who tied up her, covered her eyes with duct tape ad tried to sexually assault her. Geis told authorities the men pushed her out of a car after she resisted the assault, allowing her to run home and call police.
Authorities said she had bruises on her face and thigh and that her husband was bleeding severely from the head. He also had cuts and scratches on his arms and legs. Frank Geis was taken to Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas, where he later told officers he couldn’t remember anything after 12:30 a.m. Dec. 13, according to the police report.
The following day, Jeanmarie Geis reported being attacked at her mother’s house, when she was without her husband. Her attacker fled when a nearby garage door opened.
Meanwhile, questions have arisen about statements Jeanmarie Geis made to Eric Hansen, son of WFAA-TV sports anchor Dale Hansen. Eric Hansen said he had been dating Jeanmarie Geis over the last few months and that she told him she and her husband were divorcing. However, Frank Geis said he and his wife were not getting a divorce and a search of Dallas County records didn’t show a divorce filing.
Hansen said his 8-year-old son was best friends with Matthew Geis. When he want to the Geis home with his son, Frank Geis was rarely there, Hansen said. But Frank Geis said he was not living outside the home.
Up until Jeanmarie Geis reported the alleged home invasion, Hansen believed she was a stable woman.
“She was hysterical,” Mr. Hansen said. “If she faked that, that woman deserves an Oscar.”
But as the days passed, Hansen began to doubt the attacks happened as Jeanmarie Geis recounted them.
AP Story Section
December 22, 2008
Police investigating deaths of Dallas family
- AP Story Section
-
-
Inside bin Laden’s lair with SEAL Team Six
WASHINGTON (AP) — So much could have gone wrong as SEAL Team Six swept over Pakistan’s dark landscape, dropped down ropes into a compound lined by wall after wall, exchanged gunfire and confronted “Geronimo” face to face. The vital things went right.
Just about every contingency the 25 commandos trained for came at them, rapidly, chaotically and dangerously, in their lunge for Osama bin Laden. - WWII pilot gets Distinguished Service Cross BOSSIER CITY, La. (AP) — A Texas man nearing his 90th birthday has been awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his part in a daring 1943 attack on Nazi-controlled oil fields in Romania.
- Ohio dad who shock-collared kids gets 16 years XENIA, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio man has been sentenced to 16 years in prison for disciplining his children with a dog shock collar.
- Cop suspected in wife’s vanishing loses new love BOLINGBROOK, Ill. (AP) — A woman who became engaged to a former suburban Chicago police sergeant suspected in his wife’s 2007 disappearance moved out of his home Friday, hours after he spoke about his current and past relationships on a national television show.
- Pythons found after brief escape from Calif. home SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (AP) — A 23-foot, 130-pound python can run but it can’t hide.
- Bush first visit to future Dallas home DALLAS (AP) — Former President George W. Bush has made his first visit to the $2.1 million Dallas house that he’ll soon call home.
- Doctor says octuplets appear healthy BELLFLOWER, Calif. (AP) — Newborn octuplets in Southern California are a feisty bunch that appear healthy even at nine weeks premature, a doctor said Tuesday.
-
Austin program works to restore wildlife habitat
AUSTIN (AP) — Patricia Roberts-Miller says her yard was a boring swath of grass when she and her family moved into their North Austin home three years ago.
- TI to shed 3,400 jobs by September Texas Instruments Inc., which makes chips for cell phones and other gadgets, said Monday it will cut 3,400 jobs because demand has slackened amid a slowing economy.
- Elder Bush: Son held to principles after attacks NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Former President George H.W. Bush says he’s proud of how his son held to his principles during his presidency and kept the U.S. safe after the 2001 terror attacks.
- More AP Story Section Headlines
-
Inside bin Laden’s lair with SEAL Team Six
RAW: NSA Director Says 50 Plots Foiled
Boeing, Airbus Battle for Sales Supremacy
NYC 911 Call Lasts for 8 Hours
Obama: US Has Helped Syrian Rebels
Afghan Forces Take Afghanistan Security Lead
Raw: 100K Protesters Flood Brazilian Streets
California Cops Cruise on Stand-up Paddle Patrol
Transgender Candidate Running in NYC
Obama: NSA Secret Data Gathering 'Transparent'
Man Who Disrupted Flight Ranted About CIA
Feds: 7-Eleven Stores Exploited Immigrants
Fla. Teen Catches Ride With Whale Shark
Iran's Rowhani Urges 'Path of Moderation'
Investigators Probe Origin of Colo. Wildfire
Ex-NFL Star Chad Johnson Out of Jail
Family Tweets Say Kim Kardashian Gives Birth
