The Murder of Cece Dove
For this case, I watched an episode of Secrets of the Morgue. It’s season 1 episode 22, titled ‘Lady of the Lagoon.’
A body is found floating in a pond in a small Ohio town.
Background
Cece Dove was living in Cleveland, Ohio at the time of her death. Over the last several years, Cece was living as a transgender woman. She had come out to her family a few years earlier, and only a few of them had accepted it. Cece seemed to be happier after she had come out.
It was reported on the show that Cece was known to come and go from her house. She would stay there for a month, and then stay somewhere else for awhile. She would also post online looking for dates.
Cece Dove
The Discovery
On April 17, 2013, the police responded to an unusual call in Olmsted Township, Ohio. The caller had described that either a mannequin or a body was floating in a pond near his residence. The fire department also arrived, and used a long pole to bring the body closer to the shore. The police worked to carefully remove the body from the water. Once the body was closer to the shore, two divers went in to remove the body from the water.
The body was in a stage of decomposition. There was no clothing from the waist down. But, there was a shirt and a black jacket found. The victim was also later to be found wearing 3 bras. Ropes were found around the waist and under the arms. The ropes were knotted behind the victim’s back. However, the ropes weren’t tied to each other.
The body was brought to the medical examiner, Dr. Andrea Weins. The victim had been stabbed about 4o times, and had injuries mostly around the head, neck and shoulders. There was a piece of a knife found lodged in the right side of the skull. Dr. Weins was also able to determine that the victim was most likely transgender.
The Property
The police went back to the scene to look for any kind of knife or weapon. A sheath to a knife was found, as well as the plastic part of a pairing knife. The police didn’t believe these items had been the murder weapon, and wondered if the killer had tossed the knife into the pond. They wanted to drain the pond, but they couldn’t get permission due to the chemicals that were put in.
A dive team used sonar technology to try to find a possible murder weapon. A knife wasn't found, but a yellow nylon rope was. It was attached to a led pipe and cinder block. The police believed that these items had been used to weigh the victim down.
Due to the victim having been in the water for awhile, the pigment of the skin had started to fade. The victim’s mouth, nose and chin was part of the body that was still pigmented. This along with the organs were able to help Dr. Weins determine that the victim was African American, not white as the police first thought. The height was somewhere around 5’11,” and the victim was around 20-25 years old. The fingerprints were destroyed due to the victim being in the water.
The police searched for any missing persons reports from the last 5 months. After the news broke about a body being found, the police received calls from members of the transgender community and other police forces. They believed the victim Cece Dove. Cece had first been reported missing by her mom in January.
The police collected a DNA sample from Cece’s mom to compare it. It confirmed that the body found was Cece’s.
The Taxi
The police re-interviewed residences near the crime scene to see if anyone had seen Cece. The police became suspicious of the man that had called 911. He had seen Cece’s body in the pond, but had called his boss before calling 911. He had a few warrants out for his arrest, which would explain why he didn’t want to call 911. He became a prime suspect.
One residence told the police that she worked late shifts as a nurse and would see taxis on the property late at night. The taxi companies complied and handed over all of their phone calls and records. The taxi companies also kept recordings of their dispatch calls.
On January 5, 2013, a call was recorded to pick up someone in Cleveland and drop them off in Olmsted. It was an estimated price of $59. It was the voice of a male, and he was requesting that his passenger be picked up and brought to his house. The pick up location in Cleveland was Cece’s address.
The police thought that the 911 caller could have called for the cab. However, he said he didn’t start living at the residence until February 2013. He said he had subleased an apartment from Jason Quinones.
Quinones led them to a third man named Andrey Bridges. Jason and Andrey had once been friends, but had lost contact with each other. They then reconnected in the summer of 2012, when Jason let Andrey move in to his place.
Andrey’s Story
Jason told the police that in January, he went to collect rent from Andrey with a friend, Bill King. He said when he arrived, Andrey was standing next to a fire pit and looked off. He said Andrey was bleeding from his hand. Andrey explained that he had been jumped, and that one guy had a knife. Not believing Andrey, Jason looked inside the apartment, and saw a lot of blood.
A photograph was taken of Andrey that day next to the fire pit. The photo was taken on January 5 around 3pm. It was believed to have been the day of Cece’s murder.
Andrey had been on probation at the time for felonious assault against a woman. He was brought in for questioning because he said he wanted to tell the police the truth.
He said he returned home on January 5, to find Bill King asleep on the couch. Andrey said Bill told him he wanted to be with a black girl, and wanted Andrey to help him make it happen. Andrey said he went to shower, and came back to Bill telling him he had someone coming over. Andrey said he left, and didn’t see anything until he came home.
When he returned, he heard a scream. He said Jason was there at the time, and heard him saying, “that’s a fucking dude.” He said Bill had a knife in his hand, and he ran from the house.
The police went back to the house to see if they could determine the truth. In the show, they said the mailbox had been blown open and they saw a piece of mail with Andrey’s name on it. With a warrant, they opened it and discovered Andrey had been treated at the hospital for injuries to his hand. The bill was dated January 6. Andrey had said he cut his hand on a can of mixed vegetables.
The DNA Evidence
The police knew Andrey was full of shit. Cece only had a few defensive wounds, but had been stabbed 40 times. It’s believed that Andrey’s hand had been cut when it slipped off the knife.
On the stairs in the house, there was blood spatter going up the stairs. It was clear it had been cleaned. There were ropes found in the garage that were similar to the ones found in the pond. Dr. Wein compared the ropes found, and believed that they were a match.
The blood from the inside of the house belonged to Andrey. But, there was a drop of blood found on the heater in the bedroom of the house. It was a match to Cece.
It’s believed that Andrey had made arrangements to bring Cece to his house. Cece was picked up from Cleveland, and brought to Andrey’s house. Andrey attacked and stabbed Cece. The police also believed that Andrey was high at the time.
Andrey then took Cece’s body to the pond, and used the ropes, cinder block and pipe to weigh her down. Dr. Weins believes that Cece was already dead when she hit the water.
Andrey was arrested and charged with murder. At his trial, he was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison. He will be eligible for parole after serving 20 years.
Andrey Bridges
FINAL THOUGHTS
POSSIBILITY OF PAROLE AFTER 20 YEARS? Sorry, but that is bullshit. He killed Cece, and it could have very well been a hate crime. I don’t want to assume that he killed Cece because he discovered that she was transgender, but it’s very possible. It’s also possible that he just has anger issues, which I guess can be confirmed from his other felonious assault charge. Cece just wanted to be herself, and was just living her life. It’s heartbreaking that she was so young.
Sources
https://thecinemaholic.com/cemia-cece-dove-murder-where-is-andrey-bridges-now/
https://www.cleveland.com/court-justice/2013/11/andrey_bridges_sentenced_to_li.html
https://www.workers.org/2013/05/9001/
