Tarot Spread: Jillian Cutshall

I have decided to go from runes to the tarot. I shall still use runes from time to time, but for now I will be using the tarot.

My apologies for being absent for five years.

This spread will be focused on Jillian Cutshall, who was nine years old when she was last seen in Norfolk, Nebraska on August 13th 1987. The information below is piled from the Charley Project.

'Jillian was last seen at approximately 6:30 a.m. on August 13, 1987 in Norfolk, Nebraska. Her parents are divorced and she lived in Grand Bend, Kansas with her mother, Joyce Cutshall, and her brother.

She was visiting her stepmother and her father, Roger Cutshall, in Norfolk when she disappeared. They lived in McNeely Apartments. She didn't like to stay in their apartment alone, so when they left for work early that morning, she started walking to her babysitter's residence four blocks away.

Jillian never arrived and has not been seen again. Her babysitter assumed she'd decided to stay home, and she wasn't missed until after 3:00 p.m., when her stepmother went to the babysitter's home to pick her up and found out she wasn't there.

Three months after her disappearance, her clothes, shoes and keys were found in the Wood Duck Wildlife Refuge in Stanton, Nebraska, ten miles from her father's home.

In 1988, a tip led Joyce to David C. Phelps, a man who lived in Roger's apartment building and had met Jillian. Police interviewed him twice in the spring of 1988.

In the second interview, he told a detective he had been molesting children since he was in his teens and preferred blonde girls between the ages of four and six. He described six incidents of sexual contact with girls. Charges were never filed in connection with any of the alleged assaults.

Phelps stated he liked Jillian's blue eyes, but that she was "too old" for his liking.

In January 1989, a private investigator hired by Joyce drove Phelps to the wildlife refuge where Jillian's clothes were found. Later that day, Phelps gave a statement to a television crew the investigator had waiting and stated that he and another neighbor, Kermit Baumgartner, who had a record for sexual assault, took Jillian to the refuge.

Phelps described the child's clothes and undergarments correctly and said he held her down while Baumgartner molested her. He stated he became nervous and left Baumgartner and Jillian alone in the refuge and drove back home, and he never saw the child again.

Baumgartner denied having had anything to do with Jillian's disappearance and he has never been charged in connection with it. When police interviewed Phelps, he recanted his previous statements, stating they were coerced by the private investigator.

He was released without charge, as authorities didn't think they had enough evidence. Both men left the state shortly afterwards; Baumgartner went to California and Phelps to Iowa.

Joyce started a petition drive that forced a grand jury to convene and open an investigation. The grand jury indicted Phelps for abduction with intent to commit sexual assault. He was convicted in the spring of 1991 and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

No one has been charged with causing Jillian's death, although she was declared legally dead after Phelps's conviction. She has never been located.'

It seems as if this might be an open-and-shut case, albeit without a body. However, I shall try my best to be fair about this situation.

1.       Four of Swords, reversed. Refusal or inability to make a decision, forced exile, isolation, being unable to rest, insomnia, healing.

This seems to be quite an unpleasant card to start a reading off with. As this card may represent the present time, the forced exile could mean Jillian being taken from her home. Being unable to rest could have different interpretations whether she is dead or alive – it could mean that her spirit is unable to rest, or that she is unable to enjoy herself for fear of someone or something. Her kidnapper, perhaps?

 

2.       The Lovers, reversed. A broken affair or relationship, fear of commitment, business failing and going awry, one partner leaving the other.

This card represents Jillian’s obstacle; her abductor. Could he perhaps have been angry with his significant other and decided to take his anger out on a female? This may seem far-fetched, but it has happened before. The number six appears with the Lovers.

 

3.     The Magician, reversed. Deceit, a con artist, abuse of power, stagnation, ill intentions, manipulation, fake skill-set.

I think this card might indicate her abductor. He could have tricked Jillian. Maybe he knew her parents, or her babysitter. Maybe he had seen her around. Something interesting is that the Magician’s count is 9, the age Jillian was when she went missing.

 

4.       Seven of Pentacles, reversed. Failure in business, fruitlessness, a turn in either direction, fear of success, self-sabotage. It might mean a planner, farmer, long term investor, garden centre worker, plant grower or tree surgeon.

Could Jillian’s abductor have had one of these jobs? A turn in either direction makes me wonder who this would have benefited. Jillian, or her abductor? Most likely her abductor, but what does that mean for Jillian?

 

5.     Justice, reversed. A miscarriage of justice, adjournment, lies and hypocrisy, legal flaws, making or receiving the wrong decision.

I am said to say that it looks as if there has been a miscarriage of justice. I thoroughly believe that the two men accused of killing Jillian could indeed be guilty. They were eventually released without charge, which is what this card could refer to. HOWEVER, the tarot picks up on anything surrounding a question, so this may not be the case, although the fact that Justice is featured in this reading causes me to believe this.

 

6.       Eight of Pentacles, reversed. Wasting resources, a poor effort, cheating, leaving education unfinished, slovenly work.

Yes, I think that the Tarot is referring to the investigation following the arrest of the two suspects. As the sixth card represents the future, I wonder if this means that there will be further problems at hand. I just feel sorry for Jillian.

 

7.      The Emperor. Authority, order, structure, leadership, father, ambition, firmness with yourself and others, rational thought, responsibility, stability.

As the seventh card represents the person in question, I think this refers to Jillian herself. Was she a rational and responsible child? Or could this card imply that she loved her father very much? The Emperor connects to fire, the number 4 and is related to Death.

 

8.       The Empress, reversed. Laziness, creative or business stagnation, wasting resources, financial difficulties, problems within the home, depression, laziness.

This card refers to the environment around the Querent, in this case Jillian. The problems within the home might connect to the fact that her parents were divorced. Did they have any financial difficulties? The idea of wasting resources comes up again. The Empress is shown in a field of corn or wheat, near a river and a forest. Perhaps Jillian is near or in a place with these geographical features. This card connects to the element earth and the planet Venus. However, when it comes to the Empress, timing is according to conditions. The planetary trump for the Empress is also a 9, perhaps a distinct reminder that Jillian did not survive her encounter.

 

9.      The Hanged Man, reversed. In limbo, narrow minded, re-entering life, inability to release, holding back.

The Hanged Man is ruled by the Empress, the previous card in this reading. The ninth card always refers to hopes and fears. Maybe Jillian is in limbo and doesn’t want to move on until justice is served. The sad fact is that I do not know if this will be the case.

 

1   Death, reversed. Delayed endings, resistance to letting go, depression, repeating mistakes.

This is a tragic card to end a reading with, particularly in the case of someone so young. I think that this might point towards the fact that if Jillian’s case is reopened, law enforcement might make the same mistakes regarding the culprits. If this is true, then perhaps Jillian will never be found. BUT I do not give up easily and neither should those who are actively searching for Jillian. The Hanged Man offers some hope in the form of ‘re-entering life’, which may mean that Jillian is able to move on from what happened to her at some point. This COULD mean that her body will be found, or if that is impossible, closure for her family.