By David J. Krajicek
(Continued)
"Born to Preach"
Winkler's body was found Wednesday night with a single gunshot wound to the back in a bedroom at the family's parsonage in Selmer, Tenn. Church members described him as a charismatic, high-energy minister who was "born to preach."
Mary Winkler fled Selmer Wednesday afternoon with the couple's three daughters, Patricia, 8; Mary Alice, 6, and Breanna, 1. They spent the night in a motel, and then drove to Orange Beach, arriving Thursday morning. Duck said Mrs. Winkler walked in to the Sleep Inn in Orange Beach, and used a credit card to rent a room.
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| The Winkler family |
He declined to say whether use of the credit card helped Tennessee authorities track her to the Alabama coast. But he said Tennessee law enforcers called his department with a special Amber Alert at about 6 p.m. They said Winkler likely was in the area.
Orange Beach Police Officer Jason Witlock spotted the family's van, a green 2006 Toyota Sienna, at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, just 90 minutes after the tip from Tennessee.
Mary Winkler was driving eastbound on Highway 182, a busy four-lane road that runs parallel to the sugar-white beach in this sun-splashed city of 5,000, located roughly halfway between Mobile, Ala., and Pensacola, Fla.
Winkler apparently was planning to go to a Waffle House restaurant to get takeout food for her daughters. Officer Witlock pulled her over; she was not parked on the side of the highway, as had been reported, Chief Duck told the Crime Library.
"It was a traffic stop as a direct result of the Amber Alert," Duck said. "Amber Alerts work, and this case proves it."
The stop happened opposite a Winn-Dixie grocery near the Waffle House, about six miles west of the Florida state line.
The girls were in good condition, Duck said.
"They were fine," Duck said. "They were very inquisitive about what was going on ... They seemed like very bright girls."
The children were held at the police station, where staff members "kept them occupied" with food, movies and games, Duck said. They spent Friday in the custody of a social services agency. The three girls were expected to be released to the care of Matthew Winkler's father.
Law enforcers from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation drove to Orange Beach Thursday night and began questioning Mrs. Winkler after midnight.
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