On Monday 31 October Steven Avery argued with his sister Barb Janda about putting her red van, a Plymouth, up for sale in AutoTrader magazine. Barb didn't want to sell her van. She had other plans for it. She wanted to gift it to her sons as a present for getting their driver's license.
8:00 hours Avery’s Auto Salvage opens.
8:12 hours Steven calls AutoTrader to set up an appointment for a photographer to come photograph his sister's red van. He gave the receptionist the name "B. Janda" and also gave his sister's address and phone number. He did not mention his own name, nor gave his address or any contact info, despite knowing he would be the one the photographer would receive her money from. He requested "the same girl as last time", seemingly unaware AutoTrader had just one photographer.
11:00 o'clock (approx.) Steven leaves work. Arguably he did so because he knew that the person whose name he gave to AutoTrader, his sister "B. Janda" would not be home to meet the photographer. He did know, based on his previous appointments, that the photographer would make a call to her client, In this case "B. Janda", to let the client know if she could make it out there and at approximately what time. Since Steven did not leave his own number he would never learn from her when she would be there. He probably thought he had no choice but to just wait for her. To be sure he wouldn't miss her, he left work early.
Halbach voicemail on 31-10-05
11:43 hours The AutoTrader photographer Teresa Halbach leaves a voicemail message on Barb Janda's answering machine. She says she would be able to stop by in the afternoon around 2 o'clock or later, but she wanted a call back as she does not have an address. Steven never hears this message, thus he continues to wait and does not go back to work.
13:10 hours Halbach phones her first appointment of the day, Steven Schmitz.[1] Probably to inform Schmitz she is to arrive.
13:30 hours Halbach arrives at Schmitz' address in the village of St. Anna near New Holstein. After the shoot she writes Schmitz a check and then heads north on CTH A.[1]
Early in the afternoon Steven, arguably getting impatient, makes a phone call to Halbach's cell phone. He uses the *67 feature, which hides his ID on her phone. She did not pick up.
14:13 hours Halbach makes a call to the Zipperers, with whom she had an appointment. She leaves a voicemail message.[2]
14:25 hours Avery calls Halbach using the *67 feature to hide his number on her phone. Avery hangs up without the call having connected to Halbach's phone.
14:27 hours Halbach makes a call to AutoTrader.[3] She says "by the way it were the Avery brothers", suggesting she did not have an idea prior who her appointment was. This was the last phone call Halbach ever made.
At 14:30 hours (approx.) Halbach arrives and parks her car near the Janda/Dassey property. She is seen taking photos of Barb Janda's red van.
14:35 hours Avery calls Halbach again using the *67 feature to hide his number on her phone. Halbach did not pick up.
14:41 hours Incoming call on Halbach's cellular phone. She does not pick up.
At 16:30 hours (approx.) Josh Radandt notices a fire close to Steven Avery's trailer. He describes the fire as a burn barrel fire.
Some time before this Steven's nephew Blaine notices Steven throw something that's in a plastic bag in the burn barrel.
16:35 hours Avery calls Halbach, this time without using *67. He hangs up without the call connecting.
16:45 hours (approx.) Robert Fabian, a friend of the Avery's, arrives at the salvage yard for an appointment with Steven's younger brother Earl Avery. The two men want to go rabbit hunting together.
Fabian describes meeting Steven Avery, who he sees conversing with his older brother Chuck. He hears Chuck asking Steven about a photographer and Fabian then asks Steven "A photographer? Are you getting your vehicle sold?" to which Steven replies "no, she hasn't shown up yet."
Later, Fabian observes smoke and the smell of burning plastic coming out of Steven's barrel.
17:00 hours Avery’s Auto Salvage closes for the day.
At 17:30 hours (approx.) Brendan is home alone.
19:00 hours (approx.) Steven contacts Brendan and asks him to come over to a bonfire in the new burn pit behind his garage.
At 23:00 ~ 23:30 hours Blaine Dassey returns home. He describes seeing his uncle Steven Avery tend to a fire behind his garage.
Timeline in bullets[]
8:12 Steven calls AutoTrader and makes an appointment
11:00 (approx.) Steven skips work
11:43 Halbach calls the Janda residence and leaves a voicemail message
14:30 (approx.) Halbach arrives on the Janda property
14:35 (approx.) according to Steven Halbach left at this point
16:45 (approx.) Steven is said to have said Halbach hadn't shown up.
