Where is Lindsey Baum? Time is the enemy.

It is a scary statistic that almost half of the children abducted by a stranger are killed and of those who are not killed, 4% are never returned home.  Almost all of these children are murdered in the first 48 hours.  Time is a crucial enemy in these cases.

On Friday, June 26^th 2009, 10 year old Lindsey Baum was walking home from her friend’s house in McCleary, Wash., a half a mile or 10 minute walk to her home at about 9:30 pm when she suddenly vanished without a trace.   She had initially gone over to her friend’s house with her 12 year old brother and her friend who lived at the home to ask permission for her friend to return to the Baum house for a sleep over.  On their walk over, Lindsey and her brother got into an argument about his bicycle.  An adult and neighbor witnessed the fight and in order to end it, sent Lindsey's brother back home, allowing the two 10 year old girls to continue their walk.  Once at the friend's house Lindsey was told that her friend was not allowed to walk back with her and sleep over her house.  The parents of that child then instructed Lindsey to head home before it got too dark.  A neighbor returning from work, saw Lindsey on her way back home at about 9:30 pm, but by 10:00 pm, Lindsey's mother began to worry.

Lindsey's mother then called her daughter’s cell phone only to hear it ringing in the home.

She called Lindsey's friend's home only to find out her daughter had left over a half hour before. Lindsey's mother went searching for her daughter and by 10:50 pm the police were called in.

Law enforcement moved in quickly and investigated the registered sex offenders in the neighborhood and reviewed surveillance footage from businesses along her route home.   It was like she simply just vanished. It has been over a week and no sign of Lindsey Baum.

It has come to my attention that this 10 year old girl also had a myspace page and listed herself as 99 years old, interested in dating, serious relationships and friendships.  Some of her posts are disturbing in that in May she says she has been having bad dreams and that she is afraid something bad is going to happen.  Her parents were currently going through a divorce and she writes that she is glad her brother is locked up in juvee.  Her posts are also made at 4am and 6am, it is disturbing that she is online so late at 10 years old.

From her myspace:

Banner - disturbed
Getting a lot of nightmares lately
Bad feeling
something bads gonna happen

Lindsey had been swimming with friends earlier in the day and was also seen at a local video store.  I keep coming back to the small window between the time the neighbor saw her at about 9:30 pm and when her mother traced her steps at 10:00 pm.  For this to be a stranger abduction means that the perpetrator would have had to come across Lindsey by chance between 9:30 and 10:00 pm and taken her without anyone seeing it happen or having it picked up on any surveillance in the area.  Or even more terrible, could this person have been following her all day? Maybe saw her at the pool? Video store?  Was this a neighbor who called her into their home under false pretenses?

Law enforcement has checked in almost every home and car.  Are they onto the same theory?  That she may still be in the neighborhood, held against her will?

I really hope this child is found soon, but time is not on her side should this be a stranger abduction.  

ANYONE HAVING INFORMATION SHOULD CONTACT
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
1-800-843-5678 (1-800-THE-LOST)
McCleary Police Department (Washington) 1-360-533-8765

Tracy is missing..

Another woman is missing in Orlando, Florida, she was last seen leaving a bar early on May 27^th with a man she had known for two weeks. 

Tracy Ocasio, 27 and James Virgil Hataway, 28, had met the week before and were seen kissing at the bar on the night of May 26th right before video surveillance captured them on tape leaving the bar together at about 1:30am early on the morning of May 27th.

James told police that Tracy offered to give him a ride home and asked for marijuana.  He says once they arrived at his home he showed her what drugs he had and Tracy changed her mind and left.  

Newly released reports show that Tracy's phone made a call at 4:30 a.m., 3 hours after James says he was allegedly dropped off at his home, the call caused a ping from one of the cell towers in his neighborhood. Reports state the Law Enforcement has contacted the person the call was made to and no other information has been released.   This confirms that Tracy was still near his home at 4:30am, or at least her cell phone was.

 Tracy’s car was found the very next morning with the two front seats pushed forward after her cell phone pinged again in the neighborhood at 8:30am. The car was found a block away from James’ home, however no cell phone was discovered in the car and Tracy was gone.

At first authorities did not rule out the possibility that she may have left James’ apartment and then met with a grim fate at the hands of someone else. 

Oh but James Hataway is quite the character, he has been arrested before and has had a few run-ins with other women who have in the past offered him rides home.

As soon as the story broke several women came forward to tell their stories about James.  One woman said after she offered him a ride home from the bar she worked at, he tried to strangle her in her car after she refused to give him oral sex.

Another woman barely escaped after walking him to his door and saying goodbye where he then tried to break her neck and shoved his fingers in her mouth to break her jaw.  She still carried the scars from the fall she succumbed too after running away from him.

More friends have come out of the shadows to tell of his violent anger and behavior and yet there are other’s like Tracy’s best friend who said he seemed so “nice”.

Even his own mother states she has not spoken to her son in several years and spent most of his teen years in juvenile court with him.

James is currently in police custody on other charges and has failed a lie detector test regarding Tracy’s disappearance.

There is more, it seems a friend of James disappeared in March and James was seen walking out of the woods near the friend’s abandoned car just as police arrived to investigate the vehicle.  There has long been suspicion around his involvement in that case. His friend has yet to be found.

James has often threatened people by saying he could make them disappear and no one would ever find them. (Why do people say these things? Do they want to be suspected of murder?)

James also works for his dad’s pond, shoreline drainage company and was arrested and has many complaints for dumping debris in secluded areas where dumping is not allowed.

Ocoee police seized a computer from the home of James Hataway.  Police served a search warrant after detectives discovered Hataway is obsessed with "murder, suicide, cannibalism, vampires and serial murders," according to a press release. (This means nothing to me, because if anyone searched my computers they would find my research for this blog, which at times is very morbid).

I sincerely hope they find Tracy soon and that this again serves as a lesson learned that not all “nice” guys are nice.  Nor are all cute guys worth risking your life.

I do not blame Tracy, because she should be able to live in a world where it is safe to meet a new guy and assume he is what he seems to be and after two weeks offer him a ride home without worrying about being killed.

Law enforcement is asking anyone with information about Ocasio or Hataway to call CrimeLine at (800) 423-TIPS.

 

Caylee Anthony: Autopsy Report

The results and full autopsy report was released to the public against the Anthony family's wishes.  

It arrived in 36 pages, ready for all crime writers to dissect.  It is available for everyone to read and gulp with every morbid detail.  It is very difficult to believe it has been a year since that little angel was taken from the world.  All of her future experiences erased, no children to raise, no husband to meet and marry, no wedding, no friends in school, no science projects or book reports, no more dresses..no more.

I strongly believe her life was taken by her mother in the most cruel and simple way.  No drugs to numb Caylee, no poisons to put her calmly to sleep forever, instead just barbaric disposal.

I have the read report and the three most revealing and important finds are that there were no drugs in Caylee's hair and bones.  Her body was completely skeletonized so it is impossible that Casey ever received any calls from Caylee during the time she was missing.  Her time of death was immediately after she was seen alive, but the most damaging and heartbreaking part of the report is the description of the duct tape that was place not only over Caylee's mouth, but also over her nasal passages and that this act was done before the body began to decompose. In other words, while she was still alive.

Basically, the only reason to place duct tape over a person's mouth is to keep that person from screaming or crying, the only reason to place tape over a person's nasal passages is to keep that person from breathing and the only reason to do both is to murder that person.

In this case that person is a 2 year old girl.

I believe the reason the death penalty was put back on the table against Casey Anthony is because it became clear to the State Attorney that Casey Anthony simply wrapped her daughter's mouth and nose in duct tape and kept her from breathing until she died.  I can further speculate that she then just tossed her her daughter into the trunk of her car that very last night she was seen alive and left her there while she went to Blockbuster with her boyfriend, all the while her daughter is unable to breath in a locked hot car.

By morning Casey realized what she had done, convinced herself to forget the entire thing and left her daughter in that car for several days until the smell became unbearable and that was when she removed her, got a tattoo to express her new free life and then decided to break ties with her parents for good.

Read the report here: Autopsy Report

 

The Imette St. Guillen Trial

Remember Imette St. Guillen?  

Her murder hit very close to home for me.  

She was enjoying a night out in New York City with her best friend and was found dead the following day. 

New York City is my home.  I believe it to be fairly safe when bar hopping with friends on warm summer nights.  But it wasn’t summer this night, it was a cold February night and Imette ended up alone and at the mercy of a monster.

I have always wondered why Imette stayed out alone.  She was really smart, well versed and was about to get her Master’s Degree in criminal justice.

So what made her stay out alone until 4:00am that cold winter night?  What made her drink until her alcohol level was at .17 – twice the legal limit?

It took 3 years for this case to come to trial.  Finally it has begun and Imette will get her justice.

On February 25 2006, Imette had just returned from vacationing in Florida and met her best friend at the Pioneer bar in lower Manhattan for some drinks, by 3:30am, Imette’s friend was tired and decided to head home, but Imette insisted she wanted to stay out a bit longer.  Her friend checked up on Imette 30 minutes later and during their last conversation, Imette said she had gone to another bar and would be home later.

She eventually walked into The Falls bar and her fate was sealed, or could it have been avoided?

It was 15 minutes before their 4am closing time at the Falls bar, according to workers, the bar was empty.  Why didn’t they refuse her drink order and send her home?

The bartender’s testimony is that Imette walked over and sat at the bar and ordered two rum and diet cokes, she served her and then walked away.  The manager, Danny Dorrian, states he noticed she was drunk and wanted her to leave.  He then forced her to leave by asking his bouncers to walk her out. It wasn’t until 18 hours later that an anonymous call came in to the police department from a payphone in Queens alerting them to Imette’s body.

She had been violently raped, brutally tortured, her long dark hair was cut off, masking tape was wrapped around her head and a sock was stuffed in her mouth, her body was found in the weeds along the Belt Parkway.  The Belt Parkway is a road I often take and at times while I am driving I look over at it and my heart sinks, because as a child my father would take us there to watch my uncle fish and now the memory is tainted by the image of Imette’s body lying there cold, alone and dead.

Darryl Littlejohn, one of the bouncers on staff that night at the Falls bar is on trial for the murder of 24 year old Imette St. Guillen.

He claims he is being framed by the bar owner and his family.  

The Dorrian’s are the owners of another bar linked to an infamous crime.   The Red Hand is the bar in which the “preppie killer” picked up and later murdered Jessica Levin in 1986.  The Dorrian’s also have connections to the former mayor of NYC and are rumored to be very well connected to other influential people in NYC.

He claims the Dorrian family is framing him to spare the family the shame and scandal of having one of their own be named a murderer and further ruining their family business.

Danny Dorrian claimed that due to his family’s history with the Levin murder, he was at first reluctant to give Law Enforcement information at the very start of the investigation into Imette’s murder.  He felt he could just say he never saw her and spare the family any bad publicity; he just didn’t want to get involved. 

Initially he told police very little about what happened that night.  But a week after the murder the police confronted him about his bouncer’s criminal record and only then did Danny Dorrian admit to police that Imette seemed drunk and he ordered her to leave the bar and told Littlejohn to escort her out.  It is illegal and super irresponsible for a bar to employ an ex-convict to conduct security.  At the time Littlejohn was out on parole after serving 12 years in prison for drug possession and robbery.  He was in violation of his parole by being employed at a bar as well as violating his curfew.  A simple background check would have alerted the Dorrian family to these facts.

Littlejohn’s defense attorney is a woman and it amazed me to hear her say that Imette was out on the town looking to get some “action” and “hook up” and maybe even with Danny Dorrian.  She alluded to an affair between Danny and Imette and even wanted to make it appear that Imette was out looking for it.  There is absolutely no evidence to support her stupid theory and she should be ashamed of herself.

But but but..before you even start to think that Littlejohn could have been framed, let us examine his history and the evidence.

Littlejohn had a fake police badge.  How did he get this badge?

Well it seems there was this school in NYC where you could take a 3 day course in bounty hunting and then at the end of this course receive a badge, official handcuffs and other identification that resembles that of a NYPD officer.  The school took in hundreds of students and after being investigated was shut down for giving 73 ex-convicts these copy cat I.D.s.  

Littlejohn was known to often impersonate an officer and is currently serving a 25 year to life sentence for the kidnapping of another woman.  In that case he was dressed as a police officer and using his fake badge from his bounty hunting course, he instructed the woman to show him her I.D.; he then put hand cuffs on her and forced her into his van.  She screamed and fought back and eventually jumped out of the vehicle as it was moving.  The van was later shown on television in connection with the Imette St. Guillen murder, she instantly recognized the van and Litteljohn.   

The evidence (so far):

Cell phone Pings: 

Terence Li, a T-Mobile engineer, testified in Brooklyn Supreme Court that Darryl Litlejohn made a series of phone calls between 7:15 p.m. and 8 p.m. in the area in East New York where St. Guillen's body was eventually found on February 25, 2006 -- a day after St. Guillen disappeared from a SoHo bar. 

Li said Littlejohn can be placed at the location where St. Guillen's body was found because of a call he made at 7:31 p.m.  Records show that the call Littlejohn made bounced off one of the cell phone towers near the area where St. Guillen's body was found.  (NYPOST)

The Ex-Girl:

His ex-girlfriend also testified that Littlejohn called her and instructed her to lie to police and tell them that he had driven her car on the night of the murder to visit his sick mother in a retirement home.  His alibi fell apart when his ex decided to tell the truth and testify against him.

The Witnesses:

The bartender that served Imette that night said that Imette wandered into the empty bar about 15 minutes before the 4:00am closing time, she sat down and order two rum and cokes.  She later remembers Danny Dorrian telling her “This girl is crazy, she doesn’t want to leave the bar”.

Another witness says he saw Littlejohn sitting next to Imette chatting with her and heard them discussing what race she was and then Littlejohn and another bouncer walked Imette out of The Falls bar, the other bouncer returned, but Littlejohn and Imette did not.

The Dirtiest Quilt in the World and DNA:

Tests confirmed that semen (DNA) on the coverlet wrapped around Imette’s body matches the brother of her suspected killer.  Littlejohn’s brother died in 1994, long before St. Guillen's death, but the DNA match adds to a growing pile of evidence against Littlejohn.   Also found on the quilt was pubic hair and DNA from Littlejohn’s late mother.   

Carpet fiber and rabbit and mink hair on the 24-year-old grad student's body was consistent with carpet fiber at Littlejohn's home and two coats hanging in his mother's closet.  (Daily News)

The Violent Family History: 

Littlejohn’s brother died of an asthma attack in 1994 while being arrested for the rape and murder of a young mother, he also killed the woman’s husband.  He tied and torture the woman in the same way Littlejohn tied and torture Imette.

I will continue to update as the trial moves along.

State Attorney's Office Seeks Death for Casey Anthony

The State Attorney's office has now flipped on seeking death for Casey Anthony.  It was made clear a few months ago that they would not seek the death penalty for the young mother, but today it all changed.

The state attorney's office is citing "sufficient aggravating circumstances" as a reason for changing the game plan.

This means that Jose Baez, her lead attorney, will not be able to defend her at trial, he is not qualified to lead a death penalty case.  In my opinion he is not qualified to lead a pack of monkeys into the jungle, but a digress.

I wonder what caused this turn of events?  Is it new evidence of guilt recently returned from the lab? Like DNA or blood on Casey's shoes? Maggot tests results back? Toxicology on the baby that shows she was poisoned with chloroform?

I am sure the spectacle her parents made during those depositions didn't help her cause, the obvious lies and cover up for their daughter must have infuriate a lot of people at the state's attorney's office.

Is this a call to Casey to take a plea deal and confess or face death and eternal damnation?

Will she confess? 

Will she shake in her sleep tonight and awaken in a cold sweat?

Will her parents still go on Oprah as they are planning to? (Yes they are scheduled to appear on Oprah during the MAY sweeps).

If anyone deserves death, it is a mother who murder's her child leaves her in the trunk of her car while she goes out to party, then throws her in the woods and continues to cook for her new boyfriend and go about her days lying to her family, getting her nails and hair done and getting tattoos while smoking pot all the while her baby is alone in the woods with not one person on her side.

I am very skeptical about the death penalty, but sometimes it is clear when a murderer deserves the ultimate punishment.

I have No Words: Sandra Cantu's killer a Woman.

Little Sandra Cantu's suspected murderer is behind bars today.

28 year old Melissa Lawless Huckaby, the granddaughter of a local pastor was arrested for the kidnap and murder of the 8 year old girl, who was found stuffed in a suitcase 10 days after her disappearance from her trailer park home.

Melissa is a Sunday school teacher and a mother of a 5 year old little girl. Her story to Law Enforcement was proven false as she claimed Sandra came over to visit with her own daughter and later left, at the very same time she claims her suitcase, which she left in her driveway was stolen. She reported the suitcase missing earlier this week, investigators say this was a lie and it was the very suitcase Sandra was found in.

Investigators have indicated they believe Sandra was dead before she was even reported missing. They also announced they are NOT looking for any other suspects.

What was the motive here?

There are rumors about this woman drugging a child 6 months ago. Was that Sandra? Or another victim.


Are you surprised it is a woman?

A female, non-relative child murderer.

Investigators says she incriminated herself many times during the investigation and finally last night under questioning she reluctantly realized the jig was up.

Rest In Peace Sandra and my heart goes out to the Cantu family.

The Depositions of George and Cindy Anthony

Will the real Zenaida Fernandez Gonzalez please stand up?

The Anthony's, the parents of accused baby killer Casey Anthony, were forced to give a deposition in the civil case against their daughter brought upon by a woman who has the same name as the infamous vanishing nanny that Casey Anthony claims kidnapped her daughter and then killed her, leaving her steps from her parent's home.

But first a recent update on the case is mind blowing, in that the judge assigned to the case has filed a complaint to the BAR Association against Casey Anthony's attorney.

Many people believe the reason behind this complaint is a deposition by a private investigator who apparently was seen on tape searching the very area and woods where little Caylee's body was later eventually discovered, in the video he is on the telephone seemingly getting instructions from someone on the telephone about where to search for Caylee. He was at the time the private investigator for the Anthony family or Casey's attorney, this is still unclear to me. The PI tells authorities that someone told him that if he should find Caylee's body that he should NOT call 911. Only Judge Strickland knows who gave the PI those instructions, and perhaps this was the reason behind the complaint.

It is utterly disgusting for me to believe that somehow the Anthony's or Casey's lawyer knew that Caylee was in the woods by admission of the murderer and that they were looking for it themselves. To do what with? Move the body? Get rid of it? Help their daughter beat this conviction at the expense of justice for Caylee?

Who is on Caylee's side?

Now we move on to this George Anthony deposition. and George Anthony Hostile

George is answering questions in the civil defamation lawsuit brought on by the real Zenaida, who wants to clear her name as her life was turned upside down by this family.

George is hostile, rude, arrogant at times ridiculous. At times it seems the lies coming out of his mouth are unbelievable even to his own ears. He believes in his daughter? What? He keeps threatening to leave. George you are NOT above the law so sit down and answer the questions. Maybe this is because Cindy Anthony was going to be deposed first, but very intelligently they switched the order, I bet so that George was caught off guard as I am sure he was planning to just repeat what Cindy said as per her instructions. Further the Anthony's brought in their own video camera to film themselves. Why?

George states he still believes there is another Zanny Nanny running around out there because his daughter says so. He thinks this civil case is frivolous and yet turns to Zenaida and says he wants to apologize to her and shake her hand. I bet that really pissed Cindy off!

I think this civil case is the only way to remove doubt about this woman being involved, had she not brought these charges against this family and got them on record stating she is not in fact the Zanny they are referring to, many conspiracy theorist out there would have continued to suspect her until the very end.

Now on to Cindy Anthony's deposition.  She doesn't wait long to get testy and sarcastic, she acts like she doesn't even know why she is there and the first question has not even been asked before she asks for the "relevance" of it all.  She rolls her eyes takes a drink, no respect at all for anyone.  

It gets worse.  This is Cindy's time to shine, to cast doubt on her daughter's guilt, to poison the jury pool.  She claims many things, things that she has never claimed before, like that she had many phone numbers and addresses for Zanny, oh but wait, Jesse Grund, Casey ex-boyfriend was the one who called the nanny "Zanny", that Casey merely called her "the babysitter". 

Cindy Anthony has often made comments about Jesse as she wants everyone to believe he is the true murderer.  Sorry Cindy but no one is going to believe that crap and if you had many phone numbers for this babysitter and addresses, then where are they? She states she no longer has them.

The lies are so ridiculous that squirmed while watching her. 

I want this all to end with Casey behind bars forever.