Elizabeth Smart thread, August 24-31, 2002

[IamHD]

I don't know when Utahn children start school, but Elizabeth should/would be starting the 9th grade, soon. :(

[varina davis]

there's been some other articles removed from the web also that I've been trying to locate..wonder why..

I thought that, too. Some I found days ago are no longer there.

[Bella]

Not necessarily..I remember a few wks back, I think it was Neenah who was trying to post a pix and she was also getting that little x in the pix box..For some reason my computer isn't opening all the pictures on certain sites tonite..Will have to have someone check it out tomorrow. Is anyone else online tonite, or are we the only freepers..LOL..I should be in bed since it's 1:30AM here..I'll never get up in the morning..LOL..have to be in court at 10AM.

[varina davis]

Bella, I'm propping my eyes open, but I have insomnia, so here I am....

[Bella]

I know what you mean...I do know there are a couple others awake, just read their freepmails..they're checking out somethings :-) When they get back to the thread, they'll check to see if they can open that picture..

[Bella]

I remember reading that others also thought there was something unusual about the milkman..

[cherry]

"Sickler has never been convicted of aggravated sexual abuse"

how reassuring.....

[Jolly Green]

I posted that a lot of FReepers on this thread would keel over if they read other boards and saw how many people do NOT think Ricci took Liz. They actually analyze "other factors" and are willing to give weight to the possibility that something other than the 'obvious' took place.

The other factors you speak of were analyzed ad nauseum on these threads and are believed by most people on these threads (except those from the Logic-Free zone) to have been eliminated weeks ago. Regurgitating them (such as runaway) don't add to the discussion.

[Jolly Green]

It's been here and believe me I have no idea or could care where it is. Is this something that interests you?

There was a Van Dam thread on FR for many weeks and some the FReepers(?) paticipating therein took a vote and concluded Westerfield was innocent. Probably the same ones on this thread from the Logic_Free Zone.

[Neenah]

Here is a picture of CHARLIE MILLER...

Milkman Charlie Miller gave police a partial license plate number that helped identify Edmunds.

SNIP/ Police want to quiz man in teen's abduction

Earlier Wednesday, Salt Lake City Police Chief Rick Dinse expressed confidence that authorities will track down Smart's abductor no matter how long it takes.

"I can't set a time limit on this," Dinse said on CNN's "American Morning." "It may be soon. It might be later. It may be for quite a while."

Dinse reiterated an assertion he made Tuesday that police may have talked to the suspect.

"We believe we have enough information about the suspect, the characteristics of the suspect based on the crime scene, based on all of the investigative leads we've [had] up till now -- including a behavioral science picture of him," he said.

"We have narrowed our focus in order to meet those things that we believe will bring us to him."

Elizabeth Smart Police are zeroing in on the girl's upscale Federal Heights neighborhood, which Dinse said he believes the abductor has "had access to" for some time.

Investigators have spoken with contractors and real estate agents in the area. The Smarts' seven-bedroom, six-bathroom house is for sale for more than $1 million.

"We've looked at it [the neighborhood] originally and quickly in order to try to see if we could locate Elizabeth in a fast manner," Dinse said.

"After looking at everything and all of the leads that we have brought or have had, we think that this is the right way to go about trying to locate this person and bring Elizabeth back."

He said police have had more than 6,000 leads in the case and have identified 600 that are worthy of following up. He said police have talked to 300 people "and probably more than that" to date.

"There is a good chance in all of the people that we've talked to that we have, in fact, talked to the suspect," Dinse said. "Now we're going to focus in and go back to some of those people and, of course, continue investigating and interviewing new people." SNIP

Full reply

[Neenah]

I am not currently, but have taught, yes.

[FR_addict]

I wonder why they didn't get a sketch from the milkman. His description sounds a lot like MKs. It doesn't make sense that the kidnapper would scowl at him, but the police should have checked this out more. In this article he said the police had not interviewed him, at least not at the time of the article, more than a week after the kidnapping.

I didn't understand why they cleared Edmunds so fast either. They stated that Edmunds was not the guy, but I never heard the police give a reason for disqualifying him as a suspect involved in the crime.

[freedox]

Thanks for posting this, Neenah. Once again, from reading this article, it seems pretty clear to me that the police have known from the beginning who is responsible for Elizabeth's disappearance. Dinse's statement that it might be "sooner, later, or quite a while" before they track him down suggests to me some knowledge of who they are dealing with, along with a distinct lack of urgency in finding him. This, along with the statements and attitudes of family members, tells me that they have probably known all along that Elizabeth is in no real physical danger. Perhaps the MOST telling statement in the article is the one referring to the number of tips received from the public......one week into the investigation, only 600 of the 6000 tips received were deemed worthy of police follow-up. If the police were able to discount 90% of the tips they were getting this early in the investigation, it is obvious that they had a great deal more information than they were making public.

[Neenah]

I agree, and JUST SPEAKING FOR MYSELF...this is not a theory, but how I feel as a parent if I were in this situation.....

The fact is, right now, Aug.27th, 2002, my child (if I were the Smart's) is still missing. I have stated in quotes, that my youngest daughter, Mary Katherine saw her taken AT GUN POINT...

I am now faced with the reality, after a long, difficult summer, that school is starting tomorrow. Somewhere out there, there may be the abdustor or God forbid, the killer of our daughter, Elizabeth.

Does it make sense to ME, that I would trust my little 9 yr. old to even go to the school bathroom alone? What if the KILLER is a custodian? How can I allow my kids to go back to school? If I were hoping and praying our daughter is alive....inside my heart, I would also be thinking she is dead. If she is dead, then there is a killer out there. Someone who hated us so much they took our daughter right from our home while we slept !!! There is no way, I would send any of the kids out that door until the perp is arrested with good cause, and behind bars awaiting trial. I would get curriculum to teach at home, until it was safe, and even then, with all our resources, I would be working to transplant our family in another area far from where this happened.

I would be thinking of THEM, and how difficult this will be for them. I would not trust the press for one second !!! Even if I deliver them to school, and pick them up...there are 6-8 hrs. they will not be supervised by me. I believe that children need independence and cannot be put in a box to be protected...but this is ME...and those are MY KIDS...and until the KILLER or ABDUCTOR are found, my kids would not casually go back into "normal" lifestyle of school. NOTHING IS NORMAL NOW...and if someone came into my house, MY HOUSE!!!.and took my baby...and IS STILL OUT THERE. SOMEWHERE...they would not get out of my sight.

I am not the Smarts...I am speaking for myself, and not blaming the Smarts....I am saying I would not send them back to school, ..feeling horrible I couldn't..but not horrible enough to take the chance.

[varina davis]

Excellent post, spore-gasm!

[IamHD]

SALT LAKE CITY - A roll call hearing is scheduled for Richard Ricci, Judge Paul G. Maughan, Matheson Courthouse, 450 S. State St., 2 p.m. (Deseret News pool photographer, video available for broadcasters on 4th floor.)

[freedox]

"I wonder why they didn't get a sketch from the milkman."

See my post #213 above. I think the police have known from the beginning who Elizabeth is with, but for whatever reasons, they don't want to make this public. Jeanne Boylan seems convinced that the poilice are playing this thing perfectly.......I do hope she is right.

[Bella]

Do you know who's representing Ward Weaver? This guy should get the electric chair! Remember when Ward Weaver was so helpful & knew so much about the two girls in July. I just wish the Elizabeth would be found, someone knows something and the cops aren't telling anyone anything from what we see..Wasn't it JG or someone else who knew some things about this case?

[Bella]

Just heard on ABC that Ward Weaver's on suicide watch..how interesting!