Posted on 11/07/2007 11:31:44 AM PST by Luke Skyfreeper
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Rowan Ford, 9, has been missing from her home in Stella since Friday evening. If you have any information about her, please call the Newton County Sheriff's Office at 451-8300 or 451-4242. COURTESY PHOTO |
Foul play is suspected in the disappearance of a 9-year-old Stella girl who has been missing from her home since late Friday night.
Rowan Ford, 9, was reported missing at 6:50 p.m. Saturday by her mother and step-father Newton County Sheriff Ken Copeland said Sunday afternoon. The girl was last seen at her home at 777 Grove St. in Stella at 10:45 p.m. Friday night.
Copeland said the mother, Colleen Spears, last saw the girl at about 8:30 p.m. Friday when she kissed her goodnight before leaving for work at Wal-Mart in Jane.
Copeland said the stepfather, David Spears, and two friends remained at the home until about 10:45 p.m. when they left the home after David Spears checked on the girl, who was still asleep.
"They leave the house unlocked and left a 9-year-old girl by herself," Copeland said. "They cruise around a while, then took one guy home in Wheaton. The other guy brought the step-dad back home around midnight. He failed to check on the girl at that time."
Around 1:30 a.m., Copeland said, David Spears called his mother to ask if he could borrow her car to go somewhere.
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"She comes over, gives him the car and goes into the living room, failing to check on the girl," the sheriff said. "About 7 he returns and again fails to check on the girl."
Colleen Spears came home from work at about 9 a.m. and notices something amiss. Usually, on Saturday mornings, the girl greets her mother. But this past Saturday, there was no hug or kiss, no shout of elation that Mom was home.
"She checked the girl's bedroom, and she was not there," said Copeland. "She woke her husband up - he's a very sound sleeper - and he told her she may have gone to a girlfriend's house in the night, he didn't know.
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"They hope she's at a girlfriend's house, and waited all day Saturday for her to call. She doesn't," Copeland said.
The couple then began searching for the girl, notifying the sheriff's department of her disappearance shortly before 7 p.m. Saturday night.
"The mother is extremely cooperative with us. She's real distraught over his missing daughter," said Copeland. "The step-dad, he's not cooperating very well. From our investigation, we have every reason to believe foul play is involved. We don't have a suspect at this minute, but we haven't eliminated anyone from being a suspect, either."
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Deputies and volunteers were out Sunday searching on foot and on four-wheelers. A group of volunteers were out on horseback looking for the missing girl, while Stella residents fanned out to help. A Missouri State Highway Patrol helicopter took to the skies to aid in the search, Copeland said. Tracking dogs were able to follow the girl's scent to outside the home, but the trail then stops, as if she entered a motor vehicle at that point, Copeland said.
"We started in the house and yard, then broadened our search to the city of Stella, then broadened it to other wooded areas," the sheriff said. "The helicopter was able to search a large, large area.
"We have no reason to think she's out wandering around. This little girl was asleep in bed and within an hour and 15 minutes later, she was abducted? The odds are big for that kind of stuff."
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The search was discontinued late Sunday because of darkness, and was to begin anew this morning. Copeland was in meetings this morning and could not be reached for comment. A sheriff's department spokeswoman saisd the search continues today for the missing girl.
Miss Ford is described as being 3-feet 11-inches tall and weighing 62 pounds. She has brown hair and brown eyes. Authorities are uncertain what she was wearing at the time of her disappearance.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Newton County Sheriff's Office at (417) 451-8300.
You still there? You have a pm.
In the interest of giving you some more options on what may have happened, since you are so close to this, I will offer some ideas (pure speculation) based on the info I have read so far.
FIRST. If Spears was molesting Rowan prior to this, then the whole thing explains itself. Collings wanted a piece of the action, and found the opportunity.
I think Spears was molesting Rowan. Main reason: Mother worked nights, and that left a 23 year old obese alcoholic alone with Rowan night after night.
IF Spears had not molested her before her disappearance, then it would hinge on Collings having had his ‘eye’ on Rowan, and....
Proposed Scenario: Spears is going to go out drinking with his buddies (note buddies is PLURAL).
He and JOHN DOE #3 and COLLINGS meet at Spears place. Spears and #3 take off in one car, and Collings tells them he doesn’t feel good, so he doesn’t want to go. However, he tells them he will take Rowan to his place so she will be ‘safe’, and they can pick her up there.
(Alternative version: He sneaks back and takes Rowan without telling Spears)
Later, #3 drops Spears off at Collings place. He walks in and finds Collings assaulting Rowan. Collings has had a curtain rope around Rowan’s neck to keep her from getting away, and she has almost suffocated.
Collings tells Spears “I’m not doing anything you haven’t already,so you might as well do it for the last time.”
(If Spears had not been molesting Rowan, Collings might have convinced Spears that he was gonna be the prime suspect anyway, so he had to help, or Collings would plant the body where it would damage Spears denials.)
So, he does, then they plan how to get rid of her. The loosen her from the bed (curtain rope) and drag her outside, but during this she regains consciousness, looking Spears right in the face, so Spears grabs the rope used to leash the goat, and strangles her to death. (This explains why Collings said ‘curtain rope’ and Spears said ‘goat rope’.)
#3 buddy may, or may not, have known or seen what happened, but did not get involved.
The above scenarios fit in with the facts, so far,in this case, and help explain the variances in their ‘stories’, as noted by many posters on these threads about Rowan.
Wow. Unfortunately, I think the theory that Spears had molested the girl previously does serve as a very plausible explanation for why he didn’t hit Collings over the head with a very heavy object.
And yes, it’s a small comfort, but at least these bastards will never be able to touch her again.
Very good post. I think we are all about as close to being on top of what happened as it possible at this point. I think in the end, where we find we are wrong, it is probably going to be only on some very minor points.
The only real wild-card I see as maybe still being in the deck is any possible revelations about what Spears’ mother really knew, and when.
Some of these things we may never know... and for obvious reasons I would not even fully trust what the men say, no matter what it is.
I began a new thread, with that article... and explanation of why we started a new thread is there.
Sorry I just missed ya... looks like we were making the posts at the same time.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1924445/posts
You are correct. I would just as soon that the rest of the details be the concern of judge and jury in court, and no one else.
I don’t want to see any more of their ‘dirty laundry’.
Freepers joined together on these threads to attempt to spread the word about Rowan’s disappearance and hopefully return her safely home.
That didn’t happen. But, at least we gained some new FREEPER friends, and shared some of the pain and sorrow about her loss.
Some of us shared our own losses, or close calls.
BTW, KIM4VRWC’s is a rural Missouri poster, and I know she shares in the emotions of this case.
It was a pleasure to converse with you and others on this set of threads, and get to know fellow Missourians.
I would consider it a favor if you would ‘ping’ us in the future when it goes to trial (or just the verdict would be enough).
Thanks...
Yes, add me to the ping list.
Thanks!
I would hardly call kcmo and surburbia rural. :-p
How ya doin? :)
I’m doing well.
Thanks for asking.
I live in the middle of Raytown, so, anything with a detached garage is rural to me.
I hope you and family are all AOK.
This was a terrible, terrible thing to have happened to Rowan. But it’s over for her, at least.
LOL My garage is safely attached..(actually, I wouldn’t have it otherwise) you crack me up!
I lived in south kc for a long time..too long to be exact. I had forgotten you lived in raytown. I’m glad you’re doing well.
Evil is out of our control. I believe in the power of prayer, and I pray that justice will be served to those sick evil twisted monsters. (including any and all who’ve not been caught in other cases as well)
Oh gosh, I have a detached garage/barn. hehe And I do live in a rural area.
Please add me to this ping list. Thx!
please add me to your list
“That could be a possible reason for the heating pad. I’ve heard of those symptoms too.”
If Rowan had ‘sore knees’ the last thing one would do is lie on a hard floor.
She had the heating pad because it provided ‘heat’ when being forced to sleep on the floor.
It is likely that her practice of ‘sleeping in a corner on the floor’ was a method of self-protection.
There was probably not room for Spears to get to Rowan in that ‘corner on the floor’.
Children that don’t sleep in their nice, warm, comfortable beds, do so because they don’t like what HAPPENS at NIGHT in those beds.
From what I have been able to find out,
Collings used to live in the same house with Rowan, her sister, mother, and David.
David had been hanging out with Collings since he was a young boy.
Little girls who are molested , often grow up to be obese, and sometimes, alcoholics or drug addicts.
Little boys who are molested, ....same thing.
I have been following up on this case, and it would seem that it is MUCH MUCH WORSE than anyone even imagined.
Incest, sodomy, child molestation, animal molestation, drugs, alcohol,mental illness, filthy living conditions, multiple reports to Child services, (and these are just the things mentionable on a public forum).
Where are you seeing all this?
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