Wow, I had to go back a few pages' worth of posts to find a case-related one to tag this post of mine onto - and yours happened to be right on the topic I wanted to comment on.
Dan Winkler, Matt's father, read a prepared statement this afternoon after the hearing where he and his wife got temporary custody of the children. Here's a story and the statement:
~~~~~
AP excerpt:
"...
A judge sent the three girls Breanna, 1; Mary Alice, 6; and Patricia, 8 back to Tennessee to live with their paternal grandparents, said David Whetstone, the district attorney in Baldwin County.
Matthew Winkler's father, Dan Winkler, attended the hearing and spoke to reporters later. ..."
~~~~~
Winkler family statement about son's death
March 24, 2006, 01:56 PM CST
A Statement From The Winkler Family
"We express to God our deep appreciation for allowing us the privilege of serving as Matthew's parents. We were blessed with raising three wonderful sons.
We are thankful for the existence of the Amber Alert System.
We cannot overlook the care, compassion, skills and professionalism of the FBI, The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the Alabama Bureau of Investigation, the Police Departments of Orange Beach and Okaloosa County Alabama, as well as the Alabama Department of Children Services. In addition, would thank the Police Department of Selmer, TN. We thank all of these agencies and departments for their investigative efforts and the safe return of Mary and the girls.
To all of our family and friends - thank you for your love and support.
To all of you who prayed for the safe return of the girls - your prayers and our prayers were answered.
Now we turn our immediate attention to the remembrance of Matthew and the care of our little granddaughters.
We ask that all of you realize the challenge of the task a head of us and honor our need for privacy."
"... Police Departments of Orange Beach and Okaloosa County Alabama ..."
Just now on our local TV news, they showed a high-rise-type hotel in Orange Beach where they *said* Mary Winkler was "caught." I couldn't read the name on it, but I know by sight that it's one of those that also has long-term arrangements, but I wouldn't call it a condo. ('Course, MSM being what it is, the tagline below the footage of the hotel said, "Ocean Beach", AL, instead of Orange Beach, lol.)
And everything we've heard so far indicates she was at the Waffle House and then pulled over, not at a hotel or motel.
OK, on another forum, a friend of the family said that Mary had stayed in a "motel" in Orange Beach that night - Wed. night, I guess - and had planned to go on to a condo she had rented in Florida, according to what they had heard.
When I saw the family statement, I scratched my head because there isn't an Okaloosa County in Alabama, but there is one just over the state line in Florida. That's where Ft. Walton Beach is, among other places.
Since the family said they had dealings with that county in reference to this case and to the children, I would just bet that the rented condo is in Ft Walton Beach or nearby. Also, LE had said earlier that there were several crime scenes they gleaned from conversations with Mary last night and wee hours of this morning.
They didn't have time to have already gone over there, or just be hanging out in Orange Beach or Gulf Shores, heading back west for some reason, so I'm betting we will hear *something* about that condo they never got to, which "she never stayed in" when more details come out.