Disappeared - General Discussion

[GoldenGirl90]

On 2/7/2018 at 8:49 AM, SunnyBeBe said:

Is it common to swim alone at night in the ocean?  That's one theory.  Sounds odd for a young woman to do to me, but,........or was she abducted for human trafficking.  Or was she abducted elsewhere and her car just parked at the beach to throw off police? 

I never bought the theory that she went for a swim. The parents seem to find the human trafficking theory a possibility as well but there has been no evidence found to date to support this. Remember, she asked her manager if she could leave work early with no explanation except that she "had some things to take care of." I wish she hadn't been so vague in her reason to leave work early. I think she met with foul play somewhere other than the place in which her car was eventually found.

Edited February 28, 2018 by Alexis2291

[GoldenGirl90]

On 1/12/2018 at 6:13 PM, ladle said:

That aspect of the case reminded me so much of the Bradyn Fuksa episode.  If I recall, Bradyn was so concerned he was going to go to jail for stealing a small amount of money from the cash register at work (which, if I recall correctly, he even returned most of?).  Even his dad said he'd have to come back "and answer for what he's done" or similarly-ominous language.  It seemed like the police put the fear of god into him and he thought he was going to do serious time, when I doubt he'd have served any. 

I’m glad Bradyn was found, sad as of end it may have been. I have a love/hate relationship when missing persons from the show are found, as they are almost always found deceased, but I love that the families have some closure.

[Christina]

I swear that someone else had posted this, but for some reason it has disappeared. The remains of David Riemens have been found. He was the stone mason who left his friends' home to meet someone about the stones and was never seen or heard from again. His truck was found in a Dollar General parking lot a few miles from the land where his remains were discovered. 

I was looking to see if there was an update on his cause of death, and could only find a reward for information assisting them to determine the cause of death. Sounds like it wasn't anything obvious such as a bullet hole or broken bones. The property he was located on was several hundred acres and the skull had rolled onto a road which was how he was found. That article will no longer load so I can't link it. It was probably a small local paper who couldn't handle all the hits. 

[Christina]

I don't think anyone killed Offutt's baby because the medical exam didn't show anything. On one of these sites, probably WebSleuths, someone had screencapped an article from the newspaper where the medical examiner was asked about the baby and he said there was no smoke or water in his lungs, there were no bruises or broken bones and the cause of death was being listed as Undetermined. I think that is solely because Offutt was missing or else he would have ruled it SIDS. It seems like he was still waiting on toxicology, but if it came back with anything it would have been updated by now. That story was heavily reported in her area.

I can't rule Alex out from harming her, though. It was probably the same place as the medical examiner article that had screencapped her comments on one of the other comment boards where she complained about his treatment and explained why her mother had custody of her daughter. It's also why Alex wasn't allowed to live Joey Lynn. 

When he showed up to her house with the social worker for the scheduled appointment and Joey Lynn wasn't there, the social worker told him she had to hear from her by the next day. I can't see him just walking away and not trying to break into the house if he didn't already have a key. If he discovered the baby had died, I can't see him just wandering away and not calling the police or if Joey was there, assaulting her. 

One of the things that bothered me about him was the timeline of the social worker visit, fire at the house, and his appearance at the police station to file the missing persons report. Without falling back into the hole of information to clarify, the fire started around 5 a.m. and he arrived at the police station at 6 a.m. from his home to file a missing person's report on her and the baby, then drove past her house and saw the fire trucks. I wondered why he didn't go and see if she had returned home before filing the report but also questioned if he was smart enough to schedule the fire to be noticed while he was at the police station. He wasn't much smarter than Joey Lynn. 

What makes me think he wasn't involved and Joey Lynn's disappearance was a result of her PPD psychosis after the baby died, is that he was the one who walked in on his son behaving sexually inappropriate with Joey Lynn's daughter (I don't want to search for the specifics), and he called the police on him. That makes me think that if he found the baby dead and Joey Lynn staring blankly like the neighbor claimed, that he would call 911.

The baby in the bathtub also leans toward Joey Lynn to me because she left all her personal identifying information in the house, set a fire and put the baby in a bathtub of water which sounds like something with her mental deficiencies would think would keep the baby safe while the house burned down around him. Of course, she wasn't thinking very clearly in her condition and I think Alex is about as simple as her, so it certainly doesn't rule him out. 

The only other thing that leans toward Joey Lynn being in a psychosis is where her car was found. She drove off, ended up where she used to live and wandered into the woods behind her old apartment building. If Alex was involved, he would have had to get a ride home. It wasn't super close so he would have had to drive her there, dispose of her body, and pay a taxi home or get someone to come and get him, and no one appeared and disclosed themselves to the cops. It was all over the news in their area for several months. The other thing is the timing of the fire and his visit to the police station to report her missing. Her car was seen at a certain time in the parking lot but was gone when the neighbors reported the fire about an hour later. Alex couldn't have taken her car to the apartment building and been back in time to start the fire and get to the police report. 

Unless she is found and there is a clear case of self harm, Alex will always be a suspect to me. I can't make the timeline work and apparently, neither could the police. So, at the end of the day, I think the most likely conclusion is the baby died of SIDS and Joey Lynn had a mental break. Her story is one of the more heartbreaking to me because there is just no answer and I think she will be found in those woods where they have been searched before and just missed her. I know wooded areas can have areas where you can be right on top of a person and not see them, but we are seeing it more and more often where a person is located right in a search path. When I win the lottery (note to self: buy lotto tickets) I will be donating more search and rescue and cadaver dogs to the emergency services. 

[Christina]

I'm having serious linking trouble, so I couldn't include the commercial directly nor could I get a link to it to post.

Disappeared will be back on April 1, 2018.

[sue450]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappeared_(TV_series)

 

click on this link above....click on season 1  and it has each case and  if they are dead alive still missing.....all the seasons are there just from the one click...also lists if someone is on trial or found guilty

  I know it lists 7 seasons but the last one listed for that season  is the last one listed on IMDB season 8 so nothing is left out they just listed the seasons kind of weird I remember one guy went over a waterfall.........we are getting  a new season in April!!!

Edited March 14, 2018 by sue450

[sue450]

          I saw a commercial saying Disappeared was returning in April for season nine..I checked IMDB they  have 2 episodes listed for season 9 

episode 5 amy lynn bradley the date Nov 18   2017  she disappeared 20 years ago from a cruise ship....one other episode is listed episode  10 but no info available...anybdoy know anything???I wish I would have written the april date down

 

went to their facbook Disappeared starts again april 1

Edited March 14, 2018 by sue450

[cynic]

TV Guide says season 9 starts April 1st with an episode titled "Edge of Fourteen", but there's a new episode already available on my OnDemand called "A Date with Danger". Oddly, the episode is dated 6/24/18. I didn't know my cable box was capable of time travel, but I'm just glad to have something to watch.

[spankydoll]

On 3/14/2018 at 12:31 AM, sue450 said:

          I saw a commercial saying Disappeared was returning in April for season nine..I checked IMDB they  have 2 episodes listed for season 9 

episode 5 amy lynn bradley the date Nov 18   2017  she disappeared 20 years ago from a cruise ship....one other episode is listed episode  10 but no info available...anybdoy know anything???I wish I would have written the april date down

 

went to their facbook Disappeared starts again april 1

Cruise ship disappearances are frightening. You know that someone killed them and tossed the body overboard 

[Josette]

On 3/8/2018 at 5:08 PM, Christina said:

I swear that someone else had posted this, but for some reason it has disappeared. The remains of David Riemens have been found.

It was posted in the episodes thread and is still there.  I don't think anyone posted it in this thread.

[funky-rat]

I didn't really think Joey's boyfriend had anything to do with it, but it's always possible.  I read somewhere he's a little "slow" like she was, and I don't know how he would be able to keep up a consistent story, but I could be wrong.  Her car was found about 45 miles from me.  My husband has the same car, and them saying the seat was all the way back is not surprising.  If you need to get in to the back seat, the seat comes all the way forward (it's a 2 door coupe).  So if she needed to get something out of the back seat, she'd push the bar to get the seat back "flipped" and the seat would come forward completely.  Then you have to push the seat back, and push the bar again, and it's really easy to push the seat all the way back.  I have done it a number of times without wanting to, then have to re-adjust the seat when I sit down.  Also, I'm a terrible backer-upper, but I can get it right occasionally.

I think she ran off with someone that she met online after the baby died (either naturally or accidentally).  She didn't have internet at the house, but libraries have internet, and there are other ways of getting public internet.  Her car coming and going could support that.  I don't believe she's alive, or if she is, she's not mentally capable of making anyone aware.

[funky-rat]

On ‎4‎/‎21‎/‎2017 at 6:22 PM, One Tough Cookie said:

I'm still interested in the Ray Gricar case.  He was a DA in Penna. and dropped off the face of the earth about 5 years ago.  His car was found, later his computer was found and then the hard drive.  He was last seen at an antique store and then...nothing. I Wiki'd but according to them he was still missing.  Anyone know anything further?

 

On ‎4‎/‎24‎/‎2017 at 2:47 PM, Chris Knight said:

I have followed the Ray Gricar case for years. It was thought that he had some involvement with the Jerry Sandusky case, like that he had info about the molestations and either was goi g to charge Sandusky or was helping cover it up. Ray's brother had committed suicide in the same area where Ray' s car was found.

This happened in my backyard.  I drive by that antique mall several times a week, and the parking lot always gives me the heebies.  It's just a small stone patch where people park.  The antique mall was a warehouse type operation (called "the annex") for a large furniture factory that was across town, which closed down for good in 2004.  The annex closed earlier than that.  I'm thinking 90's.  The people who own that antique mall operate another one a few blocks down in an old feed mill, and opened the one where Ray disappeared a few years later.  The big one in the feed mill opened in either 1992 or 1993.  I've driven the Route that Ray took from his home in Centre County to the antique mall dozens upon dozens of times.  That one hit too close to home.  Ray was involved in the Sandusky case in that he declined to prosecute the first time Sandusky's scumbag tendencies came to light.  By all accounts, Gricar was honorable, so the general consensus is that he didn't have enough evidence to make any type of conviction stick at that time, and though it better not to prosecute at that moment.  I don't drink the Happy Valley Kool-Aid that so many around here drink (and they still refuse to acknowledge Saint Joe Paterno's involvement), but I'm not convinced that specific case is a reason for his disappearance.  He disappeared several years before the full extent of Sandusky's perversion came to light, or I might think differently.

Ray's brother killed himself in Ohio, where the family was from.  Ray wasn't originally from this area, and his brother never lived here.  I could go either way on whether he walked away, or whether he killed himself.  You can't jump off the bridge there without people seeing you - it's a heavily traveled bridge.  The old railroad bridge next to it is blocked off.  He'd have to climb over a large gate, and walk out almost halfway to get to deeper water.  The railroad ties were so rotten that I doubt he'd make it that far.  In the years since, that bridge caught fire, and there are virtually no ties left.  They're trying to raise money to make it part of the rail trail that runs through several towns past it.  They can't find his scent past the antique mall, so there's not much indication he went in elsewhere.  There really aren't any bridges in the immediate area where he wouldn't be spotted.  He could have walked in to the water, but I don't know how he'd be able to drown himself - experts say it's really hard to drown yourself, as the body overwhelmingly fights that.  If he did manage to get in the river, it's entirely possible he'll never be found.  That river is swift (lots of people drown in it boating, fishing, swimming, etc).  A few miles downstream, there's an inflatable dam which would have been inflated that time of year, and he could have easily gotten sucked under that, where he could simply just get stuck, and, as the local media put it, be "chewed up in to oblivion" by rocks and churning water.

He had been married twice, and was living with his girlfriend at the time.  He had a daughter he was close to (they moved to this area because his wife was offered a job at Penn State, and Ray was a stay-at-home-dad until the daughter was of school age), so it's a really hard call to say whether he disappeared or killed himself.  Neither really seems likely, so we'll forever be wondering in this area.  The negative connotations of Ray disappearing from their parking lot hasn't hurt the antique mall.  They're jammed most weekends.

[Surrealist]

On 3/17/2018 at 7:18 PM, cynic said:

TV Guide says season 9 starts April 1st with an episode titled "Edge of Fourteen", but there's a new episode already available on my OnDemand called "A Date with Danger". Oddly, the episode is dated 6/24/18. I didn't know my cable box was capable of time travel, but I'm just glad to have something to watch.

Oooo! Thanks for the head's up.

[roamyn]

I don’t really believe the boyfriend did either.  I think she just lost it completely aft the baby died, but I’m not sue I believe she met anyone either.  Then again, she could’ve met a predator even at the grocery store.

[lightninggirl]

On 1/12/2018 at 5:54 AM, Christina said:

Abram Messer, son of Lynn Messer, the woman whose remains were found on her family's property past where the husband had her son move the cattle to throw the dogs off scent, is calling for his father to come clean about her death. It was Season 7, Episode 1, titled American Gothic. We here at PTV were in agreement that the husband had something to do with it because of his shady actions. If he weren't so odd, I probably could have considered natural causes. Their entire family was a bit weird to me.

Abram Messer and his wife Elizabeth were two of the most druh-mah-tic real-life (non-actor) people I've seen on that show. I wanted to throat-punch Elizabeth with her histrionic fake-crying about her mother-in-law. Every time Abram came onscreen, I wanted to FF because his eyes were so creepy. He's also a fundie religious whackadoodle, probably stemming from his homophobic/anti-woman father's legislative attempts to ensure that God's Law is infused with state law:  https://chocolateorelse.wordpress.com/2017/08/12/abram-messer-regarding-obedience/

And don't get me started about his brother Aarron's wig. Jesus.

[sue450]

I contacted IMDB before when episodes were not listed right..I said these are true stories about real missing people you need to list the episodes correctly and they fixed it then.....there was 1 episode list that didn't even have the missing persons name I sent that in and they fixed it

[funky-rat]

On ‎5‎/‎8‎/‎2017 at 10:12 PM, mamadrama said:

I bet the only reason they fought to be on "Disappeared" was to get more heat on the step-dad. 

So I only have my "Internet Detective" license, but my conjecture is that the reason he took the things out of her suitcase is either because:

a) He wanted "souvenirs" of hers and he kept those things as reminders (yet dumped the suitcase and ID cards themselves because he ultimately wanted someone to find it and know that she's probably dead) 

or

b) the suitcase was empty to begin with

 

I realize that "B" is a little weird but let's say, for the sake of argument, that she really HAD made other plans to take off and go somewhere else for awhile. Maybe the suitcase was a ruse and she planned on dumping it someplace along the way. (Maybe she'd met someone online and had already made arrangements for clothes, toiletries, etc.). Her leaving with a packed bag was just a ruse. Step dad may not have ever looked in the suitcase when he dumped it. 

I don't think that happened, but it's an idea I have. It could also mean that the step dad isn't responsible at all and that Kate really did run off with someone and dumped the suitcase herself. But I am not sold on that. I totally believe the step dad killed her. And probably others. 

One more thing, and I can't believe I am even going to say this because it is NOT something I normally believe...

Is it possible that she wasn't a lesbian or bisexual? I totally believe that people are born that way and it's not something that can be changed. However, in this particular situation, I can also see how someone growing up under abuse (especially sexual abuse) might find themselves withdrawing from the opposite sex and finding comfort in the same sex (especially a friend) and perhaps even confusing that sense of security, loyalty, and comfort for "love." I realize that abuse was never brought up in this episode, but it's totally there in the narrative I've created in my own head. Perhaps once she got out to Arizona and away from her home and influences from the past she started "finding herself" and realized that she needed to reevaluate her feelings. That could have been why she cheated on her fiancee with the other couple. Maybe a fight broke out with the step dad when she brought up the past and blamed him for what was currently going on in her life. 

Pure speculation on my part, of course. Hell, I am a mystery writer. This shit is kind of what I do. :-) I definitely believe in Occam's Razor, though. The simple answer is usually the right one. The last person to see her lied about where he was at the time of her disappearance and lied about his alibi (work). He had opportunity and time. 

I just saw this one this morning - watched while waiting for someone to plow our road (they never did, and I left for work and crossed my fingers).  I don't know what to think on this one.  The stepdad is sketchy, but I'm not sure he hurt her.  I more thought he helped her escape.  She easily could have gotten "cold feet" or changed her mind about the relationship in Arizona.  I had a guy friend who had been in a string of bad relationships with women, and blurted out one night to me that he thought he might be bisexual, and was interested in a guy he knew.  I told him that was OK, but he needed to be sure the other party knew that he wasn't sure, and had been in relationships exclusively with women prior, and that it was OK so no one got hurt.  He dated that guy for over a year, then got with another woman (who I'm told is a disaster - he must have a type) and eventually married her.  I have no idea what happened - since he's been with that woman, he's distanced himself from a lot of us.  But at any rate, I just didn't get a feeling that the step dad hurt her.  She was so obsessed with her high school diploma that it didn't seem odd to me that it wasn't found with her belongings.  I believe she had regret about the tryst, and that pushed her over the edge to make a decision about leaving, and I could see her not wanting to worry her mom and enlisting her step dad to help her by covering for her, but where it goes after that is a mystery.  I got a slight feeling that whoever she met online may have hurt her, and may be related to the other girl found dead.  I also found it telling that her sister believes she met someone online and ran off.

[mamadrama]

On 4/2/2018 at 11:59 AM, funky-rat said:

I just saw this one this morning - watched while waiting for someone to plow our road (they never did, and I left for work and crossed my fingers).  I don't know what to think on this one.  The stepdad is sketchy, but I'm not sure he hurt her.  I more thought he helped her escape.  She easily could have gotten "cold feet" or changed her mind about the relationship in Arizona.  I had a guy friend who had been in a string of bad relationships with women, and blurted out one night to me that he thought he might be bisexual, and was interested in a guy he knew.  I told him that was OK, but he needed to be sure the other party knew that he wasn't sure, and had been in relationships exclusively with women prior, and that it was OK so no one got hurt.  He dated that guy for over a year, then got with another woman (who I'm told is a disaster - he must have a type) and eventually married her.  I have no idea what happened - since he's been with that woman, he's distanced himself from a lot of us.  But at any rate, I just didn't get a feeling that the step dad hurt her.  She was so obsessed with her high school diploma that it didn't seem odd to me that it wasn't found with her belongings.  I believe she had regret about the tryst, and that pushed her over the edge to make a decision about leaving, and I could see her not wanting to worry her mom and enlisting her step dad to help her by covering for her, but where it goes after that is a mystery.  I got a slight feeling that whoever she met online may have hurt her, and may be related to the other girl found dead.  I also found it telling that her sister believes she met someone online and ran off.

This is kind of funny. It's been so long since I watched this episode that I had to Google it to even remember what it was! :-) I have only a vague memory of writing the post that you responded to so I have no idea if I still feel the same way about it. 

[funky-rat]

14 hours ago, mamadrama said:

This is kind of funny. It's been so long since I watched this episode that I had to Google it to even remember what it was! :-) I have only a vague memory of writing the post that you responded to so I have no idea if I still feel the same way about it. 

It's an old ep, and I missed it when it first aired.  Just happened to be waiting for the plow to come clear our road, and when it didn't show up and I was late to work, I just left so as not to be any later and crossed my fingers I could get up the hill (I did).  So I went looking for comments to see if anyone even remotely thought along the lines I did.  I read some of the FB page dedicated to finding her.  Either the mom or the aunt said that the stepdad does work with the Navy, and is an expert in encryption and digital security (the ep said he was an insurance agent - maybe they didn't say what he really did because of security issues with the military).  They also said the police got his cell phone, but it's encrypted, and he refuses to unlock it.  So I'm not 100% sure that they can rely on what the pings on his phone said as being accurate.  Also, the ep said that the Katelyn was using an encrypted service to chat with people, so I'm not confident they can rely on pings for her as well.  It also sounds like there might be some animosity between the fiancée's family and the Katelyn's family per a few things I've read, and references on those sites to things being deleted from the FB page that the fiancée and her mom wrote.  My armchair thoughts, based on what I've read and seen, is that perhaps the dad did to her phone what he did to his, and for reasons unknown, helped her escape somewhere.  I just don't get the vibe that he killed her - nothing jumps out at me for a reason why he would do that.  I think she either took off for parts unknown, or she met up with someone she met online (like the sister inferred) and they either helped her take off, or they killed her.  The fact that her suitcase was found sans clothing (which she would need) and her cell phone, and the diploma (which she was absolutely obsessed about on that visit - she could have just been using the cosmetology school as a ruse for needing it) just add to my thinking that she took off on purpose.  They said cash was in the wallet, but not how much.  If it was just a few bucks, that wouldn't change my mind.

Edited April 4, 2018 by funky-rat

[sue450]

which case are you talking about??????  give a heads up next time.....I do watch this show but it didn't rings any bells with me..thanks in advance!

[mamadrama]

On 3/8/2018 at 10:29 PM, Christina said:

I don't think anyone killed Offutt's baby because the medical exam didn't show anything. On one of these sites, probably WebSleuths, someone had screencapped an article from the newspaper where the medical examiner was asked about the baby and he said there was no smoke or water in his lungs, there were no bruises or broken bones and the cause of death was being listed as Undetermined. I think that is solely because Offutt was missing or else he would have ruled it SIDS. It seems like he was still waiting on toxicology, but if it came back with anything it would have been updated by now.

Mother to a child whose COD was ruled SIDS...

SIDS is just a cause of death by exclusion. Once everything else has been ruled out then the death is labeled either SIDS or SUDC. (Sudden Unexplained Death of a Child.) If a COD is listed as "undetermined" rather than SIDS then it's because not everything COULD be ruled out. In an "undetermined" death, it could still be accidental (or intentional) suffocation but, for whatever reason, that can't be determined. (In this case, I'd say it was due to the fire/smoke causing or masking discoloration which warped the lividity marks.) In a SIDS death, every possible scenario has been ruled out and they just don't know what caused the death. In an "undetermined" death of an infant, it means that there are still some possible causes of death but that further tests and conclusions can't be undergone. 

For those of us whose children's deaths were labeled SIDS, it's one of the most frustrating parts of the aftermath. To literally have no idea why your child died is nerve-wracking in ways that I can't explain. Medical professionals give these lists and tips on "reducing the risk of SIDS" but, for many of us, we followed those guidelines and we still don't know what happened. As advanced as we are in certain medical conditions these days, they still haven't figured out why some babies just stop breathing. 

In Joey's case, I think it could have gone either way. I can see SIDS, and perhaps she suffered a psychotic break of sorts afterwards and made some poor choices, but I can also see Joey causing an accidental death. Both scenarios work for me. 

[azshadowwalker]

I am sorry to hear about your loss, @mamadrama. 

[azshadowwalker]

This new episode about Ashley Summers bothers me a lot. I think Ashley was a normal girl, but the adults were questionable. This great-uncle Kevin especially bothers me. He is angry about what she's saying on the phone, so he takes her phone and breaks it? Then doesn't say anything when she disappears without any way to contact anyone? These people not keeping track of a young teenager just baffle me. 

I get why mom might worry about her daughter dating, but maybe having the boy around when mom was home would have been a better option. Just banning her from seeing the boy at all was never going to go well. 

Edited April 5, 2018 by azshadowwalker

[tobeannounced]

Yeah, I thought the phone-breaking thing was weird. I would have a word or two to say to my sister or BIL if they broke one of my children's phones.

Anyway, another one of those cases where people just slip through the cracks somehow until the family realizes and police are finally notified and have to play catch-up. I think we all know that the odds are not good that she's alive, or if she is, she's not in a good situation.

[funky-rat]

17 hours ago, sue450 said:

which case are you talking about??????  give a heads up next time.....I do watch this show but it didn't rings any bells with me..thanks in advance!

Katelin Akens (I was spelling her first name incorrectly).  She was 19, and from Virginia but living in Arizona and engaged to another woman.  She flew home to see a newborn nephew.  While there, she told her mother that she needed her high school diploma to start cosmetology school (she was adamant about having it).  She spent a night at a friend's house, where she had a threesome with the friend and his wife, and regretted it the next day, harshly.  She went to her mom's, packed her bag, and was dropped off with her mom's ex-husband (not the girl's father) who said he would take her to the airport (mom had to work).  Mom gets a text saying "I'm at the airport but can't text because phone is low" (or similar).  Fiancee gets a text saying some thing to the effect of she cheated and can't come home to her.  A second text goes to mom saying that she needs time to be alone (again, or something similar), and then goes quiet.  Mom says the texts didn't come from Katelin because there were no emoji's and she never takes 2 texts to say what she wants (which is grasping at straws, IMO).  She questions ex-husband who says that Katelin asked to be dropped at Springfield Mall (I have a friend who lives nearby, so this one grabbed my eye), and would take the Metro to the airport (which is easy enough - there's a station there, and you can go straight to the airport) but mom says she doesn't buy it because Katelin doesn't know how to ride the Metro (I didn't either, but it's not hard).  Mom's ex says he gave her $20 for the ride, and dropped her off.  A few days later, they find her suitcase abandoned kind-of in between where her mom lives and her dad lives, in a ditch.  Clothes are gone.  Phone is gone.  Diploma is gone.  All that is inside is her wallet with "cash" (no dollar amount noted), a debit card linked to fiancée's bank account, and a debit card linked to her mom's bank account, and her ID.  Also an old pair of glasses, and a cell phone charger.  Mom says her daughter met with foul play because she'd need her ID and phone charger and diploma for cosmetology school, but chargers can be gotten cheaply anywhere.  Everyone blames the ex-husband, but I'm not so sure.  I see nothing to indicate he'd have any reason to harm her.  The show doesn't mention that he works for the Navy (the show says he's an insurance agent, but I think that's because he has a government job) and he's an expert in encryption.  They do mention Katelin was texting on an encrypted service and they can't unlock it.  They have dad's phone, but it's encrypted, and he won't break the encryption.  I think moms' ex helped her run away.  Even the sister who had the baby she was coming to see says thinks she met up with someone she met online.  They say ex and Katelin's phone don't ping anywhere but near where mom and ex live, but if he's an encryption expert, he can spoof that.  There are articles out there that say that police confirm ex was in the area he claimed to be, but won't elaborate further.  The area he says he dropped her off has no cameras, so I'm not sure what info police have.  

[azshadowwalker]

1 hour ago, tobeannounced said:

Yeah, I thought the phone-breaking thing was weird. I would have a word or two to say to my sister or BIL if they broke one of my children's phones.

Anyway, another one of those cases where people just slip through the cracks somehow until the family realizes and police are finally notified and have to play catch-up. I think we all know that the odds are not good that she's alive, or if she is, she's not in a good situation.

I saw an article that has a picture of a woman who looks a lot like her. The woman is wanted, along with a man, for some ID thefts. I believe the photo might be from an ATM. I will look for it again. Maybe she met up with someone who offered her a new life, but it wasn't a good one. Considering how unsettled things were in her life and with the adults surrounding her, I can see her being easy prey. 

ETA: https://www-m.cnn.com/2015/03/11/us/ohio-ashley-summers-missing/index.html

Edited April 5, 2018 by azshadowwalker

[Guest]

1 hour ago, azshadowwalker said:

I saw an article that has a picture of a woman who looks a lot like her.

It was later confirmed by police that the woman in the picture wasn't Ashley. 

Weird case. Given her proximity to Ariel Castro's home, I wonder if he didn't lure her or snatch her and then kill her at some point? And agree that Uncle Kevin's phone breaking seemed suspect and over the top, but given the hard-scrabble-ness of that family, it might seem like par for the course behavior. 

[azshadowwalker]

Thanks, @Giant Misfit. Unfortunately, most of the stuff about Ashley is drowned out by Castro speculation. It's difficult to follow her case because of that. I have serious doubts about Castro being responsible. I just think that the other captives would have information if he was involved. 

It may seem "normal" in the family for Kevin to behave that way, but I think that's a big part of the problem. No one thought that was out of line. I grew up working class and still live below poverty. That's not acceptable in our household. The fact that they might think it was bothers me a great deal. 

ETA: That article about the FBI identification is weird. It says it's not Ashley, but says that the woman hasn't been positively identified. So, they don't know who it is, but they know it's not Ashley? Also, they want to identify the woman to help Ashley's family? If it's not Ashley, what good does identifying her do the family? The whole thing is worded so strangely. 

Edited April 5, 2018 by azshadowwalker

[Josette]

The Disappeared episode mentioned that the photo had been identified by the wanted woman's family, but the family was not in contact with her. 

[azshadowwalker]

Thanks. I missed that part of the episode, I guess. I thought I saw all of it, but I guess not. 

[funky-rat]

21 hours ago, Giant Misfit said:

Weird case. Given her proximity to Ariel Castro's home, I wonder if he didn't lure her or snatch her and then kill her at some point? And agree that Uncle Kevin's phone breaking seemed suspect and over the top, but given the hard-scrabble-ness of that family, it might seem like par for the course behavior. 

I didn't see this ep, so I don't know the timeline, but I have a friend who lives in Cleveland and works for a news station.  He said the 3 girls all had said no one else was in the house while they were there, and it's thought that Castro knew all 3 of the girls in one way or another (Gina was a friend of one of his daughters and he also knew their family when he was younger, and there is lots of thought that he was somehow connected to the other two even in a minor way, but they were never able to ask him because he offed himself).

[funky-rat]

I did some digging.  Michelle knew him because she went to school with another one of his daughters.  Castro was a school bus driver, so it's entirely possible he knew Amanda from that.  I haven't found anything yet that makes the connection, but I would believe one is there somewhere.

[Jordan61]

On 6/30/2016 at 11:58 AM, margol29 said:

Tanya Rider, Season 2, “No Exit”

Disappeared goes to Washington state and looks at the case of Tanya Rider who disappeared one evening on her way home from work. She is discovered days later clinging to life in a wrecked car.

That one was just awful. Her poor husband did everything the cops told him to, shuttling from one jurisdiction to another, only to end up with an operator who said nothing could be done, no report taken, nada. I was appalled and so frustrated for him. I was really happy they found her before it was too late.

[bubbls]

On 2/7/2018 at 7:49 AM, SunnyBeBe said:

I just saw, what I think is a repeat of this show on ID Discovery.  Missing Florida girl Tiffany Daniels' car is found along with her things parked near the beach. 

Is it just because I watch a lot of true crime stuff that I think differently, but, what's up with any adult since the 90's who blows off a young woman who suddenly goes missing without an explanation.  I just don't get it. When Tiffany's older, male roommate noticed that she didn't return home by late evening, he called his adult daughter, who was friends with Tiffany, to express concern.  But, friend says, oh, don't worry. She's fine.  Really? Who does that?  Then, the friend's father/roommate waits FIVE days before calling Tiffany's mother to express concern.  But, after hearing the story, mom thinks no problem.  She's probably fine. Tiffany had 2 jobs. She wasn't one to just blow off her obligations.  Do any of these people watch news?  They got a late start searching because people who regularly communicated with Tiffany did nothing when she first disappeared. 

Is it common to swim alone at night in the ocean?  That's one theory.  Sounds odd for a young woman to do to me, but,........or was she abducted for human trafficking.  Or was she abducted elsewhere and her car just parked at the beach to throw off police? 

 

I spent the first 45 years of my life in Florida and never went swimming in the ocean at night, however, I grew up scarred by Jaws. Even so, I loved the ocean and beach and went as often as possible but never swam at night. I wonder if she committed suicide by swimming out too far to make it back. You’d assume a body would turn up, but they don’t a lot of times. I’m assuming LE cleared the adult roomie. That seemed like a weird situation. 

[Jordan61]

No comments yet about this week's episode, Logan Schiendelman. Handsome young man, effed up family. I found myself wondering why his mom and sister didn't participate in the program, maybe because of the thinly veiled allegations towards the sister's boyfriend? The family all sounded like they thought he just took off somewhere rather than that he met with foul play, but I don't know. The abandoned car on the freeway with his phone, ID, money, and groceries inside sounds like foul play to me.

[Sammich]

1 hour ago, Jordan61 said:

No comments yet about this week's episode, Logan Schiendelman. Handsome young man, effed up family. I found myself wondering why his mom and sister didn't participate in the program, maybe because of the thinly veiled allegations towards the sister's boyfriend? The family all sounded like they thought he just took off somewhere rather than that he met with foul play, but I don't know. The abandoned car on the freeway with his phone, ID, money, and groceries inside sounds like foul play to me.

I thought this was a strange case. The grandmother was rather stoic. I just feel like we don’t have all the facts. 

[Surrealist]

With the exception of the friend, something about everyone felt a little skeevy. Although I think his aunt Mary seemed normal. I wasn't sure how to read the grandmother. Count me in as another who didn't understand why the mother and sister refused to participate in the show.

I'd like to think that Logan took off to find himself, and maybe took on a new identity, but I feel pretty confident that he's dead.

[Guest]

9 hours ago, Sammich said:

I just feel like we don’t have all the facts. 

That's how I feel watching every episode of Disappeared! 

I just don't think there's any way Logan, a young kid, would have the savvy or wherewithal to carve out a new identity for himself - particularly to forge a fake passport to escape to Saudi Arabia to a father he's never met. And what I thought was super weird was the young man was trying to have a heart-to-heart with the grandmother who basically said, "hold that thought" and told him they'd discuss whatever it was when she got home from work. 

I loved how his long-haired friend almost resembled that terrible police sketch (based on a woman's recollection from a year after the event occurred!). Also, when the friend relayed the story of how no one was racist in their community—until that was contradicted by the story of what happened to Logan at the party which seemed to be the catalyst for cutting off all of his friends. 

The sister's boyfriend was super sketchy and I'm thinking it's possible she didn't participate because the BF might be a person of interest. And why wouldn't his mother regain custody of him after she finished art school? Wasn't that the reason she gave guardianship to her mother in the first place? I don't think it takes 18 years to complete art school. 

And I agree with @Surrealist -- I'm pretty confident Logan is no longer alive, too. 

[Jordan61]

3 hours ago, Giant Misfit said:

I loved how his long-haired friend almost resembled that terrible police sketch (based on a woman's recollection from a year after the event occurred!).

Yes, I noticed that too! I completely forgot about that.

[Surrealist]

11 hours ago, Giant Misfit said:

That's how I feel watching every episode of Disappeared! 

I just don't think there's any way Logan, a young kid, would have the savvy or wherewithal to carve out a new identity for himself - particularly to forge a fake passport to escape to Saudi Arabia to a father he's never met. And what I thought was super weird was the young man was trying to have a heart-to-heart with the grandmother who basically said, "hold that thought" and told him they'd discuss whatever it was when she got home from work. 

I loved how his long-haired friend almost resembled that terrible police sketch (based on a woman's recollection from a year after the event occurred!). Also, when the friend relayed the story of how no one was racist in their community—until that was contradicted by the story of what happened to Logan at the party which seemed to be the catalyst for cutting off all of his friends. 

The sister's boyfriend was super sketchy and I'm thinking it's possible she didn't participate because the BF might be a person of interest. And why wouldn't his mother regain custody of him after she finished art school? Wasn't that the reason she gave guardianship to her mother in the first place? I don't think it takes 18 years to complete art school. 

And I agree with @Surrealist -- I'm pretty confident Logan is no longer alive, too. 

That sketch tripped me out, and I thought, "Waaaaaaiiiiiiiittttt a minute." LOL.

I agree about the racism in their community. Throughout the episode, they focused on race and how predominantly white the town is. Obviously Logan was bound to run into problems about his race. It seems ridiculous for any of his friends to act as if his race wouldn't have been a factor at some point.

I'm thinking the half-sister's boyfriend is definitely on the persons of interest list. And most likely a drug user/dealer or two. I know it was mentioned that Logan smoked pot, but couldn't remember if he started getting into the harder stuff. Like meth.

I, too, didn't understand why the mother didn't bother to regain custody of Logan after finishing art school. I would imagine that art school would only take 2-3 years to finish. Well, it must be nice to have kids, yet be able to unload them other relatives while you go out to "find yourself." That, in itself, feels sketchy to me.

[azshadowwalker]

Maybe his mom left him with his grandmother because it was a more stable situation. In some cases, that's the best thing a parent can do. I don't judge anyone who realizes that they are not equipped to raise a child, and allows people who are better equipped to do it. Is it more important to care about appearances or to see your child grow up in a loving, stable environment? And maybe she didn't take part because she's lived her entire life with this kind of judgment, and felt it would be a distraction. 

Edited April 13, 2018 by azshadowwalker

[Soobs]

Just watched the Amy Bradley cruise ship episode. I'm familiar with this case as I've heard it covered on true crime podcasts and maybe Dateline or one of those shows. I still think the most likely scenario is that she fell off the balcony. She was sharing a room with her family and they would have heard her leave again. Once the family offered 250k for her return, it muddied everything up with all the grifters that came forward. That guy that stole 100k from them claiming to be Special Forces is human garbage. It's always amazing to me that people will take advantage of the suffering of others.

[spankydoll]

6 hours ago, Soobs said:

Just watched the Amy Bradley cruise ship episode. I'm familiar with this case as I've heard it covered on true crime podcasts and maybe Dateline or one of those shows. I still think the most likely scenario is that she fell off the balcony. She was sharing a room with her family and they would have heard her leave again. Once the family offered 250k for her return, it muddied everything up with all the grifters that came forward. That guy that stole 100k from them claiming to be Special Forces is human garbage. It's always amazing to me that people will take advantage of the suffering of others.

There are so many stories about odd disappearances on Cruise Ships. People don't keep their wits about them. The ships are like tiny cities and a large percentage of the population is drunk the entire time that they are on the trip. 

[Annber03]

Re: the Logan Schindelman story-I just caught that one today, and my mom was wondering the same thing about why his mom wasn't helping in the search. Maybe she was, though, and just wasn't being interviewed for the program or something? I dunno.

The grandmother did kinda get to me a bit, too, though. "Oh, he'd never do hard drugs." Well, he was smoking pot, lady, so... Granted, there's many pot smokers who don't go into the harder stuff, obviously, but still, it's not exactly entirely out of the realm of possibility, either.

I was also struck by the police setup and such in that town. Going out there to report your grandson missing, only for it to not be staffed? That's odd. I know this seems to be a small town, but still... And I find it odd they didn't do a fingerprint test, either. I get they didn't consider this a foul play situation initially, but given all his stuff was left in the car when it was found abandoned, I would've thought that alone would have been enough for them to do a test and collect any possible evidence they could find just in case, regardless of what route the case took. Especially considering the strange stuff later on about somebody being in his car and running out of it or whatever. Having some evidence right from the get-go could've perhaps helped rule out or confirm those later tips to some degree.

I agree that I don't think Logan faked his identity, but I'm thinking right now that he had some sort of mental breakdown or something and just wandered off, with possibly tragic results. The foul play theory is valid, too, though, especially given all his stuff being in the car (though you'd think if somebody killed him, they'd take his wallet, at the very least). Whatever happened, it was a very sad story, and I felt really bad for the poor guy. I hope the family can get some concrete answers eventually.

[Jordan61]

9 hours ago, Soobs said:

 I still think the most likely scenario is that she fell off the balcony. She was sharing a room with her family and they would have heard her leave again.

I agree, plus when you open that balcony door there is like a vacuum effect (not sure exactly how to explain it), with a gust of wind, and I'm sure they would have heard that. I totally understood her mom's anguish but I also understood the captain's perspective. They can't hold up the ship's itinerary every time someone can't locate a family member. It was 20 years ago so I'm not sure how/if they kept track of passengers getting on & off the ship like they do now with the ID cards.

[theajw]

22 hours ago, Soobs said:

Just watched the Amy Bradley cruise ship episode. I'm familiar with this case as I've heard it covered on true crime podcasts and maybe Dateline or one of those shows. I still think the most likely scenario is that she fell off the balcony. 

I feel for the Bradley family.  I do.  However, I really think it's a case of Occam's Razor.  She fell off the balcony.  I watched last night's episode and my armchair detective self came up with the same conclusion as I did when I saw the case on other true crime programs about her disappearance.  It was probably a terrible accident.

There is a special place in hell for the people who took advantage of this family.  

[Surrealist]

33 minutes ago, theajw said:

I feel for the Bradley family.  I do.  However, I really think it's a case of Occam's Razor.  She fell off the balcony.  I watched last night's episode and my armchair detective self came up with the same conclusion as I did when I saw the case on other true crime programs about her disappearance.  It was probably a terrible accident.

There is a special place in hell for the people who took advantage of this family.  

I've seen other shows cover this case, and like the rest of you, I think she fell overboard. Nothing points to her having been abducted and murdered (or sold into sexual slavery). 

That "fake" private detective is an asshole, but these kinds of creeps seem to pop up in these cases all the time.

[peachybean]

I agree that all signs point to her having fallen off the boat. This wasn’t a gripping story to watch. If she had last been seen with crew members (not counting iffy 5am sightings) or if there had been a pattern of young women disappearing from cruise ships near that island, then there might be a case for abduction. 

Also the brother was suspicious of the crew member who “knew” before an announcement over the loudspeaker. I’m assuming that the crew would have been told well before they alerted the guests of a problem. Felt like grasping at straws. 

Edited April 16, 2018 by peachybean

[Surrealist]

2 hours ago, peachybean said:

Also the brother was suspicious of the crew member who “knew” before an announcement over the loudspeaker. I’m assuming that the crew would have been told well before they alerted the guests of a problem. Felt like grasping at straws. 

I agree. I didn't find it unusual that a crew member had been made aware of Amy's disappearance. It sounded as if the ship's crew didn't want to make that known to other passengers, which I sort of understand.

[ihavenoidea]

I remember first watching about Amy Bradley way back on Unsolved Mysteries.  I've seen a lot of different shows on her.  I used to buy into maybe someone did take her, but I do agree now that she fell overboard.  She didn't have her shoes on and only her lighter and cigarettes were missing.  Maybe she was smoking while leaning over the railing?  If she had left the room wouldn't one of her three family members have heard the door?

Either way I always feel sorry for her family, her poor mom always breaks my heart.