Deceased/Not Found CA - Heidi Planck, 39, left son’s football game in Downey, dog found in Los Angeles, 17 Oct 2021 #5

[not that girl]

My theory is that the dog did takeoff during the commission of the crime and was lucky to escape the same fate as Heidi.

I understand why we don’t know the details of the dog being found but if we did, it could clear things up. Dashing out of the elevator at what happened to be the 28th(?) floor when someone else called it from that floor vs wandering that floor on its own are very different things and have different connotations of where the dog and Heidi were separated. But, totally understand why they aren’t being forthcoming about that…

 

[SteveP]

When they began the search, LE estimated that it may go on for 7-10 days. We are now entering day 9 of the search, so perhaps they are getting close to finding Heidi, if she is there, of which they seem to be relatively certain. Please let today be the day that whoever is responsible for her demise had hoped would never come.

 

[slowpoke]

I was looking again at the pictures a reviewer provided at Yelp of the trash chute (she showed the big pile-up people leave in front of it) and was looking at an apt door that was also captured in said photo. It appears to be the kind of door that uses a key fob to enter it. IMO


Poster @JKM had info regarding such doors from JKM’s own experience in this post: https://www.websleuths.com/forums/threads/ca-heidi-planck-39-left-son’s-football-game-in-downey-dog-found-in-los-angeles-17-oct-2021-4.601334/page-30#post-17313529

Seems being able to retrieve such data could prove helpful to the case. JKM wrote “It won’t show exit but it does show entry each time it is used to get in a door”

So, what happens if you put something in the doorway to prevent it from fully closing. (either to fool the data or for quickness or ease).Would it then not show a reentry? I wonder if that was done when the perpetrator went out to the trash chute in the hallway. Then maybe the dog slipped out of the ajar door. And then the dog finders came out of the elevator before the perpetrator could retrieve the dog. Just thoughts.

MOO

 

[Meligator]

It has been so long ago now, I had to go back and find the story. The tv station only said "we obtained this security tape from outside Heidi's home..." The report also stated that "neighbors confirmed it is Jason Sugarman", and my guess is it came from the same neighbors' camera. I don't believe LE released this to the media, as they have been tight-lipped almost since the very beginning. JMO

Jason Sugarman delivering muffins two days after Heidi disappeared? - YouTube

From what I can tell, that video became publicly available around Nov4/5 (same time as car being found). If not released by LE, then someone with her phone might have had access to those videos (my ring videos are set up to be accessible through an app on my phone). Timing of release is kinda interesting in that it coincides with significant investigative events only known to a few people.

 

[Cloudydiamond]

When they began the search, LE estimated that it may go on for 7-10 days. We are now entering day 9 of the search, so perhaps they are getting close to finding Heidi, if she is there, of which they seem to be relatively certain. Please let today be the day that whoever is responsible for her demise had hoped would never come.

They won't necessarily find anything. They searched over a month for Jennifer Dulos and came up empty. I don't think they will find anything IMO. Sad, strange case.

 

[?!?]

They won't necessarily find anything. They searched over a month for Jennifer Dulos and came up empty. I don't think they will find anything IMO. Sad, strange case.

And we are not likely to know the results for at least a few weeks, until some obvious 'next step' -- LE seems not to be inclined to keep the public informed in the least.

 

[10ofRods]

And we are not likely to know the results for at least a few weeks, until some obvious 'next step' -- LE seems not to be inclined to keep the public informed in the least.

Which is standard operating procedure when there's an active homicide investigation. No one wants the bad guys to have an early chance to figure out how to lie.

 

[SteveP]

And we are not likely to know the results for at least a few weeks, until some obvious 'next step' -- LE seems not to be inclined to keep the public informed in the least.

I do not believe that LE would call a press conference to announce they had found remains, but I would think media would be checking and note the presence of a medical examiner's vehicle on site, unless one has been there every day. Media did have coverage showing investigators on site when the search had just begun. JMO

 

[azure]

They won't necessarily find anything. They searched over a month for Jennifer Dulos and came up empty. I don't think they will find anything IMO. Sad, strange case.

I'm not optimistic either. LE waited such a long time after Heidi was last seen to begin the search, when rumors had swirled around the trash chute since day 1. I find that very inexplicable and disappointing.

 

[slowpoke]

I’m thinking about that 6:30pm on 10/17 video of Heidi walking with her dog down Flower Street Alley.

It doesn’t appear she has her purse with her, nor anything substantive on her person (such as a laptop, folders, etc—not that we know she would have been carrying anything of the sort). Her phone could be in a pocket, or even in her hand. She’s holding something, guessed by her friends to be a mask, but could it be her phone?

Anyway, her purse is what I am most thinking of.

Where was it at the time of the video:
In her car? If me, I wouldn’t feel comfortable leaving it in the car, but maybe others would.
At the H+F, in an apt? Had she already been in an apt, left her purse there while she went back out to get something from her car, or just to walk Seven? I think there could have been enough time from when she left Downey and arriving in downtown LA to have been already been at H+F. I don’t think we’ve ever been giving a consistent or specific time for when she left the flag football game, but I think it was around 4 or 4:30pm (imo) based on some articles I’ve read. So, when seen at 6:30pm, that could be two hours later. Would it have taken that long to drive and park to downtown at that day and time? Did she stop somewhere before arriving in downtown LA?

With nothing new to Heidi’s case, just going back and ruminating on some things.

 

[NCWatcher]

I’m thinking about that 6:30pm on 10/17 video of Heidi walking with her dog down Flower Street Alley.

It doesn’t appear she has her purse with her, nor anything substantive on her person (such as a laptop, folders, etc—not that we know she would have been carrying anything of the sort). Her phone could be in a pocket, or even in her hand. She’s holding something, guessed by her friends to be a mask, but could it be her phone?

Anyway, her purse is what I am most thinking of.

Where was it at the time of the video:
In her car? If me, I wouldn’t feel comfortable leaving it in the car, but maybe others would.
At the H+F, in an apt? Had she already been in an apt, left her purse there while she went back out to get something from her car, or just to walk Seven? I think there could have been enough time from when she left Downey and arriving in downtown LA to have been already been at H+F. I don’t think we’ve ever been giving a consistent or specific time for when she left the flag football game, but I think it was around 4 or 4:30pm (imo) based on some articles I’ve read. So, when seen at 6:30pm, that could be two hours later. Would it have taken that long to drive and park to downtown at that day and time? Did she stop somewhere before arriving in downtown LA?

With nothing new to Heidi’s case, just going back and ruminating on some things.

Good questions.

I don't live in an urban area. But I would feel comfortable leaving my purse in my car unless I had a general fear my car would be stolen. Since I don't think anyone is too likely to steal my car, I've left my purse in it multiple times--- but only if I could put it on the floor & cover it up with something and only if I could be pretty sure no one was watching me do that. So I'm not totally reckless. I don't know what HP would do, of course.

So far as the laptop and and any "folders" go, I think it's a pretty safe bet HP wasn't toting those around in her arms at the football game. (It would have looked pretty odd and I expect we'd have heard about it from JW.) So those things, if she had them with her, must have been left in her car during the game. So she might have done the same thing later on.

JMO

 

[MiamiMom]

If the crime was committed in the condo, then it would have happened inside an apartment as I cannot imagine that a homicide would take place somewhere in the common areas of a busy building on a weekend.

 

[MiamiMom]

What if HP parked her car, went up to an apartment, left her computer/phone, and since the person she was going to meet was not yet there, she decided to walk her dog and kill her time. Then something happened.

 

[Keyedin]

I have been checking the news every day for an update. I assume they are still searching the landfill, but it’s kind of surprising to me that none of the local stations are even posting something like “search of landfill continues,” that I’ve seen anyway.

 

[SteveP]

I sense that I am in the minority here, but I am cautiously expectant that LE will find Heidi during this search. This is not a 'throw a dart at the map' type of search. LE surely have solid reasons for thinking that she was not only disposed of there, but they have narrowed the timeframe down to the point of being able to search a specific area of the landfill. Granted, it is no small task to search this area, but media photos taken the day the search began showed a large police presence on site, and I do believe that LAPD will see this through to discovery of Heidi's remains. I think they may already have most of this case figured out, but are holding out for her recovery before making any arrests. They only get one shot, so they want their case to be as strong as possible. I do pray that she soon is found, so that she may be laid to rest in dignity, her son and loved ones may begin to have some closure, and any and all responsible for her death are held fully accountable. JMO

 

[raja]

My reply did not post. I don’t think you are in the minority. I think they found evidence in the trash chute that HP was deceased. That gives them a very specific place to look.

I sense that I am in the minority here, but I am cautiously expectant that LE will find Heidi during this search. This is not a 'throw a dart at the map' type of search. LE surely have solid reasons for thinking that she was not only disposed of there, but they have narrowed the timeframe down to the point of being able to search a specific area of the landfill. Granted, it is no small task to search this area, but media photos taken the day the search began showed a large police presence on site, and I do believe that LAPD will see this through to discovery of Heidi's remains. I think they may already have most of this case figured out, but are holding out for her recovery before making any arrests. They only get one shot, so they want their case to be as strong as possible. I do pray that she soon is found, so that she may be laid to rest in dignity, her son and loved ones may begin to have some closure, and any and all responsible for her death are held fully accountable. JMO

 

[slowpoke]

I sense that I am in the minority here, but I am cautiously expectant that LE will find Heidi during this search. This is not a 'throw a dart at the map' type of search. LE surely have solid reasons for thinking that she was not only disposed of there, but they have narrowed the timeframe down to the point of being able to search a specific area of the landfill. Granted, it is no small task to search this area, but media photos taken the day the search began showed a large police presence on site, and I do believe that LAPD will see this through to discovery of Heidi's remains. I think they may already have most of this case figured out, but are holding out for her recovery before making any arrests. They only get one shot, so they want their case to be as strong as possible. I do pray that she soon is found, so that she may be laid to rest in dignity, her son and loved ones may begin to have some closure, and any and all responsible for her death are held fully accountable. JMO

I hope LE has consulted with Lee Reed, a renowned landfill search expert. He’s developed an algorithm for such searches. @Curiosa20 posted a very interesting article about him being involved in another case a couple years back. In it, he’s quoted as saying: “This one is my 51st search and I’ve been successful on 40” (re the Kelsey Berreth case he was working on). So, a pretty good track record!

https://www.websleuths.com/forums/threads/ca-heidi-planck-39-left-son’s-football-game-in-downey-dog-found-in-los-angeles-17-oct-2021-4.601334/page-45#post-17322912

 

[NCWatcher]

I sense that I am in the minority here, but I am cautiously expectant that LE will find Heidi during this search. This is not a 'throw a dart at the map' type of search. LE surely have solid reasons for thinking that she was not only disposed of there, but they have narrowed the timeframe down to the point of being able to search a specific area of the landfill. Granted, it is no small task to search this area, but media photos taken the day the search began showed a large police presence on site, and I do believe that LAPD will see this through to discovery of Heidi's remains. I think they may already have most of this case figured out, but are holding out for her recovery before making any arrests. They only get one shot, so they want their case to be as strong as possible. I do pray that she soon is found, so that she may be laid to rest in dignity, her son and loved ones may begin to have some closure, and any and all responsible for her death are held fully accountable. JMO

I pretty much agree. It doesn't sound like it's a matter of concluding HP is dead and further concluding since her body hasn't been found, maybe it's in the landfill. It does sound like LE has a specific timeline in mind for the death and body disposal. Still, I'm sure the searching is difficult and IF LE is wrong about the timeline especially regarding disposal, they could be searching the wrong area in the landfill, I would think.
JMO

 

[Tmw821]

Landfills are actually more organized than they look. LE will know what garbage truck picked up the trash from that building after Heidi was missing and where in the landfill that truck was dumped. It's going to be TONS of trash but at least it's narrowed down to a specific area.

 

[Keyedin]

We're over a week into the landfill search and not even The Sun or DM has dropped anything new. Things must really be silent on all fronts right now. Wonder if LE told JW not to give anymore press conferences after he may have unintentionally given away more info than they wanted out there?