CA CA - Phuong Le, 24, Fairfield, 25 April 2010 - #3

[panthera]

She had $500 IN CASH in her wallet along with her passport???

She was distraught "about many things" when she called TN. The probable cause statement said emails from Phuong to TN expressed she wanted to be with him.

Does it sound at all like she might have been contemplating running away with him? Obviously, TN would've been much less willing to carry out the plan that she would have. Did she give him an ultimatum in some way??? That would imply a motive.

I'm sorry but I'm trying to find where it says she had $500 cash and the passport (in the items found in the trunk?)? :waitasec:

The search warrant said the wallet containing credit cards, drivers license and cash was found in the trunk; and $1000 in a WaMu bank account hadn't been touched since 04/21/10. Did I miss something? MOO

 

['Ailina]

I'm sorry but I'm trying to find where it says she had $500 cash and the passport (in the items found in the trunk?)? :waitasec:

The search warrant said the wallet containing credit cards, drivers license and cash was found in the trunk; and $1000 in a WaMu bank account hadn't been touched since 04/21/10. Did I miss something? MOO

Page 16 (page numbers are on the upper righthand corner of each page) of the Probable Cause Statement (it's showing up as page 15 in my Adobe Acrobat document reader. Second full paragraph.

I'd copy and paste, but the .pdf file isn't allowing me to manipulate text.

 

['Ailina]

It says the $500 cash and passport were found in her wallet in her bedroom. I'm assuming this is either after her brother retrieved her belongings from the trunk (if he did), or it's another wallet altogether. I don't know if we have any way of knowing, other than it being a safe assumption it's the same wallet because her credit cards were in it as well. ???

 

[panthera]

Page 16 (page numbers are on the upper righthand corner of each page) of the Probable Cause Statement (it's showing up as page 15 in my Adobe Acrobat document reader. Second full paragraph.

I'd copy and paste, but the .pdf file isn't allowing me to manipulate text.

Oh thank you ~ found in her bedroom. For some reason I thought you meant it was with her, in the backpack, as if she planned to take off somewhere. Sorry!

 

[panthera]

It says the $500 cash and passport were found in her wallet in her bedroom. I'm assuming this is either after her brother retrieved her belongings from the trunk (if he did), or it's another wallet altogether. I don't know if we have any way of knowing, other than it being a safe assumption it's the same wallet because her credit cards were in it as well. ???

I remember the passport being mentioned earlier in the investigation while she was still missing, and it being found in the bedroom. I also thought there was a purse (not the backpack) there also. I'm confused too though if her brother removed the items from the car trunk or left them there and LE removed them. The warrant doesn't seem clear on that. (page 14 of the pdf file).

 

['Ailina]

Oh thank you ~ found in her bedroom. For some reason I thought you meant it was with her, in the backpack, as if she planned to take off somewhere. Sorry!

Sorry for the confusion.

Actually, you'd be partially right on a possibility I'm considering at the moment. I think it's possible the brother brought her things home as he found them. The search warrant was issued. LE found her belongings thus.

And the contents of her wallet would've been the same as it was in her vehicle. This leads me to consider maybe she WAS planning -- or at least prepared, if the opportunity arose -- to take off.

Possible.

 

[i.b.nora]

Thuc - tick, tock; tick, tock; tick, tock.

 

[panthera]

Sorry for the confusion.

Actually, you'd be partially right on a possibility I'm considering at the moment. I think it's possible the brother brought her things home as he found them. The search warrant was issued. LE found her belongings thus.

And the contents of her wallet would've been the same as it was in her vehicle. This leads me to consider maybe she WAS planning -- or at least prepared, if the opportunity arose -- to take off.

Possible.

I understand what you're thinking, but along those lines, I'd also find it odd that the bank account would still have $1000. in it if that was her intention. I also can't comprehend someone with any intelligence carrying $500 cash in their wallet along with their passport and leaving those items (along with the drivers license and credit cards) in the trunk of an unlocked car. So I think there is some confusion as to what was actually in the car and in the bedroom, such as how much cash she may have had with her (in the car). We might never know since it seems LE didn't inventory the contents when they were still in the car. MOO

 

['Ailina]

I understand what you're thinking, but along those lines, I'd also find it odd that the bank account would still have $1000. in it if that was her intention. I also can't comprehend someone with any intelligence carrying $500 cash in their wallet along with their passport and leaving those items (along with the drivers license and credit cards) in the trunk of an unlocked car. So I think there is some confusion as to what was actually in the car and in the bedroom, such as how much cash she may have had with her (in the car). We might never know since it seems LE didn't inventory the contents when they were still in the car. MOO

And I think you're right. It's unfortunate LE (as far as we know) didn't inventory the contents in the vehicle. I don't blame her brother for it, though. I can see how he might have wanted to bring her things out of her vehicle right away instead of leaving them where they were. That might be a tough call, to leave her vehicle exactly as it was in a public place until LE got around to processing it?

AND...

I don't see Phuong leaving all those valuables in her trunk either. This reinforces the theory someone else put them there.

As far as the cash...I've never traveled internationally, so I wouldn't know how currency exchange and all that works. When I travel domestically (with spouse/family), though, I prefer to have a smaller lump sum on me because I prefer to pay in cash for many things. Costs like hotel rooms and such, I prefer to put on my card.

Alternatives? She carried $500 on her at all times as a matter of routine? I think this is improbable. She might've had the money on her for bills, since it was the end of the month? Except she'd had the cash since the 21st. I wouldn't think she'd carry it around for almost a week.

The $500 alone might not point to a "taking off" theory, but the cash coupled with the passport might.

Maybe someone with more travel experience might offer some perspective on this?

 

[BeanE]

Her wallet was locked in the trunk

http://www.aolnews.com/2010/04/30/birthday-celebration-turns-into-vigil-for-missing-nurse/19461046/

and LE told her brother to take her belongings home

http://nancygrace.blogs.cnn.com/201...items-in-search-for-missing-california-nurse/

It's looks like the latter info was in an article originally on contracostatimes.com, but is no longer available.

 

[panthera]

All good thoughts, 'Ailina! I'm not going to put too much into the $500 though, not knowing for sure she had it in the car instead of it being left in her bedroom. Nothing else seems to point to her thinking of taking off for anywhere. The only thing we do seem to know is the motive wasn't robbery. MOO

Have a good night! :seeya:

 

[cluciano63]

I guess if I thought I might go off to Canada I would take $500 and my passport, knowing I could use my ATM card there...I doubt she always carried those items with her, if indeed she had them in the trunk that night. I think she upset about far more than the flyers business...probably to do with the relationship. Still, I think LE has not been able to place the ex-boss/man friend away from his home as yet that evening. Did search warrant indicate if they asked for DNA from him?

 

[BeanE]

All good thoughts, 'Ailina! I'm not going to put too much into the $500 though, not knowing for sure she had it in the car instead of it being left in her bedroom. Nothing else seems to point to her thinking of taking off for anywhere. The only thing we do seem to know is the motive wasn't robbery. MOO

Have a good night! :seeya:

You know her family is so close and loving, it could even be - and I realize this is a longshot but maybe - one of them might have felt bad when they found out she was worried about her financial situation and getting a job, and thinking she'd be found any day, or hoping she'd be found any day, might have stuck the $500 in her wallet for a surprise coming home gift.

It's just so unusual to have that much cash in your wallet.

If she did have it in her wallet though, there is just no way I can think she was so naive as to put a wallet with $500 in her trunk when the windows were down! She was an extremely intelligent girl. She may have had to carry that much cash for some reason, but put it in her trunk? No way.

But then I started thinking, whoever killed her, if she did have that cash in her wallet, the perp didn't care one whit about robbing her. That's a lot of cash to pass up.

 

[Chili Fries]

But then I started thinking, whoever killed her, if she did have that cash in her wallet, the perp didn't care one whit about robbing her. That's a lot of cash to pass up.

That's true. I think she was either killed by TN or was abducted by a guy who planned to sexually assault her. A sexual predator is not the type of perp who is going to search the car for cash, he would likely grab her outside of her car and take off. And of course TN is probably not going to be interested in the money either.

 

[Breathe]

Why seize the Wii and Xbox? (Because Phuong's prints could be on it? I don't understand why these are important to the case.)

Why seize Thuc's driver's license and social security card? (So he can't leave the country? What about his passport if he has one?) They took both items but he still isn't a POI correct?

 

[Chili Fries]

Why seize the Wii and Xbox? (Because Phuong's prints could be on it? I don't understand why these are important to the case.)

Why seize Thuc's driver's license and social security card? (So he can't leave the country? What about his passport if he has one?) They took both items but he still isn't a POI correct?

I believe you can surf the web with the Wii and Xbox so they were probably taken to give LE a full picture of TN's possible internet activity.

 

[jjenny]

BBM
Some people are set up for affairs better than others. 5 flip phones with camera, several e-mail accounts, 2 external hard drives etc., entrepreneurial drive, ability to lie, fool good family friends, harbor secrets, betray wife and children. None of which make him a murderer but does show he has the intelligence and underlying traits that would come into play if his livlihood is in someway threatened. moo

Many people have several e-mail accounts.

 

[eyes4crime]

Many people have several e-mail accounts.

Oh I know that - I know I do. That was one of many areas I mentioned that enabled him to have an affair. moo mhjo

 

[pufnstuf]

I believe you can surf the web with the Wii and Xbox so they were probably taken to give LE a full picture of TN's possible internet activity.

And you can have "friends" on them, too. Especially the xbox. So it's a whole new way of communicating on this generation of video games.

We have friends through World Tour on the Wii who we play music with.

Either could be used for contacting people, if you know how to. Plus you can store photographs and such on them, too.

 

[eyes4crime]

All good thoughts, 'Ailina! I'm not going to put too much into the $500 though, not knowing for sure she had it in the car instead of it being left in her bedroom. Nothing else seems to point to her thinking of taking off for anywhere. The only thing we do seem to know is the motive wasn't robbery. MOO
Have a good night! :seeya:

I agree - and if she had intentions to take off, why was she sitting in B&N having coffee at 8:30pm? Doesn't make sense to me. moo