GUILTY IL - Willow Long, 7, Watson, 8 Sept 2013 - #2

[ArianeEmory]

I wonder if answers to some of the questions we have will be answered at today's press conference or will they keep it all hush like Alana's case.
Im waiting for the when and how she died before I say much else b/c at this moment I can not buy into the story of her falling on that pile of wood and being hurt that badly. We had a pile of wood like that last yr. I had to chop them and bind them so the city would take it away I some how lost my balance and fell backwards into the pile. Scraps one arms, legs and back of my head and a couple of bruises on my lower back but all else was fine. I guess had a branch been sitting different it might have been a different story. All I know is while it hurt I was more concerned with getting out the pile thinking I had a snake under my butt then anything else.

I think Alana's case being so hush has me wondering if they will come out and say what really happened to Willow. Though with Alana's case it may just be to horrible and no one wants to speak that kind of evil out loud.

I've been also wondering about this and comparing it to Alanna.

We did eventually get way more details than anyone could want when the arrest and search warrants were released. But I don't know if that is common or typical.

 

[ToothlessFairy]

Well, if anyone is still wondering if this was an accident, I recommend going to google and reading the PDF file for the "State of Illinois Guidelines for Manner of Death".

If the person doing the autopsy was doing it in accordance with the rules as set forth by the State of Illinois Guidelines (which I would assume since this took place in IL they did just that)...and the coroner said it was a homicide to LE, and LE relayed that to the media, who in turn relayed that to us...according to those guidelines there is no way this was accidental according to IL.

According to the IL guidelines, EVEN IF JD dumped her body 4 miles out of town or 400 miles out of town...if she fell on the stick, and it impaled her through the chin and through her brain, but she died later and he hid it...that still leaves room for ACCIDENTAL classification. It says that even if an accident contributed to the death but was not the main cause IE: injury left for too long of a timeframe, causing death, it can still be classified as an accident as long as nothing was done to the person other than what the initial injury caused.

...so clearly he DID something to cause her death - therefore not an accident.

HOMICIDE is what the coroner stated according to the news, and according to the state of IL Guidelines...it says Homicide manner of death is: Stabbing, Suffocation, Strangulation, Head Trauma, Drowning, Exposure (contact with something IE: baseball bat), Gunshot.

I believe she tripped and fell on a stick just as they are saying. I believe it went through her chin, into her brain and most likely WOULD have been the cause of her death (sad, but true). However, I also believe JD smothered her or hit her with something or did something to "put her out of her misery"...thus changing any Accidental classification, from accidental, to homicide.

...but I really don't think he's going to end up getting 1st degree murder. They might charge him with that but I think in the end (might take years) he's going to end up with a lesser sentence.

You can go to www.google.com and type in Illinois State Guidelines for Manner of Death to read all that.

 

[windstorm]

From Twitter:
"Laura Hettiger KMOV ‏@LauraKHettiger 7m
Just talked to someone w/ Effingham Co. Coroner: The autopsy on Willow Long is done, preliminary cause of death has been determined @kmov"

Hopefully a story soon

 

[popsicle]

When did the coroner speak?

 

[ArianeEmory]

From Twitter:
"Laura Hettiger KMOV ‏@LauraKHettiger 7m
Just talked to someone w/ Effingham Co. Coroner: The autopsy on Willow Long is done, preliminary cause of death has been determined @kmov"

Hopefully a story soon

Jumping off windstorm's find:

Laura Hettiger KMOV ‏@LauraKHettiger 8m
Coroner official says results of autopsy, cause of death will be released by the Effingham Co. State's Attorney this afternoon @kmov

Laura Hettiger KMOV ‏@LauraKHettiger 8m
I'm told State's Attorney will speak to media after Justin DeRyke is formally charged with first degree murder. @kmov

 

[shefner]

I will be so glad to hear cause of death...and time of death. I think those two bits of info will help us a lot as we are trying to figure out the story.

 

[popsicle]

People murder and then try to make it look like an accident al the time. I trust LE charged him with 1st degree for a reason. Unless that charge changes today, I believe he killed her and tried to cover it up.

 

[crazyladi]

I have been trying to catch up on this case and I was saddened to find out her body was found. In way I guess it is good that it was found early unlike the Victoria Stafford case in which it was found 3 months later causing evidence to be lost. They found her quickly which most of the evidence will be preserved such as sexual assault and what not.

The story about the stick in the neck/head seems off to me. However I think the cause of death probably had to do with that area of the body and the stick excuses is just a cover up. The evidence will speak for itself I am sure.

The party at night caused a concern for me. Speaking from experience with a friend of mine who throws all of these crazy parties with drinkers and pot smokers there are always a bunch of random people there that I don't know, but I stopped going to those parties because I didn't feel that my daughter who is 10 should be in this type of environment because anyone there could do something to her without me having my eyes on her at all times.

That being said I feel something happened at that party or in the early morning. I think the crime scene is either at the house or where she was found. The fact the dogs didn't pick up a scent makes me believe someone carried her dead or alive. The fact she didn't have her glasses on and she couldn't see without them, makes me think she wasn't alive in the morning because the mother claims they were watching TV while she slept. Wouldn't she need to wear them to see the TV? Anyone that wears glasses that can't really see knows to put them on right away when you wake up no? At least shortly after IMO.

So either she wasn't alive in the morning and that whole story is fabricated or this is some form of cover up.

Something happened accident or not but I get a bad feeling that this was not accidental. Still trying to absorb all the information posted but I wanted to post my thoughts before I forget them.

 

[popsicle]

The biggest reason so much is hush, hush in Elaina's case is because of all the potential parties involved. jmo

 

[ToothlessFairy]

In case anyone is curious...Preliminary Cause of Death is the note made in the victim's medical file, including but not limited to any and all factors that in part or whole, contributed to their death.

Cause of Death (non-preliminary) is the classification of death as placed on the victim's actual death certificate.

...just wanted to say that in case anyone else is a noob like me. I'm learning stuff today.

I think the cause of death will end up being suffocation.

 

[Brightbird]

We saw that with Alanna Gallagher. When the perp was identified, we got some information about what neighbor's had to say.

In a case like this, I believe people will not hesitate to give any info they have.

That's true. Remember how before the perp was identified, there wasn't a peep from neighbours in MSM or anywhere public (on the internet at least). We simply don't know what the locals knew and told LE since Sunday morning.

 

[Ashley426]

From Twitter:
"Laura Hettiger KMOV ‏@LauraKHettiger 7m
Just talked to someone w/ Effingham Co. Coroner: The autopsy on Willow Long is done, preliminary cause of death has been determined @kmov"

Hopefully a story soon

Looks like I will be anxiously hovering over the refresh button all day today :scared:

I guess I'll wait patiently for the info to be released. I really hope it was quick or sudden (although I'm not sure if that can be determined & I doubt the public would receive the information), for poor Willow's sake :rose:

 

[JeannaT]

I've read the last several pages and am trying to catch up.

Are people just speculating a piece of wood pierced her skull? There is a very long discussion about wood from a woodpile piercing her skull and then she was put out of her misery - was it reported somewhere? I can't find it - *confused*

 

[ArianeEmory]

I've read the last several pages and am trying to catch up.

Are people just speculating a piece of wood pierced her skull? There is a very long discussion about wood from a woodpile piercing her skull and then she was put out of her misery - was it reported somewhere? I can't find it - *confused*

Jeanna, I'll try to summarize--Willow's grandfather (the accused murderer's father) made a whole lot of weird statements on video yesterday. The gist is that Willow was playing, fell on a pile of sticks, got one lodged in her (head? throat?) and Justin was just 'putting her out of her misery'.

Several versions of his statements conflict with each other. Sometimes they say Saturday, sometimes they say Sunday. It's a huge, crazy mess and he should not have been talking to anyone. But the story will be easily proved/disproved.

 

[Ashley426]

I've read the last several pages and am trying to catch up.

Are people just speculating a piece of wood pierced her skull? There is a very long discussion about wood from a woodpile piercing her skull and then she was put out of her misery - was it reported somewhere? I can't find it - *confused*

During his interview, the grandfather said this is what his son (Willow's uncle) told him happened. That she fell onto a pile of sticks and was "impaled" and then Justin put Willow "out of her misery." I didn't watch the entire video, so I don't have the link handy...but look for Willow's grandpa's interview.

ETA: I found the video for you, JeannaT!

http://fox2now.com/2013/09/10/suspect-being-held-for-suspicion-of-murder/

 

[cocomod]

I am going to put something out here that is total speculation... What if the grandpa heard that she was impaled by a stick - and HE filled in the part about being impaled in the head. What if the stick is elsewhere in her body and the Uncle is trying to cover his tracks with his family? What if the grandpa assumed he meant in her head, but... I am just saying that horrible things happen, and perps try to lie so that when things are found, it sounds like they (the perps) weren't the cause.

 

[ToothlessFairy]

http://fox2now.com/2013/09/10/suspect-being-held-for-suspicion-of-murder/

Grandfather (DD) gives a disturbing description of what his son claims to have happened. He is very specific about where the stick entered and where it ended up. Again, this is technically hearsay because we are hearing it from the grandfather who heard it from his son, so we do not know if this is exactly verbatim what JD said.

I would also like to highlight that according to JD, little bro was asleep in bed when the incident happened.

 

[SuziQ]

Usually moderator but could also be Method Of Disposal

MOD=Method of death

COD=Cause of death.

 

[JeannaT]

Thanks to those who posted the link! Well, in the abstract, it IS possible for someone to fall on a log pile and become impaled by a very sharp branch. So it will be interested to see what the coroner says.

For those who say she covered for her brother, I think Willow's mom was totally only covering for HERSELF when she lied that she'd seen Willow in the morning.

Awaiting the coroner's report.

 

[JeannaT]

MOD=Method of death

COD=Cause of death.

I think it's Manner of Death


So, Manner of Death could be homicide, suicide, accidental.

And the Cause of Death could be gunshot, drowning, poisoning, in all those above cases.