AL AL - Brittney Wood, 19, Mobile, 31 May 2012 - # 3

[Eileen730]

DK is not one of RSW's friends on FB. At least right now he isn't. I don't know what that means as to whether they spent a lot of time together or hung out. I'm sure they were together at family events, but that doesn't mean they "actually" liked each other.

There is a short post on the search FB page. It does state the bank but gives little other information. Sorry, I don't have the date of that post as I'm not looking at it currently. Hopefully, they are getting donations but without fundraisers, getting the word out beyond a short, vague post, I fear sufficient funds are not being raised.

An account was opened Compass Bank for family support and search!
This was posted Monday!
Only one person replied to the post!

what the heck is going on!
Do ppl think she just took off because it sure dosent seem like they are
afraid of what has happend to her..

 

[fabvab]

An account was opened Compass Bank for family support and search!
This was posted Monday!
Only one person replied to the post!

what the heck is going on!
Do ppl think she just took off because it sure dosent seem like they are
afraid of what has happend to her..

CW posted on FB yesterday something to the effect that if BW would just call her she wouldn't ask any questions and wouldn't tell anyone.
She is under so much stress & pain and can't possibly be thinking straight, but I am afraid people will take that comment in a negative connotation and might not donate.

 

[bjr1977]

I saw that they were both out. If RSW confessed, why would he be allowed out at all? Which brings up questions about DK, too. Wouldn't the person that confessed go straight to the arraignment process and then sentencing? Or at least be held over until trial if they entered not guilty plea at the arraignment. I had assumed that DK was out as a result of a deal that he made with prosecutors for giving them information, but now that I look at the charges again, I'm not sure that this is true.

Does anyone have any insight into how this works in AL?

I am catching up, so I hope this has not already been answered. You could confess to investigators, but still plead not guilty. The confession will matter at the trial, but not until then. A confession during an interview is enough to charge you, but you still get a trial.

 

[bjr1977]

In Alabama, you can get charged with sex crimes against children and be innocent. There are many cases where they are initially charged, but the charges are later dropped, the case is nolle processed, or the grand jury fails to indict. I had a friend who broke off a relationship with his child's mother and took back the very expensive car she was driving. She got irate and took the child to her mothers and pressed charges that he sodomized his 3 year old son. Initially, they did not arrest him because they did doubt her story. She raised all kinds of heck and threatened to call congressmen and everyone else, so they did arrest him. DHR and LE did a very thorough 6 month investigation. At the end of the investigation, all his charges were dropped and expunged. She was charged with falsifying a police report and a couple of other fraudulent charges. She was stripped of all custody and he was awarded full custody. So, you can be arrested even if you are innocent.

 

[MotherOcean]

An account was opened Compass Bank for family support and search!
This was posted Monday!
Only one person replied to the post!

what the heck is going on!
Do ppl think she just took off because it sure dosent seem like they are
afraid of what has happend to her..

Maybe people are afraid she was murdered and are afraid of getting involved out of fear of whoever is responsible. I don't know, but that may be a factor.

 

[Analyze This]

Maybe people are afraid she was murdered and are afraid of getting involved out of fear of whoever is responsible. I don't know, but that may be a factor.

I think that there may be folks that are concerned about the overall integrity of the family given the sexual abuse allegations and that one of the people that was heavily involved in the search for BW was charged. Then there are the criminal backgrounds of other family members, a recent suicide and drug connections. I just can't help feeling that BW may be paying the price for all of this. My heart breaks for BW's mom and what she is dealing with right now.

 

[Analyze This]

I am catching up, so I hope this has not already been answered. You could confess to investigators, but still plead not guilty. The confession will matter at the trial, but not until then. A confession during an interview is enough to charge you, but you still get a trial.

I know that you would still get a trial even if you confessed, hence the plea phase of the court proceedings. What I can't understand is why bail was allowed for a confessed child rapist before any pleas were entered before the court. Or, did that already happen and both have already gone before the judge to enter their plea? If that already did happen, they must've both entered a plea of not guilty.

 

[JustyThoughts]

:treadmill: Feels like we can only keep covering where we've already been.
I appreciate everyone's ideas, comments and input. A whole lot of people that care.

:websleuther: We want to help but are not getting any current accurate official information on BW's whereabouts.

ullhair: I feel like we don't even know what we don't know. (said respectfully)

:fence: I'm gonna have to stay up on this fence until additional official information is released.

:banghead: Sighhhh.... and days continue to pass, BW's whereabouts are unknown. Prayers she is located soon. lease:

 

[LisaB]

I know that you would still get a trial even if you confessed, hence the plea phase of the court proceedings. What I can't understand is why bail was allowed for a confessed child rapist before any pleas were entered before the court. Or, did that already happen and both have already gone before the judge to enter their plea? If that already did happen, they must've both entered a plea of not guilty.

The man who molested my daughter denied it. He was out on bail for 8 or 9 months before his trial. Then he hired Sleazebag and Douche, Attorneys at Law to represent him in court, and pled NOT GUILTY. He was ultimately found GUILTY, upon which they sent him home until the sentencing hearing a full month later!

He was a tried and convicted (but unregistered) child sex offender, who showed ZERO remorse, and refused to accept responsibility for his actions. Later, when he realized that he needed to accept guilt to be eligible for parole, he did an about face and wrote to the judge admitting he actually DID do what he was accused of.

 

[shefner]

The man who molested my daughter denied it. He was out on bail for 8 or 9 months before his trial. Then he hired Sleazebag and Douche, Attorneys at Law to represent him in court, and pled NOT GUILTY. He was ultimately found GUILTY, upon which they sent him home until the sentencing hearing a full month later!

He was a tried and convicted (but unregistered) child sex offender, who showed ZERO remorse, and refused to accept responsibility for his actions. Later, when he realized that he needed to accept guilt to be eligible for parole, he did an about face and wrote to the judge admitting he actually DID do what he was accused of.

Wow...that's terrible LisaB. I'm so sorry you had to experience this. I really don't understand our justice system sometimes. Yes, I know its good overall and the best we have but still...some things boggle the mind.

 

[KeyboardCat]

A few questions on my mind:

I've heard it said that uncle Donnie's phone did not ping near where Brittney's phone pinged last, so was his phone pinging elsewhere at that time, or just not in use to create a ping at all?

How many rounds were left in that clip of the gun he used to commit suicide?

Side note: Giving these three uncles who were accused the benefit of the doubt, or maintaining a presumption of innocence is for the court and jury. I believe it would be entirely irresponsible for LE or anyone else trying to figure out the truth, to disregard accusations simply because it could be deemed as 'slanderous' or they are nice people.
Besides, any serious accusation, whether true or not, can be a motive to make fingerpointers disappear. But as for my personal opinion, I will believe a child in this situation. I won't try to be more polite and take a middle of the road approach and say that perhaps the child is confused... according to the police, one of them confessed.

 

[LisaB]

Wow...that's terrible LisaB. I'm so sorry you had to experience this. I really don't understand our justice system sometimes. Yes, I know its good overall and the best we have but still...some things boggle the mind.

The court gave him a just sentence. 45 years (making him 90 on release!), for molesting a little girl from age 8 to 10, and impacting every facet of her life even as she enters adulthood. Then the judge suspended 2/3 of it. We were disappointed, but 15 years sounded like enough time for my sprog to finish collge, and start a profession, possibly relocating out of the area so she would never cross paths with him again. We recently learned that he only has to serve 1/4 of his sentence to be eligible for parole. He could be out as early as a month from now.

 

[KeyboardCat]

The court gave him a just sentence. 45 years (making him 90 on release!), for molesting a little girl from age 8 to 10, and impacting every facet of her life even as she enters adulthood. Then the judge suspended 2/3 of it. We were disappointed, but 15 years sounded like enough time for my sprog to finish collge, and start a profession, possibly relocating out of the area so she would never cross paths with him again. We recently learned that he only has to serve 1/4 of his sentence to be eligible for parole. He could be out as early as a month from now.

Don't understand why a judge would suspend that much of a sentence.
I just don't understand.
I'm so sorry for what your family has endured.

 

[karenky]

This is my first post. I've spent the last few days reading over the many, many messages on this forum. I have been very impressed with all the good ideas and the friendly and kind atmosphere of this discussion.

Brittany's disappearance has really been on my mind and I'm not sure why she sticks out to me when there are so many missing cases all over the world. I am a genealogist and I am used to spending hours and hours digging up information on a person or a family who lived perhaps hundreds of years ago. Over the course of the 30 odd years that I have spent working on genealogy there have been a few that I have searched for that I always felt a stronger bond than the rest that I search for........ or stronger pull to find. Almost if they were reaching out to me. (Yes, strange I know) Anyway... Brittany feels much like those people to me. I am not from Alabama and actually just stumbled over the fact that she was missing on the internet. It caught my eye and I began to google her for more information. Before too long I came across this forum and spent a few (long) days reading all the messages.

My thoughts... (and please don't think I'm trying to figure out who the minor victim was because that is not my intention at all)

Since RSW was charged with incest and DK was not leads me to believe that RSW was a blood relative to the victim and DK was not. This would make you think that the victim had to be a member of the Wood family. (I do not care which one) My point is since all 3 of these men had ties to the Wood family wouldn't the first thing that LE would have done after having abuse reported to them is to have interviewed each of the Wood nieces and/or nephews? If there was abuse to one it makes sense that there could have been abuse going on to the others.

My question is would Brittany have already talked with the LE before she went missing? Or... was she scheduled to talk to them in the near future? Was she asked to come to her uncle's house or lured there instead of the theory it was her idea to go there for drugs or whatever? I can certainly understand why she felt she had to lie to her mother about where she was going.

My heart goes out to the entire family. So sad!

 

[dillysmom11]

I think that there may be folks that are concerned about the overall integrity of the family given the sexual abuse allegations and that one of the people that was heavily involved in the search for BW was charged. Then there are the criminal backgrounds of other family members, a recent suicide and drug connections. I just can't help feeling that BW may be paying the price for all of this. My heart breaks for BW's mom and what she is dealing with right now.

Kids are watching a movie... shhhh...

I agree with the above, unfortunately even *I* would be hesitant to support this family financially

In my experiences working with foster children, birth families, therapists, social workers, GAL/Casa, et al in the past decade or so, children can and do lie about molestation. More often than not they are telling some version of the truth, but they DO lie.

I want to share that, without divulging any dialog I've had with step mom, it appears the family knows about as much as we do as to where Brittney is. Whether she is still alive, or has left us.

 

[EGirl]

A few questions on my mind:

I've heard it said that uncle Donnie's phone did not ping near where Brittney's phone pinged last, so was his phone pinging elsewhere at that time, or just not in use to create a ping at all?

How many rounds were left in that clip of the gun he used to commit suicide?

Side note: Giving these three uncles who were accused the benefit of the doubt, or maintaining a presumption of innocence is for the court and jury. I believe it would be entirely irresponsible for LE or anyone else trying to figure out the truth, to disregard accusations simply because it could be deemed as 'slanderous' or they are nice people.
Besides, any serious accusation, whether true or not, can be a motive to make fingerpointers disappear. But as for my personal opinion, I will believe a child in this situation. I won't try to be more polite and take a middle of the road approach and say that perhaps the child is confused... according to the police, one of them confessed.

BBM I thought he used a shotgun?

 

[TXangel]

I've been tryinv for days to catch up but its really hard to do on my phone lol.

I originally found out about it by being mutual friend with most of the people involved on FB. In this area, its hard not to be. But mostly, I just know the area.

That said, the area Brittany left from that night, Quimby Dr area, is not a bad area but along Three Notch Rd and Old Pascagoula Rd its known you can pick up prostitutes. Strange for a residential area, I know. I lived in that area a couple of times and last year had to walk home from work more than once. I was usually offered a ride and sometimes propositioned. It was kind of unbelieveable- I was in scrubs and everything.

I am not at all trying to say anything about her character or what she may have been into, just shed some light on the area and what sort of situation may have arose.

 

[MotherOcean]

So what can we do? Are LE still looking for Brittney or not? Her family is working on a new flier, which is great, but it's been almost a month since she was last seen (that we know of). A month is a long time.

What to do... what to do... I swear if I didn't have young kids at home I would be out looking today. I know they searched around Styx River but I think they need to just move out from there little by little until they reach Grand Bay. They also searched an area of Grand Bay. OK, let's just keep going until we meet in the middle.

Come on somebody, sound the dang alarm!! Why not have everyone in both counties out searching their properties, searching the rivers, searching everywhere. I wish LE would make an appeal to the public to get involved. I bet people want to help, they just don't know what to do.

Who has an alibi for the time period from Wednesday, May 30th @ 7:30 pm to Sunday, June 2nd at midnight? Who are the players, where were they within a somewhat narrow time-period, can they prove that's where they were, have they been polygraphed?? Somebody knows something.

Had to get that out.

 

[dillysmom11]

MotherOcean, I have two thoughts. 1- LE knows more than they are saying to us or family, and that us why they are not looking as hard. 2. LE is completely failing BW.

 

[karenky]

Amen MotherOcean! They have community members who are in need and who are hurting.