Anna Christian Waters (Missing 1/16/1973 from Half Moon Bay, CA)

[Annasmom]

Richard thank you for your interesting post... I learnt a little more about tracking dogs today!

I also really like Becba's theory. I can envision this happening. What if Anna was with someone who was taking her, and that person backtracked, with Anna for some reason? (Possible.)

Anna's Mom was the creek navigatable by boat or canoe? It sounds like it was running fast, deep, and had obstructions in it. Could an experienced person with a canoe, or small inflatable boat have made it down the creek? (The creek was normally very small and was not navigatable by boat or canoe. It ran several miles toward the Pacific ocean and had many obstructions, all of which were removed one by one by searching divers in the days following Anna's disappearance.)

I'm thinking of one of the transients. Since you live(d) in an area where there are many, and its rural, perhaps someone was "hiding out" in the woods? The original track was to their "camp site" and the backtrack was to where they had some kind of boat? (A boat would have been useless.)

The backtrack area... was it where someone could have set up a camp site that would have been unseen by you and your neighbors? ( Quite easily.)

Not knowing the terrain its hard for me to determine how wild an idea this is!

Good questions. Thank you.

 

[Becba]

Dr. Waters had been in therapy for some time before Brody entered the picture. I think it is futile to try to make sense of nonsensical thinking, which is what much of the GB-GW exchanges seemed to me. There were no books or any printed matter ever presented. If they went to meetings, I didn't know about it. GB's interest in Anna was only peripheral and was part of his effort to dominate GW's life. I do know the name of the woman and would be glad to post it privately, if it is of any use in the investigation. Almost every quote or phrase GB used was odd. As far as I know, there was no group of believers, though GW unsuccessfully tried to recruit some.
This relationship was, I think, a shared delusion, with much need for domination and guidance on one side and a need to dominate and control on the other.

I know you were responding to Itsreenw but what you have said is very insightful. Brody seemed to have been the kind that wanted to be "Svengali" like to those looking to be lead. GW was vulnerable due to his confused mind.
It lends credit to the idea that Anna was adopted or rather kidnapped and given away. Money seems to have been the main issue with Brody and Anna was getting some of that. GW and Brody neither seems to have had hatred for Anna, not the kind it would take to kill. Especially a child. And Brody likely found another follower to help in the kidnapping and take little Anna.
With stranger, pediphile abduction the motive is obscene and those kind of people can kill due to their sickening ways. And those are rare compared to family abduction. GW and Brody having such a clear motive and being weak tip the odds in favor of Anna being alive heavily,IMO. It is much more likely GW was in on this than a stranger came to your little area and walked thru the woods, without leaving a vehicle anyone noticed along the road, to take Anna.
If Brody were the kind to kill he would have gotten GW to make him benificiary on an insurance policy and killed him. Plain and simple.

 

[Dr. Doogie]

If Brody were the kind to kill he would have gotten GW to make him benificiary on an insurance policy and killed him. Plain and simple.

Actually, Brody did persuade Waters to take out several life insurance policies totalling over one million dollars with GB as the sole beneficiary. As it turned out, Brody died first with Waters committing suicide approxiamately two weeks later. Who knows what would have occured if Brody had not gotten cancer where he needed Waters' medical expertise, but remember that Brody was already living fully on the income brought in by Waters with an extra $17,000 cash (at least) sitting in a safe deposit box. Brody was doing well for a man who never worked.

 

[PonderingThings]

Anna's Mom the backtracked area, the creek area, and the surrounding woods, does it look much the same as when Anna vanished?

Has there been any development over the 30+ years? as in, lot cleared, construction, etc..

I realise the woods were searched when she went missing, and the dogs were there, but I'm wondering if there still might be some evidence in the woods? If its remained private property its possible its "untouched"?

(I know talk about long shots! But I'm curious

)

Also....

Was Anna wearing any kind of jewellery? A necklace... a ring?

Also, I meant to do this before and forgot. Welcome Anna's Stepfather!

 

[PonderingThings]

In the week(s) after Anna went missing were there any odd crimes... A horse rancher had a horse stolen? A barn burnt down? A home invasion/robbery? This would be in the immediate area of your home (I know you were busy with other things at the time... but maybe you found out later?).

If it was a transient person they would have had to get out of the area quickly. You can only carry a 5 year old child so far without someone remembering. Since the boat is not an option, it sounds like they either had a vehicle, or obtained a vehicle. I assume at that time there was no bus that stopped in your area?

The only other possibility is that they came by road, in a vehicle and left with Anna in that vehicle....

Would you say that's correct?

 

[T'sNana]

Pardon me if this has been raised...I was wondering if the couple that Anna's brothers witnessed attempting to get Anna in their vehicle were in fact an adoptive couple. Maybe they had already paid this Brody and/or her father and were tired of waiting. Maybe they knew of her through Brody (being, IMO, a shady character at least) or her father (being a physician and them unable to conceive)? To me, this might explain the $17,000 in the deposit box or at least a portion of it. I think, if this is the case, Anna is still alive. JMO.

Also, I must say Anna's mother is very courageous and my prayers are with you and your family.

 

[PonderingThings]

I think Anna's entire family are very brave.

I like your link to the cash T'sNana. GW though was a doctor, working 3 jobs, and Brody was siphoning off his income.... I'm quite frankly surprised there wasn't more! Especially when you consider they were living on the "cheap".

Perhaps Anna was step one, cash AND more income coming his way...
Step two would have been the life insurance policies, but his illness stopped those plans.

On another train of thought....

Anna's Mom has the local newspaper recently run an "anniversary article". Something to tweak the resident's memory. Perhaps they couldn't come forward then, but could now?

Perhaps a school mate has a story? <<<this might be very possible as 30 years ago children weren't interviewed by authorities, and if they said anything their input was usually ignored. Have you talked to her best friend? Have you stayed in touch?

Perhaps Grandma can pursuade a previously delinquent teen to come forward about seeing Anna with strangers - He wanted no part of the authorities back then, but maybe now that he has children of his own he'd feel different?

So much changes... who really knows what information people have!

 

[Becba]

Pondering, I have even considered that Brody may have sold Anna for the money.

I know I have been all over the place with out there scenarios but like you it has captured my attention.
We heard more about illegal adoption long ago, and it was to people who had money. You can't do it nowadays as easily due to paper work.

I wanted to add one thing. I find it intriguing the way Brody talked. I am from FL and I recall old relatives speaking very strangely. My mother always laughed it. They thought about things in a mystical way almost. I still remember a great uncle that put a dime in the coffee pot to keep witches away.

 

[itsreenw]

Dr. Waters had been in therapy for some time before Brody entered the picture. I think it is futile to try to make sense of nonsensical thinking, which is what much of the GB-GW exchanges seemed to me. There were no books or any printed matter ever presented. If they went to meetings, I didn't know about it. GB's interest in Anna was only peripheral and was part of his effort to dominate GW's life. I do know the name of the woman and would be glad to post it privately, if it is of any use in the investigation. Almost every quote or phrase GB used was odd. As far as I know, there was no group of believers, though GW unsuccessfully tried to recruit some.
This relationship was, I think, a shared delusion, with much need for domination and guidance on one side and a need to dominate and control on the other.

Annasmom, thank you for being patient with me. I am brainstorming, trying to think of any possible people that may have come in contact with either or both them. It seems that the police in the early 70's were not very thorough or experienced in their investigations-especially in child abductions. I just dread the thought of something being overlooked.

I asked about the woman's name because I wonder if her family knew of Brody. We can try to find her relatives and see what info they can provide-aliases, etc...

Is there any way to have GW's psychiatrist release his notes from therapy sessions?

I was also wondering if you had any knowledge if Brody served in the military.

 

[shadowangel]

Annasmom-

I haven't been posting much as of late, but I do want you to know that you and Anna are never far from my thoughts. Dr. Doogie and I are following very similar paths in our determination to find the truth of the two girls who have come to mean so much to us--Your little Anna for Doug, Sharon Marshall for me (two girls whose stories have crossed paths).
I know you have been bombarded with questions, but I have just two...Do you have an opinion of your own as what actually happened that day?
And..What would you like to see happen in the short term that we can make happen? An article on Anna? A memorial? Maybe just a day of remembrance? Maybe we could do something for both our young ladies.
Sharon has no family, with the exception of me I guess.

 

[itsreenw]

.
Sharon has no family, with the exception of me I guess.

Shadowangel, I think all of us have adopted Sharon as our own. Her story has a hold on me now and I am optimistic that her identity will be known someday. I know if any of us could have known her, at the first sign something was wrong we would have done whatever was necessary to rescue her from the hell that Floyd put her through.

I want you to know your diligence does not go unnoticed. As I said before, I am amazed at your knowledge and sleuthing skills. I stand to learn a lot from you.

Keep up the good work.

 

[itsreenw]

As far as I know, an investigation into Brody's possessions claimed only keys to two safety deposit boxes which have never been found. And supposedly George Waters left only his car and some papers, which were taken by his brother.

Did I read that the keys are lost? If you have pics maybe an old locksmith in the bay area can identify the bank that used those keys.

Would GB have been the right age to serve in WW II? I was on a site for lost friends in the military and coincidentally a boy was looking for info on his granddad, George Brody that served in Guam and a girl named Effie was looking for her grandfather's military friends
that served in Guam also. Made me say "what if" GB was obsessed with his service buddy's granddaughter years ago and Anna reminded him of her

 

[Kelly]

Annasmom,

I'd love to help with some awareness for Anna. Please feel free to email me and I will give you some referrals and more info.

Kelly

 

[Dr. Doogie]

I am not sure if I have ever completely explained my thoughts about the revelation that a couple attempted to abduct Anna aproximately one month before she disappeared.

1) The most likely scenario is that the couple returned and successfully kidnaped Anna on their second attempt. This is compared to the unlikely scenario of two different unrelated kidnapping attempts within a month.

2) Since the couple returned for a second attempt on the same girl one month later (as compared to "moving on" to another potential victim), it seems most likely that they had specifically targeted Anna. This would fit together with the hypothesis of Waters and Brody's involvement.

3) Since the couple presumably returned one month later, it would make sense that they resided somewhere within a half-day car ride from Half Moon Bay. Someone from the East Coast would not make two trips to the West Coast in search of the same "random" victim, nor would they have sat idle for a month between attempts. They must have been residents of either Northern or Central California.

There are several presumptions in the above analysis, but they all seem to reasonable based on the facts. I would be interested if anyone sees anything differently on these points. Please let me know.

 

[PonderingThings]

Dr. Doogie, from my perspective the details of your line of logic make perfect sense. Especially if the two "crazy men" were involved.

An alternate possibility is that you are completely right. Anna was targeted. However it was by a couple who were visiting the area, or living in the area prior to the abduction, and they had nothing to do with the two "crazy men".

Anna vanished on January 16th. The earlier abduction attempt would have been in the Christmas/New Years Holiday period, or immediately after. Perhaps Anna was spotted by someone who was in the area for family celebrations, and were/did return to the East coast?

Perhaps that's why the two abduction attempts were so close together... their time in the area was coming to an end?

Don't know... it all still fits... just different motivation.

 

[Annasmom]

Anna's Mom the backtracked area, the creek area, and the surrounding woods, does it look much the same as when Anna vanished?

Has there been any development over the 30+ years? as in, lot cleared, construction, etc..

I realise the woods were searched when she went missing, and the dogs were there, but I'm wondering if there still might be some evidence in the woods? If its remained private property its possible its "untouched"?

(I know talk about long shots! But I'm curious

)

Also....

The area is much the same as it was 30 years ago. You have to realize that every square inch of ground and water was gone over and under by hundreds of people for at least a year after Anna disappeared. I don't see how they could have missed anything, and if they did, it must certainly be gone by now. She was not wearing any jewelry, but she did have on rubber boots, and no sign was found of them.

 

[Annasmom]

In the week(s) after Anna went missing were there any odd crimes... A horse rancher had a horse stolen? A barn burnt down? A home invasion/robbery? This would be in the immediate area of your home (I know you were busy with other things at the time... but maybe you found out later?).

If it was a transient person they would have had to get out of the area quickly. You can only carry a 5 year old child so far without someone remembering. Since the boat is not an option, it sounds like they either had a vehicle, or obtained a vehicle. I assume at that time there was no bus that stopped in your area?

The only other possibility is that they came by road, in a vehicle and left with Anna in that vehicle....

Would you say that's correct?

I don't know of any crimes committed during that time; I'm sure they would have been reported in the local newspaper. This was a very remote area with no buses except the school buses, and nobody at all lived east of us for many miles. People would have had to come by car; they rode horses out there all the time, but someone on horseback would have drawn more attention than someone in a car.

 

[Annasmom]

Annasmom-

I haven't been posting much as of late, but I do want you to know that you and Anna are never far from my thoughts. Dr. Doogie and I are following very similar paths in our determination to find the truth of the two girls who have come to mean so much to us--Your little Anna for Doug, Sharon Marshall for me (two girls whose stories have crossed paths).
I know you have been bombarded with questions, but I have just two...Do you have an opinion of your own as what actually happened that day?
And..What would you like to see happen in the short term that we can make happen? An article on Anna? A memorial? Maybe just a day of remembrance? Maybe we could do something for both our young ladies.
Sharon has no family, with the exception of me I guess.

Shadowangel, I have NEVER had any intuition of what happened to Anna that day, which is curious, since I am normally rather intuitive. It was a gigantic blind spot for me. As regards something happening in the short term, I think this forum and Doogie's leaving no stone unturned is all I could ask for.

 

[Annasmom]

I think Anna's entire family are very brave.

I like your link to the cash T'sNana. GW though was a doctor, working 3 jobs, and Brody was siphoning off his income.... I'm quite frankly surprised there wasn't more! Especially when you consider they were living on the "cheap".

Perhaps Anna was step one, cash AND more income coming his way...
Step two would have been the life insurance policies, but his illness stopped those plans.

On another train of thought....

Anna's Mom has the local newspaper recently run an "anniversary article". Something to tweak the resident's memory. Perhaps they couldn't come forward then, but could now?

Perhaps a school mate has a story? <<<this might be very possible as 30 years ago children weren't interviewed by authorities, and if they said anything their input was usually ignored. Have you talked to her best friend? Have you stayed in touch?

Perhaps Grandma can pursuade a previously delinquent teen to come forward about seeing Anna with strangers - He wanted no part of the authorities back then, but maybe now that he has children of his own he'd feel different?

So much changes... who really knows what information people have!

Pondering: I have heard many stories from friends and acquaintances of Anna over the years, but none that would lead anywhere. It is a very small town and we were living way out in the country, far away from everyone. Everyone living within a five mile radius was questioned. The thing is that a vehicle could stop where we were living and keep on going without being seen or noted by a soul before eventually reaching the coast highway. I know it's hard to picture without being here. There have been several stories published, and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children still places her age-advanced picture various places on a regular basis. However, the members of this forum are the only ones who have really shown any sympathetic interest in many years. I think everyone else has made up their mind (on what basis I do not know) about what happened to her.

 

[mysteriew]

GB was intereested enough in Anna's birth, to insist on a name for her that he felt was more appropriate. Possibly one which he felt came with some connection to him. Yet for the remainder of the time that she lived with her Mom, he lost interest in her. That isn't logical. Unless he was waiting on something (for her to grow enough to leave her mother? for him to find a couple willing to buy her?). And possibly he only appeared to lose interest so that when she eventually was taken, less suspicion would fall on him and GW.
As far as the couple living within a half day of Anna's residence, that might be true if the George's were not involved. But if the George's were involved and Anna was targeted, well prospective parents desparate enough to buy a kid, and willing to kidnap her to get her- they would come a long way to get her, if they were aware of her. To this day, people have been known to travel to other states or even to other countries to pick up an adoptive child.
IMO, if they were going to be involved in the kidnapping of the child- I would think the farther away they came from, the better for them.
I guess that is why the religion aspect of this makes so much sense to me. If we are correct in the religion- it was based in Canada. GB may have had contacts within it. (or he may not, it could have simply been the fact that learned of the religion and it appealed to him, and he "studied" it, and practiced it totally on his own). But if he did actually attend services for it, he may have developed some contact with those in Canada. Thus he may found someone with an interest in getting a child however they could. Or they could have been convinced that they were "rescuing" this poor child, that her father was so concerned about. (Anna's mom, this isn't a slight, only trying to think how they may have presented it to a prospective couple).

I would be interested to know if either of the George's ever called Anna's Mom out of the blue, odd type calls. Maybe to try to convince them to get into an "investment" or talk about the religion or just some excuse to call. In those circumstances, to change the subject Mom might start talking about Anna, just to change the subject or out of outrage that they called and didn't ask about her. The calls may have been to get info on the child, the not asking first, may have been to further the appearance of disinterest.
I would also suspect that there may have been an occasional drive by her school or other place she might have been, just to see her.
I would also like to know if either or both the George's attended church services, and if they ever travelled. Maybe to Canada.