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

[Joe Ford]

I would be interested in hearing any theories anyone in the family, or the private investigator they hired, has on what might have happened to Anna.

I'm sure I'm simplifying any possible explanations but here are the few areas I think it boils down to:

(1) Anna drowned in the creek (next to zero chance, IMO, because not a shred of evidence was found indicating this happened).

(2) Anna was kidnapped by a pedophile. IMO, not a high chance of this because the area was pretty remote for a pedo to even discover the existence of Anna, let alone go traipsing after her and allow himself to be cornered on the property, so to speak.

(3) A desperate couple who wanted a child of their own kidnapped Anna. This one makes the most sense to me, whether the couple spotted her themselves or they were "led to her" by GW and GB. The fact that Anna was snatched from her backyard on a wet (and possibly rainy) day indicates to me that whoever came after her had travelled a good distance and didn't realize the area was so wet, but was only going there at that time based on the information that she got home from school around 1:00 p.m. IOW, someone who lived close by would have known the weather was too messy to go out prowling for a little girl and would have assumed she would be indoors on such a messy day. OTOH, someone traveling from a distance wouldn't have known anything about the weather and would have gone there at the time they did based only on the supposition she would be getting home from school at 1:00.

Since Anna was very bright and also 5-1/2 years old at the time she was abducted, it seems like she would have many memories from that time. And yet, with the vast amount of searching I've done on the internet, using so many different variations of key words that I've gone half-blind reading the screen, I've found absolutely nothing to indicate Anna was searching for her birth family under any of the clues I've been given. I assume Anna does not know her real date of birth and instead was given a fake DOB. I also assume that the people that snatched her made up some horrible story to explain to Anna why she was going to live with them. However, this many years later it seems like Anna would remember her two brothers and would be searching for them, no matter what she was told about her parents.

Does anyone have any ideas/thoughts to contribute to my ideas above, whether pro or con? I welcome any input.

Your conclusions are right on. Reading your post was like rereading my own notes and questions from that time. Although I should be convinced otherwise by now I can not yet rule out the certainty that she did not fall into the creek. It is the most simple and likely scenario. Despite the countless searches there is the possibility that we somehow missed her. Mother Nature and water combine in trecherous deceits. There is a cold case in Wyoming where a young bride was pushed into a winter creek (admitted to by husband) and still not found after searches as extensive as our own. The depth of sorrow in her parents eyes was quite familiar. There is a damn on the creek, near the mouth, that supplies irrigation to the local farms. While the area was searched at the time, it was never drained. If unlimited funds were available I would direct them to a new comprehensive search of the ranch and creek. Anna's brother and I walked the creek for another two years after her disappearance but the area is still rural and has not to my knowledge been searched since.
I have recently come across a reference to an organization called "Necro Search International". Does anyone know anything about it? Possibly they have a website?

 

[itsreenw]

Does anyone have any ideas/thoughts to contribute to my ideas above, whether pro or con? I welcome any input.

HoT, my theory is that GB arranged the abduction. At first I thought he wanted to molest her but JF wiould've seen something to indicate that during his observations.

I believe she probably fit the description of the ideal adoptable child and GB knew he could kill 2 birds w/one stone. Sell Anna, AND have GW's child support order stopped. Fattening his pocket, no doubt.

GB may have convinced GW that Anna would be better off with a particular family, then later told GW that Anna had somehow died with this new family. Upon receiving the letter, GB forbade GW to open it for fear that the letter would indicate something other than the scenario GB had instilled in GW.

His unusual interest in her sets off all kinds of bells for me. He had the audacity to want to change her name to coincide with his numerological mumbo jumbo and was convincing enough to get what he wanted. I wonder what other people were manipulated by him. (I don't buy that reason for the name change, either).

 

[Annasbro]

As far as I remember it here is the accounting of the incident with the car luring Anna towards it: It seemed like the middle of the day. Maybe it was a Sat. or Sunday. We used to like to walk towards the end of the canyon down the road heading east. The house where we lived was about 1.5 miles from the end of the canyon. We were approximately 1/4 mile from our house when a car passed us and pulled infront of us about 25 ft. Saturn the dog barked at the car as a woman wearing a loose fitting white shirt with embroidery on it and long dark hair opened up the back door. She spoke to us from within the car, a 4 door american sedan that was a dark green or gold. Somehow I remember it as a chevy impala late 60s - it was not new. I know cars pretty well. I thought it had the old style washington plate - white with green letters - I can't be sure about that.

When we got the dog settled down she made small talk and addressed Anna primarily - I believe . I answered for her but she continued to address Anna with small talk and questions - do you live here?, where do you go to school?, do you walk down the road often? at that point she asked if she wanted her (us - I can't remember) to ride to the end of the road with her. This creeped me out sufficiently to turn our party around and head back home. The woman closed the door and the car scooted off quickly towards the end of the canyon. I don't remember if and how I relayed the story at the time to my parents.

I didn't think much of it. I knew some creepy people would travel down that road every once in a while. A body was dumped closer to the entry of the canyon earlier that year. I just knew there was no way any of us was going to get into a car with people we didn't know and kind of put it behind me. I wish now I had played closer attention to everything.


As far as the creek - I always thought it was interesting that we found the rooster that had been thrown in earlier that day. It was less than 1/4 mile from where it was tossed in. The black smith had wrung its neck and thrown it in after the little rooster attacked a few people. There was conjecture that Anna went down to creek to see where the rooster was thrown in. There were divers in wet suits that searched the log jambs that were near this area for the next couple of days and they found nothing. Joe and I searched as I said earlier. There were also groups of Boy Scouts that searched along the creek that following week.

Whe I arrived home on the school bus there were aid cars everywhere, people on horseback from the sherrifs dept. , firemen, buses of volunteers and even a helicopter in the air above the farm. It was said at the time to be the biggest search in San Mateo County history. I guess with all of the searching I found it hard to believe she would be passed over. As far as the dam at the end of the creek towards the ocean, maybe it is worth searching but it just seems like a body washed in would never make it that far past all of the log jambs. We found many dead animals even a cow floating in the creek during our search. The distance from the house west to the ocean is about 3 miles. Joe and I got to know it quite well.

 

[HeartofTexas]

Someone mentioned in a previous post that they didn't understand why Anna's name came up in an article re Kiesle (the Priest). Here's the paragraph her name was mentioned in:

In addition, there are several unsolved missing children cases in the Bay Area. They include: Michaela Garecht of Hayward, who was 9 years old when she was kidnapped Nov. 19, 1988, outside a market where she and a friend went to buy sodas; Ilene Misheloff, who was 13 when she vanished on Jan. 30, 1989, while on her way to an ice skating lesson at Dublin's Iceland Arena; Nikki Campbell of Fairfield, who was 4 1/2 years old when she disappeared while walking alone to a friend's house on Dec. 27, 1991; Cynthia Lynn Sumpter, who was 5 when she vanished while playing outside her San Jose home in 1974; and Anna Christian Waters of San Mateo, another 5-year-old, who vanished from her back yard in 1973.

http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/3409447.htm

 

[gardenmom]

The direct link to the blog is: http://annaseek.blogspot.com/

Just trying to help out, because it took me a short while to find it from Blogger's homepage

Anyone know why the link is not working, or is it just me?

 

[docwho3]

Anyone know why the link is not working, or is it just me?

The blog appears to be down temporarily. The link was working for me earlier but now it is down and even going to the website & finding the blog in their site search tool does not work. Hopefully it will be up again before too long.

 

[LinasK]

Here's another odd coincidence I found tonight:


Anna's name also started with an "A" and she was also blonde. Angela was 5 years old at the time of her abduction, as was Anna.

The man arrested for Angela's murder (Angela disappeared in 1983) was Larry Christopher Graham, who was 50 years old in 2002, making him 21 in 1973 when Anna disappeared. Angela lived in Antioch, CA at the time of her murder. On the California map, Antioch does not appear to be a huge distance from San Mateo County.

Has anyone previously done any research on Larry Christopher Graham in connection with Anna's disappearance?

Here's the url for the above information. You need to scroll about half-way down the page to post #4 for the entire story.

http://www.webbsleuths.com/cgi-bin/dcf/dcboard.cgi?az=read_count&om=2081&forum=DCForumID101

I went to the above page for additional info on another creepy guy named Tim Bindner who is/was suspected in the Amber Swartz abduction. However, Bindner was only about 40 in 2002, so he would have only been 11 when Anna disappeared.

HoT, living in the Bay Area, I can tell you that Antioch is probably at least a good 2 hours away from San Mateo county. They are not at all close, I'm wondering the scale of the map you were looking at. Also, from reading the newspapers I recall that Larry Christopher Graham had dated Angela's mother- so he targeted her daughter for revenge/convience. I don't think there's any tie to this case with him...

 

[HeartofTexas]

Thanks, Linas. I was judging more from "as the crow flies" on the distance, which I probably shouldn't have done.

I knew Graham dated Angela's mother but thought the murder was based more on Graham's depravity than on convenience or revenge. Graham had apparently been molesting young girls for a long, long time. His own father was a sexual predator, too.

 

[Joe Ford]

Doogie,
This was posted on bloggers. Can you work your magic again and get her on this site?

Hello, Joe. I have been interested in Anna all my life because I grew up in the S.F. bay area and am only a yesr older. I remember her because I looked so much like her, and even though I was only a kid, my parents routinely discussed news in front off all of us. I was born at Childrens Hospital in San Francisco. I am a 5th generation San Franciscan and my family knows many people who nay be able to help. Was Anna born at Childrens? I can't login to Websleuths for some reason! It is frustrating! My user name is viking but I don't get the instructions for the temp password. It always says "your account may not have been activated yet .." or whatever. Aside from the question about Childrens hospital, with which we have close ties, I have been dying to ask on Websleuths a burning question: The friend who was coming for a visit that claims he met Anna at the door: No matter how great a friend; was HE EVER looked at at all? Please don't be offended but hey, it's a crazy world. He seems to be the LAST person to see her. You may copy and paste this at Websleuths, in fact, I hope you will. Every question, no matter how hard is worth it for dear little Anna. Please tell Anna's mother that I have never stopped wondering or praying. Oh, if you can tell me how to finally get on Websleuths I would greatly appreciate it!
Thanks, Joe, you are a truly dedicated Dad. No matter how you came to be her Dad, you ARE her real Dad!
Sincerely,
Mary Green

9:36 PM

Name:joepoke

 

[mysteriew]

I have recently come across a reference to an organization called "Necro Search International". Does anyone know anything about it? Possibly they have a website?

I have read about them recently in regards to another case. I will see if I can find it.
Here is their website I think.
http://www.necrosearch.org/

I read about them in reference to the Aarone Thompson case. Here is the article written about her search, and it contains info on what they do and a little about how they do it.
http://www.coloradoan.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060129/NEWS01/60129001/1002

 

[Joe Ford]

Mr. Ford, I know you are being bombarded with questions, but I have one more:

In regards to the trash bags with all the papers...what did you find??

were they keeping their trash in the room? Annasmom said GW got rid of a lot of papers before his death, so I am curious as to what he left. They truly were an odd pair. It seems he would've discarded EVERYTHING, especially the letter from you. I wonder if he intentionally left it so Annasmom would know GB didn't allow him to read it.

Although the files were brought to me loose and in disarray in the garbage bags, I suspect that they were kept in good order and that whoever got Water's effects together just dumped them all into the bags for their convenience. Never having seen the inside of their room (except in my mind) I would expect it to have been clean and orderly. It was always my intention to gain access to their room while I surveilling them in order to get at the very same records and files that surfaced later. I even went so far as to apply my attentions to the art of lockpicking. But after a few knee shaking attempts my courage abandoned me.

 

[docwho3]

The link to http://annaseek.blogspot.com/
appears to be working again. I just tried it 3 times in a row and the first time it said I was not authorized to view it with the credentials supplied and the next two times it worked fine.

 

[mysteriew]

Did you catch the info I posted on the previous page re: Necrosearch?

Have you ever considered putting up a billboard for Anna, to try to draw in a tip? Here is a possible resource for that:
http://www.unresolvedhomicides.org/about.html

 

[Joe Ford]

Did you catch the info I posted on the previous page re: Necrosearch?

Have you ever considered putting up a billboard for Anna, to try to draw in a tip? Here is a possible resource for that:
http://www.unresolvedhomicides.org/about.html

Thanx mysteriew. Got the necrosearch lead. I will also check out the other link you have posted. Keep the ideas coming.

 

[itsreenw]

Although the files were brought to me loose and in disarray in the garbage bags, I suspect that they were kept in good order and that whoever got Water's effects together just dumped them all into the bags for their convenience. Never having seen the inside of their room (except in my mind) I would expect it to have been clean and orderly. It was always my intention to gain access to their room while I surveilling them in order to get at the very same records and files that surfaced later. I even went so far as to apply my attentions to the art of lockpicking. But after a few knee shaking attempts my courage abandoned me.

Joe Ford, was there anything at all that was of interest to you in the bags? Do you still have any of it?

 

[Joe Ford]

Joe Ford, was there anything at all that was of interest to you in the bags? Do you still have any of it?

It was all of interest. But I could find nothing out of the "ordinary". The papers had to be returned to the family. I expect that they were destroyed.

 

[mjak]

The relationship of the two George's seems like a very sad tale of two extremly mentally ill men living a live in there own bizzare world. There is however one fact that makes
this explanation for their lifestyle questionable to me. How was GW, a man alledgedly a parnaoid schizophrenic able to function in 3 jobs. Not just any job but as a physician? I ask this because could this discrepency be indicitive of another explanation for thier
bizzare lifestyle? Could this explanation leed to a motive for anna's dissaperance. I know I am just speculating here. However looking at loose ends and thinking outside of the box could be helpful I hope. I find it curiois that Mr. Fords letter was found in a safe deposit box ripped in half and apparently not read.

mjak

 

[HeartofTexas]

Joe, I see you added the name "Waters" to your blog, but I also recommend you add the name "Christian" to her name somewhere also. When I search for info on Anna, I always do two searches... one with her name "Anna Waters" and another with "Anna Christian Waters". If you have her name listed both ways on your blog, you won't be missed in any searches. My suggestion is that you keep it Anna Waters in the title but add Christian to the name right under the date of Februarya 4, 2006.

 

[HeartofTexas]

She spoke to us from within the car, a 4 door american sedan that was a dark green or gold. Somehow I remember it as a chevy impala late 60s - it was not new. I know cars pretty well. I thought it had the old style washington plate - white with green letters - I can't be sure about that.

I somehow overlooked the possible significance of the Washington state license plate on the car. I wonder if these people (in the car) were residents of Washington. If so, that would certainly go along with my thoughts that whoever abducted Anna lived north of California, whether it was Oregon, Washington or Canada.

It seems like it might be worth our time to further direct our efforts towards checking out any possible leads in Washington state.

 

[Kelly]

Kelly I LOVE the idea of the "Tell me who I am" series!!! I think it would be great if Anna was featured!
http://voice4themissing.blogspot.com/2006/01/13106-tell-me-who-i-am.html

Anna's Mom, what do you think?

I have offered here on several occasions to assist the family with awareness for Anna. I would still be very happy to help, but have not yet heard from them. I respect their choice not to utilize these options, and will respectfully, but regretfully, leave them to pursue other avenues to locate Anna. I wish for them to have an answer to the very long and painful road to seek Anna.

With Hope, Always,