GUILTY Australia - Jill Meagher, 29, Melbourne, 22 Sep 2012 #1

[Makara]

According to one newspaper report (The Sun in UK), she text him earlier suggesting he joined her at the pub. He said he was asleep and didn't notice the text till later, around 1.00am So, perhaps she thought there was no point phoning him, as she probably guessed he'd slept through the text.

<snipped>

Thanks for that YidArmyRach. I only read the article about the text message after I sent my last post. I personally don't think that Jill's husband is involved in her disappearance at all. There may be others that will come to light in the days and weeks ahead and at this stage I feel the police really have their work cut out for them.

MOO.

 

[Thinking]

She walked because it was 5 minutes away. She had been drinking and her thinking may have been distorted. Honestly, I have done this many times. You think this won't happen to you especially in a area you have travelled numerous times and feel comfortable in. I'm shocked that people think her walking home at that time of night is weird. It's very common, very.

I couldn't agree more. I shudder to think of the number of times I did this type of thing in my '20s when single, and also when Jill's age married but pre-kids. If she has lived there for some time and walked that route many nights, the danger probably didn't occur to her (especially after a few drinks, again something I did umpteen times, shudder).

 

[Bayside]

The handbag doesnt look very small to me, I think it would have been seen earlier and its a bit suss that its found now.

 

[Amee]

The site where the handbag was found is slightly off the normal route Jill would take, however Hope St is a street she may have used in getting home," Insp Potter said.

A woman who lives in one of two units in the alley where the handbag was found said it was unusual anyone would be in the area.
The mum lives above one of two empty shops on Hope St and said only locals would know how to find the alley.
"It's a blind spot, you'd have to know it to find it," Sally said.

"It's such a creepy spot, it's unusual that anyone would come down here for any reason, you don't just walk down here."

Sally said the lane was so secluded it didn't even attract drunk revelers from bars on Sydney Rd.

"I usually feel really safe here because it is so quiet."
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/items...tes-in-brunswick/story-e6frea6u-1226479708333

 

[ozazure]

Been catching up on this thread and wanted to just add my thoughts:

A "purse" in the UK and Ireland is a female version of a wallet, not a handbag.
Not sure if that's the same in Australia? But the hubby is Irish, so he could very well have been completely correct when he said she left her purse at home and only took out her bank card.

My purse is full of cards such as credit cards, driving license, store discount cards etc....if I lost my purse on a night out, that'd be a LOT of phonecalls to make to get them all cancelled/replaced. So sometimes I just take my bankcard out in my pocket/bag and get out my cash with it.

I had a question too if anyone knows the answer - do we know who it was who said that Jill was having a "midlife crisis"? It sounds like that person is trying to insinuate that she maybe did a runner away from her current life....just a thought. If this person said this, why do they want the police to go down that avenue of thought? Are they hiding something? (may be nothing, just a thought that popped into my head)

yes we use purse the same way, it's the item that holds your cards and cash, not a bag.

 

[marlywings]

Been catching up on this thread and wanted to just add my thoughts:

A "purse" in the UK and Ireland is a female version of a wallet, not a handbag.
Not sure if that's the same in Australia? But the hubby is Irish, so he could very well have been completely correct when he said she left her purse at home and only took out her bank card.

My purse is full of cards such as credit cards, driving license, store discount cards etc....if I lost my purse on a night out, that'd be a LOT of phonecalls to make to get them all cancelled/replaced. So sometimes I just take my bankcard out in my pocket/bag and get out my cash with it.

I had a question too if anyone knows the answer - do we know who it was who said that Jill was having a "midlife crisis"? It sounds like that person is trying to insinuate that she maybe did a runner away from her current life....just a thought. If this person said this, why do they want the police to go down that avenue of thought? Are they hiding something? (may be nothing, just a thought that popped into my head)

Another ABC colleague, Tom Wright, told the Herald Sun he was the last person to see Ms Meagher.

Mr Wright offered to walk her home, but she declined

Mr Wright said Ms Meagher had expressed some anxiety about her job, but otherwise seemed upbeat.

"She said to me she was having some sort of mid-life crisis - she didn't really expand on it," he said.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/tr...tes-in-brunswick/story-fnat7jnn-1226479708333

 

[TootsieFootsie]

Yes same here. Good thinking.
So she only took her bag which has been found and her credit card and anything else that was in the bag, but not the purse/wallet that had her license etc

Re the midlife crisis it was reported to have been said by the male workmate that offered to walk her home.

Been catching up on this thread and wanted to just add my thoughts:

A "purse" in the UK and Ireland is a female version of a wallet, not a handbag.
Not sure if that's the same in Australia? But the hubby is Irish, so he could very well have been completely correct when he said she left her purse at home and only took out her bank card.

My purse is full of cards such as credit cards, driving license, store discount cards etc....if I lost my purse on a night out, that'd be a LOT of phonecalls to make to get them all cancelled/replaced. So sometimes I just take my bankcard out in my pocket/bag and get out my cash with it.

I had a question too if anyone knows the answer - do we know who it was who said that Jill was having a "midlife crisis"? It sounds like that person is trying to insinuate that she maybe did a runner away from her current life....just a thought. If this person said this, why do they want the police to go down that avenue of thought? Are they hiding something? (may be nothing, just a thought that popped into my head)

 

[Timmy]

:what:

Been catching up on this thread and wanted to just add my thoughts:

A "purse" in the UK and Ireland is a female version of a wallet, not a handbag.
Not sure if that's the same in Australia? But the hubby is Irish, so he could very well have been completely correct when he said she left her purse at home and only took out her bank card.

My purse is full of cards such as credit cards, driving license, store discount cards etc....if I lost my purse on a night out, that'd be a LOT of phonecalls to make to get them all cancelled/replaced. So sometimes I just take my bankcard out in my pocket/bag and get out my cash with it.

I had a question too if anyone knows the answer - do we know who it was who said that Jill was having a "midlife crisis"? It sounds like that person is trying to insinuate that she maybe did a runner away from her current life....just a thought. If this person said this, why do they want the police to go down that avenue of thought? Are they hiding something? (may be nothing, just a thought that popped into my head)

It was Mr Wright who said that she had expressed some anxiety about her job and mentioned she might have been having a 'mid life crisis'. IMO

 

[Makara]

Been catching up on this thread and wanted to just add my thoughts:

A "purse" in the UK and Ireland is a female version of a wallet, not a handbag.
Not sure if that's the same in Australia? But the hubby is Irish, so he could very well have been completely correct when he said she left her purse at home and only took out her bank card.

My purse is full of cards such as credit cards, driving license, store discount cards etc....if I lost my purse on a night out, that'd be a LOT of phonecalls to make to get them all cancelled/replaced. So sometimes I just take my bankcard out in my pocket/bag and get out my cash with it.

I had a question too if anyone knows the answer - do we know who it was who said that Jill was having a "midlife crisis"? It sounds like that person is trying to insinuate that she maybe did a runner away from her current life....just a thought. If this person said this, why do they want the police to go down that avenue of thought? Are they hiding something? (may be nothing, just a thought that popped into my head)

Yes it is the same in Australia. A purse is what I carry my small change in along with credit cards etc. and then I put my purse in my handbag which holds of all kinds of stuff.

According to MSM it was Tim Wright, a friend of Jill's who said that Jill told him she was having a midlife crisis. He is also a friend on Jill's Facebook page. IMO there is just something a little bit hinky about that statement, especially considering that by all accounts Jill was in good spirits at the time. When I watched the video of Tom Meagher being asked about the mention of a midlife crisis, I could see that he was dumbfounded.

MOO.

 

[MoonFlwr]

Been catching up on this thread and wanted to just add my thoughts:

A "purse" in the UK and Ireland is a female version of a wallet, not a handbag.
Not sure if that's the same in Australia? But the hubby is Irish, so he could very well have been completely correct when he said she left her purse at home and only took out her bank card.

My purse is full of cards such as credit cards, driving license, store discount cards etc....if I lost my purse on a night out, that'd be a LOT of phonecalls to make to get them all cancelled/replaced. So sometimes I just take my bankcard out in my pocket/bag and get out my cash with it.

I had a question too if anyone knows the answer - do we know who it was who said that Jill was having a "midlife crisis"? It sounds like that person is trying to insinuate that she maybe did a runner away from her current life....just a thought. If this person said this, why do they want the police to go down that avenue of thought? Are they hiding something? (may be nothing, just a thought that popped into my head)

She said that to Tom Wright - a colleague of hers.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/tr...tes-in-brunswick/story-fnat7jnn-1226479708333

 

[Liadan]

She walked because it was 5 minutes away. She had been drinking and her thinking may have been distorted. Honestly, I have done this many times. You think this won't happen to you especially in a area you have travelled numerous times and feel comfortable in. I'm shocked that people think her walking home at that time of night is weird. It's very common, very.

Aussie Girl - I am hoping that this incident is enough to change your mind. You have always have the choice take the risk or be completely safe. And while its not guaranteed you will get hurt if you take the riskier option -you can get lucky and miss out - what sense is there in taking the risk when you could lose everything?

 

[Timmy]

First, I have to say that I don't live in Melbourne, and don't know the area.

But I've just been looking at the Google maps and satellite views of the area.

Couple of points:

1. It looks a fair distance from the Etiquette Bar to where she lives on Lux Way

2. The area behind the shopfronts and facades looks to be fairly industrial - not the sort of place I'd expect an attractive woman to be out walking alone

3. As for taking short cuts through laneways and alleys - I can't see any that jump out at me on the map or satellite view, PLUS to get from Sydney Rd to where she lives she would have to cross the railway line. There looks to be a crossing on Hope St, but not by cutting through between buildings before that.
4. Although I don't know the area, it does appear that the main drag along Sydney St may well be brightly lit and busy, but once you turn off onto Hope St, my impression is that it changes to much more "industrial". I should stress that is only my impression from looking at the satellite view on Google Maps.

<modsnip>

I agree Doc. I was surprised with how far it looks on the map. I know a lot of women<modsnip> who would not feel comfortable walking that distance in that area at that time of night.

 

[Makara]

Well Aussie Girl I hope this is enough of a reason for you to stop that behaviour! Some of us can be lucky and some of us can make sure that we are lucky and I am hoping that you will make sure you are lucky having seen what can happen. I was lucky to have girlfriends who would stay over at my place just so I wouldn't walk across my uni campus alone. I am grateful to this day that they cared enough to do this for me. So I hope you will value yourself - because you don't need to invite danger into your life - its already lurking when you least expect it.

Well said Liadan.

 

[Thinking]

The handbag doesnt look very small to me, I think it would have been seen earlier and its a bit suss that its found now.

Completely agree.

 

[Blue Bottle]

1. the colleague leaving her to walk home

I don't see a problem there... Noone has a right to force themselves on any person to accept any help if they don't want it. She might have been quite adamant that she didn't want an escort home.

4. the husband saying she only had her bankcard and phone with her and yet her handbag has been found.

That doesn't mean she didn't lose the contents. I remember reading she took no identification and I find that quite normal depending on the circumstances. If I'm going out drinking at the local I will leave all my ID at home knowing that if I lose it when tipsy it will be a pain as well as knowing that identity theft is rife. Though these days I do have a slip of paper in my purse with my name and my home phone number as well as the local taxi number.

All I take is my bankcard, mobile phone, tissues, only enough cash to do me the night and have it all in my handbag for ease of carrying it all. I also leave all my keys at home and only have one single key to get in the house.

6. the time he reported her missing was lunchtime, why did he wait until then?

It's very difficult to know when the right time to ring and report someone missing is. When is the right time? Ring too early and the cops will ignore you and tell you to wait especially that she is an adult and not a child and was out drinking with workmates. Added to that, she was in the habit of going drinking with her workmates and arriving home late.

The worse one I did to my (adult) kids was go out one afternoon and tell them I'll definately be home by 6pm... Was having a wow of a time and at 5am got a frightened phone call from my son asking me if I was okay. On the other hand, he went away camping one long weekend with a friend and forgot to tell me (he thought he had told me) and I never called the cops and eventually a few days later he turned up back home.


It doesn't matter what anyone does in a situation like this where it has gone bad, they will never be right and will be judged harshly for any action they either do or don't take.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

Yes he was completely dumbfounded, no doubt about that.
Looked like it was news to him.

Yes it is the same in Australia. A purse is what I carry my small change in along with credit cards etc. and then I put my purse in my handbag which holds of all kinds of stuff.

According to MSM it was Tim Wright, a friend of Jill's who said that Jill told him she was having a midlife crisis. He is also a friend on Jill's Facebook page. IMO there is just something a little bit hinky about that statement, especially considering that by all accounts Jill was in good spirits at the time. When I watched the video of Tom Meagher being asked about the mention of a midlife crisis, I could see that he was dumbfounded.

MOO.

 

[LadyD'enah]

Below is a screencap of the handbag beside the car. IMO this is how it was found because the police are still in the process of photographing it.

View attachment 26875

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/8537433/abc-radio-employee-missing-in-melbourne

Ok here's something I find puzzling - although to be fair I could be completely reading into the situation wrongly, or the media could be reporting incorrect facts.

If you look at the screencap, we can see the handbag is located right outside the drivers door.

I have seen a few articles which mention that the white car was last moved by it's owner on the Saturday - http://www.news.com.au/national/ite...tes-in-brunswick/story-fndo4eg9-1226479708333

So unless the car was moved in the small window of time between 12am and 1.45am (whichever time Jill was in the alleyway, if at all), what would be the chances the driver not seeing the handbag when they were moving the car?

Perhaps I'm reading too much into this. I suppose unless we are looking specifically for something, it can be easy to miss what is right under our nose.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

Re the bag not being found earlier.
Maybe it was found, but by people who looked through it to find valuables and either took the phone, credit card etc and discarded the bag, or found that someone had got to it first and just left it there.
Or it could have been found by someone who left it there just in case the owner might come back for it.

The reports said her identification was found in the bag but I didn't hear exactly what form it was in, ie her drivers license or what.

Can they get fingerprints off a bag ?

Also reports have said the bag contained items "some of which belonged to her"

Could be because the husband wasn't too sure what some of her cosmetics were or what her comb looked like.

 

[Sleuthilicious]

Yes it is the same in Australia. A purse is what I carry my small change in along with credit cards etc. and then I put my purse in my handbag which holds of all kinds of stuff.

According to MSM it was Tim Wright, a friend of Jill's who said that Jill told him she was having a midlife crisis. He is also a friend on Jill's Facebook page. IMO there is just something a little bit hinky about that statement, especially considering that by all accounts Jill was in good spirits at the time. When I watched the video of Tom Meagher being asked about the mention of a midlife crisis, I could see that he was dumbfounded.

MOO.

I wonder if by 'midlife crisis' he meant a career crisis as I believe that was mentioned in MSN (I'm shocking with links though).

IMO

 

[TootsieFootsie]

From the way I read it, my first thought was it was something to do with work.