Bodies of Mom & Baby Found Naked 200 Yards from Crashed Car

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Any chance the Mother was sleep-walking when she got into the car?
 
http://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/crime/article6727884.html

Kind of supports the post-Partum depression concerns, or at least makes one wonder what kind of rough time she had last summer and if it was really all behind her.

In the original post, Blondie mentioned the troubles, it's bolded below.

Bodies found in field near crashed car identified as artist, 27, and her 1-year-old daughter but police still don't know how the mother and child died

The victims have been identified as 27-year-old Lindsay Groce Gardner and her daughter Hailey Gardner, 13 months

Police believe the mother and child are connected to a crashed car that was found about 200 yards away from their dead bodies

But they don't know if the crash caused their death since they did not seem to be majorly injured - besides a few scratches

The medical examiner's office is still trying to determine a cause of death

In 2013, Gardner wrote a personal blog about living in California with her husband and the difficulties achieving their dreams

In her last post, then-pregnant Gardner asked her readers to pray for her because they were moving to a new town with no job or home lined up


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ce-don-t-know-mother-child.html#ixzz3Oumr87C4


Woman, child found dead in Fort Worth named

http://www.wfaa.com/story/news/loca...found-dead-near-fort-worth-accident/21709833/




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Seems like this mom might have been returning from dropping the husband off at work (article says they work opposite shifts and share a vehicle and a phone).

Maybe she swerved to miss a deer, maybe her baby started crying in the backseat and she was distracted, trying to tend to the baby. If the baby was still in a rear-facing carseat (and I would definitely assume she was), then it's a bit hard to reach back and give pacifiers/toys/bottles.

Once they crashed, she could have been out-of-it, for a bit. Without the cell phone, she was stuck, stranded, and probably very scared. It's dark. What do you do? Wait and hope someone comes? Start walking? You've got your baby with you! I would probably wait and pray someone safe sees my car and rescues me.

I bet she spent a good portion of the night huddled in the car, trying to keep her daughter warm, probably even taking off her own coat to cover the baby in the carseat. Making herself colder, faster, in the process.

As your body temperature drops, you start to get disoriented. I bet, she got to the point where she could tell they weren't going to be okay, just sitting there. Either completely disoriented or still partially rational. Decides to try to walk somewhere for help.

Every movement is slow and difficult, especially with the baby.

As you get closer to death by hypothermia, you start to feel HOT. Burning hot, from everything I've read; many times, people are found nude or partially nude, in the process of freezing-to-death. Instinct tells us to "burrow" or curl up or do anything we can to be warm. She was probably found curled up, on top of her baby, trying hard to still keep her warm.

Sad. Heart-breakingly sad.

But, I don't know. The fact that LE isn't saying much makes me wonder if there could be much more to this.
 
Seems like this mom might have been returning from dropping the husband off at work (article says they work opposite shifts and share a vehicle and a phone).

Maybe she swerved to miss a deer, maybe her baby started crying in the backseat and she was distracted, trying to tend to the baby. If the baby was still in a rear-facing carseat (and I would definitely assume she was), then it's a bit hard to reach back and give pacifiers/toys/bottles.

Once they crashed, she could have been out-of-it, for a bit. Without the cell phone, she was stuck, stranded, and probably very scared. It's dark. What do you do? Wait and hope someone comes? Start walking? You've got your baby with you! I would probably wait and pray someone safe sees my car and rescues me.

I bet she spent a good portion of the night huddled in the car, trying to keep her daughter warm, probably even taking off her own coat to cover the baby in the carseat. Making herself colder, faster, in the process.

As your body temperature drops, you start to get disoriented. I bet, she got to the point where she could tell they weren't going to be okay, just sitting there. Either completely disoriented or still partially rational. Decides to try to walk somewhere for help.

Every movement is slow and difficult, especially with the baby.

As you get closer to death by hypothermia, you start to feel HOT. Burning hot, from everything I've read; many times, people are found nude or partially nude, in the process of freezing-to-death. Instinct tells us to "burrow" or curl up or do anything we can to be warm. She was probably found curled up, on top of her baby, trying hard to still keep her warm.

Sad. Heart-breakingly sad.

But, I don't know. The fact that LE isn't saying much makes me wonder if there could be much more to this.

I believe this is exactly what happened.
 
Seems like this mom might have been returning from dropping the husband off at work (article says they work opposite shifts and share a vehicle and a phone).

Maybe she swerved to miss a deer, maybe her baby started crying in the backseat and she was distracted, trying to tend to the baby. If the baby was still in a rear-facing carseat (and I would definitely assume she was), then it's a bit hard to reach back and give pacifiers/toys/bottles.

Once they crashed, she could have been out-of-it, for a bit. Without the cell phone, she was stuck, stranded, and probably very scared. It's dark. What do you do? Wait and hope someone comes? Start walking? You've got your baby with you! I would probably wait and pray someone safe sees my car and rescues me.

I bet she spent a good portion of the night huddled in the car, trying to keep her daughter warm, probably even taking off her own coat to cover the baby in the carseat. Making herself colder, faster, in the process.

As your body temperature drops, you start to get disoriented. I bet, she got to the point where she could tell they weren't going to be okay, just sitting there. Either completely disoriented or still partially rational. Decides to try to walk somewhere for help.

Every movement is slow and difficult, especially with the baby.

As you get closer to death by hypothermia, you start to feel HOT. Burning hot, from everything I've read; many times, people are found nude or partially nude, in the process of freezing-to-death. Instinct tells us to "burrow" or curl up or do anything we can to be warm. She was probably found curled up, on top of her baby, trying hard to still keep her warm.

Sad. Heart-breakingly sad.

But, I don't know. The fact that LE isn't saying much makes me wonder if there could be much more to this.

Sadly, I think you've got it right.
 
"Homicide Sgt. Joe Loughman said Thursday that there were no indications of foul play on the bodies and that autopsies did not reveal a possible cause of death for either mother or child.

The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office is now awaiting results of toxicology tests, which could take several weeks."

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/crime/article6727884.html

It is always surprising to me when an autopsy does not show the cause of death. This rules out any head injury or the issues discussed above. Of course mental issues cannot be detected. While waiting on the tox reports, the friends mentioned in this article may have the key as they know what the hard time this summer was about. Her family must not have been aware of her problems or at least they have not spoken out.

When I mentioned head injury I was not implying it was the cause of death.
I was suggesting it may explain why she would leave the car.
Disorientation from a head injury or intoxication have been the reasons this scenario has played out before. :twocents:
 
The crazy part is I always assumed it had to be REALLY, REALLY cold, for someone to die. Like, tons of snow-on-the-ground, blizzard, falling into ice water during the winter. Not like a 36-degree night.

I tried to check to see how cold it was on the night she would have been out there and what I found said between 32-36 degrees. Anyone read anything different?
 
The news article also stated that she would sometimes be late to work waiting for her husband to take her. This was from someone at the daycare/nursery where she worked. The daycare/nursery person said it with understanding as I read it, not with anger.

So, this night had she taken hubby to work, then in the morning she would get herself ready for work, get the baby ready, then go pick hubby up, then they drive her to work? This seems like a lot of extra work. Night shifts are normally 11:00 PM to 7:00 AM. or 12:00 midnight to 8:00 am. Again, for her to drive hubby to work so late, it would mean keeping the baby up and getting baby off schedule. From the descriptions of the caring mother she was, I would think she stuck to a schedule for baby IMO.

Now another thought is she went some place earlier in the evening, after dinner and before baby's bedtime, had the wreck and did not make it home. Hmmmm. . . Did hubby make it to work that night by another means? Interesting question? He didn't report her missing.
 
In the original post, Blondie mentioned the troubles, it's bolded below.


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Oh, well yeah, sort of. But that blog post was 2013, I assumed "last summer" meant just this past one, June-July-August 2014. But I could be wrong.

I don't think she joined the group that claimed to be worried about her until after the baby was born. (The one that I quoted the leader)

I'm not contradicting, I'm saying that I interpreted the blog, and the quote from the leader of the "DFW Crunchy moms" group as referring to two distinctly different time periods.

1. I could be entirely wrong and the CM leader could have meant 2013 when she said last summer

2. It could be that there were two different issues, one the stress of moving in 2013, and the other, known only to the Crunchy Mom group but more recent.

Or

3. A single issue that began in 2013 and was continuing to be a problem and struggle for her well into summer of 2014.

Anyway, I didn't overlook the original bold, they just didn't seem identical to my eyes. :smile:
 
Seems like this mom might have been returning from dropping the husband off at work (article says they work opposite shifts and share a vehicle and a phone).

Maybe she swerved to miss a deer, maybe her baby started crying in the backseat and she was distracted, trying to tend to the baby. If the baby was still in a rear-facing carseat (and I would definitely assume she was), then it's a bit hard to reach back and give pacifiers/toys/bottles.

Once they crashed, she could have been out-of-it, for a bit. Without the cell phone, she was stuck, stranded, and probably very scared. It's dark. What do you do? Wait and hope someone comes? Start walking? You've got your baby with you! I would probably wait and pray someone safe sees my car and rescues me.

I bet she spent a good portion of the night huddled in the car, trying to keep her daughter warm, probably even taking off her own coat to cover the baby in the carseat. Making herself colder, faster, in the process.

As your body temperature drops, you start to get disoriented. I bet, she got to the point where she could tell they weren't going to be okay, just sitting there. Either completely disoriented or still partially rational. Decides to try to walk somewhere for help.

Every movement is slow and difficult, especially with the baby.

As you get closer to death by hypothermia, you start to feel HOT. Burning hot, from everything I've read; many times, people are found nude or partially nude, in the process of freezing-to-death. Instinct tells us to "burrow" or curl up or do anything we can to be warm. She was probably found curled up, on top of her baby, trying hard to still keep her warm.

Sad. Heart-breakingly sad.

But, I don't know. The fact that LE isn't saying much makes me wonder if there could be much more to this.

BOLD by Me

I haven't looked at the satellite or map. I'm not sure how far from civilization she was, but I would honk my horn. I remember when I was a preteen and my friend and I would go out on her grandpa's many acre ranch driving his pick-up. (Perfectly legal on private property) we'd get stuck in the mud, :blushing: then roll a couple of grapevine cigarettes :giggle: and sit there and smoke them honking the horn in random patterns until he came to pull us out :ohoh: anyway, might have worked depending on who was in earshot. But… as previously stated she may have been disoriented.

Also, I learned a long time ago, you should keep simple utility candles in your car in the winter. The heat from the flame of a single candle will generate enough warmth in an enclosed vehicle to keep you from freezing to death (hypothermia) and those candles will burn for hours. (Of course you need a way to light them! If you like smoking grapevine cigarettes you're all prepared :wink: )
 
If she dropped him off at work then had the wreck, how did he get home from work the next morning? Didnt he wonder what happened to her and the baby when they didn't pick him up the next morning?
 
BOLD by Me

I haven't looked at the satellite or map. I'm not sure how far from civilization she was, but I would honk my horn. I remember when I was a preteen and my friend and I would go out on her grandpa's many acre ranch driving his pick-up. (Perfectly legal on private property) we'd get stuck in the mud, :blushing: then roll a couple of grapevine cigarettes :giggle: and sit there and smoke them honking the horn in random patterns until he came to pull us out :ohoh: anyway, might have worked depending on who was in earshot. But… as previously stated she may have been disoriented.

Also, I learned a long time ago, you should keep simple utility candles in your car in the winter. The heat from the flame of a single candle will generate enough warmth in an enclosed vehicle to keep you from freezing to death (hypothermia) and those candles will burn for hours. (Of course you need a way to light them! If you like smoking grapevine cigarettes you're all prepared :wink: )

Thanks for sharing that useful information:)
 
Seems like this mom might have been returning from dropping the husband off at work (article says they work opposite shifts and share a vehicle and a phone).

Maybe she swerved to miss a deer, maybe her baby started crying in the backseat and she was distracted, trying to tend to the baby. If the baby was still in a rear-facing carseat (and I would definitely assume she was), then it's a bit hard to reach back and give pacifiers/toys/bottles.

Once they crashed, she could have been out-of-it, for a bit. Without the cell phone, she was stuck, stranded, and probably very scared. It's dark. What do you do? Wait and hope someone comes? Start walking? You've got your baby with you! I would probably wait and pray someone safe sees my car and rescues me.

I bet she spent a good portion of the night huddled in the car, trying to keep her daughter warm, probably even taking off her own coat to cover the baby in the carseat. Making herself colder, faster, in the process.

As your body temperature drops, you start to get disoriented. I bet, she got to the point where she could tell they weren't going to be okay, just sitting there. Either completely disoriented or still partially rational. Decides to try to walk somewhere for help.

Every movement is slow and difficult, especially with the baby.

As you get closer to death by hypothermia, you start to feel HOT. Burning hot, from everything I've read; many times, people are found nude or partially nude, in the process of freezing-to-death. Instinct tells us to "burrow" or curl up or do anything we can to be warm. She was probably found curled up, on top of her baby, trying hard to still keep her warm.

Sad. Heart-breakingly sad.

But, I don't know. The fact that LE isn't saying much makes me wonder if there could be much more to this.

This is exactly what I feel happened as well. I hate to type this but I thought baby might have suffocated :( however the coroner would have stated that as cause of death. Baby must have died of hypothermia also :(
 
Ok, this case freaks me out because it sounds somewhat like one that happened recently in New Orleans. A mother and child were found many days after an accident, not far from where the accident happened.http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2014/10/motorist_recalls_crash_police.html

It is just so odd to have happen twice so recently. Obviously no connection between the two, just so strange.
 
Was there any estimate on how long the tox screen would take?

Thanks SwampMama for the link to the I-10 accident. It is indeed similar and weird. Sad and mysterious. I read the article at least three times and I could barely make heads or tails of it.
 
It is quite a mystery of why she was in that area. She was headed to her parents but not going in that direction. I was just thinking about this case yesterday. I really hope they find out some answers.
 

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