Found Deceased CA - Blaze Bernstein, 19, Lake Forest, 2 Jan 2018 #4

[crhedBngr]

When it comes to Blaze leaving all his stuff at home, one scenario comes to my mind...

**JUST AN EXAMPLE!!**

...Blah-blah-blah-Blah...
FRIEND: Hey Blaze, come take a ride with me & we'll catch up..

BLAZE: Where to?

FRIEND: No where dude, just riding around in my car so we can catch up, it'll only take a couple minutes and I'll drop you back..

BLAZE: Cool, pick me up at XYZ o'clock or pick me up in 15 minutes..

FRIEND & BLAZE in car, without Blaze thinking to bring his stuff..(since they we just going to take a ride around the neighborhood, and he doesn't expect to even get out of the car except back at his house, etc..)

Before anyone says the above scenario couldn't happen..*laughs* My friends and I did this type of stuff all the time when we were young..(pop by someone's house and they jump in and ride around for a few minutes & you drop them back), and while you might grab your keys (because there might be no one home or up to open the door), if you knew your door was unlocked (or usually was), and/or that your mum or dad were going to be home...likely you wouldn't take your keys either..you'll only be gone for 10-15 min? Right..*winks*...

All of the above are just my own thoughts, views, opinions, theories, and Big Fish Stories, etc...Unless a URL/website is listed or a source is referred to herein or elsewhere...


The TRUTH WILL OUT!, and There will be a Reckoning, in this Life or the Next!

Yep, I can see this scenario playing out. We did the same thing as kids as well--running over to each other's houses to share stuff going on in our lives.

 

[PrairieWind]

Couldn't blood evidence be from scrapings from under Blaze's fingernails? I'm thinking of strangulation and struggle to pull assailant's hands away from neck and scratching assailant's hands and getting blood under nails.ETA: Sorry if this has been covered I just got here today.

I'd say that is very possible. If Blaze was strangled, he could very well have fought his attacker and scratched him, retaining skin and blood under his fingernails. DNA identification of such evidence would be pretty damning. Is that where the driver got the scratches on his arms? We didn't get a very good description of the scratches the police saw on driver's arms.

 

[Marie A]

The red flags for me re- driver/friend are
1) imaginary girlfriend he wouldn’t confirm - HE LIES, wants to appear straight
2) fight club reference - may be true but IF SO reveals the immature and violent nature of this perp. If untrue reveals his angry nature and intensity. Lack of sweetness & discretion by simply bringing up this term

The things that aren’t that odd at all
1) nervousness- he’s a talented artist in some way to attend the regional high school and sometimes artistic or high iq individuals are very introverted/ very socially awkward and nervous. Could WRONGFULLY appear guilty because of their very nature.
2) not touching doors - I’m not touching them either FLU is rampant in most states & I NEVER touch dirty bathroom doors when I exit. I always have a piece of paper in my hand after washing my hands before exiting a public restroom

It was a hook up and very likely not the first for these two friends.
It went bad. Driver/friend raged- no anger management or was covering an unfortunate accident. I lean toward rage due to “fight club” reference. Premeditation wouldn’t arrange murder in a small well-used family park.

I DO NOT BELIEVE THIS WAS A HATE CRIME
conservative DOES NOT equal extremist
liberal DOES NOT equal extremist
If I’m wrong and the driver/friend turns out to be an extremist, please refer to him as “extremist” rather than conservative or liberal.
That’s offensive.
Many of us may vote one way politically but vary greatly from our party line on social issues.
I think we can universally agree no matter where we all fall politically that we are commonly united in our grief for this lovely family and commonly heartbroken in mourning the loss of this kind, talented and sweet young shining star Blaze Bernstein.

 

[T_mar]

Slightly OT but relevant:
It is kind of frightening, in a "Black Mirror" or "The Circle" kind of way, to watch this case play out across all of the different resources available to a sleuther. And at times like this I'm grateful for the relative sanity and restraint on Websleuths.
One MSM story in particular was really alarming as it reported on people following internet clues to turn up in the street address of a person identified in a forum as being the driver. WTF? Why would anybody do this? Even if they were just having a look-see, I think it is not hard to see how quickly this could turn into a mob-mentality, lynch squad.

I saw that last night. It was on the news. They interviewed the girl and her friend and she talked about getting clues on the internet to find it what happened. They were parked outside the house. Awful. Let me find the link

 

[eucalyptuz]

Yeah, I totally know what you mean, and get you on the mob mentality thing.

But the girl in the story said she was a childhood friend of Blaze, so I can understand why she would be compelled to go that far. I'm not sure I wouldn't act the same way in her place. As I'm sure the people on this site know, these things can take quite a mental toll on the family and even friends of the victim.

I totally understand the old school friend's interest in the case, but I don't understand how she feels going and parking at the street address helps anyone...certainly not LE. If anything it could hinder police operations and I think a "criminology student" should think through this kind of response.
As an aside: It's curious to wonder how the reporter met these gumshoes? She was also probably "just turning up at the house" by following internet clues...And as the footage shows the actual street, I would say by the amount of foot traffic and passing cars that many people have had the same idea...which I find kind of terrifying.

 

[DizzyB]

I believe you are right about rental tracking, I think it's just used if it's not returned. We do not know how long he had the rental. We only know he was driving that when the cops talked to him. They haven't specified if he was also driving it when Blaze went missing.

Here is Enterprise's policy (not saying that the rental car was from Enterprise, just showing a sample of policy
https://www.enterprise.com/en/privacy-policy.html#YourInfoShared

I think rental cars collect a ton more data than you think. LE is mentioned specifically in this policy; they will share data with LE related to a crime.

 

[T_mar]

Slightly OT but relevant:
It is kind of frightening, in a "Black Mirror" or "The Circle" kind of way, to watch this case play out across all of the different resources available to a sleuther. And at times like this I'm grateful for the relative sanity and restraint on Websleuths.
One MSM story in particular was really alarming as it reported on people following internet clues to turn up in the street address of a person identified in a forum as being the driver. WTF? Why would anybody do this? Even if they were just having a look-see, I think it is not hard to see how quickly this could turn into a mob-mentality, lynch squad.

http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2018...bernstein-has-been-interviewed-several-times/

 

[T_mar]

I totally understand the old school friend's interest in the case, but I don't understand how she feels going and parking at the street address helps anyone...certainly not LE. If anything it could hinder police operations and I think a "criminology student" should think through this kind of response.
As an aside: It's curious to wonder how the reporter met these gumshoes? She was also probably "just turning up at the house" by following internet clues...And as the footage shows the actual street, I would say by the amount of foot traffic and passing cars that many people have had the same idea...which I find kind of terrifying.

i can understand too. I mean I didn’t even know him and I want to find out the answers. But I just think, IMO, is not right to go on the news about it.

 

[stlrfninca]

I totally understand the old school friend's interest in the case, but I don't understand how she feels going and parking at the street address helps anyone...certainly not LE. If anything it could hinder police operations and I think a "criminology student" should think through this kind of response.
As an aside: It's curious to wonder how the reporter met these gumshoes? She was also probably "just turning up at the house" by following internet clues...And as the footage shows the actual street, I would say by the amount of foot traffic and passing cars that many people have had the same idea...which I find kind of terrifying.

People grieve in different ways, but I think the #1 reaction is to want answers, especially for what seems to be such a senseless killing. Just look at all of us here that this crime has captivated.

I think it's really hard to say what you would do if you haven't been in this girl's shoes, so I'm willing to give her the benefit of the doubt, provided she doesn't interfere or cause problems for the investigation.

 

[PrairieWind]

Marie, good post.

I have similar thoughts on the red flags and the things I find not suspicious. The stupid stories about fight club and the gf are big flags. Not so much concerned about the nervousness. He is a kid, he is going to be nervous, his friend has disappeared, he was there, he is talking to police. Nervousness could be just from that. The not touching doors, in and of itself is not a red flag. I know some people like that and I see some people occasionally in big stores or grocery stores that literally wont touch anything. He could be OCD or germaphobe type. BUT when you combine it with the dirt under his fingernails.......I get a little suspicious.

 

[eucalyptuz]

People grieve in different ways, but I think the #1 reaction is to want answers, especially for what seems to be such a senseless killing. Just look at all of us here that this crime has captivated.

I think it's really hard to say what you would do if you haven't been in this girl's shoes, so I'm willing to give her the benefit of the doubt, provided she doesn't interfere or cause problems for the investigation.

What worries me is that if people follow this kind of whim for "boots on the ground" sleuthing in active, fresh homicide cases their actions could force all kinds of responses from a POI (who has not even been identified as a POI) and from his family/neighbors.

 

[4SAM]

I think you have to be 18 to rent a car too

 

[Marie A]

http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2018...bernstein-has-been-interviewed-several-times/

THANK YOU for this link

OMG -JOURNALISM IS DEAD as many of you have been saying
Shame on CBS for this RIDICULOUS last line of the article

He added, “I hope they find the person who did it and he’s held acceptable for what he’s done.”

Acceptable my *advertiser censored**

 

[Seajay]

I'm a full grown adult who hasn't had so much as a speeding ticket, but if the police wanted to talk to me with a side eye about something, I'd be as nervous as hell.

And the very thought of having to get up on a witness stand for a trail makes me physically ill.

I can't imagine being a kid, being involved and the central figure in a homicide. (See my tag line under my name, that's what I'd be doing,)

 

[PaperDoll]

What has me puzzled is how the body was found :thinking: That park isn't very big, not a lot shrubs etc to real conceal a dead body. Why would the rain cause the body to be found? He was missing for a few days, people looked in that park didn't they? I don't understand how his body was found due to the rain???? If his body was buried then I can see the rain washing it up. I also can't believe someone would kill him elsewhere, drag his body to the location he was found in. I'M BAFFLED!!!

 

[msphilosopher]

Leaving the wallet behind speaks volume to me because if you're truly going to "catch up" with a friend... usually that means that things are up in the air. Grabbing soda or fast food somewhere or whatever.

I'm not ruling out the possibility of this being an ex lover. Someone who still wanted closure or "to talk" while he was back on break. Blaze could have easily stepped out of the house "to talk" or "to see him" if he thought he was being helpful. They start taking about their history or closure or whatever and the conversation is now going on longer than expected out side of Blaze's house so the friend says "jump in, lets continue this with some privacy" or "let's go to he park" or "let's go to our spot".

It's very easy to get back involved with people from your past / high school during breaks back home from freshman and sophomore years of colleague. Especially now with SM.

I've been thinking about all these circumstances with Blaze and now some of my own memories are coming back to me.

I split up with a HS guy I was "kind of" dating because of college. I remember going back to "our spot" BOTH my freshman and sophomore years back home on break from college. And guess where "our spot" was... a picnic table / bench at a densely wooded park less than 5 min away from his house. We would reminisce, talk about "what ifs", talk about the college transition, our new friends, etc. Sometimes it brought back feelings. Come to think of it, there were several times when he would try to hook up and force himself on me even after shutting down his passes. But he would always say something to make me laugh or lighten the mood like "can't blame a guy for trying" or "you were always such a tease", etc.

Wow, I completely forgot about all of this until now writing a post about it being a ex. I never felt or thought I was in danger but looking back on these circumstances now... man, I was stupid!

Maybe this friend was someone Blaze relied a lot on in HS because he hadn't come out yet? Maybe this person was jealous Blaze was now a happy openly gay guys with a promising future and his guy was still hiding his true self?

 

[Seajay]

What has me puzzled is how the body was found :thinking: That park isn't very big, not a lot shrubs etc to real conceal a dead body. Why would the rain cause the body to be found? He was missing for a few days, people looked in that park didn't they? I don't understand how his body was found due to the rain???? If his body was buried then I can see the rain washing it up. I also can't believe someone would kill him elsewhere, drag his body to the location he was found in. I'M BAFFLED!!!

The initial report said he was found in the bushes. I guess if someone had him partially concealed by the bushes, then threw debris on top of him, dirt, mulch, leaves, to the wandering eye, he might not have been seen. After the rains, which were heavy and consistent, it could have washed the dirt, leaves and other debris off him enough to expose at least part of him and his clothing.

 

[Catonahottinroof]

Just want to throw out there for people thinking it odd to go out with friends and leave the wallet behind-

Most college students only carry their phones BUT on the back of the phone is a pocket like thing they stick on (every Penn club gives out hundreds of these) that holds say your student ID and maybe cash and a credit card. My guess is he had this on his phone and had a 20$ bill in there. That would cover any WAWA stop (or whatever the convenience stores are in CA... at Penn WAWA rules!)

I know it was a loaner phone but if he was using it for more than a day Im sure he prob put one on. My son literally has 3 extra ones in his backpack from the various clubs at Penn. Also these pocket like things are transferable so he could have taken it off of his phone and put it on the loaner if he needed to. And if he had taken his phone to the apple store to fix he would have needed to take the pocket thing off ... so easy to just stick it on the loaner phone.

 

[Seajay]

Leaving the wallet behind speaks volume to me because if you're truly going to "catch up" with a friend... usually that means that things are up in the air. Grabbing soda or fast food somewhere or whatever.

I'm not ruling out the possibility of this being an ex lover. Someone who still wanted closure or "to talk" while he was back on break. Blaze could have easily stepped out of the house "to talk" or "to see him" if he thought he was being helpful. They start taking about their history or closure or whatever and the conversation is now going on longer than expected out side of Blaze's house so the friend says "jump in, lets continue this with some privacy" or "let's go to he park" or "let's go to our spot".

It's very easy to get back involved with people from your past / high school during breaks back home from freshman and sophomore years of colleague. Especially now with SM.

I've been thinking about all these circumstances with Blaze and now some of my own memories are coming back to me.

I split up with a HS guy I was "kind of" dating because of college. I remember going back to "our spot" BOTH my freshman and sophomore years back home on break from college. And guess where "our spot" was... a picnic table / bench at a densely wooded park less than 5 min away from his house. We would reminisce, talk about "what ifs", talk about the college transition, our new friends, etc. Sometimes it brought back feelings. Come to think of it, there were several times when he would try to hook up and force himself on me even after shutting down his passes. But he would always say something to make me laugh or lighten the mood like "can't blame a guy for trying" or "you were always such a tease", etc.

Wow, I completely forgot about all of this until now writing a post about it being a ex. I never felt or thought I was in danger but looking back on these circumstances now... man, I was stupid!

Maybe this friend was someone Blaze relied a lot on in HS because he hadn't come out yet? Maybe this person was jealous Blaze was now a happy openly gay guys with a promising future and his guy was still hiding his true self?

I remember as a dumb HS kid putting myself in all kinds of sticky situations. And my parents were really strict, I could hardly leave the house, but I still managed to get in some scary and risky situations.

I don't see how Blaze could have known that night would end the way it did, with just meeting up with an old friend from HS. Like you said, most of us have done just that. It all seemed innocent enough.

 

[Seajay]

Just want to throw out there for people thinking it odd to go out with friends and leave their wallet behind-

Most college students only carry their phones BUT on the back of the phone is a pocket like thing they stick on (every Penn club gives out hundreds of these) that holds say your student ID and maybe cash and a credit card. My guess is he had this on his phone and had a 20$ bill in there. That would cover any WAWA stop (or whatever the convenience stores are in CA at Penn WAWA rules!)

I know it was a loaner phone but if he was using it for more than a day Im sure he prob put one on. My son literally has 3 extra ones in his backpack from the various clubs at Penn.

Good point, and some cell phone cases act as wallets with room for an ID or DL, credit cards, money and gift cards. You only need to have your phone and all of that can be at your disposal.