CA CA - Bob Harrod, 81, Orange County, 27 July 2009 - #10

[believe09]

Has Fontelle been cleared directly by LE?


We can't simply pick and choose which portions of the article we want simply for the reason that it supports one view over another.

In one of the articles often cited, even though this has not been directly quoted by LE:

"There are no suspects, Loomis said. There's not even any evidence of a crime."

" But Jeff Michaels' story checks out, and neither he nor any of the daughters are suspects in the disappearance, Loomis said"

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/-214111--.html

Actually we can pick and choose if we wish, but I still find it senseless to believe that Mrs. Harrod would participate in the disappearance of her husband prior to being named a beneficiary of his estate. It defies reason.

It makes far more sense to me that Bob would be disappeared prior to him changing his estate to include her. Then no one would have to share with her. No one would have to guess if they were going to be sharing jointly, or what percentage they would have to share.

It is a theory-it is valid and worth exploring.

I realize that others would like to include her as a suspect in his disappearance. Physically she was elsewhere, something that has been well documented by even Bob's immediate family. So there would need to be some kind of conspiracy initiated for her to orchestrate a disappearance that has given her no benefit. And has, clearly, caused tremendous heartache in her continued quest to locate her spouse and to have people remember him.

I am intrigued by the position that 3800+ stipend, which the co conservators readily agreed to in March of 2010, is a windfall of some kind.

She is Bob's wife. She is keeping the pressure on to discover what happened to him. Who has given interviews in print and on video?

I admire her devotion. She is waiting for her husband to come home to her, in whatever form. She alone has been the stop gap in what would have been another unsupervised free for all regarding Bob's estate. This is my vho. I have seen nothing but cruel and bitter words from his bio family, and a raid on the marital home. Clearly they are not expecting his return-clearly Andrew never was.

 

[zwiebel]

It seems to me that these Trusts/ Estates are so complex that it would a huge leap of the imagination to conclude Fontelle could have worked out in such a short space of time, how she would benefit in the event of Bob's passing.
Am re-reading like crazy, but can anyone put me out of my misery now and confirm that both Mr Harrod's and the neighour's vacant property were searched, including the gardens? This is playing on my mind. (Absolutely not trying to pull any neighbours into the mix here, I mean the house where occupants had moved prior to Mr Harrod's disappearance.)

 

[Cubby]

Actually we can pick and choose if we wish, but I still find it senseless to believe that Mrs. Harrod would participate in the disappearance of her husband prior to being named a beneficiary of his estate. It defies reason.

It makes far more sense to me that Bob would be disappeared prior to him changing his estate to include her. Then no one would have to share with her. No one would have to guess if they were going to be sharing jointly, or what percentage they would have to share.

It is a theory-it is valid and worth exploring.

I realize that others would like to include her as a suspect in his disappearance. Physically she was elsewhere, something that has been well documented by even Bob's immediate family. So there would need to be some kind of conspiracy initiated for her to orchestrate a disappearance that has given her no benefit. And has, clearly, caused tremendous heartache in her continued quest to locate her spouse and to have people remember him.

I am intrigued by the position that 3800+ stipend, which the co conservators readily agreed to in March of 2010, is a windfall of some kind.

She is Bob's wife. She is keeping the pressure on to discover what happened to him. Who has given interviews in print and on video?

I admire her devotion. She is waiting for her husband to come home to her, in whatever form. She alone has been the stop gap in what would have been another unsupervised free for all regarding Bob's estate. This is my vho. I have seen nothing but cruel and bitter words from his bio family, and a raid on the marital home. Clearly they are not expecting his return-clearly Andrew never was.

Excellent post. Excellent summation of Bob's case. If I may add, I think it is pretty obvious to many Bob's daughters are trying to make the one person who alone has been the stop gap in all of this look like the bad guy because they are angry someone is forcing them to be transparent. Or attempting too.

It really does make one wonder why the tremendous efforts to fight being transparent with Mr. Harrod's money or the events which occured the day of and the day prior to Mr. Harrod's disappearance.

 

[shana]

What makes you think the daughters were beneficiaries of her portion? I believe Bob was the beneficiary. Perhaps they were beneficiaries once he had passed away.

I think you may be confusing terms, but how could any of us know without seeing the original trust docs which are private?

It would not be atypical for the children/grands/greats to be named as benes, even though the Trust itself would pass to the surviving spouse as Trustee after the death of one of the Co-Ttees.

In this case, neither of the Co-Ttees is declared deceased.

I am still wondering why we are all traversing down a road that was properly and legally established years ago by a missing person and his wife.

Similarly, I wonder why Mr Harrod's business decisions as evidenced in the leaked AH depo are not being acknowledged.

~jmo~

 

[shana]

snipped-bbm

From your post, shana. Really? Multiple houses, apparently a significant amount in financial accounts, quite a memorabilia list provided by family...looks pretty large from where I am standing.

Robert and Georgia Harrod had sufficient net worth to create a Trust as part of an Estate Plan, and wisely so (for many/various reasons).

I do not know its value at that time, but I have read here that upon his disappearance, the Estate was valued at $2M...$3M at the most. This is not "large" in California terms nor would it be so considered in US terms either, plus the total would fluctuate greatly over the years with the FMVs of any real estate comprising a good part of the net worth.

btw, I do not include the "memorabilia list" in this assessment for three reasons: 1) Its source is an email, apparently not private but should have been so protected, 2) We do not know how the Trust provided for the disposition of personal property, and 3) What would be its FMV and what would it actually SELL for? Not much, imo...the list was more about sentimental value and items in the home which were in fact owned by others.

Perhaps this is a question of word choice: I would not apply the word "large" to an estate with a net worth of $2-3M.

~jmo~

 

[believe09]

I think you may be confusing terms, but how could any of us know without seeing the original trust docs which are private?

It would not be atypical for the children/grands/greats to be named as benes, even though the Trust itself would pass to the surviving spouse as Trustee after the death of one of the Co-Ttees.

In this case, neither of the Co-Ttees is declared deceased.

I am still wondering why we are all traversing down a road that was properly and legally established years ago by a missing person and his wife.

Similarly, I wonder why Mr Harrod's business decisions as evidenced in the leaked AH depo are not being acknowledged.

~jmo~

Why do you think they are private? I suspect that they were filed when Georgia died and are undoubtedly part of the civil case. How would the co conservators have established themselves without them?

 

[believe09]

snipped-bbm



Robert and Georgia Harrod had sufficient net worth to create a Trust as part of an Estate Plan, and wisely so (for many/various reasons).

I do not know its value at that time, but I have read here that upon his disappearance, the Estate was valued at $2M...$3M at the most. This is not "large" in California terms nor would it be so considered in US terms either, plus the total would fluctuate greatly over the years with the FMVs of any real estate comprising a good part of the net worth.

btw, I do not include the "memorabilia list" in this assessment for three reasons: 1) Its source is an email, apparently not private but should have been so protected, 2) We do not know how the Trust provided for the disposition of personal property, and 3) What would be its FMV and what would it actually SELL for? Not much, imo...the list was more about sentimental value and items in the home which were in fact owned by others.

Perhaps this is a question of word choice: I would not apply the word "large" to an estate with a net worth of $2-3M.

~jmo~

Understood-I still think 2-3 million dollars are worth fighting for. And clearly they are.

The source of the memorabilia list is an email? :waitasec:

You mean the memorabilia list wasnt filed with the court?

Good for Mrs Harrod then for simply granting these women access to Bob's possessions.

The items were undoubtedly inventoried and the inventory was filed in two parts IIRC, but all of the minutiae is over-running me at this point, lol.

 

[zwiebel]

BBM
Has Fontelle been cleared directly by LE?


We can't simply pick and choose which portions of the article we want simply for the reason that it supports one view over another.

In one of the articles often cited, even though this has not been directly quoted by LE:

"There are no suspects, Loomis said. There's not even any evidence of a crime."

" But Jeff Michaels' story checks out, and neither he nor any of the daughters are suspects in the disappearance, Loomis said"

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/-214111--.html

I would have thought if LE adopted a strategy of publicly clearing everyone in a case they did not suspect of a crime, even the dumbest of perps would soon work out when it was time to start covering their tracks. Apart from her age and frailty, there seems ample evidence that Fontelle wasn't even near the state at the time of the disappearance, let alone the house. I just cannot see how she could be involved.

 

[zwiebel]

Mr Harrod's been deprived of his voice now, but before he was, he did manage to leave us some clue about who may be guilty or innocent. Here he is, in his own words, talking about Fontelle:

"She makes me laugh 100 times a day."
"She was always beautiful."
"I tried locating her before..."

Out of respect and compassion for the man, I am going to listen.

http://www.ocregister.com/news/fontelle-148279-bob-years.html

With thanks to Dreamweaver for posting original link.

 

[Cubby]

I would have thought if LE adopted a strategy of publicly clearing everyone in a case they did not suspect of a crime, even the dumbest of perps would soon work out when it was time to start covering their tracks. Apart from her age and frailty, there seems ample evidence that Fontelle wasn't even near the state at the time of the disappearance, let alone the house. I just cannot see how she could be involved.

Mrs. Harrod was in Missouri when she called Bob's home repeatedly the evening of his disappearance. She called the Placentia PD from Missouri to report him missing. I'm pretty sure PPD can and did confirm the phone call to report Mr. Harrod missing came from Missouri.


Yes, those repairs are still top secret, why? Maybe more information will be revealed about them when the Disappeared show airs. Because I simply can't imagine the SIL walking into a house and cleaning up after a stranger.

 

[believe09]

Mr Harrod's been deprived of his voice now, but before he was, he did manage to leave us some clue about who may be guilty or innocent. Here he is, in his own words, talking about Fontelle:

"She makes me laugh 100 times a day."
"She was always beautiful."
"I tried locating her before..."

Out of respect and compassion for the man, I am going to listen.

http://www.ocregister.com/news/fontelle-148279-bob-years.html

With thanks to Dreamweaver for posting original link.

A nod and a hug to Dreamweaver. We have missed her gentle posts on this thread.

Thanks for resurrecting his voice, zwiebel. It was always about him and about his new chance at happiness. Her re-appearance in his life gave him great joy. What whiplash she must have. Imagine every day going by, looking for some justice, wondering what might have been.

What a life. She must be so tired.

 

[zwiebel]

Anyone that attempts to contest my trust will receive nothing, and must pay their own legal fees. End of story.[\B]

I believe John Lennon also had such a 'no contest' clause in his will:

http://www.rockmine.com/Reaper/LennWill.html

16 years later, it may finally have been resolved:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/a...Paul-McCartney-trying-obliterate-history.html

 

[zwiebel]

A nod and a hug to Dreamweaver. We have missed her gentle posts on this thread.

Thanks for resurrecting his voice, zwiebel. It was always about him and about his new chance at happiness. Her re-appearance in his life gave him great joy. What whiplash she must have. Imagine every day going by, looking for some justice, wondering what might have been.

What a life. She must be so tired.

Yes exactly. We all know how it normally plays out for people of advanced years who lose their partners; this pair deserved to live to 100 for throwing it all up in the air like Romeo and Juliet, and risking what would happen. It is just not fair it was all snatched away at the last minute, and Fontelle can only do so much. I am so glad she has had you people at WS on her side - what is it you Americans say? YOU ROCK!

 

[believe09]

Yes exactly. We all know how it normally plays out for people of advanced years who lose their partners; this pair deserved to live to 100 for throwing it all up in the air like Romeo and Juliet, and risking what would happen. It is just not fair it was all snatched away at the last minute, and Fontelle can only do so much. I am so glad she has had you people at WS on her side - what is it you Americans say? YOU ROCK!

Any one who shows an interest in this case brings that much more energy Bob's way-I like to hope anyway. You have been so thoughtful-I am glad his case caught your attention.

Remember that shampoo commercial? "And they tell two friends, and they tell two friends and so on, and so on..." When Disappeared schedules his show, I am going to spread the word as far and wide as I can.

 

[zwiebel]

Any one who shows an interest in this case brings that much more energy Bob's way-I like to hope anyway. You have been so thoughtful-I am glad his case caught your attention.

Remember that shampoo commercial? "And they tell two friends, and they tell two friends and so on, and so on..." When Disappeared schedules his show, I am going to spread the word as far and wide as I can.

Thank you believe09. I had never joined a forum in my life and just intended to read Bob's threads from beginning to end. I was drawn in though, not least because I was struck by how some of you have stuck with this case and worked so hard for him.
I have a plan for listening to Disappeared that involves Mr Zwiebel calling one of his friends in the States and me listening on the phone. He's not co-operating!

 

[believe09]

LOL-we will try and find a way to get it onto WS. PattyG is the master-we can ask her for tips on how to do it.

 

[zwiebel]

Wonderful, although I guess that means you think as much of my plan as Mr Zwiebel......
I am seriously hoping that a new burst of publicity will be a pressure point as, from a MSM viewpoint, things have grown too quiet lately. There are always weaknesses in even the best constructed defences. Just hard to know where they are until they're tested.

 

[zwiebel]

Has Fontelle been cleared directly by LE?


We can't simply pick and choose which portions of the article we want simply for the reason that it supports one view over another.

In one of the articles often cited, even though this has not been directly quoted by LE:

"There are no suspects, Loomis said. There's not even any evidence of a crime."

" But Jeff Michaels' story checks out, and neither he nor any of the daughters are suspects in the disappearance, Loomis said"

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/-214111--.html

Excuse me for quoting this post as I am really replying to your one following the above. I just had tied myself in knots editing it before and can't face it again.
It's obvious you know a great deal more about Trusts and Estates than I do and that they are hugely complex. I am fast concluding that even with every detail to hand I still wouldn't necessarily 'get it'. So I wanted to ask, in your opinion, is it likely that anyone ( apart from Mr Harrod and possibly his first wife) really knew exactly how the trust would work out in the event of his passing?
The bio family's failed attempt to get Fontelle to leave the house springs to mind as a possible example they may not have done.

 

[zwiebel]

ID Channel added more than 30 million new subs through February 2012 and gets more than 470,000 daily viewers. The spotlight is going to be on Bob!
Thinking......was it one of you guys who encouraged them to pick up this case?
If it was, you don't have to tell - but great move!

http://www.fastcompany.com/1826849/...d-network-boosts-ratings-original-programming

 

[dreamweaver]

Robert Harrod's days in the sun ended July 27, 2009.

All I can hope is that justice is served.

When his story is shown on Disappeared, that could be the catalyst.