CA CA - Bob Harrod, 81, Orange County, 27 July 2009 - #13

[believe09]

My mom kept every receipt and bill she ever got from the day she set foot in the US. Some time back in the 1980s, my parents were audited by the IRS because my father forgot to sign one of the places on the return.

I actually pitied that auditor. My mom drowned him in documentation, charm and niceness and when it was all over, the IRS figured out that the IRS owed my parents over $4K.

They've never been audited again. I think she traumatised that poor agent.

LOL. This is how I think Bob would be if anyone were foolish enough to try and audit him. I often imagine the encounter he had with APS. I would love to see the notes of that case worker!

 

[GrainneDhu]

Would this type of postal carrier just deliver mail? Or is it possible they delivered some of Mrs Harrods' packages and required a signature?

OMG, it all depends.

There are several package delivery services in the US and the USPS is only one of them. I think requiring a signature is an extra fee with all the services. Since she was shipping so many boxes, she may well have decided to not pay for a signature for each or she may have only paid for signatures on boxes that were significant to her.

There is also a common rumour that requiring a signature makes a package more likely to be targeted by a thief inside the delivery company, so many people feel it is not a safe practice.

 

[zwiebel]

I've been back on the first, Fox video link here:

Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community - View Single Post - CA CA - Bob Harrod, Time Line and Media Links only

It has a great view of the garage, with all the packages. Unfortunately, it looks to me like the plain, brown packages in the centre of the garage are Mrs Harrod's. They're the ones she is standing by, at least. There seems to be something written in red on one, but I don't have the enhancement facilities necessary to read it (or believe09's eyesight). Curiously, the white boxes on the left that are labelled, appear to have the name J.... M on them. Seems to be a lot of them too. Maybe someone else with good eyes or zoom capabilities could take a look?

 

[zwiebel]

BBM

Depressing thought: are we sure that Bob even had mail that day? That possibility popped into my mind since we didn't get any mail here today, not even junk mail.

When I lived in town, our mail carrier drove a vehicle to the top of each street and then walked the street to do the actual mail delivery. If one house didn't have any mail, he didn't bother walking up to their mailbox.

Tangential thought: why are so few houses in the US built with mailboxes rather than mail slots? My mother, being English, was determined to have a proper mail slot but most houses in Iowa just have boxes, even if the box is mounted directly to the house.

Ditto in Deutschland! They think I'm crazy here, trying to get a big slot cut in my front door. Me and your Mom could have had a good moan together. Truth to tell, I probably am crazy. Anything that lets the bitter cold into the house is probably a bad idea. Latest rage here is long mailboxes with US Mail stamped on the side. At least they have room for the mail.

Grainne - many, many houses in England are terraced (row) with no front gardens and no room to put something on the house wall without injuring passers by. So a letterbox is a must. Only posh or pretentious people have mailboxes, and apartments.

I really miss letterboxes. I'm not going to get away with having one here, but I'm thinking of buying one of those big, red old English royal mail postboxes for sale on the internet now. Trouble is, silly English tourists would probably put their postcards in them, and fully expect them to be delivered.

ETA: Letterbox in England refers to a slot cut in the door, which I've just realised makes no sense at all.

 

[zwiebel]

Regarding if Bob had mail that day; He owned several properties, as well as (I suspect) stocks and shares, pension plans etc. He had an accountant, had just got married, was involved in some kind of legal exchange with at least one of his daughters. He was also wealthy.

Even if there was nothing else, I'd have thought his financial standing would have put him on quite a few circular lists. But really, multiple house-ownership usually means multiple mail, I would think.

ETA: And he was attempting to provide for his wife in the event of his death, of course. Unfortunately, he never got to do that.

 

[zwiebel]

Oh look, one of my Bob photos, fourth on google, and you can see it!


http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=bobharrodmissing&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&client=safari

 

[zwiebel]

By the way, the gold pocket watch in the pic is from one grandad (ex LE) to another grandad; Bob. And before that, it was owned by a great grandad, who didn't like any wrongdoing either. Somewhere up there, I know they'll approve.

 

[Cubby]

I'm not able to make out what is written on the white bankers boxes. (most appear to be bankers boxes). I thought they looked like Bob's paper records. The only red I see in the garage appears to be on the shelves, but I can't make it out. The only box I can make out is above the box with the red top (behind Mrs. Harrod) and reads Windshield Wiper Blades.

While it might have been cluttered, I think Bob was very well organized.

 

[zwiebel]

On the white bankers boxes on the far left, second box down, third line of writing. It really looks like a J, followed by four letters, then an 'M'. I have also now made out on one of the brown boxes in the centre, the letters 'CA', written in dark ink. So now I really think the brown boxes belonged to Mrs Harrod.

We really need a picture whizkid here now, imo.

 

[zwiebel]

I agree about the very well organised bit, by the way. I think that may have been one of the reasons Bob disappeared when he did.

 

[GrainneDhu]

Regarding if Bob had mail that day; He owned several properties, as well as (I suspect) stocks and shares, pension plans etc. He had an accountant, had just got married, was involved in some kind of legal exchange with at least one of his daughters. He was also wealthy.

Even if there was nothing else, I'd have thought his financial standing would have put him on quite a few circular lists. But really, multiple house-ownership usually means multiple mail, I would think.

ETA: And he was attempting to provide for his wife in the event of his death, of course. Unfortunately, he never got to do that.

Except for the legal exchanges with a daughter and the recent marriage, you could be describing my parents' estate. Even so, two or three times a month, there would be an odd day with no mail.

It would be quite an odd coincidence for Bob not to have gotten any mail at all that one day but every case I have followed has had at least one odd coincidence that turned out to mean nothing.

 

[GrainneDhu]

I agree about the very well organised bit, by the way. I think that may have been one of the reasons Bob disappeared when he did.

I agree. I think his family all knew that when Bob intended to do something, he got it done without procrastinating. Since adding Fontelle to any bank accounts would need Fontelle's presence and ID, if something 'had to' happen to Bob, it had to happen before Fontelle returned because Bob was likely to stop by the bank on the way home from picking her up at the airport.

 

[believe09]

I agree. I think his family all knew that when Bob intended to do something, he got it done without procrastinating. Since adding Fontelle to any bank accounts would need Fontelle's presence and ID, if something 'had to' happen to Bob, it had to happen before Fontelle returned because Bob was likely to stop by the bank on the way home from picking her up at the airport.

I agree, but I think that he was planning on taking care of his estate planning on Monday. He strikes me as a "No time like the present" kind of guy, and after the bitterness which was undoubtedly expressed the previous evening, he had pretty good incentive to get it taken care of quickly so he could sail off into the sunset with his Fontelle. JMO.

I truly believe this is why Monday had to be the day for his disappearance, and early that day. Before he went to the bank, the broker, mailed his letters etc.

 

[zwiebel]

I agree here. He was getting everything ready for FH's arrival, from the repairs to the cleaning. I don't think he would have neglected the important, practical things like making sure she was provided for in the event of his death. He'd done that for his children in good time, so I think he would have done exactly the same for his wife.

 

[zwiebel]

That video of poor Mrs Harrod arriving at the house keeps playing on my mind. She's bewildered, just totally bewildered. And you can tell it hasn't sunk in properly that Bob has really vanished, let alone that he might not ever come back. She must have gone through hell, at an age when you'd hope a person's greatest trials and tribulations would be behind them.

It makes me really mad that instead of the full support she deserved, her life has been made more difficult instead. Seeing those loving hugs of welcome on the video, and knowing what was coming next................

 

[Seajay]

About letterboxes in the U.S. I don't know about the rest of the nation, because I think lots of them have letterboxes, but out in here Southern California, back in the 80's people had them in their door. Problem was, kids use to think it was funny to put a person's water hose out in the yard through the letter slot and turn the water on, flooding out their house when they weren't home.

I know that any idea I had of entertaining the thought of having one went out the window when I heard that. I have a mail box attached to my front porch structure.

 

[believe09]

That video of poor Mrs Harrod arriving at the house keeps playing on my mind. She's bewildered, just totally bewildered. And you can tell it hasn't sunk in properly that Bob has really vanished, let alone that he might not ever come back. She must have gone through hell, at an age when you'd hope a person's greatest trials and tribulations would be behind them.

It makes me really mad that instead of the full support she deserved, her life has been made more difficult instead. Seeing those loving hugs of welcome on the video, and knowing what was coming next................

BBM. It chills me quite frankly. I had quite a few thoughts run through my head when RB kissed Fontelle on the lips and Fontelle just opened her arms and hugged her close.

 

[GrainneDhu]

About letterboxes in the U.S. I don't know about the rest of the nation, because I think lots of them have letterboxes, but out in here Southern California, back in the 80's people had them in their door. Problem was, kids use to think it was funny to put a person's water hose out in the yard through the letter slot and turn the water on, flooding out their house when they weren't home.

I know that any idea I had of entertaining the thought of having one went out the window when I heard that. I have a mail box attached to my front porch structure.

Wow, I had never heard of that one before. Possibly because there are so few letterboxes in Iowa!

My parents' letterbox went into a coat closet and so they never had to stop delivery for vacations, which is a known risk for burglary. It would probably take being away for a year to fill up that closet.

Turning from mail delivery to telephone calls, I have started wondering about the call from PB to Bob, during which he allegedly made a sound of some sort when JeM spoke about going to Home Depot. Eliminating that call would open up a whole bunch of time but it doesn't seem like something a daughter would lie about.

Then I started wondering if maybe she was persuaded or even conned into lying about that call. Would she have motivation? And if she did lie about that call, what sort of trouble would she be in?

 

[believe09]

Wow, I had never heard of that one before. Possibly because there are so few letterboxes in Iowa!

My parents' letterbox went into a coat closet and so they never had to stop delivery for vacations, which is a known risk for burglary. It would probably take being away for a year to fill up that closet.

Turning from mail delivery to telephone calls, I have started wondering about the call from PB to Bob, during which he allegedly made a sound of some sort when JeM spoke about going to Home Depot. Eliminating that call would open up a whole bunch of time but it doesn't seem like something a daughter would lie about.

Then I started wondering if maybe she was persuaded or even conned into lying about that call. Would she have motivation? And if she did lie about that call, what sort of trouble would she be in?

Oh I think the phantom SUV and that phone call can be clearly construed as intentionally misleading investigators...should they not be true, that is. Then we have those troublesome statements regarding dementia....

Obstructing an investigation is a criminal offense. If it is deliberate, that is. As we have seen with FICA in Florida, there are consequences to lying. Not only can you be convicted, the cash strapped jurisdictions may actually have the option of pursuing you for the outlay of money used to chase whatever false lead or statement you made.

Manipulating time lines, throwing folks under the bus...well, I would think that everyone who has some knowledge regarding this disappearance might be tempted to consult a criminal attorney. Or has already. Or has at least called Mrs Harrod's atty looking for some names.

 

[zwiebel]

PB's 11.45 ish call has always been a great puzzle to me, and has only become more so since the Disappeared clip said that SIL was returning to the house around 12pm.

In the info she entered into her father's missing person report, PB neglected to enter a single word her father said during the call. The last time she ever spoke to him. Just that it seemed or sounded like he'd had a lot of calls, and he gave a 'favourable response' to SIL's announcement he was going to the hardware store.

In stark contrast, she sets out some of her own words in detail - "I told him that I would speak to him later".

And even SIL's words, who wasn't even on the call; "I did hear him say he was 'going to the hardware store'."

Why the big difference between her recollection of what she and SIL said, and what her Dad said - his last words to her? If there was a difference, it should have been in her recollection of what her Dad said. He's the missing person. Why was it so important to recall SIL's words?

And what's with the 'did'? "I did hear him say".

Had somebody suggested she didn't? Whatever. Her Dad's missing person report wasn't really the place for SIL's announcements of one of his shopping trips. She'd have been better off concentrating on getting a definitive and definite description from SIL of what her Dad was wearing that day.