CA CA - Bob Harrod, 81, Orange County, 27 July 2009 - # 7

[Angelo]

After Bob disappeared, someone -- police won't say who -- told officers he might have regretted the decision to marry. For three days police thought they were dealing with a case of cold feet."



Posts from daughter R on the WWW

(8/6/2009) "Who really knows -- I guess he could have become leary that this time he bit off more than he could chew and did it too quickly. We just do not know what to think."

(8/16/2009) "Good, Bad, or indifferent, we are a family and he is OUR father! He abandoned us too and this is not like him!"

(8/14/2009) "POI statement that daughters are hiding D - I don't think so! We would so gladly return him home to F, instead of hiding him. Get real POI! He will have to face up to what he has done to Fontelle and make a decision whether he wants to stay married or not, whatever that decision might be, his daughters will have to accept it, period!"

(8/14/2009) "We don't mean to be non supportive but we really do not know why he left the house two days before she returned. They got married 6/29, she returned to MO 7/7, and came back to CA 7/29. They had only 8 days of marital bliss together. They spent eight days of "marital bliss" and then poof, he takes off with no explanation."

(8/21/2009) "I cannot understand who our Dad turned out to be and why he would just walk away from everything he worked so hard for, when he was fully aware F would be back in less than two days. Who is this stranger who gave up the chance for a new life with a new wife? Perhaps we never knew him or he had a problem he told nobody about...."












http://articles.latimes.com/2010/feb/02/local/la-me-disappeared3-2010feb03/2

The quotes above were all made by daughter RB in 2009. A year later in 2010 daughter RB posted the following:

"The Cold Feet theory and “Millionaire” label both came directly from PPD and were released to the press by their Civilian PIO. As with all theories in our father’s case, each of us considered their theory but promptly rejected it as none of our family members ever believed that our father would walk away."

 

[Angelo]

The Police Report and Missing Person's Report can be found here.

Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community - View Single Post - CA CA - Bob Harrod, 81, Orange County, 27 July 2009 - #6


Read the report and then compare it with what daughter RB posted on a message board.

(RB's post)

"Paraphrased from the Missing Person's Report:

…” FH, called from … Kansas to report her husband, RH, missing. … F said on 07-27-09 at approximately 2100 hours (Pacific Time) she was contacted … nobody saw Robert leave his home at 5xx Carnation, … F explained to me that Robert has a friend, …, who owns … in Placentia … , where Robert goes to get his hair cut, that may have picked him up. She said *advertiser censored* …has been trying to get a hold of Robert for the past few weeks. F said Robert has given *advertiser censored* approximately $50,000 over the past few years to help pay bills. She said … she is concerned he is with his friend *advertiser censored*, who may try to get more money from Robert… F said she has no idea where Robert may have gone, but she is concerned for his safety.
Earlier in the night on 7-27-2009, Officer *advertiser censored* and I responded to *advertiser censored* Carnation to check on the welfare of Robert. We checked the house and there were no signs of a struggle or foul play. Robert’s vehicle was parked in the driveway of *advertiser censored* Carnation and was locked and secure. We located no evidence of Robert’s where-a-bouts.”

Names and addresses removed for obvious reasons."

 

[Cracka*Jaxx]

Can someone tell me what the court date in October is all about? Also, what is the current status of this case? Is Fontelle still living at Bob's house? Did the daughters ever get the items they wanted from the house? I googled but can find no updated info. TY!

 

[Cubby]

The Police Report and Missing Person's Report can be found here.

Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community - View Single Post - CA CA - Bob Harrod, 81, Orange County, 27 July 2009 - #6


Read the report and then compare it with what daughter RB posted on a message board.

(RB's post)

"Paraphrased from the Missing Person's Report:

…” FH, called from … Kansas to report her husband, RH, missing. … F said on 07-27-09 at approximately 2100 hours (Pacific Time) she was contacted … nobody saw Robert leave his home at 5xx Carnation, … F explained to me that Robert has a friend, …, who owns … in Placentia … , where Robert goes to get his hair cut, that may have picked him up. She said *advertiser censored* …has been trying to get a hold of Robert for the past few weeks. F said Robert has given *advertiser censored* approximately $50,000 over the past few years to help pay bills. She said … she is concerned he is with his friend *advertiser censored*, who may try to get more money from Robert… F said she has no idea where Robert may have gone, but she is concerned for his safety.
Earlier in the night on 7-27-2009, Officer *advertiser censored* and I responded to *advertiser censored* Carnation to check on the welfare of Robert. We checked the house and there were no signs of a struggle or foul play. Robert’s vehicle was parked in the driveway of *advertiser censored* Carnation and was locked and secure. We located no evidence of Robert’s where-a-bouts.”

Names and addresses removed for obvious reasons."

Oh my. I wouldn't call that paraphrased. I'd call it a truncated snippet of the full missing persons report.

 

[Montjoy]

Can someone tell me what the court date in October is all about? Also, what is the current status of this case? Is Fontelle still living at Bob's house? Did the daughters ever get the items they wanted from the house? I googled but can find no updated info. TY!

Forgive me if I say 'wow', as I'm so happy to see good questions.

Ok, to the best of my knowledge, and hoping others can correct me if I'm wrong...I will attempt to address them in turn:

1st question:

If initiated by Bob's daughters, I will guess that based on the timing that the court date is about keeping money or perhaps implicating Fontelle or some other innocent party. Perhaps someone knows the sordid particulars.

2nd question:

I can offer confidently that Bob's murder is an active investigation with, well, let's just say, some heavy-hitting resources behind it. If this has not been documented I would ask that mods delete this post in its entirety. All that I know to say is that these are not just smart people investigating, but my impressions, so to speak, lead me to say that they also care deeply about the case, and perhaps have a scent of blood. The fact is, if you care to look up any of the people who investigated the case from the get-go, you'll see that Placentia has some really smart people as investigators. I'm not surprised that Bob bought properties there.

3rd question:

I am unsure of whether Fontelle is living in Placentia. Even if I was, I'm not sure that it would be for me to say here. I'm not sure I'd call it Bob's house alone any more than I'd call it Bob and Fontelle's house, though. It would be so nice to be able to ask him about that.

4th question:

I have no idea if Bob's daughters got all of his possessions that they wanted. Based on the list submitted by JuM, and based on the resources deployed to empty Bob's home, it would seem that his house was stripped clean. Just the same, I can't speak for them to say that they got all that they wanted. But just the same, it would appear that the legal proceedings about his estate/trust have not terminated, so I cannot guess. In any case, I would have to guess that owing to all of the items extracted his home has none of the charm that it did when he and Georgia lived there. I would so love to see what Bob's last good friend PE would think about the denuded house that stands so close to where he lived. Well, no -- I take that back...Paul does not deserve to see what happened.

I see that I have written a lot here, but I would ask you to set it all aside for a moment, and check out the source documents in Bob's case, upon which my observations are based. I know I am asking a lot, but I will say this -- I'm no more looking for support about particular theories of Bob's murder as I am looking for fresh opinions on the facts that the source documents offer.

And I guess that a lot of us are looking for justice here. Please help, if only by keeping the conversation going, but I still think that many here have the wits and perspectives to unlock something in the documented facts of the case.

 

[Cracka*Jaxx]

Thanks, Montjoy!

I did a google earth search of the property. What a beautiful house that is! I just can't understand that not one neighbor saw anything in the way of other vehicles parked there, or coming and going, on the day Bob went missing. The lawns are manicured with no brush up against the houses to block the view.

If Bob went walking down the street someone would have seen him. And how far would he even get at his age? That theory is just plain ridiculous. I've said before that I'm sure the SIL knows what happened that day.

I thought it was interesting that the SIL specifically mentioned seeing a black vehicle just like the one Bob's barber drove! If it was her car, she somehow knew exactly the right time to go by the house and grab Bob!

But I disagree with most here on my feelings about Fontelle. IMO, it's wrong for her to lay claim to anything of Bob's after speaking with him for about 8 weeks and being married for only 1 week. I think she's showing her true colors and the real reason for her latching onto him so quickly.

In the late 1940's my mother was married to a soldier during WWII. I think it was for maybe 6 months or so. While serving, he wound up dying from an infection. My mother was legally entitled to widow's benefits and all of his personal possessions. But because the marriage was brief, she felt that his family should have everything- including any benefits she was due.

Bob was just desperate to replace his wife as quickly as he could. No rational thinking person would get married that fast. He probably never even considered the financial mess he could be in if Fontelle had divorced him after a week!

And for her part, Fontelle saw an easy mark and encouraged a speedy marriage after Bob promised her half of everything he owned. She is the greedy party here, not the rest of Bob's family. They shouldn't have to pay her off or get a court order to recover family items.

I wonder if the marriage can be annulled if it can be shown that Bob was incompetent to some degree.

 

[believe09]

Thanks, Montjoy!

I did a google earth search of the property. What a beautiful house that is! I just can't understand that not one neighbor saw anything in the way of other vehicles parked there, or coming and going, on the day Bob went missing. The lawns are manicured with no brush up against the houses to block the view.

If Bob went walking down the street someone would have seen him. And how far would he even get at his age? That theory is just plain ridiculous. I've said before that I'm sure the SIL knows what happened that day.

I thought it was interesting that the SIL specifically mentioned seeing a black vehicle just like the one Bob's barber drove! If it was her car, she somehow knew exactly the right time to go by the house and grab Bob!

But I disagree with most here on my feelings about Fontelle. IMO, it's wrong for her to lay claim to anything of Bob's after speaking with him for about 8 weeks and being married for only 1 week. I think she's showing her true colors and the real reason for her latching onto him so quickly.

In the late 1940's my mother was married to a soldier during WWII. I think it was for maybe 6 months or so. While serving, he wound up dying from an infection. My mother was legally entitled to widow's benefits and all of his personal possessions. But because the marriage was brief, she felt that his family should have everything- including any benefits she was due.

Bob was just desperate to replace his wife as quickly as he could. No rational thinking person would get married that fast. He probably never even considered the financial mess he could be in if Fontelle had divorced him after a week!

And for her part, Fontelle saw an easy mark and encouraged a speedy marriage after Bob promised her half of everything he owned. She is the greedy party here, not the rest of Bob's family. They shouldn't have to pay her off or get a court order to recover family items.

I wonder if the marriage can be annulled if it can be shown that Bob was incompetent to some degree.

I dont see where Fontelle has laid claim to anything whether or not it is her right. She and her attorney have requested a third party conservator based upon an improper audit filed by the children of Bob. The judge agreed it was insufficient, ordered that the bond be raised and set a trial date. That was in May of this year. The trial is set for October.

The modest amount she received as agreed by mediation in order to pay the expenses on Bob's home was withheld until the hearing in December 2010. Fontelle allowed the girls to come in uncontested and strip the home in February of this year.

What items is she actually holding on to other than being a placeholder until her husband is returned to her? :waitasec:

 

[believe09]

An additional point-Bob's physician refuted any chat from the girls regarding mental incompetency. No acuity issues, so we have a fully functioning adult making decisions for himself on who or what he spent HIS money on.

The position of the girls regarding Georgia's will is specious-it was a publicly filed document and available to them at any time should they have requested it from the courthouse. I have a copy.

 

[Cracka*Jaxx]

I dont see where Fontelle has laid claim to anything whether or not it is her right. She and her attorney have requested a third party conservator based upon an improper audit filed by the children of Bob.

I read that Fontelle had requested a lump sum payment of $50,000 from Bob's estate. What was that for? Aside from helping to find Bob, Fontelle should have removed herself from all of this. I don't see it as her place. The children, alone, should be dealing with his estate and shouldn't have to be answering to Fontelle and her lawyer.

The judge agreed it was insufficient, ordered that the bond be raised and set a trial date. That was in May of this year. The trial is set for October.

Bond should be raised on what ... or who? I'm not following.

The modest amount she received as agreed by mediation in order to pay the expenses on Bob's home was withheld until the hearing in December 2010. Fontelle allowed the girls to come in uncontested and strip the home in February of this year.

The 'modest' figure I saw on these threads was almost $4000 a month. That seems excessive to me. Plus, if Fontelle wasn't insisting on living in the house she wouldn't have to worry about expenses associated with it.

What items is she actually holding on to other than being a placeholder until her husband is returned to her? :waitasec:

She doesn't need to be a 'placeholder' in Bob's house. It's obvious that she is after something more than just waiting for Bob to return- which I doubt that anyone sees as very likely at this point. Fontelle needs to count her losses and move on to the next lonely, gullible senior.

 

[believe09]

Where did you read that CrackA? The only 50K I know is in play is the reward money which was announced at the end of 2010.

You and I can agree to disagree on Fontelle's motivations. What does it have to do with Bob's disappearance and murder?

 

[Cracka*Jaxx]

An additional point-Bob's physician refuted any chat from the girls regarding mental incompetency. No acuity issues, so we have a fully functioning adult making decisions for himself on who or what he spent HIS money on.

Unless Bob was administered a competency test by a psychiatrist, what Bob's doctor has is an opinion. In court, I'm sure doctors, or others, could be found to have a different opinion.

The position of the girls regarding Georgia's will is specious-it was a publicly filed document and available to them at any time should they have requested it from the courthouse. I have a copy.

Are the daughters saying that they don't have a copy of their mother's Will? I must have missed that. Why would it be important?

 

[believe09]

Unless Bob was administered a competency test by a psychiatrist, what Bob's doctor has is an opinion. In court, I'm sure doctors, or others, could be found to have a different opinion.



Are the daughters saying that they don't have a copy of their mother's Will? I must have missed that. Why would it be important?

This is the basis of their meeting with their father on 7/26/2009 they say. They have repeated this a number of times on the www-that they were due a copy, that their father was obligated to give them one and that they felt he was conditional etc regarding it.

I cannot wrap my brain around why they didnt head down to the courthouse and ask for a copy. It was filed in March 2008 after she passed away.

It is clear they believed they were the beneficiaries of the ByPass trust. But they werent. Bob was the beneficiary of it all-the ByPass was Georgia's share of the marital assets set aside as a means of excluding or minimizing substantial estate taxes. Bob was both the surviving settlor and the trustee.

 

[believe09]

So what is your theory Cracka?

 

[Cracka*Jaxx]

Where did you read that CrackA? The only 50K I know is in play is the reward money which was announced at the end of 2010.

It was something that Fontelle's lawyer filed. Apparently the daughter's had only paid Fontelle half of that at the time it was filed. It was posted here as a pdf file possibly within the last week. Unless I'm misreading it, that's what it appeared to be. Also attached was the list of items the daughter's wanted from the house.

You and I can agree to disagree on Fontelle's motivations. What does it have to do with Bob's disappearance and murder?

The squabbling has upstaged Bob's disappearance and probable murder. That's the point. It's now all about who can grab what from his estate.

 

[believe09]

It was something that Fontelle's lawyer filed. Apparently the daughter's had only paid Fontelle half of that at the time it was filed. It was posted here as a pdf file possibly within the last week. Unless I'm misreading it, that's what it appeared to be. Also attached was the list of items the daughter's wanted from the house.



The squabbling has upstaged Bob's disappearance and probable murder. That's the point. It's now all about who can grab what from his estate.

Oh, I see your confusion. The daughters had declined to make any of the payments after the mediation agreement of 3/2010. They delivered a lump sum check prior to the December 2010 hearing. It was not a demand, it was a duty/obligation that they were court ordered to meet. Just like they are court ordered not to sell assets of the trust without permission of the court, and like they are ordered to provide a regular audit. Fontelle removed her objection to the girls as co conservators based upon the mediation agreement. Fontelle is also supposed to received the title to Bob's 1997 vehicle.

 

[Cracka*Jaxx]

So what is your theory Cracka?

I don't think the big family argument ended in 'pleasantries' like the one daughter insinuated. They were all furious. I can imagine that in a rage someone struck Bob with an object and killed him.

But if the housekeeper spoke with Bob, or actually saw him the following day, possibly the SIL took care of it alone after she left. Since no one in the neighborhood saw the JeM's car, we are left to the timeline provided by a possible murderer. But even with that timeline, there would have been ample opportunity for foul play.

JeM could have driven Bob somewhere- while either dead or alive- and disposed of him. Bob could have gotten into the car voluntarily on a ruse. After that, there would be all sorts of possibilities. JeM could have dumped Bob anywhere, including at his own house temporarily. I don't remember reading that cadaver dogs were at the daughter's homes.

Since the SIL was admittedly the last to see Bob alive, I believe he knows what happened.

 

[suzyq211]

This first link is for the news clip where Bob chokes up talking about finding and marrying Fontelle.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/video...8-4241-8dcf-487f0325ed61&src=front&title=KTLA

This link is to a similar story with a much happier ending.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/video...8-4241-8dcf-487f0325ed61&src=front&title=KTLA''

I believe when elderly people find each other and are in love, they do not hesitate to do what they want, because they realize they do not have that much time left.

I believe that Bob was honest with Fontelle about what was happening in the family, and she is sitting firm, determined to see it out. I give her ALOT of credit and admire her for her bravery in this circumstance.

IMO

 

[Cubby]

This first link is for the news clip where Bob chokes up talking about finding and marrying Fontelle.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/video...8-4241-8dcf-487f0325ed61&src=front&title=KTLA

This link is to a similar story with a much happier ending.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/video...8-4241-8dcf-487f0325ed61&src=front&title=KTLA''

I believe when elderly people find each other and are in love, they do not hesitate to do what they want, because they realize they do not have that much time left.

I believe that Bob was honest with Fontelle about what was happening in the family, and she is sitting firm, determined to see it out. I give her ALOT of credit and admire her for her bravery in this circumstance.

IMO

I agree. Bobs daughters would like nothing more than for Fontelle to just go away. For Bobs case to just become another cold case, wait for him to be declared deceased, obtain his money (which imo is the reason for Bobs presumed murder) and go about their lives.

Fontelle has her boots firmly planted as a voice for Bob to ensure he is not forgotten and receives the justice he so deserves. I too admire her bravery and tenacity as a voice for Bob now that he no longer has a voice.

 

[Cubby]

We don't know if anyone saw SIL's truck in Bobs driveway the morning he disappeared or at what times SIL's truck was in the driveway.

We do know LE was unable to find a single witness to corroborate SIL's 'story' about a black tahoe slowly lurking through the community.
Not one witness. There was never a black tahoe slowly lurking through the neighborhood.

If one looks at the missing persons report and well being check, one will see SIL originally told his wife -who then reported to Mrs. Harrod- he last saw Bob at 11:00 am, yet it wasn't for a full 10 hours did someone from Bobs CA family call in a well being check.

10 hours! 10 hours to come up with a story as to what happened that day, feed it to Fontelle and try to pin Bobs disappearance on the hair dresser. (who was ruled out w/in 9 or so weeks IIRC of Bobs disappearance).

 

[Cracka*Jaxx]

We don't know if anyone saw SIL's truck in Bobs driveway the morning he disappeared or at what times SIL's truck was in the driveway.

We do know LE was unable to find a single witness to corroborate SIL's 'story' about a black tahoe slowly lurking through the community. Not one witness. There was never a black tahoe slowly lurking through the neighborhood.

There are an awful lot of oblivious people in that neighborhood!