GUILTY CA - Erin Corwin, 19, pregnant, Twentynine Palms, 28 June 2014 - #8

[la2cabo]

Sorry to be the voice of dissent, but I could not disagree more. The affair was already public knowledge at the time of it's release. And given the manner in which it was conducted (the specifics of which shall not be mentioned here), it's hard to imagine a less toned down reaction from the public in both quantity and quality.

Regardless, the public needed to know the warrant pc information because

1. Any Chris Lee sightings from that weekend will help the investigation.
2. More people than just the Sheriffs office are involved in the investigation.
3. Given both the data in the warrant and the actions with regard to search locations, it's difficult to imagine a more incompetent Law Enforcement exercise than this abominable search effort. (The public needs to know how bad the case is going)

Why Joshua Tree National Park? Why search in the last place she could ever be?

-She's not going there. She lied to her husband about her itinerary because she's spending the day with her mistress.
-They're not going there, they're going two hours away to a place where hunting is allowed.
-He's not going there, why would a selfish *advertiser censored* spend all day in the sweltering heat and boiling sun when he can just as easily go to a national forest where there's shade, and where the thing you want to hunt will actually come out of hiding?
-A murderer isn't going there, there's thousands of people with ~twice as many watchful eyes. And when she's presumed lost, guess where all the cops are going to show up looking for her? The last place she said she was going.... Duh!

What in the world makes them think they'll find her there still? STILL??

Also, search warrants are made public all the time, sometimes people's behavior is brought to light because of this. Don't blame the public's right to know, because most of the time a warrant is due to that behavior. Such actions often bring shame and sadness to family, spouses and friends. This is why everyone should be cautious of their actions, they do have an impact on other people.

These thoughts are mine and mine alone.

BBM ~ Do you feel that SBSO has handled this poorly and they are incompetent?

 

[Mrs. Gladden]

CL tells LE he left base at 7:30am. He also tells LE he returned at 1600. Supposing there is video surveillance at the base verifying these times, that's an 8 1/2 hr time span. If we consider that road trip mentioned in the texts to her friend in TN, that covers 4 to 5 hrs. If he did kill her, filling another 3 1/2 - 4 1/2 hr gap begs more questions than my brain can handle.

 

[nikb]

I think that Erin was a volunteer - not an employee. Lots of info in the last 2 threads. Not to be "Cranky":thinking:
but who is HL?

That's what I thought as well. I thought she was a volunteer, and sponsor of a horse (sort of the same role as CL when it comes to the ranch, right?).

 

[azure]

I don't post here much anymore because we don't have any new info and it's so agonizing waiting for LE to make a move that it's easier to ignore this case. However, based on everything I know from following this case from day 1, with a hefty dose of MOO added in, I think there was no way the baby could have been JC's. I think, sadly, Erin strung him along after she promised to stop seeing CL and didn't. My feeling is that there was no intimacy, emotional or otherwise, in the Corwins relationship, and once JC found out she was pregnant, he was livid because he knew it couldn't be his. JMO MOO. I think the "EC told JC she was pregnant on Father's Day" is just rumor.

 

[la2cabo]

It's not from FB -- it's from reading military news website comments on articles about the case, which is also considered social media/rumor.

I saw it on FB so in my opinion it is a rumor that has not been verified as a fact.

 

[atthelake]

I came in very late in this case and i have a question which has been bugging me since i first came on thread. Can y'all help me get up to speed please.

Her boyfriend was leaving in a few days .. with his wife. Done deal.. Right ?.. they were leaving for alaska.

How can anybody in that situation go out to celebrate the pregnancy that supposedly ..rumored..was between the 2?

If he, and she, were really celebrating would not that mean that they were preparing to leave their spouses...

TIA for helping me to get up to speed as this point i do not understand at all and makes no sense to me.

I just cannot buy the woman would be so naive to think if a man was planning on moving away in 1 week or a month with his wife out of state... that i would text a girlfriend to say that i was going to be celebrating the pregnancy.

It would be more like what the heeck am i going to do.. we're going to the mountains to discuss this very serious thing.

I just don't understand.

 

[nikb]

I came in very late in this case and i have a question which has been bugging me since i first came on thread. Can y'all help me get up to speed please.

Her boyfriend was leaving in a few days .. with his wife. Done deal.. Right ?.. they were leaving for alaska.

How can anybody in that situation go out to celebrate the pregnancy that supposedly ..rumored..was between the 2?

If he, and she, were really celebrating would not that mean that they were preparing to leave their spouses...

TIA for helping me to get up to speed as this point i do not understand at all and makes no sense to me.

I just cannot buy the woman would be so naive to think if a man was planning on moving away in 1 week or a month with his wife out of state... that i would text a girlfriend to say that i was going to be celebrating the pregnancy.

It would be more like what the heeck am i going to do.. we're going to the mountains to discuss this very serious thing.

I just don't understand.

She didn't have a boyfriend - she was cheating on her husband, and the man she was having the affair with was also married and cheating on his wife. Semantics I guess but I have a problem with legitimizing this type of relationship by calling him a "boyfriend" (or, not to be sexist, calling her a "girlfriend"). JMO and all, and maybe a pet peeve of mine.

But you're right, the whole celebration story doesn't make much sense, especially in that context. I am betting she got sucked into CL's story and the moment, and probably never knew he might hurt her.

 

[IntriguedAgain]

I've lurked for awhile, but this is my first post. Here are my questions and/or 2 cents about some points to the case. I keep coming back to these issues as key points that seem to be overlooked when speculating. Personally, I can't see how JC can be responsible since I can't understand how he could have gotten around the cameras. That said, there might be pictures of him coming and going that we know nothing about. That stands for every POI in this case, including Erin.

~ There are many high level cameras covering different areas of the entrance/exit areas at the base. This means LE obviously knows if, and precisely when, Erin left the base. They have the same information for CL, NL, and JC. Unfortunately, we have no idea what this information is. It has a huge impact on the suspect pool.

~ There are cameras covering the entrance/exit areas of JTNP. This means LE obviously knows if, and when, Erin entered the park and if she was alone or in the company of another individual and who that individual is. They would also know if another POI was there in a vehicle. They would have the same information for CL, NL, and JC. Unfortunately, we have no idea what this information is. This might be the reason they are so focused about searching at JTNP. Or not. Who knows.

~ In early reports, I read that a Park Ranger saw Erin in the park around 8 AM. I do not know if this is fact or an error in early reporting. This might be the reason they are so focused about searching at JTNP. Or not. Who knows.

~ Given the fact that Erin's affair had already been discovered by JC a few months before she went missing, and they decided to work it out, I do not find it odd that he didn't immediately broadcast her absence to their friends and neighbors since most of them also knew of the affair. I have no idea how JC felt, but I can imagine he was humiliated by the affair and did not want to look like a bigger fool by calling around looking for her when she was probably with CL. I find it reasonable to assume that he was embarrassed and thought she was with CL. That would have been overwhelmingly hurtful and humiliating and no one knows how they would react in his shoes, as we have not been there. We don't even know how their personal interaction was as a couple, so it is hard to speculate exactly where their relationship was at that moment in time. Maybe they had a disagreement and he thought she was making a point by staying away...or maybe he thought everything was perfect again. Who knows? We do not have any information on how many times he called her cell, if he contacted her friends, drove around looking for her, etc. Nothing has been released. Everyone keeps harping on the fact that he didn't do anything until the next day, but we have zero knowledge of who he called and when.

~ LE indicated that a missing persons report was filed the next morning. What we DON'T know is if he called the police at any time PRIOR to filing the formal missing persons report. We don't know if he called hospitals or inquired about wrecks, etc. We don't know if he called his superior on base and informed them of Erin's absence or if he contacted the military police about her missing status. For all we know, he called his supervisor within hours and was instructed to calm down and give her time to come home (since most people would assume a woman who just had an affair is most likely with her lover again and will return home soon). Or he might have contacted military police and filed a report and they told to wait until morning and contact civilian LE if she wasn't home by "x" time. All we know is when the formal civilian LE report was filed, but that doesn't mean he hadn't alerted others prior to that and the information simply hasn't been publicly released. It also does not mean that he did anything prior to filing the official missing persons report. We have no idea.

This is obviously just my opinion, but these issues are hard for me to overlook. There are several KEY pieces of information being withheld from the public and it is very hard to get a good feeling on things without knowing the camera information for each POI or who JC talked to about Erin's absence and when he made each call. I lean very heavily toward CL being responsible and NL as an accomplice-but without a little more information I find it hard to figure out a solid timeline of events that lead to a solid opinion. I just hope she is found, and soon.

 

[Salem]

Totally O/T, but since I am fairly new here but very interested, I am just starting to look around at the forum. Is there some sort of "introduce yourself" thread anywhere?

Right here: http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...Newbies!-Stop-in-and-say-Hi!-(Freshman-Mixer)

It's in the members' only area

and :welcome:

Salem

 

[Fairy1]

I don't care about the "affair." I don't care about motive or opportunity or any of that stuff. The bottom line is, Erin is missing and it's been well over a month now. I want them to find her. It certainly seems LE has an idea about what happened and where and who is responsible. I don't care. WHERE IS ERIN???

 

[Knox]

I check in every morning to see if someone has been arrested yet. Attention to this case, (just like they all do) is waning. But really there is nothing new to discuss, frustrating.

 

[nikb]

<snipped for space>
~ Given the fact that Erin's affair had already been discovered by JC a few months before she went missing, and they decided to work it out, I do not find it odd that he didn't immediately broadcast her absence to their friends and neighbors since most of them also knew of the affair. I have no idea how JC felt, but I can imagine he was humiliated by the affair and did not want to look like a bigger fool by calling around looking for her when she was probably with CL. I find it reasonable to assume that he was embarrassed and thought she was with CL. That would have been overwhelmingly hurtful and humiliating and no one knows how they would react in his shoes, as we have not been there. We don't even know how their personal interaction was as a couple, so it is hard to speculate exactly where their relationship was at that moment in time. Maybe they had a disagreement and he thought she was making a point by staying away...or maybe he thought everything was perfect again. Who knows? We do not have any information on how many times he called her cell, if he contacted her friends, drove around looking for her, etc. Nothing has been released. Everyone keeps harping on the fact that he didn't do anything until the next day, but we have zero knowledge of who he called and when.

~ LE indicated that a missing persons report was filed the next morning. What we DON'T know is if he called the police at any time PRIOR to filing the formal missing persons report. We don't know if he called hospitals or inquired about wrecks, etc. We don't know if he called his superior on base and informed them of Erin's absence or if he contacted the military police about her missing status. For all we know, he called his supervisor within hours and was instructed to calm down and give her time to come home (since most people would assume a woman who just had an affair is most likely with her lover again and will return home soon). Or he might have contacted military police and filed a report and they told to wait until morning and contact civilian LE if she wasn't home by "x" time. All we know is when the formal civilian LE report was filed, but that doesn't mean he hadn't alerted others prior to that and the information simply hasn't been publicly released. It also does not mean that he did anything prior to filing the official missing persons report. We have no idea.

This is obviously just my opinion, but these issues are hard for me to overlook. There are several KEY pieces of information being withheld from the public and it is very hard to get a good feeling on things without knowing the camera information for each POI or who JC talked to about Erin's absence and when he made each call. I lean very heavily toward CL being responsible and NL as an accomplice-but without a little more information I find it hard to figure out a solid timeline of events that lead to a solid opinion. I just hope she is found, and soon.

Welcome!!

All very good points. I hope she is found soon too. Sort of had to give up on the "found safe" but there's always an outside chance.

Unless I mis-read it or misunderstood the People article I guess he DID in fact go looking for her that night after she went missing. I don't have the magazine in front of me but I thought it said he called some buddies and they went looking for her.

That said I agree that the timeline is very confusing, and I feel like we don't have enough info to even follow.

 

[goldenbear]

I am surprised that no one has reported seeing Erin in Las Vegas. Almost all the missing in California are reported having been seen there.

 

[Fairy1]

I am surprised that no one has reported seeing Erin in Las Vegas. Almost all the missing in California are reported having been seen there.

I'm in Las Vegas and I would actually be looking for Erin -if i thought she was still alive. But I don't.

 

[Nora Charles]

I came in very late in this case and i have a question which has been bugging me since i first came on thread. Can y'all help me get up to speed please.

Her boyfriend was leaving in a few days .. with his wife. Done deal.. Right ?.. they were leaving for alaska.

How can anybody in that situation go out to celebrate the pregnancy that supposedly ..rumored..was between the 2?

If he, and she, were really celebrating would not that mean that they were preparing to leave their spouses...

TIA for helping me to get up to speed as this point i do not understand at all and makes no sense to me.

I just cannot buy the woman would be so naive to think if a man was planning on moving away in 1 week or a month with his wife out of state... that i would text a girlfriend to say that i was going to be celebrating the pregnancy.

It would be more like what the heeck am i going to do.. we're going to the mountains to discuss this very serious thing.

I just don't understand.

I think most of us have difficulty with this! It's so far removed from what we would think of as acceptable behavior in our own lives, so when presented with the situation it just seems OBVIOUS Erin and CL aren't going to ride into the sunset and live happily ever after. Off the top of my head, here's just a few of the possible reasons she might have "willingly believed" whatever CL told her, even if it didn't make sense to her at the time...

Some family members have described Erin as naive, shy, inexperienced in the world, etc.
She had just moved away from home to an area where she did not have family/friends
She was left at home all day (IM stated she was hired but never started working for Tractor Supply...for what that's worth)
She was on a military base in the middle of the desert, with not much to do in the area
She had a miscarriage earlier this year (some question whether that was the truth)
She was a newlywed
She was only 19 years old

Kind of the "perfect storm" of circumstances if she was looking for an "escape" and thought CL was the person who could make that happen. Mind you, I could shoot this all down in a New York minute...but back in the day when I was 19 I made some pretty stupid decisions by just living in the moment, not thinking about things too much and hoping everything would turn out ok in the end. Needless to say, things rarely turn out ok if you are purposely turning off your critical thinking skills. I don't know that we will ever truly make sense of this, but maybe that's because most of us are older, bolder, wiser, more experienced in the world, and have a network of friends/family near where we live.

 

[RSC]

Also....if CL was unstable enough to harm erin, then he was clearly unstable enough to have played mind games with her.

Say, for instance, she told CL that she was going to work things out with JC. But say CL still didn't want to risk her having the baby and screwing up his own family. Say all of this was preplanned...and he told EC that he was going to leave his wife for her...

That's just one scenario. I think there are many possibilities, and that she absolutely could have believed it was a celebration.

Or...perhaps it was. Perhaps they were trying to plan a life together, and NL found out, threatened that he would lose his daughter, and...
(I doubt this one...)

I think most of us have difficulty with this! It's so far removed from what we would think of as acceptable behavior in our own lives, so when presented with the situation it just seems OBVIOUS Erin and CL aren't going to ride into the sunset and live happily ever after. Off the top of my head, here's just a few of the possible reasons she might have "willingly believed" whatever CL told her, even if it didn't make sense to her at the time...

Some family members have described Erin as naive, shy, inexperienced in the world, etc.
She had just moved away from home to an area where she did not have family/friends
She was left at home all day (IM stated she was hired but never started working for Tractor Supply...for what that's worth)
She was on a military base in the middle of the desert, with not much to do in the area
She had a miscarriage earlier this year (some question whether that was the truth)
She was a newlywed
She was only 19 years old

Kind of the "perfect storm" of circumstances if she was looking for an "escape" and thought CL was the person who could make that happen. Mind you, I could shoot this all down in a New York minute...but back in the day when I was 19 I made some pretty stupid decisions by just living in the moment, not thinking about things too much and hoping everything would turn out ok in the end. Needless to say, things rarely turn out ok if you are purposely turning off your critical thinking skills. I don't know that we will ever truly make sense of this, but maybe that's because most of us are older, bolder, wiser, more experienced in the world, and have a network of friends/family near where we live.

 

[Nora Charles]

I've lurked for awhile, but this is my first post. Here are my questions and/or 2 cents about some points to the case. I keep coming back to these issues as key points that seem to be overlooked when speculating. Personally, I can't see how JC can be responsible since I can't understand how he could have gotten around the cameras. That said, there might be pictures of him coming and going that we know nothing about. That stands for every POI in this case, including Erin.

~ There are many high level cameras covering different areas of the entrance/exit areas at the base. This means LE obviously knows if, and precisely when, Erin left the base. They have the same information for CL, NL, and JC. Unfortunately, we have no idea what this information is. It has a huge impact on the suspect pool.

~ There are cameras covering the entrance/exit areas of JTNP. This means LE obviously knows if, and when, Erin entered the park and if she was alone or in the company of another individual and who that individual is. They would also know if another POI was there in a vehicle. They would have the same information for CL, NL, and JC. Unfortunately, we have no idea what this information is. This might be the reason they are so focused about searching at JTNP. Or not. Who knows.

~ In early reports, I read that a Park Ranger saw Erin in the park around 8 AM. I do not know if this is fact or an error in early reporting. This might be the reason they are so focused about searching at JTNP. Or not. Who knows.

~ Given the fact that Erin's affair had already been discovered by JC a few months before she went missing, and they decided to work it out, I do not find it odd that he didn't immediately broadcast her absence to their friends and neighbors since most of them also knew of the affair. I have no idea how JC felt, but I can imagine he was humiliated by the affair and did not want to look like a bigger fool by calling around looking for her when she was probably with CL. I find it reasonable to assume that he was embarrassed and thought she was with CL. That would have been overwhelmingly hurtful and humiliating and no one knows how they would react in his shoes, as we have not been there. We don't even know how their personal interaction was as a couple, so it is hard to speculate exactly where their relationship was at that moment in time. Maybe they had a disagreement and he thought she was making a point by staying away...or maybe he thought everything was perfect again. Who knows? We do not have any information on how many times he called her cell, if he contacted her friends, drove around looking for her, etc. Nothing has been released. Everyone keeps harping on the fact that he didn't do anything until the next day, but we have zero knowledge of who he called and when.

~ LE indicated that a missing persons report was filed the next morning. What we DON'T know is if he called the police at any time PRIOR to filing the formal missing persons report. We don't know if he called hospitals or inquired about wrecks, etc. We don't know if he called his superior on base and informed them of Erin's absence or if he contacted the military police about her missing status. For all we know, he called his supervisor within hours and was instructed to calm down and give her time to come home (since most people would assume a woman who just had an affair is most likely with her lover again and will return home soon). Or he might have contacted military police and filed a report and they told to wait until morning and contact civilian LE if she wasn't home by "x" time. All we know is when the formal civilian LE report was filed, but that doesn't mean he hadn't alerted others prior to that and the information simply hasn't been publicly released. It also does not mean that he did anything prior to filing the official missing persons report. We have no idea.

This is obviously just my opinion, but these issues are hard for me to overlook. There are several KEY pieces of information being withheld from the public and it is very hard to get a good feeling on things without knowing the camera information for each POI or who JC talked to about Erin's absence and when he made each call. I lean very heavily toward CL being responsible and NL as an accomplice-but without a little more information I find it hard to figure out a solid timeline of events that lead to a solid opinion. I just hope she is found, and soon.

First of all... :welcome4: We are glad you decided to join in the discussion!! Here's some comments on what you wrote...

From what we understand, you are correct about the cameras - they would provide a TON of information!!

The Park Ranger sighting has never been confirmed as more than rumor. Some people do/don't believe it happened, but that's opinion rather than fact since LE has been silent.

Unless I'm having a brain freeze, I don't recall a family member/LE/MSM confirming that JC knew about the affair. A neighbor knew and told LE, according to the Statement of Probable Cause, but that doesn't necessarily mean JC knew. Many believe he did know, and it's certainly likely, but again I think we are dealing with opinion rather than confirmed fact. (Same goes for the "party" both couples supposedly attended Friday night.)

As for JC's efforts to find Erin...we have a few family members who have stated he called/looked around, but the family's comments sometimes aren't the same. And as for JC himself, he could be a figment of our imagination for all we know! Not a statement, not an appearance, not a video...nothing. I'm certainly not faulting him for it at all, but we can't hear anything from the horse's mouth because we can't even find the horse!

As for your statement, "There are several KEY pieces of information being withheld from the public," truer words were never spoken. This has been a seriously bizarre handling of this missing person's case, and I truly hope the end justify their means. No posters/fliers? No regular updates? No hubby/family doing the MSM circuit to "keep her picture in the news"? No pressers with Q/A time? Etc. Etc. Etc. I certainly don't understand, and unfortunately I don't see anything changing until they find Erin.

Wait! Oh my gosh, what is this I noticed???? You didn't have ANY comment about the red car??!!! (Couldn't resist! lol)

Your comments show it's clear you know this case. Thanks for researching it so thoroughly and posting your thoughts. Keep 'em coming! And, of course, now I'm curious what you think about the red car.

 

[Voice4theSilent]

Lot's of MOO's going on around here, it gets so people forget about the MMO (Means, Motive, and Opportunity).

Obviously CL could have lied to Erin about where he was taking her that day. But the lack of opportunity precluded him from doing so. Look at the evidence to see his mode of operations. He didn't kill her at the rendezvous point, or in the car, or in the jeep later on, or at the house, or the ranch. In his mind he wasn't comfortable with those locations for untold reasons, so he had to do it at their destination. Why would she let him drive her some place other than where she thought they were going? No, this guy had to set up the opportunity to do this to her, which means moving her to a predetermined location without her becoming "wise" to his intentions. Ergo she died where she thought they were going hunting that day, or at a secluded spot along the way. Either way, not in JTNP.

Maybe, but remember Erin is 5'2" and her phone was shut off. Once she was in his car he could have taken her anywhere. "Two hours away" didn't have to be two hours away or it could have been two hours away and also close to one of the same areas that LE, FBI, Border Patrol, etc. have searched outside of JTNP. It could have been two hours away off road, which would be a lot shorter distance than two hours away on a highway or freeway. It could have been four hours away. We don't know. He may have taken her to a place where hunting is legal or he may have taken her to a place that hunting is not legal. Again, we don't know. We have to agree that LE has more information than you and I do, right? (phone pings, etc.) and that we also do not know everywhere that they are searching. I'm still holding out hope that the Sheriff's Department, FBI, Border Patrol, etc., etc., aren't spending so much time, resources, and manpower to search for Erin in locations based solely on her telling her husband she was going to scout locations in JTNP. MOO.

 

[Voice4theSilent]

I wonder if the "what" that was supposedly missed in the non-search of CL & NL's garage was NL's jeep. I hope one of the sealed search warrants was for her jeep.

 

[rosesfromangels]

Also....if CL was unstable enough to harm erin, then he was clearly unstable enough to have played mind games with her.
Say, for instance, she told CL that she was going to work things out with JC. But say CL still didn't want to risk her having the baby and screwing up his own family. Say all of this was preplanned...and he told EC that he was going to leave his wife for her...

That's just one scenario. I think there are many possibilities, and that she absolutely could have believed it was a celebration.

Or...perhaps it was. Perhaps they were trying to plan a life together, and NL found out, threatened that he would lose his daughter, and...
(I doubt this one...)

From what I have read on this thread, CL is not portrayed as a particularly "complex" thinker. Mind games, or an elaborate disposal plan appear to be more associated with Mrs. CL.
THIS IS SPECULATION ONLY.