GUILTY CA - Leila Fowler, 8, murdered, 12yo charged, Valley Springs, 27 Apr 2013 - #1

[katydid23]

I live ~45 min from this area. There is great family communities up in the foothills of the Sierras, and lots of retirees. But it is VERY well-known meth country up there, and along with all these nice people who have moved to escape city living, they are living along side some pretty major meth heads.

JMO, I think this guy was ramped up on drugs, attempted a break in, and freaked. But I do not rule out the possibility of a child predator angle (hence the dna), although it would be very odd to brutally stab the victim as he did. The question I have is how long was the 12 yr old gone from the house? Perhaps he was outside playing? This time factor is somewhat important when speculating. Of course, LE is keeping most of this quiet for now, and we will have to wait to find out. I hope this animal is found quickly.

Yes, there are pockets of meth freaks up there, unfortunately. Sad because it is a beautiful area and a great place to raise a family.

I am not sure that the 12 yr old ever left the home. I am thinking he probably was playing video games or had headphones on or was listening to an i-pod. When my son was 12, I could knock on his door and he could not hear me because of his headphones and video games.

His little sis was probably playing in her room or in the family room watching TV and he was probably a normal 12 yr old and in his own room, oblivious to the surroundings for awhile. He did hear noises and called his parents cell and said he heard an intruder though. Poor kid. :cry:

 

[tlcya]

I do not think anything has been reported to indicate the 12 year old left the house. My impression is that he was in a different area of the house and probably encountered the intruder just after he had stabbed the 8 yr old in another area of the home. ie. the intruder encountered sis, stabbed her, was making his way back out of the home as things had just taken an unexpected turn, and while intruder was exiting he was witnessed by 12 yr old who placed a phone call to report the intruder and went to locate his sister, only to find her stabbed and near death.

I could be wrong but that is my impression of the accounts thus far.

 

[The Cheese]

Marc Klaas ‏@PollyDad 6m
I'm on HLN w Kiera Phillips @ 9 talking about 8-yr-old Leila Fowler Murder http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_...ear-old-calif-girl-authorities-say/?tag=socsh … via @CBSNews

 

[lillygator]

it wold take someone really messed up or someone so confident they wouldn't be seen to do this mid-day.....

 

[Miziree]

A few years ago our next door neighbors house was broken into at noon. We moved and last year our next door neighbor was broken into at 11 am right after she left and was gone less then an hour. Last week a armed robber broken into a house with a women inside and robbed her 6 houses from mine at 2:30. Im bringing this up to show how often houses are robbed during the day. It happens more often then you think. Most people in my neighborhood are gone during the day. Less chance someone is home. Unless you follow local police blogs you might not know of them. Of the 3 listed above only one was in the news I believe because a guns was used and someone was home. R.I.P Lella! My heart goes out to this family! Moo

 

[Hopeful One]

My DD is 12 almost 13. She is mature, responsible and we have recently been giving her more responsibility. One of those is limited time babysitting of her 9 yr old (this week) brother.

This story breaks my heart for the 12 year old brother. IMO he was old enough to be charged with the responsibility of being the oldest sibling at home for an hour or two with his sister. The fact that this happened, I cannot imagine how horrifying for him. For his parents, the guilt. For him, the survivor guilt.

Just awful. Anyway, this one hits me hard because it could just as easily have happened to my children.

How do you help your children grow into responsible adults if you don't let them assume responsibilities as they reach appropriate ages? Scary. Rethinking the babysitting thing now and I should not have to because some nutbag decided to wander into these peoples home and stab a child to death.

BBM

I keep thinking the same thing. I have a 14-yo boy and a 10-yo girl and they are home alone after school every day until we get home from work. This scares the daylights out of me.

 

[mysteriew]

Sheriffs office says they might have prints and DNA. Ok prints. This is a home with 2 parents and several kids. You would expect prints to be there. But LE feels that these are probably from the suspect. What would make them feel they were from the suspect? Did the suspect leave something behind?

What deputies believe is DNA found. In my way of thinking, blood on a knife wouldn't be it. Blood on a knife could be Leila's blood. But they have found something that makes them believe they have the suspect's DNA. Something visible to the deputies. If she had blood under her nails, again that could be her own blood. Would not be able to visually determine whose blood it was. Skin they might be able to determine. Semen or spit are other possibilities.

Have they found the weapon? Neighbors along the exit path should be looking for a knife if they haven't found it. He could have kept it, pitched it in a field or dropped it in a creek or someone's trash.

 

[Kaliste]

Sheriffs office says they might have prints and DNA. Ok prints. This is a home with 2 parents and several kids. You would expect prints to be there. But LE feels that these are probably from the suspect. What would make them feel they were from the suspect? Did the suspect leave something behind?

What deputies believe is DNA found. In my way of thinking, blood on a knife wouldn't be it. Blood on a knife could be Leila's blood. But they have found something that makes them believe they have the suspect's DNA. Something visible to the deputies. If she had blood under her nails, again that could be her own blood. Would not be able to visually determine whose blood it was. Skin they might be able to determine. Semen or spit are other possibilities.

Have they found the weapon? Neighbors along the exit path should be looking for a knife if they haven't found it. He could have kept it, pitched it in a field or dropped it in a creek or someone's trash.

Perhaps bloody handprints? I hope they have tons of evidence and can catch up with this awful person sooner rather than later. I really feel for the brother right now

 

[tlcya]

nowadays forensics is also able to locate "touch" DNA although the science is still new, I have seen it coming up more frequently in cases in the last year.

Fingerprints could indicate anything. The 12 year old apparently saw the intruder in the home. Possibly saw him touching an item or items such as a specific door used to exit. Suspect is not reported to have been wearing gloves so likely LE got fingerprints from point of access or egress of home.

I hope he dropped the knife and left it behind, but only time will tell.

Touch DNA refers to the DNA that is left behind from skin cells when a person touches or comes into
contact with an item. However, since Touch DNA (also referred to as wearer or contact DNA) is invisible
to the naked eye, and is usually deposited in smaller amounts than the DNA found in bloodstains or other
body fluids, it is more difficult to identify areas where skin cells may be present. As such, it can be quite challenging to obtain DNA profiles from these samples. Obtaining successful Touch DNA results depends on
recognizing items which may be suitable for Touch DNA analysis, proper collection/storage of these items,
and the subsequent use of the optimal sampling technique that will recover the highest number of skin cells

http://www.newenglandinnocence.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/ACSR-Touch-DNA-Paper-Williamson.pdf

 

[katydid23]

nowadays forensics is also able to locate "touch" DNA although the science is still new, I have seen it coming up more frequently in cases in the last year.

Fingerprints could indicate anything. The 12 year old apparently saw the intruder in the home. Possibly saw him touching an item or items such as a specific door used to exit. Suspect is not reported to have been wearing gloves so likely LE got fingerprints from point of access or egress of home.

I hope he dropped the knife and left it behind, but only time will tell.



http://www.newenglandinnocence.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/ACSR-Touch-DNA-Paper-Williamson.pdf

I am thinking they figured out how he came in. Maybe a sliding glass door or a back door or a garage entrance. Or maybe the boy saw him run out a front door, and open it, or touch something on the way out?

I hope it was not semen or something like that. I don't think so though. I think this was a tweaker, a drug addled meth head, that broke in to steal something and found a vulnerable girl and acted out violently. :frown:

 

[Helenstreet]

Sheriffs office says they might have prints and DNA. Ok prints. This is a home with 2 parents and several kids. You would expect prints to be there. But LE feels that these are probably from the suspect. What would make them feel they were from the suspect? Did the suspect leave something behind?

What deputies believe is DNA found. In my way of thinking, blood on a knife wouldn't be it. Blood on a knife could be Leila's blood. But they have found something that makes them believe they have the suspect's DNA. Something visible to the deputies. If she had blood under her nails, again that could be her own blood. Would not be able to visually determine whose blood it was. Skin they might be able to determine. Semen or spit are other possibilities.

Have they found the weapon? Neighbors along the exit path should be looking for a knife if they haven't found it. He could have kept it, pitched it in a field or dropped it in a creek or someone's trash.

Is this new information regarding the suspect's DNA found? Or, are you referring to press conference from yesterday? Thanks!

 

[tlcya]

Also important to remember that LE yesterday was telling people to be on the lookout and report info regarding anyone with unexplained injuries or who had left the area suddenly or for unexplained reasons.

We speculated that perhaps LE might have reason to believe the perp was injured in the attack

 

[tlcya]

midday home burglaries.

in the last six months within the one block area of my own home

two separate houses broken into twice each. One has SAHM who literally was gone 20 minutes, she dropped kids off at school (two blocks away) and ran down to the convenience store (three blocks further) then home. All electronics gone.

Two weeks later, went to pick kids up from school, spent 10 minutes outside waiting for the release bell and then home. All the items they had replaced with brand new ones were gone.

The other house working mom, teen boys home after school hours. also robbed twice, first time stole electronic devices and second returned to steal the replacements.

Thank goodness for my large visible from the street vocal intimidating dogs. I highly doubt a thief would choose our home. But man, this story just really upsets me.

 

[miimaa]

Sadly I expect to hear news soon revealing an ever worse scenario than any posts here layout. Listening to the news this morning they said a certain person had "NOT YET BEEN NAMED A SUSPECT". I hope to be proven wrong but I do not believe the story as has been told. This is my opinion only so please don't start slamming me.

 

[mysteriew]

Is this new information regarding the suspect's DNA found? Or, are you referring to press conference from yesterday? Thanks!

From the press conference yesterday, LE seems pretty confident they have his DNA.

 

[katydid23]

I had been keeping my DS's big German Shepherd until they had a yard for her. They just recently bought a home with a great yard and so she moved away. :frown: I really miss having that gig ferocious dog at my side. Now I just have the chihuahua. LOL She warns us
of danger, but it is not the same thing when a chihuahua barks at the door, as it is when a 85 lb Shepherd does.

 

[snapdragon]

Yes, there are pockets of meth freaks up there, unfortunately. Sad because it is a beautiful area and a great place to raise a family.

I am not sure that the 12 yr old ever left the home. I am thinking he probably was playing video games or had headphones on or was listening to an i-pod. When my son was 12, I could knock on his door and he could not hear me because of his headphones and video games.

His little sis was probably playing in her room or in the family room watching TV and he was probably a normal 12 yr old and in his own room, oblivious to the surroundings for awhile. He did hear noises and called his parents cell and said he heard an intruder though. Poor kid. :cry:

When I read earlier news stories about this case, i was left with the impression that the brother "returned" to the house to discover an intruder. Now when i look up updated stories, all the verbiage states "encountered an intruder" in the home. Had I read those words initially, i wouldn't have gotten the impression that the brother "returned" to the house. Could be shoddy initial reporting- wouldn't be the first time.

 

[mysteriew]

Also important to remember that LE yesterday was telling people to be on the lookout and report info regarding anyone with unexplained injuries or who had left the area suddenly or for unexplained reasons.

We speculated that perhaps LE might have reason to believe the perp was injured in the attack

I had forgotten about the "unexplained injuries" comment. So there is a possibility that he was injured somehow. That could be the source of their confidence that they have his DNA. They could have his blood.

Did the brother injure him somehow maybe?

To me it would be important for LE to say what type of injury they are looking for. Ex. if your hubby says he hurt his finger in the garage or broke a glass and cut it picking it up, most wives are not going to question that or look at it as an "unexplained" injury. Just about anything other than a bullet hole can be explained.

 

[Hejlena]

Sadly I expect to hear news soon revealing an ever worse scenario than any posts here layout. Listening to the news this morning they said a certain person had "NOT YET BEEN NAMED A SUSPECT". I hope to be proven wrong but I do not believe the story as has been told. This is my opinion only so please don't start slamming me.

I agree this was my first thought. My second thought is that this occurred only 26 miles straight shot from Isabel Celis' home. Just food for thought.

 

[Helenstreet]

From the press conference yesterday, LE seems pretty confident they have his DNA.

Thank you for clarifying. I watched the press conference yesterday, and I do not recall it being specified whose DNA and fingerprints LE had found in the home. I will venture a step further here; I don't believe that law enforcement has even officially stated absolutely that there even was really a home invasion. Yes, they are being extra cautious and searching for an unknown assailant, but they could be conducting a parallel investigation as well for all we know. Has there been any other mention in the news media about the neighbor's claim that he saw a man running from the home?