Still Missing CA - Orson & Orrin West (3&4), California City, 21 Dec 2020 #4

[MsBetsy]

I keep thinking it may have been a relative of the AP's ?
As in, a grandparent ?
When the police chief said some people close to the family had been asked to take a polygraph --he didn't specify whom it was.
As far as people outside the family, I don't think it was said if the boys attended daycare or a Head start program ?
My guess as of now -- is that LE have a rough timeline.
And it sounds like they have info. that they're holding back which is good news as progress is hopefully being made !!
Imo.

I'm guessing the witnesses who said they last saw the boys in Bakersfield were asked to take a polygraph. This might indicate that LE is questioning whether or not they are being honest about when they last saw them.

If LE was sure about the date they were last seen by anyone besides the parents, I would think they would release that date to the media.

However, if the family member or others said they last saw the boys before the parents moved to Cal City, that might be the reason the chief is withholding that information.

Imo

 

[Jo in Calif]

no. This is the long interview with the Chief posted by Seattle earlier

According to Walker, the last time the boys were seen by anyone other than the Wests was by their grandmother in Bakersfield. Walker was unable to comment on when that occurred.
https://www.turnto23.com/news/local...-city-boys-adoptive-parents-officials-confirm

 

[Seattle1]

notable from live feed with Police Chief Walker and Kelly Wright:
-7:48 pm the 911 call was made (?? is that real?)
-LE scoured neighborhood and requested footage over night the 21/22nd,
asked for other agency's help on the morning of the 22nd
-he says they feel like they're going in circles, and hope to close that circle soon.

-no they're not suspects at this time, but they're absolutely the last people to see them.
-he says they have "exhausted the neighborhood" of any leads
-he believes it is foul play because a 3-4 yo can't go terribly far (compared to their early searches) he says they would have found them, someone would have had to "assist" them out of the area nefariously.
-they've already done investigations of the RSOs in the neighborhood with no results

-Chief says he believes that racism isn't as strong in Cal City and that people seem to get along more in a way he's not experienced before

^^bbm


Per the Police Chief interview dated 1/22 posted upthread, the call came to dispatch at 5:43 pm and officers responded in 6 minutes or 5:50-ish.

 

[PommyMommy]

1) Bayan Wang, 23ABC, is the author of this article:

JAN 21, 2021
Polygraph test was requested from missing California City boys adoptive parents, officials confirm (turnto23.com)
According to Walker, the last time the boys were seen by anyone other than the Wests was by their grandmother in Bakersfield. Walker was unable to comment on when that occurred.

Before that, Walker said someone other than family also saw the boys in Bakersfield. Walker was unable to comment on that date as well.

2) Bayan Wang, 23ABC, is the reporter who interviewed the Chief in this video posted to Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=409150023692941

3) This is the same interview posted on a different platform (YouTube)

 

[kittythehare]

IIRC the chief said it was the Grandmother and he didn't want to say when she saw them because it would cause speculation.

this interview

 

[kittythehare]

I'm guessing the witnesses who said they last saw the boys in Bakersfield were asked to take a polygraph. This might indicate that LE is questioning whether or not they are being honest about when they last saw them.

If LE was sure about the date they were last seen by anyone besides the parents, I would think they would release that date to the media.

However, if the family member or others said they last saw the boys before the parents moved to Cal City, that might be the reason the chief is withholding that information.

Imo

He states dogs got no scent outside of the house, only inside

 

[Jo in Calif]

this interview

Yes that’s correct. That’s when he said the Grandmother was the last to see them but didn’t want to say when because people would speculate.

 

[kittythehare]

Yes that’s correct. That’s when he said the Grandmother was the last to see them but didn’t want to say when because people would speculate.

8.44. -847 discusses neighbors being aware there were kids in the house

and 10,24 he refers to it again and his reasons for secrecy, this is separate to mention of grandmother seeing him in Bakersfield which came in between

 

[MoeInVA]

Did he say that while holding Justin Lum’s beer?

Dude. The first missing kids advisory for these cal city boys came out with no names no pics only ages. Then they added names and 1 pic. The names were Orson and Orrin — @Mitch1 that very night i searched Twitter on those names and all I got was Mormon stuff, Utah, LDS. I searched google and got the same. Now you search and you will get the boys (of course). And I think the obvious simple explanation makes the most sense (religion probably was not a factor). But it’s not COMPLETELY outside the realm to question if there is a religious comparison between the two cases of missing siblings. JMO.

ETA - Justin Lum seems good!

 

[Seattle1]

More from 1/22/21 Police Chief interview with ABC 23:

Reportedly, all other four children (2 bio kids and 2 foster kids) were not home when the toddlers went missing. Police Chief believes the other kids were on a holiday visit with a grandparent located in Bakersfield, CA.

The children are all currently in foster care and not staying with family members.

There are no suspects but they do have person(s) of interest. (Chief would not elaborate).

ETA: YT transcript

15:41
the way i understand it and the way i've
15:43
been briefed on it there was
15:44
two two biological children
15:47
two foster children and uh oran [Orrin and] norsen [Orson]
15:51
were actually adopted so
15:54
and then ranging in ages from 10 all the
15:56
way down to three
15:57
were you guys able to confirm that the
15:59
day the two boys went missing
16:02
that the parents other four children
16:04
were not at the home at the time they
16:05
were not at the home at the time that is
16:06
correct where were they
16:08
they were in bakersfield with the
16:09
grandmother what was the reason for that
16:13
i think it was a holiday visit that's
16:15
the way it was explained to me

 

[MoeInVA]

Chief (family, friends??)-
SHOW ME THE PHOTOS!
Until I see photos or surveillance footage, I am still at Thanksgiving 2019.

The most recent photos we’ve seen to my knowledge are over a year old. So THAT is my starting point. I haven’t moved outside Thanksgiving 2019. I’m starting my search from there and circling out. JMO

 

[MoeInVA]

More from 1/22/21 Police Chief interview with ABC 23:

Reportedly, all other four children (2 bio kids and 2 foster kids) were not home when the toddlers went missing. Police Chief believes the other kids were on a holiday visit with a grandparent located in Bakersfield, CA.

The children are all currently in foster care and not staying with family members.

There are no suspects but they do have person(s) of interest. (Chief would not elaborate).

Did he double down on confirming the other 2 are foster (not adopted)?

 

[kittythehare]

https://twitter.com/abcWNN/status/1354358420183384064?s=20

 

[Seattle1]

Did he double down on confirming the other 2 are foster (not adopted)?

Chief explained the dynamic as two biological children, two foster children, and the two missing children were their adopted children.

From the transcript:

15:41
the way i understand it and the way i've
15:43
been briefed on it there was
15:44
two two biological children
15:47
two foster children and uh oran [Orrin and] norsen [Orson]
15:51
were actually adopted so
15:54
and then ranging in ages from 10 all the
15:56
way down to three

 

[kittythehare]

hey have since relocated back to Bakersfield, which is also where the West boys’ biological mother lives. She has also assisted in the search.

“Due to the adopted family having lived in Bakersfield prior to moving to California City, as well as Bakersfield being the biological families’ residence, we are assisting with conducting follow-up interviews, pursuing tips and other investigative avenues,” Bakersfield Police Sergeant Robert Pair said in a statement to SFGATE. “We have conducted numerous interviews, search warrants and explored other investigate routes to assist California City Police with the ongoing search for the boys.”

As of Jan. 26, there are no named persons of interest in the case. A request for comment to Chief Walker was not answered by publication time.

What’s next in the case?
Disappearance of two brothers stuns California City: 'Where are the boys'

 

[mickey2942]

So, basically we are back at square one. No actual named "Person of Interest". It is odd that the children in the home were removed, without any charges against the parents. Especially the biological children.

 

[Spartygirl]

we have no idea how long those children are actually missing, do we?
We know they had been seen by someone local according to long version of chief's interview ... so they did actually move to that house and they lived in it for a period unknown.
Needle in a haystack.
They could have been moved anytime depending upon when exactly they were last seen and we have no idea when that was..

I must have missed this.
The boys were SEEN in Cal City, then ???
I thought he said last seen by grandma, in Bakersville and also by another person in Bakersville but would not say "when" they were seen.

Is it on a video or in an article that someone saw them locally ??
Thank you

 

[kittythehare]

I must have missed this.
The boys were SEEN in Cal City, then ???
I thought he said last seen by grandma, in Bakersville and also by another person in Bakersville but would not say "when" they were seen.

Is it on a video or in an article that someone saw them locally ??
Thank you

c/p this from post I made earlier
8.44. -847 discusses neighbors being aware there were kids in the house

and 10,24 he refers to it again and his reasons for secrecy, this is separate to mention of grandmother seeing him in Bakersfield which came in between
From vid of chief's long 32 minute interview linked several times a few posts up.

 

[kittythehare]

So, basically we are back at square one. No actual named "Person of Interest". It is odd that the children in the home were removed, without any charges against the parents. Especially the biological children.

No, I expect it's standard when two tiny children in the care of two allegedly responsible adults go missing without a trace

 

[fcavanaugh]

The Chief confirmed in his 1st PC that neighbors in Cal City said they’d never, ever, seen any children at the Cal City home since the family moved there in September, 2020. Chief also confirmed that the AP’’s reported that their 4 other children were at Grandma’s on vacation when the boys were reported missing. Chief said after Orrin and Orson were reported missing, the 4 other children were removed from parent’s care and placed in Protective Custody.

In his 1/22 interview with Bayan, Chief said they subsequently had a chance to speak with some more of the Cal City neighbors who said they had seen kids at the Cal City home but these neighbors couldn’t positively ID any of the kids as being Orrin or Orson. Also in the 1/22 interview, the Chief said Orrin and Orson were last seen by their Grandmother in Bakersfield before the move to Cal City, but wouldn’t say when, also that someone else other than family saw the boys in Bakersfield, but wouldn’t say who that was or when they saw the boys either. So, last sighting of the boys according to the Chief was by Grandmother and another non-family member(s) in Bakersfield, but no confirmation as to when these sightings were. It’s also been confirmed by the Chief that the dogs picked up the boys scent inside the Cal City home, but no scent of the boys outside the home.

IMHO