Deceased/Not Found CA - Sierra LaMar, 15, Morgan Hill, 16 March 2012 #1 *A. Garcia-Torres guilty*

[calamityjane831]

Thank you, CalamityJane!
You already sound like a pro Sleuther!

I appreciate your description of the homes and surrounding fields.
And it was interesting to find that the town is leaning towards the abduction theory, and that frightens them.
YOU TOTALLY ROCK!
I would have been nervous, too! Especially going to the house and finding LE there!

Thank you so much CLUE. I am just glad that I can help. I feel so bad for this girl and her family even though I have questions for the family.

 

[mrsu]

respectfully snipped...



My red...

No, that would tell ME that she didn't get PAST the driveway... how can she get to the bus stop, if her scent STOPS at the driveway.... :waitasec: :waitasec:

Long shot, but maybe she means the scent stopped at the beginning of the dead end road that lead to her house?? Probably not, but just an idea.

 

[liz b.]

Has it ever been mentioned why LE originally thought Sierra was a runaway ? TIA... I wonder if the perception has changed ? Wonder too if any federal LE will become involved ? MOO

 

[cluciano63]

Has it ever been mentioned why LE originally thought Sierra was a runaway ? TIA... I wonder if the perception has changed ? Wonder too if any federal LE will become involved ? MOO

The only thing I heard yesterday is that because it had gone on three-plus days they had to consider an abduction, and then also finding the phone, not knowing who threw it there, but it was deemed suspicious. JMO

 

[IHAVENOCLUE]

I know I feel the same way I go back and forth between different scenarios that Kat posted on post #403. Maybe someone could hear tires screeching away from the bus stop but I do not think that a voice would carry. It is a shame the bus stop is not down Dougherty Ave more towards houses but maybe it is on the corner of Palm and Dougherty because there are houses on the other side of Palm and this is a middle spot. Also the map that I used on my earlier post works on post #78 from lauriej. I am so worried about what is happening to Sierra.

I imagine visiting the location made the situation even more "real" to you!:what:

 

[mrsu]

A couple things....

- I noticed on the map there is a resevoir near by, I wonder if that has been searched?

- In browsing some of the comments I've noticed a few times someone named Ty mentioned. I don't have the links but I remember somebody mentioning "she's probably with Ty".

- Noticed some comments on Twitter about a Project X party in Livermore, CA and how "everyone" was said to be going. I couldn't find when the party was supposed to take place. Wonder if she could have gone away to attend the party? Again, why not take the phone though? ETA: Was able to determine from Twitter that the party was suppose to happen March 16

-Another super long shot...what if she did get picked up on the bus and the driver did something to her. I'm thinking that because of where her phone was found, depending on the way the bus was traveling. If the driver stopped and threw the phone out the window from a bus, it would appear that it was thrown from the passenger side of a vehicle as he would be throwing it from the door the passengers enter the bus.

 

[boaps]

http://m.mercurynews.com/sjm/db_101037/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=xlj4PxM0

Much detail including moms bf name and where sister was. Sorry I would quote but I am too slow posting on my phone! Good read though. Lots of new info.

 

[mrsu]

http://photos.mercurynews.com/2012/...y-of-missing-morgan-hill-girl/7098/#name here

The stuff of nightmares sets in for family of missing Morgan Hill girl

10 photos and under one of them it states the father lives in a townhome in Fremont.

 

[IHAVENOCLUE]

Okay...I am going to throw out some ideas to help my brain think...

If this was an abduction..or even if this was a runaway....
Why did it occur on a Friday?
And why THIS particular Friday?

Was there a concert on Friday in San Francisco or a neighboring city that Sierra would be interested in? It has been stated that she loves music.

It is the start of Spring Break for many college students. Is there a well- known place in the San Francisco area, (or places north or south of Morgan Hill) where students converge to spend Spring Vacations? I am thinking of someplace like Padre Island off the Texas coast. These Spring Vacations tend to often be near water...oceans, rivers, maybe lakes?
This would be a week long "adventure", filled with parties and socializing. Sierra is known to enjoy these activities.

People enjoying these week long party sites don't have to be from college. I am sure non-college people crash the parties all the time.

As I said...these are just ideas. Take them or toss them.

JMO and MOO

 

[IHAVENOCLUE]

A couple things....

- I noticed on the map there is a resevoir near by, I wonder if that has been searched?

- In browsing some of the comments I've noticed a few times someone named Ty mentioned. I don't have the links but I remember somebody mentioning "she's probably with Ty".

- Noticed some comments on Twitter about a Project X party in Livermore, CA and how "everyone" was said to be going. I couldn't find when the party was supposed to take place. Wonder if she could have gone away to attend the party? Again, why not take the phone though?

-Another super long shot...what if she did get picked up on the bus and the driver did something to her. I'm thinking that because of where her phone was found, depending on the way the bus was traveling. If the driver stopped and threw the phone out the window from a bus, it would appear that it was thrown from the passenger side of a vehicle as he would be throwing it from the door the passengers enter the bus.

After I posted ideas about parties, I read this post of yours. I was thinking along the same lines.

 

[boaps]

Okay...I am going to throw out some ideas to help my brain think...

If this was an abduction..or even if this was a runaway....
Why did it occur on a Friday?
And why THIS particular Friday?

Was there a concert on Friday in San Francisco or a neighboring city that Sierra would be interested in? It has been stated that she loves music.

It is the start of Spring Break for many college students. Is there a well- known place in the San Francisco area, (or places north or south of Morgan Hill) where students converge to spend Spring Vacations? I am thinking of someplace like Padre Island off the Texas coast. These Spring Vacations tend to often be near water...oceans, rivers, maybe lakes?
This would be a week long "adventure", filled with parties and socializing. Sierra is known to enjoy these activities.

People enjoying these week long party sites don't have to be from college. I am sure non-college people crash the parties all the time.

As I said...these are just ideas. Take them or toss them.

JMO and MOO

Not really, at least not in my experience. I was in high school in San Jose about ten years ago. The closest thing would be Mexico, but it was not like everyone went. I went to a pretty academic school though so I don't know. Honestly I think she would rather have stuck around to hang out with her big sister.

 

[boaps]

A couple things....

- I noticed on the map there is a resevoir near by, I wonder if that has been searched?

- In browsing some of the comments I've noticed a few times someone named Ty mentioned. I don't have the links but I remember somebody mentioning "she's probably with Ty".

- Noticed some comments on Twitter about a Project X party in Livermore, CA and how "everyone" was said to be going. I couldn't find when the party was supposed to take place. Wonder if she could have gone away to attend the party? Again, why not take the phone though? ETA: Was able to determine from Twitter that the party was suppose to happen March 16

-Another super long shot...what if she did get picked up on the bus and the driver did something to her. I'm thinking that because of where her phone was found, depending on the way the bus was traveling. If the driver stopped and threw the phone out the window from a bus, it would appear that it was thrown from the passenger side of a vehicle as he would be throwing it from the door the passengers enter the bus.

I don't know if we can discuss comments, but I think there were some tweeds to the effect that the party had been cancelled (and that these came before they would have heard Sierra was missing)?

And yes, there are LOTS of reservoirs/open space around.

 

[mrsu]

http://m.mercurynews.com/sjm/db_101037/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=xlj4PxM0

Much detail including moms bf name and where sister was. Sorry I would quote but I am too slow posting on my phone! Good read though. Lots of new info.

From article:

Making the case even more complicated is that her father, a computer engineer, is a registered sex offender. He pleaded no contest in 2009 to "lewd acts" with a minor younger than 14 after he fondled a friend of his older daughter's at a slumber party in 1999.

But police say Steve LaMar, who is divorced from Sierra's mother and lives in Fremont, is not a suspect and has been fully cooperative with the investigation.

The night before Sierra disappeared, Danielle LaMar left Sacramento State for spring break and joined her father at his Fremont townhouse. On their way back from dinner, Sierra, a 5-foot-2-inch brunette, called. They put her on speakerphone.

In October, Sierra, her mother and her mother's boyfriend, Rick Gardiner, who is in the construction business,

The household followed its typical routine the morning Sierra disappeared, Danielle LaMar said. Gardiner left the house about 6 a.m. Her mother kissed Sierra goodbye and left for her job in Fremont.

Klass said he has seen this story play out too many times.

"The Bay Area has been a hunting ground for young girls and boys for a couple of decades now," he said. "We've had Xiana Fairchild, Mitzi Sanchez, Michelle Le, Kevin Collins, Polly Klaas and now Sierra. Good lord, we need to get a handle on this, we need to put our foot down and not tolerate this."

 

[IHAVENOCLUE]

http://m.mercurynews.com/sjm/db_101037/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=xlj4PxM0

Much detail including moms bf name and where sister was. Sorry I would quote but I am too slow posting on my phone! Good read though. Lots of new info.

Thanks Boaps!

This did answer some of my questions regarding the timeline of the morning of the incident and the other people who live/stay at the house.

Note: The house is rented, so it may be informative for LE to talk with the owners, if they haven't done so already.

Marlene Lamar, and family I assume, as of Wednesday, are working with KlassKids Foundation.

 

[boaps]

Thank you mrsu I was trying to do that but I cannot get the quote tags to show up in the right places!

 

[katydid23]

Making the case even more complicated is that her father, a computer engineer, is a registered sex offender. He pleaded no contest in 2009 to "lewd acts" with a minor younger than 14 after he fondled a friend of his older daughter's at a slumber party in 1999.

But police say Steve LaMar, who is divorced from Sierra's mother and lives in Fremont, is not a suspect and has been fully cooperative with the investigation.
Quote:
The night before Sierra disappeared, Danielle LaMar left Sacramento State for spring break and joined her father at his Fremont townhouse. On their way back from dinner, Sierra, a 5-foot-2-inch brunette, called. They put her on speakerphone.
==================================================

He must be a pretty amazing Dad for Danielle to go to see him on her first night of Spring break. I have to say that if MY dad had fondled one of my friends at a sleepover, I am not sure I would have trusted him again.

 

[mrsu]

http://www.sanbenitocountytoday.com...cle_a88e992e-95f0-5b52-909d-153004a098b9.html

Nor is the rain a significant factor for search-and-rescue tracking dogs who attempted to find LaMar by her scent Saturday morning, Smith added. The dogs lost Sierra’s scent at the end of her driveway, where it connects with the closest road, Paquita Espana Court. The driveway is at the end of the court, in a cul-de-sac.

“What this could possibly mean is she may have been picked up by someone or may have even been abducted at the end of her driveway,” Smith said. He added that the dogs used in the search have a history of being “very accurate” in pinpointing precise trails and areas where their target scent might be found.

While the rain could even “hold the scent down” or preserve it, Smith noted that time and wind can weaken the scent the dogs are tracking.

LaMar’s mother Marlene and her boyfriend Rick Gardiner, as well as the teen’s father Steve LaMar have all been ruled out as suspects, according to Smith.

“The entire family has fully cooperated with our agency,” Smith said. “All of the family (mother, father, Gardiner) have alibis and can be accounted for at the time Sierra went missing.”

 

[melley]

Again I will reiterate the actual lay of the land ... 10 miles from my home. This is not open space public land by any means. Yes there are farms and farmland. Yes Calero is nearby. Yes Henry Coe State park is nearby. Literally one road into Coe and one road into Calero reservoir (boat permits, parking permit checks, etc, so they control the traffic.) We feel lucky if we can walk the trails without being stopped. These access areas are highly trafficked, even at 7am because bicyclist are alll around here.

Do you see on the google map that there are FOUR golf courses close to her home? It is not like some middle town in Iowa or something. Lots of through traffic. Those wilderness areas mentioned are there, but only accessible by a few roads. Anyway, the bigger issue to me is Highway 101. You can go anywhere on the West Coast of the US on 101, and fast. I am just not feeling the agg areas around her home are the issue.

 

[mrsu]

What I found interesting is that the mother, Rick the boyfriend, and Sierra all moved to Morgan Hill from Fremont in October 2011. It was noted in one of the above articles that the mom had left for her job back in Fremont the morning Sierra went missing. Does the boyfriend work in Morgan Hill?

Otherwise, what would be the reason they would all need to move to Morgan Hill, rent a home, uproot Sierra, etc., when the mother still worked in Fremont?? Something about that seems off to me. As a parent I think it's a big deal to uproot your teen at such a difficult age and move to an entirely new school where they don't know anyone. I assumed mom got a new job in Morgan Hill or Rick already lived in Morgan Hill. If the reporting is right in the article, all 3 moved from Fremont.

In October, Sierra, her mother and her mother's boyfriend, Rick Gardiner, who is in the construction business, moved from Fremont to a rented ranch-style house on Paquito Espana Court in Morgan Hill, a rural cul-de-sac surrounded by farm fields. Sierra was upset to be moving away from her close friends at Washington High School, where she was a cheerleader and involved in competitive dance, to Sobrato High School -- where she knew no one.

http://m.mercurynews.com/sjm/db_101037/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=xlj4PxM0&full=true#display

 

[IHAVENOCLUE]

Again I will reiterate the actual lay of the land ... 10 miles from my home. This is not open space public land by any means. Yes there are farms and farmland. Yes Calero is nearby. Yes Henry Coe State park is nearby. Literally one road into Coe and one road into Calero reservoir (boat permits, parking permit checks, etc, so they control the traffic.) We feel lucky if we can walk the trails without being stopped. These access areas are highly trafficked, even at 7am because bicyclist are alll around here.

Do you see on the google map that there are FOUR golf courses close to her home? It is not like some middle town in Iowa or something. Lots of through traffic. Those wilderness areas mentioned are there, but only accessible by a few roads. Anyway, the bigger issue to me is Highway 101. You can go anywhere on the West Coast of the US on 101, and fast. I am just not feeling the agg areas around her home are the issue.

Thanks for the "local" perspective. It helps me get the area in perspective.

I, too, was focusing on the fact that Morgan Hill is so close to 101, and that this is a route that leads to many areas in a direct way..north or south of Morgan Hill.