GUILTY CA - Terry Smith, 11, autistic, Menifee, 6 July 2013

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I would be really interested to hear the thoughts or opinions of any SAR people who are WS members here on how any prior searches of the area where the child's body was finally discovered in could have been passed over by bloodhounds and searchers in the days prior to him being found?

I've heard some ideas tossed around & wonder what you think?

- body wasn't in this final location at the time of the initial searches of the property...but, moved there later?

- clothes of the victim provided by family for scent purposes were not actually the victims clothes (maybe to throw off the search dogs)?

- would the search dogs (bloodhounds) used in the search of the victims property be able to pick up a deceased person or do you need a cadaver dog specifically?

There are so many unknowns here, but I can see that I have seen more than 1 dog on more than 1 search take the freshest trail (just like they are trained to do) and not head to the body (remembering that there is no live scent trail out to the body) that was a couple hundred feet away. If these were not HRD dogs, then they didn't miss anything, simply put, it's not their job.

What is far more curious to me is what happened in terms of human search power clearing the property. Again, I don't know who or how many or what training they had, but it just reinforces to me the necessity of clearing the home with meticulous detail.
 
Warning- Upsetting to read. (I wish she would have left the kids in the car. Jmo)
"My kids said ... 'Mom, there's a dead animal' and I walked over and said, 'Oh my gosh, that's not an animal,'" she recalled. "He was partially exposed and we were looking at it almost in shock. My son started throwing up and my daughter was screaming and crying."
http://www.seattlepi.com/news/crime...inst-CA-dead-boy-s-brother-4661288.php#page-2

Whiskey
Tango
Foxtrot

Somebody oughtta look into that woman.
 
Warning- Upsetting to read. (I wish she would have left the kids in the car. Jmo)
"My kids said ... 'Mom, there's a dead animal' and I walked over and said, 'Oh my gosh, that's not an animal,'" she recalled. "He was partially exposed and we were looking at it almost in shock. My son started throwing up and my daughter was screaming and crying."
http://www.seattlepi.com/news/crime...inst-CA-dead-boy-s-brother-4661288.php#page-2

Oh my.....I'm heart broken for these two kids. The things they saw/experienced can never be removed from their memory. I hope they receive counseling. Children can only be children for such a short time, why expose them to this???
 
He was 11.He is old enough to stay home alone with his brother.Was his older sister there too?As I said before I do not blame his mother.I do not think she ever ever thought her other son would kill her son.Sibling rivalry.But not murder.It probably just escalated over time to the point of murder.I have 7 children from age 28 to age 10 I have raised.They are all very good kids.

Not all kids are good kids. As a parent, if you know one of them has problems, especially a history of being violent, you do not leave your 11 year old Autistic child or non-Autistic child, with the older one to go out and play pool. You get a responsible person to watch the younger one...always, or you stay in.

This sounds like more than sibling rivalry. It sounds like the 16 year old has a history of problems. If the mother knew that, she should never have left her 11 year old with the older one. JMO
 
Whiskey
Tango
Foxtrot

Somebody oughtta look into that woman.

I really couldn't believe all the parents having their children searching with them throughout the night, in the hills, with no lighting. It's a wonder nobody got seriously injured.

Didn't this woman come out at 1 a.m.? Who does that with their kids? I feel so bad for these kids. Thankfully, I have never seen or smelled a dead body, but I know people have said it's something you never forget. Those poor kids...:banghead:
 
That is an amazing story and I am so thankful that LE asked her to come down twice after she said no the first time. I have always believed in psychics just not the sandra brown type who milks everyone for money. Many help LE for no money or fame, well she will probably get some but she and her kids all helped in finding the body and its understandable that she might want to explain how it happened.

I wish LE advised her to leave her children in the care of someone else instead of encouraging them to look for and subsequently view a murdered child's remains.

She mentioned her website in her first radio interview.
 
There are so many unknowns here, but I can see that I have seen more than 1 dog on more than 1 search take the freshest trail (just like they are trained to do) and not head to the body (remembering that there is no live scent trail out to the body) that was a couple hundred feet away. If these were not HRD dogs, then they didn't miss anything, simply put, it's not their job.

What is far more curious to me is what happened in terms of human search power clearing the property. Again, I don't know who or how many or what training they had, but it just reinforces to me the necessity of clearing the home with meticulous detail.

The link to the radio interview with the Riverside officer that confirms the psychic's account was deleted last night by mods and I don't believe it was ever restored (or at least I don't see it). Can the person who posted the radio interview link please repost? I can't remember the name of the radio station or the hosts' names. The interview is with a LE officer and the "psychic" topic has been cleared for discussion...so it should be okay.

In the interview, he had said that earlier on he searched the exact same area where the remains were found and saw no indication of anything unusual. I have issue with that. I hope that there will be an investigation into why the discovery was not made sooner, if in fact the remains were there all along. If the grave was shallow and uncompacted enough for animals to partially excavate him, then how could officers not notice that area? How easy is it to disguise recently dug dirt.
 
Warning- Upsetting to read. (I wish she would have left the kids in the car. Jmo)
"My kids said ... 'Mom, there's a dead animal' and I walked over and said, 'Oh my gosh, that's not an animal,'" she recalled. "He was partially exposed and we were looking at it almost in shock. My son started throwing up and my daughter was screaming and crying."
http://www.seattlepi.com/news/crime...inst-CA-dead-boy-s-brother-4661288.php#page-2

The video posted last night on here (not sure if it has been restored) was heartbreaking. The little boy looked traumatized and said that he hoped that was the worst thing he would have to experience in his life. :stormingmad:
 
The link to the radio interview with the Riverside officer that confirms the psychic's account was deleted last night by mods and I don't believe it was ever restored (or at least I don't see it). Can the person who posted the radio interview link please repost? I can't remember the name of the radio station or the hosts' names. The interview is with a LE officer and the "psychic" topic has been cleared for discussion...so it should be okay.

In the interview, he had said that earlier on he searched the exact same area where the remains were found and saw no indication of anything unusual. I have issue with that. I hope that there will be an investigation into why the discovery was not made sooner, if in fact the remains were there all along. If the grave was shallow and uncompacted enough for animals to partially excavate him, then how could officers not notice that area? How easy is it to disguise recently dug dirt.

Thjat is interesting, because I read some local speculation, that the body was moved to that location AFTER LE had initially cleared the yard. And I am beginning to consider that as a possibility. I cannot imagine that nobody saw body sticking up out of a shallow grave, so close the the house, in the first searches. JMO

ETA: But on second thought, how would the 16 yr old get away with that. Wouldn't he be seen doing something like that?
 
Can someone with legal knowledge clarify this for me?

"The DA’s Office said it was requesting a hearing to determine whether the case should be handled in juvenile court or in adult court."
http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/l...uspect-in-Death-of-Terry-Smith-215246431.html

Does that mean that they are deciding on Monday if they will be trying him as an adult?
OR
Does it mean that they are requesting a hearing, for later date, where facts will be evaluated before deciding whether to charge him as a juvenile vs adult?
 
Thjat is interesting, because I read some local speculation, that the body was moved to that location AFTER LE had initially cleared the yard. And I am beginning to consider that as a possibility. I cannot imagine that nobody saw body sticking up out of a shallow grave, so close the the house, in the first searches. JMO

ETA: But on second thought, how would the 16 yr old get away with that. Wouldn't he be seen doing something like that?

It was the officers belief that the body was completely buried and only "sticking up" later on after animals had partially dug him up. He said that they performed multiple searches of the property. I am not very knowledgeable in decomp rates but I do know that heat accelerates it although being covered (by dirt, cloth, plastic, etc) can slow it. I suppose it is feasible that a strong odor would not be present until the night he was discovered. I just find it odd that LE responsible for searching the most likely crime scene (residence/property) did not notice that the ground there was altered enough to hide a body in the first place in any of those searches.
 
For perspective:

My Uncle was dead in his bathtub for 4-5 days.
It was about 100 degrees outside and he had no air conditioning.

The smell was so bad most of his belongings had to be thrown away.
Even 4 days AFTER they found his body... after the place had been cleaned, you could still smell it.

It is hard to believe after days of 95 - 105 degree weather... that they didn't smell him sooner.
(Sorry.)
 
For perspective:

My Uncle was dead in his bathtub for 4-5 days.
It was about 100 degrees outside and he had no air conditioning.

The smell was so bad most of his belongings had to be thrown away.
Even 4 days AFTER they found his body... after the place had been cleaned, you could still smell it.

It is hard to believe after days of 95 - 105 degree weather... that they didn't smell him sooner.
(Sorry.)

I just did a bit of reading of about forensic taphonomy (< learned a new word) in a scholarly article and in excerpts from a published book. It was sad to try to correlate the study results with an innocent child.

I think you are right. With those temperatures, there likely would have been a detectable odor by the end of day 2 unless he was buried deeper than 3-4'.

:(
 
Not all kids are good kids. As a parent, if you know one of them has problems, especially a history of being violent, you do not leave your 11 year old Autistic child or non-Autistic child, with the older one to go out and play pool. You get a responsible person to watch the younger one...always, or you stay in.

This sounds like more than sibling rivalry. It sounds like the 16 year old has a history of problems. If the mother knew that, she should never have left her 11 year old with the older one. JMO

i sooo agree. my stepson was an angry 16 yr old when i had a baby... he had a hard time not being dads only son anymore. i didnt leave him alone with baby... ever. ever. hes good with him now, but my guard is not completely down.
 
I'm going to let his mother and family grieve in peace now and check back when this goes to trial.My heart goes out to her.She lost two sons in one day.They are in my prayers.Rest in peace Terry.You are with God now and no one can hurt you.This is very sad.
 
I think someone told the psychic where he was and this would be a god way to remain unidentified and Anonymous but wanting the child found. The PSY saw it in a vision!
I do not think so! JMO
 
Can someone with legal knowledge clarify this for me?

"The DA’s Office said it was requesting a hearing to determine whether the case should be handled in juvenile court or in adult court."
http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/l...uspect-in-Death-of-Terry-Smith-215246431.html

Does that mean that they are deciding on Monday if they will be trying him as an adult?
OR
Does it mean that they are requesting a hearing, for later date, where facts will be evaluated before deciding whether to charge him as a juvenile vs adult?

There's not enough info to tell. But we should know on Monday.

For perspective:

My Uncle was dead in his bathtub for 4-5 days.
It was about 100 degrees outside and he had no air conditioning.

The smell was so bad most of his belongings had to be thrown away.
Even 4 days AFTER they found his body... after the place had been cleaned, you could still smell it.

It is hard to believe after days of 95 - 105 degree weather... that they didn't smell him sooner.
(Sorry.)

But this is the desert. I'm not sure where your uncle lived but outside in the desert is very different from other parts of the country or indoors in any climate, desert or not.

I once found a completely intact coyote in the general area near Menifee (San Bernardino/Riverside county area) on the side of the highway. Perfectly preserved and as flat as a pancake. All the moisture had been sucked out of that body - all the flesh and fluids - leavin just a flat, pancake mummy.

A similar thing happened last fall in my moms garage. A full cat carcass- dried out, was found in there near the garage door. There has been very little, if any smell.

Our desert heat and Wind conditions dry everything out and destroy the smell.
 
But this is the desert. I'm not sure where your uncle lived but outside in the desert is very different from other parts of the country or indoors in any climate, desert or not.

I once found a completely intact coyote in the general area near Menifee (San Bernardino/Riverside county area) on the side of the highway. Perfectly preserved and as flat as a pancake. All the moisture had been sucked out of that body - all the flesh and fluids - leavin just a flat, pancake mummy.

A similar thing happened last fall in my moms garage. A full cat carcass- dried out, was found in there near the garage door. There has been very little, if any smell.

Our desert heat and Wind conditions dry everything out and destroy the smell.

Technically we live in the desert.
Obviously he was inside, not buried... which makes a difference too.
It didn't occur to me until now that keeping anything from his house may have been a bad idea.
I can just see us in a situation later where an HRD dog hits on something we kept! :scared:
 
I think someone told the psychic where he was and this would be a god way to remain unidentified and Anonymous but wanting the child found. The PSY saw it in a vision!
I do not think so! JMO

I don't know. She says pretty clearly that she's actually not a psychic but instead goes by intuition which everyone has. I buy that. Intuition can tell us a lot. It's what our instinct tells us as a result of subconsciously sorting cues that our brains and bodies have been cataloging and categorizing our whole lives, without us even being aware of it.

Many of us figured early on, just using logic, that it was the brother. But the body wasn't found right away. I surmised the 16 year old didn't have a car, based on assumptions I made about the family income from photos, and the fact that he was walking somewhere when he claims Terry followed him. So logically, the body had to be close.

I think a person could figure out, just standing near the search center, who the family is and where certain hot spots may be, just by the tension coming from their bodies. It's Animal instinct.

This woman arrives and naturally hones in On family sitting nearby and thus, subconsciously determines where thE victims home is. Her mind starts cataloging how a teen trying to dispose of a sibling would think - close to home, hidden, marked by something (a tree), in an area no one accesses often (think fence) and voila.

My problem is she dragged her kids into this. Also, I am not impressed with LE's search efforts. I don't think Terry was moved. They should have noticed disturbed ground. They should've used cadaver dogs.

I'm impressed that this lady has honed her intuition so well. And trusts it. More people should try to do that. But her conscious common sense is horribly lacking. Her kids will never forget.
 
I don't know. She says pretty clearly that she's actually not a psychic but instead goes by intuition which everyone has. I buy that. Intuition can tell us a lot. It's what our instinct tells us as a result of subconsciously sorting cues that our brains and bodies have been cataloging and categorizing our whole lives, without us even being aware of it.

Many of us figured early on, just using logic, that it was the brother. But the body wasn't found right away. I surmised the 16 year old didn't have a car, based on assumptions I made about the family income from photos, and the fact that he was walking somewhere when he claims Terry followed him. So logically, the body had to be close.

I think a person could figure out, just standing near the search center, who the family is and where certain hot spots may be, just by the tension coming from their bodies. It's Animal instinct.

This woman arrives and naturally hones in On family sitting nearby and thus, subconsciously determines where thE victims home is. Her mind starts cataloging how a teen trying to dispose of a sibling would think - close to home, hidden, marked by something (a tree), in an area no one accesses often (think fence) and voila.

My problem is she dragged her kids into this. Also, I am not impressed with LE's search efforts. I don't think Terry was moved. They should have noticed disturbed ground. They should've used cadaver dogs.

I'm impressed that this lady has honed her intuition so well. And trusts it. More people should try to do that. But her conscious common sense is horribly lacking. Her kids will never forget.



Maybe her intuition is so good because her common sense is disabled. You know, how they say when one sense goes the others get stronger... :drumroll:
 

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