Cadaver dogs have hit on dumpster near home #2

[sarx]

One more questoin sarx...Do the dogs trail in reverse? Could it be she left the bus and all this is in backwards and this is her trail from the bus stop to the house?

No, not generally. It is hard to grasp (even for those of us who see it and know it), but dogs can actually tell the difference in the scent freshness and follow it from oldest to newest, even though you are talking minutes. As it falls off the body and starts to react with the environment it changes and they use that.

 

[sarx]

ITA

Using the linens as we've been told seems to be the wrong way to do this so we don't know if (say Haleigh was at Sykes the previous weekend) just whose scents were on that linen and who the dogs were actually tracking....that's where I disconnect with the dogs--the Search vs the Cadaver dogs :banghead:

They used the linens? Really? They didn't have a shirt, a sock, a hat of hers? A little hairbrush?

 

[Helplessly Hoping]

They used the linens? Really? They didn't have a shirt, a sock, a hat of hers? A little hairbrush?

Nope...they used linens and we've no confirmation that Haleigh was home the previous two days.:waitasec: There is a thread about this, from the early days but I will look as it provides more details. Again, thank you so much for this insight. But, IIRC, initially they used bedding and NOT a personal item as you suggested.

 

[newstome]

I can't seem to find the link, but does anyone remember the Grandfather, Johnny Sheffield bringing in tracking or hunting dogs to try to find Haleigh? I may be mistaken as I can't find the link. Sometimes after so long it all blurs together...at least for me.

 

[Helplessly Hoping]

I just searched and there is some info in the old RT threads but I can't bring it up...

 

[sarx]

I know it's not known if water dogs were used, was the pond ever checked at all by divers, nets, anything?

 

[Helplessly Hoping]

I know it's not known if water dogs were used, was the pond ever checked at all by divers, nets, anything?

IIRC, divers etal were used initially but there has to be someone here with a better memory than mine that coroberates (sp?) that bedding/linens were used and as we have been told Haleigh's blanket was newly washed and she either shared the queen bed or the toddler bed. Truly, for all we know the sheets/bedding was from Ron and MC...

 

[sarx]

Were Ron and MC at the house when the dog started his trailing? If a proper search was done and they were concerned about article contamination they would have had them there as well. The dog would go up to them (if their scent was on it) and the handler would give a "no not them" type of command and the dog would go on looking for the remaining person who they had scent of.

 

[Maven2379]

I know it's not known if water dogs were used, was the pond ever checked at all by divers, nets, anything?

I found this from the early days of Haleigh's case:

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, let`s take a closer look at the massive area that the search teams are covering. We`re going to zoom in on Satsuma, Florida where little Haleigh lived with her father, Ron and his 17-year-old girlfriend. And now, let`s zoom in on Green Lane which is the actual street on which they lived.

Now, I think it is very important to realize how close this home is to the Ocala National Forest. That forest covers almost 400,000 acres and within that national park are 600 lakes and ponds.

Lake George is also nearby, that lake, in fact, only 15 miles from the Cummings` home. So my question to reporter Dan Leveton, how could they possibly have searched all of this? I know in Los Angeles bodies are often dumped in the Angeles National Forest.

DAN LEVETON, WJXT REPORTER: I`ve probably -- no, the answer to that is probably they can`t. That`s impossible.

I mean, what they did was right when the investigation started about 18 days ago, Jane, what they did was actually -- they did a helicopter and ground and a boat and they had divers in the water. They searched that way -- what they told was they searched a five-mile radius around the home.

And they probably didn`t do that on foot, because it is almost impossible. And then Equisearch came in, that was a group that searches with horses and had sonar. They came in a few days later and they helped getting into some of the thick brush that you are talking about on the ground.

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0902/27/ijvm.01.html
Aired February 27, 2009
------------------------------
and this about divers in the St.Johns River:

"After five days, if she did wander off, most likely she would have been picked up," he said.

On Saturday, as they had since Tuesday, about 250 volunteers searched on land for Haleigh, divers combed the nearby St. Johns River, and helicopters were sent up to look down on the heavily wooded surroundings.

http://www.staugustine.com/stories/021509/news_0215009_043.shtml
Published Sunday, February 15, 2009

Have not found anything about the pond, yet.

 

[nomoresorrow]

Hi sarx & thank you for sharing your knowledge here with us! I found this article from early on in the case (BBM) which speaks of divers/dogs/and the river.

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/local/news-article.aspx?storyid=131034&catid=3
Night Search Underway for Missing Girl

2/10/2009

SATSUMA, FL -- The search for missing Haleigh Cummings will continue under the cover of darkness in the neighborhood where she disappeared early Tuesday morning.

Cummings was reported missing by her father when he returned home from work in Palatka after 3 a.m.

The Putnam County Sheriff's Office says a rear door to the trailer was found open. The girl's father, Ronald Cummings, told First Coast News the door was forced open.

Law enforcement from neighboring counties and the FBI assisted in the search with helicopters and boats. Search teams combed the woods and divers worked the waters of the nearby St. Johns River.

Nancy Bump lives on the neighborhood and knew something had happened when she heard a helicopter circling overhead before sunrise.

Bump says search dogs led investigators to the river near her home.
"They walked right down to the end of the dock and ever since then they have been looking in the water," said Bump.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement first issued a Missing Child Alert before upgrading it to an Amber Alert for the missing girl. Haleigh was last seen wearing a pink shirt and underwear. Call 911 or Crime Stoppers at 1-888-277-TIPS. You'll remain anonymous and could receive a cash reward of up to $1,000 if your information leads to an arrest.

 

[sarx]

Interesting, so is this a different dog than the one that trailed the loop around the pond and then ended up at the RR tracks?

I'm seeing lots of mention of the river, but nothing about the pond.

 

[Maven2379]

IIRC, divers etal were used initially but there has to be someone here with a better memory than mine that coroberates (sp?) that bedding/linens were used and as we have been told Haleigh's blanket was newly washed and she either shared the queen bed or the toddler bed. Truly, for all we know the sheets/bedding was from Ron and MC...

This is from the Palatka Daily, http://www.palatkadailynews.com/articles/2009/02/12/news/news01.txt

You need a subscription to see the original, but it is quoted on another page, can't link here.

Also Wednesday, authorities explained the blanket and bed sheets on a wooden ramp leading from the Cummings' back door. Bowling said the items had been brought out by police so tracking dogs could learn Haleigh's scent.

BY LARRY SULLIVAN
Published: Thursday, February 12, 2009 12:46 AM EST
Palatka Daily News

 

[Helplessly Hoping]

This is from the Palatka Daily, http://www.palatkadailynews.com/articles/2009/02/12/news/news01.txt

You need a subscription to see the original, but it is quoted on another page, can't link here.



BY LARRY SULLIVAN
Published: Thursday, February 12, 2009 12:46 AM EST
Palatka Daily News

Thank you, Maven. A blanket and bed sheets were used. :banghead: We still don't know where Haleigh slept if she did that night. We can assume she was at Sykes for the weekend and conflicting stories abound when she came home. Did AS laundry delivery include clean sheets?

 

[nomoresorrow]

I don't know if this (snipped) article is of any help but it does mention using bloodhounds... (BBM)

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/local/news-article.aspx?storyid=131065&catid=3

>Article Snipped for Space<
SEARCH FOR HALEIGH; INVESTIGATORS OUT AT NIGHT:
Search crews overnight used helicopters with infrared equipment to look for Haleigh.

Authorities searched the St. Johns River by boat, walked the woods with bloodhounds, and went door-to-door in Haleigh's neighborhood. Investigators also questioned the sexual offenders who live within five miles of the little girl's home.

 

[newstome]

Thanks, I thought he was the one who brought in his or someones tracking dogs quite quickly after he got there. They were not the German shepard dogs, the police brought in.
Also wanted to thank C-Papa for the maps,again.
As far as the dumpster, I know a lot of people have hospice care at home, now and are able to die there instead of the hospital. The needles/syringes and IV lines should be properly disposed of in toxic waste containers, but the sheets and other items may be dumped in the garbage after a person dies. If a person dies at home they have to be pronounced dead by a medical doctor, then sometimes the family members that were not present when their loved one died, wants to see them before they are moved to the funeral home. All that takes time and decomposition starts immediately when the heart stops. Hope I didn't ramble too long, but thats why the dumpster hit was not a sure thing for me, unless something of Haleigh's was found in there with her DNA showed she was deceased.
Continuing to pray that Haleigh leads LE to her soon.

 

[Helplessly Hoping]

I don't know if this (snipped) article is of any help but it does mention using bloodhounds... (BBM)

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/local/news-article.aspx?storyid=131065&catid=3

>Article Snipped for Space<
SEARCH FOR HALEIGH; INVESTIGATORS OUT AT NIGHT:
Search crews overnight used helicopters with infrared equipment to look for Haleigh.

Authorities searched the St. Johns River by boat, walked the woods with bloodhounds, and went door-to-door in Haleigh's neighborhood. Investigators also questioned the sexual offenders who live within five miles of the little girl's home.

The St. John's is right behind Green. The Mondex Pond(s) are on the opposite side I believe, if that makes sense. :waitasec: That is the pond that was drained and there are maps here somewhere.

 

[sarx]

So, the pond that is labeled #2 on the map was drained? It would be interesting to find out more about the accounts of dogs tracking to the river.

 

[newstome]

I don't know if this (snipped) article is of any help but it does mention using bloodhounds... (BBM)

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/local/news-article.aspx?storyid=131065&catid=3

>Article Snipped for Space<
SEARCH FOR HALEIGH; INVESTIGATORS OUT AT NIGHT:
Search crews overnight used helicopters with infrared equipment to look for Haleigh.

Authorities searched the St. Johns River by boat, walked the woods with bloodhounds, and went door-to-door in Haleigh's neighborhood. Investigators also questioned the sexual offenders who live within five miles of the little girl's home.

Yes, I remember seeing the video with the sheet and blanket laying across the outside ramp railings, and Johnny Sheffield with the Bloodhounds to track Haleigh. I believe that was done quickly when he got there, and didn't he live there or close by? Then the police in daylight hours brought in the German Shephards, and we saw those videos taken from the air.

 

[sarx]

Yes, I remember seeing the video with the sheet and blanket laying across the outside ramp railings, and Johnny Sheffield with the Bloodhounds to track Haleigh. I believe that was done quickly when he got there, and didn't he live there or close by? Then the police in daylight hours brought in the German Shephards, and we saw those videos taken from the air.

So the initial dog search was run by hunting dogs that belonged to the Grandfather?

 

[nomoresorrow]

The St. John's is right behind Green. The Mondex Pond(s) are on the opposite side I believe, if that makes sense. :waitasec: That is the pond that was drained and there are maps here somewhere.

Yes it makes sense and I was aware of the location of the Mondex but, AFAIK, LE' search & draining of that pond (Mondex) was not search/scent/trial/cadaver (did I get them all? :crazy dog related, but based upon NayNay's jailhouse letter and possibly info devulged by Tommy C. #2 on CP's map is the pond, not far from the MH, that the dog(s) led their handler(s) to.

ETA: Although I'd love to know if LE did take/use dogs at Mondex - anyone know? TIA.