Still Missing HI - Ariel Sellers AKA 'Isabella Kalua', 6, last seen asleep in bdrm, Waimanalo, 12 Sep 2021*Arrests

[watson&winny]

Good grief. If it really has been a week since the child has gone missing, and if anyone believes she is dead or alive at someplace...If she's hiding out, what has she been eating? Drinking? Can anyone believe that she's hiding in the bushes foraging? I know it sound mean but seriously. Three guys escaped from prison a long while ago, they gave themselves up because they were hungry. Grown, male adults. One week.

 

[Knox]

Hi, Knox. So would the other children in the household. Wonder if they are the family members keeping mum. Who knows? Children fall under a different law...yet, now that the adoptive parents are the real parents, don't they have a say what the children can say? Or, are they protecting one of the children? All this stuff...so elaborate, almost fake...thoughts?

IMO, CPS would need a reason to remove the other children from the home. Isabella going missing could point to unsafe conditions or inadequate supervision as that reason. But I think it was likely that and more. Perhaps LE asked for them to be removed, as they would have contacted CPS to begin with.

CPS can interview children without their parents consent or presence.

http://ittakesanohana.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Guide-to-Child-Welfare-Services-Oahu.pdf

 

[watson&winny]

Thank you Knox. Good to know. So...The children have said nothing to substantiate anything? Odd.

 

[Knox]

According to local news article this afternoon, the adoptive family's attorney, Harrison, said "... electronic locks on the house confirm when Isabella left the home, that she had a history of going outside at night to sleep in the yard, and that the family home-schooled their adopted children due to concerns about COVID ― not to hide abuse."

Earlier news reports said neighbors weren't able to confirm seeing Isabella outside. If she's been sleeping in the backyard sometimes I would think a neighbor would have noticed. Also, I drove that street and neighborhood and there's no way in the world I would allow a small child to sleep alone outside in the backyard there (or most anywhere). It's not densely populated and there are quite a few unbuilt lots on that street. I would have thought they would have immediately implemented a secure lock system the very first time she left in the night. I would freak out if my young daughter ever left the house in the middle of the night. From the attorney's statement he makes it sound like it was no big deal for that to happen. IMHO that's simply incredulous.

MOO

I did see what you mention about the security and camera systems being discussed. But I can't repeat as it's not a MSM linkable source. But can you read my thoughts on the bad luck Isabella wasn't caught on video leaving the house?

 

[watson&winny]

The law enforcement can't even say that the children said that the missing child was there Sunday? Hmm.

 

[watson&winny]

And also, if the child was a frequent outside sleeper, still nothing on the camera about that? Why?

 

[Knox]

Thank you Knox. Good to know. So...The children have said nothing to substantiate anything? Odd.

We don't know what the kids have said. Further unless something is mentioned at some point in a future arrest warrant, we'd likely never know. Minors are highly protected.

I like your suspicions about the homeless person finding the photo album. Those circumstances are odd. Why would that person hold on to pictures of someone they didn't know?

 

[Dave99]

Hmm. But Dave99, each dumpster is designated for a certain dump. Green waste in green waste bin, etc. These dumpsters are huge. The gates are locked after a certain time. How, exactly, did a homeless person pop into a dumpster the size of a semi, find an album, and then decide to save it? Also, as far as I know, the dumpsters are picked up when they are filled and there's a person, at least one, that mans the establishment. Probably a simple answer but I don't know it.

Good points. I also wonder how someone found 1 album days before she was reported missing. I've used the Waimanalo Collection Center quite a few times and there are usually a few people around. I don't think it's impossible that someone might get into that site after hours, though, and go through the dumpsters a bit. It would be pretty random for them to get and save that album, though. I'm wondering if one of the people working there recognized it and pulled it out of the trash. Remember, Waimanalo is a pretty close knit town and the biological and adoptive families are pretty entrenched there, right? I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility that someone recognized the pictures and decided to to pull it out to maybe give to a family member they know. Just a thought/possibility. JMO MOO

 

[Dave99]

Police confirmed they are continuing to search Bellows — where items of interest were found late Thursday afternoon, Sept. 16 — and they said more people are coming forward.

Lt. Deena Thoemmes said it could take up to a week to determine if items found at Bellows in Waimanalo are linked to the disappearance of 6-year-old Isabella.

Why adoptive family of missing 6-year-old Waimanalo girl have remained absent in search parties

The media has said the items found at Bellows Beach were a backpack filled with toys and shoes. Why would it take a week to determine if they are Isabella's? Can't the AP's identify the items found? I'd be able to identify my kids stuff? I guess they feel the need to conduct DNA testing, which I guess is smart if this case goes to trial. But in the interim, the parent should be able to answer that question. Odd.

ETA- I just read a news story that said it was a garbage bag filled with "items". Not a backpack as previously stated? Whatever the case, my point still stands. Why can't the parents identify the items?

Curious if this garbage bag was taken from the refuse center by a homeless person and left on the beach? That's even more concerning. WHO is disposing of her belongings? Maybe just discarding old no longer used items?

OK, I just watched the KITV Evening News segment and they reported on this, with a photo of the stuff found at Bellows. Apparently, the person who found the bag took a photo and shared it with the reporter. The picture shows a standard yard trash bag (dark colored kind) with a small, purple child's sand/beach bucket and some small tools a child would use to make sand castles. Alongside that there was one adult size, discarded sandal, of the Burkenstock or similar variety. IMHO this is just a bag of trash one of the thousands of people who use Bellow Beach or the campsite by the beach threw out after their beach day. It was just a trash bag with beach toys and an old sandal. Unless this photo was incomplete I seriously doubt it has anything to do with Isabella/Ariel's case. The photos didn't show any child's backpack or stuff a kid would pack if running away.

BTW, I hope I'm not breaking any Websleuths rules with my posts. Please let me know if I am and delete or flag any offending post. I've been following cases here for a few years, but am new to posting. I followed the JJ & Tylee case since the very beginning, hoping to help, along with others in places I've lived, but didn't have much to add. This case is close to my home so I decided to dive in and try to help. I so wish Isabella could be found safe. I also know that's not looking so good right now.

 

[Dave99]

I did see what you mention about the security and camera systems being discussed. But I can't repeat as it's not a MSM linkable source. But can you read my thoughts on the bad luck Isabella wasn't caught on video leaving the house?

Yes. The thought of a young child leaving the house to sleep in the back yard, unnoticed, is beyond comprehension to me. Plus, having a security system that doesn't catch that or go off and wake everybody up makes zero sense at all. Like so much of this story...

 

[Knox]

OK, I just watched the KITV Evening News segment and they reported on this, with a photo of the stuff found at Bellows. Apparently, the person who found the bag took a photo and shared it with the reporter. The picture shows a standard yard trash bag (dark colored kind) with a small, purple child's sand/beach bucket and some small tools a child would use to make sand castles. Alongside that there was one adult size, discarded sandal, of the Burkenstock or similar variety. IMHO this is just a bag of trash one of the thousands of people who use Bellow Beach or the campsite by the beach threw out after their beach day. It was just a trash bag with beach toys and an old sandal. Unless this photo was incomplete I seriously doubt it has anything to do with Isabella/Ariel's case. The photos didn't show any child's backpack or stuff a kid would pack if running away.

BTW, I hope I'm not breaking any Websleuths rules with my posts. Please let me know if I am and delete or flag any offending post. I've been following cases here for a few years, but am new to posting. I followed the JJ & Tylee case since the very beginning, hoping to help, along with others in places I've lived, but didn't have much to add. This case is close to my home so I decided to dive in and try to help. I so wish Isabella could be found safe. I also know that's not looking so good right now.

Wow really? I agree, more than likely something left by another beachgoer. Just like the earlier video that was being discussed, which IMO was not a child. Not related to Isabella ... media needs to be more discerning when bringing these things to the public. Misinformation impedes an investigation.

 

[Dave99]

Wow really? I agree, more than likely something left by another beachgoer. Just like the earlier video that was being discussed, which IMO was not a child. Not related to Isabella ... media needs to be more discerning when bringing these things to the public. Misinformation impedes an investigation.

I agree. The video of the person in Kailua almost surely wasn't her. Also, the garbage bag of beach stuff likely wasn't hers, either. So this keeps coming back to one thing. Who was the last person to actually see Isabella in person, excluding adoptive family?? I still haven't seen anyone answer that.

With a couple exceptions, the media here is doing superficial, mostly sensationalist reporting on this. They're not demanding the tough answers or digging deep. Also, the spokeswoman for the Missing Child Center of the Department of Attorney General keeps getting interviewed and giving really basic, plain vanilla answers with no depth whatsoever. Tonight she was talking about the types of questions that should be asked about the missing child. For example, have they run off before, etc. However, she didn't have any information whatsoever about this case. I know the people getting interviewed mean well, but, honestly, the media needs to do much better here and at least try to demand answers to the tough questions. For example, why hasn't the media gone publicly to the adoptive parents home and tried to get interviews and answers from them, since they've been so reticent to speak? In other missing persons cases around the nation the media is all over that. Why not in this case? I don't want people to be harassed, but sometimes the media just needs to push for answers and dig deep. IMO that's not happening here yet and it's making it harder to find out what happened to this little girl. JMO MOO IMHO

 

[Knox]

Any updates today?

 

[watson&winny]

Not to my knowledge. Just, I'm thinking...that this is gonna be just another one that gets brushed under the carpet...a few more days, less and less and then, zero.--Bunch of red herrings, no real info., what happens in Waimanalo, stays in Waimanalo.

 

[watson&winny]

Dave99, I've a confession. I went through what I believe was like the movie, The Suburbs. Long story short, found myself going through the trash along with 2 other neighbors who were there first...Many things were thrown out regarding an autistic child but the only thing these dumpster divers took was a couple broken electronics. Still can't reason why someone would save an album when they're dumpster diving. And no. After the ghost cleansing, I tried my best to keep away from the madness.--You never know how you get sucked into madness.

 

[watson&winny]

Not proud but realistic.

 

[Dave99]

Dave99, I've a confession. I went through what I believe was like the movie, The Suburbs. Long story short, found myself going through the trash along with 2 other neighbors who were there first...Many things were thrown out regarding an autistic child but the only thing these dumpster divers took was a couple broken electronics. Still can't reason why someone would save an album when they're dumpster diving. And no. After the ghost cleansing, I tried my best to keep away from the madness.--You never know how you get sucked into madness.

Crazy what we do sometimes, right? But I could see that happening in any neighborhood. In this case, the only thing that makes sense to me with the timeline is that one of the workers at the dump recognized the photo album or photos and took it aside because they know some of the family. That would make total sense. I've had workers at the dump set aside things that I was disposing in the past there. No problem, since I was disposing it anyway. Still kind of strange, though, that it was found a week earlier.

I wonder if we should consider a week or two before she was declared missing as a potential / alternate time when she really went missing? That would jibe better with when the photo album was discarded. JMO MOO

 

[Dave99]

This MSM news article has a better picture of Isabella/Ariel, as well as a photo of the trash bag of stuff found at Bellows Beach:

Photo album, garbage bag of 'items' under investigation in missing 6-year-old case

This MSM article from the local paper today has a lot more details:

Search for missing 6-year-old girl fixates on Bellows Air Force Station

 

[Alohaj]

Well, this is certainly a sad case. As a Hawaii Resident, I’m not surprised by the lack of information, the misinformation, this is very common here IMO.

like many places, IMO The media is just interested in sensationalism. I am a verified insider on another case on WS, and the media wants no part of it. They also don’t want to use any of the actual evidence that’s been submitted to them of police corruption.

IMO The corruption in Hawaii is so deep and so insidious.
All MOO

 

[Unalienable Rights]

Thank you Dave99 for posting the KITV link that shows a different picture of Isabella/Ariel. She looks very different in both pictures, and I think LE and media should publicize both. It was also interesting to see a picture of the items found in the garbage bag. It really doesn't look promising that there is a connection, but LE seems to be taking it seriously so maybe they have seen something that leads them to believe that there might be a connection. I get the impression that the photo album is connected, based on the refusal of LE to comment on the contents.

Also thanks for the link to the new Star-Advertiser article. There were several items that stood out to me in the quotes from the attorney, Harrison. I've been wondering at what time she was reported missing, and Harrison says that she was reported missing at 6:00 AM (Sept. 13.) The quote regarding the camera seems really strange. Can't imagine why they wouldn't check the camera when they first discovered her missing. But, assuming they didn't, surely the police would tell them if they saw her leaving on the video.

When asked whether the Kaluas’ surveillance video showed Isabella outside their Waimanalo house, Harrison said, “We don’t even know what the video showed.”

“They called police right after they found the child missing” at 6 a.m. and didn’t check the video, he said.

Just thought it was interesting, the subtle way in which he mentioned that the bio mother knows where they live, but they're "not casting aspersions." That looks to me like a way to cast suspicion on the bio mother as a way to take the focus off of the adopted parents.

When asked whether the couple thinks Isabella simply wandered off or was abducted, Harrison said, “They don’t know. They’re not blaming anybody. The birth mom knows where they live at, but we’re not casting aspersions.”

It seems really strange, if true, that Isabella wasn't present during the bio mother's scheduled visits. I wonder how frequent the scheduled visits are, and at how many Isabella/Ariel was absent. The question is -- did she ask why Isabella/Ariel wasn't there and, if so, what was she told?

Waimanalo resident Melanie Joseph, 33, Isabella’s biological mother, said she saw bruises on her daughter about a year ago, which was the last time she saw her on a scheduled visit.

Joseph said she has seen her other children on other visits, but for some reason Isabella was not present.

New information is that there will be a Family Court hearing Monday morning re the removal of the other children from the Kalua home.

Harrison confirmed that Child Welfare Services removed Isabella’s three other siblings living in the Kalua home. He said the agency has been the recipient of lawsuits and that it did it so “nobody could claim they did something wrong.”

He said there is a Family Court hearing Monday on the matter and that both parents have counsel (not Harrison).

Search for missing 6-year-old girl fixates on Bellows Air Force Station