IA IA - Elizabeth Collins, 8, & Lyric Cook, 10, Evansdale, 13 July 2012 - #12

[otto]

Is it possible to walk along the fence (lake side) from the open gate to the Maiden Lane trail?

It is, but it's not an easy area to walk without being dressed properly (shoes, not flipflops). It seems that there are weeds and shrubs in the area, but a perp wouldn't care if two children were uncomfortable or were scratched while walking in the area.

 

[Thinkzerz]

One way for the girls to travel from the gate to Maiden Lane and the bikes to travel from Maiden Lane to the gate:

You say this is one way..Do you have a picture like this to show another way? Would like to visualize the 2 differences. If you can and up to it. TIA.

 

[MNDad]

One way for the girls to travel from the gate to Maiden Lane and the bikes to travel from Maiden Lane to the gate:

This is what I have been picturing. I think they went through the gate on their own and alone. It was after this that there was a problem and I believe the purse was dropped at the time of the first altercation.

 

[lishac23]

It is, but it's not an easy area to walk without being dressed properly (shoes, not flipflops). It seems that there are weeds and shrubs in the area, but a perp wouldn't care if two children were uncomfortable or were scratched while walking in the area.

Great photo!!! I too agree that this is a HUGE possibility...and potentially the "best" route to take to go undetected.

 

[nikb]

How do you think I feel?

I'm trying to convert it all to metrics....

Maths isn't my best subject at the best of times. Frankly I have no idea what the difference in yards, feet, or metres is.

:maddening:

Oh my gosh... math isn't my thing either but at least I'm familiar with the units of measurement being discussed. That has to be frustrating!

I was reading over old transcripts so I'm a little behind but in case it hasn't been shared yet - this is all approximate and according to a smartphone app that I've found accurate in the past:

1 yard = a little over 3 feet
1 meter = a little over 3 feet as well (yard's a tiny bit longer)
1 acre = approximately 43,500 feet, and around 14,500 yards

Point being that 400 yards vs. 400 feet vs. 400 acres are all very, very different. If my phone is as "smart" as advertised, I'd say you can probably use yards as meters to get a rough idea of distances.

That said though, I'm very bad at guessing distances as I'm sure many people are, and I think it'd be pretty easy to mis-speak this detail in particular when stressed.

 

[lishac23]

This is what I have been picturing. I think they went through the gate on their own and alone. It was after this that there was a problem and I believe the purse was dropped at the time of the first altercation.

This is what I'm leaning towards too! Is Maiden Lane the area/spot Olipop reported seeing tire tracks?

 

[cindersoot]

This is what I have been picturing. I think they went through the gate on their own and alone. It was after this that there was a problem and I believe the purse was dropped at the time of the first altercation.

I said it before, I bet the perp mapped out everything like otto has. No offense Otto,:rocker:

 

[MNDad]

This is what I have been picturing. I think they went through the gate on their own and alone. It was after this that there was a problem and I believe the purse was dropped at the time of the first altercation.

Adding: Alternatively, the purse was set down while they picked up shiny stones and they were strolling along the shore to the east, figuring she would get the purse on the way back to the bikes. My kids set things down in the wierdest places all the time. As they got closer to the woods, they ran into someone and never made it back to pick up the purse.

 

[Copper]

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t189/zed0101/meyerswater4.jpg

This looks like the best picture. And I have to say, that would be hard going. You're either fighting plant life right along the fence or you'd be swimming where I assume the water was before the lake was drained. Was the water low enough beforehand for people walk close to the drop off between the fence and the sand/gravel part?

 

[SapphireSteel]

Oh my gosh... math isn't my thing either but at least I'm familiar with the units of measurement being discussed. That has to be frustrating!

I was reading over old transcripts so I'm a little behind but in case it hasn't been shared yet - this is all approximate and according to a smartphone app that I've found accurate in the past:

1 yard = a little over 3 feet
1 meter = a little over 3 feet as well (yard's a tiny bit longer)
1 acre = approximately 43,500 feet, and around 14,500 yards

Point being that 400 yards vs. 400 feet vs. 400 acres are all very, very different. If my phone is as "smart" as advertised, I'd say you can probably use yards as meters to get a rough idea of distances.

That said though, I'm very bad at guessing distances as I'm sure many people are, and I think it'd be pretty easy to mis-speak this detail in particular when stressed.

I kind of get the feet thing because we still speak of height in feet...for example, I know I'm 5'4.

What rocket scientist decided to confuse me further with yards????? I have a back yard and a front yard....

:doh:

Thanks for the help anyway!

 

[MNDad]

This is what I'm leaning towards too! Is Maiden Lane the area/spot Olipop reported seeing tire tracks?

Yes (paraphrasing [trambled weeds])

 

[lishac23]

Oh my gosh... math isn't my thing either but at least I'm familiar with the units of measurement being discussed. That has to be frustrating!

I was reading over old transcripts so I'm a little behind but in case it hasn't been shared yet - this is all approximate and according to a smartphone app that I've found accurate in the past:

1 yard = a little over 3 feet
1 meter = a little over 3 feet as well (yard's a tiny bit longer)
1 acre = approximately 43,500 feet, and around 14,500 yards

Point being that 400 yards vs. 400 feet vs. 400 acres are all very, very different. If my phone is as "smart" as advertised, I'd say you can probably use yards as meters to get a rough idea of distances.

That said though, I'm very bad at guessing distances as I'm sure many people are, and I think it'd be pretty easy to mis-speak this detail in particular when stressed.

Based on these calculations...with the map provided by Otto :rocker:, the distance would be about 92 yards....less than a football field (my unit of measurement at the moment its football season in my house) which can be walked in a relatively short amount of time...give or take the fact that he/she/they may have been pushing/forcing two girls (one wearing flip flops) through weeds and brush.

 

[Reannan]

I hope these are not dumb questions:

1). what is the most efficient and logical way to get from the bike trail to Maiden Lane? In other words, if they were riding their bikes down the bike trail, what would be the easiest, most logical way to get onto Maiden
Lane?

2). If you were riding down the bike trail, just enjoing the day, is Maiden Lane obvious, and would you even notice or be enticed to try and get to it (thinking as a 10 and 8 year old)??

Thanks a million to all of the locals who have actually seen this area!

 

[cindersoot]

I still think thats the right area but a boat was involved.

 

[nikb]

Woah... looks like I picked a good time to go read old transcripts. Deep breaths everybody. We don't want to get this thread locked.

 

[cindersoot]

I hope these are not dumb questions:

1). what is the most efficient and logical way to get from the bike trail to Maiden Lane? In other words, if they were riding their bikes down the bike trail, what would be the easiest, most logical way to get onto Maiden
Lane?

2). If you were riding down the bike trail, just enjoing the day, is Maiden Lane obvious, and would you even notice or be enticed to try and get to it (thinking as a 10 and 8 year old)??

Thanks a million to all of the locals who have actually seen this area!

The bushes and tres inthat area are thick and when I was there I never noticed it. But Im sure the perp knew.

 

[cindersoot]

The bushes and tres inthat area are thick and when I was there I never noticed it. But Im sure the perp knew.

Ugh, trying to cook and type to.

 

[SapphireSteel]

Here's what gramma said -

And then another thing I want to say is down by the lake, going, not the bike path, somebody could have snatched them along the road. If there was two people in a van, they could have thrown those kids in their van with their bikes and there`s another way to drive by the houses and get to the end of that trail and they could have chunked the bikes down there with the children.

http://edition.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1207/17/ng.01.html

She is a local so I'm taking her theory as being feasible...it appears she thinks the bikes may have been staged too.

Edit - gramma brought up a VAN.

 

[CHERIE.T]

I think that is a HUGE possibility.

Howd you do that? LOL Great job cindersoot. IMO that's a likely route.

 

[Reannan]

The bushes and tres inthat area are thick and when I was there I never noticed it. But Im sure the perp knew.

Thanks Cindersoot!! Why was Maiden Lane created? Why does it even exist?? It is barely visible on Google Maps, and the pictures I have seen posted here are less than inviting - unless you have watched the move The Secret Garden, and you think you are entering an "enchanted" place. In other words, why would ANYONE be aware of Maiden Lane? Who normally uses it? TIA!