IN - Aliahna Maroney Lemmon, 9, Fort Wayne, 23 Dec 2011 - #3

[suzyq211]

--it wasn't the 1st time he had babysat the girls.

--apparently the mom needs help w/ them, even when she doesn't have the flu, or is temporarily paralysed.

http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20111228/LOCAL07/312289939

Through Plumadore's connection caring for Lemmon, he became close to Lemmon's family. He would take Lemmon's grandchildren, including Aliahna, to the bus stop, Smead said.


"He was happy to be with them," Smead said. "He baby-sat a lot. Most of the time, he'd stay there and take care of the kids and help Tarah (Souders, Aliahna's mother)."


On Sunday, Souders said she thought of Plumadore as a brother, and her children called him "Uncle Mike."

'

Oh. My. God. This whole thing makes me sick. That poor baby.

 

[kikid]

Did the two 6 year olds go to the same school as Aliahna? She went to a public elementary school and IIRC was in the 3rd grade. So, the 6 yr olds should have been in 1st grade.

All I've seen mention is that the school will have counselors available next week when school starts back up. But, what about their teachers? Cafeteria ladies? Bus drivers? Anyone on staff that interacted with these 3 little girls. Were there red flags? Had mom attended any parent/teacher conferences? By Xmas break - you have to have at least ONE contact/conference with a parent. So, what did those people and the child's school records show?

Just curious.....


ETA: AND Aliahna was special needs - so she had to have been in ESE classes. There is a lot of paperwork invovled for an ESE child in a public school. The child has to have an IEP (individualized educational plan) which is discussed and drawn up by a team of people from the school (not just a teacher) and a parent should attend those meetings and sign off as well. The school district gets more money for ESE students. Now I have had ESE kids whose parent never bothered to show up for the meetings - BUT here in Florida - teachers/schools have the ability to hold welfare checks if the parent doesn't show (that usually gets them to the meetings). I can't imagine what the ESE teacher at her school must feel right now - did she report? see any red flags? Just looking at the address - the school had to know what type of environment those girls were living in.

In Indiana, children don't have to enter kindergarten until they are 6, if the parents want to delay it.

 

[Penelope]

Sleuthers-- I have been reading your comments and, like all of you, am horrified by what happened to precious Aliahna. I have some comments/opinions to offer:
-- Ali's mother, in my opinion, was probably sexually abused by her father. Through my late husband's work, I have met women who have been sexually abused as children by fathers, brothers and relatives. These women will sometimes become resigned to the fact that this happens and may not protect their children from such things.
-- I agree that Ali's mother and family are the type of people who live this type of "life on the edge" and don't have the drive, money or education to do anything more. It's almost like an inter-generational poverty. Some people call people like them "poor white trash."
-- It doesn't sound like the mother knows how to correctly care for or protect her children.
-- The mother is probably overwhelmed by it all, and cannot deal with what happened to her daughter, hence wanted to remove Ali's belongings out of the house so quickly. Maybe she actually feels some guilt for her daughter's death.

 

[Cubby]

Unbelievable.

"A pickup loaded with large cardboard boxes Wednesday afternoon signaled a mother's grief just a few days after her little girl met a grisly death.

Family and friends of Aliahna Lemmon, the 9-year-old who was found bludgeoned and cut to pieces Monday, were removing the girl's belongings from the mobile home where she lived.

Aliahna's mother, Tarah Souders, couldn't bear to look at her daughter's possessions any longer, so they would be taken to a storage facility, said Allen Souders, the girl's stepfather.

“She just can't stand to be around this stuff after what happened,” he said."

http://www.news-sentinel.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20111229/NEWS/111229666

Using this post as a spring board.


Last night, well, early this morning, I fell asleep thinking maybe as a couple TS and AS weren't into the "yours, mine and ours" type of family. Maybe they were really just into the the "ours" type of family. I can see the possibility of TS having possibly been a victim of abuse herself and having unclear definitions of boundaries. I find it very difficult to find a plausible explanation for a man who had a long enough career in the military to have had retired from the military to be completely blindsided/unaware by/of the numerous red flags surrounding the situation, people, and circumstances which led to Aliahna's heinious murder.

I'm so sorry so many failed you Aliahna. Sleep peacefully. No one will ever hurt you again.

JMO

 

[laniefi]

I doubt they had beds. I know people like this. They are all the same. The kids might sleep in the same house most of the time but they sleep on the couch, share beds, or sleep on the floor. Usually no sheets just blankets. You can't image how people live like this but they do. House full of garbage, yard full of garbage, no real jobs, barely working car. The kids eat dry cereal and water for breakfast that they make themselves because no body gets up. The best meals they get are the free breakfast and lunch at school.

I cried when I read this ---- THIS was my husband's childhood to a "T". My DH would wake himself up for KINDERGARTEN and WALK to school so he could EAT. He would get there so early sometimes because he never knew what time it was. Some days he said he would just sit on the swings and wait....

 

[sherryk]

Storage unit? This seems very odd to me.. I could not bear to go back to that trailor park.. does she or the hubby have any realitives that they can stay with.. certainly they must..and I am SURE the community would put them in a hotel for a week or so.

To get rid of her belongings seems to me and this is JMO that perhaps there is a diary, writings, drawings or possibly even somthing of the mothers that is being snuck into that storage.. even clothes from the little one that could prove dna from the perp. and that perhaps mom is scared she is going to be found out that she SHOULD of had a clue.. even more so than not using common sence of LITTLE GIRLS DO NOT HAVE GROWN MEN AS FRIENDS AND SLEEPOVERS... PERIOD.

Somthing extremly odd with the storage... I am sure LE needs very little in this case for search warrent for probable cause...that storage unit will be searched.
Doesnt make sence to get rid of her belongings.. makes more sence to get out of that trailor park and not have to look at the next door trailor where she turned her baby loose to the man who killed her.

This case makes me sick

 

[Cubby]

How large are these mobile homes? I am thinking 6 children (both sexes) and 2 adults
CPS would want to know who slept where at home.
To pack up a murdered child's belongings so quickly and pay for storage?
Just sounds like throw away kids.
So sick of parents like this..........

I've been thinking the same thing. It's been brought up several times how the management company allowed children to be living among so many RSO's. Myself and others with RE experience have mentioned discrimination based on familial status is a violation of federal fair housing laws.

But what about laws pertaining to occupancy limits? Are there no occupancy laws in Ft. Wayne, IN which limit the number of occupants to the number of bedrooms and bathrooms available?

How big are these MH's that a family of 6-7 would meet occupancy limits, if applicable in FW. I know they have them here in IL due to overcrowding. Just wondering what other avenues may have protected these precious children.

 

[Dr.Fessel]

I think they are just cleaning up the trailer to get ready for one of the networks that pay for pictures and video then have an interview.

 

[sherryk]

In regards to donations.. ok if there is no life insurance which i am sure there is NOT.. then yes burial arrangments should be made.. however I did notice that the grandad from the pic AL was in looked to have a decent burial or viewing.. ok so proper burial ok.

Beyond that.. monies for therapy etc... NO NO NO the family is considered a victem and the state PAYS for therapy.. I know this for a fact .. it is victem services.
If there is shelted needed due to distress of location of a murder, rape, or a danger for the persons to reside there (which could be due to many blame the mom) victem services will arrange for a place to stay..

I do NOT feel there needs to be donations.. I just feel it in my gut that it will not be used properly... any funds at all should go to the little sisters and brothers and that should be on the condition they are out of mom's custody.

 

[Cubby]

If they can get a search warrant for the trailer, they can get one for any storage units just as easily. If this is a ploy, I am not the least worried about it working.

I initially thought the same thing, but you know, another "long time trusted family friend' could have the storage facility in their name......


jmo

 

[not_my_kids]

--snipped by me--

--i was wondering the same. he lived there for free while RSO grandpa was alive ( fortunately for him RSO grandpa lived a few days in dec. so would have handled the dec. rent ) .

--all mikeP had coming in was $$'s for selling his plasma.

--what was his plan for $$$'s for january? for rent? internet access? gas for his truck? food?

http://www.fortwayne.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20111228/NEWS09/320097837

I've tried breaking this down myself, and this what I came up with:
$400 for rent and lot rent (of course, this is a rough estimate, I suppose it could go as low as $300 or as high as $500 total, so I kept with the middle.)
Utilities, for a trailer, an older one at that, probably around $200-$250. If he kept the heat down, weatherproofed, and did laundry outside the trailer, which he apparently did, $200 is a reasonable number.
Internet could be free, of one of the neighbors has an unlocked router. The people in the park aren't the most tech savvy, I would be willing to bet.
Most people can scrape up gas money by giving other people rides and taking back bottles, and if he has a truck, he could be hauling scrap metal on the side, so that might not cost him much.

But still, no matter how I break it down, I get at most $450 of income, and at least $500 of bills, not including food, vehicle maintenance, or any of the other things that pop up during the month, like laundry soap, toilet paper, all that stuff.

So. I'm assuming he was going to have to move out, but he likely could have scraped by for a couple more months, almost making the ends meet before he was evicted or had something shut off. Or maybe he was going to move in with one of his supporters, possibly Ali's family or even grandmother, as she thought he was such an innocent soul and all around good guy.

 

[Wild@Heart]

I disagree, since he posted an album on FB in May 2010 titled "both of my daughters" -two girls, yet they were not pics of Ali

I believe the older child in those pics are Ali.:twocents:

 

[Cubby]

I've done the same with my son's belongings and he's been gone 8 years. His belongings can be disposed of when I am dead, over my dead body!

((((((Isabelle)))))) I am sorry for your loss.... :hug:

 

[laniefi]

I've been thinking the same thing. It's been brought up several times how the management company allowed children to be living among so many RSO's. Myself and others with RE experience have mentioned discrimination based on familial status is a violation of federal fair housing laws.

But what about laws pertaining to occupancy limits? Are there no occupancy laws in Ft. Wayne, IN which limit the number of occupants to the number of bedrooms and bathrooms available?

How big are these MH's that a family of 6-7 would meet occupancy limits, if applicable in FW. I know they have them here in IL due to overcrowding. Just wondering what other avenues may have protected these precious children.

The trailer in this MHP that BIL "lived" in had probably 12 people in it on a daily basis. They crash on the floor, couch, chair, wherever - shoot - they had an infant in the bathtub as a "crib" (we found out later) at one point.

Kind of hard to say who really lived there and who didn't....if you could count the number of beds or bedrooms in these trailers no more than 2 adults and 2 kids could comfortably sleep and have their own "space" by most people's standards.

 

[Chris_Texas]

--what about her little sisters? maybe they would love aliahna's "stuff" to be around now that she's gone forever.

--did mom ever think of that?

--nice message to send to the other kids----pack up her 'stuff' and forget she was ever there.

--i also find it hard to believe that "large boxes" full, stacked in the pick-up were aliahna's belongings.

Very good catch!

 

[Cubby]

Has anybody been able to find anything about Plumadore's family history? It seemed like the only "real" friends on his FB page were those related to TS and Aliahna in some way. The rest were either "models", fake profiles or young woman.

Just seems odd that there were no friends or relatives from his past.

His family probably heeded the warning signs and severed ties for both their and their childrens protection a long long time ago. I mean, this guy doesn't just have the isolated youthful mistake or two in his record. His record is long and consistent.

jmo

 

[LolaMoon08]

I cannot believe that "mom" can muster up enough strength to pack up all her deceased child's belongings, but could not muster up enough strength to check up on her girls two doors down?

Funny how "mom" feels a lot better now that her child is gone forever. Better than she felt when her child was alive just two doors down. :banghead:

Someone said it before here and I wish I remembered the name, but it is true, sometimes you just know that the child is better off now than when they were alive. She is now safe and protected. R.I.P. Aliahana

 

[concentric]

I think it's more that he spent more time in his home, wherever that may have been, likely inside, on his computer, than he did outside getting to know his neighbors. Unless of course, those neighbors were the naive type with vulnerable female children, and not much supervision. JMO.

Sorry, if this was already covered (missed a lot of the discussion) recently:

I'm interested in how Plumadore was introduced to the sex offender grandfather. How did this relationship begin, and how did it develop/progress over time? In other words, did the grandfather facilitate the introduction of Plumadore to the children as some form of payment for the care he got?

 

[OneLove]

I cannot believe that "mom" can muster up enough strength to pack up all her deceased child's belongings, but could not muster up enough strength to check up on her girls two doors down?

Funny how "mom" feels a lot better now that her child is gone forever. Better than she felt when her child was alive just two doors down. :banghead:

Someone said it before here and I wish I remembered the name, but it is true, sometimes you just know that the child is better off now than when they were alive. She is now safe and protected. R.I.P. Aliahana

Well, you can't get disability or narcotic drugs for the flu, but being paralyzed and wheelchair bound? Well, I guess there's always a shot.

 

[lorann]

A few years ago a little girl here was tragically killed in an auto accident. The family needed help with funeral costs so a fund was set up. However, the money went to the parents who gave none of the money to the funeral home, they bought a used car with the money. I hate to be jaded but I am very careful where these kinds of donations are involved.