IN - Grandfather charged in cruise ship death of toddler Chloe Wiegand #5

[Arkay]

Interesting that there was no mention of SA in her obituary. In fact, “Her best friend was her dog, Penny Rosabell, with whom she surreptitiously shared many snacks and kisses.” I thought Chloe was SA’s best friend?

He's mentioned in the fourth paragraph, along with all the other grandparents, all six including the steps. As to Wyatt Amm, I just thought it was his middle name. Perhaps not, but in their hockey fundraiser for him, pre-dating Chloe's death, he is called Wyatt Wiegand.

 

[Chikkamma]

He's mentioned in the fourth paragraph, along with all the other grandparents, all six including the steps. As to Wyatt Amm, I just thought it was his middle name. Perhaps not, but in their hockey fundraiser for him, pre-dating Chloe's death, he is called Wyatt Wiegand.

Thank you- I missed that.

 

[Kakidoll]

There was no enclosed area. Ship flows from one area to another... kids run around crazy, especially on boarding day. EVERYONE is moving about, people are boarding, dropping luggage in cabins, go to eat, explore the ship, go check to see if luggage is delivered yet, get everything set up etc. Its a hectic day for many. I'm very curious as to exactly where everyone was. They had only been on ship 2 hours. Eating and drinking is the norm. They have the buffets set up and ready for guests. No more free drinks though, sadly. But everything is available right away and all you do is swipe a card.

So many things hit me right away with this case, but what sealed it for me was the obit. The over exaggerations of everything just was crazy. It seemed to be intended to be 'cute' i think, but was just creepy to me. Why was THAT gpa her BEST FRIEND. Wouldn't it be a bit more normal for the young boy to be besties with Grandpa? Maybe because he played with her more? Entertained her more? Boy had better relationship with other G-parents? Why straight to lawyer. Dad taking pics immediately show me he wanted to know what happened.... or was he planning a lawsuit that fast?

WHERE was everyone else? Did Chloe get fussy while eating so he took her out there to look at the bright colors in the kids water area? Its a stressful day and i do it ALL the time. I don't relax until we are finished with Muster and on our way. Lots of people are over excited for the cruise, tired from travelling, cranky from standing in lines etc.
If i were a betting girl (which i am) I'd say Chloe was all of these things and Gpa had his hands full. If only he'd have been honest from the start, we wouldn't have multiple threads and he wouldn't be facing charges at all. It would have been a horrible accident. HOWEVER, he seems to have something to hide. And money seems to be a motivator for someone in the family. JMO

 

[Kakidoll]

There was no enclosed area. Ship flows from one area to another... kids run around crazy, especially on boarding day. EVERYONE is moving about, people are boarding, dropping luggage in cabins, go to eat, explore the ship, go check to see if luggage is delivered yet, get everything set up etc. Its a hectic day for many. I'm very curious as to exactly where everyone was. They had only been on ship 2 hours. Eating and drinking is the norm. They have the buffets set up and ready for guests. No more free drinks though, sadly. But everything is available right away and all you do is swipe a card.

So many things hit me right away with this case, but what sealed it for me was the obit. The over exaggerations of everything just was crazy. It seemed to be intended to be 'cute' i think, but was just creepy to me. Why was THAT gpa her BEST FRIEND. Wouldn't it be a bit more normal for the young boy to be besties with Grandpa? Maybe because he played with her more? Entertained her more? Boy had better relationship with other G-parents? Why straight to lawyer. Dad taking pics immediately show me he wanted to know what happened.... or was he planning a lawsuit that fast?

WHERE was everyone else? Did Chloe get fussy while eating so he took her out there to look at the bright colors in the kids water area? Its a stressful day and i do it ALL the time. I don't relax until we are finished with Muster and on our way. Lots of people are over excited for the cruise, tired from travelling, cranky from standing in lines etc.
If i were a betting girl (which i am) I'd say Chloe was all of these things and Gpa had his hands full. If only he'd have been honest from the start, we wouldn't have multiple threads and he wouldn't be facing charges at all. It would have been a horrible accident. HOWEVER, he seems to have something to hide. And money seems to be a motivator for someone in the family. JMO

 

[Forever Young]

"What else would be expect to happen....". Here's the thing: people who are reckless and irresponsible, who take risks others wouldn't, don't believe that anything bad will ever happen to them. It's just not recklessness, it's also over-confidence and an inflated sense of their own abilities.

Yes! They are above the average person (so they think) when it comes to driving over the speed limit, not wearing seat belts, and lifting babies to open windows. The rules never apply to them!

Good morning, all. This is my first post here on Websleuths. Your very interesting conversation regarding this case has led me to join the forum and contribute some comments, questions, and ideas.

 

[fabvab]

Oh yes jeena you are right, there are steps upward.
This is the Freedom of the Seas Pool Bar deck 11
View attachment 222784

I don’t think he had energy enough to climb those stairs with a toddler!

 

[neesaki]

Yes! They are above the average person (so they think) when it comes to driving over the speed limit, not wearing seat belts, and lifting babies to open windows. The rules never apply to them!

Good morning, all. This is my first post here on Websleuths. Your very interesting conversation regarding this case has led me to join the forum and contribute some comments, questions, and ideas.

Thank you for joining in, ForeverYoung. And welcome to Websleuths!

 

[Montrealaise]

Interesting that there was no mention of SA in her obituary. In fact, “Her best friend was her dog, Penny Rosabell, with whom she surreptitiously shared many snacks and kisses.” I thought Chloe was SA’s best friend?

Actually, he was mentioned. "Maternal grandparents, Salvatore and Patti Anello (KW's mom and step-dad) and Scott and Annie Schultz (her dad and step-mom)".

 

[Montrealaise]

Mothers with toddlers usually know the answer to that.

If toddlers are left to their own devices, a million things can go wrong, which is why they have to be watched by an adult. Unfortunately, in this case, the adult was SA.

 

[Forever Young]

Their silence is very loud.

I would imagine that in an extended and blended family, there might be one or two who never cared for SA to begin with.

What if the parents or other grandparents really thought from the beginning, "This is negligent homicide", and believed that he should do some time?

Would you run around to the press stating that and risk prejudicing the jury pool?

Would you risk causing family in-fighting and side-taking?

I believe the parents themselves knew this was negligent homicide from the beginning. They themselves cannot sentence SA to jail. They are letting the courts and its legal process take its course.

This is what the Wiegands know best. It is their line of work, and they can go on auto-pilot, while the awful truth sinks in.

 

[Forever Young]

Thank you for joining in, ForeverYoung. And welcome to Websleuths!

And thank you, too.

As another poster said, the spunk (and innocence) of this precious little baby girl as she walks to that window to her death is too much to take. All so a thrill-seeking grandpa can get his jollies.

 

[SaguaroSpirit]

I would imagine that in an extended and blended family, there might be one or two who never cared for SA to begin with.

What if the parents or other grandparents really thought from the beginning, "This is negligent homicide", and believed that he should do some time?

Would you run around to the press stating that and risk prejudicing the jury pool?

Would you risk causing family in-fighting and side-taking?

I believe the parents themselves knew this was negligent homicide from the beginning. They themselves cannot sentence SA to jail. They are letting the courts and its legal process take its course.

This is what the Wiegands know best. It is their line of work, and they can go on auto-pilot, while the awful truth sinks in.

IMHO there are many layers to this situation and the whole ugly truth has yet to come out, but it seems to be getting there, thanks to whoever leaked the La Comay video we have all been discussing. Hopefully LE can get SA to crack and tell the truth, or someone can and blow this whole thing out of the water once and for all.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

If toddlers are left to their own devices, a million things can go wrong, which is why they have to be watched by an adult. Unfortunately, in this case, the adult was SA.

Grandpa needed his own "watcher"

 

[Forever Young]

(CNN)Video appears to show the moment Chloe Wiegand fell from her grandfather's arms to her death aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship in July.

Chloe, 18 months old, was playing on a Royal Caribbean ship docked in Puerto Rico with her grandfather, Salvatore "Sam" Anello, when she fell from an open glass window to her death.
The video appears to show Anello lean through an opening before picking up the toddler and holding her up to the opening.
It is unclear from the video how deep the opening is.

Chloe Wiegand's family condemns the release of a video that shows moments toddler fell to death from cruise ship - CNN

We are going to need some actual measurements here as to SA's height and arm reach, and if his head actually cleared the window ledge.

I think this video, for those who may not have seen it, at the 1:40 mark, might be helpful in determining that:

 

[Forever Young]

He easily breeches the window opening with his arm, but could his head do the same while leaning over the railing?

 

[sl222]

<snipped> AW isn't the 10-year-old boy's father. In Chloe's obituary, he has a different last name. He is KW's son from a previous relationship.

...brother, Wyatt Amm...

View Chloe Wiegand's Obituary on kpcnews.com and share memories

True. Good reminder because the boy's biological father has also been affected by this whole thing in having to see his son go through this nightmare. And I can imagine the amplified stress on KW and AW, the more people who are affected. AW looks like a very kind person.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

There was no enclosed area. Ship flows from one area to another... kids run around crazy, especially on boarding day. EVERYONE is moving about, people are boarding, dropping luggage in cabins, go to eat, explore the ship, go check to see if luggage is delivered yet, get everything set up etc. Its a hectic day for many. I'm very curious as to exactly where everyone was. They had only been on ship 2 hours. Eating and drinking is the norm. They have the buffets set up and ready for guests. No more free drinks though, sadly. But everything is available right away and all you do is swipe a card.

Its a stressful day and i do it ALL the time. I don't relax until we are finished with Muster and on our way. Lots of people are over excited for the cruise, tired from travelling, cranky from standing in lines etc...

<snipped>

Hopefully, now that most here have seen video tour of FOS Deck 11 and the deck plan, even those who don't cruise can appreciate the openness of the exposed decks. It was disingenuous for Winkleman to suggest that the open window was in a children's play area because that is simply not true. Upper open decks on most cruise ships are free-flowing with little or no distinction from one venue to another. Even lower decks of the ship that house restaurants, lounges, shops, casino, entertainment venues, etc. tend to flow one into the other, as well.

The last thing that DH and I want to do when we board the ship is eat We rarely go to the buffet and would certainly never go on embarkation day when it's a madhouse We usually have breakfast at or near hotel, or DH goes out for bagels while I'm dressing and repacking from our overnight stay. We like to arrive at the pier just as embarkation commences so we don't have to wait in priority lounge. We pack lightly and carry everything onboard ourselves. I don't start to chill until we're unpacked and luggage is stored. I remove toss pillows and bed skirt, put them in closet, and tell steward not to put them on the bed again during our stay. Who knows how frequently those items are cleaned? Ask steward for a couple of wine glasses (and tell him I'll rinse them myself), and we're good to go In our youth, we used to enjoy deck parties (and boat drinks) during sail-away, but now we head back to our stateroom after muster, open a bottle of wine, and sit on our balcony as the ship leaves port. Bon Voyage!

 

[justbreathe]

Let's take a look at this more closely...

Everything that looks so horrible, unseemly or suspicious about how people are behaving in this case, ( family, Sam, lawyers), If we are mistaken, and Sam is telling the truth, (We're not. He's lying imo, but IF)...

If SA really did think there was glass there, then every single thing they are doing makes perfect sense.

It was still poor judgement of course to put Chloe on the rail, because she could have still gotten hurt, but most likely she would have just slapped at the glass and all would be well....

So, If SA, mom, dad ect... were 100% telling the truth, and the authorities were spinning it differently right from the jump, as angry as they undoubtedly are at Sam, they might be moved to fight back against, what could be seen as an attack on their family and a misrepresentation of how the accident occurred.

Everything that they are doing makes perfect sense under those circumstances and is really the only thing that ever made wonder for a second, "What if we are the ones who are "wrong" and they really are are telling the truth? That would be a terrible, terrible, predicament, because no one will ever believe them. Not. Ever.

And there will always be a small chance, that we don't actually know what we all seem so certain of.

There are people who believe she was deliberately murdered. I get frustrated by the insistence of those people, so I can only imagine how infuriating it would be to be falsely accused and have the entire world believe your a guilty liar. ( Like the Ramsey's, even after being formally acquitted, they'll be "guilty" forever, even though no one can prove it!).

I will be very interested in what the PC forensic team have to say about that video footage. Yes, indeed...

I think if SA really, really truly believed there was glass there then he is either a bloody idiot, vision impaired, or cognitively impaired, none of which has anything to do with RCCL and everything to do with why he should not have been watching her and should have known better than to let her wander from the kids’ play area over to the bar area.

 

[justbreathe]

To be fair, I know a lot of people who do that when they are at their lowest. Putting their game face on helps them to get on with their day, when they'd rather just curl up in a ball in bed.

I guess I imagine Winky has an image consultant/stylist on call. So how did this happen? I would have advised everyone to wear grays and blacks, no jewelry and minimal make-up, as they are in mourning. Just an odd choice at a gathered run by the lawyer trying to garner sympathy.

 

[Forever Young]

I guess I imagine Winky has an image consultant/stylist on call. So how did this happen? I would have advised everyone to wear grays and blacks, no jewelry and minimal make-up, as they are in mourning. Just an odd choice at a gathered run by the lawyer trying to garner sympathy.

If I am understanding correctly, Winkleman represents the Wiegands and would have no part in Anello's defense? He has really put his foot squarely in his own mouth a couple of times IMO.

I cannot find it now, but there was one interview where Winkleman is told that it appears that Anello's head and upper body are through the window. He says something to the effect that that is "what it looks like, [but]...", then they cut off.

From this and some other statements he's made, its obvious that Anello's defense is "not his job".