Law Enforcement Searches/AJ's Remains Located

[FindHG]

Virginian-Pilot,
by Steve Earley From photo #10

First one, a screen cap showing LE looking down at the area just beyond the shed, possibly behind the white partition running past the street side of the shed.

 

[Mountain_Kat]

Yes, I realize pictures can be deceiving, and it's just my opinion but the area appears to be a ditch along the roadside. If they are tire tracks, IMO, they are very large tire tracks. And if you look at the aerial pic, it *appears* there is a ditch that runs along side the highway.

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View attachment 75165

I agree with you, NW. In my mind this is clearly the ditch that runs along the road. If you look in this video @ the 2:07 mark, you can clearly see the metal tube of the drainage ditch. http://wavy.com/2015/04/09/investigators-expand-search-area-for-missing-norfolk-teen/

Additionally, I recall in one of the earliest articles on the remains being found, that a news anchor commented on evidence being found not far from the road, alongside the ditch. I've tried to track down that link, but I can't find it. Anyway...I think it's obvious that something, or rather several "somethings" were found around the area of this drainage ditch, I just have no idea what those "somethings" might be.

 

[Ontario Mom]

I agree with you, NW. In my mind this is clearly the ditch that runs along the road. If you look in this video @ the 2:07 mark, you can clearly see the metal tube of the drainage ditch. http://wavy.com/2015/04/09/investigators-expand-search-area-for-missing-norfolk-teen/

Additionally, I recall in one of the earliest articles on the remains being found, that a news anchor commented on evidence being found not far from the road, alongside the ditch. I've tried to track down that link, but I can't find it. Anyway...I think it's obvious that something, or rather several "somethings" were found around the area of this drainage ditch, I just have no idea what those "somethings" might be.

Yep, now that I see the arial shot I agree it's a ditch with a drain pipe directly under the end of the driveway. In fact, now that I see it, I can actually see the very edge of the pipe on the right hand side of the pic. So, what evidence did they find there in the ditch? Good question. Pieces of clothing, pieces of a broken phone, cigarette butts?

 

[Mountain_Kat]

Yep, now that I see the arial shot I agree it's a ditch with a drain pipe directly under the end of the driveway. In fact, now that I see it, I can actually see the very edge of the pipe on the right hand side of the pic. So, what evidence did they find there in the ditch? Good question. Pieces of clothing, pieces of a broken phone, cigarette butts?

I honestly can't tell anything of value from these ground levels shots alone. I almost always have to refer back to the aerial shots and then try to take some sense of perspective from those and apply that to the ground shots. I know that, early on, several posters here were convinced that the wooden deck was actually in the backyard. From the ground shots alone, it really does look like that. You had to go to the aerial shots, and then back to those ground shots to understand that the deck is actually under the carport. It's frustrating to have to constantly go back and forth like that, but I can't get any sense of what I'm actually seeing without doing that. :gaah:

 

[klily444]

I don't believe this has been brought up yet; would appreciate your thoughts. From the first interview that Luckyseven transcribed:
" I was at work out of town, not out of town, but an hour away. I wasn’t in my home residence, Norfolk home. But I was working and they called and said “so and so” found part of a credit card with her name. "

Is WH not alluding to the fact that while he was working an hour away (which we now know to be Franklin, per JH) he was perhaps living out of town? Perhaps squatting in the empty Franklin house for a week or so, so that he didn't have to pay for a weekly rate on a motel while he is working out of town? Neighbors did see a vehicle out there, and we can't count on the fact that neighbors would see something every time there is movement at that house. Perhaps he hid his vehicle on the property?

Wouldn't be a smart move to hide a body where you are squatting, but I wouldn't be surprised if he did exactly that. He could also keep an eye on the body that way. I am sure LE has records for the dates he paid for that weekly motel. If the dates aren't consistent, he was staying elsewhere some of the time.

 

[NWLady]

http://hamptonroads.com/2015/03/stepfather-missing-norfolk-18yearold-denied-bond

Coleman said Hadsell - who has "Game Over" tattooed on his eyelids - was estranged from his wife at the time of his arrest and had been for "weeks." Coleman did not say whether the estrangement occurred before or after AJ's disappearance. She said he was living in a hotel room, where police later found a scale with possible cocaine residue on it and 75 rounds of ammunition hidden in an air conditioning vent.
Norfolk police have conducted at least two searches while investigating the disappearance of the Granby High School graduate - first on March 11 at Northside Park in Norfolk and later on March 21 in a swampy, wooded area along Battlefield Boulevard in Chesapeake.
The second search occurred the same day Wesley Hadsell was arrested.

 

[Ontario Mom]

I don't believe this has been brought up yet; would appreciate your thoughts. From the first interview that Luckyseven transcribed:
" I was at work out of town, not out of town, but an hour away. I wasn’t in my home residence, Norfolk home. But I was working and they called and said “so and so” found part of a credit card with her name. "

Is WH not alluding to the fact that while he was working an hour away (which we now know to be Franklin, per JH) he was perhaps living out of town? Perhaps squatting in the empty Franklin house for a week or so, so that he didn't have to pay for a weekly rate on a motel while he is working out of town? Neighbors did see a vehicle out there, and we can't count on the fact that neighbors would see something every time there is movement at that house. Perhaps he hid his vehicle on the property?

Wouldn't be a smart move to hide a body where you are squatting, but I wouldn't be surprised if he did exactly that. He could also keep an eye on the body that way. I am sure LE has records for the dates he paid for that weekly motel. If the dates aren't consistent, he was staying elsewhere some of the time.

I never got the impression he was living an hour away, just working an hour away. I suspect he likely had the same motel room all along.

 

[Mountain_Kat]

http://hamptonroads.com/2015/03/stepfather-missing-norfolk-18yearold-denied-bond

Coleman said Hadsell - who has "Game Over" tattooed on his eyelids - was estranged from his wife at the time of his arrest and had been for "weeks." Coleman did not say whether the estrangement occurred before or after AJ's disappearance. She said he was living in a hotel room, where police later found a scale with possible cocaine residue on it and 75 rounds of ammunition hidden in an air conditioning vent.
Norfolk police have conducted at least two searches while investigating the disappearance of the Granby High School graduate - first on March 11 at Northside Park in Norfolk and later on March 21 in a swampy, wooded area along Battlefield Boulevard in Chesapeake.
The second search occurred the same day Wesley Hadsell was arrested.

Where on earth did they come up with Granby HS? I could understand if they did a search of her address and came up with Lake Taylor, because that is the HS she was supposed to go to, but I can't imagine how they came to the conclusion that AJ was a student at Granby. That's pretty sloppy reporting, imo.

 

[FindHG]

I never got the impression he was living an hour away, just working an hour away. I suspect he likely had the same motel room all along.

He was probably visiting a friend who lived about that far, not real work, more like working it.

 

[beetrice]

I agree on the drainage ditch. In these pictures - posts 119, 120, it looks like there may be some standing water, cant fully tell. I wonder what it was like back in March? On the side of the ditch, it does look like the street side of a portion of the ditch has grass erosion. Maybe either from tires or a person sliding into the ditch. ??

Those tiny markers are strange, I dont know if I have seen those before. Must be alot of small somethings there- like a spill. Hmm.

 

[arkansasmimi]

I agree on the drainage ditch. In these pictures - posts 119, 120, it looks like there may be some standing water, cant fully tell. I wonder what it was like back in March? On the side of the ditch, it does look like the street side of a portion of the ditch has grass erosion. Maybe either from tires or a person sliding into the ditch. ??

Those tiny markers are strange, I dont know if I have seen those before. Must be alot of small somethings there- like a spill. Hmm.

That is a drainage ditch. I think I posted this or thought so, not sure which thread now lol I took this ss also from news video you can tell where the culvert is. The white line looking things are highline wires. These are from the news helicopter shots. I sure they picked up anything and everything to make sure if relevant or not.

 

[arkansasmimi]

By Joe Fisher Published: March 13, 2015, 10:30 pm Updated: April 6, 2015, 11:26 am
More than 20 people were out searching for the teenager again Friday. Mr. Hadsell said her cell phone sent a signal from the area of Tidewater Drive near Thole Street in Norfolk.
http://wavy.com/2015/03/13/is-anjelica-hadsell-in-danger/

So late Wed night March 11/ Thurs 12;30am March 12 Norfolk PD gets Tip for Northside Park, which is on Tidewater.

Friday March 13, Wes says her sent a signal from near Tidewater Drive near Thole Street.

When did Zach speak with Wes that he told him he was tracking AJ phone? Did Zach ever get any tips from his flyers?

Zach 4/5 #783
I may have been wrong about Law Enforcement tracking the cell phone. I assumed they were able to because it never occurred to me that they wouldn't be able to. I knew Wes was, or he told me he was, but beyond that was speculation. http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...rfolk-3-March-2015-11&p=11658054#post11658054

This got me to looking at cell towers and other info.

 

[arkansasmimi]

I was looking for Cell towers in the area of the 34160 Smiths Ferry Rd, Franklin Va. I found 2 that are registered with the FCC. Evidently not all towers are required to be registered with FCC (saw that on a few pages). But here are 2 that I found. One has a street address and the other only an intersection. I finally found that area. There appears to be other towers not registered and haven't worked on those yet.

2 fcc registered cell phone towers in Franklin VA
1022 pretlow klin" 1022 Pretlow Street (, Lat: 36.664028 , Lon: -76.918861

684 and 258 sycamore church road * no address listed. ** 258 is also called Smiths Ferry Rd
0.25 Miles W Of Intersection Of Rts. 258 & 684 (, Lat: 36.658667 , Lon: -76.949861),
Read more: http://www.city-data.com/towers/cell-Franklin-Virginia.html#mapFCC_CellPhone_towers#ixzz3bAAlYxzc

 

[arkansasmimi]

I also found this and was interesting to me. Note this was published Dec 2012. So if anything it would hold true still and any new technology would make it stronger. I remember the Cellebrite from the George Zimmerman/Trayvon Martin trial. They were able to pull thousands of diff items from the phone. But they had the actual phone of Trayvon. If they can find AJ phone it will be most helpful, in that they could possibly retrieve data. But this is interesting and wanted to share. Especially about the cell data:

Electronic evidence (discussed in Part One) and retained data evidence. Retained data evidence is telecon records involving the details of calls made and received, and the geographic location of the mobile phone when a call is made.

This information from the cellular service provider can be used to compare with other investigative facts or theories. This can identify discrepancies or corroborate statements. This can also be used to identify other people who may be involved.

Most importantly, this info will put cell phones in approximate geographic areas during specific dates and times, i.e., historical tracking. Finally, most service providers are able to provide real-time, live tracking, AKA, pinging. http://www.hendonpub.com/law_and_order/articles/2012/12/cell_phone_analysis_part_2

 

[arkansasmimi]

Historical Tracking

Cell Site Analysis (CSA) is the science of reconstructing the physical movements of a mobile phone or communication device. The evidence from this advanced investigation can attribute contact between individuals, indicate proximity to a crime scene, define patterns of movement of suspects, and confirm or dispute alibi statements. To perform a Cell Site Analysis, you have to understand how cell towers are built and operate.

Most (but not all) cell towers are three-sided. On each of these sides, there are three panels. The middle panel is the transmitter, while the outer panels are the receivers. The two outside panels “listen” for inbound signals. Something like how our two ears compare slight differences in sound to determine location and direction of movement, these two outside panels do the same. This allows a smooth hand-off from tower to tower when the caller is mobile.

Each tower has three directional antennas. A directional antenna receives signals with more intensity from the direction it is pointed. It filters this, versus signals it receives from directions outside its field.
http://www.hendonpub.com/law_and_order/articles/2012/12/cell_phone_analysis_part_2

 

[arkansasmimi]

Cell Site Analysis

The Cell Site Analysis (CSA) starts with a court order or search warrant requesting call detail records with the cell tower that were used doing the call. The CSA, with information from particular tower locations, will tell you what parts of the city you are in but not what street you are on. For most investigations, knowing the handset was in a general area—and could not have been in another area—is enough to confirm or deny an alibi about a date, time, location.

The CSA will only allow an investigator to state the call was from an area covered by the cell tower, not a single address. That means it is better suited to eliminate alibi locations than to prove the handset was in one specific house or block.

However, some pretty strong inferences can be made based on the CSA and how towers work. Most towers are divided into three 120-degree sides. (Some are six 60-degree sides.) Depending on the cellular service provider who operates the cell tower, these sectors will be identified as 1,2,3; A,B,C; Alpha, Beta, Gamma for a beam width of 120-degree coverage tower. For a 60-degree coverage tower, combinations of this alpha-numeric will identify which slice of the pie is involved. Each tower has a reception range from less than a mile to 12 miles. Each area covered by the sector can be narrowed to within one-tenth of a mile. Side 1 on AT&T and Verizon towers faces north. This is for the typical tower…exceptions exist.

If possible, ask for cell tower information within 7 to 15 days. Then ask the service provider to provide the PCMD (Sprint), RTT (Verizon) or Activity Log (T-Mobile). This can put a handset down to a certain distance from the tower. For example, the handset was between 6/10ths and 7/10ths of a mile from this specific tower within the sector with compass readings of 300 degrees (WNW) and 60 degrees (ENE).

That covers a lot of urban area, is more restrictive in a suburban area, and actually helpful in a rural area. Even in a heavily urbanized area full of multi-level buildings, it tells you the handset was within those few city blocks—and nowhere else in the country. Remember, a lot of factors can influence this range, so it may not be accurate.

It is not GPS, but the handset being “this” distance from “this” tower in “this” sector is a valuable piece of investigative information. A valid CSA will be able to accurately come up with this kind of conclusion. Again, one of the advantages of call measurement data is that juries understand it, they get it...he said he wasn’t at the crime scene, so how did his phone get there?
http://www.hendonpub.com/law_and_order/articles/2012/12/cell_phone_analysis_part_2

 

[arkansasmimi]

Cloud Storage

Currently, cloud storage is the best thing to happen to law enforcement since cell phones,” Roberts stated. Cloud storage is nothing more mysterious or cyber-techno than simply saving data to an off-site storage system maintained by a third party. Cloud storage is now extremely common. The Internet provides the connection between the computer (or handset) and the database.

The computer (cell phone) user sends copies of files over the Internet to the remote data server, which saves the information. To retrieve the data, or manipulate the files, simply gain access to the server through the Web.

With cloud storage you can access your data from any location that has Internet access…any location. You don’t need to carry storage or memory devices with you. You don’t even need to use the same computer (cell phone) to gain access to the information. You can allow other people to access the data file.

iCloud? That is Apple’s cloud storage system that allows you to back up and restore data on your Apply iOS devices like iPhone, iPad and iPod. They just need to be connected to the Internet. Text messages are on iCloud. So are apps purchased from iTunes. So are all the photos and video on the Camera Roll feature in iOS. iCloud keeps bookmarks and reading lists from the Internet.

The standard for Fourth Amendment search and seizure usually observes “in your personal possession.” Nothing in the cloud storage is in your full personal possession. It is all stored on someone else’s computer systems. Anything stored at Google or Facebook, the e-mails stored on Gmail or Hotmail, cell phone call logs on the wireless company’s storage servers, files stored at remote backup services like Carbonite are all, to a large degree, in someone else’s possession.

All that evidence is there. “All you have to do is ask,” Roberts noted. The perp might delete something from his phone, but he may forget to delete it from the cloud. The phone company does not keep text messages, but the cloud does. Send a search warrant to Apple or Google and asked for cloud contents and you may be surprised at the evidence you get back.

Formal training is necessary to become a cell phone forensic specialist. This training may be covered by grants, such as the Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grant. Specialized hardware and/or software will be required. Software-based solutions include Paraben and Secure View. Hardware-based solutions are available from Cellebrite. Cellebrite is simple, portable and car-adaptable. The unit is a bit expensive, compared to the software-only solutions, including both an initial outlay and a yearly subscriber fee.
http://www.hendonpub.com/law_and_order/articles/2012/12/cell_phone_analysis_part_2

 

[arkansasmimi]

So IF its true that Mr. Hines was told by a Detective that AJ phone pinged on March 3rd at 8 am, and they were just looking prior to her remains found, it makes sense to me now. It took time to get the information and then do the investigative leg work narrowing down the areas. It wasn't as quick as in the Beverly Carter case, where they were able to get information in within hours of her going missing. Not only that but had more cooperation and honesty it appears.

 

[jojo87]

By Joe Fisher Published: March 13, 2015, 10:30 pm Updated: April 6, 2015, 11:26 am
More than 20 people were out searching for the teenager again Friday. Mr. Hadsell said her cell phone sent a signal from the area of Tidewater Drive near Thole Street in Norfolk.
http://wavy.com/2015/03/13/is-anjelica-hadsell-in-danger/

So late Wed night March 11/ Thurs 12;30am March 12 Norfolk PD gets Tip for Northside Park, which is on Tidewater.

Friday March 13, Wes says her sent a signal from near Tidewater Drive near Thole Street.

When did Zach speak with Wes that he told him he was tracking AJ phone? Did Zach ever get any tips from his flyers?


This got me to looking at cell towers and other info.

I missed this at the time. Wes told Zach he was tracking AJs phone? Have I got that right? I wonder if Wes mentioned how he was doing this.

 

[jojo87]

Cloud Storage

Currently, cloud storage is the best thing to happen to law enforcement since cell phones,” Roberts stated. Cloud storage is nothing more mysterious or cyber-techno than simply saving data to an off-site storage system maintained by a third party. Cloud storage is now extremely common. The Internet provides the connection between the computer (or handset) and the database.

The computer (cell phone) user sends copies of files over the Internet to the remote data server, which saves the information. To retrieve the data, or manipulate the files, simply gain access to the server through the Web.

With cloud storage you can access your data from any location that has Internet access…any location. You don’t need to carry storage or memory devices with you. You don’t even need to use the same computer (cell phone) to gain access to the information. You can allow other people to access the data file.

iCloud? That is Apple’s cloud storage system that allows you to back up and restore data on your Apply iOS devices like iPhone, iPad and iPod. They just need to be connected to the Internet. Text messages are on iCloud. So are apps purchased from iTunes. So are all the photos and video on the Camera Roll feature in iOS. iCloud keeps bookmarks and reading lists from the Internet.

The standard for Fourth Amendment search and seizure usually observes “in your personal possession.” Nothing in the cloud storage is in your full personal possession. It is all stored on someone else’s computer systems. Anything stored at Google or Facebook, the e-mails stored on Gmail or Hotmail, cell phone call logs on the wireless company’s storage servers, files stored at remote backup services like Carbonite are all, to a large degree, in someone else’s possession.

All that evidence is there. “All you have to do is ask,” Roberts noted. The perp might delete something from his phone, but he may forget to delete it from the cloud. The phone company does not keep text messages, but the cloud does. Send a search warrant to Apple or Google and asked for cloud contents and you may be surprised at the evidence you get back.

Formal training is necessary to become a cell phone forensic specialist. This training may be covered by grants, such as the Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grant. Specialized hardware and/or software will be required. Software-based solutions include Paraben and Secure View. Hardware-based solutions are available from Cellebrite. Cellebrite is simple, portable and car-adaptable. The unit is a bit expensive, compared to the software-only solutions, including both an initial outlay and a yearly subscriber fee.
http://www.hendonpub.com/law_and_order/articles/2012/12/cell_phone_analysis_part_2

Thanks for posting this arkansasmimi. I learn something new every day.