MA MA - Caleigh Harrison, 2, Rockport, 19 April 2012

[terracotta]

I'd normally agree, but I keep going back to the satellite view and Terracotta's post about what she learned from family members. I guess I need clarification. If they were at the water's edge near the bridge, and she climbed the stairs to get up onto the wall, then this was not a "My back was turned for five seconds!" situation. She was out of reach of those children for quite some time. She may have had her eye on them most of that time, but from the pictures it looks like she was a couple hundred yards away. Or am I looking at the wrong stairs? If not, there's no way she could have helped those kids even if her eyes never left them. I'm sure I make stupid decisions from time to time, but living around water makes you MORE respectful of it, not less. Try living in Florida and not being inundated with drowning stories, water accidents, missing boaters, and statistics about how drowning is the most common cause of death in kids under five. Stats don't paint a colorful picture, but when you live across the street from the water like we do, we take zero chances.


So, I don't know if I can grasp the "They are comfortable around the water so she was lackadaisical" theory. Listen to those waves. How?

You are right MomofBoys, the mom had her eye on them and was talking to them as she climbed the stairs and was walking on the retaining wall walkway, but she was not close to them to help if something suddenly happened. It does not seem likely that the girls went back over the bridge as the mom was just above them on the wall. Then she went into the yard. The girls were about 20 feet from the estuary and 10 feet from the ocean line coming in with waves. If Caleigh walked towards the estuary the banks of it would crumble under foot if she stood on its edge.

I was there when the family was timing out how long it would take someone to get to either the parking lot across the bridge or the street parking around the retaining wall. It definitely would have been less than 30 seconds to get the girl and run to a car on the road, but that means they would have had to be waiting for a moment that mom was completely out of sight. Who would think that would happen....maybe just an opportunity that presented itself to someone...I don't know.

The mom wasn't there yesterday. I believe that she is a mess, as expected, and is likely on some sedatives from what I extracted from the conversation.

Something that also bothers me is that she said she was gone two minutes from the girls....does that two minutes include the time she is walking up the stairs and walkway? If that is so then they only would have been out of her sight for 10 or 20 seconds...then she gets the ball and is back on the walkway and can see them....and of course when that happened and she came back to the walkway Caleigh was gone. But the mom had parked down on that road and I thought, well maybe she ran to the car for something while she was getting the ball. That would take a couple minutes. Doing that the kids would not see mom and maybe got up to go look to see where she is...and then Caleigh could have slipped into the water. It was an hour into the tide going out so water levels were higher in the estuary...and it was rough waves so it could have been seconds that she taken into the sea.

I can imagine the mother is racked with immense guilt for whatever actually happened that day.

 

[LisaB]

I think if the 4 year old did that she'd probably be wet too? Maybe she was and we don't know-but the other article said mom had her eyes on the kids and she didn't see that?
I think there is a lot we don't know, maybe LE wants it that way for whatever reason.

A few days before, the Mom had apparently posted on Facebook that she had taken the girls to the beach and "of course" they went in the water... (see reference upthread)

Maybe both kids were already wet... maybe just up to the waist, or whatever as it was cold. Or maybe the sister saw her going toward the water and told her no but did not actually STOP her, saw what happened (but was too far away to help, or realized it was not safe to try, and feels bad? Then again, at 4, would the danger even occur to her, or would she rush in and try to help her sister? If so, she probably wasn't watching, although Mom may have said "don't let Caleigh wander off" before she went to get the ball. That alone might make her think she is at fault.

 

[summer_breeze]

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view/20220425kin_hold_out_hope_for_finding_caleigh/

By John Zaremba
Wednesday, April 25, 2012 - Updated 1 hour ago

The family of missing Gloucester tot Caleigh Harrison attempted to re-create the oceanside scene of her disappearance yesterday, saying they believe their walkthrough at Rockport’s Long Beach gives credence to their desperate hope she was abducted and not swept out to sea.

 

[longtallcold]

Something that also bothers me is that she said she was gone two minutes from the girls....does that two minutes include the time she is walking up the stairs and walkway? If that is so then they only would have been out of her sight for 10 or 20 seconds...then she gets the ball and is back on the walkway and can see them....and of course when that happened and she came back to the walkway Caleigh was gone. But the mom had parked down on that road and I thought, well maybe she ran to the car for something while she was getting the ball. That would take a couple minutes. Doing that the kids would not see mom and maybe got up to go look to see where she is...and then Caleigh could have slipped into the water. It was an hour into the tide going out so water levels were higher in the estuary...and it was rough waves so it could have been seconds that she taken into the sea.

Respectfully snipped and BBM: That makes a world of sense now in lining up the timing and so forth...

 

[AZ1991]

Interesting. And it really flies in the face of the fatalistic Facebook post. They also don't really mention the mother as being involved in the walkthroughs. Wouldn't they really need her? It makes me wonder if the mother is so beset with guilt or grief that she can only see the drowning theory. Maybe the uncertainty is worse than believing she's gone? I can't say I think I'd feel that way, but the lack of cooperation with the FB page, the dire post on her wall, not participating in the walkthrough--it does make one wonder if she believes she's dead and why she has that belief. I find it hard to believe a kidnapper would be that lucky, opportunistic, and brazen, but it's better than thinking she's a mile out in the Atlantic.

JMO, but the first part of this and the second part of this (the bolded) make no sense.

WE ARE TALKING ABOUT A KIDNAPPER!

It is a mistake to not assume that every single kidnapper out there is "brazen and opportunistic". If they weren't, we wouldn't have kids missing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[TxLady2]

Yeah I've seen a lot of the "what mother would do that!" comments. I would just like to say that letting your kids play on the beach 91% supervised is not the worst I've seen.

Hell I can't even go one day without seeing a woman dash across 8 lanes of traffic with a baby in the stoller (twice I've seen total baby wipe outs from this!) Would I ever do that?! HELLZ NO! Does that mean these women are not "normal" mothers. I wouldn't say that.



ETA: I'm talking two four lane roads with a CROSSWALK JUST fractions of a mile away from any given location!

And I've seen moms and dads leave their chidren in the running car to dash into the store for "just a second." I've also seen moms shopping in Wal Mart and their kids are two aisles down from them, running ahead of them, and the moms are not paying attention. I see things every time I am out in public that make me cringe but I always say a little prayer that the child will be safe and nothing bad will happen.
I've raised 3 boys, and I've always been pretty careful when we're out in public, rarely taking my eyes off them, yet all 3 of them managed to get out of my sight at one time or another, and cause me some tense moments of panic. The point is, even "good" moms make mistakes or take chances. While we THINK we would never do such and such, we sometimes act without thinking, or we think it can't happen to us. Two seconds... that's all it takes for a child to vanish, whether it's underwater, off a cliff, or snatched from a busy shopping mall by a total stranger. Two seconds. How many of us can truly and honestly say that there was never a period of two seconds sometime that our child was not right beside us or our eyes not on that child? My guess is, none IF we're honest. Would be nice if all parents were perfect, but all of us have flaws and all of us make mistakes.

 

[TxLady2]

From the above article:

Harrison said Caleigh’s sister, who has been interviewed several times by police, has told family members nothing about the disappearance.

“She’s still in shock from the whole thing or just doesn’t want to talk about it,” Harrison said. “Every time you ask her about it, she changes the subject.”

Okay, I have a 4 year old and I find this beyond bizarre. She won't even answer questions? I have a 2 year old as well. If my 4 year old witnessed her sister being swept into the ocean or abducted, she would be hysterical about it. Everyone would know, especially in the moments directly after. Maybe it's guilt because she didn't see anything? I don't know, but the fact the sister changes the subject really disturbs me.

Wait, I just thought of one circumstance where my 4 year old avoids the subject. When she's afraid that her answer is going to get her in trouble. Perhaps the sister did something that forced Caleigh into the water? That actually makes the most sense to me, if the sister pushed or knocked Caleigh in and is now terrified to talk about it. I would never blame the 4 year old for that, she has no concept of the consequences of that action. Her silence does make me wonder, though.

A child that young could think they will be in trouble even if they've done nothing wrong. I don't see it as unusual at all that she won't talk about it. She is scared, she may fear that she'll be in trouble for not saving her sister, even though she couldn't have prevented whatever happened. OR there is also a remote possibility that if someone snatched the 2 yr. old while she was right there, they threatened her not to tell or they would come after her.
When my 2 oldest were 4 yrs and not quite 2, the younger one burned his feet from stepping into a pile of ashes. The older one blamed himself for a long time, even though we all did everything we could to convince him it was not his fault. He wouldn't talk about it at first. He eventually accepted that he was not to blame, but it took awhile.

 

[keeponsearching]

A kidnapping could of taken place. Even if the mom was that far away and saw someone snatch her child, what is she going to do? A perp could of notice her going for the ball and took the chance, again even if he was seen she is to far away to do anything. Well besides run and scream and by then the perp could of been out of site. jmo

 

[KrazyKatLadi]

And I've seen moms and dads leave their chidren in the running car to dash into the store for "just a second." I've also seen moms shopping in Wal Mart and their kids are two aisles down from them, running ahead of them, and the moms are not paying attention. I see things every time I am out in public that make me cringe but I always say a little prayer that the child will be safe and nothing bad will happen.
I've raised 3 boys, and I've always been pretty careful when we're out in public, rarely taking my eyes off them, yet all 3 of them managed to get out of my sight at one time or another, and cause me some tense moments of panic. The point is, even "good" moms make mistakes or take chances. While we THINK we would never do such and such, we sometimes act without thinking, or we think it can't happen to us. Two seconds... that's all it takes for a child to vanish, whether it's underwater, off a cliff, or snatched from a busy shopping mall by a total stranger. Two seconds. How many of us can truly and honestly say that there was never a period of two seconds sometime that our child was not right beside us or our eyes not on that child? My guess is, none IF we're honest. Would be nice if all parents were perfect, but all of us have flaws and all of us make mistakes.

Two days ago, while taking my 3 year old to school, he opened the back door of my Explorer as soon as we stopped, jumped out, and ran across the parking lot to the enterance literally BEFORE I even got all the way out and standing. It's amazing how fast these little buggers are!

I'd also like to add that it just depends on the kid as to the sister telling what happened. Before mentioned 3 year old will tell me crazy stories if I ask him about his day that I know arent true, but sometimes he wont say a word. It's possible the sister just didnt see a thing. JMO

 

[TxLady2]

It's also possible that mom may be getting a bit of blame pointed at her by other family members, particularly the child's father. Who knows? It's bad enough to have your child disappear, but to have fingers pointed at you... and realize that indirectly you are to blame, even though it wasn't your intention... would be devastating.

 

[summer_breeze]

http://www.wickedlocal.com/gloucest...rch-for-missing-Gloucester-girl#axzz1t4SnfS8O

By Jane Fosberry Enos/capeann@wickedlocal.com
Cape Ann Beacon
Posted Apr 24, 2012 @ 11:47 AM

<snipped>

“On Wednesday we will conduct two related operations: Deployment of the side-scan sonar from a Massachusetts State Police Marine Unit vessel and a dive team training exercise, which will put approximately 20 divers into the ocean off Long Beach and Cape Hedge Beach in Rockport,” Procopio said in a press release.

 

[summer_breeze]

http://www.necn.com/04/25/12/Missin...ng_newengland.html?blockID=696412&feedID=4206

Apr 25, 2012 12:56pm

<snipped>

The family is hoping she is still alive and they are very grateful for the state police dive teams that are in the water scouring the ocean bottom, but they are starting to think Caleigh Anne Harrison is not in the ocean.

 

[MsFacetious]

It's also possible that mom may be getting a bit of blame pointed at her by other family members, particularly the child's father. Who knows? It's bad enough to have your child disappear, but to have fingers pointed at you... and realize that indirectly you are to blame, even though it wasn't your intention... would be devastating.

Absolutely.

Yet I can only imagine how much more devastating it would be... if they find out in a few months that this WAS an abduction.

If it is learned that everyone needed to know this little girl was missing... and she might have been found earlier...

I would not only blame myself for letting her get taken at all, but also delaying her recovery by stopping people trying to help.

 

[HaikuMommy]

(Long post alert!) I don't want to blame the mom. But it is an interesting nuance being made in the above posts. Even if mom WAS watching them for all but 10 seconds, but was 50 yards away while watching them, that is not safe when they are 10 feet from the ocean. Another thing that is (IMO) not safe is being outnumbered by children under 5 at the beach. I live near the beach, though not in MA -- and I have two girls, 1 (almost 2) and 3 (almost 4). I've never taken them to the beach by myself before, even though I love the beach... specifically because I couldn't keep tight enough reins on them if they both ran off in different directions, which they do all the time, even with me yelling "stop!" And kids usually run straight to the water, so how can I keep them both safe then? I can't if I'm outnumbered. Since drowning causes the most deaths in their age group, I only go to the beach when my husband or another adult comes along. I may take them by myself when they are 3 and 5...maybe.

That being said... I've lost my 3 year old twice! Once I was in line at a home improvement store, with my youngest daughter in a cart in front of me, and my 3yo standing next to me. While I was setting my items on the register to pay, the 3yo walked away. After loading up my items (10 seconds?) I had looked back to her and saw that she was gone. I immediately panicked and began racing up and down the main aisle, looking down each aisle and calling her name. The store employees started talking on their walkee-talkees, as I was begging them to help me find her. I was horrified, thinking of sex offenders lurking to take little girls by the hand and calmly walk away. I'm sure some of the people who saw me screaming thought I'd been lax watching her. In less than a minute, an employee entered the store with her -- yes, she had walked straight out of the store, where she tried to cross the street by herself! The employee showing up to work had seen her and brought her back in the store, thank goodness. I was mortified, as you can imagine, but so relieved something awful hadn't occurred. I can't imagine never knowing what happened to her after that. I would be a mental case.

The other time, also at a store, my husband and I went in opposite directions to get the shopping done quicker. But he thought dd was staying with me and I thought she was going with him. She walked behind him as he went, but apparently he was unaware of this. So she wandered off. The first I knew about it was when some man walked up and said "Is this your daughter?" in a pleasant voice. I smiled and said yes, thinking he must be someone my husband knew and my husband must be right there too, about to introduce us. But as I realized my husband was nowhere around, and this man was actually handing my daughter over to me, then I was shocked and distraught! He must have thought I was a nut by my initial relaxed reaction. We hadn't even known she was missing for 5 minutes!

So I am not trying to cast aspersions at Caleigh's mom, stuff happens. I have let my 3yo have popcorn and nuts when offered them, even knowing they are choking hazards, because she chews them well and we've never had a problem. I've let my 1yo have a latex balloon when offered, and they are killers of babies too. How this relates is that I have watched closely... but really, what could I do once a popped balloon is blocking an airway? Nothing but panic and watch a terrible situation unfold, just like Caleigh's mom from up on a bridge would been powerless to save her daughter even if she HAD seen her run to the water's edge. I too have taken chances, even though I am well informed of the dangers, and never had a problem. But if we ever DID have a problem, I know I would be subject to the same judgments, especially from myself. :-(

Just because I would never do THIS particular stupid thing, I have done plenty of other stupid things.

 

[capoly]

Has been a while since I've posted to Websleuths. Saw a few familiar names : ) Spoke with a family member of Caleigh's this morning to see if they needed fliers printed. It was very sad. While LE has not ruled out any scenario, the family is basically on their own in regards to land search/awareness.

This is not to say LE has not done a good job. We all know how expensive searches, can be especially sea searches.

Was pleased to see there are posters here that feel an abduction is not out of the realm of possibility. The layout of the land in that area is certainly conducive to a drowning but it is also a good layout for an opportunistic abductor.

If able, am hoping to get up to the Gloucester area this Sunday to pass out/hang fliers at a location the family would like covered. It is too early to give up hope. Too early for the family to find acceptance/comfort in knowing all was done that could be done. Am sure many of you realize the importance of your words and actions in helping to sustain a families hope.

Hope all is well with the Websleuths family.

(Ugh...still being beat by the automatic log out)

 

[Rhyme & Reason]

Family: Missing girl in Rockport was possibly abducted

Read more: http://www1.whdh.com/news/articles/...rockport-was-possibly-abducted/#ixzz1t5MgdY4t

 

[TxLady2]

(Long post alert!) I don't want to blame the mom. But it is an interesting nuance being made in the above posts. Even if mom WAS watching them for all but 10 seconds, but was 50 yards away while watching them, that is not safe when they are 10 feet from the ocean. Another thing that is (IMO) not safe is being outnumbered by children under 5 at the beach. I live near the beach, though not in MA -- and I have two girls, 1 (almost 2) and 3 (almost 4). I've never taken them to the beach by myself before, even though I love the beach... specifically because I couldn't keep tight enough reins on them if they both ran off in different directions, which they do all the time, even with me yelling "stop!" And kids usually run straight to the water, so how can I keep them both safe then? I can't if I'm outnumbered. Since drowning causes the most deaths in their age group, I only go to the beach when my husband or another adult comes along. I may take them by myself when they are 3 and 5...maybe.

That being said... I've lost my 3 year old twice! Once I was in line at a home improvement store, with my youngest daughter in a cart in front of me, and my 3yo standing next to me. While I was setting my items on the register to pay, the 3yo walked away. After loading up my items (10 seconds?) I had looked back to her and saw that she was gone. I immediately panicked and began racing up and down the main aisle, looking down each aisle and calling her name. The store employees started talking on their walkee-talkees, as I was begging them to help me find her. I was horrified, thinking of sex offenders lurking to take little girls by the hand and calmly walk away. I'm sure some of the people who saw me screaming thought I'd been lax watching her. In less than a minute, an employee entered the store with her -- yes, she had walked straight out of the store, where she tried to cross the street by herself! The employee showing up to work had seen her and brought her back in the store, thank goodness. I was mortified, as you can imagine, but so relieved something awful hadn't occurred. I can't imagine never knowing what happened to her after that. I would be a mental case.

The other time, also at a store, my husband and I went in opposite directions to get the shopping done quicker. But he thought dd was staying with me and I thought she was going with him. She walked behind him as he went, but apparently he was unaware of this. So she wandered off. The first I knew about it was when some man walked up and said "Is this your daughter?" in a pleasant voice. I smiled and said yes, thinking he must be someone my husband knew and my husband must be right there too, about to introduce us. But as I realized my husband was nowhere around, and this man was actually handing my daughter over to me, then I was shocked and distraught! He must have thought I was a nut by my initial relaxed reaction. We hadn't even known she was missing for 5 minutes!

So I am not trying to cast aspersions at Caleigh's mom, stuff happens. I have let my 3yo have popcorn and nuts when offered them, even knowing they are choking hazards, because she chews them well and we've never had a problem. I've let my 1yo have a latex balloon when offered, and they are killers of babies too. How this relates is that I have watched closely... but really, what could I do once a popped balloon is blocking an airway? Nothing but panic and watch a terrible situation unfold, just like Caleigh's mom from up on a bridge would been powerless to save her daughter even if she HAD seen her run to the water's edge. I too have taken chances, even though I am well informed of the dangers, and never had a problem. But if we ever DID have a problem, I know I would be subject to the same judgments, especially from myself. :-(

Just because I would never do THIS particular stupid thing, I have done plenty of other stupid things.[/QUOTE]


Thanks for being so honest. Great post!! Most parents take risks of some kind with their children, even if they never admit it.

 

[Rhyme & Reason]

No Evidence Found To Support Tot Abduction

"At this point we have investigated the theory of abduction," Massachusetts State Police spokesman David Procopio said. "We have interviewed four witnesses who were in the vicinity of the girl when she went missing. We have not been able to establish that there was anyone else in the vicinity that could have been responsible for an abduction."

Read more: http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/30955274/detail.html#ixzz1t5YtuJGf

 

[PMLsmom]

Well IMO, the feeling I get is that...whoosh, she is gone...and that's it (from FB and anywhere else for that matter). Case closed. Now has 750 "friends." Again, JMHO- no sense of loss at all.

 

[PMLsmom]

Also, I can't understand why this little baby's thread isn't getting much attention, JMHO We should be on a third or fourth thread - not on page nine of the first...