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

[32beatspersecond]

I wonder if there is a custodial undertone to all this...
One of the family members said that
"while folks are searching the water the kidnapper is in pennsylvania"
why say that?
Freudian sublimination?

 

[hollye]

That brings up a good point--how many people would have felt comfortable jumping into someone's backyard? Maybe I'm a big scaredy-pants, but normally I would go around and knock first. That might explain the time discrepancy, if one exists. I wouldn't have done it with my kids near the water, but I wouldn't trespass. I would have called the ball a loss.

If the homes were indeed Summer homes and were unoccupied at the time, I would be more inclined to jump into someone's backyard. However, I would also take my kids with me, at least to the top of the wall, so that I could still see them. I wonder if she thought the ball had just landed on top of the wall/walkway when she began to retrieve it. Even so, once she realized that it had gone into the backyard, I would think she would have called her kids over to stand on the walkway while she got it.

Good point about the wind blowing! Unless it was a heavier ball, if the wind was blowing toward the water, the ball wold have blown toward the water. If it was a heavier ball, like a blacktop type ball, it may have still gone over the wall/walkway, IMO.

 

[boston_baby]

HINKY METER-----
one of the posters who is a local claimed the wind was blowing out to sea the day of the vanishing....
a ball hit into the air would have hurled to the water - not up onto the wall and into a yard.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I think that was me, and the wind was DEFINITELY headed out that day where I live. I am quite nearby, and it was a strong wind to boot. However, if this beach is located in a certain part of the cape (I will try to look by google map at the big picture), the sea is not automatically east. For ME where I am not far away, the sea is due east, but the cape is curved, and the water could be north, south, east or west depending where you are on the cape.

I was out last night at a local restaurant, and the waitress, whom I know quite well after many years, said the parents are currently separated and probably divorcing. Not sure if it's a factor here, and not even 100% sure it's true, although she is a reliable source. Her daughter is friends with the mom's sister.

She also thinks something is weird about the whole thing, but she was really defending the mom. The waitress is going with the abduction scenario. I personally and not sure sure *I* buy it, but that's what she thinks. In some ways she had a point with a few of her suppositions, but I am still not sure I buy abduction.

Missing signs went up around here at the minimarts and whatnot just within the past day or two.

 

[boston_baby]

So I just checked the ocean buoy data from nearby the site.
That day the buoy recorded winds that are consistent with the ball blowing back toward land and not to sea.

 

[32beatspersecond]

I think that was me, and the wind was DEFINITELY headed out that day where I live. I am quite nearby, and it was a strong wind to boot. However, if this beach is located in a certain part of the cape (I will try to look by google map at the big picture), the sea is not automatically east. For ME where I am not far away, the sea is due east, but the cape is curved, and the water could be north, south, east or west depending where you are on the cape.

I was out last night at a local restaurant, and the waitress, whom I know quite well after many years, said the parents are currently separated and probably divorcing. Not sure if it's a factor here, and not even 100% sure it's true, although she is a reliable source. Her daughter is friends with the mom's sister.

She also thinks something is weird about the whole thing, but she was really defending the mom. The waitress is going with the abduction scenario. I personally and not sure sure *I* buy it, but that's what she thinks. In some ways she had a point with a few of her suppositions, but I am still not sure I buy abduction.

Missing signs went up around here at the minimarts and whatnot just within the past day or two.

interesting accounts from the waitress...

 

[32beatspersecond]

So I just checked the ocean buoy data from nearby the site.
That day the buoy recorded winds that are consistent with the ball blowing back toward land and not to sea.

fair enough.
thanks.
good to check off the possibilities.

 

[KaylynnCouture]

Father Speaks Out

The father of a missing Gloucester toddler says he feels in his gut that his 2-year-old daughter is still alive and he's not giving up hope he will find her.

"In my heart, I feel like she's still alive and she's out there, and I'm not going to stop looking until we find her," said Caleigh Anne Harrison's father, Tony.

The distraught dad spoke as police divers combed the ocean floor off Rockport again on Thursday, looking for any sign of the little girl who vanished there last week while playing on the beach with her mother.

"She was just so special. Her smile lit up the room. She's just a good, good little girl and we miss her daily and we want her back," Tony Harrison said

Snipped: http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/30959133/detail.html

Also, according to that same article, today will be the last day they are searching the water for little Caleigh.

 

[Rougelatete]

Maybe it's just because I've been so embroiled in the Sky Metalwala case, but my hinky meter is going off on this one. I believe that if it feels off, it's probably off, and something about this case doesn't sit right with me.

I live in the Boston area, about 5 minutes from a beach, and I can tell you that the last thing I want to be doing right now is playing near the freezing cold water with the sharp coastal wind hurting my face. Not fun.

I'm tired of the same demographics playing out....Caucasian mother is last to see her youngest or only child before they *poof* disappear. I'm thinking Caylee, Sky, Lisa, Tyler, Aliayah....and now Caleigh is among them. What is happening here?

 

[boston_baby]

IDK. I take my kids to the beach area all the time. That wasn't the best day it could have been, but we've certainly gone to the beach in worse. The park I take my kids to most often is right at the beach, and we go in January...

I don't know if you're a long-time local, but that's pretty normal for around here.... at least us salty north shore people.

 

[keeponsearching]

Last week was warmer then it should have been. This week is colder and most of the week has been windy, and it started off the week raining. I am only 2 hours north. So going to the beach this week would of been a big no way, but last week it was very normal for most people.

 

[Janeumayer]

Here is a Bing bird's eye view of what I believe is the bridge and the cottage wall that the ball went over. The wall looks high and like it took a bit of effort. Did the mother run around to the front of the house to retrieve the ball? That took a minute or two. Depending on tides and wave activity, it looks like poor Caleigh could have fallen and been swept out from this location.

http://binged.it/HVzelS

Just wanted to add the pic below.

 

[Patriots55]

Hi - I have looked through the mothers facebook page and from her post she seems like the typincal single mom that has the usual struggles in life, but does her best and loves her kids.

Someone mentioned there was picture of her with her kids in a bar. I think she worked there so its not that unusual and also if you have been to any restaurant like Outback or Applebees they do have a bar area.

On a side note - I was thinking that maybe there was no ball and she was distracted by someone else. Maybe her phone? She seems to post a lot of FB so that could also mean she checked FB alot? And she seemed to have a lot of friends maybe she was a bartender and met a lot of people?

Maybe she made up the story about the ball because it would seem much worse if it she was on her phone checking facebook?

I do not think she was abducted. I think she fell in the water. So sad.

I am not blaming the mother. Just a lapse in judgement and a one in a million chance that she would fall in I guess.

 

[MomofBoys]

Am I the only one that can't view the posts on her facebook page? I can see who she friends, but no other posts. It seems like it should be public from what everyone else is saying.

 

[Lucid]

I feel so rotten for the mother, and terrible for the baby.

Okay, so I did not read the whole thread. But there are some things I see people bringing up that I have some thoughts on. Here are some of the questions I have seen:

A). Why did the dog not bark if something happened to the kid?

I have no idea what kind of dog this is. If it were a retriever or something that actually enjoyed fetch, and its ball went over the wall, then I would guess the dog was distracted. Probably watching mom go and get it. I see that there are rocks, and that the actual stairs are quite a ways away from the yard the ball went into. I doubt the dog could have figured out how to get the ball itself. But I bet it was watching that spot where the ball went over, and not the kids.

B) Why did mom leave the kids?

I don't think I'd be dragging my 2 year old over those rocks and along a walkway. I'd probably be thinking horror stories of her losing balance and falling on the rocks below - ESPECIALLY with the wind blowing as people are saying it was. So while I don't think it was a bright idea to leave the kids there, I can also understand why mom didn't take them, and may have thought it was the lesser of two evils to leave them playing in the sand - particularly if she had her eye on them most of the time - and particularly since they were together. I do see that there is a railing though, but with 2 little ones, it could be nerve-wracking up there all the same. Personally, I wouldn't bother getting the ball in that situation.

C) Why is mom choosing to believe her child drowned and already saying goodbye?

This seems obvious to me. In these situations, our mind goes to the absolute worst case scenario. While some might choose to believe their child was kidnapped because somebody wanted a child, I think most people would automatically be dreading the worst - and in this case, it seems like the most likely thing is that the baby fell into the water. I don't think the mother should be judged for being realistic... I bet she'd give anything for a different scenario.


Personally, I would have no problem going into somebody's yard to retrieve a stray ball. It is not as if I were committing a crime. If people were in the yard, I'd ask them to get it for me. If a dog was in the yard, I'd be knocking on the front door. But if the yard was empty, I would get my item. However, I wouldn't do it if that meant leaving my toddler alone on a beach. Forget the ball! But not everyone thinks that way. People do stupid things all the time.

Anyway. I think the whole thing is just a big tragedy. I don't think the mom did anything, but we all know how that is proven wrong sometimes. I just wanted to post my thoughts on some of the questions above and try to point out that these things aren't necessarily suspicious. Sorry if somebody already pointed them out.

 

[maedlamsmom]

Am I the only one that can't view the posts on her facebook page? I can see who she friends, but no other posts. It seems like it should be public from what everyone else is saying.

Are you on a iPad? I am usually using one (am now) and because of that I thought it had gone private too until I checked on my desktop. I was able to see all of her posts back several months once I was on the pc. Sometimes Facebook doesn't work properly with the iPad, not sure why...

 

[cluciano63]

Am I the only one that can't view the posts on her facebook page? I can see who she friends, but no other posts. It seems like it should be public from what everyone else is saying.

I can't even find it...has her name been in the media? Is her last name same as Caleigh's?

 

[capoly]

A just-out-of-curiosity question for those that live in the area. If it were the time of year when life guards were on duty, hence responsible for safety, would that area have been open to play etc under similar conditions?

 

[Shelby2]

I feel so rotten for the mother, and terrible for the baby.

Okay, so I did not read the whole thread. But there are some things I see people bringing up that I have some thoughts on. Here are some of the questions I have seen:

A). Why did the dog not bark if something happened to the kid?

I have no idea what kind of dog this is. If it were a retriever or something that actually enjoyed fetch, and its ball went over the wall, then I would guess the dog was distracted. Probably watching mom go and get it. I see that there are rocks, and that the actual stairs are quite a ways away from the yard the ball went into. I doubt the dog could have figured out how to get the ball itself. But I bet it was watching that spot where the ball went over, and not the kids.

B) Why did mom leave the kids?

I don't think I'd be dragging my 2 year old over those rocks and along a walkway. I'd probably be thinking horror stories of her losing balance and falling on the rocks below - ESPECIALLY with the wind blowing as people are saying it was. So while I don't think it was a bright idea to leave the kids there, I can also understand why mom didn't take them, and may have thought it was the lesser of two evils to leave them playing in the sand - particularly if she had her eye on them most of the time - and particularly since they were together. I do see that there is a railing though, but with 2 little ones, it could be nerve-wracking up there all the same. Personally, I wouldn't bother getting the ball in that situation.

C) Why is mom choosing to believe her child drowned and already saying goodbye?

This seems obvious to me. In these situations, our mind goes to the absolute worst case scenario. While some might choose to believe their child was kidnapped because somebody wanted a child, I think most people would automatically be dreading the worst - and in this case, it seems like the most likely thing is that the baby fell into the water. I don't think the mother should be judged for being realistic... I bet she'd give anything for a different scenario.


Personally, I would have no problem going into somebody's yard to retrieve a stray ball. It is not as if I were committing a crime. If people were in the yard, I'd ask them to get it for me. If a dog was in the yard, I'd be knocking on the front door. But if the yard was empty, I would get my item. However, I wouldn't do it if that meant leaving my toddler alone on a beach. Forget the ball! But not everyone thinks that way. People do stupid things all the time.

Anyway. I think the whole thing is just a big tragedy. I don't think the mom did anything, but we all know how that is proven wrong sometimes. I just wanted to post my thoughts on some of the questions above and try to point out that these things aren't necessarily suspicious. Sorry if somebody already pointed them out.

But I don't think she DID have her eyes on them most of the time-she said that she walked away for about two minutes.
I don't know...I just would never walk that far away from two toddlers on the beach...two minutes is a long time.

Does anyone know how soon LE was called? Did mom go into the water to look for her?

 

[maedlamsmom]

I can't even find it...has her name been in the media? Is her last name same as Caleigh's?

No she has a different last name, but same initial (H). Will try to find an msm link for it.

Eta:http://www.gloucestertimes.com/loca...ncle-We-are-not-giving-up-hope?mobRedir=false

While State Police announced late Wednesday that dive teams had left the water for the day, but would return and resume their own search this morning , members of Caleigh's family — including her mother, Allison Hammond, and father, Anthony Harrison, hosted a press briefing on the steps of Anthony Harrison's Washington Street home.

 

[maedlamsmom]

No she has a different last name, but same initial (H). Will try to find an msm link for it.

Eta:http://www.gloucestertimes.com/loca...ncle-We-are-not-giving-up-hope?mobRedir=false

Sorry to quote my own post, but included in the above link is an answer to the footprint question:

"We don't have footprints, we don't have clothing, we don't have witnesses. We have a 4-year-old playing in the sand," said Harrison, referring to Caleigh's sister {snipped}, the person closest to the girl when she went missing.