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

[capoly]

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...

Perhaps the reason for limited postings is similar to my reason for coming here today to post. That sweet little baby is gone. And it sounds like after tomorrow LE will cease recovery efforts, with no plans for further search efforts. And, even though I will do what I can re fliers etc, my gut tells me that LEs conclusion to rule out an abduction is correct. Its an unsettling case closed situation.

Perhaps because it seems too neatly packaged. Whatever the heck that means....

 

[FightTheOstrich]

long time lurker-first time poster.

i was confused about the ball-and exactly who it was for. was it a dog ball or the kids' ball? why would mom "retrieve" ball for the dog? and even if it was for the kids-how far could they possibly throw it that mom was gone so long. should take seconds to get a ball-not minutes.
my dog would cross 10 lanes of busy traffic for his ball and i could never outrun him to get it. my kids are 5 and 6 and they still tend to throw a ball downward and therefore unless it's a very small bouncy ball-it doesn't really go that far...especially on sand.

Confused as well by dog issue. Usually it's the dog fetching the ball. If it was a water dog like a lab, if it had watched her go in, it should have gone in after her. Most big dogs are very protective and will stand between a child and water. Where was the dog, if a stranger approached, wouldn't the dog have barked and made an attempt to either get the mother's attention or save the girl? Was it an excited puppy that accidentally knocked her into the water? IMO

 

[shana]

fwiw and a propos of recent posts...I just keep coming-back to the story of the mother's 'retrieving' the ball.

I've lost many dog balls off the property. Most were $8+ Kong variety. Not one of them bounced at a distance greater than 70' away from me. After a few, I eventually tried to find them (embarrassed had anyone asked what I was doing in their yard). I didn't leave a pot of stew cooking on the stove when I went on those retrieval journeys.

ALL said, some ppl might stop whatever they are doing or should be minding at the time to locate a dog toy. I just find it odd...and I'm as OCD as they come. <g>

Wishing for answers, mainly for the family...

I realize this post adds little to the discussion, but I just needed to say it...

~jmo~

 

[Kaliste]

(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.

I want to hug you! I have a very adventurous 2 and a half yr old, I can blink and she will disappear, have her clothes off or be into something she isn't supposed to be. They are just so fast and so fearless!

 

[cluciano63]

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...

I think it because it really does seem, to me anyway, that she was probably taken into the ocean by a wave...if so, no crime has been committed, and it is a tragedy. So it does not leave much to discuss, other than mothering habits...JMO

 

[meganx3xo]

Does anyone have a picture of the wall that the ball went over? Or how high the wall was?

Have we came to a conclusion about why the dog wouldn't/didn't go get the ball?

When was the last time Caleigh was seen by someone other than family?

 

[sweetsavi]

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)

Guess I'm still scratching my head wondering why they want spread word that Caleigh is missing, when they already fought so hard to shut down all the facebook pages.

 

[summer_breeze]

http://www.myfoxboston.com/dpp/news/local/crews-search-beach-for-missing-toddler-20120426

Updated: Thursday, 26 Apr 2012, 6:01 AM EDT
Published : Thursday, 26 Apr 2012, 6:01 AM EDT

ROCKPORT (FOX 25 / MyFoxBoston.com) - Thursday will be the final day of searching for this missing little girl from Gloucester. Her family insists the toddler was abducted. Two-year-old Caleigh Anne Harrison has been missing for a week.

 

[capoly]

Guess I'm still scratching my head wondering why they want spread word that Caleigh is missing, when they already fought so hard to shut down all the facebook pages.

Only knew of the FB situation through posts made here. I gave up some time ago trying to dissemble the minds/actions of those close to the missing. The confusion, frustration, fear, strength etc appears to evoke a flip-flopping of mental/emotional/physical activity.

Have to post before the time out guy gets me. Hope this makes sense.

 

[terracotta]

Does anyone have a picture of the wall that the ball went over? Or how high the wall was?

Have we came to a conclusion about why the dog wouldn't/didn't go get the ball?

When was the last time Caleigh was seen by someone other than family?

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Location...oucester_Cape_Ann_Massachusetts.html#19007170

Here are some pictures of Long Beach. The last picture is the walkway above the beach the she climbed the stairs to retrieve the ball. It was very windy that day and it would seem that it was a beach ball would be lifted up and could have just gone back there. It is private property so you couldn't have your dogs going into everyone's yards. If it was the dog ball or the children's beach ball...either way if she wanted it she would have had to go up and get it. The wall is about 15 feet high. The cement walkway is public...the houses and yards to the right (in the picture) are private.

I was going to take pictures the day I was there, but the whole family was there and I felt awkward doing that...took out the camera...and then just put it away.

I felt a great sense of sadness and dispare with all the family members, they are all feeling this very deeply....from what I observed anyway. They were not taking it lightly....

 

[32beatspersecond]

I wonder, like LadyL posted earlier, if the FB site run by non-family was getting a lot of negative comments about the mom, the inconsistent stories the MSM is putting out about the ball over the wall, in the water, etc. That could be why the mom wanted to shut it down.

I don't do Facebook, but I gather the mom's FB is not a site being used to locate the child if she were abducted. Are there FB sites set up like that for this child?

LE would definitely instruct the parents to avoid gossip sites like FB...
That said, if she is inclined to seek out info about her daughter on a social media site that she has no direct involvement with creating then she is one of a billion tragic Facebook addicts out there and I feel/fear for all their children.
There was another case in the recent past where the child drowned in the bathtub while the mom was updating her FB account.

 

[32beatspersecond]

The undertow there is so strong, she could have easily gotten knocked down by a wave and dragged under.
I live in MA, been to all of the beaches between Maine and The Cape, the water is so cold now it's painful. I remember as a kid lifeguards keeping us out of the water because the undertow was so strong. Even when we were allowed in, as the waves receded you could feel the sand under your feet being sucked back into the ocean.
I think that is what happened here, if I was the mom I would be feeling horrible.
As far as the 911 call, if you try to call 911 from your cell you get the Mass. State Police who then try to get your call to the right place. It can be frustrating, I can see giving up and calling someone to call for me. You'd have to know the non-emergency number to call local police from your cell, I think.

I agree.
if she took one step down on the wet bank at the footbridge
it would take a nano-second for the sand to give out and roll her into a horribly swift current bottlenecking at the outlet and basically shooting her mid-depth anywhere from a few hundred yards to as much as a mile off shore before the jet stream subdued and let her loose.
those are the grim facts of this case.

 

[32beatspersecond]

Maybe the press is reporting something erroneously and that is why the family and friends were upset? Also, if the parents believe little Caleigh went into the water, then they are most definitely grieving right now and probably want privacy. I don't understand the harshness of the reaction but I can understand the reasonings behind it.

Errors in press reporting????????
no -never.....

 

[32beatspersecond]

long time lurker-first time poster.

i was confused about the ball-and exactly who it was for. was it a dog ball or the kids' ball? why would mom "retrieve" ball for the dog? and even if it was for the kids-how far could they possibly throw it that mom was gone so long. should take seconds to get a ball-not minutes.
my dog would cross 10 lanes of busy traffic for his ball and i could never outrun him to get it. my kids are 5 and 6 and they still tend to throw a ball downward and therefore unless it's a very small bouncy ball-it doesn't really go that far...especially on sand.

If they were playing on the long beach side and the ball was thrown up over the wall and railing the mother would have walked up the dirt path at the footbridge to the dead end road and around the house and into the back yard to retrieve the ball. the walk would be at least two to three hundred feet and completely out of view for most of the distance. the bing map shows the situation perfectly.

 

[32beatspersecond]

But why would they make this up? Someone said ppl react to grief in different ways- but is it time for grief yet? We do not know that this little girl is dead.

I think this is starting to sound a bit off.

the tide was going out...not in.
so her footprints would have been solid for a good number of hours...
LE never said we tracked her footprints to the edge, etc., etc., etc.,...

 

[hollye]

Are the steps circled, the steps that she supposedly went up? Also, how high was the tide, when Caleigh went missing? If it was still high tide, though the tide was going out, then there would not have been much beach to play on, I wouldn't think, as in this picture...

I could very easily see a small child being swept into the water fairly quickly under these conditions.

What I have a hard time picturing is a mother of 2 small children leaving them in these conditions to walk that distance and be out of even running distance from them, if something were to happen to one of them. I have a 3 1/2 and 5yo.

 

[MomofBoys]

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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry it doesn't make sense, but spare your caps.

The key element of the sentence was the 'lucky' part. I'm not disputing that kidnappers can be brazen and opportunistic. Goodness knows they can be. But daylight abductions in the presence of a nearby adult are pretty rare. They usually take advantage of parenting lapses, sure, but most of the stories we read are when parents have let their child out of their sight for a fairly extended amount of time. Like the poor seven year-old from Ga.

All that said, I was commenting on the chances of a perfect kidnapping storm: where a brazen, opportunistic kidnapper would be lucky enough to stalk a family at the beach and have the mother do something ridiculous like leave two children under five next to the beach while she goes to chase a ball a couple hundred yards away. I don't like to beat up the mom in cases like these, but I can't think of many parents who would do that. And in that situation, a hypothetical kidnapper would be ridiculously, almost unbelievably lucky. The kidnapper would have stood waited just out of sight for how long with no realistic chance of a coup, then voila! An unattentive mother and a mute four year-old? Lucky, I tell you.

I'm trying hard not to be flippant in this sad situation, but THAT makes no sense. So no need for the patronizing admonition. I have three young children. I know the dangers.

 

[hollye]

Also, were those homes occupied? I saw mention that they may be Summer cottages, so am inclined to believe that they were not. It appears that the mother may have been able to jump down into the backyard of these homes, but do they have steps etc to get back up? How did she get back to the wall/walkway after retrieving the ball?

How busy is this beach at this time of year? Were there other people on the beach at the time?

How far and how quickly would one need to go to not be seen, if someone were to have taken her? I think that anyone in the approximate vicinity would likely be able to be seen from the wall for a fair distance. Likewise, I would think that a small child swept into the water would be able to be seen for a little bit from the wall unless the water gets deep quickly near this point.

It appears tha

 

[32beatspersecond]

fwiw and a propos of recent posts...I just keep coming-back to the story of the mother's 'retrieving' the ball.

I've lost many dog balls off the property. Most were $8+ Kong variety. Not one of them bounced at a distance greater than 70' away from me. After a few, I eventually tried to find them (embarrassed had anyone asked what I was doing in their yard). I didn't leave a pot of stew cooking on the stove when I went on those retrieval journeys.

ALL said, some ppl might stop whatever they are doing or should be minding at the time to locate a dog toy. I just find it odd...and I'm as OCD as they come. <g>

Wishing for answers, mainly for the family...

I realize this post adds little to the discussion, but I just needed to say it...

~jmo~

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.

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

 

[MomofBoys]

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.