MD MD - Annie McCann, 16, Baltimore, 31 Oct 2008

[Oddtree]

Anyone heard anything about this case recently? I live in the area, and it's on my mind a lot.

 

[Malini2001]

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bal-md.ci.mccann20oct20,0,3060957.story

With the one-year anniversary of her death nearing, the parents of a runaway Virginia teenager found dead in Southeast Baltimore are stepping up criticism of city homicide investigators who they say have allowed the unusual case to languish.



I still don't buy the suicide theory - do teens really think of committing suicide by drinking bactine???

 

[wanttohelp]

 

[mayelf]

I was curious if they looked into any sexual activity in the autopsy. Sexual abuse is a good reason why someone would have low self esteem. Her life also seemed very controlled which just sort of struck me odd. The dad states she never called her friends or wished to go out, but she had plans to go out on the weekend with a neighbor friend. ODD...

I think it would be odd for anyone else being involved if the Bactine came from her own house as the dad suggested. She would have had a reason to take the bactine with her. I wonder if there are any warnings on the bottle about death if consumed? If it was a suicide attempt I would imagine she would rummage through household medications and find something that would end her life, unless she previously had knowledge that bactine was deadly. When you try to kill yourself you don't think of "whats the cleanest" way to do it, you mostly think what is going to do the job..

 

[Fairy1]

I was curious if they looked into any sexual activity in the autopsy. Sexual abuse is a good reason why someone would have low self esteem. Her life also seemed very controlled which just sort of struck me odd. The dad states she never called her friends or wished to go out, but she had plans to go out on the weekend with a neighbor friend. ODD...

I think it would be odd for anyone else being involved if the Bactine came from her own house as the dad suggested. She would have had a reason to take the bactine with her. I wonder if there are any warnings on the bottle about death if consumed? If it was a suicide attempt I would imagine she would rummage through household medications and find something that would end her life, unless she previously had knowledge that bactine was deadly. When you try to kill yourself you don't think of "whats the cleanest" way to do it, you mostly think what is going to do the job..

I agree - controlled. I still believe there is much more to this story - on many levels. I sure do hope LE gets to the bottom of it.

 

[Soulmagent]

I was curious if they looked into any sexual activity in the autopsy. Sexual abuse is a good reason why someone would have low self esteem. Her life also seemed very controlled which just sort of struck me odd. The dad states she never called her friends or wished to go out, but she had plans to go out on the weekend with a neighbor friend. ODD...

I think it would be odd for anyone else being involved if the Bactine came from her own house as the dad suggested. She would have had a reason to take the bactine with her. I wonder if there are any warnings on the bottle about death if consumed? If it was a suicide attempt I would imagine she would rummage through household medications and find something that would end her life, unless she previously had knowledge that bactine was deadly. When you try to kill yourself you don't think of "whats the cleanest" way to do it, you mostly think what is going to do the job..

I think your right about the home life sounding odd. I know many teenagers and was even one once . I have never seen one who didnt make calls or want to go out with friends. So how and why do you go from always being home and not breaking rules to ending up dead.

 

[Malini2001]

The local paper has a new story on this case ...they've charged 2 with car theft. Still nothing for murder.


http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/crime/blog/2009/11/death_of_annie_mccann_new_deve.html

I still don't think the girl drank bactine to kill herself. I don't think it's the 1st thing that comes to mind if you're planning such a thing.

As for her home life, if you have known a quiet, shy teen who didn't feel she fit in, you would not think her home life was so unusual.

 

[Fairy1]

I'm sorry to see LE has closed this case. It just doesn't make sense. How many people have committed suicide by Bactine FGS?

I do believe there is a valid reason she left home. It's what happened after she left that concerns me.

 

[SkewedView]

I too highly doubt this was a suicide, or even a truly 'willing' runaway - but given that she died in a jurisdiction that she had no ties to, and LE had an excuse to label it a suicide, I'm not surprised that they went with the easier, cheaper option to a full on homocide investigation...I hope that PI can turn up something concrete to show them...

 

[Jesikah1]

I know that it is hard to believe that this young girl committed suicide, but what do those who are skeptical of this believe the suicide letter drafts found under her bed indicate? ( Not trying to be sarcastic, really am wondering! ) Most troubling to me is that she took the family car and told them not to worry about her. What did she think they would do about a stolen car, let alone a missing daughter. This seems quite extreme for someone who was planning to return after some time of escape. Those actions seem to indicate that she knew she was not coming back.

Also suspicious is that she was in possession of the Bactine before leaving. I in a million years would not think of killing someone with bactine, it seems like something someone would have to look up or stumble upon, not that it would be common knowledge.

It would be nice if they could track down the people Annie was spending her time with, as they could probably shed more light on her activities/state of mind.

I don't know, I guess I can see it from another point of view where this was foul play, but I just get the feeling that this was a suicide or possible accident. However, I will keep an open mind to all possibilities as the case has many inconsistencies and possibilities. I doubt however the truth will ever be confirmed.

 

[mayelf]

Jesikah1, I also am more on the side of suicide but I do think there is more issues that weren't uncovered.

I completely believe that drinking bactine adds up to a suicide.

I have also googled drinking bactine and found a youtube of someone drinking bactine and it was very obvious it is a nasty thing to drink. When you are trying to kill yourself it's kind of like a plus to punish yourself at the same time. - Not saying all suicides but some are that way - And the alcohol found in her system may have been to make it more effective. I know someone who drank alcohol mixed with rotten beef blood to try to commit suicide. It's awful what depression can do to a person.

 

[MeoW333]

Wikipedia says that Bactine contains: "It includes a first aid liquid with active ingredients Benzalkonium chloride, an antiseptic, and lidocaine, a local anaesthetic."
Bactine Liquid is a topical anesthetic (a type of local anesthetic), which means that it is used to numb the surface of a body part."

Why won't police follow up on texts from Annie's cell phone to a narcotics dealer in Gainesville, Va?
What about the young woman she was seen with?

I hope her family can sue the Baltimore police for doing a crappy job of investigating. If those 5 youths know anything, they should get it out of them.

I think Annie had a life she keep secret from her controlling family.

 

[Malini2001]

The parents hired Michael Baden to review the autopsy and he said that there was far more lidocaine in her body than is found in a single bottle of bactine.

I think the suicide notes were drafts. Instead, she decided to leave home. I really think the police need to look more into the person she was in contact with who had ties to the drug culture.

 

[Malini2001]

http://wjz.com/specialreports/annie.mccann.2.1304619.html

"WJZ had a number of questions about this case, but police refused to answer a single one of them. In a statement, they would only say that "the circumstances surrounding her death were truly tragic, but were not a result of homicide."....................

They hired renowned pathologist Michael Baden to review her autopsy. He says the amount of lidocaine in one bottle of Bactine is not nearly enough to match what was found in her body.

The cause of death is still officially listed as undetermined."


Statement from Bactine manufacturer:
http://wjz.com/local/bactine.manufacturer.statement.2.1306768.html

".... However, the amount of lidocaine in a single 5 ounce bottle would not be expected to produce death."



Unfortunately, the Baltimore police dept. has problems of its own and appear to be stonewalling information requests. This isn't new. The Baltimore Sun has filed suit over the refusal of the police dept. to comply with public information requests.

 

[MeoW333]

It sounds like her parents were way too sheltering, i wouldn't be surprised if Annie led a double life to get away from it.
The mother said she got Annie the bottle of Bactine for her newly pierced ears. Jeez, she is how old and just got her ears pierced?? I'm assuming her parents wouldn't let her get them pierced up until then.
Her bedroom still was full of stuffed animals, looked like a little girl's room. It sounds like her parents weren't allowing her to "grow up" properly.
Maybe that was why she was so introverted, due to her parents.
It's very likely the sketch of the girl she was seen with was a friend, and somehow Annie was living a double life, secret to her parents as they wouldn't approve of it.
It's all very sad..

 

[MeoW333]

From Wikipedia (not sure if it helps any)"
"Systemic exposure to excessive quantities of lidocaine mainly result in central nervous system (CNS) and cardiovascular effects – CNS effects usually occur at lower blood plasma concentrations and additional cardiovascular effects present at higher concentrations, though cardiovascular collapse may also occur with low concentrations. CNS effects may include CNS excitation (nervousness, tingling around the mouth (also known as circumoral paraesthesia), tinnitus, tremor, dizziness, blurred vision, seizures) followed by depression, and with increasingly heavier exposure: drowsiness, loss of consciousness, respiratory depression and apnoea). Cardiovascular effects include hypotension, bradycardia, arrhythmias, and/or cardiac arrest – some of which may be due to hypoxemia secondary to respiratory depression.[8]"


Her friends aren't buying it that she killed herself:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/01/AR2009110102089.html
"But last Halloween, Annie ran away from home, leaving behind a note saying "I was going to kill myself." She took off with a bunch of clothes, jewelry and $1,000 in cash. Other notes were found later, crumpled and crossed out, discussing her hidden depression and anorexia."

Eating disorders are about "control" and her having anorexia doesn't come as a surprise, as it was probably the only "control" she alone had <modsnip>.

"A year after her death, the baffling contradictions remain, and Annie's family and friends continue to press for answers. She was so well liked that on Friday, her classmates at West Potomac High School, where she would have been a senior this year, painted a large rock outside the school in her memory. This week, they will plant a tree on campus in her honor."

Seeing that she was anorexic, that leads a whole new slew of health problems along with it, so i am going to IMO, say that yes this was a suicide. She wrote in her one of her crumpled notes that she was anorexic, so i take it to be true. Anorexia can affect one's heart and blood pressure. Due to anorexia, her heartbeat could have been irregular, beated slower, and her blood pressure could have been low.
So Anorexia's physical side effects combined with Annie's dose of Lidocaine from the Bactine would have made her more susceptible to the dangers.

Below is a link to the Health Risks associated with Anorexia:
http://eatingdisorders.about.com/od/medicalcomplications/f/ANhealthissues.htm

I do believe she had a somewhat double life, <modsnip> . This would result in her depression and also Anorexia. She could have been an atypical anorexic, where she wouldn't have all the typical signs of anorexia.

If the parents want to find out more about her "double life" they should hire a P.I. for that. (i think they may have already).
As for murder, no, i believe the youths removed her body to steal the car and that was that. I don't think she was murdered. The note she left about wanting to kill herself and then deciding to just start over, well She could have left the house that day with both intentions. Maybe being overwhelmed in an unfamiliar city she just chose to kill herself and start over in a new life so to speak if you are talking reincarnation.. i feel for Annie, i really do.

 

[wanttohelp]

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/crime/blog/2009/11/city_responds_to_mccanns.html

pathetic! why a year later did they still not have the car back??? nice of them to wave any fees though.

 

[chemcopout]

I was curious if they looked into any sexual activity in the autopsy. Sexual abuse is a good reason why someone would have low self esteem. Her life also seemed very controlled which just sort of struck me odd. The dad states she never called her friends or wished to go out, but she had plans to go out on the weekend with a neighbor friend. ODD...

I think it would be odd for anyone else being involved if the Bactine came from her own house as the dad suggested. She would have had a reason to take the bactine with her. I wonder if there are any warnings on the bottle about death if consumed? If it was a suicide attempt I would imagine she would rummage through household medications and find something that would end her life, unless she previously had knowledge that bactine was deadly. When you try to kill yourself you don't think of "whats the cleanest" way to do it, you mostly think what is going to do the job..

not only sexual abuse, verbal abuse as well would cause one to have low self esteem. <modsnip>
i don't believe that someone could die from drinking a bottle of bactine.. if she did suffer from anorexia or some other type of eating disorder (her own attempt at having "control" for her life <modsnip>) i'm wondering if they checked into complications of death from anorexia. heart problems, etc. if she was both bulimic and anorexic, she could potentially have a heart attack.

agreed that they need to look into sexual abuse, just to rule it out. <modsnip>, what about a family friend or someone from the church?

i'm sorry if this has been posted already, seems her folks are suing the city of baltimore since they know the case was shelved and they don't think she killed herself.

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/crime/blog/annie_mccann/

 

[chemcopout]

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/crime/blog/2009/11/city_responds_to_mccanns.html

pathetic! why a year later did they still not have the car back??? nice of them to wave any fees though.

the poor family has been a victim of baltimore police and the lack of interest the pd has in annie's case.

it's a shame. they can't even get them her car back, it's ridiculous.

why can't baltimore solve this case? could the fbi be brought in? annie was from virginia and her body found in baltimore maryland, that would cross state lines, and it's not sure exactly which state the crime was committed in.
baltimore police obviously want to wash their hands clean of her case for whatever reason. they got their badge to protect and serve, and they do the opposite. i wonder if dirty cops are involved... maybe they have an officer who has a son who likes to lure girls from online. who knows..,
my prayers for the mccann family, i hope they get private investigators

 

[Trino]

May I suggest you Google "Baltimore, MD police corruption"