Found Deceased MD - Robin Pope, 51, Stevensville, Kent Island, 1 March 2013

[LisaB]

I just personally do not think this is an accidental drowning. Robin has lived in that house for a very long time, by all accounts can swim just fine and the water is shallow right there. I'm not saying it is impossible but to me just doesn't seem likely. Also she had a job interview prior to driving to the house so I doubt she was intoxicated, but again could be wrong. I hope the autopsy sheds some light on this case and if she was murdered, I hope whomever did it is punished.

Websleuths lost a member (Tybee) to accidental drowning. She was a strong swimmer, so I am not sure being able to swim is enough.

The water the night Robin disappeared was so cold, she could have gone into shock fast, or become disoriented. Every year they pull a few boaters out of the bay who went overboard and perished despite an ability to swim and great familiarity with the water.

 

[LisaB]

I agree belimom, that "if" (and although I am leaning, am still waiting for more from LE) WP caused her to land in the bay deceased..... in the dark....her being reported as "fit" ..... that there must have been evidence or indicators that were overlooked by WP (in the house, yard, cars, etc). I would think that the light of day revealed that information. ~SNIP~

Re: the reported cell call. Somehow LE was able to pinpoint the location of RP's cell (and assume RP also) to a point just a few minutes from the house. I am not clear on whether WP was on his cell or the house phone for that 13 min call that ended about 10:30pm. If the house phone, it would seem he was at the house during the call. If his cell, seems the records pinpoint his location too. It is possible that LE has more than we know on this subject and are holding it close.
~SNIP~

1. As far as any signs of a struggle, a lot of that may have been trampled by LE before the sun came up.
2. If she was "just minutes away" then why did the call last 13 minutes?
3. He could have had the home phone set to forward calls to his cell. Just saying...

 

[LisaB]

I noted this report also and even checked location on a map. Basically a few miles inland across the bay waters. I suspect if there is any connection between Nicole and Robin.... that LE are on it. I think she was found by 2 friends at 11:30 am. I think it was reported that she was stabbed and COD of her dog not reported. I agree there are common threads but have not seen any connections reported. We'll see.

We do not know yet whether Robin was stabbed, but we do know that "homicide investigators are not taking a day off." Presumably there was some "damage" beyond decomposition.

 

[LisaB]

I thought I had read the interview was at 8pm with GNC. So maybe 25-30 minutes there. I don't know where GNC is in relation to WP 's home plus whether she went there directly after GNC.


ps...I never saw a guy wear those gloves you described..

I meant that if he wore ANY gloves, it would not appear obvious that anyone but Robin used the phone. If there is a screen protector on the device, you could remove it after using the touch screen. If I was trying to hide the murder of my wife, I don't know that I'd be too concerned about whether men wear that style glove. Nobody is going to see him in them. If they were there with the phone, it would be easy to slip one on for a minute. I also just tested my smartphone, and I can put a piece of copy paper over the screen and it still responds and would not leave any prints at all.

 

[LisaB]

I also see the two similarities - woman and dog - but I think it ends there. Robin was discovered about a mile or so away from home. Neither her nor Bella were murdered at home - if murdered at all. Nicole Burgess was stabbed.

I was referring to the home Rp and WP co-owned as "her home". Do you have reason to believe she was muirdered a mile away? Or are you basing this one where she was living at that time, or where she was recovered?

Sounds like a completely different MO to me.

I know they are less than 30 miles apart, but they really aren't "close". We go through Davidsonville quite a bit on the way to the Bay (we don't usually go up towards Kent Island but down towards Chesapeake Beach). I would never think to describe them as "close". The Bay Bridge and Annapolis are what puts more of a barrier between the two than just the miles, kwim? I also think that Robin's home is really off the beaten path and no one is just going to walk past or stumble upon it.

That's just my take. Maybe someone more local to the area than I am can give their take on it.

I was thinking more in terms of the time between the GNC interview at 8 and her arrival at WPs between 10:30 and 11. Where did she go? For something to eat? A few drinks? She was on the West side of the bridge. Could someone have followed her home over the bridge? The Davidsonville (west side of bridge)woman COULD POSSIBLY have also been followed home by the same person. I am looking for scenarios in which WP was not involved.

 

[LisaB]

Good morning everyone ! Just to give an idea of a timeline, I believe she interviewed at the Annapolis GNC...without any traffic it takes approximately 45 mins to get from there to Wayne Pope's home. We don't know how long her interview was, I assume the police do. So she could have stopped somewhere between GNC and Oregon Road for gas, something to eat etc. I'm assuming the police are checking that out as well. Anyway what we do know is that she was last talking on her cell phone to Wayne when she was on Oregon Road. Once on Oregon Road, it only takes 2 minutes to get to Waynes house. There is no gas stations or anywhere else to stop from there to his house in that 2 minute time frame. So we are to believe he fell asleep in 2 minutes time? I don't think so but that's just me, lol.

If she was 2 minutes away, why did they talk for 13?

 

[LisaB]

Why did WP go to the friend's house at 2 am and not call the police if this was on the up and up???

And I had also wondered what was the reasoning behind him having to leave the house on the advice of his lawyer when she was there? The only thing I can think of is to prevent false accusations of violence between them. If he's gone, then she can't claim he caused her any harm.

I find it odd he's suppose to leave the house, when she could be going in there taking anything she wanted while it was unattended by him. Like the Ming vase or a Piccaso or something of tremendous value. JMO

I think he went to look for her at the friend's house before calling LE. I think that is pretty normal. Before I call and report someone missing, I am going to look in the immediate area/likely locations first.

Anything in the house is probably community property and she could take anything at all. They still need to settle up on the value of the home, retirement plans, and other items, so this may have been something that would have been taken into consideration down the line.

 

[pamajama]

Websleuths lost a member (Tybee) to accidental drowning. She was a strong swimmer, so I am not sure being able to swim is enough.

The water the night Robin disappeared was so cold, she could have gone into shock fast, or become disoriented. Every year they pull a few boaters out of the bay who went overboard and perished despite an ability to swim and great familiarity with the water.

I totally understand that, but in this situation I just do not think it is at all plausible that she went in the water. Sure you could argue she was helping/looking for her dog, but I just don't think that is what happened in this situation, just my opinion of course.

 

[pamajama]

If she was 2 minutes away, why did they talk for 13?

they started talking prior to her getting to oregon road. LE said that the call ended on Oregon Road. So that means the call ended (not started or during) when she got to Oregon Road.

 

[LisaB]

I can't be certain, but I would think that if her lungs were water filled, that would delay recovery and indicate drowning as a possible cause of death.

I found another article that is very informative regarding drowning in conjunction with crime. I believe it will answer your question.

http://www.exploreforensics.co.uk/drowning.html

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/video?id=9028347

Up to 20% of "accidental" drownings may be homicides...

 

[LisaB]

I totally understand that, but in this situation I just do not think it is at all plausible that she went in the water. Sure you could argue she was helping/looking for her dog, but I just don't think that is what happened in this situation, just my opinion of course.

I meant to suggest she could have fallen in and not been able to keep it together long enough to get out in time.

 

[BloodHoundSleuther]

If she was 2 minutes away, why did they talk for 13?

It's my understanding that the 13 minute call ended when she reached Oregon RD.

http://www.hlntv.com/article/2013/03/21/robin-pope-new-details-search-missing-maryland-woman

snipped: "Hastings told HLN her mother had a job interview at a GNC on March 1 around 8 p.m. The last known communication from her cell phone was a 13-minute call to Wayne Pope at 10:30 p.m. that ended when she reached Oregon Road, which connects to the street where the couple had lived and Wayne still resided."

 

[belimom]

Back in the 1970s a television broadcast/story stated that all telephone calls were being recorded at one of the government agencies down on wallops island virginia. That was decades before cell phones and the internet. Google the word Echelon and it will state that under the US's, CIA, NSA and other world superpowers they intercept over two billion phone calls, faxes, e-mails and all other electronic communications per day, meaning they record them. Also, in a George Bush Jr. news story, he/they stated on record that Quote: The National Security Agency has been secretly collecting the phone call records of tens of millions of Americans, using data provided by AT&T, Verizon and BellSouth, people with direct knowledge of the arrangement told USA TODAY.

I have no idea if LE is able to access any of the phone calls necessary, but they exist. Quite probably though they could only be used as information, not legal in court. Key words or phrases, either verbal or written will bring the scrutiny to human ears. The whole thing is on tape somewhere?

I do believe some calls are intercepted/recorded --- if LE thinks they may have reason to do so (regardless if legal or not). But I don't believe all phone calls/texts are recorded, not even on tens of millions of Americans. The storage space alone would be too much to handle, IMO. I'm on board for some conspiracy theories but not a large-scale one like that. JMO, though...

 

[belimom]

Why did WP go to the friend's house at 2 am and not call the police if this was on the up and up???

And I had also wondered what was the reasoning behind him having to leave the house on the advice of his lawyer when she was there? The only thing I can think of is to prevent false accusations of violence between them. If he's gone, then she can't claim he caused her any harm.

I find it odd he's suppose to leave the house, when she could be going in there taking anything she wanted while it was unattended by him. Like the Ming vase or a Piccaso or something of tremendous value. JMO

bbm

How far away was the friend's house? Walking distance? Just wondering how he thought Robin would get there if her car was at his house.

 

[LisaB]

In October 2009, there were two charges filed against the Popes by the same person for issues involving the dog. Dog not properly tagged, and dog not on a leash. FYI. The complainant may be a perfectly nice guy. WP may or may not have had a traffic ticket or two, but no apparent criminal charges.

 

[belimom]

Websleuths lost a member (Tybee) to accidental drowning. She was a strong swimmer, so I am not sure being able to swim is enough.

The water the night Robin disappeared was so cold, she could have gone into shock fast, or become disoriented. Every year they pull a few boaters out of the bay who went overboard and perished despite an ability to swim and great familiarity with the water.

Unfortunately, I think Tybee was in much deeper water than what is right off of Kent Island...

 

[belimom]

I was referring to the home Rp and WP co-owned as "her home". Do you have reason to believe she was muirdered a mile away? Or are you basing this one where she was living at that time, or where she was recovered?


I was thinking more in terms of the time between the GNC interview at 8 and her arrival at WPs between 10:30 and 11. Where did she go? For something to eat? A few drinks? She was on the West side of the bridge. Could someone have followed her home over the bridge? The Davidsonville (west side of bridge)woman COULD POSSIBLY have also been followed home by the same person. I am looking for scenarios in which WP was not involved.

Sorry for the miscommunication. I believe it was stated that she was discovered about a mile away. I don't believe the tides/currents in the Bay are strong enough for her to go that far in such shallow water. I could be wrong - and I guess it depends on when and where she went in. I guess my main point is that she wasn't left to lie where she was murdered (if she was in fact murdered), as Nicole Burgess was. Whoever killed Nicole didn't bother to move her or try to hide her. This is not the case with Robin, which makes me think even more that - if not accidental - then whoever killed her knew her or was close to her, and placing her body elsewhere was a way of distancing him/herself from the crime.

All JMO --- hope this makes sense.

 

[belimom]

Regarding Bella... I wonder if the autopsy performed was as thorough as that on a person. I guess what I'm wondering is if they checked to see if Bella had been strangled/suffocated.

 

[pamajama]

I meant to suggest she could have fallen in and not been able to keep it together long enough to get out in time.

Maybe, I just don't think it's that plausible. Since I live close, I have been to the beach there, it is not deep and it's not like the ocean where you get pulled out, it's relatively calm. Unless she hit or head or something, I just don't think it's likely IMO.

 

[pamajama]

Maybe, I just don't think it's that plausible. Since I live close, I have been to the beach there, it is not deep and it's not like the ocean where you get pulled out, it's relatively calm. Unless she hit or head or something, I just don't think it's likely IMO.

and I'm just more suspicious of Wayne's story because it would mean he fell asleep mere minutes after their phone call when she was 2 minutes away and knew she was coming. It just doesn't make sense to me.