ME ME - Anneliese Heinig, 37, Richmond, 26 Nov 2019 *vehicle found*

[ASheehy]

Just popping in. I took a drive while out with friends to see the actual location in pers

Just popping in. I took a drive while out with friends to see the actual location in person where her car was supposedly parked. I have passed that route hundreds of times, but it's been a long time and wanted to get a sense for the bridges, etc.

First off, the breakdown lane where the car would have been parked is very narrow and not a big area at all. The breakdown lane is filled with snow now but would have been clear than because there was no snow when she went missing. It's a reasonably congested area and a curvy road, not at all a place where one would want to walk. I feel confident the car was not dumped there by someone else because there are many exits very close together, and it would be very dumb for a criminal to unload the car right there when there are a million better options all within a mile or 2. Second, the bridges are very low to the water, and even though it's a river, it's really all connected to the bay and ocean, and I think tidal. I don't believe the water is very deep there, it was discussed amongst us but already quite dark. So hard to see clearly, but I think the consensus was the water would have been low tide and not deep at all at several of the bridges that time of day.

If she was walking southbound, I doubt someone would have picked her up, but she easily could have gotten off into a neighborhood or cut through many areas if the goal was getting to a gas station and have been picked up there.

Does anyone else get the sense the family already thinks she has passed? Someone posted about how the family wanted to focus on how many lives she has touched rather than what happened to her, and I wondered if they had more info than we know.

Just popping in. I took a drive while out with friends to see the actual location in person where her car was supposedly parked. I have passed that route hundreds of times, but it's been a long time and wanted to get a sense for the bridges, etc.

First off, the breakdown lane where the car would have been parked is very narrow and not a big area at all. The breakdown lane is filled with snow now but would have been clear than because there was no snow when she went missing. It's a reasonably congested area and a curvy road, not at all a place where one would want to walk. I feel confident the car was not dumped there by someone else because there are many exits very close together, and it would be very dumb for a criminal to unload the car right there when there are a million better options all within a mile or 2. Second, the bridges are very low to the water, and even though it's a river, it's really all connected to the bay and ocean, and I think tidal. I don't believe the water is very deep there, it was discussed amongst us but already quite dark. So hard to see clearly, but I think the consensus was the water would have been low tide and not deep at all at several of the bridges that time of day.

If she was walking southbound, I doubt someone would have picked her up, but she easily could have gotten off into a neighborhood or cut through many areas if the goal was getting to a gas station and have been picked up there.

Does anyone else get the sense the family already thinks she has passed? Someone posted about how the family wanted to focus on how many lives she has touched rather than what happened to her, and I wondered if they had more info than we know.

on where her car was supposedly parked. I have passed that route hundreds of times, but it's been a long time and wanted to get a sense for the bridges, etc.

First off, the breakdown lane where the car would have been parked is very narrow and not a big area at all. The breakdown lane is filled with snow now but would have been clear than because there was no snow when she went missing. It's a reasonably congested area and a curvy road, not at all a place where one would want to walk. I feel confident the car was not dumped there by someone else because there are many exits very close together, and it would be very dumb for a criminal to unload the car right there when there are a million better options all within a mile or 2. Second, the bridges are very low to the water, and even though it's a river, it's really all connected to the bay and ocean, and I think tidal. I don't believe the water is very deep there, it was discussed amongst us but already quite dark. So hard to see clearly, but I think the consensus was the water would have been low tide and not deep at all at several of the bridges that time of day.

If she was walking southbound, I doubt someone would have picked her up, but she easily could have gotten off into a neighborhood or cut through many areas if the goal was getting to a gas station and have been picked up there.

Does anyone else get the sense the family already thinks she has passed? Someone posted about how the family wanted to focus on how many lives she has touched rather than what happened to her, and I wondered if they had more info than we know.

I agree with some of your assessment, but the road isn't at all curvy: it's relatively straight for miles. Also, the closest exit to where her car was found is maybe a mile north give or take bc we obviously dont know the exact location. The closest exit prior to that is about 4 miles south and the next exit after the one closest to her car is over 10 miles north, so there aren't many exits close together.

 

[cluciano63]

I have no leanings toward a suicide in this case...but I know from Websleuths as well as from life, that almost no one ever expects a suicide when it does occur. Family members & friends are always shocked, and often refuse to believe it even if all evidence is there.

So I would not base an assumption on what people close to her are saying or even what she herself had done in days prior. Many of us here who have followed hundreds of cases here know that people perform all of their perfectly ordinary routines even en route to harming themselves sometimes. Whenever suicides happen, which is very often in the U.S. they are nearly always unexpected to survivors. Jmo

 

[Seajay]

Thank you for the boots on the ground information. When I read the article on the vigil it was if people were memorializing her.

• “(The vigil) is a very thoughtful way of keeping Anneliese front and center in people’s minds,” said Chris Heinig, Anneliese’s father. “People who are grieving can hug one another and share their feelings.”
• “We’re extremely thankful for all the police efforts throughout Maine,” said Chris Heinig. “We don’t know at this point having not found a body. She may still be alive.”
• We still don’t what happened or why she was headed to Portland that day,” said her mother. “But we’re here to focus on how many lives she’s touched.”
• At the vigil Friday, Anderson told Heinig’s friends and family to remember to check in on each other and support each other as often as possible.

But like others, I'm trying to keep an open mind.

This all pretty much makes it sound like they are fairly sure she is deceased. There is a sort of finality to it, IMO

 

[Seajay]

double post, site acting wonky.

DBM

 

[PixieStix]

I agree with some of your assessment, but the road isn't at all curvy: it's relatively straight for miles. Also, the closest exit to where her car was found is maybe a mile north give or take bc we obviously dont know the exact location. The closest exit prior to that is about 4 miles south and the next exit after the one closest to her car is over 10 miles north, so there aren't many exits close together.

From just before the Washington exit through the first Falmouth exit, the road is definitely not straight. It doesn't get straight until several miles up the road. We don't know exactly where her car was found, so I was paying attention from Washington exit on up through the first two Falmouth exits. Those exits are relatively close. From the first Falmouth exit, which is less than a mile from Washington exit to the next, was only about two miles to the Presumscot River bridge, which I am presuming is the approximate area her car was towed from. I got off at the exit after the bridge which was only about another mile. I consider those to be fairly close together exits (we paid attention to the mileage), but it's all an individual perspective. It's another 4 miles to the exit after the one I got off at which would be the Yarmouth exit. I don't think her car was between those exits, but I'm guessing based on the vague information we received from LE.

 

[Artis]

It’s suspicious to ME because of the circumstances. The post also seems to be one of the few made public. The timing is simply concerning. If it’s coincidence that she posted that and then disappeared so be it. It’s also suspicious because of the fact that I’m sure that LE has more info than we do and they are not treating this like an abduction. However, in my post above I said that I’m not 100% convinced of anything. I’m also not looking to argue, simply stating how I see things.

Lastly, there have been plenty of people who have committed suicide (again NOT saying this is the case here) and everyone in their life said that they never saw it coming, that the person never gave any signs. Lost someone last year who seemed fine. They weren’t. Sometimes we just don’t know. At this point, all options are still on the table, for me.

Oh, it was not my intent to sound argumentative. I'm merely posing the question to get us all to to think or re-think. There was an immediate reaction to that post that it sounded ominous but maybe it's not. It's too brief to determine much so, that's why why I asked why it's suspicious. Early in the thread, that line of thought about her post was linked to the bridge photo (as though she intended to jump), her kids' photo (an old one, at that) and the time it was posted (which may be Pacific time) and then her disappearing. I actually don't think these things are as ominous as we might have thought, at first. OTOH, there was a bit of a tendency (early on) to kind of rationalize her stuff being left in the car. I think that's more concerning, from a foul play standpoint.

 

[Artis]

The main reason that I can see for leaving a phone behind is that you don't want it tracking you.

So if somebody abducted her, it would make sense that they'd leave the phone. And if she wanted to leave and disappear, or not have her body found, she'd leave it.

Or forgetting it by accident (thought it was in her coat pocket but it had fallen out, for instance).

Not coming up with much else in the way of possibilities.

And, if you get into your car to go jump off a bridge, do you even bring your phone and purse? And, the freeway bridge, of all places? I don't think so, on any of it.

 

[FlossyMay]

Maybe she left a note somewhere that we haven't heard about? I've tried to follow along, but I got a little confused along the way.

 

[Steelslady]

This all pretty much makes it sound like they are fairly sure she is deceased. There is a sort of finality to it, IMO

Agreed, from the family's perspective. Maybe they do know more. Maybe she left a note we haven't heard about, or a message to someone who got it after she went missing.

I just hope that if this is the case, that they find her, so that the family can have closure. Very sad situation, whatever happened to her.

 

[Artis]

Thank you for the boots on the ground information. When I read the article on the vigil it was if people were memorializing her.

• “(The vigil) is a very thoughtful way of keeping Anneliese front and center in people’s minds,” said Chris Heinig, Anneliese’s father. “People who are grieving can hug one another and share their feelings.”
• “We’re extremely thankful for all the police efforts throughout Maine,” said Chris Heinig. “We don’t know at this point having not found a body. She may still be alive.”
• We still don’t what happened or why she was headed to Portland that day,” said her mother. “But we’re here to focus on how many lives she’s touched.”
• At the vigil Friday, Anderson told Heinig’s friends and family to remember to check in on each other and support each other as often as possible.

But like others, I'm trying to keep an open mind.

Yeah, I find all of that really weird.

 

[Steelslady]

Maybe she left a note somewhere that we haven't heard about? I've tried to follow along, but I got a little confused along the way.

I just posted the same thing- maybe there is a note left to someone- maybe she mailed a note and it arrived after she was reported missing. I can't think of anything else that would cause the family to give up hope that she might be alive, unless they know more.

What bothers me is that allegedly, a new poster said today, that they were looking for her before Thanksgiving, before she was reported missing to LE. So someone knew she was missing in her family but didn't tell the rest of the family? If that information is true, then where was Anneliese all that time, before the car showed up where it was parked on the bridge?

 

[Artis]

Since there has been no chain of custody on the car and it was released from the tow yard back to the parents, I’d be surprised if they were to attempt to recover anything now. They’d have a hard time using that in court if it ever came to it. Someone messed up - as they said, the trooper did not adhere to policy.

ETA: The photos of the bridges don’t make me think self-harm. The post and changing her photo to her kids, and the time it was posted are all suspicious, if she was in fact the one who posted them.

It could be dusted for prints and anything found could be run through a data base. Why not do it?

I read that the only PDs in Maine that do their own homicide investigations are Portland and Bangor. All others use the state police. I wonder if a criminal investigation (possible abduction angle) is being done. Her dad did mention that he was glad they didn't find a body because she may still be alive.

BTW, went back and found this:

The family has given Heinig’s computer and cellphone to police, hoping they will assist in reconstructing where their daughter was and what she was doing in the days and hours before she was last seen.

Shifting details frustrate family of missing Richmond woman as search goes on

I hope that means the histories and hard drives have been searched.

 

[Artis]

From just before the Washington exit through the first Falmouth exit, the road is definitely not straight. It doesn't get straight until several miles up the road. We don't know exactly where her car was found, so I was paying attention from Washington exit on up through the first two Falmouth exits. Those exits are relatively close. From the first Falmouth exit, which is less than a mile from Washington exit to the next, was only about two miles to the Presumscot River bridge, which I am presuming is the approximate area her car was towed from. I got off at the exit after the bridge which was only about another mile. I consider those to be fairly close together exits (we paid attention to the mileage), but it's all an individual perspective. It's another 4 miles to the exit after the one I got off at which would be the Yarmouth exit. I don't think her car was between those exits, but I'm guessing based on the vague information we received from LE.

Along with the direction her car was headed, there was also conflicting info on where it was found. It was said to have been near Exit 9 and mile marker 9 (two different things). Do you know if mile marker 9 is anywhere near Exit 9?

 

[Artis]

Maybe she left a note somewhere that we haven't heard about? I've tried to follow along, but I got a little confused along the way.

I think that would be reported. At least I hope so, but what do I know? Not much.

 

[Artis]

I just posted the same thing- maybe there is a note left to someone- maybe she mailed a note and it arrived after she was reported missing. I can't think of anything else that would cause the family to give up hope that she might be alive, unless they know more.

What bothers me is that allegedly, a new poster said today, that they were looking for her before Thanksgiving, before she was reported missing to LE. So someone knew she was missing in her family but didn't tell the rest of the family? If that information is true, then where was Anneliese all that time, before the car showed up where it was parked on the bridge?

I think that poster got things screwed up. Nobody knew she was missing until Thanksgiving and the car was towed two days earlier. I'm not sure what day the parents were informed about the ping coming back to the tow yard. Do you recall?

 

[MntnHiker]

I also keep coming back to the thought posited by a previous poster that we really don't know what time her car was originally left there. It could have been left there at 3 AM for all we know. The tow driver saw someone walking between 630 and 730, but I'm sorry, I don't necessarily believe it was her. I am not suggesting he is lying--just that driving on a highway at what we can assume is a pretty high rate of speed and you don't know this person--I mean, I am glad he came forward and said he saw someone walking that morning, but how do we know it was really her? Unless someone else who knows her verified she was wearing that outfit that night and perhaps LE knows this and isn't releasing it?

Could she have been driving that highway in the wee hours, had car trouble, pulled over and met with foul play? In that case, no one would have "dumped" the car there and the perp probably would have find it safer to just never come back to move her vehicle and leave it abandoned. I don't know how traveled that highway is between, let's say midnight and 5 AM (just throwing out random times), but even the busiest highways near where I live (including the ones around Chicago) are not so trafficked overnight that someone couldn't be abducted without being seen; in fact, I think it would be quite possible. This also would explain all her stuff left behind.

Honestly, I think we are all trying to make theories work around someone seeing her walking in the morning, so I'm just trying to think of, well what IF that wasn't actually her? That opens up so many more possibilities. MOO.

 

[Artis]

From what I understand. The reason why they waited until thanksgiving to report her missing is because they pinged the phone and it said she was in South Portland. They assumed she was there with the phone and her car. They were posting missing signs up before then, but didn’t want to report her since they thought she had the car and the phone. When they finally found out the car was towed, way to late due to error, and that the phone was in it, that’s when they reported it. Imo

Can you clarify all of this, please? You say from what you understand. Do you mean from this thread, press reports or do you know the family?

What we've been told is that the car was towed on Tuesday but nobody missed Anneliese until Thursday, at which point she was reported missing by her daughter. Then we told the phone was pinged (but I don't know when) and it came back to tow yard in Portland. I've not read that anyone thought she was missing prior to Thanksgiving so want to double check that with you.

TIA

 

[Melpie233]

I understood they all were worried and thought something was up, but pinged her phone themselves, saw she was in south portland and assumed she was with friends. Then when she didn’t show up Thursday that was final straw. Also would the phone stay alive until Thursday to ping it? I could be wrong here it’s just what I gathered mop. If I were the family I would hire a good Private investigator. There’s so much misinformation. I don’t want to contribute to that. Hopefully they can track her whereabouts before Thanksgiving through her recovered phone.

 

[Seajay]

Agreed, from the family's perspective. Maybe they do know more. Maybe she left a note we haven't heard about, or a message to someone who got it after she went missing.

I just hope that if this is the case, that they find her, so that the family can have closure. Very sad situation, whatever happened to her.

Exactly. That is my wish, that if indeed she is deceased, she is found so this family can get the closure they need.

It was just to me, the tone of that speech had a sort of acceptance to it, like acknowledging the inevitable. I can’t explain it, I read it 3 times and it just sounded so final to me and so resigned. I don’t know.

I have to agree that if she were to voluntarily disappear, that’s not a logical place to walk away from the car. And if she were abducted someplace else, that’s not a logical place to dump the car. So, she either abandoned it because it was non operational and after she walked off the Interstate, she was abducted, or she abandoned it because that was the place she had chosen to end it all.

Yet, on a busy Interstate, no one saw that. And she was planning her daughters 16 birthday celebration and IMO gave no indication she was suicidal. Those posts could mean nothing. Occam’s Razor.

 

[Seajay]

I think that poster got things screwed up. Nobody knew she was missing until Thanksgiving and the car was towed two days earlier. I'm not sure what day the parents were informed about the ping coming back to the tow yard. Do you recall?

What I remember is the car was towed from the interstate two days before Thanksgiving because the parents were ticked off as owners of the car they had not been notified and two days got burned that could have been used to locate her had they known on Tuesday she was missing. That’s the way I remember it anyway, nothing about knowing before Thanksgiving and putting out notices two days before it being officially filed that she was missing by her daughter. This kind of mess up really confuses us here about the case and what facts we are working with. IMO