Missing cell phones

[EastCoast]

Ok, now we have another "no reason for the phones to be stolen" because there is no resale market for stolen cell phones. So your saying if I buy a used phone from someone I have to prove it's not stolen before it can be activated?

Well yes in a way, what I know. If you try to have it activated and there are charges due on it and it was reported as stolen, then yes, you will have a hard time activating if for use. We stopped dealing with cell phones for that very reason. Cell phones are very inexpensive, it is the contract plan you sign up for that is expensive.

 

[RANCH]

Well yes in a way, what I know. If you try to have it activated and there are charges due on it and it was reported as stolen, then yes, you will have a hard time activating if for use. We stopped dealing with cell phones for that very reason. Cell phones are very inexpensive, it is the contract plan you sign up for that is expensive.

I thought that the SIM card had all of the identifying info on it that was unique. Oh well I'm wrong again. But is an i phone 4s considered inexpensive?

 

[Kamille]

I thought that the SIM card had all of the identifying info on it that was unique. Oh well I'm wrong again. But is an i phone 4s considered inexpensive?

No you are correct. That is how the kids "upgrade" their phones. They use their sim cards from their old phones in the new "hot" ones that they buy off the street.

And an IPhone 4 to purchase new is about $700 up here in Canada. Not sure what they go for in the US

MOO

 

[w1df10wr]

Sprint phones do not have a SIM card.

IPhone 4S weren't available when Lisa disappeared. That model only became available for preorder on Oct 7th. And will start becoming available in the US around Oct 14th.

 

[EastCoast]

No you are correct. That is how the kids "upgrade" their phones. They use their sim cards from their old phones in the new "hot" ones that they buy off the street.

And an IPhone 4 to purchase new is about $700 up here in Canada. Not sure what they go for in the US

MOO

And I will concede I know nothing about the sim card thing. I am talking 10 to 15 yrs. ago. So I am older and behind the times. But when we used to buy used cell phones, we had to make sure they had no balances due, and the chargers were there and the number had been cancelled, etc. It was quite the hassle.

 

[jadejazzkayla]

Sprint phones do not have a SIM card.

IPhone 4s weren't available when Lisa disappeared. That model only became available for preorder on Oct 7th. And will start becoming available in the US around Oct 14th.

bbm....have we discovered the missing cell hones are sprint?

 

[Kamille]

Sprint phones do not have a SIM card.

IPhone 4s weren't available when Lisa disappeared. That model only became available for preorder on Oct 7th. And will start becoming available in the US around Oct 14th.

IPhone 4's have been around for about a year. It's the new IPhone 4S that is coming out now.

 

[Kamille]

And I will concede I know nothing about the sim card thing. I am talking 10 to 15 yrs. ago. So I am older and behind the times. But when we used to buy used cell phones, we had to make sure they had no balances due, and the chargers were there and the number had been cancelled, etc. It was quite the hassle.

It is quite different now EastCoast. Stolen smart phones are an epidemic up here in the high schools. Kids break theirs or want to upgrade and don't have the money to replace them through their carrier so they just steal someone elses. Or buy them cheap from a local petty thief.

And all the chargers are the same for IPhones in particular. So they don't need those.

 

[LisaB]

It is possible that all 3 cell phones were stolen, but IMO not probable. Especially if it was a young person. The younger generation all have cell phones, and I worked in a pawn shop for 15 yrs, and believe me, you cannot resell a cell phone., Any new buyer plays he"" to have them reactivated cause they have been reported stolen, etc. So if they were stolen it was not for the money. And if you consider they were stolen so 911 could not be called, that is nuts, cause neighbors were closeby.

I bought a "refurbished" phone off eBay when one of mine died. When I called Verizon to activate it, I found it was already active on another account. I eventually disputed the transaction and got my money back, but eBay is a quick way to sell them, especially if you then close the seller account.

 

[josh816]

You know why I dont buy this whole thing about the cell phones missing and the time frame that it took a half hour to call the police?? Because my behind would have been outside and screaming for a neighbor to call the police within seconds of noticing my infant was gone.. There wouldnt have been a delay. There really are no excuses for a half hour delay.

How do we know that it took 30 minutes for them to call the police?

Also, finding the phones may be very important to the police. Unless they have Verizon (pretty rare around here IMO), the provider does not retain the content of the messages.
This recent article details exactly what is retained and for how long. http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/201...customer-data/

 

[marge_rita]

How do we know that it took 30 minutes for them to call the police?

Also, finding the phones may be very important to the police. Unless they have Verizon (pretty rare around here IMO), the provider does not retain the content of the messages.
This recent article details exactly what is retained and for how long. http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/201...customer-data/

J told LE when he got home and when he called 911.

 

[Lera213]

I wonder if LE thought about looking up in the trees? You know a big branch, where the phones could be resting on top, in a hole, hung from the tree something like that? In the house gutters? Buried in a neighbor's flower bed? Thrown in the river!

 

[Littleone48]

Well yes in a way, what I know. If you try to have it activated and there are charges due on it and it was reported as stolen, then yes, you will have a hard time activating if for use. We stopped dealing with cell phones for that very reason. Cell phones are very inexpensive, it is the contract plan you sign up for that is expensive.

Not true...On e-bay around 75% of the phones have been stolen especially Sprint's phones. It's very easy to re-program them.

There is actually a huge problem with phone stores getting broken into or a group of people will go around to many phone stores with fake ID's, open up an account to get the Free Phone. The company never knows this is the case until the 1st monthly payment has been made. By that time the phones have been re-sold and re-programed and there is nothing that can be done about it.

 

[josh816]

J told LE when he got home and when he called 911.

Has this been reported somewhere? If so, can someone please provide a link? Thanks

 

[Mountain_Kat]

Can someone give me some ideas regarding why someone would bother to steal just 3 cell phones (1 of which is broken)? Are they worth alot of money? Surely there must have been other things in the home that were more valuable and in plain sight.

I'm just trying to understand what a kidnapper would want with cell phones. Or what a petty theif would want with a 10 month old baby.

 

[luckyme]

Can someone give me some ideas regarding why someone would bother to steal just 3 cell phones (1 of which is broken)? Are they worth alot of money? Surely there must have been other things in the home that were more valuable and in plain sight.

I'm just trying to understand what a kidnapper would want with cell phones. Or what a petty theif would want with a 10 month old baby.

Thats the hundred thousand dollar question!!!!!!!

 

[Littleone48]

Can someone give me some ideas regarding why someone would bother to steal just 3 cell phones (1 of which is broken)? Are they worth alot of money? Surely there must have been other things in the home that were more valuable and in plain sight.

I'm just trying to understand what a kidnapper would want with cell phones. Or what a petty theif would want with a 10 month old baby.

I think the phones were taken for either of these reasons. You're right in that there had to be some other items they could've taken however would they be as easy as Cell phones to carry?

1. They didn't want the Mom to have the ability to call 911 (does anyone know if they had a landline as well?) If they didn't have a landline then the person who took the phones knew that. IMO

2. They were taken because they do have some value on the streets. I don't know what kind of phones they are however some bring more money than others. I think the only person(s) who would do this are the homeless/handyman Dude or young kids.

 

[curiositycat]

Can someone give me some ideas regarding why someone would bother to steal just 3 cell phones (1 of which is broken)? Are they worth alot of money? Surely there must have been other things in the home that were more valuable and in plain sight.

I'm just trying to understand what a kidnapper would want with cell phones. Or what a petty theif would want with a 10 month old baby.

I have two theories: they ditched the phones to give a reason for the thirty minutes are so before they called LE.

Or

There were photo's on the phone that they didn't want LE to find because they were incriminating. From what I learned online earlier today, photos are only accessible by LE IF you upload them to your cellphone carriers site.

http://www.aclu.org/cell-phone-loca...ponse-cell-phone-company-data-retention-chart

 

[Tuffy]

Can someone give me some ideas regarding why someone would bother to steal just 3 cell phones (1 of which is broken)? Are they worth alot of money? Surely there must have been other things in the home that were more valuable and in plain sight.

I'm just trying to understand what a kidnapper would want with cell phones. Or what a petty theif would want with a 10 month old baby.

That's what gets me about the intruder story.

Those two crimes usually don't go together. I don't buy the theory that taking the cell phones somehow helps pull off the kidnapping. IMO, it wouldn't benefit a kidnapper to waste the time to take the phone vs. give more time to make an escape.

If there truly was an intruder that came in that night, the phones are unrelated. IMO the kidnapper wouldn't have bothered with the phones.

 

[Tuffy]

I think the phones were taken for either of these reasons. You're right in that there had to be some other items they could've taken however would they be as easy as Cell phones to carry?

1. They didn't want the Mom to have the ability to call 911 (does anyone know if they had a landline as well?) If they didn't have a landline then the person who took the phones knew that. IMO

2. They were taken because they do have some value on the streets. I don't know what kind of phones they are however some bring more money than others. I think the only person(s) who would do this are the homeless/handyman Dude or young kids.

If the intruder knew that the family home didn't have a landline, why didn't they know dad would have a phone, and that the neighbors would still have phones?

How much of a head start would that realistically give them? IMO, it doesn't make any sense for the perp to take the phones.