Found Deceased MO - Titus Tackett, 3, Killarney Shores, 10 Feb 2016

[Lilibet]

I saw that too! Sounds like he really needed to be kept under close watch at all times. Also, the article didn't say the 1-year-old daughter lives with Amber, actually from what I understand the 1-year-old daughter mostly lives with the ex-boyfriend and grandfather on Killarney Dr.

You're right that the article didn't say that the 1-year-old daughter lives with Amber. Thanks for catching my erroneous assumption. I hadn't seen the little girl mentioned in connection with the Killarney Dr residence. Odd arrangement IMO.

 

[pappa rob]

Hi all, this is my first time posting so I hope I am doing it correctly!

I thought that I had read that the ex-boyfriends sister lived at this house as well? I might be totally wrong and read that Titus's sister lived there? Does this sound familiar to anyone?

If the parents were trying to work things out and the boy was sleeping on the couch, they may have gone to pick something up and also just sit in the car and talk or hanky pank. Who knows. I'm guessing Titus heard the car door shut and went after maybe with a blanket. Possibly going in the opposite direction because he didn't get out the door quick enough (maybe put on shoes?) and ran. He wasn't going to notice how cold it was with his adrenaline pumping and scared that Momma was going away; leaving him. By the time he stops, its easy to think he could have run long enough that he was close to that half a mile mark and walked a ways further. Then saw the car, hands weren't frozen, because he was holding the blanket. Got in and huddled down. Maybe he tried knocking at a neighbors door but no one heard him because they were sleeping? Or he's been told to stay away from strangers.

Welcome to the group both of you!

 

[birdsmomma]

Thanks pappa rob!

 

[Purplepixii]

absolutely heartbreaking. Titus was alive in the van, freezing. why couldn't he have knocked on the door, several feet away?

^ this ^

 

[courtneyb]

If I wake up to get water or use the bathroom, I peek in on all 4 of mine. My 5 year old son, up until age 4, thought nothing of going outside to play if he woke up at 5 am (sometimes in the middle of the night... he's kind of a night owl) So I got a loud chime and put them on all exit doors so that they would go off if a door was opened. When he had gotten particularly bad about waking up at 2 or 3 am and just turning on the the tv, playing and/or wandering around the house or possibly going out into the back yard, we put a chime on his door as well, with the volume turned down some. That way, we would at least wake up and check on him if he left his room, and remind him to not go outside and more often than not, myself or my husband would grab a pillow and move onto the sofa to go back to sleep. Was it annoying to have our sleep disrupted? Ummm, absolutely. But, I imagine that is a much better feeling than waking up from a wonderful sleep with our son gone.

Thank goodness he has outgrown that. But we have a 16 month old coming up behind him. We just broke down and splurged on a REALLY comfy sofa, haha. Our 16 month old likes to climb up his high chair, stand on his tray and jump off. So instead of just holding our breath and hoping he doesn't hurt himself too badly, when he is not strapped in the high chair eating, we put it behind the baby gate in the laundry room. Surely we will not move it quickly enough at some point and he will climb up and jump, maybe getting hurt. But, my point is, we are aware of the potential dangers and our children's proclivities and we are taking steps to try to lessen the danger to them. We don't leave them alone, with the doors wide open and a living room full of high chairs.

 

[AmyPond]

I am glad that the authorities are being very thorough with investigating. Hopefully there is no foul play. But if there is, I am confident they will able to figure it out.

 

[white rabbit]

The coroner said the boy spent a lot of time watching his adults in his family work on cars.

“The kid has experience,” Cole said. “He can start a four-wheeler, an ATV; he’s very versed at opening car doors. He’s advance for a three-year-old in that area.”

(snipped)

Cole said the boy was no stranger to walking barefoot.

“Kids are tough at the age, tougher than what we think they are,” he said. “I don’t think they know they are in trouble or not.”

Meanwhile, members of the Child Fatality Review Panel met again Thursday afternoon. It’s required by law when a child dies. The panel is comprised of members of the sheriff’s department, health department, DFS, juvenile workers, the FBI, Missouri Highway Patrol, and other agencies.

http://fox2now.com/2016/02/11/questions-remain-after-3-year-old-found-dead-in-van-in-iron-county/

The coroner shouldn't be making personal comments regarding his findings, IMO. None of the above should matter when determining COD. Two years ago he also ruled a homocide (as yet to be prosecuted) as "undetermined". So JMO but as of now, not too much faith in "hypothermia"...as the only COD...

Carl Risher
http://dailyjournalonline.com/news/...cle_702a9bac-980e-11e3-ae93-0019bb2963f4.html

Ironically, Mr. Risher was interred at the Cole family Funeral Home.

Also ironically, Mr. Cole serves on the board of the Child Fatality Review Panel.

And lastly, Missouri has a statute in place regarding funeral directors who also serve as coroners.

https://news.google.com/newspapers?...AAIBAJ&sjid=sUQDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6146,543318&hl=en

"Under a Missouri State Attorney General's opinion of 1966, any coroner who is also a funeral director is in severe jeopardy of possible conflict of interest allegations under a section of Missouri law"

JMO but there may be a conflict of interest in this particular case...

 

[katydid23]

q

I can't imagine they didn't, Midge Montana. If Little Titus was not known to the neighbors, I see no reason why his fingerprints wouldn't be all over the van, if he opened it himself.

The forensics analysis in this case will be crucial in piecing together his movements, IMO. Based on what I've observed so far, LE (the FBI included), are diligently investigating. May the evidence be definitive, and put the lingering questions to rest.

I just can't get the thought of him suffering out of my mind. :no:





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I am not sure of how fingerprints 'work' if someone else comes along and opens the van door later. The neighbor came out and found the boy so he also touched the door handle at least once. Would his prints 'cover' or erase those of Titus then?

 

[Hatfield]

q

I am not sure of how fingerprints 'work' if someone else comes along and opens the van door later. The neighbor came out and found the boy so he also touched the door handle at least once. Would his prints 'cover' or erase those of Titus then?

Its a good question. If multiple people touched the door handle then common sense would tell us that it isnt good. They may still be able to find prints though in areas the boy should have touched either outside or inside the van.

I cant get my darn laptop to play any of the videos I saw that show some of the search footage and was trying to find if any videos showed people opening and closing the door of the Van.

If they allowed anyone without gloves to be opening and closing the van door then I will be disappointed because it should have been immediately secured.

I know it would be an easy mistake to make when they first find the boy but I hope that didn't happen with multiple people touching the door handle.

 

[keeponsearching]

What kind of search did they do early on when Titan went missing. Did the couple call 911 or just LE?

At that time did anyone else who lived on the street know that a toddler was missing? Or did they find out the next morning?

 

[courtneyb]

q

I am not sure of how fingerprints 'work' if someone else comes along and opens the van door later. The neighbor came out and found the boy so he also touched the door handle at least once. Would his prints 'cover' or erase those of Titus then?

I believe the fingerprints of whoever touched the van door should still be able to be lifted. They amazingly can work with even just a partial print. You'd have to do a decent job wiping down the door to remove all the prints and probably would have to have that intention in order to do it successfully. One leaves a LOT of prints while doing something like opening a car door and closing it, so it's not likely that all of Titus's prints would be obliterated by the people who touched the van door after he did.

However, all of the people who touched it before (the owners and whoever rode in the van) should also be all over. I'm guessing they will lift all the prints they can and then try to match them up to Titus, the owner, and anyone else they find had access to the van, and see what prints don't match anyone who should have been in or had reason to touch the door.


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[pepelepolecat]

Why are people saying the coroner is a close family friend? I must have missed something.

The Child Fatality Review Panel is thorough, and I have faith in them. This isn't going to be "swept under the rug" as an accident if it was not an accident.

 

[courtneyb]

I used to have a van and when my kids would open the van door, they would have to put both hands, palms on door, and push back pretty hard to get it to open. My older child (15) and the adults who used the van, only had to use their fingertips to pull the door open.

That will probably be one way they can distinguish between Titus's prints or the prints of an adult


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[Rayemonde]

The coroner said the boy spent a lot of time watching his adults in his family work on cars.

“The kid has experience,” Cole said. “He can start a four-wheeler, an ATV; he’s very versed at opening car doors. He’s advance for a three-year-old in that area.”

Next they'll be saying he drove himself all that way! And that's how he made it so far with bare feet...

 

[Hatfield]

Why are people saying the coroner is a close family friend? I must have missed something.

The Child Fatality Review Panel is thorough, and I have faith in them. This isn't going to be "swept under the rug" as an accident if it was not an accident.

"There is currently no explanation of how Tackett wound up in the van but Cole, who knows the family well, says many of them are mechanics and Tackett was already smart enough to start a 4-wheeler on his own and unlock and open doors."

http://www.foxcarolina.com/story/31...n-county-toddler-may-have-died-of-hypothermia

 

[zencompass]

I share in your frustration Rayemonde. I really do. I am so stuck on his little cold hands being able to open that van door. I just can't get passed that.

Small children have been known to perform feats that older children can do. But walking in the dark, in the cold, in a diaper that distance and then being able to open a van door and climb inside then shut the van door. Whether he was bare-footed or in shoes - I just can't fathom this.

 

[AmyPond]

Its a good question. If multiple people touched the door handle then common sense would tell us that it isnt good. They may still be able to find prints though in areas the boy should have touched either outside or inside the van.

I cant get my darn laptop to play any of the videos I saw that show some of the search footage and was trying to find if any videos showed people opening and closing the door of the Van.

If they allowed anyone without gloves to be opening and closing the van door then I will be disappointed because it should have been immediately secured.

I know it would be an easy mistake to make when they first find the boy but I hope that didn't happen with multiple people touching the door handle.

The video I watched showed the van with the door open. A lot of people walked up, looked in, and walked away. So perhaps the door was left open after he was initially found.

 

[zencompass]

What kind of search did they do early on when Titan went missing. Did the couple call 911 or just LE?

At that time did anyone else who lived on the street know that a toddler was missing? Or did they find out the next morning?

BBM - brilliant question. I would want to think that people were knocking on neighbors doors all around that vicinity.

Especially because it was cold and any neighbor could have taken him in. Or he could have been on anyone's porch trying to get them to open their door.

 

[pepelepolecat]

"There is currently no explanation of how Tackett wound up in the van but Cole, who knows the family well, says many of them are mechanics and Tackett was already smart enough to start a 4-wheeler on his own and unlock and open doors."

http://www.foxcarolina.com/story/31...n-county-toddler-may-have-died-of-hypothermia

Thank you!

 

[Hatfield]

The video I watched showed the van with the door open. A lot of people walked up, looked in, and walked away. So perhaps the door was left open after he was initially found.

Glad that the door was open. That's a good sign that maybe prints could still be obtained.
Its kind of scary they allowed multiple people to walk up to the van without immediately securing the area around the van but I can understand in the chaos of just finding him it would be an easy mistake to make.

As far as the coroner I think there is a real potential for him being bias not on purpose but just human nature. Since he knows them well then he naturally would not want to think anything bad could have happened. Which is the scary thing about him knowing the family. There is a built in prejudice there.

Would have been nice if he would have gave an estimated time of death and if we heard more about the conditions of the bottoms of his feet.

Just glad to hear that many other people are involved in the investigation. I feel good that the Sheriff is going to make sure all bases are covered. They even mentioned FBI which surprised me. The FBI maybe part of the board that was mentioned. I feel pretty good about the upcoming investigation is going to be thorough. It sounds like they have some good people on that board and hopefully they will all get to a point where they are comfortable with what happened and how it happened.