Found Deceased MT - Amy Harding-Permann, 34, Great Falls, 26 Jan 2020

[arielilane]

I missed the part about Amy being heard on the 911 call. Was that info mentioned during the press conference? Anyway, here is a recent article.


During the initial search, deputies explored a channel in the Missouri River that was partially frozen. Upon crossing the channel onto Buckshot Island, deputies found some of Harding-Permann's personal items.

"Based on this, we had some pretty strong evidence to believe that she was indeed on the island or had gone onto the island at some point," Slaughter said.
Body found in Missouri River ID'd as Amy Harding-Permann

 

[Strangeworld]

Well now Good Dr VanGilder can now put rumors to rest.
IMO hospital and inner-circle of associates were much harder on the rumors and side eye.
Then this thread.
I am sure Dr. V will never forget.
A tragic love Story


However this Corvid-19 virus has his full attention as does the rest of the community.

Very sad and I will think of this case as I ponder what could of been.
Stress can be a silent killer My Friend.....

Our Medial Community across the Nation needs our support more than ever now.

I wish Amy would have recieved that support.
She was running from something even if you could not see the silent killer.
JMO

Beautiful post

 

[carbuff]

Rest In Peace, Amy. So sorry it ended this way.

 

[MrsCTeach]

Why not say some items were found on the island? I don't understand.

I didn't know this would affect me as much as it has. I had initially mentioned the ice thinness here this winter and it appears I may have been right. Many people said she would have turned up before now if she was the river, but that isn't the case here.

I am so sad that with this pandemic, even coming together to mourn is a problem.

I wish this was different for her loved ones.

 

[arielilane]

The "scene" leading up to Amy going toward the river plays over in my mind and is so tragic. I am heartbroken for her family.

 

[Alethea]

Well, I think I'm more pissed now.

Amy was heard on the 911 call.

LE was on the island an hour after the 911 call. They found her items on the island and thought they heard her that night. They found a hole in the ice in the main channel consistent with someone falling through. I think LE was way over the top in protecting the incredibly remote possibility of foul play.

How could this have be been pulled off by anyone other than Amy?

I would never want go through what Dr. VanGilder did. He shouldn't have had to.

Personally I do think they should have said earlier we do not see signs of foul play. Or that contemporaneous evidence backs up the doctor’s story.

But I also thought the police silence told the story. If they thought she stormed off drunk onto the frozen river would they say that?

Even the Dr. didn’t make a statement to defend himself when he could have. Maybe everyone was trying to be respectful to the victim knowing it was likely a tragic accident.

That says a lot about the doctor’s character IMO that he’d get torn apart by social media before saying something negative about Amy.

 

[mickey2942]

I am very glad that Amy was found. The river can be an odd thing.

 

[Knox]

The "scene" leading up to Amy going toward the river plays over in my mind and is so tragic. I am heartbroken for her family.

Back when this case was first posted, I looked at Amy's facebook & IG pages. I came away with a vibe, and it wasn't that the good dr. harmed Amy.
At least not physically.

My sympathy and deepest condolences to Amy's family.

 

[CluelessWonder]

I, too, wish we had no known the details that police chose to withhold. The doctor faced a lot of scrutiny, and it seems that most of it was unwarranted. However, we may never know all of the details. Why did she choose to run to the island? Who did she think was following her? And why didn't police explain that it appeared that she may have fallen through the ice but that it might be months before they are able to make a recovery?

 

[PommyMommy]

Rest peacefully, Amy.

 

[Beltonian]

So she run away with no clothes, car keys or phone but had her badge and coffee card with her ?
I was thinking that police put our all these posters for a missing person after they saw that she most likely fell through the ice and practically believed to be dead...
Poor kids and family. Maybe she battled inner demons, maybe something else... it did not have to end this way...

 

[Dave F.]

why didn't police explain that it appeared that she may have fallen through the ice but that it might be months before they are able to make a recovery?

The sheriff answers to his constituents, who didn't need a statement to see that there was a strong possibility that she went into the river, by the reports that LE was thoroughly searching the island . She took an extremely dangerous risk, which nearly always has a bad ending. The river takes people in an instant, and has no set schedule for when it gives up a body. IMO

 

[gliving]

Amy's obituary:

Obituary for Amy Harding-Permann | Croxford Funeral Home

John left a nice message on her tribute wall.

 

[arielilane]

Amy's obituary:

Obituary for Amy Harding-Permann | Croxford Funeral Home

John left a nice message on her tribute wall.

thanks for posting Amy's obituary, gliving. I came here to post Amy's obituary and saw you had already posted it.

Love this quote:
As Amy would say “Chin up Princess, or your crown slips.”

Such a great loss not only to her loved ones, but for the GF community, a young talent gone too soon. I wish it could have been different (that fateful night) for Amy.

 

[lbowser44]

No mention of the doc in the obituary. Havent heard a thing from him or about him.. super weird..Wonder if the family is still thinking foul play. Guess it doesn't matter much now the whole thing is so strange.

 

[Dave F.]

No mention of the doc in the obituary. Havent heard a thing from him or about him.. super weird..Wonder if the family is still thinking foul play. Guess it doesn't matter much now the whole thing is so strange.

I believe the obituary was primarily written by AHP's father, who has not resided in Montana for many years. It was solely about her. The doctor practices both in Great Falls and in Helena, at the state VA hospital. He is normally a very busy physician. With the current load on medical resources, I would imagine him to be strained to the max right now. Ultimately, life must go on, and in this case it must go on pretty quickly. IMO

 

[Seattle1]

Amy's obituary:

Obituary for Amy Harding-Permann | Croxford Funeral Home

John left a nice message on her tribute wall.

The Obit is a beautiful tribute. I'm so sorry for her son's that can never replace a mother's love. Rest easy Amy.

Tuesday marks her 35th birthday.

 

[Seattle1]

Well that's a wrap. Good time for us to review what we sleuthed on this case.

A missing woman, who disappears after a fight with her rich boyfriend. He calls 911 to report the assault and that she is missing, and was headed towards the river. LE provides no evidence that backs up that she went near the river, with footprints etc. LE gets a search warrant for the boyfriends house. Not many other details released.

The limited information makes the doctor appear guilty in her disappearance, based on statistics of similar cases. But that is not good enough in the court of law, the court of Websleuths, and reality.

I know that I thought he was guilty. But I am usually cautious in my words. I looked back and I think this is the most damning thing I said, which I regret among a number of my posts. My apologies, Dr. VanGilder.

We know when the call about the assault was made, and we know when LE arrived at the house.

We do not know when Amy "assaulted" Dr. VanGilder.

I suspect LE will be looking at whether the doctor made any calls to his lawyer that afternoon or evening, prior to calling the police.

Note that my thought process changed when LE revealed that Amy was heard on the 911 call, which is information LE should have put out immediately IMO. Dr. VanGilder would not have been crucified on social media if this was put out there early on.

Didn't LE release that they located AHP's badge and coffee card near the water? I always thought she could have had these things inside a pocket.

It was never clear to me why she would cross the ice to the "island." There was no light on the island and you can't tell where it starts and water begins according to the Sheriff. It appears that she was found on the bank of the river closest to the road and not the island.

What a shame -- a lovely woman, mother, daughter, sister, friend gone too soon.

MOO

 

[Seattle1]

Personally I do think they should have said earlier we do not see signs of foul play. Or that contemporaneous evidence backs up the doctor’s story.

But I also thought the police silence told the story. If they thought she stormed off drunk onto the frozen river would they say that?

Even the Dr. didn’t make a statement to defend himself when he could have. Maybe everyone was trying to be respectful to the victim knowing it was likely a tragic accident.

That says a lot about the doctor’s character IMO that he’d get torn apart by social media before saying something negative about Amy.

I think the Sheriff's background played a part in how this investigation was handled as well as what was released to the public. Before he took office in 2019, he was actually a detective in the Great Falls Police Dept for more than a decade.

I recall 170+ people showed up for the first search and I think most believed it would be just a matter of time when the river would give her body up.

I don't think the local's suspected foul play but as for others, I admit I don't read social media. It seems whenever you hear 'intoxicated' and 'body of water' nearby it almost always ends with the victim in the water. I was more curious about Jacqueline that refused to even talk to LE than I was of the bf.

MOO

 

[Dave F.]

I think the Sheriff's background played a part in how this investigation was handled as well as what was released to the public. Before he took office in 2019, he was actually a detective in the Great Falls Police Dept for more than a decade.

I recall 170+ people showed up for the first search and I think most believed it would be just a matter of time when the river would give her body up.

I don't think the local's suspected foul play but as for others, I admit I don't read social media. It seems whenever you hear 'intoxicated' and 'body of water' nearby it almost always ends with the victim in the water. I was more curious about Jacqueline that refused to even talk to LE than I was of the bf.

MOO

Great Falls is very much an honest, straightforward, blue-collar community. The primary form of social media is still a short session of gossip over the back fence, while hanging the laundry on the line to dry. There was some of that local rumor passing in this case, but what I heard was within reasonable boundaries of accuracy and dignity. Less sophisticated forms of social media certainly took off on speculation that was totally independent of the known facts IMO