NC NC - Sara Graham, 18, Fairmont, 4 February 2015 - #2

[Yvettea]

Yeah. Let's conceal last known clothing.

I'm not saying it's the right decision, just that it's law-enforcement's decision to make. It's not the responsibility of the parents to reveal information they've been given and instructed to keep private, assuming they've even been given information.

 

[808paradise]

You don't really NEED to see the dentist if you have braces. You're supposed to, yes, to get them adjusted every 4-6 weeks. But, nothing's going to happen to you if you don't.....

True, but sooner or later she will break a wire or a bracket will come loose and it'll need to be dealt with. Both can be very painful.

 

[Yvettea]

On February 20 Sheriff Sealy was reported to have said,"We’re hoping that she’s left with friends and just hasn’t told anybody." Apparently he said this more as a personal hope and less as a release of information from the investigation, much like Major Anthony Thompson said one week after Sara went missing. "I hope we find her alive. It's been a week and it's like she just vanished."

Frankly, I find both these comments troubling. They seem to me to be geared to producing a state of calm in the general population. I wonder if producing a false sense of security is healthy for the area or for the investigation.

ETA: I thought this germane to the conversation you were having about the release of information because when we first heard these words about Sara's whereabouts we believed we were hearing from the investigation. Most of what's actually been released by the investigation has been useless in determining anything about Sara's possible whereabouts. MOO

 

[Yvettea]

One might think the Sheriff had not just been reelected if one did not know better. Two thirds of the vote - not bad.

ETA: It's an elected position and the challenges of keeping the constituency happy can play out in the way the job is performed even among those who will not necessarily seek reelection.

 

[FindHG]

True, but sooner or later she will break a wire or a bracket will come loose and it'll need to be dealt with. Both can be very painful.

Reading just parts of the Hannah Garner's thread, recalling Sara's relative in Cali saying something about her liking to visit swap meets, seems like another sliver of hope, she may have been headed that way. Then, I thought, if she wanted to, I don't think anyone would have stopped her. She strikes me as someone strong inside and moving ahead willfully.

 

[Yvettea]

Frankly if it's not political and it's not conflict of interest I would have to wonder if this is incompetency. By this I mean the handling of this investigation. If this were my daughter I might be looking for some help in addressing this from a legal point of view.

Maybe I fail to see the bigger picture; perhaps I take it all too personally. I don't understand how this has played out in terms of the type of searches that have been conducted. I don't understand things that have been said that I feel would possibly encourage calm but discourage the publics involvement and awareness of the investigation.

 

[Yvettea]

Reading just parts of the Hannah Garner's thread, recalling Sara's relative in Cali saying something about her liking to visit swap meets, seems like another sliver of hope, she may have been headed that way. Then, I thought, if she wanted to, I don't think anyone would have stopped her. She strikes me as someone strong inside and moving ahead willfully.

I want to hang on to hope ; I really do. I'm just running out of ways to do it.

 

[Yvettea]

Then, I thought, if she wanted to, I don't think anyone would have stopped her.

Maybe this IS the bigger picture. The picture that's been eluding me. If so I certainly wish someone would say so instead of just speculating.

 

[Yvettea]

I'm at the point where I don't know what to do. I'm troubled within, and without, on all sides. There is another hypothetical I came up with in an attempt to explain this without involving family. But I don't have the faith in this sheriff to share it with them. Maybe with the FBI. Probably not. I'm coming to the conclusion that all this speculation causes as many problems as it solves

As for this conversation, I'm really not a part of it and haven't been for awhile. And that's okay. Because if you can add to this investigation I'm all for it. We don't have to agree because we agree we want Sarah back.

ETA: But just forget it if you think I won't be reading this conversation, because I will. And even if all of you had thanked me for leaving the conversation (and I see that most of you did) I would still be reading the conversation. I read it first thing in the morning, the last thing at night, and sometimes in between.

 

[808paradise]

I'm at the point where I don't know what to do. I'm troubled within, and without, on all sides. There is another hypothetical I came up with in an attempt to explain this without involving family. But I don't have the faith in this sheriff to share it with them. Maybe with the FBI. Probably not. I'm coming to the conclusion that all this speculation causes as many problems as it solves

As for this conversation, I'm really not a part of it and haven't been for awhile. And that's okay. Because if you can add to this investigation I'm all for it. We don't have to agree because we agree we want Sarah back.

Han, please don't leave. Your input has always been intelligent and well thought out. I wish I had more concrete to contribute. I value your contributions greatly.

 

[FindHG]

Han, please don't leave. Your input has always been intelligent and well thought out. I wish I had more concrete to contribute. I value your contributions greatly.

Han, 808paradise is right. You are great grist to the mill, don't ever feel crushed, well, you may from time to time. We all do. I hope that you choose not to stop.

 

[granola]

I kind of understand where Han's coming from. I feel exasperated by this case, to the point that I really don't even know what to say anymore here in this thread. It's become clear this past week that they have no idea where she actually is if they're still saying she ran off (or else they know exactly what happened and are waiting to get enough evidence to charge). Either way, nothing new, not a lot of info to go on, no one speaking up for her anymore.. let's be honest, this case is growing cold, and that makes me so sad for her. She deserves to be safe and her family deserves to know that she is safe.

 

[Yvettea]

I kind of understand where Han's coming from. I feel exasperated by this case, to the point that I really don't even know what to say anymore here in this thread. It's become clear this past week that they have no idea where she actually is if they're still saying she ran off (or else they know exactly what happened and are waiting to get enough evidence to charge). Either way, nothing new, not a lot of info to go on, no one speaking up for her anymore.. let's be honest, this case is growing cold, and that makes me so sad for her. She deserves to be safe and her family deserves to know that she is safe.

Granola, you can't imagine how many times I've wished I had an applause button for your comments.

I can't even explain the level at which this affects me and I wouldn't want to try. But my discouragement doesn't have anything to do with any of you. Do you think I would leave it in your capable hands if it did? FindHG, you have managed to stay so positive throughout. That's so essential because this is not positive material. I'll follow your lead.

 

[rotary_dial]

Going back to her clothing description, or lack thereof. Her father/step-mom, her managers or co-workers at WalMart, all should have a general sense of what she wore to work. There are uniform regulations at WalMart which require khaki or black pants. Which ones did she have/prefer? In my experiences in retail, most people only wear one pair, or rotate between two pair of shoes at their job. What type of shoes did she normally wear to work? Unless she's a "sneakerhead" and owns many different pairs of shoes (like Air Jordans), I can't imagine much variation day to day.

Even if they are not 100% sure on what she was wearing when she disappeared, they could release information saying she was "believed" to be wearing her usual uniform consisting of x,y,z. It just strikes me as odd that info was never released.

 

[Skully]

Do we know what the swap meet was about? Was it for cars, a hobby, electronics, what were they swapping? My husband used to go to remote airplane swaps. You could get parts that you needed for your hobby. So if you knew what she was into, that would be a lead for FBI. I also think that the braces may not be something she would have to do right now, but at some point if this case drags on, that is a place to get information out too. It is also not cheap to keep up with the cost, so if she ran away, she may decide to have them removed. At any rate, that is 2 places to look at. I think TX is also a place to check out old friends and to see if anyone kept in contact with her. Her phone is gone, but you can always get another phone without leaving a footprint. You can use prepaid visa cards, and load them up to pay for stuff, again, no footprint. If you live with someone and they have everything in their name, again, you are off the grid. Some jobs will let you work under the table, like home cleaning, or some bars or restaurants. But cleaning, or doing landscaping are a good way to get paid cash.

 

[Skully]

I wanted to add, that walking, buses, bikes, cabs and friends are a way to get around without having a DL. you could also rent a car using prepaid visa or MC and not leave a footprint, but they want ID and DL so FBI could trace that.

And another place to do cash business is dog grooming. I know several places here in FL that only take cash. Nothing else.

 

[GigTu]

Han, I'm not sure why you say you aren't part of the conversation. You're driving it. You ideas and theories are what keep new thoughts in this thread.

Understandably, you're running out of steam. It's to the point where all possible scenarios have been leveraged. With no information beyond the first bits in the early days of her missing, there is just literally nothing to go on other than speculations.

I don't think anyone would or should poo-poo your very many possible theories. Each one is possible. Each thought has value. But unless LE shares some info, we will never know which direction is correct. For crying out loud, all we know is she left the house only wearing a Walmart vest. Was she naked otherwise? That is literally all we know.

Left same time as step mom.
Wearing walmart vest.
Did not show up for work.
Van found locked in field near trees.
Purse and phone missing.
No sign of struggle.
Phone ping in opposite direction, early in morning.

That list, that is all we have to go on. I may have missed a fact.

 

[Yvettea]

But unless LE shares some info, we will never know which direction is correct. For crying out loud, all we know is she left the house only wearing a Walmart vest. Was she naked otherwise? That is literally all we know.

It's a fill-in-the-blanks type case but some of the answers are pretty easy to guess. For purposes of discussion I will assume there are no witnesses or surveillance tape evidence (unless specifically stated) since none has been mentioned.

1. She was wearing nondescript clothing when she left for her job at Walmart at 6:30. She wasn't naked because that would have been descriptive and mentioned I imagine. Two witnesses have reported they were leaving at the same time. If she didn't leave for her job at Walmart all bets are off. We've been deceived. None of the information can be relied upon if the basic assumption isn't true.
2. We don't know the route she took. The location of the van at the intersection of Chicken Road and McDonald Road is a weak indicator she took Chicken Road to work. Other routes are possible and Centerville Church Road may be the route that would provide the best opportunity for an abduction.
3. No abduction time is known other than to say that if there was an abduction it occurred before 10:30 when the van was reported.
4. No signs of an abduction were found such as indicators of a scuffle. The van was found empty and locked with personal effects removed.
5. She didn't arrive for work. Apparently she never even made it to the parking lot.
6. She's never returned home nor made contact with family or personal friends of which we are aware.

See if you can agree with these points above. The initial size and scope of the search seem to imply an abduction was suspected and we were told she was not a runaway. But what I see is a missing person.

ETA: Forgot to mention one little thing. And it's the reason I've never seen this as a missing person case. She left everything behind as far as we are aware. So what is this case?

 

[AzPistonsGirl]

....witnesses have reported they were leaving at the same time. If she didn't leave for her job at Walmart all bets are off. We've been deceived. None of the information can be relied upon if the basic assumption isn't true.

SBM: this. thank you.

Just have to make sure we say this plain and simple as Han did - and then consider it. IMO of course.

 

[granola]

Someone in the last thread mentioned that LE still has the van when they talked to LE. That's a small, but important fact depending on what's IN the van.