ND ND - Thomas 'Tom' Bearson, 19, Fargo, 20 Sep 2014 #4

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2Hope4 said:
BUT, we do know that Thomas was NOT intoxicated by alcohol nor drugs! Perhaps someone at the party thought he was a 'snitch' because we wasn't doing what the other party goers were doing?? Maybe thought they would rough him up to see if he would admit, and when he didn't, the beating had become severe enough to cause fatal injuries???
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Actually, just to clarify, we DO NOT know if TB was intoxicated or not - only that drugs and/or alcohol did not cause his death. He still could have been drunk, it just wasn't what killed him.
 
DeeMarie said:
Where they able to locate his phone?
What about phone records?
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They have not yet located his phone or shoe. I do not recall much being said at the press conference about his phone records so no new info there. It has already been summed up a couple times, but basically the results of the press conference are:

- Did not die of a drug or alcohol overdose (didn't say if they were in his system or not, but neither was the direct cause of his death)
- Was not a CI (don't think many of us really thought this was the case, but I'm happy they put some of that silly speculation to rest)
- His body was not mutilated
- Surveillance video from a business close to where his body was found shows a car that is of interest to the police. This surveillance video was released to the public and they are asking anyone who thinks they know who owns the car or who was the driver should contact police. They say they did not release this video earlier, because they thought they would be able to identify the vehicle on their own but have not been able to do so.
 
In the news article they didn't even list the color of the vehicle other than "dark colored" and it's obviously purple. I remember watching "forensic files" in the 90s and seeing how they had worse images of vehicles and how they managed to figure out the make, model, and year of a vehicle using a computer program, and then went through every single person in a one or two state area that had that vehicle registered to them. Why haven't they been able to do that in 5 months?
 
I am tempted to hit the car enthusiast sites and start pasting the still pic from the paper of that purple car and start asking what kind of vehicle is this people? I'm sure tons of people own that same make, model, year of that car, even though I totally have that vision of that 90s computer program that does this on forensic files stuck in my head lol. How many people can possibly own that exactly vehicle in MN and ND? They gotta go through every single family that year of vehicle is registered to in my opinion.
 
trpream said:
I think there is a very plausible explanation as to why law enforcement would conceal a vehicle that may have been at the scene. It actually relates to what I personally think is the most likely scenario given what we do and don't know about this case.

I think that TB was hit by a vehicle, the occupant(s) of that vehicle panicked, and put him in the car. I don't claim that this is exactly the case, but it seems that with the information we have and the timing of release of certain information, this could be more likely than not.

For example:

1. The news has reported that when TB was initially found, investigators were unable to immediately determine a cause of death. It was not obvious what had killed him right away. If TB were hit by a vehicle, it may not necessarily result in obvious injuries to the outside of the body. Internal bleeding or a broken neck are not usually visible to the naked eye, but would be immediately apparent during an autopsy - and are injuries that would be consistent with homicidal violence. This could also explain a panic from the parties involved - if TB had internal bleeding but seemed otherwise okay, and then he suddenly took a turn for the worse - I could see a "dump" happening.

2. In the same respect, not releasing detailed information from the autopsy could be because of the nature of those injuries - it could indicate to a potential perpetrator that the police are looking for a vehicle - or maybe even the autopsy indicates that glass or paint fragments were found embedded in TB's skin. There is plenty of reason to want to withhold that type of information, even if it is frustrating to the public. And I am pretty sure that TB's family would be told the content of the autopsy.

3. Releasing the information about the vehicle now means they have more than likely been looking for this vehicle the whole time. Maybe they were hoping some evidence found on TB's body (if any, we don't know what, if anything, was found) could link a make or model. And it also gives the perpetrators the illusion they aren't being sought - what is the first thing you would do if your vehicle had been used in a crime? Dump it, sell it, get rid of it. Not releasing that information bought law enforcement a little time to try to identify the vehicle on their own.

4. The timing of the "dump." The car was seen at 7:35 pm. This would be over 12 hours from when TB was last seen, from my understanding. If he seemed okay, and then suddenly wasn't, that could explain the timing discrepancy.

Of course, I have no idea if any of this is true, and I don't have any info or knowledge to back it up other than the analysis posted above. I do know that car accidents don't necessarily leave "evidence" (like broken glass) all the time, but you would think that if there was an impact hard enough to break a neck or cause internal bleeding there would be some evidence of a crash. It is just an idea, and my own opinion. *shrug*
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They stated at the presser that the FBI was bought in to do a suspect profile. Would they do that if he was hit by a car? (I don't know---maybe they would)

Plus, if a driver hits someone with a car, I would think there would be either of 2 reactions, depending on what kind of a moral compass the driver has: 1.) Get help. 2.) Get the heck out of there.

I just don't see anyone taking an injured person, waiting around to see if he's going to be alright or not, and then deciding what to do. But who knows, anything is possible.
 
overclockedgirl said:
I am tempted to hit the car enthusiast sites and start pasting the still pic from the paper of that purple car and start asking what kind of vehicle is this people? I'm sure tons of people own that same make, model, year of that car, even though I totally have that vision of that 90s computer program that does this on forensic files stuck in my head lol. How many people can possibly own that exactly vehicle in MN and ND? They gotta go through every single family that year of vehicle is registered to in my opinion.
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Hard to imagine with all the enhancing techinques available, they don't know the make, model, and year of that car. And the exact color, for that matter.
 
Rocco said:
Hard to imagine with all the enhancing techinques available, they don't know the make, model, and year of that car. And the exact color, for that matter.
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EXACTLY. Like I said they were doing that with computer programs in the 90s on forensic files with worse images than what that looks like, and then going through hundreds of people who all owned that same car to try to find a connection. THAT is what they need to do. Both ND and MN, every single person that vehicle is registered to, find them, and then find out if the person registered is the one actually driving it, go through every single owner.
 
Damarna said:
Here is a link to another article with stills of the car. They are identifying it as black in color.

http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2015/02/09/more-details-released-in-ndsu-students-murder-case/

I'm not great at posting pics on the Tapatalk app otherwise I would.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
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I wish we could hear the press conference, because the Forum says "dark colored" and that CBS article says "black" but I don't see it list that the police specifically said black. In the blown up images from the Forum article, it looks more purple to me. http://www.inforum.com/news/crime/3...eillance-camera-scene-where-bearson-was-found
 
overclockedgirl said:
EXACTLY. Like I said they were doing that with computer programs in the 90s on forensic files with worse images than what that looks like, and then going through hundreds of people who all owned that same car to try to find a connection. THAT is what they need to do. Both ND and MN, every single person that vehicle is registered to, find them, and then find out if the person registered is the one actually driving it, go through every single owner.
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It makes me suspicious. If they really thought it was important, they would have released the information a lot earlier. I wonder if they're giving the public a bone to chew on-----release a bit of information just so the public thinks they're getting some new information on the case and they'll be quiet for awhile.
 
Rocco said:
It makes me suspicious. If they really thought it was important, they would have released the information a lot earlier. I wonder if they're giving the public a bone to chew on-----release a bit of information just so the public thinks they're getting some new information on the case and they'll be quiet for awhile.
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That is a good point. The thing that was weird about the video was how the car kept circling to me, so that did get my interest, almost like they kept wanting to get a view looking at something without getting out of the car or coming to a complete stop. Or it could have just been totally random too.
 
one other piece that I am sure they mentioned this afternoon is that the car had a brake light out as well.(In looking at the video, it would have to be the driver side.) Did anyone else hear them say this?
 
prallypie said:
one other piece that I am sure they mentioned this afternoon is that the car had a brake light out as well.(In looking at the video, it would have to be the driver side.) Did anyone else hear them say this?
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If they identified the make, model, year a long time ago, I wonder if they told all the auto places in town to keep an eye out for it especially with the brake light?
 
prallypie said:
one other piece that I am sure they mentioned this afternoon is that the car had a brake light out as well.(In looking at the video, it would have to be the driver side.) Did anyone else hear them say this?
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If they identified the make, model, year a long time ago, I wonder if they told all the auto places in town to keep an eye out for it especially with the brake light?
 
mama sleuth said:
Try this for audio (they state DARK vehicle) no color : http://wjon.com/moorhead-police-update-public-in-tom-bearson-murder-investigation/
I watched the 2:30 news conference - they state he was, to their knowledge, that he was not working with any of the agencies as an informant BUT the agencies they listed as represented (to the best of my recollection) did not include the SMECA. JMO.
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Thanks!! Yeah I found that note really annoying! I wasn't even thinking about drug cooperation really, until the paper said "wasn't working at the time of his death." Well what about before his death?! lol. Or, like, EVER in the past year?! Or SEMCA that wasn't listed like you say very good point!!

I can't wait to get approved for a couple car forums I'm signing up for to see what car people say the vehicle is. To my very amateur eye is looks something like a Hyundai Elantra or something http://stcloud.craigslist.org/ctd/4874620558.html
 
overclockedgirl said:
In the news article they didn't even list the color of the vehicle other than "dark colored" and it's obviously purple. I remember watching "forensic files" in the 90s and seeing how they had worse images of vehicles and how they managed to figure out the make, model, and year of a vehicle using a computer program, and then went through every single person in a one or two state area that had that vehicle registered to them. Why haven't they been able to do that in 5 months?
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It's been frustrating, believe me, I'm with you. As far as the video is concerned it all boils down to what technology is being used in the surveillance video equipment. It's very possible that the video equipment being used by that building hasn't been updated since the 90s. And even if it has been updated, there is no guarantee that the video equipment is high-tech enough for further analysis. A trucking company isn't the same thing as a bank or jewelry store, so they very likely don't have that high-tech equipment. That makes the process that is involved with gathering information from the video extremely tedious. First, LE has to request the video from the company who rents the building. Then they have to watch three days worth of tape. Then, after they can tell that something is suspicious about this particular vehicle, they have to try to identify it by looking through all the registrations for dark-colored sedans in the Moorhead/Fargo area. (And even by doing that, there is no guarantee that they get all vehicles that could be in the area - any college student who is not from the area likely doesn't have their car registered there as well as anyone who recently moved there or was traveling through.) Then they request repair records for brake light repairs on any dark-colored sedan from all auto repair shops within say 25 (or more) miles. (And still there is no guarantee that their search would turn up the right vehicle.) Then they interview all of those people who had their brake lights fixed about where they were at the time this vehicle is seen on the surveillance tape. That could easily be a hundred people. Then they have to verify all of those alibis which could mean interviewing another 300 people. While doing all of that they have to cross-check for registrations that have addresses in the area of NDSU to see if anything pops. That's just a short summary of their process for that one aspect of the overall investigation. It's like looking for a needle in a haystack when you don't even know for sure if you need a needle. I mean they could find the driver and it could be a little old lady from Bemidji who got lost on her way see her grandson and had nothing to do with the investigation.

Like I said, I want more info too, but in a case with so little info I do understand why they take so long to complete every step.
 
mama sleuth said:
Try this for audio (they state DARK vehicle) no color : http://wjon.com/moorhead-police-update-public-in-tom-bearson-murder-investigation/
I watched the 2:30 news conference - they state he was, to their knowledge, that he was not working with any of the agencies as an informant BUT the agencies they listed as represented (to the best of my recollection) did not include the SMECA. JMO.
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I didn't hear them list ANY agencies. They just stated flat out he was not working as a Confidential Informant. Do you have a link to where they listed agencies? TIA
 
bizzle2 said:
It's been frustrating, believe me, I'm with you. As far as the video is concerned it all boils down to what technology is being used in the surveillance video equipment. It's very possible that the video equipment being used by that building hasn't been updated since the 90s. And even if it has been updated, there is no guarantee that the video equipment is high-tech enough for further analysis. A trucking company isn't the same thing as a bank or jewelry store, so they very likely don't have that high-tech equipment. That makes the process that is involved with gathering information from the video extremely tedious. First, LE has to request the video from the company who rents the building. Then they have to watch three days worth of tape. Then, after they can tell that something is suspicious about this particular vehicle, they have to try to identify it by looking through all the registrations for dark-colored sedans in the Moorhead/Fargo area. (And even by doing that, there is no guarantee that they get all vehicles that could be in the area - any college student who is not from the area likely doesn't have their car registered there as well as anyone who recently moved there or was traveling through.) Then they request repair records for brake light repairs on any dark-colored sedan from all auto repair shops within say 25 (or more) miles. (And still there is no guarantee that their search would turn up the right vehicle.) Then they interview all of those people who had their brake lights fixed about where they were at the time this vehicle is seen on the surveillance tape. That could easily be a hundred people. Then they have to verify all of those alibis which could mean interviewing another 300 people. While doing all of that they have to cross-check for registrations that have addresses in the area of NDSU to see if anything pops. That's just a short summary of their process for that one aspect of the overall investigation. It's like looking for a needle in a haystack when you don't even know for sure if you need a needle. I mean they could find the driver and it could be a little old lady from Bemidji who got lost on her way see her grandson and had nothing to do with the investigation.

Like I said, I want more info too, but in a case with so little info I do understand why they take so long to complete every step.
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I see your point, but I saw in the 90s on forensic files that they could, using very fuzzy grainy images of vehicles, find out the make model and year of a vehicle. I saw at least one episode where they used a very grainy picture of a vehicle, and used some computer program to figure out the make, model, and year. If they had the year, make, and model, they could look at all of ND and MN people who had that vehicle registered, and if they didn't know purple or black they could do both colors. You would think the car manufacturers too would be able to look at it and tell someone what kind of vehicle it is. I am thinking this way too because my parents are really into cars, and they can look at cars older that are 15 years old (not so much new vehicles) and say "oh thats' a 2003 X" It seems to me that picture is good enough for someone to be able to figure out the exact make, model and year.
 
mama sleuth said:
Try this for audio (they state DARK vehicle) no color : http://wjon.com/moorhead-police-update-public-in-tom-bearson-murder-investigation/
I watched the 2:30 news conference - they state he was, to their knowledge, that he was not working with any of the agencies as an informant BUT the agencies they listed as represented (to the best of my recollection) did not include the SMECA. JMO.
Click to expand...

Could someone provide a link to full audio of the press conference? I can't find one, and I can't quote it directly from memory. But I watched the whole thing and I do know they never listed any agencies when talking about the CI rumors, they just said something like "he was not a confidential informant for any law enforcement agency", or something like that. I would just like to put all of this CI stuff to bed once and for all.
 
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