New Search at North Dumfries Farm -- September 9, 2013

[matou]

As they searched through the rural property Monday, forensic investigators wore white coveralls and dust masks, and seemed to focus their search inside the property's weathered wooden barn — alternating between the building's older stone basement and a newer garage addition with a cinder-block foundation.

http://www.guelphmercury.com/news-story/4070887-police-searching-millard-farm-again/

 

[matou]

The fresh search was news to the family of Babcock, said Babcock's father, Clayton.

"Police haven't told us anything," he said. "They said they would let us know if it involved Laura."

Drummond said she does not how long police expect to be posted at the farm, but it's expected the investigation there will last several days.

http://www.guelphmercury.com/news-story/4070887-police-searching-millard-farm-again/

 

[lanman]

http://www.guelphmercury.com/news-story/4070887-police-searching-millard-farm-again/

"...this time they were getting help from specialized drug investigators."

Maybe they were looking for needles in the haystack.

 

[matou]

Millard’s lawyer, Deepak Paradkar said he was not aware of the search, adding Millard has never been interviewed about Babcock’s disappearance.
“They haven’t updated me, my client hasn’t been questioned, so we don’t know,” Paradkar said.

http://www.thestar.com/news/crime/2013/09/09/dellen_millard_toronto_police_searching_farm_again.html

 

[lanman]

Millard’s lawyer, Deepak Paradkar said he was not aware of the search, adding Millard has never been interviewed about Babcock’s disappearance.
“They haven’t updated me, my client hasn’t been questioned, so we don’t know,” Paradkar said.

http://www.thestar.com/news/crime/2013/09/09/dellen_millard_toronto_police_searching_farm_again.html

This backs my theory they may have been looking for LB's ashes, not drugs:

"Waterloo police Staff Sgt. Steve Dalrymple could not say why a drug unit was called in for the search, but pointed out they are not exclusively called in drug busts.

“They are the ones who are trained in the handling of hazardous materials,” he said."

 

[ArianeEmory]

This backs my theory they may have been looking for LB's ashes, not drugs:

"Waterloo police Staff Sgt. Steve Dalrymple could not say why a drug unit was called in for the search, but pointed out they are not exclusively called in drug busts.

“They are the ones who are trained in the handling of hazardous materials,” he said."

Excellent catch, lanman.

 

[roseofsharon]

As they searched through the rural property Monday, forensic investigators wore white coveralls and dust masks, and seemed to focus their search inside the property's weathered wooden barn — alternating between the building's older stone basement and a newer garage addition with a cinder-block foundation.

http://www.guelphmercury.com/news-story/4070887-police-searching-millard-farm-again/

Hmmm, cinder block foundation! Rip it up!!! :moo:

 

[cansleuther]

This backs my theory they may have been looking for LB's ashes, not drugs:

“They are the ones who are trained in the handling of hazardous materials,” he said."

According to www.cremationresource.org human ashes are not be considered hazardous:

Do Ashes Pose Any Health Hazards?

Cremation remains are not toxic and do not present any health hazard. In fact, human ashes are considered as a sanitary natural substance. You can dispose them off by burying the ashes, scattering them on ground (or from the air), or floating them in water.

 

[matou]

This backs my theory they may have been looking for LB's ashes, not drugs:

"Waterloo police Staff Sgt. Steve Dalrymple could not say why a drug unit was called in for the search, but pointed out they are not exclusively called in drug busts.

“They are the ones who are trained in the handling of hazardous materials,” he said."

What about a chemical with poisonous vapour? Jet fuel?

 

[matou]

I'm still thinking drugs. JMO

 

[redheart]

Even if human ashes aren't dangerous, I wouldn't want to breathe them in. If I were looking for them, I'd wear full gear.

 

[lanman]

According to www.cremationresource.org human ashes are not be considered hazardous:

Somehow I don't think that FAQ was referring to human ashes of murder victims that came out of a poultry incinerator!

If that is what they were looking for, then I would find it hard to believe that LE would go rummaging around the barn with their bare hands. A hazmat team seems more appropriate.

 

[ArianeEmory]

What kind of things would that air-quality tester check for? A quick google only shows me one for consumer use (mold/allergens etc). (One of the investigators was holding up something the reporter described as an air quality tester, I believe.)

 

[matou]

Maybe just mould? They were going in the basement so there could be lots of mould down there. JMO

 

[redheart]

What kind of things would that air-quality tester check for? A quick google only shows me one for consumer use (mold/allergens etc). (One of the investigators was holding up something the reporter described as an air quality tester, I believe.)

Good question. Fumes from something?
The only one I've ever used was to test for propane at the bottom of a narrow shaft.

 

[cansleuther]

Even if human ashes aren't dangerous, I wouldn't want to breathe them in. If I were looking for them, I'd wear full gear.

Agreed. But they didn't wear full gear when they searched the barn in May so they must have had a specific reason to have suited up for today's search.

 

[Deucebag]

Even animal waste can be toxic. But i dont think we have heard the end about the property. I still believe there has to be a connection to the runway across the street.. Jmo.

 

[bessie]

What kind of things would that air-quality tester check for? A quick google only shows me one for consumer use (mold/allergens etc). (One of the investigators was holding up something the reporter described as an air quality tester, I believe.)

Snipped from an article in Scientific American, April 29, 2010

Home-cooking meth spreads toxins to every inch of the room where the meth was cooked and beyond. Nothing escapes contamination—the carpet, walls, furniture, drapes, air ducts, and even the air itself becomes toxic. "Ingesting some of these chemicals, even a tiny drop, can cause immediate death," Smith says.

"When we go into a meth lab, we have on respirators, Tyvec suits, shoe coverings, gloves and eye goggles," says Sgt. Cory Craig, a state highway patrolman and narcotics specialist based in northern Missouri. Police treat methamphetamine labs as hazardous waste sites. They remove meth-making hardware and chemicals, and often hire professional cleaning companies to sanitize the house.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=former-meth-lab

And from the Oklahoma DEQ

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Respirators that offer protection against vapors are recommended. The ventilation system should also be cleaned and new furnace filters installed. All gloves, rags and clothing that are in contact with contamination (even shoes) should be removed before leaving the house and disposed of with the other household items that require disposal. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Next, air the building out for a few days to allow any remaining volatiles to escape. During this time, the property should stay vacant. [/FONT]

https://www.deq.state.ok.us/lpdnew/MethLabs/meth.htm

 

[Archangel7]

Fresh air is worn to provide a safe, self contained environment.

Any doubt of safe air requires wearing it whether the environment is dangerous from low oxygen %, toxic/hazardous airborne gases, particulate suspension or poisonous gases.

Wearing clean suits and fresh air pretty much prevents cross contamination.

ETA to Bessie's post...Many meth lab sites in the USA are EPA Superfund sites due to the contaminated area.

 

[roseofsharon]

What kind of things would that air-quality tester check for? A quick google only shows me one for consumer use (mold/allergens etc). (One of the investigators was holding up something the reporter described as an air quality tester, I believe.)

Maybe methane gas?