Found Safe NY - Iona, 51, & Emily Costello, 14, Greenport, 30 March 2015

[JaimeSommers]

Apologies if this has been covered already. I must have missed it. Have they said whether the luggage was still in the car? Has a hotel stepped forward to say they checked in? Has surveillance video been released to help trace their steps? Do we know how they were doing emotionally with the sudden loss of their husband/father?

 

[AngelaH]

From the article- barring a random abduction/killing, good chance this would be related somehow, right? Either voluntary missing or foul play.

"Costello, who runs a horse farm in the quaint seaside town on the tip of the North Fork, has been “under a lot of stress” fueled by a legal battle over her dead husband’s will, a family member told The News.

Costello was married to George Costello Sr., a construction manager who died of a heart attack on Dec. 28, 2012.

The will signed by the thrice-married George Costello, 63, who co-owned Costello Marine Contracting, which builds docks and bulkheads, left everything to Iona and Emily.

The will is being contested by four children from his previous marriages, records show.

“She can’t sell anything. She can’t do anything because everything is in court,” the family member said of Iona. “She’s been under a lot of pressure.”

Still, the relative said family members have no clue what might be behind the Costellos’ disappearance.

“I don’t know if she’s having a nervous breakdown. I don’t know if somebody has kidnapped them,” the relative said."

Well that's very interesting. That opens up a lot of possibilities.

 

[Momoffourboys]

That, is a whole lot of stress.
Also, makes her a target. I hope she took off with her daughter.

 

[epiphany]

Anyone else think she would have def contacted her attorney, her accountant, had she planned on not returning for close to 3 weeks?

 

[Momoffourboys]

Anyone else think she would have def contacted her attorney, her accountant, had she planned on not returning for close to 3 weeks?

Definitely. I also don't believe she woukd leave her farm. She is very attached to her animals.

 

[epiphany]

It's Manhattan...not self-harm, would have found them by now IMO.

Hoping she intentionally went off-the-grid and both will surface very very soon.

 

[epiphany]

Perhaps, had previously purchased property in Manhattan in her name alone that the family members were not aware of (anticipating that there would be contesting of will and acrimony had husband passed) and they are laying low there...

 

[SeekingJana]

It's Manhattan...not self-harm, would have found them by now IMO.

Hoping she intentionally went off-the-grid and both will surface very very soon.

Re: your statement- "It's Manhattan.. not self- harm, would have found them by now, IMO".

Are there concrete reasons to believe they stayed in and remain in Manhattan?? I'm not quite understanding why they couldn't be almost " anywhere", which is what the family members are saying/ worried about.

 

[SeekingJana]

Perhaps, had previously purchased property in Manhattan in her name alone that the family members were not aware of (anticipating that there would be contesting of will and acrimony had husband passed) and they are laying low there...

Then wouldn't this be evident in a property owner search?

I'd think there would be MANY steps needed to move into a property ( condo, apt. or single family dwelling)- furniture to buy, utilities to either transfer or turn on- I know most cities have a single clearinghouse for all services now, food and other items to stock a kitchen to eat " at home", bedding, comfort and hobby items for a high-energy teen, and communication devices ( if she is not using her cell phone to make outgoing calls).

I guess it would be possible, but it seems like a lot of work mostly alone for such a small payoff. Most people confront time- sensitive legal issues. I'm sure the will has time limits which she might not want to ignore for her and her daughter's sake. IDK much about wills, just thinking about the situation.

Mostly, the weird thing to me is to not put her daughter back in school after spring break with no known explanation or reason if she was just " getting away". I'm pretty sure that schools have rules about attendances and absences. Also, I don't think ( while thinking in an " off the grid" way) that she had time to become a homeschooling parent. And would a girl in an exclusive private school want to be cooped up and homeschooled? I would have run away from home, seriously, and I just went to regular public HS.

 

[perfectingpink]

Then wouldn't this be evident in a property owner search?

I'd think there would be MANY steps needed to move into a property ( condo, apt. or single family dwelling)- furniture to buy, utilities to either transfer or turn on- I know most cities have a single clearinghouse for all services now, food and other items to stock a kitchen to eat " at home", bedding, comfort and hobby items for a high-energy teen, and communication devices ( if she is not using her cell phone to make outgoing calls).

I guess it would be possible, but it seems like a lot of work mostly alone for such a small payoff. Most people confront time- sensitive legal issues. I'm sure the will has time limits which she might not want to ignore for her and her daughter's sake. IDK much about wills, just thinking about the situation.

Mostly, the weird thing to me is to not put her daughter back in school after spring break with no known explanation or reason if she was just " getting away". I'm pretty sure that schools have rules about attendances and absences. Also, I don't think ( while thinking in an " off the grid" way) that she had time to become a homeschooling parent. And would a girl in an exclusive private school want to be cooped up and homeschooled? I would have run away from home, seriously, and I just went to regular public HS.

I am sure there are rules for attendance however, private schools are more lenient. (At least ours is.)

 

[Annie1004]

Apologies if this has been covered already. I must have missed it. Have they said whether the luggage was still in the car? Has a hotel stepped forward to say they checked in? Has surveillance video been released to help trace their steps? Do we know how they were doing emotionally with the sudden loss of their husband/father?

Surveillance tape showed mother and daughter with suitcases leaving the parking garage.

The father/husband died in December 2012, so his death was not recent. We found out later that the children from the husband's two prior marriages are contesting his will, and that is ongoing.

 

[trigger]

After reading about the contesting of the will maybe she could not afford to keep her daughter in the school, could not afford to feed her animals and especially her horses. Big expensive right there.

I felt when reading about the will, well I was oh, ok, they are fine and just getting away from everything for a little while but then I fear the worst.

Praying.

 

[GGE]

How odd this case is. On the one hand, leaving your car in a place that averages about $35 a day x 14 days = $490 is a lot of money - five hundred bucks every 2 weeks. Then again, when your kid could just as easily be in public school for free but instead you're paying $36,000 per year = $3K per month even during summer months when there IS no school... well maybe that's not that much to pay if you decide that your mother-daughter Adventure is worth it to you.

I wonder, did they pay for daily parking or for monthlly parking? I assume daily. But they located the car still in the lot... wouldnt' it have been towed a LOT sooner if she was paying for daily parking at such a high dollar, desired location and didn't show back up for it? Or did she give a credit card number and sign something saying she knows the fee will continue to be charged daily as long as she doesn't come back, so they didn't care to have it towed?

Makes you wonder...

 

[GGE]

My first gut instinct on this is that they went on a cruise, the timing was perfect for spring break and you wouldn't have cell phone use out there probably. I can't help but wonder, with the ongoing contesting of her deceased husband's will, whether there was reason for her to think she'd be served by a process server for anything anytime soon (all of that would likely be available online in court records, or they are in my own part of NY state anyway)... I've heard of people staying away from their home to avoid being served before, to buy them more time before going to court. If the timing was during spring break I could imagine going away for an extended time, if I had the money/credit to do so.

I hope they're fine. I have a feeling they are.

 

[KALI]

How much money is being fought over with the will?
If substantial, it could ge a reason for someone to want them to dissappear.

 

[Luvrosco]

If anyone finds out the time the car was found, please post it. ASAP thanx

I'm taping all local news stations at noon hoping to see where the car was found or get further info.

Today's NY post says the car was found on April 15th in the parking garage on W. 42nd St. No exact time

 

[GGE]

Today's NY post says the car was found on April 15th in the parking garage on W. 42nd St. No exact time

I am thinking that they paid up front to have the car there through Tuesday (the 14th) and that's why they didn't have it towed before it was found on the 15th (in fact perhaps it was found because that was when they called police/towing to get it removed and LE realized the plate was a match for hers). I can't imagine such high-dollar real estate as 42nd street parking would be allowed to be tied up for weeks if they weren't expecting it and/or getting paid for it either way. I know someone who was less than 24 hours late getting their vehicle from a NYC parking lot and it was already towed before they even got there.

 

[Momoffourboys]

I am sure there are rules for attendance however, private schools are more lenient. (At least ours is.)

Last week began our standardized testing week. I believe I read that Emily is in 8th grade. Eight graders are being tested and unless she opted out, I would think mom would make sure to have her back.

( This is if Ross school follows NY state testing. )

 

[MamaJoJo]

Last week began our standardized testing week. I believe I read that Emily is in 8th grade. Eight graders are being tested and unless she opted out, I would think mom would make sure to have her back.

( This is if Ross school follows NY state testing. )

I don't think private schools have to meet state testing requirements, like Common Core or PARCC. And even if they did, so many students are opting out of the new tests, it doesn't seem like something that would make this family return.

What a complicated mess! Where could they have gone?!

 

[GGE]

Also re: standardized testing, we're in NY state and the younger kids are being tested last week (ELA) and this coming week (math) - the 8th grade tests are next month in our district FWIW (don't know about anywhere else).