On 8/29, the amazing A_News_Junkie posted
two photographs from the 8/25 Nancy Grace show spotlighting the disappearance of Katelyn Markham.
Of the second photo, A_N_J said:
"I wonder if this is the pic of a pic [KM's last text to JC before she disappeared] that he showed reporters. Reason being you see the circle glare, like a photo taken of a screen."
Though this hasn't been confirmed, I believe both the "circle glare" and the fact that the photo was displayed immediately after Nancy Grace barked, "Liz, am I seeing the text message? Is that what was sent? Liz, that's a yes/no. OK. If we have the text message, let me see it" (transcript
here) are compelling reasons to believe that A_N_J may very well be right about this being KM's last text (the infamous "picture of a picture").
Exhibit 1
KM's final ("picture of a picture") text?
Assuming this photo was indeed KM's final text, I sat down and looked over it very carefully by zooming in on my iPhone. My idea was that because of the "circle glare" noted by A_N_J, maybe I would be able to catch a reflection in the glossy surface of the hard copy photo that was photographed. And I did:
Exhibit 2
The flash/"circle glare" in the lower left hand corner very clearly illuminates the upper left hand corner of the cell phone being used to photograph the photograph of Katelyn. (Important: I was later surprised and disappointed to find that this same image, when blown up on my laptop -- Exhibit 2 -- fails to display my discovery with the same crystal clarity as my iPhone. Please don't be discouraged if you're unable to spot the reflection of the cell phone here; instead, I ask you to view the photo on your mobile phone, preferably an iPhone since I am certain you'll see what I'm seeing. Everyone else, please bear with me, and trust me: the reflection of the photographer's phone is there.)
Next, I set out to attempt to pin down a clear visual representation of KM's cell phone in order to confirm that it is indeed KM's cell phone reflected in the hard copy of the "final text" photo. Using image search engines, unconfirmed reports, and the only known photo of KM with her cell --
Exhibits 3 & 4
-- I was able identify what I believe is most likely KM's cell: a red BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220:
Exhibit 5
Red BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220, back view.
Exhibit 6
Red BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220, front view.
Exhibit 7
Red BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220, side view.
I had a friend look at
Exhibit 2 on my iPhone, and she agreed that a) the upper left corner of the cell phone that was used to take the photograph of KM is clearly reflected in the glossy surface of the hard copy (as stated above), and b) the cell phone reflected in the hard copy of the photograph is a "candy bar" (
non-flip, non-slider) phone.
Of course, many people (and thus possible responsible parties for KM's disappearance) own candy bar phones, but it is worth mentioning here that JC uses a Cricket (candy bar) cell phone, which I was able to easily determine by pulling the following screen caps from video interviews/news segments (links included):
Exhibit 8
JC's Cricket, front view. (
http://www.wlwt.com/news/28919291/detail.html)
Exhibit 9
JC's Cricket, back view. Note the camera lens at the
top of the back, next to JC's finger. (
http://www.wcpo.com/dpp/news/region...rfield/detectives-search-missing-woman's-home)
Furthermore, looking again at the "picture of a picture," we were able to easily determine that
the flash originates from the top of the candy bar phone used to take this photograph. Upon further inspection of the Red BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220 model likely owned by KM, we found that
the flash on this phone originates from the middle/bottom of the upper half, as shown below:
Exhibit 10
Important Note: With most flip phones, it is possible to take a photograph with the phone shut; many flip phones offer a small preview on the front phone display.
If KM took the picture of her picture with her phone closed, it would place the camera lens/flash at the top of the phone (as seen in the reflection in the glossy hard copy). However, this feature is normally used only for self-portraits. When photographing an object, there is no logical reason a person (especially an artist, who will naturally care a great deal about the quality of the photos she takes) would keep her flip phone shut, thus eliminating a preview of the photo that is about to be taken. A flip-phone owner would simply flip her phone open and enjoy a preview of her photo-to-be-taken on the larger inner display screen,
which again places the camera lens/flash on KM's BlackBerry phone at the middle/bottom of the upper half.
Please take a close look at
Exhibit 2 and let me know what you think.
(All above content MOO.)
