TN - Gail Nowacki Palmgren, 44, Signal Mountain, 30 April 2011 - #13

[lalalu]

Although I always thought AD was a big hindrance rather than any type of an asset to the investigation, I feel really sorry for her now. Gail appeared to mean so much to her.

 

[confused]

In reference to myself, I have never stated MP has refused to allow the children to be questioned.
but IIRC it has been stated by MSM the children have never been questioned...Also, IIRC Callie Starnes did state in one of her tweets that she had been informed by LE that the children had never been questioned, however that was months ago and I seriously doubt I could find it....I'll be glad to tweet the question to her though....
...JMHO

All I can say in regards to the sheriff claiming MP has cooperated is... pfffft...but thats JMHOOTS.....

"the children have never been questioned"

"Matt Palmgren refuses to allow children to be questioned"

Those are two VERY DIFFERENT statements, and imply very different meanings. To my knowledge the only source stating that Matt didn't allow it is BGHN.

 

[confused]

No, I don't.. To my knowledge it hasn't been reported to any of the news outlets, however I would love for the person to come forward and state it publicly..JMHO[/QUOTE


So this must be fact since you have talked to people that know GP. Who were those people? Arlene durham most have been one of them since most of the things you state as fact are what she told reports. She has been blaming MP from the start. Her lies most likely added to the length of the search and wild goose chases every where. WHy is she now being so quite? Her lies are catching up to her!!

I could not agree more. She showed up on SM after Gail disappeared, not asking how she could help, but condemning police efforts and accusing Matt. her childish name calling and continuous accusations brought more suffering and pain to the families, and especially the children. When asked to stop or tone it down, for the children's sake, she refused.

I sincerely dread what Arlene may do next. I only can pray she doesn't further hurt those kids.

 

[Emeralgem]

Although I always thought AD was a big hindrance rather than any type of an asset to the investigation, I feel really sorry for her now. Gail appeared to mean so much to her.

I really don't know IF LE considered her a hindrance or not but I would think it would be extremely hard to have a friend who went missing w/o a trace for over seven months and even harder to accept the death of that person, especially IF I considered them to be my best friend...JMHO

 

[Pearl*]

All I can say in regards to the sheriff claiming MP has cooperated is... pfffft...but thats JMHOOTS.....

[snipped for space]

I must ask... is it even possible we the public have been somewhat conditioned by the various media to see this in a one-sided fashion?

Why would LE not just say MP had not cooperated? I've seen it in other cases in media reports, where LE made such statements about uncooperative individuals, maybe in an effort to motivate them to cooperate.

I do not believe it is reasonable to believe LE--especially with all the various agencies involved--is covering for a criminal. This makes no logical sense to me. Are they ALL crooked, from the SMPD, to the HCSO, TBI, and FBI? I think that's what we would have to believe at this point, in order to believe in a cover-up.

 

[Montjoy]

I also wonder... if they had been questioned, would Callie necessarily know about it?

(respectfully snipped)

Yes, that's a detail that has bothered me. For the information to have been reliable and accurate, LE would have had to have been the source. Had LE been the source, releasing the information would have been a strategic decision: there would have been a reason that it was released.

Had LE been the source, though, I believe that in short time we would have read the information from several MSM sources. We never did.

The closest statement I could find in a MSM source, and it really wasn't that close, in my opinion, was a quotation from one of Gail's friends that said (more or less) that the only people who had access to Gail's kids were her husband and his family. I wonder if there was some 'secondary reporting' here, where someone inferred something about LE access to (potential) witnesses based on a statement (from a non-LE source) about a domestic situation? (And here, by calling it a domestic situation I don't mean to diminish it, but to distinguish it from a criminal situation.) If that is what happened, I would think that the 'secondary reporting' is more than a stretch (and I would not consider the source to have the authority to state who LE were able to question or not).

 

[redfish]

I am anxiously awaiting the official report. Hopefully it will answer alot of my questions. Praying that the investigators are seeing how suspicious much of the public is of the circumstances and will try to answer many of our questions. Gail and her entire family deserve no less. I don't WANT MP to be guilty of anything..... I WANT justice and closure for Gail and her family. If this man is innocent it is important for the public to have all their suspicions squashed. KWIM?

 

[JayCeeVee]

I am anxiously awaiting the official report. Hopefully it will answer alot of my questions. Praying that the investigators are seeing how suspicious much of the public is of the circumstances and will try to answer many of our questions. Gail and her entire family deserve no less. I don't WANT MP to be guilty of anything..... I WANT justice and closure for Gail and her family. If this man is innocent it is important for the public to have all their suspicions squashed. KWIM?

Your post is truly how I feel. I agree about not wanting MP to be guilty of anything (except of course his infidelity and unkind remarks) but he does have 2 children to raise in the manner they deserve. It has been so difficult for me to believe that she just went off the mountain as it appears; was wondering the other day if she might have had an aneursym/stroke/heart attack which I imagine we would never know due to decomp...guess I would like an explanation as to the whys but may eventually have to accept we may never truly know and just have to accept that it indeed was a tragic accident.

 

[Emeralgem]

PUblished Sunday July 10, 2011

http://timesfreepress.com/news/2011/jul/10/two-months-gail-palmgren-went-missing-and-no-signs/

Matt Palmgren has not given a statement to detectives, nor have his two children.


Published Thursday December 1, 2011

http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2011/dec/01/gail-palmgrens-jeep-found/?print


Matthew Palmgren, Palmgren’s husband, consented to searches of the couple’s Signal Mountain home, their Alabama lake house, his mother’s apartment and a Red Bank storage unit, but he has not given a statement to authorities.

 

[Emeralgem]

Gail Palmgren's Funeral Set, Investigation Continues
Written by Tamika Bickham
Tuesday, 27 December 2011 08:40



http://www.waka.com/news/10708-gail-palmgrens-funeral-set-investigation-continues.html

Snipped
"I don't feel at ease yet, like a normal closure," said Durham.

That's because this horrific crash is still under investigation. A TV station in Chattanooga reports that the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office awaits results from traffic experts and autopsy results.

 

[Some1Nose]

In my opinion, what happened to Gail was rather than a "tragic accident"...just plain "Tragic"!

Questions to ponder:

Why do you suppose Gail wanted the police at her SM home when she returned from her AL lake home on April 30, 2011 (literally moments before she vanished)?

Why do you suppose Gail called the police on numerous occasions shortly before she vanished?

Why do you suppose the police gave Gail a phone number to a "safe house" the very day before she vanished?

Why do you suppose Gail told her sister that she was scared the day she vanished?

Why do you suppose Gail gave AD a video for safe keeping that showed in graphic detail how MP treated Gail?

Why do you suppose Gail was not wearing her seat belt when her jeep went over the cliff off E Brow Rd when her friends claim that she religiously wore her seat belt?

Why do you suppose a local resident reported she was positive she saw Gail in the late afternoon on 4/30 on a mountainous back road, sitting in her jeep looking like a scared deer in head lights with a female passenger that hid her face from view?

Why do you suppose Gail's private investigator told Gail that while MP was under surveillance, he was spotted meeting with an unidentified male at a restaurant exchanging money as well as being seen meeting with various females?

Why do you suppose MP told AD (when she went to SM to pass out flyers and help look for Gail in early May) that should go home because she was "complicating" matters?

Why do you suppose MP did not report Gail missing until 2 1/2 days after she vanished?

Why do you suppose MP criminal defense lawyered up a few days after Gail vanished?

In addition, why do you suppose MP's illicit partner criminal defense lawyered up, too? (As did MP's mother!)

Why do you suppose MP's lawyers and their detective (a former Hamilton County DA) removed all the family computers from the Palmgren homes before LE could do so?

Why do you suppose MP did not allow LE to search any of the Palmgren properties without specific conditions in place and not for a month or so after Gail vanished?

Why do you suppose MP never took a simple lie detector test to clear his name?

Why do you suppose MP was not at the SM home as promised on 4/30 when Gail returned with their children, but arrived about 10 or so minutes after the neighbor saw Gail leave the home....(the spot where Gail's jeep and remains were found was only a few minutes from the SM residence).

IIRC, LE indicated that MP was the last person to talk with Gail on her mobile phone on 4/30. Do you suppose someone suggested a spot where they could meet to chat...a spot that was convenient to home, public and, yet, offered a little privacy?

I know that Anything is Possible, but IMHO an accomplished woman with a doctorate in Pharmacology and a long list of achievements in her chosen career field; not to mention, a mother who was actively making plans to take her two children away with her from the dysfunctional marital relationship with MP...and who did not leave a note behind, was not contemplating suicide.

MP...reportedly monitored Gail's computer, phone and driving activities. MP...was having an openly illicit relationship with a co-worker. MP...reportedly coerced Gail into giving him $40,000. from her own retirement account just before she vanished. MP...went on a secretive out-of-state trip with his illicit partner, even participating in her acquisition of a new vehicle (wonder if the price tag was around $40,000?) just a few days before Gail vanished.

MP...who the evening of the day Gail vanished was seen by locals acting jovial at a ball game; even though, we know he couldn't reach Gail on her phone wherever she was! Yet, he didn't seem worried....why? Surely the children were worried, oh that's right...MP told the children that Gail had returned to the AL lake home!

I have a fair idea what the investigative conclusion will be...but that will never explain what really happened (unless there's a turn in the direction this has seemingly been headed, but doubt it)....Someday a couple of people who are currently children will be asking alot of questions about what actually happened and why!

As always, my opinions.

 

[hollyblue]

Your post is truly how I feel. I agree about not wanting MP to be guilty of anything (except of course his infidelity and unkind remarks) but he does have 2 children to raise in the manner they deserve. It has been so difficult for me to believe that she just went off the mountain as it appears; was wondering the other day if she might have had an aneursym/stroke/heart attack which I imagine we would never know due to decomp...guess I would like an explanation as to the whys but may eventually have to accept we may never truly know and just have to accept that it indeed was a tragic accident.

I had come to the speculation that Gail had chosen the path over the edge after seeing the way the jeep had to make a 90 degree turn, but after making a google drive from Palisades (sp?) all the way into Walden on E Brow...there are just too many areas she could have chosen and not have had to encounter big rocks; although I realize the map is old. I just don't know what to think anymore with what info we have. I just hope the truth...no matter what it is ....is brought forward. Gail, her children and her family the truth to be told. IMO

Matt Palmgren has not given a statement to detectives, nor have his two children.

You'll also note how his attorneys are saying they had to come forward with damaging remarks against GP (paraphrasing)....when in fact, MP made the remarks during his first phone conversation with reporters. She was "delusional" ... becoming more paranoid. This was the first week of May. jmo

http://timesfreepress.com/news/2011/jul/10/two-months-gail-palmgren-went-missing-and-no-signs/

 

[Oriah]

I had come to the speculation that Gail had chosen the path over the edge after seeing the way the jeep had to make a 90 degree turn, but after making a google drive from Palisades (sp?) all the way into Walden on E Brow...there are just too many areas she could have chosen and not have had to encounter big rocks; although I realize the map is old. I just don't know what to think anymore with what info we have. I just hope the truth...no matter what it is ....is brought forward. Gail, her children and her family the truth to be told. IMO



You'll also note how his attorneys are saying they had to come forward with damaging remarks against GP (paraphrasing)....when in fact, MP made the remarks during his first phone conversation with reporters. She was "delusional" ... becoming more paranoid. This was the first week of May. jmo

http://timesfreepress.com/news/2011/jul/10/two-months-gail-palmgren-went-missing-and-no-signs/

I have always found this statement rather ironic- and indicative of the jumble of inaccurate and poor reporting in Gail's case:

<Davis said private information about the Palmgrens continues to be leaked to the media.
“If Gail is in hiding and watching what’s happening, all this is going to do is drive her further into hiding,” Davis said, noting that she suffered from mental illness>

I mean...really?? So if I go missing and LE is concerned that I might be out there hiding out, and concerned about 'private information' being leaked to the media...someone's gonna state that I suffer from mental illness?? Without a massive invasion of privacy- not to mention violating HIPPA- how could they prove this?

And if it was true, wouldn't it have been pertinent for search and rescue to know (off press, of course) what sort of 'mental illness' this missing person was suffering from?

It's kind of important to know if you're looking for someone who has amnesia vs someone who has autism vs someone who has a history of suicidal thoughts vs someone who has addiction problems vs someone who had a recent head injury etc etc etc.

I've lost most all faith in the reporting on Gail's case. Imvho, it's done little more than confound and confuse us all.

ETA: Off rant. Oh and btw- hollyblue- not directed at you in any way at all.

 

[Pearl*]

Some1Nose, I think those are good questions. Rather than go through them one at a time, though, I'll say for starters just what if Gail really were paranoid and suffering from mental illness? That would answer a lot of your questions in a different way than from the domestic violence perspective. What if there were various areas of their lives that MP wanted to try to protect from public scrutiny, such as the details of his infidelity and her mental illness? This could account for many of your questions. Not that all his choices were good ones, but cheating on the wife and wanting to keep family matters private is a far stretch from making her disappear.

I see all the DV patterns as well as anybody, and for a long time I looked at the case from that angle almost exclusively. But what I also see, that troubles me greatly, is that the media manipulation has been awful and that people wanting to tell "another side of the story" have been bullied into silence to a great extent. It's easier to argue a point successfully without opposition.

The power of suggestion is a powerful thing, and I wonder how much of the available information has been tainted by it. JMO and all related disclaimers.

 

[ThoughtFox]

They still have never produced a doctor who diagnosed her with "mental illness." The SM police detective said early on that there was no proof she was mentally ill.

And from hollyblue's post:

You'll also note how his attorneys are saying they had to come forward with damaging remarks against GP (paraphrasing)....when in fact, MP made the remarks during his first phone conversation with reporters. She was "delusional" ... becoming more paranoid. This was the first week of May. jmo

http://timesfreepress.com/news/2011/jul/10/two-months-gail-palmgren-went-missing-and-no-signs/

Yes ~ the first week of May, and she only went missing the last week of April.

MP and his attorneys wasted no time slandering Gail, which I have a hard time forgetting. So people will have to forgive me if I don't blame the press for reporting what they actually said. I'm sure they'll try to get all these articles taken down once the investigation rules it a "tragic accident," and then places like WS will be the only record that this story had more than one side.

 

[Cazzie]

In my opinion, what happened to Gail was rather than a "tragic accident"...just plain "Tragic"!

Questions to ponder:

Why do you suppose Gail wanted the police at her SM home when she returned from her AL lake home on April 30, 2011 (literally moments before she vanished)?

Why do you suppose Gail called the police on numerous occasions shortly before she vanished?

Why do you suppose the police gave Gail a phone number to a "safe house" the very day before she vanished?

Why do you suppose Gail told her sister that she was scared the day she vanished?

Why do you suppose Gail gave AD a video for safe keeping that showed in graphic detail how MP treated Gail?

Why do you suppose Gail was not wearing her seat belt when her jeep went over the cliff off E Brow Rd when her friends claim that she religiously wore her seat belt?

Why do you suppose a local resident reported she was positive she saw Gail in the late afternoon on 4/30 on a mountainous back road, sitting in her jeep looking like a scared deer in head lights with a female passenger that hid her face from view?

Why do you suppose Gail's private investigator told Gail that while MP was under surveillance, he was spotted meeting with an unidentified male at a restaurant exchanging money as well as being seen meeting with various females?

Why do you suppose MP told AD (when she went to SM to pass out flyers and help look for Gail in early May) that should go home because she was "complicating" matters?

Why do you suppose MP did not report Gail missing until 2 1/2 days after she vanished?

Why do you suppose MP criminal defense lawyered up a few days after Gail vanished?

In addition, why do you suppose MP's illicit partner criminal defense lawyered up, too? (As did MP's mother!)

Why do you suppose MP's lawyers and their detective (a former Hamilton County DA) removed all the family computers from the Palmgren homes before LE could do so?

Why do you suppose MP did not allow LE to search any of the Palmgren properties without specific conditions in place and not for a month or so after Gail vanished?

Why do you suppose MP never took a simple lie detector test to clear his name?

Why do you suppose MP was not at the SM home as promised on 4/30 when Gail returned with their children, but arrived about 10 or so minutes after the neighbor saw Gail leave the home....(the spot where Gail's jeep and remains were found was only a few minutes from the SM residence).

IIRC, LE indicated that MP was the last person to talk with Gail on her mobile phone on 4/30. Do you suppose someone suggested a spot where they could meet to chat...a spot that was convenient to home, public and, yet, offered a little privacy?

I know that Anything is Possible, but IMHO an accomplished woman with a doctorate in Pharmacology and a long list of achievements in her chosen career field; not to mention, a mother who was actively making plans to take her two children away with her from the dysfunctional marital relationship with MP...and who did not leave a note behind, was not contemplating suicide.

MP...reportedly monitored Gail's computer, phone and driving activities. MP...was having an openly illicit relationship with a co-worker. MP...reportedly coerced Gail into giving him $40,000. from her own retirement account just before she vanished. MP...went on a secretive out-of-state trip with his illicit partner, even participating in her acquisition of a new vehicle (wonder if the price tag was around $40,000?) just a few days before Gail vanished.

MP...who the evening of the day Gail vanished was seen by locals acting jovial at a ball game; even though, we know he couldn't reach Gail on her phone wherever she was! Yet, he didn't seem worried....why? Surely the children were worried, oh that's right...MP told the children that Gail had returned to the AL lake home!

I have a fair idea what the investigative conclusion will be...but that will never explain what really happened (unless there's a turn in the direction this has seemingly been headed, but doubt it)....Someday a couple of people who are currently children will be asking alot of questions about what actually happened and why!

As always, my opinions.

Why indeed? And that's a whole heckuva a lot of why's.

Thank you for summing up the extremely reasonable yet incredibly disturbing questions about the loss of a life...a human being, woman, mother of 2, sister, friend, pet lover.

Gail :heartbeat: May your loving family and friends get answers (the truth) and justice.

 

[ThoughtFox]

Some1Nose, I think those are good questions. Rather than go through them one at a time, though, I'll say for starters just what if Gail really were paranoid and suffering from mental illness? That would answer a lot of your questions in a different way than from the domestic violence perspective. What if there were various areas of their lives that MP wanted to try to protect from public scrutiny, such as the details of his infidelity and her mental illness? This could account for many of your questions. Not that all his choices were good ones, but cheating on the wife and wanting to keep family matters private is a far stretch from making her disappear.

I see all the DV patterns as well as anybody, and for a long time I looked at the case from that angle almost exclusively. But what I also see, that troubles me greatly, is that the media manipulation has been awful and that people wanting to tell "another side of the story" have been bullied into silence to a great extent. It's easier to argue a point successfully without opposition.

The power of suggestion is a powerful thing, and I wonder how much of the available information has been tainted by it. JMO and all related disclaimers.

It's ironic to say that the press was "bullied" in this case, when actually people were screaming for more press coverage when all of this started. Literally a day didn't go by last summer that people weren't begging for everyone not to forget Gail or for the case not to go cold.

If the husband clammed up and wouldn't talk to the press except through an attorney, that was his decision. If he was embarrassed that his own behavior as an adulterer made the case more lurid than it was, that's too bad. He was a grown-up just like Gail, and if she has to be blamed for her own death now, then he has to take the blame for things that happened before her death.

This has been a case of "blame the victim" from the beginning, and once they get the seal of approval from the Sheriff's report, I guess they will feel vindicated. That "nutty" Gail just drove her car off a cliff - see, we told you so! :furious:

Pardon me if I sound bitter. :twocents:

 

[ThoughtFox]

TF, I don't think the press has been bullied. Callie, in fact, has done quite well.

Sorry, I guess I read it wrong. You said the press was "manipulated." And I can see that up to a point, but you also wrote:

people wanting to tell "another side of the story" have been bullied into silence to a great extent. It's easier to argue a point successfully without opposition.

The "other side" clammed up and lawyered up, which was their choice. The few statements they chose to make were so alarming that Gail's family decided to take MP to court, if you recall.

Hindsight is always 20-20, and we can say now that the press wasn't fair somehow to MP, even though he had well-paid spokespeople and connections to the SMPD through his own hired detective.

Also he came out with anger blazing towards AD, demanding things from her, and her only crime was being Gail's loyal friend. So it was all about damage control for MP from the beginning, but AD got in the way. I don't fault her for that, and let's give her credit for one thing at least ~ she never believed the BS about Gail running away and leaving her kids. And she was right about that.

 

[Pearl*]

TF, by "media manipulation," I meant that I believe the media has manipulated public perception. I don't believe the media has been manipulated. I'll add that "media" includes social media, particularly twitter and facebook. It's all a part of the filtering through which we view the world in general these days, and I think all of social media has become a very powerful force. I'm still trying to adjust from the "old days."

ETA: I take the blame for that misunderstanding. I see that the sentence could be read either way, and I should have done a better job with my paragraph.

 

[Shelby1]

http://www.wrcbtv.com/story/1640456...onference-on-gail-palmgren-case-for-next-week

Hamilton County Sheriff Jim Hammond says he will hold a news conference regarding the Gail Palmgren investigation next week.In a memo sent to the Channel 3 newsroom, Sheriff Hammond said he would hold an update on the investigation at the Hamilton County Courthouse on January 4.