TN - Gail Nowacki Palmgren, 44, Signal Mountain, 30 April 2011 - #2

[Irish_Eyes]

What those kids know is the clue to everything in this case. They know what Gail's mental state was like on that long drive to the lake. If she talked to anyone on her cell during that drive, they heard it. How was she on the way back? When did her and Matt have the conversation about her bringing the kids back? Did she unpack the car? Was it really only ten minutes or so between the time she left and he got home? After he got home and realized she wasn't there, did he try to call her? Did he reach her? Did he leave the house at any point after that? Or the next day? How did her family come to believe she was missing? Were they trying to reach her? Or did he call them and say he hadn't heard from her in x days?

 

[glorias]

I agree, but why give other possessons of hers to other neighbors? I could see her giving something to AD in AL if she took something the evening she left and didn't want MP to see her stopping at SB's. KWIM?

Oh, you mean why give something to a neighbor who lives so close to her home?

I don't know. Remember she also gave some papers to a friend, according to MacGyver, and those papers have been turned over to LE now. Sounds like she was just putting important information out there in case something happened to her and she couldn't do it herself. If that's the case, she probably gave stuff to whoever would help her, regardless of where they lived.

 

[fran]

Interesting that this woman who was carefully laying out and implementing plans to separate from her husband, changing bank accounts, distributing personal items among her friends (spanning two states), stashes cash, would suddenly return the children, leave the home without her purse and DL and CC's, with NO way to support herself, disappears without a trace, leaving all her worldly belongings behind, not to mention her kids! Then there appears to not be any activity on her cell phone and bank accounts (as we haven't heard this mentioned by le).

Nah.....It just doesn't make sense.

JMHO
fran

 

[Shelby1]

I also notice the article confirmed that the sightings Matt mentioned at the press conference were "possible sightings of Palmgren's Jeep Rubicon in Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama, but none of the sightings have been substantiated or confirmed."

Now... why did Matt say the vehicle had been seen? Poor wording on his part? Wishful thinking?

Lying to throw people off?

 

[Shelby1]

Anyone else think it strange that she gave "possessions" to the other neighbors as well as to someone in AL? Why?

In case something happened to her? To have back up? So that it didn't get taken by someone she didn't trust?

 

[fran]

Oh, you mean why give something to a neighbor who lives so close to her home?

I don't know. Remember she also gave some papers to a friend, according to MacGyver, and those papers have been turned over to LE now. Sounds like she was just putting important information out there in case something happened to her and she couldn't do it herself. If that's the case, she probably gave stuff to whoever would help her, regardless of where they lived.

FWIW, one of our missing without a trace mom's left a journal in her desk drawer at work! Wow! Talk about 'surprise!' It didn't help though.

fran

 

[Pearl*]

Anyone else think it strange that she gave "possessions" to the other neighbors as well as to someone in AL? Why?

No, I don't think it's the least bit strange; I think it's a tremendous clue. It indicates to me that this woman had a very accurate barometer in assessing the degree of danger she was in.

 

[confused]

I have to agree. If someone is "raving mad" no police officer is going to send 2 MINORS off as a "babysitter" for their mother. If someone is raving mad they are hauled off as an emotionally disturbed person who poses a danger to oneself or others. Period, the end. I can't imagine any place in this fine country were 2 minors would be put into a car with someone who was distraught and sent on a merry little trip many hours away. Generally speaking children are left in the car of the individual who appears more/most stable if it seems like a viable option.

I didn't say that the police officer sent the kids to babysit. No laws were broken, no charges were filed, so he couldn't have forbid her from taking them, nor could he have forbid them staying at home with Matt.

 

[glorias]

ok, you have to admit, the birth control idea is kind of funny.

so far as we know she left with her keys and possibly her cell phone only. if there are other items she took no one has mentioned them. we don't know if she had any money on her, or any jewelry that is supposedly missing. I wonder if she left some jewelry, with her friend at the lake.

The prescription medication thing got me to thinking, and I finally found the article I was looking for. Matt said she was on a lot of medication:

In a sworn statement he claims his wife has suffered "bouts of depression", is on several prescription medications, and is "delusional".​

http://www.wrcbtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=14627648

Did she take those meds with her? The family denies these claims, so maybe she's not on meds at all?

Also regarding the Jeep sightings, I found an article specifically about it:

Investigators into the disappearance of Signal Mountain mother Gail Palmgren said they have had reports of possible sightings of her in the tri-state area.

At a press conference held today, however, authorities have said that, while some “have been credible,” nothing has been “confirmed or substantiated.”​

http://timesfreepress.com/news/2011/may/17/possible-sightings-missing-signal-mountain-mother-/

That's weird, because I don't recall anything on the video that said authorities confirmed some credible sightings of the Jeep. I wonder where that came from?

(As you can tell, I'm going through a lot of news articles tonight, hope I'm not posting too much.)

 

[JBean]

I have no doubt that Gail was planning on leaving. I don't doubt she was distraught and depressed. her dh was having an affair and she knew about it. She was highly educated and unemployed. Perhaps they were feeling the affects of the economy as many of us are. I also have no doubt that she was actually being followed or tailed.
But she seemed to have her wits about her in terms of preparing to leave.

However I also think her plan changed or went very wrong. What happened or why she has not been heard from is of course the million dollar question.

It is not unreasonable to think her dh had nothing to do with it. I hope he didn't.I have heard many nice things about Matt and I hope being an adulterer is all that he is.

But it is not unreasonable for some to think he may have been involved. His reaction was unreasonable,imo and that it is how doubt came to surround him.
If Matt had been handing out flyers,answering questions,giving LE access to his children and home then it might be unreasonable to consider him.
To me he brought attention to himself. If he is innocent of any serious wrongdoing, which I am personally holding out hope that he is, then I wish he had done things differently and I suspect he does to.

But either which way this woman needs to be found. if she is so distraught that she is hiding, or if she has met with foul play by anyone's hand, she needs to be found.

 

[JBean]

hmmm................that's interesting. the ping was about 5 p.m.?

Wonder where the phone was going?

I also wonder where Matt and the kids were during two days from the time Gail was last spotted by a neighbor and she talked to her sister, to when her cell pinged on 5/2?

Guess LE needs to talk to the kids.

JMHO
fran

I think it is fairly safe to assume the phone never left the mountain area.

 

[jd3223]

"Just to make sure everyone understands. We will be driving the Mountain roads. Plan on 5 - 10 miles, over an hour. We are not walking or searching on foot. However we encourage hikers, 4 wheelers, horse riders and cyclists to also join the hunt by looking on the Trails. We are looking for Gail's vehicle not Gail. The hope is if we find the vehicle it will lead us to Gail. But we have to find her red Jeep Rubicon."

Posted on a SM local's facebook page in reference to this weekend's search. He has been very involved in trying to help the family.

 

[hollyblue]

Oh, you mean why give something to a neighbor who lives so close to her home?

I don't know. Remember she also gave some papers to a friend, according to MacGyver, and those papers have been turned over to LE now. Sounds like she was just putting important information out there in case something happened to her and she couldn't do it herself. If that's the case, she probably gave stuff to whoever would help her, regardless of where they lived.

LOL. No not really. Why give her possessions to so MANY people? If I was planning a strategy to leave my hubby, I would prolly seek out the most trusting person...taking ease of contact with that person into consideration and the objects, but her distributing the objects like she did ---seems so odd to me. ??

 

[brittbritt40]

This time I must defend our SMPD. It is inconceivable for the police to tell a "raving mad" mother to leave the house WITH the children so that they could watch her--and with mom driving them on a 4 hr. trip to the lake house.

Don't forget that was the night that they gave her the safe house numbers. I really don't think she would have been the one "raving mad" either. You would think if it were the other way around, he would be leaving with the children or she would leave by herself.

 

[Pearl*]

I've been thinking about the boat that was reportedly part of the argument that prompted the April 22 police call. The neighbor was quoted later as saying it was in Alabama and had been for (I think) 3 years. He, on the other hand, was supposedly wanting to take the jeep that day in order to haul the boat? (relying on memory here--not looking up article).

WHERE, I wonder, is the boat now, and is there any way for investigators to get a time frame on when it was used last? Surely some type of scientific analysis could help out.

 

[glorias]

LOL. No not really. Why give her possessions to so MANY people? If I was planning a strategy to leave my hubby, I would prolly seek out the most trusting person...taking ease of contact with that person into consideration and the objects, but her distributing the objects like she did ---seems so odd to me. ??

I see what you're saying, but maybe it was just a matter of convenience based on which home she was at when she needed someone to hold her items? Susie Button is near the TN home and Arlene Durham is near the AL home. Maybe she had stuff in AL she didn't want to carry all the way back to TN so she gave it to Arlene, or the other way around.

We don't know who the person MacGyver mentioned is, but it could very likely be either SB or AD and not a 3rd person at all. Hopefully we'll hear something about those papers in the media soon.

 

[Buzz Mills]

http://www.wrcbtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=14669942

I think this would be a good addition to the separate "timeline" thread.

beat you to it:

Gail Palmgren Timeline http://bit.ly/lVCfth

Friday, April 22, 2011

First 911 call—dispute regarding travel in vehicles to lake house

Friday, April 29, 2011

Second 911 call—Gail given numbers for safe place to stay. Resolved when “Matthew Palmgren agreed to stay at 40 Ridgerock Drive and let Gail Palmgren take their two children…to their lake house in Wetumpka, AL for the night,” according to police report

40 Ridgerock Drive, Signal Mountain, TN 37377-2100
to 439 Easy St, Wetumpka, AL 36092-3406
http://mapq.st/jcTz7M

Gail stopped at Arlene Durham's home in Titus, AL
just north of Wetumpka, on the night of April 29

Saturday, April 30, 2011

12:15 pm: Gail brought children home to
40 Ridgerock Drive, Signal Mountain, TN 37377-2100
http://bit.ly/lVUChL
and left sans driver's license, credit cards
driving a Dark Red Jeep Wrangler Rubicon http://bit.ly/m7RYJA
any phone pings?

Matt P. said he was at his mothers (25 minutes away)
he proposed to meet Mrs. Palmgren at the residence on April 30,
http://bit.ly/kAOioC ?
http://bit.ly/kouRZD ?
but when he arrived (at what time?) she was gone,
having left the two children "by themselves without any supervision."

Monday, May 2, 2011

Gail Palmgren's sister, Diane Nichols, calls Signal Mountain Police
from her home in New York. Nichols reports not hearing from Gail,
and requests a welfare check and files a missing persons report.
An officer drove to the Palmgren's home. No one was home and
there were no signs of foul play. Later that day, Matthew Palmgren
calls 911 to report his wife missing. He tells police his wife dropped
their children off at home alone and had not been seen since.
http://bit.ly/k2o9ha

Third 911 call: Gail is reported as missing
Gail Palmgren http://bit.ly/m9mHfw

5:00 pm: WalMart area cell phone ping
Walmart 501 Signal Mountain Rd, Chattanooga, TN
http://bit.ly/ilncK7
which cell phone service did Gail have?

ATT Sprint Verizon Cell Towers
http://bit.ly/mT5X8h (scroll down, filter)

topo mao
http://bit.ly/j5LSV6
http://bit.ly/kHu0rY

 

[KathyJ]

It's so hard in cases like this. You don't want to suspect, you want to hope they are fine but that outcome is rare.

Gail's mental state keeps getting brought up. So, ok if that is the case and she left because she was delusional, I will still have to believe someone would have seen her by now. A women out of place, acting delusional....just would think it would be reported by now.

I am also not letting go of the theory that some sort of accident could have happened that is why there have been no confirmed sightings on the car.

In this day and age I find it hard to believe if she left on her own in her own right mind that she is still cruising around in that obvious jeep!

I wish we knew what the kids knew. What was said to them when she left the house? What did she have with her....Something else I find odd is the change of address, what is the new address? A rented apartment in the area or close enough that word is out she is missing and no one has come forward to notify LE. Or was it a PO Box---If she was planning on leaving him, I see Gail getting everything in order. If she was leaving him and planning on just disappearing then why the change of address---you know if it's a po box it will be monitored by LE. Way too many things do not point to her just leaving everything behind and starting a new life.

 

[Pearl*]

Why give her possessions to so MANY people? If I was planning a strategy to leave my hubby, I would prolly seek out the most trusting person...taking ease of contact with that person into consideration and the objects, but her distributing the objects like she did ---seems so odd to me. ??

Indicates panic, urgency, fear, desperation--a plan falling apart.

But still, she was thinking on her feet. I think she must be a very smart woman. Not at all delusional.

 

[JBean]

It's so hard in cases like this. You don't want to suspect, you want to hope they are fine but that outcome is rare.

Gail's mental state keeps getting brought up. So, ok if that is the case and she left because she was delusional, I will still have to believe someone would have seen her by now. A women out of place, acting delusional....just would think it would be reported by now.

I am also not letting go of the theory that some sort of accident could have happened that is why there have been no confirmed sightings on the car.

In this day and age I find it hard to believe if she left on her own in her own right mind that she is still cruising around in that obvious jeep!

I wish we knew what the kids knew. What was said to them when she left the house? What did she have with her....Something else I find odd is the change of address, what is the new address? A rented apartment in the area or close enough that word is out she is missing and no one has come forward to notify LE. Or was it a PO Box---If she was planning on leaving him, I see Gail getting everything in order. If she was leaving him and planning on just disappearing then why the change of address---you know if it's a po box it will be monitored by LE. Way too many things do not point to her just leaving everything behind and starting a new life.

It also bothers me that a delusional woman can keep herself hidden.How can that be?

As for the change of address, I am suspecting the the address change was just a friend or a neighbor, but not anywhere she would actually be. Since she left valuables with friends it seems she was satisfied with sending things to her friends,imo.