TN - Gail Nowacki Palmgren, 44, Signal Mountain, 30 April 2011 - #6

[glorias]

Information is missing. There has to be a reason nobody - including LE - looked for her on Saturday.

Maybe she wasn't missing Saturday. She didn't disappear into thin air at precisely 12:15 PM on Saturday the 30th. We have not been told jack in regards to information -- look at how long it took before we heard Gail and LE spoke as she drove home on the 30th. Nearly two months before we got that info.

As far as we know, Gail could have called people or seen people on the 30th and didn't actually disappear until the night of the 30th. There is this period of time I spoke about several weeks ago that goes from 12:15 PM until the time Diane/Arlene/others realized Gail was gone longer than she should have been. We don't know when they realized something serious was going on. Maybe Diane and Arlene believed Matt when he said she went back to the lake house (AD said in the Jammer interview that's what he told the kids) so they waited several more hours thinking she was on the road.

I don't know, I just think it's pretty unfair to be slamming people for not searching for Gail the second she "disappeared" when we don't know WHEN she disappeared.

 

[BeanE]

I'm not sure exactly when LE knew that she was officially missing either, I was hoping maybe someone knew the answer. If you're saying that after the trouble and talking to her that day, they should have followed up on it, I wholeheartedly agree.

I'm not sure, but it was my understanding that Arlene and Diane did not call LE, so no, I don't think LE said no to them. I thought I read somewhere at one point early on that the reason given for why Diane did not make the call was because she was told that MP needed to do it or she felt he needed to do it. And when I say she may have been told that he needed to make the call, I'm not saying by the SMP. I thought it came from somebody else, but I'm not sure. Does anyone else remember this, or did I dream it?

Other than that, I'm not sure what you're thinking. If it's why didn't someone do something, I agree. It's infuriating, confusing and sad. If you are saying that maybe the inaction was due to the fact that Gail told them something that made them unconcerned and know that she was fine, I don't think I agree with that. Because does that mean that they still know she's fine, but they are searching properties and getting DNA samples, etc? Or, they knew she was fine and were unconcerned at the time, but then something turned bad for her and now her disappearance is a worry? I really have a very hard time wrapping my mind around any scenario where Gail had all of these terrible things going on in her life and at the exact same time precisely, she meets with a terrible unfortunate accident. No one is that unlucky. Plus, any unfortunate accident, I believe would leave a trail. A wrecked vehicle, sightings of her before, money trail, etc.

I just keep shaking my head. I wish someone could give us a plausible theory for why Gail has been gone for so long. Most of them just don't make sense to me. JMO

No it's not just why didn't somebody do something, it's that I firmly believe right now that some information is missing. Maybe Gail was in touch with someone, and LE knew that. Maybe it was LE that Gail was in touch with. Maybe they accessed her pings, saw the Jeep moving around, and assumed she was driving. Maybe she had told them she was going to drive someplace, and the pings showed them that.

I don't know. There has to be a reason nobody looked for her on Saturday, even though she was scared to death, saying someone was following her, and talking to LE.

 

[Melodie]

Oh, I think it adds up just fine. This is all speculation based on the case and on my own experience with a domestic violence situation I was in almost 20 years ago.

Gail is nervous, in a panic, upset. She's talking to everyone who will listen, including LE. Nothing actually illegal has happened, though, and whoever she spoke with at LE is disinterested, whether they are consciously aware of it or not. After the comments from LE and Judge Brown, I suspect many in LE thought this was all just a divorce case and they didn't want to get involved. I personally see a sort of underlying idea from LE and the court that there are two sets of evidence/information, one for the divorce, one for the missing person, and they haven't combined the two things.

Gail disappears on the 30th. Arlene tries to call, gets no answer. Diane probably did as well. On the 1st, Arlene speaks to Matt (again, I don't have this info right at my fingertips, but I am pretty sure AD talked about this in the first SMM interview.) Diane spoke with Matt, too, and finally calls LE on the 2nd and insists Matt does as well. When Matt speaks with LE, he says "oh, she's mentally unstable and has disappeared before." Again, LE is disinterested because they think it's just a divorce case.

Days go by. It finally hits the media. Susie, Arlene, Diane all tell the media basically the same story: Gail was scared, she might have been followed, she's given items to numerous people for safekeeping, Matt was cheating, they were going to get divorced.

A couple weeks go by and LE suddenly realizes this isn't just a messy divorce case, but time has been lost. Yet there still isn't any real solid evidence that something happened to Gail, so they clam up. The initial comments made by LE like "If it was my wife, I would have called sooner" dry up. They get tight lipped and, IMVHO, the spokesperson at the one press conference even gets a little snippy if a reporter dares ask a question. They share nothing and they repeat they will not share anything.

I know people think that means LE is working behind the scenes, and I don't doubt they are. But I also think they are clamming up because they know -- especially now that Diane has told the media that LE called Gail as she was driving back to TN the day she disappeared -- that LE didn't do their job to believe Gail or protect her.

LE talked to her as she was driving home, so scared she wanted them at the house. They clearly wouldn't go to the house. She didn't stay there, instead driving off, never to be seen again. LE has to know it has some explaining to do about that.

Even if it turns out Gail had an accident or harmed herself, LE needed to step in at some point. They were given ample opportunity from November 2010 when the first 911 call was made until April 30 when Gail spoke to them just before she disappeared. Why didn't they realize the seriousness of the situation?

This is all my opinion. I know it's a rant, but I personally have dealt with LE that doesn't care, and I am seeing just a little too much in this case that is similar to what I personally have dealt with.

BBM Bravo, Glorias! Not a rant. Exactly my thinking, too. Especially the bolded part. I think this is why they did not want all of the information Arlene initially offered them. It was the kind of stuff that would be used in a divorce case. Now that things have changed, they are suddenly interested in more of the things Arlene has, ie; the DVR. I think you are exactly right.

 

[glorias]

BBM Bravo, Glorias! Not a rant. Exactly my thinking, too. Especially the bolded part. I think this is why they did not want all of the information Arlene initially offered them. It was the kind of stuff that would be used in a divorce case. Now that things have changed, they are suddenly interested in more of the things Arlene has, ie; the DVR. I think you are exactly right.

I hadn't even thought of that -- that is an excellent point! They may have skipped over the divorce information because they thought it was a "separate" case.

Now that they're asking for the security DVR, I wonder if that means LE has had a change of heart?

 

[BeanE]

Oh, I think it adds up just fine. This is all speculation based on the case and on my own experience with a domestic violence situation I was in almost 20 years ago.

Gail is nervous, in a panic, upset. She's talking to everyone who will listen, including LE. Nothing actually illegal has happened, though, and whoever she spoke with at LE is disinterested, whether they are consciously aware of it or not. After the comments from LE and Judge Brown, I suspect many in LE thought this was all just a divorce case and they didn't want to get involved. I personally see a sort of underlying idea from LE and the court that there are two sets of evidence/information, one for the divorce, one for the missing person, and they haven't combined the two things.

Gail disappears on the 30th. Arlene tries to call, gets no answer. Diane probably did as well. On the 1st, Arlene speaks to Matt (again, I don't have this info right at my fingertips, but I am pretty sure AD talked about this in the first SMM interview.) Diane spoke with Matt, too, and finally calls LE on the 2nd and insists Matt does as well. When Matt speaks with LE, he says "oh, she's mentally unstable and has disappeared before." Again, LE is disinterested because they think it's just a divorce case.

Days go by. It finally hits the media. Susie, Arlene, Diane all tell the media basically the same story: Gail was scared, she might have been followed, she's given items to numerous people for safekeeping, Matt was cheating, they were going to get divorced.

A couple weeks go by and LE suddenly realizes this isn't just a messy divorce case, but time has been lost. Yet there still isn't any real solid evidence that something happened to Gail, so they clam up. The initial comments made by LE like "If it was my wife, I would have called sooner" dry up. They get tight lipped and, IMVHO, the spokesperson at the one press conference even gets a little snippy if a reporter dares ask a question. They share nothing and they repeat they will not share anything.

I know people think that means LE is working behind the scenes, and I don't doubt they are. But I also think they are clamming up because they know -- especially now that Diane has told the media that LE called Gail as she was driving back to TN the day she disappeared -- that LE didn't do their job to believe Gail or protect her.

LE talked to her as she was driving home, so scared she wanted them at the house. They clearly wouldn't go to the house. She didn't stay there, instead driving off, never to be seen again. LE has to know it has some explaining to do about that.

Even if it turns out Gail had an accident or harmed herself, LE needed to step in at some point. They were given ample opportunity from November 2010 when the first 911 call was made until April 30 when Gail spoke to them just before she disappeared. Why didn't they realize the seriousness of the situation?

This is all my opinion. I know it's a rant, but I personally have dealt with LE that doesn't care, and I am seeing just a little too much in this case that is similar to what I personally have dealt with.

That may be the answer, glorias. That may be the reason. That LE just didn't take Gail seriously, and no one else was able to spur them to action. I'm not ready to accept that yet though.

I'm not ready to accept it's that Matt didn't call until May 2 either. Gail has a lot of people who care very deeply about her, deeply enough that I don't think they'd sit around for days complaining about Matt while Gail was hanging out on a limb. They go to Plan B. And they'd have done that on Saturday.

Something kept the wheels from turning.

I'll get off my soapbox, but I firmly believe some information is missing here. I'll keep poking around and noodling on it.

 

[BeanE]

I don't know, I just think it's pretty unfair to be slamming people for not searching for Gail the second she "disappeared" when we don't know WHEN she disappeared.

I haven't slammed anyone at all. I'm not a basher. Read my posts - you'll see that I stay away from it. I detest it.

 

[Pearl*]

There's a missing puzzle piece here. Missing information. Something made it okay with EVERYBODY - including LE, who Gail had just gotten off the phone with.

I wonder if shift change could be part of the missing piece. That's at 7 AM for the SMPD. I don't think we know when the call(s) to or from LE occurred though, do we?

I'm thinking transfer of information between shifts can sometimes be lacking....

 

[glorias]

I haven't slammed anyone at all. I'm not a basher. Read my posts - you'll see that I stay away from it. I detest it.

I was referring to the post where you said "Diane and Arlene weren't calling Matt until Monday May 2, right? It just bugs me that it was okay with everybody - including LE - that Gail (who disappeared right out from under LE's nose FGS) disappeared."

Saying that Diane and Arlene didn't call as soon as they should have and were "okay" that their friend and sister was missing sounds like a slam. If you didn't mean it as a slam, then I misunderstood, and apologize.

For what it's worth, we know (and you confirmed you have the link) that Arlene called Matt on the 1st, and in the Jammer interview, she apparently said she was calling Gail on the 30th. I guess I just don't personally see any indication to think anyone but Matt and LE were "okay" that Gail disappeared.

 

[MacKat]

If you've seen (or if anyone has seen) anything in MSM or LE docs that's not in my mindmap timeline, I would very much appreciate the info so I can add it in.

http://www.mindmeister.com/102206426/gail-palmgren-disappearance-timeline

While we're on the topic, if anyone has time to review that and offer additions, corrections, clarifications, etc - anything to increase the detail, clarity, accuracy, etc, I can't tell you how grateful I'd be.

I looked at the mindmap timeline and saw that you have TH and MP being terminated from BCBS on June 6. This sparked a question. I remember hearing that before he was let go he was on leave, not sure how this was phrased. Do you know that date? I am wondering how much he worked after April 30.

 

[Pearl*]

If you've seen (or if anyone has seen) anything in MSM or LE docs that's not in my mindmap timeline, I would very much appreciate the info so I can add it in.

http://www.mindmeister.com/102206426/gail-palmgren-disappearance-timeline

While we're on the topic, if anyone has time to review that and offer additions, corrections, clarifications, etc - anything to increase the detail, clarity, accuracy, etc, I can't tell you how grateful I'd be.

BeanE, that document boggles my mind. In looking over it though, something that jumped out at me is the plan for Matt to come down so they could tell the children about the separation. So... Gail disappears and they don't have to tell the children about the separation. Same day. Now he can spin it differently for them. The coincidence of the timing of the disappearance is just too much. So many events were grinding away in those last few days, getting ready for the split. Your map paints the picture of just how packed that last week was. He was planning to see a lawyer on May 3 regarding a separation and tells her so, and then she disappears on Saturday, just in time to avoid telling the children anything about a pending divorce.

Though not on your map, AD's story about the foal is a huge deal for me. Gail and the children had plans to go see AD's newborn foal that day. That's really special. And she left to return to Signal Mountain early that morning? I can only imagine how disappointed the children must have been. A mom wouldn't do that without a good reason. A 4 hour drive home with disappointed, grumpy children? I don't think so.

He has the weekend to himself, with the children having been conveniently returned to him. Then he reports her missing on May 2 and has papers filed on May 6 for the separation, etc. Neat and orderly. (Except for Arlene throwing a glitch in his neatness and making things complicated, that is.) He had to have had his lawyer all lined up, in order to say he was going to see one on May 3. Interestingly, these filings are all through a criminal defense attorney instead of a family law attorney. It seems almost too convenient if he had planned to see a criminal defense attorney for his divorce-related filings. Now, he doesn't need the divorce, but he sure does need to have the other lined up and ready.

The timing is all so synchronized, it seems. Your map lines up the events like dominos. I'm thinking the plan had to be in place before he named up the May 3 date. And didn't he call her to name up that May 3 date, while he was with TH? Hmm.

Gail had planned to wait until the end of school to break chaos wide open, but he names up May 3, so she has to work faster. It's beginning to look to me like the tornados had nothing to do with anything, because plans seem already well into motion.

It ironically looks like he can't stand the conflict--having to tell the children, go through the divorce process, etc. So... suddenly she's not around to tell her side of anything. He's escaped facing conflict with her (or having to negotiate anything with her for a divorce).

But now...out of the frying pan and into the fire.

That's my theory for the night. It just doesn't answer the question of where Gail is or what happened to her. I'm getting a lot more curious about TH though.

 

[JBean]

Maybe she wasn't missing Saturday. She didn't disappear into thin air at precisely 12:15 PM on Saturday the 30th. We have not been told jack in regards to information -- look at how long it took before we heard Gail and LE spoke as she drove home on the 30th. Nearly two months before we got that info.

As far as we know, Gail could have called people or seen people on the 30th and didn't actually disappear until the night of the 30th. There is this period of time I spoke about several weeks ago that goes from 12:15 PM until the time Diane/Arlene/others realized Gail was gone longer than she should have been. We don't know when they realized something serious was going on. Maybe Diane and Arlene believed Matt when he said she went back to the lake house (AD said in the Jammer interview that's what he told the kids) so they waited several more hours thinking she was on the road.

I don't know, I just think it's pretty unfair to be slamming people for not searching for Gail the second she "disappeared" when we don't know WHEN she disappeared.

HI Glorias I don't think beane was faulting others for not reacting sooner, but rather commenting that there seems to be some missing info,like the very scenarios you suggest, that could explain why people weren't in a panic.

 

[Emeralgem]

4/14/11 GP sends a $17K cashiers check to her sis (6 mos living expenses should MP cut her off bank accounts after she leaves him with kids)

4/16/11 GP tells AD she's getting everything ready for divorce...setting up counseling for children, waiting for PI report,

4/14/11 - 14/29/11 GP was sending AD things to keep them away from MP, getting ammunition for the impending divorce.

So, on 4/23/11, there's a call to 911 and the alleged subsequent argument that MP wouldn't get in the car.

on 4/23/11 GP goes to the lake house with the kids + dog. Calls AD, says she's scared, tells AD to come and get her. AD says she can't (she's out of state) and calls Mike = ex...............AD calls GP back says Mike is coming to get her and just stay there...................Mike gets there and GP and kids are gone. ? When AD spoke to GP, she explained she left because of the ? (dog?), AD said they could have taken care of that.

4/23/11 GP + kids + dog get to M&KG's house in Alabama........GP tells them she's being followed, tells them MP is cheating, has jewels and asks KG to hold them, goes to the pharmacy for Easter baskets, gets upset and accuses them of trying to take her children and she calls 911.

4/24/11 Easter

4/24 or 4/25 GP + kids + dog go back to SM, .........MP is out of town, left for already scheduled business trip.

4/25/11 - 4/28/11 While MP is out of town, leaves scheduled business meeting and drives out of state to allegedly meet g/f..............while gone he calls GP and tells her he's filing for a legal separation the next week.

4/28/11 GP meets with her PI. He gives her the goods on MP. He's having an affair. The PI also followed MP to the atm on one occasion and then he followed MP where he met with and unid'd stranger in a coffee shop.4/29/11 MP was scheduled to return that evening after 11 P.M. at the airport. Instead he shows up at the home around noon. (apparently driving back with his g/f)

4/29/11 Reports of a 911 call and now rumors that the altercation took place at the police station. GP was given the # of a safe house and she was leaving for the lake house. MP was to stay at the family home on SM.

4/29/11 GP meets up with AD.....is scheduled to meet up the next day for Mike's bday party.

4/30/11 Next thing AD knows, GP is on her way or at SM.......the night of 4/29 was the last time AD talked to GP.

4/30/11 6:30 a.m. GP calls her sister and she's going back to SM and is scared and wants her sis to call LE and have them meet her at the SM home.

4/30/11 12:00 GP arrives at the SM home, drops off the kids and dog

4/30/11 12:15 P.M., GP is seen by neighbor as she drives away from family home,

4/30/11 approximately 12:15 GP talks to her sis on the cell phone...................had already dropped the kids off

4/30/11 MP tells the kid she's at the lake with AD (per AD).......................silence..............................

Where is Gail?
Where is the PI report?
Where is AD's computer?
Where is the key to the boat?

5/02/11.............GP's cell phone *pings* ONCE on the road back to KY, and MP's mom and dad's homes....................

Where is Gail?

fran

PS........coincidence? That MP now has the jewels GP left with M&KG and now MG has reportedly spoken THRU MP'S CRIMINAL ATTORNEY, that GP was all f'd up when she was there and now MG is employed by MP as his attorney against his previous employer so now has attorney/client obligations.........

Where is Gail?

BBM..Dark Red

So, he wasn't out of town on the 28th and was seen in the Chattanooga on Wednesday the 28th at an ATM and with an unidentified person at a coffee shop? Do we know the name of the coffee shop and where located in the Chattanooga, area?

I know I read somewhere he was at a Lookouts game on the 30th with the children.. Interesting he told the children their mother was with AD in Alabama.. JMHO

 

[MacKat]

He was planning to see a lawyer on May 3 regarding a separation and tells her so, and then she disappears on Saturday, just in time to avoid telling the children anything about a pending divorce.



He has the weekend to himself, with the children having been conveniently returned to him. Then he reports her missing on May 2 and has papers filed on May 6 for the separation, etc. Neat and orderly. (Except for Arlene throwing a glitch in his neatness and making things complicated, that is.) He had to have had his lawyer all lined up, in order to say he was going to see one on May 3. Interestingly, these filings are all through a criminal defense attorney instead of a family law attorney. It seems almost too convenient if he had planned to see a criminal defense attorney for his divorce-related filings. Now, he doesn't need the divorce, but he sure does need to have the other lined up and ready.

The timing is all so synchronized, it seems. Your map lines up the events like dominos. I'm thinking the plan had to be in place before he named up the May 3 date. And didn't he call her to name up that May 3 date, while he was with TH? Hmm.





.

I was kind of thinking the same thing. They have a confirmed fight on 4-29. Is it possible...that Gail is the one that spilled the beans to BCBS? Again just a theory but what if she contacted the higher ups? Not having a paycheck might damper a divorce. I guess that's why I was asking about when he was put on leave. I see it announced in the paper on 5-16 but could it have been sooner.

 

[BeanE]

I looked at the mindmap timeline and saw that you have TH and MP being terminated from BCBS on June 6. This sparked a question. I remember hearing that before he was let go he was on leave, not sure how this was phrased. Do you know that date? I am wondering how much he worked after April 30.

I found conflicting info about when he went on admin leave, couldn't find a date, and so haven't added it in to the timeline. I *think* he didn't go back to work at all after Gail disappeared, but I just haven't found anything to confirm it.

 

[Pearl*]

I'd like to know if, by nature, Matt is a neat and orderly guy...a planner. I would think so because of his professional and educational background.

 

[Pearl*]

from Fran's timeline:

"MP now has the jewels GP left with M&KG and now MG has reportedly spoken THRU MP'S CRIMINAL ATTORNEY, that GP was all f'd up when she was there and now MG is employed by MP as his attorney against his previous employer so now has attorney/client obligations........."

Can we name these people yet?

 

[happy409]

I wonder if shift change could be part of the missing piece. That's at 7 AM for the SMPD. I don't think we know when the call(s) to or from LE occurred though, do we?

I'm thinking transfer of information between shifts can sometimes be lacking....

Also, the fact that all 911 calls goes to Hamilton County dispatch who in most cases know nothing of the previous SMPD visits. There has to be logs and recorded conversations if LE spoke to GP! FWIW

 

[confused]

Now I am a fan of the 4/23 DV call being associated with some kind of impairment of MP. That is pure speculation on my part, only because it makes the most sense to me.

The more I hear AD talk about the preparations Gail was making to leave, the more I think that Gail didn't want Matt to drive her car alone because she had things stashed there. maybe PI reports, money, alternate cell phone, any number of things, and if she let him take t alone he could stop and and take h time searching.

Calling because he was intoxicated doesn't seem right. It not only would have made someone who was intoxicated mad, it would have involved the police and could have resulted in a public intoxication arrest/citation. We know that didn't happen, so I just don't see that fitting.

 

[happy409]

I'd like to know if, by nature, Matt is a neat and orderly guy...a planner. I would think so because of his professional and educational background.

I recall Jammer via his call with Davis state, MP was messy, but I think Davis is trying to publicly create a persona of MP as nerdy, messy, unsmart, aka not someone that could do anything wrong. IMHO

Your points Pearl would seem more obvious.

 

[Pearl*]

I was kind of thinking the same thing. They have a confirmed fight on 4-29. Is it possible...that Gail is the one that spilled the beans to BCBS? Again just a theory but what if she contacted the higher ups? Not having a paycheck might damper a divorce. I guess that's why I was asking about when he was put on leave. I see it announced in the paper on 5-16 but could it have been sooner.

I'm not sure what beans were there to spill. The impression I had was that the two weren't being all that discreet around the workplace....

I'm wondering more about what started the conflict--really whether that might have been part of the plan, to get her to the lake house on the 29th--although I don't know why, since she came right back. If the lake house was her refuge, he must have figured that's where she would go. I never believed that phrasing early on, that SMPD decided he would stay on Signal and she would go to Alabama.