TN - Holly Bobo, 20, Darden, believed abducted 13 April 2011 - #25

[OldSteve]

Just thinking a bit about this case -- what runs thru my old noggin is how this case is different from other cases. By that I mean; the way in less-than-no-time
there were 100's 1000's of volunteers looking, the reward money went way up, and then LE became very quite.
Those are the things that stand out and define this case in my mind.

Each case has it own kind of sequence-of-events that play out....

Comparing this case to Lauren Spierer's - wow, what a big difference in LE's approach, yet both Holly and Lauren are still not found...

I wonder if both cases have something in common, in that someone (not implying the same person is involved in both cases) has an alibi that seems solid, and perhaps LE is just waiting or figuring out how to make it crumble...

 

[Abba's Tears]

The common thread that runs through so many of these cases is the harsh reality that someone can simply vanish. It is inconceivable that this can and does happen. Despite all of today's technologies and the heart & soul effort poured into searching, the frustration and heartache grow with each passing day.

I am still praying and hoping against hope that Holly will be found. And like so many others who never knew of her until she disappeared, I will not forget.

 

[Frogzilla]

Just thinking a bit about this case -- what runs thru my old noggin is how this case is different from other cases. By that I mean; the way in less-than-no-time
there were 100's 1000's of volunteers looking, the reward money went way up, and then LE became very quite.
Those are the things that stand out and define this case in my mind.

Each case has it own kind of sequence-of-events that play out....

Comparing this case to Lauren Spierer's - wow, what a big difference in LE's approach, yet both Holly and Lauren are still not found...

I wonder if both cases have something in common, in that someone (not implying the same person is involved in both cases) has an alibi that seems solid, and perhaps LE is just waiting or figuring out how to make it crumble...

It's not always about having a solid alibi that help you get away with a crime. It can also be lack of physical evidence and/or lying through your teeth, just look at C. Anthony. Hard to believe she was indicted by grand jury for murder before Caylee was ever found and still got away with it, and jurors even said they felt she was guilty.
IMO our technological age of forensics has risen the burden of proof considerably, people want lots of CSI type proof. On the flip side, forensics can also clear innocent people who otherwise would possibly be convicted.
Corpus delicti (body of crime) must be proven that a crime has occurred before a person can be convicted of committing the crime. That is another common thread in all missing person cases, regardless if you have a strong suspect or not. People have been convicted of murder without a body, but that is unusual and requires a lot of circumstantial evidence.
The United States case of People v. Scott 176 Cal. App. 2d 458 (1960) held that "circumstantial evidence, when sufficient to exclude every other reasonable hypothesis, may prove the death of a missing person, the existence of a homicide and the guilt of the accused".
Australia- Leonard John Fraser was on trial for murdering several people, including the disappearance of 14 year old Natasha Ryan. During the trial 4 years later, she was found on a tip to authorities alive and well! She ran away to be with her boyfriend and knew her parents would not approve. (not saying HB did this)
If anyone is interested - Murder conviction without a body - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[cluciano63]

Really, the major difference between Lauren's case and Holly's was Lauren's parents speaking out often and early, but LE has been fairly closed-mouthed in Lauren's case as well. They did answer a few questions at early PC's and needed public help to ID and eliminate a truck, but since that time, there has been next to nothing from LE. Sadly, so far anyway, Lauren's parents efforts have not made any headway. So it is hard to know if there really is a "right" approach.

 

[OldSteve]

Really, the major difference between Lauren's case and Holly's was Lauren's parents speaking out often and early, but LE has been fairly closed-mouthed in Lauren's case as well. They did answer a few questions at early PC's and needed public help to ID and eliminate a truck, but since that time, there has been next to nothing from LE. Sadly, so far anyway, Lauren's parents efforts have not made any headway. So it is hard to know if there really is a "right" approach.

I thought the last press conference LE had for Lauren's is nothing like we've seen done for Holly, IMO:
Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community - View Single Post - IN IN - Lauren Spierer, 20, Bloomington, 03 June 2011 - #16

Also LE has given a timeline:
"Bloomington police timeline in Spierer case"

http://www.idsnews.com/news/story.aspx?id=81967

 

[cluciano63]

I thought the last press conference LE had for Lauren's is nothing like we've seen done for Holly, IMO:
Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community - View Single Post - IN IN - Lauren Spierer, 20, Bloomington, 03 June 2011 - #16

Also LE has given a timeline:
"Bloomington police timeline in Spierer case"

http://www.idsnews.com/news/story.aspx?id=81967

Well, I think that was partly due to the numbers of people who had seen Lauren that night, the fact that she was all over town in various establishments, and they were calling for video etc...whereas in Holly's case, we only know of one person who saw anything...and LE wasn't really expecting to have any video come forward or even any witnesses...

 

[kelian36]

I've been a bit over consumed with Casey Anthony's trial and haven't looked at info or updates for Holly's case. Embarrassingly enough, I thought she would have been found by now. I am just sad as can be that she's still missing and LE isn't any closer to finding her. Wow....I feel sorry for her loved ones.

I also don't know if there is a right or wrong approach for the family and loved ones to take.

 

[iluvmua]

I just hope whoever did this, somehow knew Holly and they crack soon.

If this was a stranger, I have no hope that she will ever be found.

 

[OldSteve]

Another woman goes missing... don't think there's any connection, other than there both being attractive and blonde (not that looks or being blonde matters) - this stuff is sad regardless.

Amy Ahonen
CO CO - Amy Ahonen, 38, Golden, 08 July 2011 - Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community

 

[Carla Lashelle]

Another woman goes missing... don't think there's any connection, other than there both being attractive and blonde (not that looks or being blonde matters) - this stuff is sad regardless.

Amy Ahonen
CO CO - Amy Ahonen, 38, Golden, 08 July 2011 - Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community

no similarity... not in the same geographic area, not a similar MO from what we know, different age, etc. Plus this one seems to have placed an add on facebook that attracted a creeper. Now the guy that got her (im sure thats what happened) could be involved in other crimes...

 

[Carla Lashelle]

Lots of young women go missing or get killed but Holly's case does not fall into (that I can see) a lot of the known patterns. All of these scenarios are based on various recent cases:

Not like someone vanishing after a night of drunken partying with unsavory "friends"
Not like someone vanishing after meeting someone they met over a Craigs List ad
Not like someone hitch hiking alone at night and being picked up
Not like a teenager sneaking off to spring break and partying wtih unsavory "friends"
Not like a domestic situation with an abusive husband or ex husband or divorce
Not like a drug deal gone bad
Not like someone who leaves a bar drunk wtih a stranger never to be seen again
Not like a woman jogging in a park who is assaulted by a sex pervert who is waiting

In a lot of cases I can see the victim doing some sort of behavior or having a life style that would put them more at risk of disappearing or being killed. For example Krista Dittmeyer had a double life as a mom and drug dealer. Or Drew Peterson's last wife Stacy who was married to someone who is now suspected of killing his first wife as well...

But here I dont see much going on in Holly's life that would put her in danger. So I assume that what happened to her was a surprise in that someone inserted himself into her life. Not someone she knew well, or at all. Possibly an aquaintance or just someone you see around town. Possibly a friend of a friend of a friend. But not any of her close friends. The busy nature of her life and the remoteness of where she lived might preclude a total stranger.

Not much to go on, I admit, but just thinking back over the case as a whole

 

[the seeker]

Lots of young women go missing or get killed but Holly's case does not fall into (that I can see) a lot of the known patterns. All of these scenarios are based on various recent cases:

Not like someone vanishing after a night of drunken partying with unsavory "friends"
Not like someone vanishing after meeting someone they met over a Craigs List ad
Not like someone hitch hiking alone at night and being picked up
Not like a teenager sneaking off to spring break and partying wtih unsavory "friends"
Not like a domestic situation with an abusive husband or ex husband or divorce
Not like a drug deal gone bad
Not like someone who leaves a bar drunk wtih a stranger never to be seen again
Not like a woman jogging in a park who is assaulted by a sex pervert who is waiting

In a lot of cases I can see the victim doing some sort of behavior or having a life style that would put them more at risk of disappearing or being killed. For example Krista Dittmeyer had a double life as a mom and drug dealer. Or Drew Peterson's last wife Stacy who was married to someone who is now suspected of killing his first wife as well...

But here I dont see much going on in Holly's life that would put her in danger. So I assume that what happened to her was a surprise in that someone inserted himself into her life. Not someone she knew well, or at all. Possibly an aquaintance or just someone you see around town. Possibly a friend of a friend of a friend. But not any of her close friends. The busy nature of her life and the remoteness of where she lived might preclude a total stranger.

Not much to go on, I admit, but just thinking back over the case as a whole

I completely agree with you. I personally think this was a stalker situation and she may very well be alive and being held.

 

[OldSteve]

Snipped

Lots of young women go missing or get killed but Holly's case does not fall into (that I can see) a lot of the known patterns.

Molly Bish is similiar, also the college gal up in Oregon (or was it Seattle ... can't remember) who was outside cleaning the lamp posts on a summer job working for her sister who managed a condo residence when a perp in a van is driving around and sees her, stops and asks for directions, and then grabs her...

 

[Frogzilla]

Snipped


Molly Bish is similiar, also the college gal up in Oregon (or was it Seattle ... can't remember) who was outside cleaning the lamp posts on a summer job working for her sister who managed a condo residence when a perp in a van is driving around and sees her, stops and asks for directions, and then grabs her...

Brooke Wilberger (Oregon) is who your thinking of. Molly Bish was a lifeguard in Massachusetts.

 

[OldSteve]

Brooke Wilberger (Oregon) is who your thinking of. Molly Bish was a lifeguard in Massachusetts.

Thanks! - Brooke was the woman I was trying to think of.

Poor Molly, never really got to work as a lifeguard - taken just as she was about to begin her job in the morning... her being taken early in the morning is what strikes me similar to Holly's abduction.. also the seclusion of the pond/lake, and in an out-of-the-way town...

Gotta hope LE has better luck in solving Holly's case than Molly's...

 

[Frogzilla]

Lots of young women go missing or get killed but Holly's case does not fall into (that I can see) a lot of the known patterns. All of these scenarios are based on various recent cases:

Not like someone vanishing after a night of drunken partying with unsavory "friends"
Not like someone vanishing after meeting someone they met over a Craigs List ad
Not like someone hitch hiking alone at night and being picked up
Not like a teenager sneaking off to spring break and partying wtih unsavory "friends"
Not like a domestic situation with an abusive husband or ex husband or divorce
Not like a drug deal gone bad
Not like someone who leaves a bar drunk wtih a stranger never to be seen again
Not like a woman jogging in a park who is assaulted by a sex pervert who is waiting

In a lot of cases I can see the victim doing some sort of behavior or having a life style that would put them more at risk of disappearing or being killed. For example Krista Dittmeyer had a double life as a mom and drug dealer. Or Drew Peterson's last wife Stacy who was married to someone who is now suspected of killing his first wife as well...

But here I dont see much going on in Holly's life that would put her in danger. So I assume that what happened to her was a surprise in that someone inserted himself into her life. Not someone she knew well, or at all. Possibly an aquaintance or just someone you see around town. Possibly a friend of a friend of a friend. But not any of her close friends. The busy nature of her life and the remoteness of where she lived might preclude a total stranger.

Not much to go on, I admit, but just thinking back over the case as a whole

Nice post, but I have to wonder and you eluded to it. How much do we really know about HB's life or the circumstances of her disappearance? She liked church, school, singing, horses and has dated a few boys. She llves in a community with many hunters. She was taken by person in camo and walked toward the woods by her home. It's hard to draw any specific conclusions from that. The one rumor that has floated around is HB having a restraining order against one of her ex-boyfriends. (#5 on your list)
The busy nature of her life and the remoteness of where she lived might preclude a total stranger.
I agree with this observation and have felt it all along. If it was a total stranger, somebody reallllllllyyyyyy wanted her and spent significant time watching her routines. Were there any out of the ordinary vehicles by their home in the days or weeks before the abduction? If not, how did a stranger get familiar with the land? Did he map out the area during the night, I highly doubt that unless this person was trained for it. Google maps can only get you so far.
If I was a betting person, I would say that HB abductor was a local, in the sense that this person has spent a large part or all of their life in that county or surrounding counties. Was fully aware of the Bobo family, not just HB. If CB really thought it was DS in camo walking with HB, would be interesting to know if it was in large part being the same type of camo that DS always wears. The Bobo's don't have many neighbors, but still at 7:30AM there would be people beginning their day and nobody saw anything out of the ordinary? Then you add in the TBI acting quirky and sitting on their thumbs in the area and repeatedly saying this is a local crime, it reinforces the idea that it was not a complete stranger.
If HB is eventually found in another state and taken by a complete stranger, and is not found as a direct result of LE investigative tactics, then this will go down as one of the oddest criminal investigations in the history of mankind. TBI could of just said it is possible HB is not in the state, as oppose to saying there is no evidence pointing toward it. HUGE difference IMO, because it implies there is evidence pointing to her being in the state still.

 

[Chili Fries]

Yesterday some hunters found a decomposing body in a remote area near Lake Tansi in TN. It's a long way from Holly's house though, almost a 4 hour drive on the other side of Nashville.

http://www.volunteertv.com/news/headlines/Body_parts_found_near_Lake_Tansi_125767558.html

 

[wfgodot]

Missing in Tennessee - another update

Shelly Mook.......missing for 140 days
Holly Bobo........missing for 96 days
Zaylee Fryar......missing for 80 days
Gail Palmgren....missing for 79 days

 

[Carla Lashelle]

Yeah all we have to go on is what little has been disclosed but what we can also tell from the few friends and locals who have spoken up or shown their support for Holly.

To get that much community support so fast and for so long (3 months in and going strong) she seems to have been a really nice, good, person. Lots of times when people vanish or die all the skeletons come out of the closet but nothing here.

The ex b/f rumor was big but I don't believe it for a few reasons. One things like injunctions are public record and no one has ever turned one up. If Holly was a good girl with decent friends the chance of her having this supposed abusive b/f are much less. No one with any credibility has mentioned such a person either. Its not like Brittnee Drexel's mom who has called out people in her daughter's life for being involved.

I doubt she was snatched totally at random like Jaycee Dugard. You couldn't see Holly from the road to know she was in her front yard. Someone had to know she was there and had to know where to hide to get her and where to hide a get away car. To me a total stranger would make it a crime of opportunity. If someone knew her enough to find her house, get to know her schedule etc then its probably someone who had some knowledge of Holly in the first place. Like a friend of a friend, etc. Could be the bag boy at the local grocery, the guy that cleans stables where she rides, etc. Someone that knows Holly but who she may just be familiar with visually.

Not knowing what direction Clint saw Holly walking away really makes it hard to say what could have happened next. The house has woods in all directiosn around it, but some are thicker, some are thinner, some are deep and some you could hide a car behind easily. Depending on what direction they went, there could be a vehicle within a matter of feet.

Theres mixed messages about where LE thinks she is. Its been said this was local and shes still in the area or state, but then pictures of her are put on long range trucks working out of the area. Thats contradictory.

Nice post, but I have to wonder and you eluded to it. How much do we really know about HB's life or the circumstances of her disappearance? She liked church, school, singing, horses and has dated a few boys. She llves in a community with many hunters. She was taken by person in camo and walked toward the woods by her home. It's hard to draw any specific conclusions from that. The one rumor that has floated around is HB having a restraining order against one of her ex-boyfriends. (#5 on your list)
The busy nature of her life and the remoteness of where she lived might preclude a total stranger.
I agree with this observation and have felt it all along. If it was a total stranger, somebody reallllllllyyyyyy wanted her and spent significant time watching her routines. Were there any out of the ordinary vehicles by their home in the days or weeks before the abduction? If not, how did a stranger get familiar with the land? Did he map out the area during the night, I highly doubt that unless this person was trained for it. Google maps can only get you so far.
If I was a betting person, I would say that HB abductor was a local, in the sense that this person has spent a large part or all of their life in that county or surrounding counties. Was fully aware of the Bobo family, not just HB. If CB really thought it was DS in camo walking with HB, would be interesting to know if it was in large part being the same type of camo that DS always wears. The Bobo's don't have many neighbors, but still at 7:30AM there would be people beginning their day and nobody saw anything out of the ordinary? Then you add in the TBI acting quirky and sitting on their thumbs in the area and repeatedly saying this is a local crime, it reinforces the idea that it was not a complete stranger.
If HB is eventually found in another state and taken by a complete stranger, and is not found as a direct result of LE investigative tactics, then this will go down as one of the oddest criminal investigations in the history of mankind. TBI could of just said it is possible HB is not in the state, as oppose to saying there is no evidence pointing toward it. HUGE difference IMO, because it implies there is evidence pointing to her being in the state still.

 

[OldSteve]

Agree with Carla Lashelle, but would ad that there's an added dimension to Holly's case - her country music cousin whom she looks allot alike, and of course the web's social media - all providing additional avenues of unwanted attention... having said that, still feel it is someone local and someone who might be given a bogus alibi by family or friends.