GUILTY TX - Alanna Gallagher, 6, Saginaw, 1 July 2013 - #7

[greenpalm]

How many cellphone towers would ping a phone between Alanna's house and the location where he body was found? I know with the GPS on my phone I can watch my location dot move as I walk from one end of the house to the other, but actual pings are further apart. How far apart? Would there be multiple towers pinged by a phone traveling from one spot to the other?

 

[skibaboo]

With the local poster saying that the trash wasn't picked up until between 6-8pm, I can totally see the perp driving past a garbage truck, turning a corner and dumping the body (sorry sweetie) to be picked up with the trash. But it wasn't 'bulk' trash day so garbage bags were picked up but it was left.

 

[blue22]

With the local poster saying that the trash wasn't picked up until between 6-8pm, I can totally see the perp driving past a garbage truck, turning a corner and dumping the body (sorry sweetie) to be picked up with the trash. But it wasn't 'bulk' trash day so garbage bags were picked up but it was left.

I thought she said she lived 20 minutes away, not in the neighborhood...?? I live 15 minutes away, and my trash was picked up by 11:00 am. If she lives in a different city, it's a completely different trash schedule and service.

 

[jjenny]

With the local poster saying that the trash wasn't picked up until between 6-8pm, I can totally see the perp driving past a garbage truck, turning a corner and dumping the body (sorry sweetie) to be picked up with the trash. But it wasn't 'bulk' trash day so garbage bags were picked up but it was left.

What is a bulk trash day? There is no bulk trash day around here. I put everything out. If the items are big (like furniture) I have to specifically order the pick up from a company and pay for it. And if this perp wanted the body to be removed as trash, body of a small child is not bulky. It's not furniture. It would fit in a large trash bag. So why didn't this perp just put the body in a large trash bag if removal was the goal?

 

[Brightbird]

How many cellphone towers would ping a phone between Alanna's house and the location where he body was found? I know with the GPS on my phone I can watch my location dot move as I walk from one end of the house to the other, but actual pings are further apart. How far apart? Would there be multiple towers pinged by a phone traveling from one spot to the other?

Gee I hope there is a different tower for each of those locations. It would be incredible if LE could track a phone to those two locations at the times she was abducted and dropped off. It could give them a lead to follow if they really have none.

In Melbourne last year, police looking for Jill Meagher's killer found that both her and her killer's phone were travelling in the same direction as he drove to bury her. Obviously that's a very different scenario but it shows that perps forget that phones can be used to trace their whereabouts.

 

[CatFancier]

I thought she said she lived 20 minutes away, not in the neighborhood...?? I live 15 minutes away, and my trash was picked up by 11:00 am. If she lives in a different city, it's a completely different trash schedule and service.

She lives two streets away.

 

[bar2121]

I thought she said she lived 20 minutes away, not in the neighborhood...?? I live 15 minutes away, and my trash was picked up by 11:00 am. If she lives in a different city, it's a completely different trash schedule and service.

I live 2 streets over and ours wasnt picked up until somewhere in between 6-8 that day

 

[greenpalm]

I don't know. And this may be biased, but I kind of distrust that woman because of her portrayal of Alanna as a sad little girl. This may well have been this lady's perception, but I wouldn't have characterized her behavior as sad at all. She was a joyful child whenever I interacted with her. Moreover, I'm a nanny and have some training in warning signs of abusive situations, and would've felt bound to act if I felt something was amiss in her home. FWIW, Alanna also sobbed that day when I told her I had to go home -- her sobbing at Yolanda could just have been the dramatic behavior of a child.

Sorry, I'll get off my soapbox now. :blushing: I will try not to let my opinions bleed into my answers quite so much.

I appreciate your insight. It had already crossed my mind that many children that age cry at the end of a play date or even a transition. That's why parents use the 15, 10, and 5 minute warnings, because we are trying to head off the water works.

I'm so very sorry for your loss. You must be devastatingly heartbroken. I'm not able to fathom what it must be like to have the memory of her sobbing at your impending departure be the last one. Thank you for coming here to share more of Alanna with us.

 

[greenpalm]

What is a bulk trash day? There is no bulk trash day around here. I put everything out. If the items are big (like furniture) I have to specifically order the pick up from a company and pay for it. And if this perp wanted the body to be removed as trash, body of a small child is not bulky. It's not furniture. It would fit in a large trash bag. So why didn't this perp just put the body in a large trash bag if removal was the goal?

Here is a link for the city of Saginaw Trash pick up information:
http://www.ci.saginaw.tx.us/index.aspx?NID=378

"Residential garbage is picked up on Mondays and Thursdays only. Progressive Waste Systems will come into the City and pick up all residential customers on those two days only. The schedule is 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m."

"Bulky Brush Pickup: Progressive Waste Solutions will provide twice per year bulky items and brush pickup. This will occur the second week of April and the second week of October. The brush will not be restricted to four (4) feet lengths nor be required to be tied in bundles. "

 

[willowfae]

Here is a link for the city of Saginaw Trash pick up information:
http://www.ci.saginaw.tx.us/index.aspx?NID=378

The rest of the year they can leave non- bulky trash that wont fit in containers out in the 2nd weekly pickup. I hate thinking this way, but she was less than 4 feet and tied in a bundle.

"Garbage or brush which cannot be placed in disposable or permanent containers shall be in lengths not to exceed four (4) feet with a weight not to exceed fifty (50) pounds, tie same in bundles, and stack such brush or trash at curbside. All fence panels must be cut in half so not to exceed 4' x 6'. REMINDER: Bundled brush is onlu picked up on the resident's second (2nd) pickup day of the week."

 

[greenpalm]

Gee I hope there is a different tower for each of those locations. It would be incredible if LE could track a phone to those two locations at the times she was abducted and dropped off. It could give them a lead to follow if they really have none.

In Melbourne last year, police looking for Jill Meagher's killer found that both her and her killer's phone were travelling in the same direction as he drove to bury her. Obviously that's a very different scenario but it shows that perps forget that phones can be used to trace their whereabouts.

Well… they can't just randomly go fishing for phones that moved between those two places, but if they can persuade a judge to issue a search warrant for cell phone records for a particular person then that's something they could investigate. They have the family's electronics. Trouble is, LE doesn't appear to have enough evidence to issue a search warrant for anyone else.

 

[greenpalm]

The rest of the year they can leave non- bulky trash that wont fit in containers out in the 2nd weekly pickup. I hate thinking this way, but she was less than 4 feet and tied in a bundle.

"Garbage or brush which cannot be placed in disposable or permanent containers shall be in lengths not to exceed four (4) feet with a weight not to exceed fifty (50) pounds, tie same in bundles, and stack such brush or trash at curbside. All fence panels must be cut in half so not to exceed 4' x 6'. REMINDER: Bundled brush is onlu picked up on the resident's second (2nd) pickup day of the week."

I think it's reasonable that the perp was hoping she'd be picked up by the trucks. I wish I knew more about what prompted the family to go look at the tarp. Perhaps the truck had JUST gone past and they were attending to this because it was missed and not picked up?

Given Bar2121's estimated time window for her trash pick up two streets over, the perp could have left the bundle late in the evening, after seeing that the trash hadn't been picked up yet, and then, because of the unusual location of the bundle, the trash truck left it, at which point the family who discovered it went out to get it out of the street.

The tarp was up against the curb on the side of the house, it wasn't out front. The section of Cindy Lane where Alanna was found is lined with fences. The side and back yards of houses on both sides are oriented toward Cindy for the entire block. There are no houses that face that section of road. (I know this from walking around with Google Maps) it just looks like a long corridor lined with fences. So, it would have been a mistake to leave trash there, hoping for pick up but it would also have been easier to quickly dump the bundle containing her body out the passenger door at the stop sign without being seen. Which could be why the perp dumped her as close to the corner as possible.

I described in a previous post how easy it would be to slide her out at the stop sign. It would have been very quick, and virtually invisible.


ETA: locals have said the trucks will pick up bundles either day. They apparently don't enforce the second day rule very strictly.

 

[greenpalm]

LDHummingbird:

Do you know if the family who found her have spoken with Alanna's family?

This isn't an investigation question, more of human interest this time. I recall that the woman who discovered Camden Hughes felt very attached to him and wanted to meet his brother later on.

 

[MissUnderstood]

Maybe not having discovered the actual crime scene is delaying the whole process!! Releasing the info they have from the dump sight might hinder a future conviction.
The whole situation is heart breaking.
If the person is a local and needed to get rid of the body before someone came home, as many have mentioned as a possibility, then you would assume with the hasty disposal of the body that this person would be displaying a difference in their normal behaviours.
I'm no expert but it seems this perp got scared and put no thought into not getting caught by police but was more concerned about not getting caught by someone else.
Just typing out loud

 

[GingerzMomma]

Is it possible that the trash schedule doesn't really play into any of this at all?

1. if perp was simply trying to get rid of body (before someone else came home, reduce time w/ evidence in home/car, etc).....then they probably just dumped it the first place that it appeared there would be no witness

2. if she fell/slid out, then the trash schedule was definitely not something the perp was leveraging in their "plan"

3. if they left her there on purpose with the intent of her being found, then the trash schedule was also not part of their plans

I'm just thinking we may be getting wrapped around the axle on an angle that wasn't even part of the perp's decision making process.....

 

[mysticrose]

I think it's reasonable that the perp was hoping she'd be picked up by the trucks. I wish I knew more about what prompted the family to go look at the tarp. Perhaps the truck had JUST gone past and they were attending to this because it was missed and not picked up?

Given Bar2121's estimated time window for her trash pick up two streets over, the perp could have left the bundle late in the evening, after seeing that the trash hadn't been picked up yet, and then, because of the unusual location of the bundle, the trash truck left it, at which point the family who discovered it went out to get it out of the street.

The tarp was up against the curb on the side of the house, it wasn't out front. The section of Cindy Lane where Alanna was found is lined with fences. The side and back yards of houses on both sides are oriented toward Cindy for the entire block. There are no houses that face that section of road. (I know this from walking around with Google Maps) it just looks like a long corridor lined with fences. So, it would have been a mistake to leave trash there, hoping for pick up but it would also have been easier to quickly dump the bundle containing her body out the passenger door at the stop sign without being seen. Which could be why the perp dumped her as close to the corner as possible.

I described in a previous post how easy it would be to slide her out at the stop sign. It would have been very quick, and virtually invisible.


ETA: locals have said the trucks will pick up bundles either day. They apparently don't enforce the second day rule very strictly.

BBM above, this is what I found in regards to the bold above:

___________________________________________________________________________

The girl's body was found about 7.30pm on Monday by 14-year-old OW, who was riding his scooter through his neighborhood in Saginaw - about a mile and a half from where the girl lived.


He said he saw a tarp in the middle of an intersection, tightly rapped with a belt.


'I said, "Well, let’s pick it up, let’s put it in the trash can," you know, because we’re a clean community,' he told the Morning News.


What he found shocked him to his core. He ran back home and told his mother: 'Mom, it’s a little girl

http://www.miaminewsday.com/nationa...6-found-dead-under-tarp-in-saginaw-texas.html

 

[Kimster]

We are told to at least let someone at the door know you are home. Buy a dark barking machine. Cough, talk through the door. Whatever.

I ran off most solicitors in the past 5 years. I always told them what our neighborhood watch group sends us via email. Let them know that the neighborhood is being watched and I added I was told by them to call LE if we had solicitors & that we notify each other. It reduced door knockers by 98%. They ran off worried that I was going to call the cops. lol you should have seen these two ladies run selling Valentines candy one year! They weren't neighbors for sure.

Door knockers/doorbell ringers, unsolicited company at your door usually want something from you. Mainly, out here to get a look into your home to steal from you. Big city. Glad we have the other place.

We have an ordinance in my town that all solicitors have to get a license. A background check is done on them before they can sell. If they knock on my door, I tell them I'm not opening a door until they can show me their license. They always say they don't have it and leave. Ask to attend a government committee meeting in your town and see if you all can't get the same ordinance where y'all live!

Love the dog barking machine! I'll have to look into that. My cats are going to really appreciate the tip. :kimsterwink:

 

[human]

Interesting ideas on the body and garbage day.

Anyone anywhere, I feel, who has garbage service knows how it works where they live. You learn quickly because hauling garbage back in because it was not picked up is a pain. So, you learn. Brush and large items are brought by you to special facilities, or it is taken out here in the country where I live and dropped by the side of the road. Also, those too cheap to pay for garbage service or teens trying to hide the evidence of their parties are offenders as well.

My hubby handles hauling the garbage cans to the road, but I know the schedule and what they will take. We have several garbage companies. Everyone gets to choose their own.

For several months of the year, I live in a foreign country and the garbage pick up is so random we have yet to figure it out. We thought we had the days figured out, when all of a sudden, there was a truck on a Saturday.

The reason I bring this up is that perhaps the perp does not understand garbage collection and thought it would be picked up.

Now who could that possibly be? A teen girl probably does not have garbage duty. I would think a teen boy would have had garbage duty at home? One would think a male in a household would do the garbage duty.

But, if this perp is highly controlling, he may have other family members handle that chore and have no clue?

I think the idea that the perp thought the bundle would be picked up is a good one.

 

[Mitsana]

LDhummingbird, welcome and thank you so much for joining and be willing to answer so many questions.

I have a question regarding the belt, you may not know the answer but if you do it might help clear things up. Was the belt around the tarp something like a normal men's leather belt or was it something like a utility strap? Anything you know about the belt would be helpful.

Thanks again, and my heart goes out to you and your friends as well as the community at large.

 

[LDhummingbird]

LDHummingbird:

Do you know if the family who found her have spoken with Alanna's family?

This isn't an investigation question, more of human interest this time. I recall that the woman who discovered Camden Hughes felt very attached to him and wanted to meet his brother later on.

I don't think they have, no.