GUILTY TX - Alanna Gallagher, 6, Saginaw, 1 July 2013 - #8

[Midwestmama78]

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_...ch-for-killer-of-6-year-old-found-under-tarp/

From article:

Although police have not released a cause of death, they say the case is being investigated as a homicide, according to the station. Furthermore, it has not been released whether Alanna was the victim of a sexual assault. However, authorities have reportedly spoken with a majority of the registered sex offenders in the area.

I believe it was sexually motivated. Almost all of them are.

According to the station, police say they are confident this is an isolated case and family members are not considered suspects.

I don't understand how they can say it's an isolated case???

JMO

That "isolated case" bit bugs me, too.

Especially if LE has already spoken to area RSOs.

 

[theyamqueen]

I think it's problematic to assume that just because someone may not have nice things to say about the Gallaghers, it's only because of their lifestyle. In this case, the neighbor may not have cared about the lifestyle, but she may have been concerned or irritated that a barely six-year-old girl was given too much freedom.

But that's not what she said. What she said was that the little girl was crying when she had to go home and that's how the media reported it, thereby leaving it open to the interpretation that it was because something hinky was going on in their home. I don't think it's problematic to read in between the lines of her actual words and what was left to be assumed by that statement.

MOO, obviously, but she wasn't questioning her freedom to walk to a friend's house (and after reading some from the verified insider, I feel like her "roaming the streets" at all hours is a bit of hyperbole), she was lending judgment in the media.

 

[Karma28]

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/crim...of-cars-in-investigation-of-girls-slaying.ece

“Neighborhood interviews and canvasses have allowed investigators to approximately re-create Alanna’s last day, but it is believed that others may have witnessed something,” officials said in a news release.

BBM

I think LE knows where she was when she was taken. I also think they believe it's someone local because they have basically focused only on the areas around where she lived and where she was found. JMO

 

[cypress]

But that's not what she said. What she said was that the little girl was crying when she had to go home and that's how the media reported it, thereby leaving it open to the interpretation that it was because something hinky was going on in their home. I don't think it's problematic to read in between the lines of her actual words and what was left to be assumed by that statement.

MOO, obviously, but she wasn't questioning her freedom to walk to a friend's house (and after reading some from the verified insider, I feel like her "roaming the streets" at all hours is a bit of hyperbole), she was lending judgment in the media.

My overall point is that the neighbor's comments may have been more directed at the parenting style than the lifestyle. If a child feels neglected, he/she may not want to go home, especially if he/she is in a place where he/she feels loved. I'm not saying Alanna was neglected, but there could be a thousand reasons why the woman said what she did and none of them may be related to the family's lifestyle.

I think it's important not to discount someone's testimony because we think, but don't know, that they had a problem with the lifestyle. There may be other valid concerns and observations.

 

[iamnotagolem]

The neighbors who sent Alanna on her way was not Alanna's destination correct? Didn't our VI say that the kids Alanna went to play with were not home? So did Alanna head to their house after her initial destination wasn't home?

I feel bad for the neighbors because no doubt they feel guilty for not doing more to protect Alanna and ensuring she made it home safely, even though it was NOT their responsibility to look after her.

 

[blue22]

My overall point is that the neighbor's comments may have been more directed at the parenting style than the lifestyle. If a child feels neglected, he/she may not want to go home, especially if he/she is in a place where he/she feels loved. I'm not saying Alanna was neglected, but there could be a thousand reasons why the woman said what she did and none of them may be related to the family's lifestyle.

I think it's important not to discount someone's testimony because we think, but don't know, that they had a problem with the lifestyle. There may be other valid concerns and observations.

I agree with you. I also think it's important to note, that it's possible to disagree with a lifestyle and legitimately disagree with a parenting style. (Not just be clouded by the lifestyle disagreement.) I disagree with my own sibling's lifestyle, and I also happen to think she is a really poor parent. (CPS agrees.) If she did not have that lifestyle I would still disagree with her parenting.

 

[raeann]

My overall point is that the neighbor's comments may have been more directed at the parenting style than the lifestyle. If a child feels neglected, he/she may not want to go home, especially if he/she is in a place where he/she feels loved. I'm not saying Alanna was neglected, but there could be a thousand reasons why the woman said what she did and none of them may be related to the family's lifestyle.

I think it's important not to discount someone's testimony because we think, but don't know, that they had a problem with the lifestyle. There may be other valid concerns and observations.

I agree...any neighbor or parent of a friend who interacted with this child on a regular basis is certainly as reliable for information as another "verified insider". This person who was interviewed lives right there in the neighborhood, not over an hours drive away. They watched over the child when she was at their home and should be commended, not condemned for offering their personal concerns.

 

[Pensfan]

My child doesn't like leaving the park and he cries when we have to go home. That doesn't mean there is something wrong in my home. It means I have a high spirited child who loves to play outside or with friends.

Frankly, it comes off as "granny" not approving of their relationship status and projecting that onto baby girl.

Yeah, your probably right. Maybe she was really enjoying playing at the neighbors' homes because her house doesn't have a swing set, playhouse, sandbox, trampoline, fort, or any toys which can be seen in her backyard.
https://www.google.com/maps?q=&laye...a=X&ei=xobtUfK2LK284AO1-ICACQ&ved=0CC0QxB0wAA

 

[nursebeeme]

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/crim...of-cars-in-investigation-of-girls-slaying.ece

“Neighborhood interviews and canvasses have allowed investigators to approximately re-create Alanna’s last day, but it is believed that others may have witnessed something,” officials said in a news release.

BBM

I think LE knows where she was when she was taken. I also think they believe it's someone local because they have basically focused only on the areas around where she lived and where she was found. JMO

this is where the other car pics come in.. they were cars in the neighborhood seen on ccvid around the time they believe she was snatched and these people driving thru may have witnessed something. MOO:twocents::twocents:

 

[imkeylime]

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_...ch-for-killer-of-6-year-old-found-under-tarp/

From article:

Although police have not released a cause of death, they say the case is being investigated as a homicide, according to the station. Furthermore, it has not been released whether Alanna was the victim of a sexual assault. However, authorities have reportedly spoken with a majority of the registered sex offenders in the area.

I believe it was sexually motivated. Almost all of them are.

According to the station, police say they are confident this is an isolated case and family members are not considered suspects.

I don't understand how they can say it's an isolated case???

JMO

I apologize if this was discussed earlier, but I haven't been around for all the threads. But IMO, the belt itself, and its usage, is suspect in terms of sexual motivation. We really don't know if the belt was used in any way other than around the tarp, but a belt is a belt and usually holds up pants. That in itself makes me nervous. If the perp wasn't wearing the belt, it was either in a car or in a house, I'd think.

I don't understand the isolated case but family members aren't suspects, either, unless the family really is being targeted and/or it was an act of revenge. It can't matter if this was a perp's first, because that means a second could be next. It's perplexing.

 

[nursebeeme]

Yeah, your probably right. Maybe she was really enjoying playing at the neighbors' homes because her house doesn't have a swing set, playhouse, sandbox, trampoline, fort, or any toys which can be seen in her backyard.
https://www.google.com/maps?q=&laye...a=X&ei=xobtUfK2LK284AO1-ICACQ&ved=0CC0QxB0wAA

bbm

we don't know WHAT is in her backyard. She could have had tons of toys and a blow up slide.. we just don't know this and cannot intimate it from an google map.

Most kids, in my experience, enjoy playing with other kids or kids they like to play with. I would also just put my guess out there (and opinion) that until this happened there were lots of kids that played outside and enjoyed the summer and their neighborhood. :twocents:

 

[theyamqueen]

Yeah, your probably right. Maybe she was really enjoying playing at the neighbors' homes because her house doesn't have a swing set, playhouse, sandbox, trampoline, fort, or any toys which can be seen in her backyard.
https://www.google.com/maps?q=&laye...a=X&ei=xobtUfK2LK284AO1-ICACQ&ved=0CC0QxB0wAA

Or maybe the neighbors had kids that interacted with her more than her own siblings? Places that are new and not your house are generally pretty interesting to a child. It's isn't always about "stuff". All I am thinking is that her not wanting to go home doesn't automatically set off a red flag, for me in my experience. <modsnip>

 

[Midwestmama78]

Found a blog post from today that says a father 14 miles away said the red truck with green splotch tried to abduct his kids. Has anybody heard anything about that?

Here's the blog, FWIW

http://thestir.cafemom.com/in_the_news/158617/search_for_6yearold_alanna_gallaghers

 

[human]

I posted a long time ago that LE recreates the crime.

They discuss everything and the reasons for everything they find. Reasons for the tape, the belt, the location, etc.

We have no clue what was inside of that tarp and bag.

Clothing, toilet paper, medication, smiley note, restraints. Who knows. Not us!

 

[blue22]

Found a blog post from today that says a father 14 miles away said the red truck with green splotch tried to abduct his kids. Has anybody heard anything about that?

Here's the blog, FWIW

http://thestir.cafemom.com/in_the_news/158617/search_for_6yearold_alanna_gallaghers

Yes, he told his story pretty quickly afrer she was found. He had almost a full license plate number. I can only assume that's been looked into. Although, I don't remember if LE ever publicly addressed that story or truck.

 

[human]

Something to think about.

It is not just me but other parents I have talked to.

We made sure our homes were the ones that the kids wanted to come to.

If you can't afford a lot of stuff, kids need and love to play with sand and dirt and water.

Hubby says fire, too, and that is true. Having marshmallow roasts in the evenings are hits.

Providing plastic animals and building materials in the sand is good. Hiding buried treasures in the sand is something they love as well.

Having inexpensive treats such as homemade popsicles is a hit. Lemonade with ice.

If your house is the place to be, then your child will be happy with the playmates.

Hiding stuff around with a treasure map is cheap and fun.

Water "balloons" can be made out of sponges. There are a million cheap things to do.

But really, all you have to do is provide some materials and the kids will think of a million things on their own. It's fun to watch their creative minds at work.

 

[LDhummingbird]

LDhummingbird, was it unusual for MM to be home alone with the children? It sounds like LG was at home with them most of the time. She is not employed outside the home, and does not have paid employment that she does from home either right? So she's a FT mom? Was he working that day? I believe I read that he works from home. I'm just trying get a picture of how unusual or typical the circumstances were.

(My DH travels, but works from home. So there are times, if he's in town, I can go to the grocery store or to a doctors appointment, and leave them with him, even though he's working. But, he's pretty busy on the phone and doesn't especially engage with them much, my older boys fix my daughter's lunch, etc. Just trying to get a picture, what the atmosphere was like.)

Yes, LG is a stay at home mom. MM was working that day. It wasn't typical for MM to be alone with the kids but it wasn't that unusual.

 

[LDhummingbird]

LDhummingbird, do you know if Alanna spent much time folding the laundry with the other kids? Did the other two kids spend any time outside (front yard or street) while LG was gone? Were the other two children and MM all at home when LG returned? I'm wondering if we can get a little closer on a few of the times in the timeline. Thanks!

I have no idea how long it took the children to put away the laundry. The other kids were home when LG got home, but I don't know if they went outside while she was gone.

 

[gitana1]

FOUND IT!

"Saginaw police have never said any of Alanna's three parents were suspects. However, McDaniel believes they asked him to come in to compare stories.

"There were a lot of questions. I expect they were probably cross-checking answers that had been given by Carl and Laura when they were giving their interviews," said McDaniel.

Read more: http://www.myfoxdfw.com/story/22799...iological-father-talks-publicly#ixzz2ZnWih2a7

BBM: This certainly gives the distinct impression that KG and LG were interviewed before MM!!

There is a 0.01% chance that MM wasn't questioned prior to that day. He is the one who reported Alanna missing. Formal, in station questioning is different than an officer taking down a police report.

Think of the Caylee Anthony case. Her mother was questioned several times and her statements were recorded in police reports, before that fateful day when she was taken to Universal, put in a room and recorded via audio recording, and interrogated by two detectives.

I think that's similar to what happened here.

If not, there will be no way on earth that this case will be solved or any other investigated by this branch of LE or FBI except by sheer luck, and we better dismantle every agency involved in Alanna's death and start from scratch.

Agreed, but sometimes people put up defenses when none are really necessary. Also, she was being interviewed by the media, which might have flustered her. IMO, and also in my experience, flustered people tend to say more than they intended sometimes.

And sometimes what they say when they say more than they intended, is the truth. In law, there is a reason "excited utterances" are exceptions to the hearsay rule.

'She was a precious little girl. I usually just saw her on her scooter,' neighbor Kay Stief told the Dallas Morning News.

Many neighbors say they often saw her playing alone - either in her yard or on the neighborhood streets near her house. However, in the quiet suburban neighborhood, they said they usually didn't think too much of it.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-6-dead-tarp-Saginaw-Texas.html#ixzz2ZnoU08Zf
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Don't get me wrong. You all have seen me defending parents who choose to allow their kids to play freely, due to the statistical risk and the loss of freedom kids experience when chained to a parent 24/7. And hey, kids are snatched from the safety of their beds, so no one can ever 100% protect their kids from evil. So I am not criticizing these parents. And I think it would be cruel to go after them now. Their baby is dead.

But as much as I will defend these parents, I will defend the truth and the facts. And the facts are it was not just one disgruntled neighbor.

My child doesn't like leaving the park and he cries when we have to go home. That doesn't mean there is something wrong in my home. It means I have a high spirited child who loves to play outside or with friends.

Frankly, it comes off as "granny" not approving of their relationship status and projecting that onto baby girl.

There is a huge difference, IMO, (and as a long time former preschool teacher and daycare worker), between a child crying, throwing a fit/tantrum towards his or her parents when they are told they have to stop something fun they are doing and a child who sobs to neighbors when told it's time to go home. The ONLY time I have known children to act like that, something has been wrong at home. My opinion on that is strengthtened if that same, sobbing child covers her face with her hands and says "I really can;t say. I can't talk about it" when asked about her home life.

Now I don't know if this neighbor was mistaken or exaggerating or lying or if Alanna was a strange anomaly, but that's what I know about child development and children. And that's what one neighbor reported as Alanna's behavior: http://m.nbcdfw.com/nbcdfw/pm_108123/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=QxqoT4Gn

Also, I'm sure with a simple google search one can find that my observations and opinion is part of what is known, professionally, to be a sign that something is wrong.

If true, that doesn't mean Alanna was harmed by a family member. In fact, at this point, no one from her home has been arrested and with so much evidence that must exist from finding Alanna the same day she went missing, the search warrants and lengthy interviews, if something happened to Alanna at home, the odds are there would have been an arrest by now.

That "isolated case" bit bugs me, too.

Especially if LE has already spoken to area RSOs.

I agree. I think it's clear that what happened to Alanna was sexually motivated. Anyone who does that to a baby doesn't just suddenly stop wanting to do it again. No arrest equals danger to the community, IMO. I am starting to think the officer spoke too soon.

 

[IBsleuthin]

There were two different neighbors that stated Alanna cried when she had to leave their homes and go home. Granny wasn't the only person who suggested that something wasn't quite right in the Gallaghers' home. The links are on this forum.

Is there any chance you can find that other neighbor that said that?


All I keep finding is the one grandma with the twins.

TIA