GUILTY TX - Fugitive con artists & 7 kids turn up on grounded sailboat, Galveston, Nov 2014

[KaylynnCouture]

I wish this case would get more media attention. Someone has to know this family.

I'm going to start emailing some of the major news outlets and see if they'll do a story. It wouldn't hurt to ask.

 

[tarabull]

Where did the hole suddenly come from - might someone on board have had a gun

ETA: I don't quite know what to think about this crew...

:dunno:

 

[Dion]

Where did the hole suddenly come from - might someone on board have had a gun

I assumed it happened when they ran aground and got worse as the tide caused it to scrape on rocks or whatever, causing more damage. But who knows what really happened.

The boat may hold lots of clues but it hasn't been reported if anyone has even searched it, which I find strange. The 20 day "waiting period" is about to expire, so I'm hoping we get more information soon.

 

[tarabull]

How do you carry two kids in one arm and two kids in the other and still swim?..maybe the water was wadable?.parents should have been helping...could they not swim?

Snipped...

Unable to send a chopper due to the strong north winds, the Coast Guard also stated they were unable to send a boat because the water in that location was too shallow. (Incidentally, the water at the location was at least 5 ½ feet deep at the time.)

 

[nannymo]

I sure wish LE would release the fake names they used along with pictures. how can we help if we don't have some clue as to what they look like and what names they used? I guess i would notice 2 adults with 7 kids tho too.

Such a strange situation.

 

[katydid23]

Seems like the parents might have lied because they knew they could get their children taken away for child endangerment.

Most likely the family went home and is trying to forget about this ordeal, thankful nothing worse happened.

But the boat was stuck in the sand for several days, in water that was shallow enough to walk through. So why keep 7 little children on that boat all that time when it was stuck? How did they comfortably eat and sleep on that tiny boat? It does not sound like a vacation to me. The only reason they left the boat was that the rescuer forced the issue. I find that odd.

 

[sunflowerchick]

But the boat was stuck in the sand for several days, in water that was shallow enough to walk through. So why keep 7 little children on that boat all that time when it was stuck? How did they comfortably eat and sleep on that tiny boat? It does not sound like a vacation to me. The only reason they left the boat was that the rescuer forced the issue. I find that odd.

An earlier post said they reported that the water was AT LEAST 5 1/2 feet deep at that location. It would really depend on a person's height whether you could wade across that. With currents and movement, I would think you would need to be at least 6' to wade across that without risking going under. The children definitely wouldn't have been able to cross that without swimming.

 

[katydid23]

An earlier post said they reported that the water was AT LEAST 5 1/2 feet deep at that location. It would really depend on a person's height whether you could wade across that. With currents and movement, I would think you would need to be at least 6' to wade across that without risking going under. The children definitely wouldn't have been able to cross that without swimming.

But tides go in and out. They were right there, stuck, for several days. Why didnt one of the parents swim for help? It just seems odd. But it also seems odd that 2 adults would take 7 very very young children to sea in a small sailboat. Does not sound safe or relaxing.

 

[turanna25]

I think it's odd that there aren't better photos released of the parents and children. I work as a travel nurse in the ER and most of the hospitals I've worked at in the last three years take photos of the patient/guardian while registering them at their time of arrival. Was it just the baby that was treated at the emergency department or the whole family?

 

[sophiebelle]

Hard to believe so few pics are available. Harder to believe the media is not digging in and trying to get new info.

 

[Dockins]

I've been an travel nurse too, but in all my years, I've never seen photos taken in an ER. Doctors' offices and dentists' do it where I live, but never in the ER from my experience. Perhaps it's up to each facility. I don't know.

 

[Dion]

The 5.5 feet could have been high tide, and may have been even less at low tide. In any event, it was just swimming pool depth.

They had life jackets, as some of the children were wearing them, so they did have the means to go ashore earlier, but for some reason, chose not to do so.

 

[Dion]

I think it's odd that there aren't better photos released of the parents and children. I work as a travel nurse in the ER and most of the hospitals I've worked at in the last three years take photos of the patient/guardian while registering them at their time of arrival. Was it just the baby that was treated at the emergency department or the whole family?

As far as I can make out, only the baby was kept in overnight. They must have taken the rest of the family somewhere, but I don't think it was reported where.

 

[Dushi]

Does any body know when authorities will board the boat?
I am curious as to what they may find.
I am amazed that they sat on the boat instead of going for help.
What could they have been thinking

 

[Dion]

Does any body know when authorities will board the boat?
I am curious as to what they may find.
I am amazed that they sat on the boat instead of going for help.
What could they have been thinking

They were rescued on Nov 5th, so depending on which day they count from, the 20 day waiting period would either be today or tomorrow. But who knows what plans the local authorities have made - I just hope they have made plans and are not going to sit on this for some time.

I also hope they release any findings to the media and don't keep that secret. It's a real mystery as to what really happened with this family.

 

[azure]

They were rescued on Nov 5th, so depending on which day they count from, the 20 day waiting period would either be today or tomorrow. But who knows what plans the local authorities have made - I just hope they have made plans and are not going to sit on this for some time.

I also hope they release any findings to the media and don't keep that secret. It's a real mystery as to what really happened with this family.

I have the date of rescue as 10/31, according to the original KHOU article?

 

[Dion]

I have the date of rescue as 10/31, according to the original KHOU article?

That's strange - I got the date from The Sea Breeze News, which said it was Nov 5th. Five days is quite a difference. I will see if I can find out the date when it was first reported.

On November 5th Mary Young was at Letha Carter’s house on Avenue A in San Leon working on Christmas wreaths for the San Leon Cemetery display. The ladies were looking out the window at Galveston Bay when they noticed that a sailboat, which had been there for several days, was quickly taking on water about 300 yards offshore.

http://seabreezenews.com/issues/2014 issues/11-14 November/Page_01c.pdf

 

[Dion]

I knew I shouldn't have checked - it gets even more confusing.

I believe the correct date of the boat capsizing was October 29th. According to the Galveston Daily News, who published a report in the evening of October 29th and included a quote from the volunteer fire chief, specifying it happened around 7pm "Wednesday" (29th). The comments regarding the article starting coming in the next day (Oct 30) so I'm pretty sure 29th is correct and the other news outlets that had dates of Oct 31st and November 5th were incorrect.

So that means that the 20 days waiting period is well and truly over and it appears that the boat is probably still there. Sort of like the Costa Concordia, they are probably trying to figure out what to do with it.

(posted October 29th)
The boat flipped near the 2300 block of Avenue A in San Leon at about 7 p.m. Wednesday, said Scott Lyons, San Leon Volunteer Fire Department assistant chief.

http://www.galvestondailynews.com/f...eed&utm_medium=twitter&_dc=500430972781.03235

 

[quesarita]

Usually this type of "waiting period" is measured from whenever a notice is posted on the boat (or wherever), and I don't believe we know when that was.

 

[ellemo]

Wow. What a strange story. I wonder why the police didn't expect something sooner. Or the hospital. Hospital paperwork is excruciatingly long with questions about employment, etc. Wonder what they put down. I wonder what information they did give the police. I am sure police asked where they were from. Did they hesitate before answering? Did the kids talk to any adults or were they conditioned not to? What address and name did the put on the insurance forms? I am a little surprised the hospital gave the child to the parents w/o getting any sort of ID. Even if their ID was on the boat, the hospital could have insisted they prove their identity some other way.

I am inferring that they were Americans because of the comment of the police office -- "I've heard they were going to the Virgin Islands, we've heard they were going down to Mexico" -- had no mention of them being from another country. I would expect another comment like "maybe they went back to Mexico/Columbia/Venuzuela/Canada etc." had they not been from the U.S. or at least had U.S. accents.

I hope there is a follow up. I want to know what is on the boat.

(This is off topic, but stuff like this is why I keep a photo copy of my driver's license and passport at home. Not that I expect to be on a capsized sailboat, but in case I lose my ID when traveling)