Found Deceased TX - Lauren Elizabeth Thompson, 32, Panola County, 10 Jan 2019 *called 911, car found in a ditch*

[ly502]

A lot of information we didnt know in that article. The story does sound fishy for sure. But what stands out even more is why LE won't let TE search? They weren't allowed to search for Hailey Dunn either.

Hi there, I must have missed this detail...may I ask where you saw that TE was not allowed to search? This is a red flag...

 

[Vail]

I don't really believe the story this guy told LE. My mind wants to insert "we were high" for "fishing" and "ran off the road, then got in a fight and ran off when he became violent" for "she ran off the road and just took off running..." if they were together, there is a lack of "we" in the recounting - Lauren is being blamed for the whole thing. JMO

 

[missingm]

As an FYI, the latest missing poster lists her as 5'5" and 135 pounds, which seems more in line with her photos than the 190 pounds.

East Texas Today | KGAS News

 

[NanZDrew]

I don't really believe the story this guy told LE. My mind wants to insert "we were high" for "fishing" and "ran off the road, then got in a fight and ran off when he became violent" for "she ran off the road and just took off running..." if they were together, there is a lack of "we" in the recounting - Lauren is being blamed for the whole thing. JMO

Noticing the lack of "we" is an interesting observation. Some parts do leave more questions for sure!

 

[Nancee Drue]

How many miles is Carthage from where the car was found in a ditch? (never mind...I know now...About 15 minutes outside of town)

I find it quite odd that someone would leave a disoriented friend to run off in the woods, with someone chasing her. Where did the person chasing Lauren come from? Was he/she hiding in the woods, and just popped out from behind a tree?

 

[Dre]

How many miles is Carthage from where the car was found in a ditch? (never mind...I know now...About 15 minutes outside of town)

I find it quite odd that someone would leave a disoriented friend to run off in the woods, with someone chasing her. Where did the person chasing Lauren come from? Was he/she hiding in the woods, and just popped out from behind a tree?

I know, the story is not adding up at all. I think they were doing some kind of drug that amplifies paranoia..
Probably the reason it took him so long to come forward as well.
at this point we haven’t heard any description of the person following her?
Very sketchy situation! I’m hopeful that something triggered a psychotic break and she wound up far away and confused and that soon she will get help to come home to her kids

 

[Knox]

Lauren's case was featured on Dateline's Missing in America.
Missing in America - Breaking News & Top Stories

 

[inmyhumbleopinion]

I don't really believe the story this guy told LE. My mind wants to insert "we were high" for "fishing" and "ran off the road, then got in a fight and ran off when he became violent" for "she ran off the road and just took off running..." if they were together, there is a lack of "we" in the recounting - Lauren is being blamed for the whole thing. JMO

I’m thinking along those lines as well:

“‘The 911 call actually lasted for 21 or 22 minutes,’ Sheriff Lake said.

[SBM]

While the 911 operator still had Lauren on the phone, officers were also able to get in touch with people Lauren said she was with earlier in the day.

‘One person she was with told us they had been in the area, reportedly fishing,’ Sheriff Lake said. The friend had been in the car with Lauren when he said she ran off the road. ‘He said he then told her he was going to walk to his house to get a vehicle to get them out of the mud, but then she took off running into the woods.’”
Texas mother Lauren Colvin Thompson still missing after sounding ‘disoriented and confused’ on 911 call

And if indeed they had been doing drugs, maybe Lauren went into drug-induced psychosis:

“Stimulant psychosis is a mental disordercharacterized by psychotic symptoms (e.g., hallucinations, paranoid ideation, delusions, disorganized thinking, grossly disorganized behaviour) which involves and typically occurs following an overdose on psychostimulants.” (BBM)

While I have no idea what kind of drugs they might have apparently:

“Cocaine has a ... potential to induce temporary psychosis[18] with more than half of cocaine abusers reporting at least some psychotic symptoms at some point.[19] Typical symptoms of sufferers include paranoid delusions that they are being followed and that their drug use is being watched, accompanied by hallucinations that support the delusional beliefs.“ (BBM)
Stimulant psychosis - Wikipedia

Perhaps Lauren experienced drug-induced psychosis. She became convinced that she was being chased by someone while still driving, and decided to call 911.

“The friend,” not wanting to be arrested for drug use if LE were to show up, tries to take Lauren’s phone away from her, causing the car to go into a ditch.

Lauren gets out of the car, calls 911, and starts running into the woods, while the “friend” flees the scene.

As far as how the LE knew to call the “friend,”one scenario I can think of is Lauren gives his name to LE, they call his home phone number, and he answers; or someone else answers the phone, the person gives LE the “friend”’s cell number (assuming that he has a cell phone), and he answers.

If he did have a cell phone, it would be interesting to see if phone record shows he tried to contact anyone for a ride a ride, and if so, time and location, IMO.

 

[Vail]

Texas mother Lauren Colvin Thompson still missing after sounding ‘disoriented and confused’ on 911 call

Lauren’s three children, aged 3, 5, and 9, are currently living with [Lauren’s mom] Torie [Colvin] in Fort Worth.

Lauren’s mom lives in Fort Worth which is 3 hours away, so she wouldn’t have been the daily babysitter. Where were her children that afternoon?

Was a friend babysitting the youngest and Lauren was going to pick up the oldest at school?

(I’m interpreting “currently” as the children are now living with her mom, not that they were living with her mom previously and not with Lauren)

Lauren Colvin Thompson

According to FB she is separated. They may have been with their father. JMO

I find it quite odd that someone would leave a disoriented friend to run off in the woods, with someone chasing her. Where did the person chasing Lauren come from? Was he/she hiding in the woods, and just popped out from behind a tree?

Still can't decide how I feel about the dude she was with. It is unlikely he killed her considering LE were in contact with him so quickly, but the article did say "people" she was with. Was someone else chasing her while this guy went to get his car? Looking at MimosaMorning's map, (which illustrates nicely how few houses are around that he could have been walking to) the woods are SE of the road where the car was located (are we sure that is where it was?). If she died in that area, then it will be doubly hard to find her now with spring and her remains becoming skeletal.It doesn't help that it all appears to be private land.

According to Dateline, “We did locate a shoe that we weren’t sure was hers, but later we were able to determine it was hers,” Sheriff Lake said. He added that since it is such a heavily-wooded area, no footprints were found around the shoe. “Since then, we have searched approximately 2,000 acres of heavily-wooded terrain and open fields with ground searches [and] have covered approximately 9,000 acres with drones and helicopters.”

There are several bodies of water in her potential path and around there ringed in dense bush and trees that she may not have easily seen and plunged into, plus a creek and a river. I hope they have searched them too as the above does not mention water searches or even what kind of dogs were used.

If the call lasted 20+ minutes, was she running the entire time? That is like 2-3 miles, and her phone suddenly disconnecting sounds like water to me unless she had warned them her battery was dying. This reminds me too much of Brandon Lawson and Brandon Swanson. Lawson is just like this case whereas Swanson was on the phone with his parents while lost when the call was abruptly ended.

TX - TX - Brandon Lawson, 26, San Angelo, 8 Aug 2013 - #1
MN - MN - Brandon Swanson, 19, Marshall, 14 May 2008

 

[Criminal Justice mom]

Hi there, I must have missed this detail...may I ask where you saw that TE was not allowed to search? This is a red flag...

Why is it a red flag? What do you think it means?

 

[Vail]

Hi there, I must have missed this detail...may I ask where you saw that TE was not allowed to search? This is a red flag...

It isn't. If you look at the map, the surrounding land is farms and orchards and likely all private, so TES can't just go in there, especially now in spring with horses. LE also reportedly did a huge ground search with local SAR and their own resources and found a shoe (but did not say if dogs got a scent anywhere, if cadaver dogs were used at any point, or if water was searched. 9000 acres is 14 square miles - more than enough to cover the range Lauren could have made it on her own. Now, that is not to say she couldn't have been missed (I think she was). My guess at this stage is they are investigating people, which takes a while. If Lauren died from exposure or accident, hopefully a mushroom hunter or farmer finds her before summer sets in. If not, I do agree that another search should be arranged and TES or a similar expert group brought in to assist (likely autumn when cover has thinned) . Do we even know if TES has expressed any interest?

If a second person caught up with her and there is foul play, then we have to consider these questions:

1. Did he kill her right there and then conceal her? (cadaver dogs should have caught this in the first few days)
2. If he removed her, how did he do it on foot through this terrain?
3. Where does guy#1 live in relation to this?
4. Was there another female in this group at any point?

 

[NanZDrew]

It isn't. If you look at the map, the surrounding land is farms and orchards and likely all private, so TES can't just go in there, especially now in spring with horses. LE also reportedly did a huge ground search with local SAR and their own resources and found a shoe (but did not say if dogs got a scent anywhere, if cadaver dogs were used at any point, or if water was searched. 9000 acres is 14 square miles - more than enough to cover the range Lauren could have made it on her own. Now, that is not to say she couldn't have been missed (I think she was). My guess at this stage is they are investigating people, which takes a while. If Lauren died from exposure or accident, hopefully a mushroom hunter or farmer finds her before summer sets in. If not, I do agree that another search should be arranged and TES or a similar expert group brought in to assist (likely autumn when cover has thinned) . Do we even know if TES has expressed any interest?

If a second person caught up with her and there is foul play, then we have to consider these questions:

1. Did he kill her right there and then conceal her? (cadaver dogs should have caught this in the first few days)
2. If he removed her, how did he do it on foot through this terrain?
3. Where does guy#1 live in relation to this?
4. Was there another female in this group at any point?

Well, it did say they other on contact with others she had been with so maybe they were behind in another vehicle.

It's hard the figure out. The Sheriff said they are not releasing everything to the public and they have clues that they are not releasing except to Lauren's parents at this time.

 

[LadyL]

the person she was with ...
did he leave the area after she ran off into the woods or did he go after her
could it be he was the one chasing her while she was on the phone
and if he did leave, why ...
wouldnèt the normal reaction be to chase your friend to rescue them from putting themselves in danger and getting lost in the woods
and maybe call friends, family, or LE to help

so what did this person do - does anyone know

 

[ly502]

It isn't. If you look at the map, the surrounding land is farms and orchards and likely all private, so TES can't just go in there, especially now in spring with horses. LE also reportedly did a huge ground search with local SAR and their own resources and found a shoe (but did not say if dogs got a scent anywhere, if cadaver dogs were used at any point, or if water was searched. 9000 acres is 14 square miles - more than enough to cover the range Lauren could have made it on her own. Now, that is not to say she couldn't have been missed (I think she was). My guess at this stage is they are investigating people, which takes a while. If Lauren died from exposure or accident, hopefully a mushroom hunter or farmer finds her before summer sets in. If not, I do agree that another search should be arranged and TES or a similar expert group brought in to assist (likely autumn when cover has thinned) . Do we even know if TES has expressed any interest?

If a second person caught up with her and there is foul play, then we have to consider these questions:

1. Did he kill her right there and then conceal her? (cadaver dogs should have caught this in the first few days)
2. If he removed her, how did he do it on foot through this terrain?
3. Where does guy#1 live in relation to this?
4. Was there another female in this group at any point?

I believe there was an article or post on here that TES did offer to help and LE refused, or someone asked LE if they would be contacting TES and LE said that they would not accept the help. It makes complete sense, however, if the surrounding areas were actually on owners' properties. That is completely different. It just seems, in many cases, when LE cannot find someone and there is a substantial amount of wilderness (w/ bodies of water), TES is welcomed because of their experience to manage difficult landscape, etc. They are often welcomed even if there are POIs but they cannot find a body. But, I guess the land ownership explains a lot.

 

[ly502]

I believe there was an article or post on here that TES did offer to help and LE refused, or someone asked LE if they would be contacting TES and LE said that they would not accept the help. It makes complete sense, however, if the surrounding areas were actually on owners' properties. That is completely different. It just seems, in many cases, when LE cannot find someone and there is a substantial amount of wilderness (w/ bodies of water), TES is welcomed because of their experience to manage difficult landscape, etc. They are often welcomed even if there are POIs but they cannot find a body. But, I guess the land ownership explains a lot.

My apologies! I might have confused this fact about TES with the Tyler Davis case in Ohio. LE definitely refused their help in that case. But...I do seem to recall that LE did as well in this case. I remember reading two different posts from 2 different threads where LE did not want help from outside search parties...

 

[interestedincases]

I find it so sad that more detailed searches haven't been done for her. I really feel like she is out there (deceased) whether it be from something the friend(s) did (which I don't think so because she was on the phone with 911 for so long, someone would have known they were on their way and bailed), or, she fell into the river or died overnight from exposure. They found her shoe which tells them the area she was in, I would just like to know if the combed the area inch by inch. Is there somewhere she could have crawled into overnight to hide from the cold and expired there? Drugs (IF they were involved) eventually wear off. I don't know how long it takes someone to OD after doing drugs, but she was on the phone with 911 for 20 minutes. I don't know if the "OD period" has passed within 20 minutes? If yes, then she more died from exposure or falling into the river IMO. If the timeframe is longer, it's possible to me she crawled somewhere to "hide" from those "chasing her" and expired there from OD. No matter what happened, the poor girl needs to be found. It so reminds me of Brandon Lawson. No matter what was happening, they deserve to be found and their children deserve closure.

 

[NanZDrew]

the person she was with ...
did he leave the area after she ran off into the woods or did he go after her
could it be he was the one chasing her while she was on the phone
and if he did leave, why ...
wouldnèt the normal reaction be to chase your friend to rescue them from putting themselves in danger and getting lost in the woods
and maybe call friends, family, or LE to help

so what did this person do - does anyone know

That would seem like the logical thing. I think the story, as we know it, has lots of missing pieces and his version, as reported, seems illogical to most of us.

 

[NanZDrew]

I believe there was an article or post on here that TES did offer to help and LE refused, or someone asked LE if they would be contacting TES and LE said that they would not accept the help. It makes complete sense, however, if the surrounding areas were actually on owners' properties. That is completely different. It just seems, in many cases, when LE cannot find someone and there is a substantial amount of wilderness (w/ bodies of water), TES is welcomed because of their experience to manage difficult landscape, etc. They are often welcomed even if there are POIs but they cannot find a body. But, I guess the land ownership explains a lot.

There has been lots of misinformation on the searches. Law enforcement along with the Texas Rangers, Texas Forest Service, and the Texas DPS (Department of Public Service--State of Texas LE arm). They used dogs and heat sensing drones. They searched about 1000 acres. The area was bordered by a large mine, river, major highway and fairly busy FM (Farm to Market) road. My first thought was the river; however, LE arrived 5 minutes after they lost phone contact. It would seem unlikely that she would drown in this time and not be found. It makes me think that someone snatched her and took off. LE has made it clear that she was afraid of someone. What I keep hoping is that someone took her to a safe area away from who she feared. That might be wishful thinking. But if LE thinks she was taken and is not there, that may be why there is not so much searching. The Cajun Navy did a search down river in Feb or March. I think LE knows what happened but is still investigating and gathering evidence.

 

[NanZDrew]

I find it so sad that more detailed searches haven't been done for her. I really feel like she is out there (deceased) whether it be from something the friend(s) did (which I don't think so because she was on the phone with 911 for so long, someone would have known they were on their way and bailed), or, she fell into the river or died overnight from exposure. They found her shoe which tells them the area she was in, I would just like to know if the combed the area inch by inch. Is there somewhere she could have crawled into overnight to hide from the cold and expired there? Drugs (IF they were involved) eventually wear off. I don't know how long it takes someone to OD after doing drugs, but she was on the phone with 911 for 20 minutes. I don't know if the "OD period" has passed within 20 minutes? If yes, then she more died from exposure or falling into the river IMO. If the timeframe is longer, it's possible to me she crawled somewhere to "hide" from those "chasing her" and expired there from OD. No matter what happened, the poor girl needs to be found. It so reminds me of Brandon Lawson. No matter what was happening, they deserve to be found and their children deserve closure.

There were barns in the area that she could have hidden in, but they were hunting with dogs and heat seeking equipment. There are also some abandoned old homes. I believe the temps were in the forties that night, so she probably could have survived that first. Either one or two days after she disappeared a cold front blew in with rain and freezing temperatures.

 

[Vail]

There has been lots of misinformation on the searches. Law enforcement along with the Texas Rangers, Texas Forest Service, and the Texas DPS (Department of Public Service--State of Texas LE arm). They used dogs and heat sensing drones. They searched about 1000 acres. The area was bordered by a large mine, river, major highway and fairly busy FM (Farm to Market) road. My first thought was the river; however, LE arrived 5 minutes after they lost phone contact. It would seem unlikely that she would drown in this time and not be found. It makes me think that someone snatched her and took off. LE has made it clear that she was afraid of someone. What I keep hoping is that someone took her to a safe area away from who she feared. That might be wishful thinking. But if LE thinks she was taken and is not there, that may be why there is not so much searching. The Cajun Navy did a search down river in Feb or March. I think LE knows what happened but is still investigating and gathering evidence.

From the 13th:

Investigation into missing Panola County woman's disappearance ongoing

Investigators also are trying to search more of the Sabine River area where Thompson was that day, but rain is getting in the way, he said....

“There are still some areas out there that are covered in water, and every time we get ready to search those specific areas, unfortunately we wind up with another inch or two of rain,” he said. “We haven’t finished searching yet, but we’re trying to wait until that water recedes so we can actually get in there.”

...

“We had a total of 31 searchers on the ground along with 12 canines,” he said. “We searched an additional 660 acres out there, unfortunately with no results.”

And on Jan 23

Panola County Sheriff: Still hopeful, but nothing yet in Lauren Thompson case

Lake said an active, multi-department air and ground search of the area where Thompson’s car was found has ended after they covered almost 10,000 acres.

Now, I don't believe they have done 9-10k acres on foot. I certainly hope they have done at least 4 sqare miles, because she would be far outside of 1000 acres if she was running for 20 minutes.