Found Deceased TX - Leanne Bearden, 33, Garden Ridge, 17 Jan 2014 #11

[Leomoon80]

Hi all, I've had several PM's regarding this case and dogs, hopefully I can help?

I was not one of the PMs so I don't know what they asked you but I do wonder if a dog picks up the scent of someone hiding in a tree above?

 

[RSC]

Scarlett, I, too, have been unexpectedly struggling with this, I think in part because I really related to the Leanne I saw on the travel blog, but could not relate to how this ended. The sad (and yet good) fact is that very few people can actually relate to suicide.

As you know (through our PMs), I stubbornly held on to being "suspicious" even after we had official answers. But then I went back to the travel blog to see whether hindsight would alter my perception of this case, and surprisingly, this was the first video I clicked on. (MODS, please let me know if this is not okay, and I will PM it to Scarlett instead).

Starting at 2:25 (ending at around 4:05) is a hauntingly beautiful segment of Leanne on a swing, soaring over the world. Watching this has somehow helped me to start letting go, for reasons I think you will understand if you watch it.

Banos, Ecuador - YouTube

I agree. I could be with my dh all the time. We are peas in a pod..

You know, I have to wonder if this was not something she felt well before she left on the trip. That the trip was something she knew would be her last one. That these are feeling she had before she even left..
That the trip was her goodbye of sorts. Seeing the world, and being able to hang on until she returned.

When I think about it this way, I see it differently. She found the man she loved. She planned a once in a lifetime trip that most couples save for retirement, She came back, Stopped in to see her parents, She did it at Josh's parents stop so that Josh would not be alone in his grief.

She went away from the house so that he would not find her.

I think her last acts were about her love for Josh.

I think that when I look back over everything we know, I have to wonder if this was not the plan for years...Something she pushed back on....

I don't know.. This is just thinking out loud.

 

[TigerLilly]

I completely understand that.. But to make statement that a hanging suicide fits into a category of making a statement.. Is just abhorrent to me. No one can know what the last thought was that went through their mind, what they were thinking, Why they were thinking it. Especially since it is written by a Funeral director.

We know that even in the depths of information there is still so much that we will never know.

It is not that it was posted. I understand that and why.. It is that someone took the time to make a declarative statement about that it would be "statement". It seems so out of what we know about suicide. I just find it unbelievable that someone would make a statement like that at all.
It bothers me stuff like that. It is one thing to gather stats on something with proof. This just delves into mindreading and it bothers me.. KWIM?

I feel really protective of Leanne. I am not angry at anyone here.. I am just mad in general about this whole thing at the moment. I am at a stage I have been at before with a friends suicide. Why didn't they reach out, how come no one could see the pain.. Now I know there is no answer to that. I know that it is how it works. I know that it is not rational. But I guess I am just working through my grief over Leanne's death. I guess that seems silly since I did not really know her, But I realized I am indeed grieving for her and her family and friends.

http://grief.com/the-five-stages-of-grief/


Went from denial and am now squarely angry.

I know, that many may feel I have no right to these feelings. That's okay. I get it.

Understand...of course you have a right to your feelings! I dont think you are alone in your grief either...I didnt mean to imply that at all. When we follow someone on here and hope, worry..become invested..yes we grieve. Hugs to you Scarlet. We need more caring people like you in this world.

 

[floridamomma]

I was not one of the PMs so I don't know what they asked you but I do wonder if a dog picks up the scent of someone hiding in a tree above?

they didn't pick up Elaina Steinfurth, hidden in a box on rafters in a garage.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk

 

[ami]

I completely understand that.. But to make statement that a hanging suicide fits into a category of making a statement.. Is just abhorrent to me. No one can know what the last thought was that went through their mind, what they were thinking, Why they were thinking it. Especially since it is written by a Funeral director.

We know that even in the depths of information there is still so much that we will never know.

It is not that it was posted. I understand that and why.. It is that someone took the time to make a declarative statement about that it would be "statement". It seems so out of what we know about suicide. I just find it unbelievable that someone would make a statement like that at all.
It bothers me stuff like that. It is one thing to gather stats on something with proof. This just delves into mindreading and it bothers me.. KWIM?

I feel really protective of Leanne. I am not angry at anyone here.. I am just mad in general about this whole thing at the moment. I am at a stage I have been at before with a friends suicide. Why didn't they reach out, how come no one could see the pain.. Now I know there is no answer to that. I know that it is how it works. I know that it is not rational. But I guess I am just working through my grief over Leanne's death. I guess that seems silly since I did not really know her, But I realized I am indeed grieving for her and her family and friends.

http://grief.com/the-five-stages-of-grief/


Went from denial and am now squarely angry.

I know, that many may feel I have no right to these feelings. That's okay. I get it.

I haven't read anyone saying that you don't have a right to feel grief. Nearly everyone posting her has expressed how touched they are by Leanne, how much we came to feel we knew her and how much grief we feel over her death. Most of us also feel protective of her. It's natural. That's why so many people have been posting about these very things over the past few days.

 

[bwt42]

I have no idea why Leanne chose the method she did. Not to be critical, but how hard for Josh & her family to think of her hanging from a tree. If that was my wife, that picture would haunt me forever.

 

[JudyBolton]

Hi all, I've had several PM's regarding this case and dogs, hopefully I can help?

Hi - I was not one that PM'ed you but glad you stopped in. I was speaking up for the dogs - I'm not involved with SAR but have friends that are and I'm involved in Bloodhound/Coonhound rescue and foster.

There were some who were critical of the dogs - stating they were not "reliable" because they didn't go to her body (which was within 1 mile of house) and that they didn't pick up scent of decomposition.

The dogs did lead in opposite direction from where she was found and then lost the scent.

I will be eager to hear your thoughts on this.

 

[Nugget]

:heartbeat:Thinking of Leanne all the time. :heartbeat:

 

[LivingJuicy]

According to Wikipedia, suicide by hanging is viewed as a variety of statements by different cultures. Survivors of suicide by hanging often say they chose that method because it seemed to be the easiest. Naturally, we have no way of knowing Leanne's reason for choosing that method. She was so well hidden that I doubt she was making a statement. JMO

Suicide by hanging - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Just jumping in - haven't been reading every post because I just feel so sad for Leanne and all those who love her. And to us because we have really grown to love this person and feel so helpless by her demise. Goes to show, that what's always on the outside, isn't always the truth of how our lives really are.

As far as suicide and suicide options, I AM NO expert at all, however; if I were ever (and knock on wood, I haven't ever been in the position) to contemplate suicide, I would rule out a gunshot instantly (for me - it would be so hard to pull the trigger.) Just making this observation that just because it's statistically number 1 - doesn't mean it will work for everyone.

Maybe it wasn't fully planned out in detail or maybe she thought she could talk herself out of it. Maybe she didn't have access to pills or a gun. Maybe she wanted to "feel."

We will never know.

Hope you don't mind me jumping off your post Lilibet!! :seeya:

This is all just my opinion and not worth much!

 

[hockeymom4]

Just jumping in - haven't been reading every post because I just feel so sad for Leanne and all those who love her. And to us because we have really grown to love this person and feel so helpless by her demise. Goes to show, that what's always on the outside, isn't always the truth of how our lives really are.

As far as suicide and suicide options, I AM NO expert at all, however; if I were ever (and knock on wood, I haven't ever been in the position) to contemplate suicide, I would rule out a gunshot instantly (for me - it would be so hard to pull the trigger.) Just making this observation that just because it's statistically number 1 - doesn't mean it will work for everyone.

Maybe it wasn't fully planned out in detail or maybe she thought she could talk herself out of it. Maybe she didn't have access to pills or a gun. Maybe she wanted to "feel."

We will never know.

Hope you don't mind me jumping off your post Lilibet!! :seeya:

This is all just my opinion and not worth much!

I wanted to just jump off what you were saying here. Regarding options for suicide. Not that I would ever do it, but here is how I look at it and can see how others may see it this way too.

Gun: not everyone has access to one, it is loud, and some don't want to be near them, not able to go through with it, messy death
Pills: no way of knowing how much to take with food, you could stop it by vomiting, it isn't instant.
Hanging: if you have experience with a rope and an attachment to one, you know how to handle one, it is instant, you can't stop it once it is started

So, I get with what I know about her and her love for the outdoors and the hiking, why she chose the rope. It was a part of her and it was instant. She was instantly able to fly away from whatever was bothering her and fly into her new life free of pain. I hope her family will find peace in the days that come.

 

[ABurns]

I have a questions for veteran WS members....

There seem to be a couple new FB pages dedicated to LB. One is a closed group; the other a page about seeking justice for LB. ETA: Not looking to discuss what is contained on FB...just wondering if this usually happens.

Is this pretty typical after a widely-publicized case like this? I understand that some people have doubts (I personally don't), but I just feel awful for the families who may see this stuff.

Thanks for any insight.

MODS---please feel free to delete if this question is not okay.

 

[ABurns]

The one thing I love about this place is they are not a willy nilly question everything site.

I couldn't agree more! Thanks, Scarlett.

 

[nursebeeme]

I have a questions for veteran WS members....

There seem to be a couple new FB pages dedicated to LB. One is a closed group; the other a page about seeking justice for LB. ETA: Not looking to discuss what is contained on FB...just wondering if this usually happens.

Is this pretty typical after a widely-publicized case like this? I understand that some people have doubts (I personally don't), but I just feel awful for the families who may see this stuff.

Thanks for any insight.

MODS---please feel free to delete if this question is not okay.

only the official find fb page is allowed to be linked to

hope that helps (and always feel free to ask questions)

:seeya:

 

[Galadriel]

I began following Leanne's case due to her Georgia connections, and I truly hoped and prayed for a happy ending. It is heartbreaking, and I think our first instinct is to find a logical explanation, but as so many have said, the only person that this made sense to was Leanne. She has found her peace.

May God bless and comfort her loved ones, and may they be surrounded by boundless love and compassion as they mourn.

 

[mck16]

I wanted to just jump off what you were saying here. Regarding options for suicide. Not that I would ever do it, but here is how I look at it and can see how others may see it this way too.

Gun: not everyone has access to one, it is loud, and some don't want to be near them, not able to go through with it, messy death
Pills: no way of knowing how much to take with food, you could stop it by vomiting, it isn't instant.
Hanging: if you have experience with a rope and an attachment to one, you know how to handle one, it is instant, you can't stop it once it is started

So, I get with what I know about her and her love for the outdoors and the hiking, why she chose the rope. It was a part of her and it was instant. She was instantly able to fly away from whatever was bothering her and fly into her new life free of pain. I hope her family will find peace in the days that come.

I pray that the family especially her parents and Josh can find peace at some point. My husband took his life and my only consollation has been that it was his choice. As far as his method it wasn't that important because he tried to do it twice in 3 weeks. When the first time didn't work he switched his method. It worked. But, the point is he was determined to do it.

I believe Leanne was determined to do it too. I am not sure if she knew the area, but the deal is that very few trees close by have horizontal limbs that would afford hanging. She had to find that tree. I have looked at the property and it seems it had another way she could have entered the woods. From the back. And I wonder if she even realized there was a home so close. For those folks that live there, I just can't imagine and I know how hard it is for the Bearden's to go in and out of the neighborhood.

This is so sad and I wish we could go back to that afternoon and see Leanne come bouncing down the sidewalk returning from her walk. I hope her soul found peace, but this was all about her. No one should feel any guilt or wonder what they could have done to change it or make it better. I still have to work through this most days and so do my 3 boys. jmo

 

[ScarlettScarpetta]

I pray that the family especially her parents and Josh can find peace at some point. My husband took his life and my only consollation has been that it was his choice. As far as his method it wasn't that important because he tried to do it twice in 3 weeks. When the first time didn't work he switched his method. It worked. But, the point is he was determined to do it.

I believe Leanne was determined to do it too. I am not sure if she knew the area, but the deal is that very few trees close by have horizontal limbs that would afford hanging. She had to find that tree. I have looked at the property and it seems it had another way she could have entered the woods. From the back. And I wonder if she even realized there was a home so close. For those folks that live there, I just can't imagine and I know how hard it is for the Bearden's to go in and out of the neighborhood.

This is so sad and I wish we could go back to that afternoon and see Leanne come bouncing down the sidewalk returning from her walk. I hope her soul found peace, but this was all about her. No one should feel any guilt or wonder what they could have done to change it or make it better. I still have to work through this most days and so do my 3 boys. jmo

I am so sorry for your loss. And thank you for sharing your insight.

 

[sarx]

Hi - I was not one that PM'ed you but glad you stopped in. I was speaking up for the dogs - I'm not involved with SAR but have friends that are and I'm involved in Bloodhound/Coonhound rescue and foster.

There were some who were critical of the dogs - stating they were not "reliable" because they didn't go to her body (which was within 1 mile of house) and that they didn't pick up scent of decomposition.

The dogs did lead in opposite direction from where she was found and then lost the scent.

I will be eager to hear your thoughts on this.

So, a couple of things could have happened here. One, there is always a chance that the dogs could have had a bad scent article, two, they could have just messed up (it happens, just like people). It is also possible, that if she was suicidal before leaving the house (as is likely) that her body chemistry was way out of the norm, which literally could change her scent. This would mean that while they were being scented off her "usual" scent, she basically smelled nothing like that and so they weren't looking for her more or less. The dogs going the other direction could have been going off the last scent that matched whatever they used as a scent article.

 

[SteveS]

Hi - I was not one that PM'ed you but glad you stopped in. I was speaking up for the dogs - I'm not involved with SAR but have friends that are and I'm involved in Bloodhound/Coonhound rescue and foster.

There were some who were critical of the dogs - stating they were not "reliable" because they didn't go to her body (which was within 1 mile of house) and that they didn't pick up scent of decomposition.

The dogs did lead in opposite direction from where she was found and then lost the scent.

I will be eager to hear your thoughts on this.

Judy, I'm not SAR but I think the assumption by some that the dogs went the wrong way and the witnesses were clueless is more likely a wrong assumption.

I outlined such a route on post #447 on page http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=234995&page=18 that would fit the idea that the witnesses did indeed see her, the dogs did indeed track her correctly, and that she took most of her hour-ish walk she had planned BEFORE detouring at the last minute to the place where she met her end.

On that post there's a map noted and linked, in that post 447, to the shortest possible route using those parameters, one that would fit both time and also conform to witness statements and dogs. In addition, she had time to make a bit bigger loop or for her to take detours off of that basic route.

 

[sarx]

Whoops, missed the other part at first.

Regarding decomp..... Not all dogs are trained for remains detection, and there are lots and lots that are only trained in one or the other discipline, as cross training can be controversial, and at minimum is a whole lot more work.

With that in mind, the dogs that went looking for her initially at least were trailing dogs and to my knowledge were just that, so they were looking for a live person, not a deceased one.

And, yes, ones that have not been trained in remains, will and sometimes do, blow right by the deceased and just get confused, cuz that's not something they've worked.

 

[liltexans]

Biology of Suicide

What drives people to suicide? NPR's Michelle Trudeau reports that in laboratories around the country, neuro-scientists are trying to find out. They're studying the brains of people who've committed suicide and comparing them with people who died suddenly. People who commit suicide appear to have different brain chemistry than others.

TRUDEAU: After a decade of work studying over 175 brains, the research group in New York has found that the serotonin braking system is defective in many suicide victims. Their brains are anatomically different than the brains of people who have died of natural causes. Specifically, Aranga has discovered a malfunction in the area of the brain right above the eyes called the pre-frontal cortex, the place where executive decisions are made dictating what feelings we will act upon and what feelings we will inhibit.

MARK UNDERWOOD, NEUROSCIENTIST, NEW YORK STATE PSYCHIATRIC INSTITUTE: We have found hat there are approximately 30 percent more of these serotonin neurons in the suicide victims than in the controls. To find more neurons would suggest something very fundamental, such that you may in fact be born with your biological risk for suicide behavior.

TRUDEAU: That's because you're born will all the neurons you'll ever have, and not only are there more serotonin neurons in the brain stem than there should be, but, Underwood adds, they're smaller, and they don't work right.

http://www.npr.org/programs/death/980429.death.html