MzOpinion8d
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Thanks for clarifying!
GUILTY TX - Megan Getrum, 36, murdered, Plano, 18 April 2017 *Arrest*
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Thanks for clarifying!
*JMO*
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This is one of those cases that I just can't walk away from. It is bothering me that there is so little in the way of news updates and LE reporting. It is listed as a suspicious death and there is a reward. It appears that it suspected that there was a crime involved but no official word. I will conclude that either toxicology is either not completed or that it showed nothing to point to COD. I am also concluding (perhaps prematurely on my part ) that her autopsy leaves it still unclear if she harmed herself, had an accident , or was murdered.
I am in my mind going over and over what we do know. Please forgive me for summarizing the known details. It just helps me organize things in my mind and maybe it will jog something for someone else.
Friday evening, around 8:30 PM
Her last known phone use was confirmed to be from the popular Arbor Hills Nature Preserve adjacent to her apartment that she frequented regularly. She was reported to hike in the outlying, less populated trail areas. Apparently the Apt residents use a large hole in the fence to enter the preserve, bypassing the official entrance and parking lot.
Last known contact by phone--Some reports say she was texting, some saying she was talking on her phone. Some reports say it was friend, some say it was a family member that she was communicating with.
It is reported that the phone went dead. In order for the person she was in contact with to know that and not be alarmed when contact was lost I will assume Megan said "my phone is about to die" or whatever. I will also assume that the person, whoever it is, is reporting this truthfully. Otherwise, I would think perhaps this was the point she came to harm and her phone either taken or knocked away. But I'm going on the assumption that she said something to make the other person report that her phone died and it was not huge red flag when contact was lost.
Lake Ray Hubbard
Sat. Morning, around 7:30 AM
Her unidentified body was found close to shore "floating" according to reports but accessible to a bystander that was able to pull her body out of the water. This is around 20-30 miles from Arbor Hills Preserve and her apartment. She was wearing biking type shirt and walking/running type shoes. These have been pictured in the media, pants or shorts not mentioned.
She was not identified until Wed because she was not reported to be missing until Tues. when either friends or family (depending on source being read) became concerned when they did not hear from her over the weekend. No obvious signs of trauma on her body.
Her car was still in her assigned parking spot at her gated apartment complex. A neighbor reported the lights of the Apt were left on Fri night and blinds open. It is reported that her cats, her purse, and her bicycle were found at the Apt. Phone and water bottle were reported missing.
No clues or evidence is discovered at either scene, AH or LRH.
Megan regularly participated with a group of friends in a Friday night game activity. It is not known for a fact if she participated this Friday night or not, but I will assume that since it was a holiday weekend it would not be surprising if no game night was scheduled.
A couple of things going around in my mind-
Like everyone, I am baffled at how and why she ended up being found at LRH.
It was Easter weekend. So she must not have had plans to spend the holiday with friends or family or perhaps she didn't celebrate Easter, either by faith or personal choice. Otherwise, I would assume she would have been reported missing sooner. I also assume friends and family tried to make contact with her over the weekend and finally on Tues they made an official report of her missing due to their concerns.
I find myself suspecting that perhaps she left with someone she knew or at least recognized. Someone she was not expecting to see but did not have an immediate fear of. I think if she was approached by a stranger she would have put up a fierce fight just going by the things we have learned about her level of fitness and independent spirit and some struggle signs would have been noted on her body. The other scenario is that she was followed and was approached from behind (maybe in the parking lot) , unsuspectingly and subdued with a weapon before having time to react and forced into assailant's car. It may have been another resident, an employee, or someone known to another resident and had easy access through the Apt security gates. (it is also not hard to bypass gates in Apt buildings)
It is still possible that she creatively schemed to get to the lake area by herself by some unknown means to harm herself, but I just have trouble with that scenario. I especially don't think she would have chanced that her cats would have been neglected for days in the time that it would have taken to discover her. It is obvious she was devoted to them.
My mind keeps thinking COD may have been drowning which would make it harder to determine if it was deliberate or not. Would DNA evidence be washed away if she was in the water overnight?
I, like others, have come to feel like Megan was a person we all would have enjoyed knowing. She possessed a creative and independent spirit. She loved to travel and made friends in far reaching places. She was curious, kind, smart, funny and colored outside the lines. In fact, she would have been a great contributor to this forum.
I miss her and I never even met her. Rest in peace sweet Megan.
I am in my mind going over and over what we do know. Please forgive me for summarizing the known details. It just helps me organize things in my mind and maybe it will jog something for someone else.
Friday evening, around 8:30 PM
Her last known phone use was confirmed to be from the popular Arbor Hills Nature Preserve adjacent to her apartment that she frequented regularly. She was reported to hike in the outlying, less populated trail areas. Apparently the Apt residents use a large hole in the fence to enter the preserve, bypassing the official entrance and parking lot.
Last known contact by phone--Some reports say she was texting, some saying she was talking on her phone. Some reports say it was friend, some say it was a family member that she was communicating with.
It is reported that the phone went dead. In order for the person she was in contact with to know that and not be alarmed when contact was lost I will assume Megan said "my phone is about to die" or whatever. I will also assume that the person, whoever it is, is reporting this truthfully. Otherwise, I would think perhaps this was the point she came to harm and her phone either taken or knocked away. But I'm going on the assumption that she said something to make the other person report that her phone died and it was not huge red flag when contact was lost.
Lake Ray Hubbard
Sat. Morning, around 7:30 AM
Her unidentified body was found close to shore "floating" according to reports but accessible to a bystander that was able to pull her body out of the water. This is around 20-30 miles from Arbor Hills Preserve and her apartment. She was wearing biking type shirt and walking/running type shoes. These have been pictured in the media, pants or shorts not mentioned.
She was not identified until Wed because she was not reported to be missing until Tues. when either friends or family (depending on source being read) became concerned when they did not hear from her over the weekend. No obvious signs of trauma on her body.
Her car was still in her assigned parking spot at her gated apartment complex. A neighbor reported the lights of the Apt were left on Fri night and blinds open. It is reported that her cats, her purse, and her bicycle were found at the Apt. Phone and water bottle were reported missing.
No clues or evidence is discovered at either scene, AH or LRH.
Megan regularly participated with a group of friends in a Friday night game activity. It is not known for a fact if she participated this Friday night or not, but I will assume that since it was a holiday weekend it would not be surprising if no game night was scheduled.
A couple of things going around in my mind-
Like everyone, I am baffled at how and why she ended up being found at LRH.
It was Easter weekend. So she must not have had plans to spend the holiday with friends or family or perhaps she didn't celebrate Easter, either by faith or personal choice. Otherwise, I would assume she would have been reported missing sooner. I also assume friends and family tried to make contact with her over the weekend and finally on Tues they made an official report of her missing due to their concerns.
I find myself suspecting that perhaps she left with someone she knew or at least recognized. Someone she was not expecting to see but did not have an immediate fear of. I think if she was approached by a stranger she would have put up a fierce fight just going by the things we have learned about her level of fitness and independent spirit and some struggle signs would have been noted on her body. The other scenario is that she was followed and was approached from behind (maybe in the parking lot) , unsuspectingly and subdued with a weapon before having time to react and forced into assailant's car. It may have been another resident, an employee, or someone known to another resident and had easy access through the Apt security gates. (it is also not hard to bypass gates in Apt buildings)
It is still possible that she creatively schemed to get to the lake area by herself by some unknown means to harm herself, but I just have trouble with that scenario. I especially don't think she would have chanced that her cats would have been neglected for days in the time that it would have taken to discover her. It is obvious she was devoted to them.
My mind keeps thinking COD may have been drowning which would make it harder to determine if it was deliberate or not. Would DNA evidence be washed away if she was in the water overnight?
I, like others, have come to feel like Megan was a person we all would have enjoyed knowing. She possessed a creative and independent spirit. She loved to travel and made friends in far reaching places. She was curious, kind, smart, funny and colored outside the lines. In fact, she would have been a great contributor to this forum.
I miss her and I never even met her. Rest in peace sweet Megan.
Alethea
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Excellent summary- I agree, it doesn't add up! I looked through the people she followed on instagram and some friends posted a note that she was missing and then memorial posts. It seems she was very loved.
http://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/community/fort-worth/article147864734.html
Just read this article Holy Crap does he have violent tendencies ! Tried to put one victim in a trunk ??
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Just read this article Holy Crap does he have violent tendencies ! Tried to put one victim in a trunk ??
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A scenario I just thought of:
"A family member said they were talking to her on the phone as she was walking through the park around that time when the phone cut out.
'We were able to get cell phone extraction evidence to show she was actually in that park at the time that communication was taking place,' Officer David Tilley of Plano police said.
Getrum lives in the area and frequents the park, but friends and family members became concerned after they did not hear from her over the Easter weekend."
(BBM)
http://www.fox4news.com/news/249485938-story
So the impression I get is that when the phone cut, there wasn't anything obviously suspicious about it; if there was, it seems like whomever Megan was talking to would have reported her missing sooner than Tues. Perhaps it just ran out of battery.
So I am assuming for now that Megan did make it back to her apartment safely. She starts charging her phone (to the best of my knowledge, LE has not said whether the park was the last place her phone was confirmed to have been). She starts playing an online role-playing game. One of the players starts talking to Megan privately via the game and invites her to go with them to the Lake Ray Hubbard area to go "LARP"-ing ("A live action role-playing game (LARP) is a form of role-playing game where the participants physically act out their characters' actions. The players pursue goals within a fictional setting represented by the real world while interacting with each other in character.": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_action_role-playing_game)
No precipitation on Apr. 14th in Dallas, with a low of 66F:
https://www.wunderground.com/histor...reqdb.zip=75023&reqdb.magic=1&reqdb.wmo=99999
Megan agrees to go, and the person says they will pick her up.
"Police are confident Getrum had her phone and a water bottle with her. "
http://www.fox4news.com/news/249485938-story
I have not been able to find anything to confirm that the phone and the water bottle were the only items missing from her apartment. Is it possible that there were items -keys in particular- that were found on her body? I can picture her not taking her wallet if she was only going to go LARPing.
The person picks her up and they head over to LRH. Once there, there is no one else, and Megan realizes she is in trouble. The person harms her, and dumps her in the lake --, while they destroy the phone before discarding it along with her water bottle, or keeps the water bottle as a trophy of sorts.
It seems that if Megan did indeed communicate with someone via an online gaming platform that night, that would make it difficult for LE to track down the other person, that might have had the opportunity to harm her.
She wouldn't go larping with just one person she would go with a group and likely also be found in the clothes for the character and jogger wouldn't be what she was role pkaying as. Elf or something maybe. But she wouldn't leave her wallet and keys at home. I haven't seen anything say for sure her phone went dead but I think she would be out of her jogging type clothes once she got home if she planned to play video games. Cause those aren't exactly comfy to sit and game in. And she wouldn't go role play with one stranger off a game it would be a friend who would probably text or message her and they'd find record of it. Since she has a group of friends who it seems to say do that together. I also think they could somehow figure if she was gaming because on world of Warcraft it would tell me the last time someone was on or how many hours ago if I remember right. So any friends could come forward and let the cops know because they'd see that the timeline makes it seem she never went home and would want to correct that. And she likely would have spoke to them since I know I would message my regular game friends once on and talk in guild chats and such.
Now even though I don't believe she ever made it home doesn't mean it isn't a stalker from a game or a creepy dude from her role playing friends group who somehow knew she was out there and showed up without telling her or bringing his phone since that risks it pinging. But she for sure wouldn't be doing any sort of larp or role play with two people and as someone who's friends do these things I am 98% sure on that.
There wouldn't be anything at an event that they'd be hiding in. They'd be having sword fights and such all in costume and she would bring her keys and wallet and likely drive herself. Cause I doubt she would want to have to have a acquaintance do so. And would maybe need her ID ir wallet if it's something like an event put on by something. And her friends would have said she never made it to the event and would have known she planned to go. Someone so tech savvy would have probably had a reminder set and had it as accepted on the event page invite and it wouldn't be at night and it was basically dark when she got off the phone and I've never heard of any event for one that's at night. Dungeons and dragons type stuff she could do at night but that would be with her group and on a set day and time and they'd mention her not making it cause they'd be worried and can't really do it without everyone involved so they'd know she knew that.
Sorry if I sound like I'm shooting ideas down I'm just very familiar with this type of nerdy stuff and know the scenario isn't likely. I think she would be more likely to meet with a dude in some dating app but they'd have record of the messages. And if she was planning to larp or cosplay they'd find her outfits for it likely set out. Now if they had done some earlier that day and the dude stalked her after then that I could see. But she just wouldn't have gone anywhere without her stuff and only did in this case because she lived next to it. But she either had to have a spare key or keypad or she did make it home and he was waiting inside because if her keys are inside then how would she get back in? I don't see her making it home but the only reason I am iffy on it is because of her keys being inside
I haven't heard anything confirm her phone died or not yet. So the killer could have turned it off and they assumed it means dead or she turned it off to conserve the last bit of battery but maybe he left it somewhere on the preserve with the water bottle where she was attacked which shouldn't they be able to find evidence of the struggle from?
I agree about how confusing it is they don't sayfor sure if it's texts or talking but texts would be less concerning since if she didn't at least text and say sorry my battery died I know I would find it weird. Because my mind would think oh she will call me back maybe she lost service or battery died(tho I doubt she would be calling if it was low and does the whole area have service?) and when it didn't happen I would be like is she mad at me what did I do or say is she hurt etc cause she was off the beaten path at basically dark and then didn't get back to her so that would worry me after however long with a call back. Could he have pulled a gun iutand yold her to Turn off her phone? I assume they'd heard that but I fully believe it must be texting because otherwise the person would be worried after an hour or so:
You have mean idea,so they describe her clothes and shoes and not bottoms so does this point to rape more so? If you think about it the stuff she had on was all vague generic clothing and so they could easily have gave the same type of description for the bottom as well since the more people know what to look for the better. The bike shirt thing I can't tell if it means like a skin tight jacket type bike thing or what. But no bottoms being mentioned it almost like saying assaulted without saying it. Cause I feel they'd mention them if she has them on since anything can help someone recall seeing her and someone may have seen someone that maybe was her and the bottoms could be what makes them go yes it was her! Also if her phone didn't die was she listening to music and made herself easy to sneak up on by chance?
I think that's how Megan was moved to the lake but do the toll booths have workers in them that would hear if someone was alive in a trunk and cameras?
Also I don't think Easter would cancel game night. If anything more people to play with could be around but her family must not be religious if they didn't find it odd she didn't join them unless they reported her missing cause of it. And maybe her game night friends wanted to report her missing but not enough time went by yet and they had to wait and then maybe Sunday her family talked to one asking where she was and beteeen the two they decided to file the missing persons.
Cause if she's as nerdy and a regular gamer then her not showing up or telling them would be a red flag and maybe one of them was who she spoke to before her phone did whatever it did so they hoped maybe she was just sick
Cause if she's as nerdy and a regular gamer then her not showing up or telling them would be a red flag and maybe one of them was who she spoke to before her phone did whatever it did so they hoped maybe she was just sick
Meletx
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No toll booths
Meletx
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JMO, I doubt she planned to meet up with anyone considering she was found in her "biking" attire. It just appears to me that she was still in the attire that she was wearing at the preserve. All of her belongings except her phone and water bottle were found in her apt. Also my opinion, but I am only assuming LE didn't state what her shorts looked like because they were too generic/don't stand out as opposed to the brightly colored shirt/shoes. I say this because they stated there were no signs of foul play. I feel like if she was found with no bottoms, perhaps their statement would be just a bit different, idk.
Meletx
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I can't remember, but didn't LE state that her keys were found in her apt? Did she leave her door unlocked so she could get back in or have a spare key on her somewhere when she was at the preserve? Or, typically keep a spare key on her when she went to the preserve?
Huh someone said there were ones they'd have to pass through. But toll or no toll my question mainly is are those operated by people and do they have cameras? In Oregon we lack them but anytime someone said she would have gone through toll booths it's what I wonder
Do you have a link to the thing saying no foul play? Everything I saw made it sound like they either hadn't said or weren't sure. I don't think she went to meet anyone either but I do feel giving her full description would help since they'd know if they saw someone more so if they list all the clothes cause the shoes and shirt sounded generic to me honestly and I can't even picture what type of shirt they mean. Like is it a shirt with a bike on it a shirt that's a bike brand or a shirt for biking is what I keep thinking. And brightly colored shoes like that are everywhere in Oregon at least so it just seems like it would be better to give a full description if they're looking for people who may have seen her like they mention.
I've wanted to know the answer to this myself. Because I don't know if someone here just said her keys were in there or if keys haven't been mentioned at all and they assumed. Cause I just don't see how she could leave them in without leaving her door unlocked or having a spare or something.
So then would there be any type of cameras between where she lived and the lake that could see her if she was in a car?
Depending on the route about 5 . That would capture the License plate for billing purposes .
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Alethea
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Here's a tweet from Plano PD with a picture of the bike shirt and shoes she was last wearing.
[video=twitter;855229559633043457]https://twitter.com/planopolicedept/status/855229559633043457[/video]
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[video=twitter;855229559633043457]https://twitter.com/planopolicedept/status/855229559633043457[/video]
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