GUILTY TX - Zoe Hastings, 18, abducted & murdered, Dallas, 11 Oct 2015

[cocomod]

I honestly have a feeling that this is a local kid that had a crush that was not reciprocated. I think that she knew the perp; but, she was surprised by the attack. This feels like something that should be solved quickly, the attack and such seems too hasty. I have so much empathy for her parents.

 

[Sulamith]

They do the door knocking stuff when they go on a mission as youths, they don't pester people to convert otherwise though, which is very nice. The Mormons I have known were very nice and happy to socialize with non-Mormons.

LDS may not have outreach programs but they are big into prepping (storing food supplies), they have warehouses that sell long term storage food supplies in every major city, the warehouses are primarily for the LDS community but they are also open to non-Mormons at the same prices.

If she was approached by a stranger in the parking lot I have to think it was because she was "too nice to be rude", a very common trait for young women. Some guy comes up asking a question and seeming friendly and while the woman feels very unsafe she is more afraid of "being rude" right up until the knife or gun comes out.

Speaking of rude, I just found this blog post from The Dallas Morning News:

"Could rudeness have helped Zoe Hastings?"

http://thescoopblog.dallasnews.com/2015/10/could-rudeness-have-helped-zoe-hastings.html/

 

[dianewms]

Nothing was said about a computer.

 

[dianewms]

I honestly have a feeling that this is a local kid that had a crush that was not reciprocated. I think that she knew the perp; but, she was surprised by the attack. This feels like something that should be solved quickly, the attack and such seems too hasty. I have so much empathy for her parents.

Have you read his description?

 

[dianewms]

Oh ridiculousness. If I thought someone was going to call ancestry com I would not have written that. Please do not call anyone personally about something I have written. Just use it to make people use their brains and theories. There is a way to submit dna anonymously. How then can it be illegal? It can't be. They are not going to arrest you. For the person writing about outreach programs you are on the wrong track. Catholics and non denims do have outreach programs but for the most part that is not the LDS method. Chances of Zoe meeting someone through church outreach is about zero in my opinion. At this point I believe it was random. However dogs could still track scent and cell phone towers still give off info esp if for some reason the Val's were handed off from one to another which they probably were not if the van did not travel far. If they were by chance you would look for her phone signal and the perps to be switched in the same time frame as the van traveled. If the perp did not have a cell phone then this method won't work.

I think this was completely random probably a sexual assault or robbery and she fought back and wrecked the van hoping to get away or attract attention. When the perp realized he wasn't in control he killed her. Completely random

Read again. I did not call Ancestry.com. I called the police. The police can only get someones DNA with approval or with a court order or at a crime scene. It is illegal for them to go through Ancestry.com.

 

[Sulamith]

Video I had not seen before. Shows Walgreens, Redbox, sign the van crashed into and short interview with friends of the Hastings who lived right by the sign.

http://www.fox4news.com/news/36580286-story

 

[Cryptic]

LDS do seem to keep pretty much to them selves. We had a family living behind us. They were wonderful neighbors but they never knocked on doors or advertised for members. Their daughter and our granddaughter were great friends and she was a lovely girl.

My understanding is that Mormons never go door to door looking for converts amongst their neighbors. Rather, Mormons from other areas specifically working as missionaries do this.

 

[Cryptic]

But what keeps going round and round as I think about it is why would she slide over and let somebody take the wheel without protesting?

I agree.

In addition, the victim did not try to just keep sliding out of the car. Though it is entirely possible that the perpetrator showed a weapon and she was overcome by shock and complied, I think it is likely that most people would still make at least a token effort to flee and would need to yelled at, or grabbed to be forced back into total compliance. Others here dont buy the social out reach aquantiance possibility and have cited that Mormon churches / temples dont do alot of community out reach. They are probably right.

But... that still leaves the possibility that she, as an individual was doing social out reach sponsored by other groups. Maybe literacy programs, soup kitchen, employment counceling, at risk youth counceling where the perpetrator is a relative of one at risk, who knows. She then becomes acquantinces with the perpetrator. When he approaches her at the store, she is surprised, but not terrified. She agrees in general terms to drive him somwhere as there is an "emergency". He then quickly takes over.

 

[Sulamith]

Have you read his description?

I honestly have a feeling that this is a local kid that had a crush that was not reciprocated. I think that she knew the perp; but, she was surprised by the attack. This feels like something that should be solved quickly, the attack and such seems too hasty. I have so much empathy for her parents.

I have a feeling she knew the murderer too. I believe what the witness at Walgreens said but I am not sure it was Zoe she saw.

dianewms, Zoe could have had a black acquaintance, I don't know, but your question was a bit off-putting to me. MOO

 

[Cardinal47]

Speaking of rude, I just found this blog post from The Dallas Morning News:

"Could rudeness have helped Zoe Hastings?"

http://thescoopblog.dallasnews.com/2015/10/could-rudeness-have-helped-zoe-hastings.html/

Thank you for the article. I read it and one thing that caught my attention is it seems there were TWO witnesses in the Walgreens parking lot.

From the above article;

But police said today they are seeking a man seen talking with a young woman who may have been Hastings in a minivan in a drugstore parking lot. One witness saw the man talking to a young woman who fit Hasting’s description before she got into the vehicle; another saw the young woman move to the passenger seat of the van while the man got behind the wheel.

 

[dianewms]

edited

 

[Cryptic]

<modsnip>

I have a feeling she knew the murderer too.

Which leads to the possibility that she was acquanted with a homeless person, in this case black, via community out reach. I can understand that Mormons churches might not do alot of orgainized community out reach, but what about her as an individual through other groups (literacy, employment counceling, soup kitchen, neighborhood clean up)?

There is the distinct possibility that a witness saw her speaking to the perpetrator outside of the van. The witness did not relate that she looked stressed, agitated or afraid which could indicate a weapon shown or a threat being made. Rather, her apparently normal demeanor could imply that she knew him in a general sense and was listening to a pitch about an "emergency" and the need to be driven somewhere close by.

PS. I live in Dallas and I am willing to help any way that I can. Please let us know if additional neighborhood efforts are being orgainized.

 

[aviatrix]

I am thinking she was stabbed and pretended she was dead. She then waited for the perp to leave and tried to drive to the church. The church would be where she would go. She could not find her cell phone or had no signal or whatever

 

[EnvoyDriver61]

Thanks for the video link. It narrowed down the speed limit sign and direction the car was traveling. This was the sign on Peavy on north side of street just past the Newcombe/Peavy intersection as car was traveling NW (i.e., back toward the Walgreens). If you go to Google Maps and enter 1991 Peavy Rd, Dallas, TX, go to street view and you can see both speed limit signs. It fits a return trip to her neighborhood/familiar place, IMO.

I really believe the police should look at security cameras, if installed, from the high school there.

 

[Sulamith]

Thanks for the video link. It narrowed down the speed limit sign and direction the car was traveling. This was the sign on Peavy on north side of street just past the Newcombe/Peavy intersection as car was traveling NW (i.e., back toward the Walgreens). If you go to Google Maps and enter 1991 Peavy Rd, Dallas, TX, go to street view and you can see both speed limit signs. It fits a return trip to her neighborhood/familiar place, IMO.

I really believe the police should look at security cameras, if installed, from the high school there.

There is another thing about what the LEO said in the video that puzzles me. http://www.fox4news.com/news/36580286-story

SNIP: " Additionally, police say Hastings&#8217; minivan crashed into a speed limit sign near the intersection of Newcombe Drive and Peavy Road between 4:40 and 5 p.m. on Oct. 11. Police believe an unknown female saw that collision, and they would like to speak with her or anyone else who saw the collision."

Why do police believe that? Was there another witness that witnessed the "unknown female" witnessing the collision with the speed limit sign?

Thoughts anyone?

 

[bessie]

There is another thing about what the LEO said in the video that puzzles me. http://www.fox4news.com/news/36580286-story

SNIP: " Additionally, police say Hastings’ minivan crashed into a speed limit sign near the intersection of Newcombe Drive and Peavy Road between 4:40 and 5 p.m. on Oct. 11. Police believe an unknown female saw that collision, and they would like to speak with her or anyone else who saw the collision."

Why do police believe that? Was there another witness that witnessed the "unknown female" witnessing the collision with the speed limit sign?

Thoughts anyone?

She might have mentioned it to someone who LE talked with later. Say for instance, she was buying gas or groceries afterward, and made a passing remark to a cashier that she'd just seen a bad wreck. Then, when LE was questioning people in the area, the cashier passed along the information.

Another possibility is that someone called LE to report an accident at a particular location, but hung up without providing further information.

 

[Sonya610]

Read again. I did not call Ancestry.com. I called the police. The police can only get someones DNA with approval or with a court order or at a crime scene. It is illegal for them to go through Ancestry.com.

Of course it is. Plus the police wouldn't be asking for ONE person's DNA sample they would be asking for a huge part of the private database.

No judge would issue a warrant for that, and no private organization would ever willingly hand over their members dna info. If they did they might as well close up shop because that would be a massive breach of trust and folks would never share dna info with them again.

Ancestry.com was started by the Mormons in order to identify distant deceased relatives, they do baptisms in the name of dead relatives in order to save those souls (yes really).

 

[Sonya610]

SNIP: " Additionally, police say Hastings&#8217; minivan crashed into a speed limit sign near the intersection of Newcombe Drive and Peavy Road between 4:40 and 5 p.m. on Oct. 11. Police believe an unknown female saw that collision, and they would like to speak with her or anyone else who saw the collision."

Why do police believe that? Was there another witness that witnessed the "unknown female" witnessing the collision with the speed limit sign?

Thoughts anyone?

My guess is they were canvassing the local homeless population and perhaps some folks told them that a woman claimed to have seen it. It appears there are a lot of people in that area that "stay off the radar" just like the man who originally spotted the vehicle.

Kind of creepy IMO.

 

[bessie]

Of course it is. Plus the police wouldn't be asking for ONE person's DNA sample they would be asking for a huge part of the private database.

No judge would issue a warrant for that, and no private organization would ever willingly hand over their members dna info. If they did they might as well close up shop because that would be a massive breach of trust and folks would never share dna info with them again.

Ancestry.com was started by the Mormons in order to identify distant deceased relatives, they do baptisms in the name of dead relatives in order to save those souls (yes really).

I believe the idea was that if one had the DNA of an unknown subject in one's possession, one could submit the sample, and in return receive a list of relatives' names. From those names, one could ultimately ID the DNA owner.

Yes, definitely illegal.

 

[Cardinal47]

Just this morning thinking about the Hanna Graham murderer and how video was put out immediately and Jesse Mathews was identified and captured.

Once they identified him from pictures from video they plastered his photo everywhere.

That's how that lady on the beach in Texas knew the guy in the tent was Jesse.

One of the very best investigations and capture ever.

We need to see video and the public can help!