GUILTY VA - Tina Smith, 41, slain, 12yo daughter abducted, Salem, 2 Dec 2010 - #8

[duckingoff]

snipped from article:
Wallace says they don't know how much money was raised for the Smith family tonight. All of the donations were given in sealed envelops. She says they did not open the envelopes and gave them directly to Ben Smith.

Is anyone else a little bothered by this? What exactly does the Smith family need this money for? The dad is a police officer and I'm sure has excellent medical benefits that will pay for all the counseling Brittany will need. Personally, I would be a lot less bothered if the money collected would have been donated to a missing child's organization. But maybe it's just me.

I have doubts that the Smith family requested the donations. He may very well donate to his church or charity for all we know. As far as coverage for counceling. I'm on the VA state employee medical plan. There is a limit the the number of counceling sessions covered at 100%. It quickly goes to being costly if you are in need of in depth treatment. My deductable goes up to $70 per session after 3 visits. If someone needed to go weekly it could definately add up. The avg police officer in VA makes $55k. That's not a lot of money IMO.

 

[salvarenga]

I have doubts that the Smith family requested the donations. He may very well donate to his church or charity for all we know. As far as coverage for counceling. I'm on the VA state employee medical plan. There is a limit the the number of counceling sessions covered at 100%. It quickly goes to being costly if you are in need of in depth treatment. My deductable goes up to $70 per session after 3 visits. If someone needed to go weekly it could definately add up. The avg police officer in VA makes $55k. That's not a lot of money IMO.

Agreed, our insurance is through my husband's work and I think we have great coverage but we also have a limit on the amount of therapy sessions per year and the co-pay for those visits is considered a specialist co-pay. Normal co-pay is $25 but specialist is $40.

 

[hollyblue]

http://www.dailypress.com/news/brea...omed-home-1220-20101220101220,0,1273532.story
Brittany Smith welcomed home after alleged abduction
Those who came were invited to make "love offerings" of cards or money.

A love offering is usually given by members of a community or the church. It's a gift of love given to it's recipients for health and healing.

 

[Lysistrata]

South Boston/Halifax Co., VA is very southern and very rural. This is what people do there. It used to be gifts of fried chicken, potato salad or a cake/pie until so many folks quit cooking so much. I am not making fun or being sarcastic at all ...I've been there, know a few folks there, and live in an area very much like SoBo/Halifax. It simply says, "We care". I doubt that too much money was raised and whatever it was, I don't think BS's father/family will misuse it. Like was previously stated, the family didn't ask for any of the donations.

When my mother died some years ago, an acquaintance of mine in MN sent me a $20 check. I was completely taken aback as money wasn't an issue at all and he didn't request that it be donated to a charity we'd listed in her obit. When I thanked him, I also asked him why he'd sent it. He said that's what folks do in his little corner of the world. Local customs vary on lots of things, I guess.

On a different note, my biggest fear re: BS's future is that there won't be a qualified therapist within easy driving distance. I know first-hand what exists in community mental health centers and I know that neither I nor my former colleagues would have ever felt qualified to deal with such serious issues. My greatest hope is that neither she nor her family will think driving 150-200 miles RT is an imposition...that they'll see it as absolutely vital to her healing. I hope too that someone knows who actually is qualified to undertake long-term counseling with this child. It will be costly and time-consuming, even with insurance.

BS should be able to draw Social Security survivorship benefits from her mother's death. I hope that her father will direct a significant portion of that money, if necessary, to obtain good counseling.

Oh...PS: One of the mods on the Justice for TS FB page did comment that she hadn't seen celebratory things like this on for BS for returning soldiers from Iraq/Afghanistan, including her own husband, and thought that was odd/interesting (something to that effect). She and the other mod knew Tina, I think from the support group for kids lost to 'the choking game'.

 

[waxer1]

Personally, I think there is more to this story than meets the eye. I am keeping my own counsel on this...Just a gut feeling.

 

[georgiajean]

May be temporarily out of service, but the FB page in question is not coming up any more.
Not a bad thing, IMO.

 

[TexasLil]

May be temporarily out of service, but the FB page in question is not coming up any more.
Not a bad thing, IMO.

It's coming up now.

 

[georgiajean]

Yeah, it is.
I was watching the "discussion" about charges against JE, with increasing concerns, and was thinking yay, someone took it down. Things are being posted that just don't need to be talked about. Things that would have flown under the radar if the admin/mod hadn't posted about them.
Going off to find some salt....

 

[impatientredhead]

As many defense attorneys that offer their services for free I would hope that if it was needed a fine professional in mental health would offer their time to BS.

In our state there is a fund that victims of crimes can apply to for specific costs incurred do to being crime victim can be reimbursed. If dad does need additional help that may be somewhere he wants to look.

TS had a nice home, I would assume insurance, there is an estate there of some sort, dad has a job and insurance, crime victims assistance and the community cares about this case.

BS is way ahead of the curve in this particular area than a lot of victims. She should have access to all the help she is willing to accept.

 

[georgiajean]

Personally, I think there is more to this story than meets the eye. I am keeping my own counsel on this...Just a gut feeling.

I agree. I trust her father and LE to take it from here. There is nothing more the WS community can do for BS, in my opinion. There are no more clues to uncover, no links to examine and ponder. She is home, JE is in jail, and the story will unfold eventually.

 

[passionflower]

BS may need the money later for legal councel.
I would think a lawyer to guard her, help her on the right track.
After all, BS may be a witness to what happened to her mom, and is a witness to her kidnapping.
So if she were my daughter, I would have counselors and a lawyer to be on her side asap. JMOO

 

[catydid]

As many defense attorneys that offer their services for free I would hope that if it was needed a fine professional in mental health would offer their time to BS.

In our state there is a fund that victims of crimes can apply to for specific costs incurred do to being crime victim can be reimbursed. If dad does need additional help that may be somewhere he wants to look.

TS had a nice home, I would assume insurance, there is an estate there of some sort, dad has a job and insurance, crime victims assistance and the community cares about this case.

BS is way ahead of the curve in this particular area than a lot of victims. She should have access to all the help she is willing to accept.

I wouldn't put a lot into the estate being worth a whole lot. The real estate market took a dive and she may owe more on her house than it's worth. She may also have debt that will need to be paid out of the estate. I don't know what kind of life insurance she had, but funerals are expensive, even for just the basics.

 

[brighidin]

Where I live, people have 'socials' if money needs to be raised. A hall will be rented, sometimes a band is hired, gifts are donated for a silent auction, and you get a liquor license. I'd never heard of it until I moved here.

Recently, a mother and father were killed in a car crash, leaving 5 boys, four of whom were in the mini van with their parents. The eldest, who is 19, decided he would take care of his brothers since both parents died. A social was held and money could be donated at two other places.

Some people, mostly in the online comments of the newspaper expressed concern that a 'social' was inappropriate, and that the boys should have their parent's insurance payout, so why were donations being solicited. One boy, by the way, was paralysed from the waist down and another sustained a brain injury in the crash.

I'm of the mind that in times of trouble, peopple feel like they want to help out any way they can. I don't want to take that away from people. Of course it bugs me when people like the Anthony's try to profit off of tragedy, but 99.99% of the time intentions are good, I suspect.

Personally, I keep my grief private, but I think that if one of my children was kidnapped and they came back, I'd throw a big effin party that lasted a looong time!!!

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Mish]

With regard to Brittany's "emotions" during her Mom's funeral...

I think the public (in general) needs to realize that children do not always respond to tragedy in what we might consider as "socially acceptable".

My Dad died when I was a teenager; not a day goes by that I still don't wish he was with us, and he died back in 1986. During the visitation portion of his funeral, my best friend was there for emotional support. And I remember smelling a floral arrangement and getting a static "shock"; for some bizarre reason I burst out laughing and could not stop. I was devastated by my father's death, yet sat there laughing like an idiot.

Imagine what a reporter would have written if I had been under a microscope like Brittany. Point is, children don't always react the same as adults but it does not mean she isn't just as devastated about losing her mom. Hearts can take only so much before it goes into "protect" mode and this 12 year old has been through a LOT of tragedy the past couple years. Grieving is a unique and personal process and she will have to find her own path to peace and acceptance of this new reality.

May God wrap her in His love and comfort.

~Mish

 

[x_files]

With the cost of tattoos, I'm willing to bet he knew someone who did them. He's easily got a couple of grand in ink on him. Just judging by the pictures, it appears that whomever did them knew what they were doing...with the exception of the sun. I also find it crazily ironic that he has the Eye of Providence which is a symbol of the Masons and stands for an all-knowing God.

He may have had a friend that did it for free or for cost, but the quality of tattoo work is very poor. I hope he didn't pay much for the work.

 

[illeKllaH]

He may have had a friend that did it for free or for cost, but the quality of tattoo work is very poor. I hope he didn't pay much for the work.

The quality really isn't that bad...except for the sun. That's just horrendous. I had my cousin look at them because he is an artist and he said it was pretty much the quality of work you can get around here. He also said the large tribals were probably upwards of 4-500 each.


As far as her emotions at the funeral, my best friend lost her father unexpectedly last November. Total daddy's girl. She was Facebooking everything going on, acting like nothing had happened. At the viewing and funeral, not one tear was shed by her. She was laughing with friends and other times it was like she wanted nothing to do with all of it. She even had the song "Dance with my Father" by Luther Vandross played which we were all sure would make her break down. Nothing. It all hit her about 6 weeks later when Christmas time rolled around and it was a breakdown of monumental proportions.

 

[lonetraveler]

I've been sick in bed for a week (took a flu shot and got the flu), and had company over the, could someone please catch me up on any charges filed in this case. Last I heard, he had been charged with kidnapping and with using the credit cards; have any additional charges been made? Any links available for a quick status catchup would be greatly appreciated too? Thank in advance.

 

[lonetraveler]

BS may need the money later for legal councel.
I would think a lawyer to guard her, help her on the right track.
After all, BS may be a witness to what happened to her mom, and is a witness to her kidnapping.
So if she were my daughter, I would have counselors and a lawyer to be on her side asap. JMOO

I must say that I agree. I've been a bit surprised that her father did not get her an attorney before she was even questioned in CA.

 

[lonetraveler]

I agree. I trust her father and LE to take it from here. There is nothing more the WS community can do for BS, in my opinion. There are no more clues to uncover, no links to examine and ponder. She is home, JE is in jail, and the story will unfold eventually.

Actually, this is usually just the beginning of a case on WS. There are many unknowns in this case and just waiting to be sleuthed and investigated. The WS sleuthers on this site have just had their appetizers.............:dance:

 

[x_files]

The quality really isn't that bad...except for the sun. That's just horrendous. I had my cousin look at them because he is an artist and he said it was pretty much the quality of work you can get around here. He also said the large tribals were probably upwards of 4-500 each.

I maybe spoiled because I have tattoo artists friends that extremely talented.
But, standard run of the mill work, perhaps.
If he paid $500 for that tribal work he was ripped off.

yeah, grief is a really weird thing I do agree with you. Not sure we can analyze BS reactions, I'll leave that to a psychoanalyst.