WA - Mackenzie Cowell, 17, Wenatchee, 9 Feb 2010 - #14

[ahsgramma]

What did concern me about this lady was some of her friends on FB that are into ultimate fighting. Based on that and what she has said it seems like a group that is comfortable with violence, maybe just in the ring but maybe outside the ring as well.

One of those fighters is her son.

 

[Dogdad]

So...are they still using tape or is this data recorded on disc...digitally?

"tape" is just a term. Hey at least I have restrained from all the acronyms:crazy:

 

[thecrux]

Most gang members in this town would need a public defender and that could not happen until after they were arrested.

No anytime you reqquest a lawyer u get it. If you lawyer up and they ddont have enough to charge you. They llet u go

 

[Dogdad]

I dont think that he would mind if i post this but this is his response to my question regarding the boat launch.



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Happy to help if/when I can, LB.

Short answer to your question is - no. Texting pings are no different than call pings.

The only way to be as precise as I believe LE is telling you is by the process of elimination if there are several Verizon towers in close proximity surrounding the locations of interest.

In general terms, the tower closest to the phone will carry the call. This can change because of heavy volume on a given tower, so it isn't always perfectly reliable, but, all things being equal...the closest tower will car a call. IF there are other towers surrounding the area...you can refine where the call originated by looking at the circle around those towers and determining that the phone must've been closer to the tower that carried the call. A bit confusing...I hope that helps. See the exception * below.

It would help to put the Verizon towers on the map that pufnstuf created. Then we could start narrowing things down.

It would also help if the family accessed their Verizon account online and let you know something about that ~5:45PM transmission. Call/text to/from whom. Just a wild guess...but I believe I read something about an LE presser where the speaker may have slipped and said something about Mackenzie being injuried...that might be the case if the ~5:45PM transmission were a 911 call from her cell that hasn't been released. That is pure speculation though...just FYI.

*If Mackenzie subscribed to a GPS tracking service, then her phone would provide exact coordinates vs. cell tower ping sectors. If that were the case, LE could be as specific as they are indicating.

I started to try and address everything in this and gave up... I'll summarize it, some is true, some is close. If GPS were enabled this case would be in trial mode.

 

[Dogdad]

darn it... after reading it again I have to respond. be patient, this might take awhile

 

[Moonsabove]

"When her body was found, that access situation changed and investigators sent out letters asking several cell phone companies to preserve data while the investigators pursued search warrants."

"investigators sent out letters" I hope they didn't send them by mail!!

 

[Dogdad]

I dont think that he would mind if i post this but this is his response to my question regarding the boat launch.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Happy to help if/when I can, LB.

Short answer to your question is - no. Texting pings are no different than call pings.

The only way to be as precise as I believe LE is telling you is by the process of elimination if there are several Verizon towers in close proximity surrounding the locations of interest.

In general terms, the tower closest to the phone will carry the call. This can change because of heavy volume on a given tower, so it isn't always perfectly reliable, but, all things being equal...the closest tower will car a call. IF there are other towers surrounding the area...you can refine where the call originated by looking at the circle around those towers and determining that the phone must've been closer to the tower that carried the call. A bit confusing...I hope that helps. See the exception * below.

It would help to put the Verizon towers on the map that pufnstuf created. Then we could start narrowing things down.

It would also help if the family accessed their Verizon account online and let you know something about that ~5:45PM transmission. Call/text to/from whom. Just a wild guess...but I believe I read something about an LE presser where the speaker may have slipped and said something about Mackenzie being injuried...that might be the case if the ~5:45PM transmission were a 911 call from her cell that hasn't been released. That is pure speculation though...just FYI.

*If Mackenzie subscribed to a GPS tracking service, then her phone would provide exact coordinates vs. cell tower ping sectors. If that were the case, LE could be as specific as they are indicating.

Cant do it... There is no way I can correct these statements without sounding like an *advertiser censored* and I dont want to do that.

 

[sunhaven]

Dogdad, what do you make of the "missing data". Is there any chance for recovery?
Even erased hard drives have recoverable data

And there was this slight implication in that paragraph that the missing phone records were somewhat suspicious in their timing----Set A was available then a key portion was missing right after that (Set B) and then Set C was available. Then there were phone records of other people (other than MC) that were missing in certain time slots too. It made me feel suspicious---like someone knew which ones to purge?........I hate conspiracy theories but that is what the hair on my neck felt after reading Harum's statement in WW tonight.

 

[ahsgramma]

No anytime you reqquest a lawyer u get it. If you lawyer up and they ddont have enough to charge you. They llet u go

you are correct. If you are being questioned you have the right to a lawyer before answering. But if not being questioned you would need to be charged first.

 

[No More]

"When her body was found, that access situation changed and investigators sent out letters asking several cell phone companies to preserve data while the investigators pursued search warrants."

"investigators sent out letters" I hope they didn't send them by mail!!

Yeah that would be a stunning screw-up and unfortunate. I'd be calling, faxing and at their door in person immediately. Speculation: maybe that is why they've asked the US Attorney and National Sheriffs Association to get involved, to set up a national protocol for immediacy, like the Amber Alert.

 

[No More]

Cant do it... There is no way I can correct these statements without sounding like an *advertiser censored* and I dont want to do that.

I think it's ok Dogdad. I'm sure we all read what you wrote before and I certainly got most of it.

 

[Dogdad]

And there was this slight implication in that paragraph that the missing phone records were somewhat suspicious in their timing----Set A was available then a key portion was missing right after that (Set B) and then Set C was available. Then there were phone records of other people (other than MC) that were missing in certain time slots too. It made me feel suspicious---like someone knew which ones to purge?........I hate conspiracy theories but that is what the hair on my neck felt after reading Harum's statement in WW tonight.

Assuming that the statement was even true... It is not even plausible from the wireless point of view. Repeat after me... Do not believe everything you hear:crazy:

 

[lbpom63]

"Cant do it... There is no way I can correct these statements without sounding like an *advertiser censored* and I dont want to do that. "

snipped by me.

really, that bad?

 

[Dogdad]

I think it's ok Dogdad. I'm sure we all read what you wrote before and I certainly got most of it.

That darn elephant.... lol

 

[Dogdad]

"Cant do it... There is no way I can correct these statements without sounding like an *advertiser censored* and I dont want to do that. "

snipped by me.

really, that bad?

no, and please dont take it that way. Wireless networks are very complexed. If you work for one you gain alot of knowledge about "that" network. If you are sleuthing, you can gain alot of vague knowledge but still not completely understand a network. Know what I mean? For that matter you can be an A side TDMA expert and be clueless about how a CDMA network operates. THere are sooo many variables in either. I've said it over and over site triangulation data is circumstantial evidence at best.
For the record AT&T/Cingular is TDMA (time divison multiple access) Verizon is CDMA (Code Division Multiple access)

 

[FILL IN THE BLANKS]

Hello. First time posting here.
Happy B-Day MacKenzie. Although I did not know MC personally, I have followed this case from the beginning. I am here in Wenatchee Valley along with other WS. This was a very shocking / sad event and I believe JUSTICE will be served to person(s) responsible for this horrible crime.

 

[AutumnRose]

What did concern me about this lady was some of her friends on FB that are into ultimate fighting. Based on that and what she has said it seems like a group that is comfortable with violence, maybe just in the ring but maybe outside the ring as well.

And...doesn't one of her friends work in a correctional facility?
Heeeellllllllooooooooow? McFly??????? :shakehead:

 

[Dogdad]

And...doesn't one of her friends work in a correctional facility?
Heeeellllllllooooooooow? McFly??????? :shakehead:

I've followed her account for awhile and I've put in a requisition for a loose screw.

 

[giddyup]

Right, but they focus on cross-border stuff. Child sex tourism, etc.

I don't see why there'd be anything related to child *advertiser censored* in this case, though?

PaulR, I believe it is worth your while to explore the ICE website. Yes, they focus on "cross-border stuff," but I suspect you are missing the full scope of work that is encompassed by special agents. I have relations to ICE agents.

I agree, I have yet to see or read any evidence in this case related to child exploitation. But, we do not know for sure.

My originating response to you was based on your statement that if child *advertiser censored* was involved "the FBI would be there." The FBI is/has been here. And, so has ICE. The explanation as to why ICE is involved...could certainly be for numerous reasons, which is not limited to child sex tourism or foreign nationals, as was previously indicated. Not saying it couldn't be -- it is just not the limited scope that ICE works within.

 

[girlfawkes]

Haha, saw you comment on WenWorld, Dogdad. Made me LOL.

I have a question, based on his comments.

"Harum said he does not know when the records were purged, and he noted that some companies purge data on a regular basis. He said he also doesn’t know which 12-hour period is missing or whether it was before or after she went missing.

Scott Charlston, a spokesman for Verizon, said he was not familiar with the case but would research the situation before making a comment.

Harum said Verizon was the carrier for Cowell’s phone. Certaiin cell phone records of people who were associated with Cowell are also missing, he said. He did not know what periods were missing.

He said he found the missing data situation puzzling because Verizon was able to provide data for Cowell’s phone before and after the purged 12-hour period."

Wouldn't the missing data obviously be before the phone was turned off and/or destroyed? If they have the text/call/ping records on the day she disappeared, it seems rather obvious to me that the data was from before this time. Unless the criminal was too stupid to disable the phone, in which case it would be a real tragedy if info from that time period was gone.

And, is this data retrievable through forensics? Or should it be assumed gone forever?