WI WI - James Yoblonski, 13, took family's car, found on USH 12, may be in Devil's Lake State Park area, Baraboo, 12 Jun 2023 *reward*

[cuffem]

Second paragraph


William Yoblonski reported his son, James Yoblonski, missing on June 12 to the Sauk County authorities, saying the 13-year-old fled their Reedsburg home in the family van overnight, possibly with William's handgun.

MSN

Sorry, I read right pass that, my eyesights bad. This case is very confusing and could go any direction.

 

[JennieM]

What we know about James Yoblonski, the Wisconsin boy who went missing near Devil's Lake State Park

What we know about James Yoblonski, the Wisconsin boy who went missing near Devil's Lake State Park

After 2 months, a teen boy from south-central Wisconsin remains missing, possibly, authorities say, living off the grid near Devil's Lake State Park.

eu.jsonline.com

 

[Regal Beagle]

So irregardless, dad's handgun is missing. Whether it was in the van or taken by an unknown person from the van or his residence.Is that correct?

 

[JennieM]

So irregardless, dad's handgun is missing. Whether it was in the van or taken by an unknown person from the van or his residence.Is that correct?

The gun is missing but they don't know if James has it.

"Sauk County Sheriff Chip Meister said the family also informed deputies a handgun was missing from the home, adding it was not known if the boy has the gun."

Father of missing 13-year-old Sauk Co. boy offers reward

The father of a missing 13-year-old Sauk Co. boy is offering a reward for his son’s return.

www.nbc15.com

 

[cuffem]

If James took the gun to run off to meet a friend, why would he need it?
I might believe he would need it to live in the woods for protection from animals or to hunt but I am doubting this living in the woods theory.
Why would he take his dad's phone and not his own and then leave it by the van? Very lucky for dad to get it back.
No one knows where dad has been because he did not have his phone or did he? KWIM?

Just trying to think things through.

 

[JennieM]

I think we can see why dad was questioned and given a lie-detector test.

But he passed it...

 

[cuffem]

I think we can see why dad was questioned and given a lie-detector test.

But he passed it...

True.
This is very strange case. Had there been issues with depression or suicide from James in the past?
Has there been any abuse allegations? Those searches were from earlier this year I think I read so maybe things were not good at home or he did meet someone online or he is depressed and suicidal.MOO.
One of these three.

 

[thefragile7393]

I think we can see why dad was questioned and given a lie-detector test.

But he passed it...

Those are useless anyway. I wouldn't put stock in it even if he hadn't passed

 

[thefragile7393]

True.
This is very strange case. Had there been issues with depression or suicide from James in the past?
Has there been any abuse allegations? Those searches were from earlier this year I think I read so maybe things were not good at home or he did meet someone online or he is depressed and suicidal.MOO.
One of these three.

Without knowing his history it's so difficult to say. Is there a history of behavioral issues? Any psych history? His actions have me wondering all this but can't dig deeper so....

 

[tigerteeth]

Is this the only photo of him?
To me, it looks like an age progressed image or digitally altered, although I'm guessing that would have been mentioned already.

It’s odd in this day and age that there aren’t more but I guess it is the best or one of the only ones available? They usually try to use a recent photo and school photos are usually taken at the beginning of the school year from what I’m familiar with. It would be nice to have more photos. Kids change fast!

 

[DeDee]

Recap:

... he's never driven my vehicle on the streets or anything. He's moved my van around my shop a couple times

Security footage caught the teen leaving his home around midnight and walking across the street to where the family's van was parked, and sat inside for an hour before leaving, his father explained.

< > found the van by tracking his father's cellphone < > at the western edge of Devil's Lake State Park later that day. They found a makeshift campsite at the park they believed the boy built.

< > teen's search history found he had looked up information about teens crossing state lines and boarding airplanes.

Mr Yoblonski doubts that his son spent an evening < > because police dogs did not pick up his scent in the area. < >

"I think he left with somebody. I think he sat there and waited for a horn to honk and came out and got in the car with somebody," the father said.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/father-of-missing-13-year-old-believes-he-was-coerced-into-leaving-home-in-family-van/ar-AA1f7e7L

His father described a SnapChat James sent; his father paraphrases James' message:

'I'm sorry. I don't think I'll be back for school. I don't want to hurt anybody, but I might,'" Mr Yoblonski said, paraphrasing his son's comments in the video.

But:
"He believes someone else was holding the phone and recording his son in the video."

The SnapChat confuses me a bit:

The father thinks James was already with an Unknown Person when James records the SnapChat.

How did James send a SnapChat if he left the phone behind with the van? The Unknown Person makes James make the SnapChat before taking him away from the van is a possibility.

Did James use his father's phone to record the SnapChat?
Had his father regained control over his phone in order to see the SnapChat?
Wouldn't there be digital evidence of James using a Map service to find his way to Devil's Park?

 

[EIM]

Recap:

... he's never driven my vehicle on the streets or anything. He's moved my van around my shop a couple times

Security footage caught the teen leaving his home around midnight and walking across the street to where the family's van was parked, and sat inside for an hour before leaving, his father explained.

< > found the van by tracking his father's cellphone < > at the western edge of Devil's Lake State Park later that day. They found a makeshift campsite at the park they believed the boy built.

< > teen's search history found he had looked up information about teens crossing state lines and boarding airplanes.

Mr Yoblonski doubts that his son spent an evening < > because police dogs did not pick up his scent in the area. < >

"I think he left with somebody. I think he sat there and waited for a horn to honk and came out and got in the car with somebody," the father said.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/father-of-missing-13-year-old-believes-he-was-coerced-into-leaving-home-in-family-van/ar-AA1f7e7L

His father described a SnapChat James sent; his father paraphrases James' message:

'I'm sorry. I don't think I'll be back for school. I don't want to hurt anybody, but I might,'" Mr Yoblonski said, paraphrasing his son's comments in the video.

But:
"He believes someone else was holding the phone and recording his son in the video."

The SnapChat confuses me a bit:

The father thinks James was already with an Unknown Person when James records the SnapChat.

How did James send a SnapChat if he left the phone behind with the van? The Unknown Person makes James make the SnapChat before taking him away from the van is a possibility.

Did James use his father's phone to record the SnapChat?
Had his father regained control over his phone in order to see the SnapChat?
Wouldn't there be digital evidence of James using a Map service to find his way to Devil's Park?

You've addressed some of the things that don't add up for me. Firstly it appears that James must not have had his own phone since he took his dad's phone. And his dad said someone had to be holding the phone because it wouldn't fit in his cup holder. So he thinks someone was with him when he was driving, holding the phone so he could make the video?

But then he abandoned the van, and dad's cell phone. And dad seems to think that he made the video while in dad's van.

Maybe he made the video while riding in someone else's vehicle, from the phone of the person who picked him up? The video does appear to be from the perspective of someone in the driver's seat though. I wonder if dad sees anything in the video that helps him identify whether or not it was made in his vehicle.

 

[Midge Montana]

At first I thought this was a lil *advertiser censored* pulling some shenanigans. Now I’m having a different vibe, totally. Staying within TOS, this seems like it’s possibly an elaborate explanation for a missing boy.

 

[Protectwomenandgirls]

< > teen's search history found he had looked up information about teens crossing state lines and boarding airplanes.

Whoa! Very concerning

 

[FromGermany1]

Whoa! Very concerning

Yes, concerning very much. But if he had only this problem, how to get into another state, he seems to have had no problem with the money, he needed. I believe, an adult man (living in another state) is in the play, who came to fetch him and took him away, not entirely against his will (James has as a 13yo).

I believe the father and what he said. Doesn't mean, it was always a harmonious family life before.

 

[Laughing]

Is this the only photo of him?
To me, it looks like an age progressed image or digitally altered, although I'm guessing that would have been mentioned already.

My guess, just a guess, possibly the young person has typical teenaged acne & the parents bought the "retouched" school picture? Didn't download any others?

(I was at the Grand Opening of the Oak Park Mall in the '70's. My favorite store was So-Fro Fabrics. Sigh.)

jmho ymmv lrr

 

[AnxiousandAgitated]

Those are useless anyway. I wouldn't put stock in it even if he hadn't passed

This is a very popular statement people always make online with such authority.

So tell me why does the FBI waste their time giving lie detector tests to suspects if it’s useless? For fun?

I have a good friend who is the chief of police of a small city in upstate NY, and I asked him about polygraphs. He told me they use them for internal investigations on cops, for job interviews and all kinds of things WITHIN the department. But yet every amateur online always says their useless… who to believe?

 

[Gophers_FTW]

This is a very popular statement people always make online with such authority.

So tell me why does the FBI waste their time giving lie detector tests to suspects if it’s useless? For fun?

I have a good friend who is the chief of police of a small city in upstate NY, and I asked him about polygraphs. He told me they use them for internal investigations on cops, for job interviews and all kinds of things WITHIN the department. But yet every amateur online always says their useless… who to believe?

Here's an article that touches on both sides of this discussion.

Inconclusive: The truth about lie detector tests

Inconclusive: The truth about lie detector tests

Investigators in Jacob Wetterling's disappearance used lie detectors "a lot," one of them says. But some research suggests they're not much more reliable than flipping a coin.

www.apmreports.org

Side note - This article was a supplement for Season 1 of In the Dark. About the Jacob Wetterling case. Very well done, and an interesting case study.

In the Dark, Season 1 (Jacob Wetterling) | Podcast | APM Reports

The investigation into the abduction of Jacob Wetterling yielded no answers for 27 years. We investigate how law enforcement mishandled one of the most notorious child abductions in the country and how those failures fueled national anxiety about stranger danger and led to the nation's...

features.apmreports.org

 

[TxLady2]

This is a very popular statement people always make online with such authority.

So tell me why does the FBI waste their time giving lie detector tests to suspects if it’s useless? For fun?

I have a good friend who is the chief of police of a small city in upstate NY, and I asked him about polygraphs. He told me they use them for internal investigations on cops, for job interviews and all kinds of things WITHIN the department. But yet every amateur online always says their useless… who to believe?

They are an investigation tool, nothing more or less. They do have a lot of good uses, even though they're not admissible in court. For instance, a person cannot elaborate on an answer, they have to answer with yes or no. Try to pay attention in your own conversations, when you are asked a question do you often answer "Yes, but...." or "No, and..." It is very hard to limit your answers to yes or no, and not "maybe" or "actually" or any other qualifying answer.

 

[crussell821]

This is a very popular statement people always make online with such authority.

So tell me why does the FBI waste their time giving lie detector tests to suspects if it’s useless? For fun?

I have a good friend who is the chief of police of a small city in upstate NY, and I asked him about polygraphs. He told me they use them for internal investigations on cops, for job interviews and all kinds of things WITHIN the department. But yet every amateur online always says their useless… who to believe?

They’re useless in a criminal investigation as far as determining guilt (job interviews are not criminal investigations) because too often they give false or misleading results. I don’t pay any attention to them.
MOO