GUILTY WI - Reena Williams, 3, Town of Swiss, 14 Aug 2012

[MotherOcean]

The dog and her were inseparable. Then you have the fisherman actually making the 911 call 1.5 hours after she disappeared. Where exactly was the fisherman and... how far from the house. And just out of curiosity I'd like to know the breed of dog. It wouldn't surprise me if charges are filed for neglect in this case. jmo

I read on another post that the dog did not belong to the family. Was it not their own dog that she was w/ that day?

Bless her heart. This makes me so sick. She was a beautiful little baby girl that should be at home watching cartoons this Saturday morning. I know it isn't about me, but I have to say that I would have given anything in the world to have a little girl of my own. I have fertility "issues".

My preschooler aged son wandered away from me one time. He was gone and back so fast (about 3 minutes!!), I didn't even know he had run down our long drive-way to get to the mailbox where he was expecting something special to come. I had let him stay on the front porch and told him to stay put while I ran inside to grab my shoes. I didn't even stay inside to put them on. I took them to the porch. We have a small house, I wasn't gone but for a flash. When I zipped back to the porch, he was standing there just as I had left him. I was sitting on the porch putting my shoes on (so we could walk to the mailbox to get the special thing he was expecting) when LE pulled up and said someone passing by on the road had reported that a little boy was at my mailbox!! He had run down our 300 foot drive way and back without me even knowing it!

I was so embarressed but I was THANKFUL that this passerby had noticed my son. She had pulled into my drive-way and told my son to get off the road. She scared him so he ran as fast as he could to get back home.

That 3 minutes changed a lot of things for me. I was always a helicopter mom and the shame & fear I felt after that made me very hyper-vigilant with him. I can't IMAGINE having a little child who wandered around, as far as 12 blocks (isn't that way over a mile??), and not having put up a fence around the yard or else never leaving her alone after the FIRST time she wandered away.

Not judging as I made a mistake myself but I did learn from the mistake and did all I could to prevent it from ever happening again.

RIP Little Reena. Prayers for family & friends.

 

[BritsKate]

I read on another post that the dog did not belong to the family. Was it not their own dog that she was w/ that day?

Bless her heart. This makes me so sick. She was a beautiful little baby girl that should be at home watching cartoons this Saturday morning. I know it isn't about me, but I have to say that I would have given anything in the world to have a little girl of my own. I have fertility "issues".

My preschooler aged son wandered away from me one time. He was gone and back so fast (about 3 minutes!!), I didn't even know he had run down our long drive-way to get to the mailbox where he was expecting something special to come. I had let him stay on the front porch and told him to stay put while I ran inside to grab my shoes. I didn't even stay inside to put them on. I took them to the porch. We have a small house, I wasn't gone but for a flash. When I zipped back to the porch, he was standing there just as I had left him. I was sitting on the porch putting my shoes on (so we could walk to the mailbox to get the special thing he was expecting) when LE pulled up and said someone passing by on the road had reported that a little boy was at my mailbox!! He had run down our 300 foot drive way and back without me even knowing it!

I was so embarressed but I was THANKFUL that this passerby had noticed my son. She had pulled into my drive-way and told my son to get off the road. She scared him so he ran as fast as he could to get back home.

That 3 minutes changed a lot of things for me. I was always a helicopter mom and the shame & fear I felt after that made me very hyper-vigilant with him. I can't IMAGINE having a little child who wandered around, as far as 12 blocks (isn't that way over a mile??), and not having put up a fence around the yard or else never leaving her alone after the FIRST time she wandered away.

Not judging as I made a mistake myself but I did learn from the mistake and did all I could to prevent it from ever happening again.

RIP Little Reena. Prayers for family & friends.

Ditto. My 1 and 3 year old children came home in the back of a squad car 5:30am one wintry morning. My daughter wore no coat but shoes and my son no shoes but a coat. They carried with them a pear and a box of dryer sheets. (Nope. I still don't know why.) They were going to walk the 10 miles to Grandpa's house in the snow while Mommy was sleeping (on the sofa so I would wake up to them too).

It was over an hour until I could hold my children as the cops checked my home for signs of neglect. I don't think I let them go for hours. I installed a better lock on my door that day. I felt like the most awful mom on the planet for years!

As parents though I think most of us live and learn. The problems occur when we don't. JMO

ETA: My kids are now 10 and 12. Fortunately that was their first and last escape attempt.

 

[southernnana]

:what: WHAT IS GOING ON??

http://www.the-leader.net/volunteer-searchers.html

by Sherill Summer
Leader staff writer

Volunteer searchers stayed until the bitter end

DANBURY - There are few details yet made public about the overnight search, but by morning the word was out that she was missing. By late afternoon Wednesday there were nearly 500 volunteers gathered to help, many hoping to join the search despite the threat of thunderstorms and approaching dusk.

A little after 6 p.m. Pardun's Canoe shuttle buses left the ball field, signaling that the search was over, for at least the night. After it was apparent that the search was called off, many at the ball field left. At about 6:20 p.m. the chairs provided by the casino were loaded up, making the wait more uncomfortable, but many still waited for some sort of official word from authorities.

Burnett County Sheriff Dean Roland held an emotional press conference at 6:40 p.m. for all at the ball field. He announced that the body of Reena Mae Williams was found about 25 yards from the house in two-and-a-half to three feet of water, in the waters where the family boat was launched. The area where the girl was found is often referred to as the channel. He said all the family had been notified that the body was found.

Later, some who were at the scene when the body was found wanted to correct information given by Sheriff Roland at the press conference, noting that the location of Reena when she was found was in four to six feet of water, tangled in weeds and several feet off shore, not in two or three feet of water as noted by the sheriff.

<snipped>

 

[southernnana]

:waitasec:


Something that has bothered me throughout this thread is the disappearance and reappearance of Reena's buddy and playmate, the dog??

Whether it was her family dog or the neighbor's dog, the dog seemed to have affection for Reena and hung out with her. Once Reena came up missing, my opinion was the dog was going to be wherever Reena was found ... but the dog showed up whenever Reena's mom called out for Reena, and then on Wednesday afternoon was found with Reena's body??

- The child was last seen playing with the dog Tuesday afternoon by the father.
- When the mother came outside and called for Reena, Tues. or Wed., she said the dog came from the direction of the river.
- Wednesday afternoon, when Reena's little body was found in the canal, the dog was with her.


A question for anyone who will answer - Is the river and the canal where Reena's body was found in the same direction??

http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/story/19283109/renna-williams-danbury-missing-girl

Posted: Aug 15, 2012 8:40 AM CDT
Updated: Aug 15, 2012 9:49 PM CDT

Her mother, Jenna Danish, said her daughter loves to go fishing and play outside.
"I came outside, I called for her, and the dog she had been playing with all day came up from the river and she was nowhere to be found," Danish said, describing the moment Tuesday night she realized her daughter was missing. "Where she went, the dog went. Wherever the dog went, she went."

http://www.northlandsnewscenter.com...h-Underway-for-Missing-Toddler-166245346.html

August 15, 2012
Updated Aug 15, 2012 at 7:11 PM CDT

According to the Burnett County Sheriff Dan Roland, 3 year old Renna Mae Williams wandered away from her house Tuesday night while she was playing with a dog.

Authorities say that the canal where she was found is a spot where the family has their boat tied up and frequently launches their boat.

Officials say that the dog that the girl was playing with at the time she disappeared was with her the entire time she was missing.

http://m.wqow.com/default.aspx?pid=...igate-death-of-3-year-old?clienttype=rssstory

Aug 16, 2012 6:34 PM CST

Hundreds of volunteers searched for the toddler after she was reported missing while playing with her dog on Tuesday. The Burnett County Sheriff told News 18 Thursday the dog was wet and at the water's edge just two feet from where her body was found.

 

[shana]

Memorial fund setup for 3-year-old Reena Williams

The article does not say but a Commenter explains that the fund is being managed by Reena's grandfather.

The bank and account number are in the article.

~jmo~

 

[Cazzie]

JMO w/o enough info, but it is almost sounding like "someone(s)" is trying to blame this on the dog, and on Reena/Renna (still not sure of correct spelling).

Wish we had more info. I'm counting on the investigation to bring the lite on what happened.

Rest In Peace little one :rose:

 

[Jules71]

So in my map I marked what could be 75 feet (25 yards) from her house - which is where they say she was found. I think per the article up thread the sheriff misspoke and it was not where the family launches their boats (which looks to be in the larger body of water at the bottom of my map - looks like there is an orange boat).

If the dog came up from the "river" and was wet - why isn't that the first place they searched and why wasn't she found then?



ETA: Oops actually I marked 75 feet from the garage instead of the house. You get the idea though.

 

[Jules71]

Here is another view from a different direction. No way in H E L L - I would let my child be unsupervised outside with all that water around!

 

[Knox]

So in my map I marked what could be 75 feet (25 yards) from her house - which is where they say she was found. I think per the article up thread the sheriff misspoke and it was not where the family launches their boats (which looks to be in the larger body of water at the bottom of my map - looks like there is an orange boat).

If the dog came up from the "river" and was wet - why isn't that the first place they searched and why wasn't she found then?

View attachment 25829

ETA: Oops actually I marked 75 feet from the garage instead of the house. You get the idea though.

Doesn't make any sense to me :waitasec:
But didn't someone say her Dad was only feet from her when he was told to quit searching and pulled away? Why would they search an outer perimeter first, rather than closest to the house and work your way out?

Maybe I misunderstood something?

 

[Jules71]

Doesn't make any sense to me :waitasec:
But didn't someone say her Dad was only feet from her when he was told to quit searching and pulled away? Why would they search an outer perimeter first, rather than closest to the house and work your way out?

Maybe I misunderstood something?

I agree Knox. It doesn't make sense. Was the Dad dragged out of the canal just before they found her? Why weren't they looking for her there the day before? Is it because the Mom said Reena "knew better". I am sick about this. It could have totally been prevented. So sad.

 

[Knox]

Because I know family is reading and posting here now, I'm trying to be respectful. I would never want to heap more pain on top of what they are experiencing now.

But the main source of information I have relied on is the Sheriff himself. It seems there are some reasons for concern regarding this sweet child's death and the circumstances surrounding her care.

I always follow a case to completion, it's a way for me to express respect I suppose. This one will be no different. I have compassion for Reena's parents, but my concern is for Reena. I want to know the truth, whatever that ends up being. Does any of that make sense fellow WS ers?

 

[Angelonline]

JULES71, Wrong Thread...

 

[southernnana]

:what:


Cazzie, I certainly hope that you are not implying that my post 344 was trying to place blame for Reena's death on the dog.

Quite the opposite, IMO the dog loved little Reena and would have stayed with the child from the moment she was endangered until she was found -- unless something or someone prevented that from happening.

There was never any mention of the dog barking overnight.

Who is the owner of the dog and where do they live?

JMO w/o enough info, but it is almost sounding like "someone(s)" is trying to blame this on the dog, and on Reena/Renna (still not sure of correct spelling).

Wish we had more info. I'm counting on the investigation to bring the lite on what happened.
Rest In Peace little one :rose:

:waitasec:
Something that has bothered me throughout this thread is the disappearance and reappearance of Reena's buddy and playmate, the dog??

A question for anyone who will answer - Is the river and the canal where Reena's body was found in the same direction??

 

[Wishbone]

Here is another view from a different direction. No way in H E L L - I would let my child be unsupervised outside with all that water around!

View attachment 25830

OMG!!! I have no other words.

 

[Cazzie]

No, southernnana, I wasn't implying anything about your (or anyone else's) post.

The mother's comment about the dog gave me an uneasy feeling, especially when a later report indicates that it's not the famliy's dog, but someone else's. But perhaps I took that comment too literally.

As I stated, there isn't enough information released yet. That mostly leaves just a lot of questions to ask, and speculation.

I'm sure the family, friends, and neighbors are devastated. :heart:

 

[Jules71]

JULES71, Wrong Thread...

Oooops sorry! I was looking everywhere on the other thread for my post. Doh!

 

[southernnana]

Thank you Cazzie for your response!

No, southernnana, I wasn't implying anything about your (or anyone else's) post.

The mother's comment about the dog gave me an uneasy feeling, especially when a later report indicates that it's not the famliy's dog, but someone else's. But perhaps I took that comment too literally.

As I stated, there isn't enough information released yet. That mostly leaves just a lot of questions to ask, and speculation.

I'm sure the family, friends, and neighbors are devastated. :heart:

 

[katydid23]

Because I know family is reading and posting here now, I'm trying to be respectful. I would never want to heap more pain on top of what they are experiencing now.

But the main source of information I have relied on is the Sheriff himself. It seems there are some reasons for concern regarding this sweet child's death and the circumstances surrounding her care.

I always follow a case to completion, it's a way for me to express respect I suppose. This one will be no different. I have compassion for Reena's parents, but my concern is for Reena. I want to know the truth, whatever that ends up being. Does any of that make sense fellow WS ers?

Makes total sense. I am sure that Jenna had nothing but love for her child. My heart goes out to her. But looking at the home and the amount of water surrounding it, just steps away, makes me very frustrated. The child should have NEVER been allowed outside unsupervised. Just like we have to have gates and fences around pools, and we have to keep children away from busy streets, we cannot let them run around alone by dams and canals.

If she had not already gone missing twice that day then I think we would be less upset about the situation. But I cannot understand why the stepfather allowed her to be outside alone for any length of time, after she had just been returned home by a neighbor, after wandering a mile away on her own. It makes me think that he really did not care about her welfare.

 

[pferrin]

My biggest challenge to overcome ..Why did family wait to call LE? Actually a fisherman called LE first..at least an hour after she went missing.

I would want LE fire army navy marines NFL NBA..you name it. If my child were lost for 10 minutes..everyone would know it. When I can overcome that little detail I can move on to other parts of this case. I am just stuck for now.

 

[hollyblue]

:waitasec:


Something that has bothered me throughout this thread is the disappearance and reappearance of Reena's buddy and playmate, the dog??

Whether it was her family dog or the neighbor's dog, the dog seemed to have affection for Reena and hung out with her. Once Reena came up missing, my opinion was the dog was going to be wherever Reena was found ... but the dog showed up whenever Reena's mom called out for Reena, and then on Wednesday afternoon was found with Reena's body??

- The child was last seen playing with the dog Tuesday afternoon by the father.
- When the mother came outside and called for Reena, Tues. or Wed., she said the dog came from the direction of the river.
- Wednesday afternoon, when Reena's little body was found in the canal, the dog was with her.


A question for anyone who will answer - Is the river and the canal where Reena's body was found in the same direction??

No. The canal is north and west of the river itself. If you zoom out on the map, you can see the major part of the river south of the property. I believe when the dam was built, and the river diverted, the island was formed. You can the see the dam on the SE side of the property. Her body was found in the canal, 25 yds west of the house.

I first doubted the mother when she stated the dog came from the river, but it could be she just calls the canal the river also. Officials stated the dog, which belongs to the people who have found her before, was found a few feet from where she was found....and had been in the water because he was wet. I'm having trouble with the timeline, but the father was said to have been taken out of the water, which I assumed was also the canal. The timeline problem I've having trouble with is the mother was said to be shopping because LE had asked them to leave the property. So if this is true, why was the father still there and searching in the water? We never saw the father at the command center, nor interviewed. I don't understand why the waters around the property weren't searched by divers earlier in the day on Wed. either...(maybe they were?), but she wasn't reported missing until 7PM Tues night. I don't think they could get divers notified in time before dark. It was clear to me and I'm sure a few others, as yourself, that the dog was trying to tell everyone where the hello she was.

Maybe a reporter is reading here and can clarify the timeline a bit. Was the father found in the canal when they first arrived? When did the parents leave the property? Was the father at the casino while the mother was shopping? IMO, the father wanted nothing to do with the media...he wasn't even supporting the mother by being by her side. Neither of the them was wanting LE to be called after Reena had been missing for more than an hour or hour and half. Why not?