WV WV - Aliayah Lunsford, 3, Lewis Co., 24 Sep 2011 - # 7

DNA Solves
DNA Solves
DNA Solves

New Posts

Status
Not open for further replies.
grandmaj said:
Sometimes when things get really quiet it is because LE is waiting for someone to screw up. Make a dumb move. Or they have evidence but now they are trying to put it all together in order to build a case. I hate it that there isn't any news but eventually I think this case is going to be solved.
Click to expand...

Grandmaj, I agree and think LE is lining up their ducks so to speak. The family never really made tv appearances (only 1 that I can think of).

Little Aliayah will have justice imo in the long run but it is going to take some time. LE hasn't given up on her nor have we.
 
grandmaj said:
Sometimes when things get really quiet it is because LE is waiting for someone to screw up. Make a dumb move. Or they have evidence but now they are trying to put it all together in order to build a case. I hate it that there isn't any news but eventually I think this case is going to be solved.
Click to expand...

I agree with you. From a local standpoint, this is the way they deal with a lot of cases around here. IMO more than the immediate family is involved. They all seemed to be laying low and not moving. Then, immediately after the searches were called off, they started again. The fact that she hired a lawyer from Charleston and not a local one tells a lot. The defense lawyers here cooperate with the prosecutors, thus the reduced sentences. Since LL did not hire a local attorney, it sends of message that she is not planning on cooperating to resolve this. That means instead of anyone confessing to something, they are going to have to find the answers through investigation. It also means that since they are not cooperating, less chance of a plea bargain of some sort, greater chance it will go to trial and the facts will come out and more of the people involved will be prosecuted. If there is a plea bargain and it does not go to trial, we learn much less.

LE has gathered all the physical evidence they found around the neighborhood, now they have to watch the people they think are involved and expand the search area. Expanding the search area means searching remote areas, and sadly, whatever they find will likely be a crime scene that they do not want contaminated.

LE not releasing much information is something we see here a lot. Also, I think most of the lack of coverage stems from the family being so quiet. If LE is not giving the local news any information, they will dig up more garbage to report if we keep demanding to hear something. From what I have found, the missing Stalnaker woman is NOT related to the SD, so that report probably came from the FB rumor.

If you read between the lines, what information LE has released tells a lot of what they are thinking. I believe they want everything to calm down, everyone go back to their normal lives and activities, and whoever is involved in this will slip up and give them the information they need. So, now we all sit back and wait.

IMO my need to know and to have a quick resolution to this is far less important than LE finding all the facts and prosecuting everyone involved. I would much rather see those involved prosecuted in a court of law than see them tried by the media. JMO:twocents:
 
Thank you pkz for the link!!
It’s been more than two weeks since Aliayah Lunsford went missing form her family’s Dennison Street home in Weston in the early morning hours of September 24. In the passing two weeks the media has made every effort to cover this story to the best of our abilities. It has not been easy.

There has been limited cooperation from law enforcement. Actually, law enforcement officials have stonewalled at times, which seems very odd to me given they are looking for a missing three-year-old. There has been little or limited cooperation and communications from the family, which is, again, very strange for a missing child case. I am sure law enforcement encouraged the family not to speak with media. I also expect they had no desire to talk to the media either.

As for me, I expected little help from the authorities when on the third day of three-year-old Aliayah being missing I heard a state policeman say they needed the media off the site.

We. the media, were all banned from the grounds of the Bendale United Methodist Church and the armory, though it didn’t seem to help the investigation any. The girl is still missing and the community still has no answers.

-and-

We will continue to cover Aliayah’s story to the best of our ability. We have devoted this page to her news. We can’t promise to have something new each day but we will keep investigating her disappearance.

We will keep calling the authorities. We will keep looking for people willing to talk. You can contact us at cwvnews@live.com with comments, questions or news tips.

Should you have a news tip, we suggest you call 911 and report it immediately.

http://www.centralwestvirginian.net/find-aliayah.html
Click to expand...
More at link-

Thank you John Clise!
 
Amen, and thank you to CWV, for attempting to address the odd silence not only from LE, but the press, surrounding this case.

At least now we have it in black and white. No LE info, and no info from family. Stonewalled from both ends. So at least we know now that the press is trying. That is comforting to me.
 
Aliayah, I am so sorry that you seem to be getting lost, yet again. I want this case to be solved but fear that it will just fade away. At this point even a hiker finding a body would at least be a partial answer. I hope local LE keeps a steady eye on this family.
 
Bumping up hoping we get some news soon. I know a lot of these cases go through lulls, but waiting is so hard. Prayers for Aliayah.
 
WBOY and WDTV have been in the local area, performing interviews on the "Aliayah's Law" petition and other community activities to support our keeping her in the spotlight.

We are also looking into the possibility of a local attorney petitioning the court to become Aliayah's guardian Ad Litem. This would allow them to interview family, LE and other witnesses and release information which would assist LE in finding Aliayah.

One of the local stations made a comment about the lack of information. They said that LE basically said that they would be sued if they investigate the family.

How is that for local support?
 
Westinlund said:
WBOY and WDTV have been in the local area, performing interviews on the "Aliayah's Law" petition and other community activities to support our keeping her in the spotlight.

We are also looking into the possibility of a local attorney petitioning the court to become Aliayah's guardian Ad Litem. This would allow them to interview family, LE and other witnesses and release information which would assist LE in finding Aliayah.

One of the local stations made a comment about the lack of information. They said that LE basically said that they would be sued if they investigate the family.

How is that for local support?
Click to expand...

That would be awesome if a local attorney could be made Aliayah's legal guardian.

No support from the local stations - why would LE say that they would be sued if they investigate the family. Sounds to me like somebody has LE on a short leash here which does not bode well for finding Aliayah.
 
pkz said:
Although not much in the information department, this article does seem to attempt an explanation of the silence

http://www.centralwestvirginian.net/find-aliayah.html
Click to expand...

Am I the only one who's not impressed by that editorial?

So LE didn't let the media into the armory and church. So what? The story's not there. And the story's not in endless statements and press conferences from LE. Those rarely tell us anything beyond 'we're still looking, following up on tips, working hard behind the scenes...' anyway. The story is elsewhere, and good reporters and editors would know that and go find it. Instead of whining about not being allowed to mingle with the crowds in a couple of buildings, or complaining because LE isn't handing you an easy story to write, go find the real story.

The one part of the editorial I agree with is the peculiar way the national media picks one case like this to focus on and virtually ignores the rest of them. It's wrong, but I'm not sure how to fix it. But I can't blame the families in the less important (according to the media) stories completely for that; in fact, I don't like to blame the families at all until I know there's a reason to. I do blame local media, though, because they could write decent stories that get picked up elsewhere and keep interest up in a case. But that's not going to happen if their concept of journalism is that you have nothing to write if LE doesn't hand you anything. Get going and get a story. Do your part to find this little girl.
 
MarthaM said:
Am I the only one who's not impressed by that editorial?

So LE didn't let the media into the armory and church. So what? The story's not there. And the story's not in endless statements and press conferences from LE. Those rarely tell us anything beyond 'we're still looking, following up on tips, working hard behind the scenes...' anyway. The story is elsewhere, and good reporters and editors would know that and go find it. Instead of whining about not being allowed to mingle with the crowds in a couple of buildings, or complaining because LE isn't handing you an easy story to write, go find the real story.

The one part of the editorial I agree with is the peculiar way the national media picks one case like this to focus on and virtually ignores the rest of them. It's wrong, but I'm not sure how to fix it. But I can't blame the families in the less important (according to the media) stories completely for that; in fact, I don't like to blame the families at all until I know there's a reason to. I do blame local media, though, because they could write decent stories that get picked up elsewhere and keep interest up in a case. But that's not going to happen if their concept of journalism is that you have nothing to write if LE doesn't hand you anything. Get going and get a story. Do your part to find this little girl.
Click to expand...

I don't think the media picks what stories to follow as much as they watch (through website hits, emails, phone calls to reporters) what stories the public is interested in learning about, and they report on those. Media is a business, and they have to hold the attention of the audience to sell ads.

If they're reporting on things that the public is little interested in, or has lost interest in, they're wasting their resources. Sadly.
 
Westinlund said:
WBOY and WDTV have been in the local area, performing interviews on the "Aliayah's Law" petition and other community activities to support our keeping her in the spotlight.

We are also looking into the possibility of a local attorney petitioning the court to become Aliayah's guardian Ad Litem. This would allow them to interview family, LE and other witnesses and release information which would assist LE in finding Aliayah.

One of the local stations made a comment about the lack of information. They said that LE basically said that they would be sued if they investigate the family.

How is that for local support?
Click to expand...

Thank you very much for all that you are doing!! SUED--for investigating? WOW --thats THE worst! I hope that you can find a local attorney to represent Aliayah-that is EXACTLY what she needs! (hugs)
 
MarthaM said:
Am I the only one who's not impressed by that editorial?

So LE didn't let the media into the armory and church. So what? The story's not there. And the story's not in endless statements and press conferences from LE. Those rarely tell us anything beyond 'we're still looking, following up on tips, working hard behind the scenes...' anyway. The story is elsewhere, and good reporters and editors would know that and go find it. Instead of whining about not being allowed to mingle with the crowds in a couple of buildings, or complaining because LE isn't handing you an easy story to write, go find the real story.

The one part of the editorial I agree with is the peculiar way the national media picks one case like this to focus on and virtually ignores the rest of them. It's wrong, but I'm not sure how to fix it. But I can't blame the families in the less important (according to the media) stories completely for that; in fact, I don't like to blame the families at all until I know there's a reason to. I do blame local media, though, because they could write decent stories that get picked up elsewhere and keep interest up in a case. But that's not going to happen if their concept of journalism is that you have nothing to write if LE doesn't hand you anything. Get going and get a story. Do your part to find this little girl.
Click to expand...

I agree-Im SO not impressed here. OK so they "banned them" from the armory--so what?

He claims-“its not been easy”
---So if its not easy-why bother? Is that what you are telling us?
He claims-“little cooperation from the family”
---If I was a reporter (which I’m not..I would find out WHY they aren’t cooperating-that would then be the story
He claims law enforcement wanted the press “off the site”
***HUGE difference in OFF the site-and OFF the “story”

he wonders about the national meda-and “Nancy Grace”
***IF the locals won’t get involved and keep the community updated, why blame the national press for staying away. And of course –its always Nancy Grace’s fault.
He claims –there is nothing to say
***let ME write an article for you-I have a mouthful to say.
HE claims its The case of 10 month old Lisa Irwin.
**WRONG again. It’s the fact that NOONE is speaking out for Ailayah. THAT IS A STORY!
he claims-“we will keep “calling” the authorities.
*** NO get on your feet and go visit them. Talk to the community. Shoot I can call them everyday.
Should you have a news tip, we suggest you call 911 and report it immediately.
** from experience-calling the non emergency 911 number didn’t turn out great. I wouldn’t call 911 unless I was POSITIVE I saw her-and then I wonder if they would take it seriously.

jmo---
 
Instead of sitting around waiting for the story to come to them, local media could find plenty of stories to write that are related to Aliayah's disappearance, even if they don't have specific new details from LE or the family to report. One day, they could profile people who came on their own from outside the area to join in the search; they could write about what motivates people to do that. Then a couple days later they could print a story about other similar cases and how they turned out, and take a look at the differences. And so on. The stories would all still mention this particular case and be related to it, thus keeping it in the news, even though they're not about arrests and the latest developments from LE.

It's just frustrating to think that there are those in the media who have such a narrow view of what reporting means, and don't understand the importance of keeping a missing child in the news even if there seems to be little progress in finding her.
 
CJMAJORGIRL24 said:
I agree-Im SO not impressed here. OK so they "banned them" from the armory--so what?

(respectively snipped in places)

He claims-“its not been easy”
“little cooperation from the family”
---If I was a reporter (which I’m not..I would find out WHY they aren’t cooperating-that would then be the story)

he wonders about the national media-and “Nancy Grace”
***IF the locals won’t get involved and keep the community updated, why blame the national press for staying away.
***let ME write an article for you-I have a mouthful to say.
HE claims its The case of 10 month old Lisa Irwin.
**WRONG again. It’s the fact that NOONE is speaking out for Ailayah. THAT IS A STORY!
*** NO get on your feet and go visit them. Talk to the community. Shoot I can call them everyday.
jmo---
Click to expand...

Hi CJMAJORGIRL24, I cut out some details in your post to try to get to some of the key points, please don't read anything into that. I agree with most of your comments.

I know we are (unfortunately) not allowed to post rumors here, but the fact is, that this is a closed community with a lot of the locals afraid to say what is on their minds due to potential repercussions from the family members. So if we can't even post important details hidden behind our screen names, who will be willing to say anything publicly?

I think the editorial posted, which I linked again below, is a great step in the right direction. While not perfect, the reporter is trying to get the point across that the media has been closed off to the investigation and that the citizens have the right to the news, but the local culture will not allow them to report full out about what is going on.
http://www.centralwestvirginian.net/find-aliayah.html

That's just the way it is in that part of the US and since this is a forum that expands across the country, and into other parts of the world, I think it is valuable to call out that fact. The US is not just this great big melting pot that we like to think it is. There are so many differences depending on where you live. The small town where dear little Aliayah vanished from, is a part of the country where the society cares to not acknowledge crimes such as this, or, as we say, "sweep it under the rug" or "pretend it didn't happen".

Censor is a fact of life...but the bottom line is: NOBODY is speaking out for Ailayah. THAT IS A STORY!
 
There was a CBS article about why some children get more attention than others and it had this quote:

Ernie Allen, president of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, said, "What the media tends to focus on are the sensational cases. If there's an indication that a family member may be involved, the media doesn't want to cover it."
Click to expand...

In Aliayah's case, it seems pretty obvious that a family member(s) were involved. I think the case would be getting more attention if LE came out and said that an intruder had kidnapped Aliayah from her bedroom. However, then I think about cases like JonBenet and Caylee that got massive attention even though it was suspected from the start that family members were involved.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011...ain20118068.shtml?tag=contentMain;contentBody
 
ClaireNC said:
Hi CJMAJORGIRL24, I cut out some details in your post to try to get to some of the key points, please don't read anything into that. I agree with many of your statements.

I know we are (unfortunately) not allowed to post rumors here, but the fact is, that this is a closed community with a lot of the locals afraid to say what is on their minds due to potential repercussions from the family members. So if we can't even post it hidden behind our screen names, who will be willing to say anything publicly?

I think the editorial posted, which I linked again below, is a great step in the right direction. While not perfect, the reporter is trying to get the point across that the media has been closed off to the investigation and that the citizens have the right to the news, but the local culture will not allow them to report full out about what is going on.
http://www.centralwestvirginian.net/find-aliayah.html

That's just the way it is in that part of the US and since this is a forum that expands across the country, and into other parts of the world, I think it is valuable to call out that fact. The US is not just this great big melting pot that we like to think it is. There are so many differences depending on where you live. The small town where dear little Aliayah vanished from, is a part of the country that the society cares to just not acknowledge crimes such as this, or, as we say, "sweep it under the rug".

Censor is a fact of life...but the bottom line is: NOBODY is speaking out for Ailayah. THAT IS A STORY!
Click to expand...

Hi there--
I may have been a little harsh with him. I hope that everyone knows that it is just the frustration for Aliayah, and the fact that it seems that we care MORE for this child than her family does. I grew up in a "suburb-but as an adult I myself have moved to a county that is VERY much like "Aliayah's" where "family secrets" are best swept under the rug. Don't get me wrong, I love my little "home" and friends, but it is NOTHING like I knew growing up. And you are absolutely right, the citizens DO have a right to know about the investigation---!! I have always said-there are FEW things I am willing to go to jail for---a case like this would have to be on the list!

Truth is -we are not as "free" as we think we are!!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

DNASolves

Who is DeKalb County John Doe (2022)?

Members online

... and 160 more.
Total: 3,470 (members: 161, guests: 3,309)

Online statistics

Members online
161
Guests online
3,309
Total visitors
3,470
Totals may include hidden visitors.

Forum statistics

Threads
603,589
Messages
18,159,095
Members
231,777
Latest member
pbod153
Back
Top