ARUBA - Robyn Gardner, 35, Maryland woman missing in Aruba, 2 Aug 2011 - # 1

[Tugela]

She may not have any info. online. It could have been in the past. Perhaps she hadn't pursued it for awhile. However, after losing her job at the dentist office, she may have been more susceptible to a con man, saying he could revive her career.

I'm not saying that it isn't also a possibility that she was delving into the seamier side. It's just that some people are so ready to slap that label on her. I can understand their viewpoint. I mean look at the Long Island callgirl investigation. I'm sure some of those women had other ambitions before slipping into that business because they needed money.

If she had done modeling before she would be aware of the potential dangers as well as the physical requirements, I doubt anyone would be able to con her that way.

Other than speculation here there is nothing to suggest that she was doing modeling anyway. The more reasonable conclusion is that she went there with him because she had some sort of relationship and she wanted to. the question is what sort of relationship was it? And did she really get swept out to sea like he says? That sort of thing does happen all the time, so you can't assume "oh, she is missing, so he must have killed her".

 

[HatesSociopaths]

I believe some other tourists said they saw her at some point, do we know when she was seen last?

Good question. According to the police, they were seen in the area she was reported missing having lunch at a restaurant. No specific time was given that I know of. It was also reported they were seen on the beach, but not the water.

The interesting thing I speculate about is that they had also gone to this area the previous day. Is it possible these witnesses have their days mixed up, and they were actually there the day before?

Either way, he had plenty of time to go elsewhere on the island after being spotted there and return to that spot to report her missing.

Three hours before she was reported missing, her boyfriend got a message from her not to worry, that she loves him and that they will sort it out when she gets back. This was around 3 p.m. She was reported missing around 6:15 p.m. that Tuesday, August 2nd.

It is possible that GG wrote that message to her boyfriend. The main value for him in that message is that if he killed her during the night (she wrote a "this sucks" comment on her boyfriends wall at 2 a.m. on FB) it places her alive and well the following afternoon, further amplifying credibility in his story that she drowned that afternoon.

So there apparently are people saying they saw them on the beach and at the restaurant there, but are they confusing having seen them on Monday with Tuesday? Could you place someone on a Monday or Tuesday of this week if you were at that place both days? I think it could be difficult.

Putting oneself in the mind of a killer, it's a pretty good strategy. Go to the same location one was at the day before, in hopes of witnesses saying they saw her there, too. And be sure to go to Aruba where they need a body to convict you, where there are cliffs that you can ditch the body for good.

 

[concentric]

It's not speculation that she was a model. Didn't you read my post earlier, where the boyfriend stated, she had worked at the dental office and also did some modeling?

Either you go look it up, or I'll have to go back and get it.

 

[concentric]

Here's my earlier post:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/nation...N8I_story.html

She was recently laid off from a dentist’s office in the Washington area where she had worked scheduling patients, Forester said. She had also done some modeling, he said.

 

[SeaNymph]

I wonder if he could manage to get her concealed body out of the hotel room he already killed her in and toss her in one of the many dumpsters tucked in practically every corner of these resorts, then jump in his car and go play the snorkeling story. I know that may not sound plausible at all if you imagine a 'crowd' at a resort but I can tell you the times I was there, it was not unusual to walk a winding path and see not one person until it opened up onto the pool area, or some of them lead off and you may end up right at the kitchen door of one of the little poolside restaurants/bars, a maintenance area where deckchairs are stored, pumphouses for the pools etc.

I think they need to start not considering this snorkeling trip at all as part of the scenario and get on landfills, etc. I know this all sounds eerily familiar but I just dont think LE should take his story as gospel at this point. She may not be in the water at all.

Sounds like a risky chance to take, I know, going with a story of drowning if there is any chance she could be found somewhere on land, any state in stark contrast to a drowning, but I have a hunch this guy is no stranger to 'risky behaviors'.

 

[Tugela]

It's not speculation that she was a model. Didn't you read my post earlier, where the boyfriend stated, she had worked at the dental office and also did some modeling?

Either you go look it up, or I'll have to go back and get it.

That is what the boyfriend said in one interview. According to him, but, he doesn't exactly have a whole lot of credibility when it comes to facts since we heard so many stories from him.

She might have been a model *once* (it seems like half the female population have been at some point), but that doesn't make her one now.

 

[HatesSociopaths]

<snip>
The more reasonable conclusion is that she went there with him because she had some sort of relationship and she wanted to. the question is what sort of relationship was it? And did she really get swept out to sea like he says? That sort of thing does happen all the time, so you can't assume "oh, she is missing, so he must have killed her".

Yes it does happen but all in the party are swept out to sea, not one. And we have evidence she was never in the water to begin with.

A motive is present, he has a bad rap sheet, and fits the profile.

Just need to find the body.

 

[concentric]

I wonder if he could manage to get her concealed body out of the hotel room he already killed her in and toss her in one of the many dumpsters tucked in practically every corner of these resorts, then jump in his car and go play the snorkeling story.
-----------
I used to have a diving gear bag that was ginormous.

 

[Tugela]

Yes it does happen but all in the party are swept out to sea, not one. And we have evidence she was never in the water to begin with.

A motive is present, he has a bad rap sheet, and fits the profile.

Just need to find the body.

What evidence would that be?

What motive would that be? We know nothing about their relationship. The people who should know either aren't talking or are as much in the dark as we are.

As for getting swept out, if they get separated and the tides change, or she gets into trouble (cramps, sharks, exhaustion etc) he might not even be aware that she wasn't there anymore until he got to the shore if they were snorkeling. They might have had a dissagreement about when to go in and got separated. There are a lot of things that can happen if you go into the water and don't know what you are doing. It is not inconcievable and if you get a pair of amateurs going out and doing their thing it is not surprising for something like that to happen.

 

[cluciano63]

The boyfriend, if he can be believed, is pretty convinced she was not going to get her hair wet...at least not voluntarily. I kind of believe him on that, that is something he would know and have no reason to invent. And this guy, the POI, wouldn't know enough about her to know that the snorkeling thing would not fly with those who did know her. She may have ended up in the ocean, but I don't believe she went in there on her own.

 

[concentric]

He took her to a restaurant in the snorkeling rental place, and they didn't rent any gear for her.

He could have taken her to the site where he says they snorkeled, but I can imagine him saying something to her like: I'm scouting areas to take photos.

 

[x_files]

No, there is no way she would be doing any real modeling.

For a starters it is a young womans game. Fashion models are allmost all teenagers and adult/bikini models are generally 18-23. Middle age in modeling years is mid 20s and by the time you are 30 you are an old crone. The body ages and the camera does not like what it sees past mid 20s.

Also, tattoos are a big negative for photographers, any girl with lots of them, or large ones that can't be avoided/made over, is not going to find much work. Photographers want a blank canvas, not one that has been painted over. A few small discrete tats can be worked around, the ones RG had cannot.

There are woman in their late 20s and 30s who call themselves "models", but in reality most of those are really hostesses and escorts.

Why would any photographer hire a 35 year old when he can get someone who is allmost half that age and has a far more photogenic physique?

I am well aware of the model industry but, it's not all high fashion Vogue magazine work.
I have friends in their mid -30's that model at car shows and tattoo conventions. Another close friend models for MAC Cosmetics at 36 years old and does runway work in NY and in other cities. There's lots of modeling opportunities esp. by local designers.
I have tattoos and have done and still do paid modeling gigs for guitar companies and rock clubs, alternative indie labels and magazines. I have never been a escort or into or anything vaguely in that field. Not everyone with tattoos is a criminal or is a -star or escort.
There's all kinds of jobs for tattooed and alternative models. Artists photograph all ages of women. Also nude models for life drawing classes.
I guess I don't understand why the missing woman is being demonized on a victim friendly board? Even if she was doing or is an escort she is still a human and doesn't deserve to be hared or possibly murdered.
I am walking away from this thread. Too much hatred towards a woman that is missing.
I think she is beautiful and someone possibly conned or took advantage of her.

 

[gngr~snap]

Good question. According to the police, they were seen in the area she was reported missing having lunch at a restaurant. No specific time was given that I know of. It was also reported they were seen on the beach, but not the water.

The interesting thing I speculate about is that they had also gone to this area the previous day. Is it possible these witnesses have their days mixed up, and they were actually there the day before?

Either way, he had plenty of time to go elsewhere on the island after being spotted there and return to that spot to report her missing.

Three hours before she was reported missing, her boyfriend got a message from her not to worry, that she loves him and that they will sort it out when she gets back. This was around 3 p.m. She was reported missing around 6:15 p.m. that Tuesday, August 2nd.

It is possible that GG wrote that message to her boyfriend. The main value for him in that message is that if he killed her during the night (she wrote a "this sucks" comment on her boyfriends wall at 2 a.m. on FB) it places her alive and well the following afternoon, further amplifying credibility in his story that she drowned that afternoon.

So there apparently are people saying they saw them on the beach and at the restaurant there, but are they confusing having seen them on Monday with Tuesday? Could you place someone on a Monday or Tuesday of this week if you were at that place both days? I think it could be difficult.

Putting oneself in the mind of a killer, it's a pretty good strategy. Go to the same location one was at the day before, in hopes of witnesses saying they saw her there, too. And be sure to go to Aruba where they need a body to convict you, where there are cliffs that you can ditch the body for good.

The timing REALLY BOTHERS ME!
Wonder if he saw that txt and then something happened?
Especially if he thought he had his chance at love?
err w h a t e v e r his plan was with her...

 

[Seek&Find]

My phone won't let me quote the appropriate post, so I'll just say I likewise disagree with Tugela's posts re: modeling above. As a teen, a local retail store asked me to model for them, so I did so, in print for two years and one local runway fashion show. Now I'm 40, and 3 years ago, a woman stopped me in a restaurant, identified herself as a scout, asked if I'd modeled before, and requested that I please stop by her office. Sounded a little fishy, but I live in a large metro area, so I researched the modeling agency. Turns out it was one of the top two in town. I met with her, and she was interested in using me for trunk shows. They also represented local models for newspaper/mag ads, etc. I have no problem believing she was a legitimate part-time model. I've seen stunning women in their 50s modeling. There are some questionable "modeling" sites online but from someone who has modeled, she could very well have been legitimately in the industry.

And, to add to what others said, there certainly are tattooed, pierced models for specialized shoots, and there's always airbrushing, or strategic posing.

 

[HatesSociopaths]

What evidence would that be?

What motive would that be? We know nothing about their relationship. The people who should know either aren't talking or are as much in the dark as we are.

As for getting swept out, if they get separated and the tides change, or she gets into trouble (cramps, sharks, exhaustion etc) he might not even be aware that she wasn't there anymore until he got to the shore if they were snorkeling. They might have had a dissagreement about when to go in and got separated. There are a lot of things that can happen if you go into the water and don't know what you are doing. It is not inconcievable and if you get a pair of amateurs going out and doing their thing it is not surprising for something like that to happen.

The evidence that she didn't go snorkeling is that she had no gear for it and none was rented for her. Also, she has hair extensions and would not want to get her hair wet. Additionally, she doesn't like to go in the water according to her boyfriend and family. On top of that, no one saw them go into the water, but did see them on the beach.

As for what we know about their relationship, they met on match.com. That gives a pretty good idea right there. The problem is the conflicting information coming from her roommate. I believe she is covering up for her friend, thinking if she tells the truth that there was some kind of romantic relationship, she will get less attention from people due to censure for cheating on her boyfriend. But beyond that, I think it is reasonable to assume he at least wanted sex. Further evidence is probably available for this supposition, but is not available to us (e-mails, etc.)

Once that is established (and granted I'm having to connect dots that are probably easy to connect through emails, etc.) the motive becomes easy to see. The big clue is that message she sent to her boyfriend at 3 p.m. the day she went missing that she loved him and would work things out when she got back. That jilted GG and he snapped. He also has a history of snapping. Whether or not GG saw the email she wrote to Forester is hard to verify, but it indicates her state of mind at the time. That state of mind indicates that her love was with another man, not GG. All of his hard work, all the money he had poured into this woman, and his trip to Aruba with this blonde he had been obsessing over, wasted in his mind.

HLN says seven women have now come forward to state their case on his abnormal behavior that terrified them. Seven women.

Regarding "getting swept out to sea" she didn't go snorkeling. It's that simple. No rental of gear is the most obvious piece of evidence, along with the statements from the family and boyfriend about her hair extensions and distaste for going in the water.

 

[miabellamoure]

It is difficult to divorce from one's mind that tidbit that there was some rancor between an ex-spouse and her.

I also think that she was beginning to feel insecure about her future prospects and lo and behold, GVG arrives and meets her for cocktails, over a period of a year, you know, as a friend that she confided in. He probably boosted her ego and repeatedly assured her that she was exceptionally attractive and had a future in some kind of media venture.

Other people probably don't share this:

I'm not ready to concede yet that she was sexual with him. He may have even convinced her that he was gay for all we know.

bbm

I'd venture to guess that the only person trying to convince anyone that GVG was gay would be Robyn herself to pacify her BF into not worrying about her spending time with this other man..."honey, you have nothing to worry about...he's gay!"

 

[HatesSociopaths]

It is difficult to divorce from one's mind that tidbit that there was some rancor between an ex-spouse and her.

I also think that she was beginning to feel insecure about her future prospects and lo and behold, GVG arrives and meets her for cocktails, over a period of a year, you know, as a friend that she confided in. He probably boosted her ego and repeatedly assured her that she was exceptionally attractive and had a future in some kind of media venture.

Other people probably don't share this:

I'm not ready to concede yet that she was sexual with him. He may have even convinced her that he was gay for all we know.

BBM. They met on match.com

 

[Charlie09]

bbm

I'd venture to guess that the only person trying to convince anyone that GVG was gay would be Robyn herself to pacify her BF into not worrying about her spending time with this other man..."honey, you have nothing to worry about...he's gay!"

I was just going to go back through and try to figure out where the gay part came from - but this makes a lot of sense.

little white lies ...sounds like several people were party to them, such devastating consequences!

 

[otto]

Good question. According to the police, they were seen in the area she was reported missing having lunch at a restaurant. No specific time was given that I know of. It was also reported they were seen on the beach, but not the water.

The interesting thing I speculate about is that they had also gone to this area the previous day. Is it possible these witnesses have their days mixed up, and they were actually there the day before?

Either way, he had plenty of time to go elsewhere on the island after being spotted there and return to that spot to report her missing.

Three hours before she was reported missing, her boyfriend got a message from her not to worry, that she loves him and that they will sort it out when she gets back. This was around 3 p.m. She was reported missing around 6:15 p.m. that Tuesday, August 2nd.

It is possible that GG wrote that message to her boyfriend. The main value for him in that message is that if he killed her during the night (she wrote a "this sucks" comment on her boyfriends wall at 2 a.m. on FB) it places her alive and well the following afternoon, further amplifying credibility in his story that she drowned that afternoon.

So there apparently are people saying they saw them on the beach and at the restaurant there, but are they confusing having seen them on Monday with Tuesday? Could you place someone on a Monday or Tuesday of this week if you were at that place both days? I think it could be difficult.

Putting oneself in the mind of a killer, it's a pretty good strategy. Go to the same location one was at the day before, in hopes of witnesses saying they saw her there, too. And be sure to go to Aruba where they need a body to convict you, where there are cliffs that you can ditch the body for good.

If we take things at face value, we have the posting on facebook at 2 AM saying "this sucks", then the email at 3 PM saying that she wants to work things out, they were seen at a cafe near the snorkel location in the afternoon of Aug 2 and as far as I can tell, there's a gap between around 3 and 6:25 for maybe and hour or two that is unaccounted for.

Do you have a link to Dutch law stating that a body is required in order to bring a murder charge? That doesn't sound quite right to me.

 

[otto]

That is what the boyfriend said in one interview. According to him, but, he doesn't exactly have a whole lot of credibility when it comes to facts since we heard so many stories from him.

She might have been a model *once* (it seems like half the female population have been at some point), but that doesn't make her one now.

She looks like she's had some work done ... that means one thing in the modeling world, and it's not runway work.