ARUBA - Robyn Gardner, 35, Maryland woman missing in Aruba, 2 Aug 2011 - # 8

[Micheline]

The Prosecutor's Office in Aruba released the following statement:

"On August 2, 2011 at about 6.23 PM (local time) 911 received notification of a possible drowning of a woman. The traveling companion of this woman, a man G.V.G. stated that they were going snorkeling behind Nanki Country Club and that at a given moment he had signaled his friend to swim back to the beach. He stated further that the woman had not reached the beach together with him and apparently had remained in the water.
The American woman in question is R.G, age 35, the man is indicated as G.V.G, age 50, also an American.

In spite of intense searches during a number of days by amongst others the surveillance department and the detective department of the Aruban Police, the Aruban Maritime Police, the Coast Guard, Search and Rescue Divers and volunteer divers of Jads and the use of two helicopters, an airplane and several boats, until now the woman has not been found in sea or on the shore."

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/americas/08/09/aruba.missing.woman/

In a way this is strange, if (as alleged) there were several witnesses on the spot who knew that Robyn and Giordano never went into the sea.

 

[vlpate]

You know what I wonder about, Mario Lopez said it was Giordano himself who brought up the insurance to ALE. Giordano himself contacted the insurance company August 4, why would he bring it up, and why would he even bother to call them, there is no "cashing in" over the phone, and he was about to go to the States in 2 days, so what was the whole purpose of that?

Was he trying to raise suspicion on himself just like when he informed ALE about the mix of sleepingpills and vodka?

The very fact that GG is talking to Mario Lopez about something so important is what baffles me.

The purpose of calling the insurance company was to find out if he was going to cash in if her body was found, IMO.

GG telling ALE about the vodka and sleeping pills was just throwing more at the wall.

 

[katydid23]

In a way this is strange, if (as alleged) there were several witnesses on the spot who knew that Robyn and Giordano never went into the sea.

Not to me it is not. If someone says their friend is lost in the ocean then LE has to search immediately. They can sort out the witness reports later. But if they had not done all of that searching, then he could have said she was there and nobody bothered to search for her.

 

[LambChop]

In a way this is strange, if (as alleged) there were several witnesses on the spot who knew that Robyn and Giordano never went into the sea.

Why is that strange? I sit on the beach and watch people pass by. She had on a very colorful dress, high wedged heels (not beachwear which you would expect to see someone on the beach), her left arm has a very distinctive tattoo so I could see her drawing attention. It also depends on what they were doing, saying that may have drawn attention.

It was also a strange part of the day to be there if you were not fishing, IMO. Not uncommon for Arubans to fish for their dinner in that location. jmo

 

[vlpate]

It seems like someone read the terms of the policy and then the story changed...again. I notice the "exclusive" interviews have stopped, maybe GG or Baez realized that having video documentation of the inconsistencies is not likely to work in their favor.

I won't mention the case, but there have been recent cases where a truck load of inconsistencies were revealed - still, the defendant walked. It's like it doesn't matter anymore.

The truth never changes.

 

[katydid23]

You know what I wonder about, Mario Lopez said it was Giordano himself who brought up the insurance to ALE. Giordano himself contacted the insurance company August 4, why would he bring it up, and why would he even bother to call them, there is no "cashing in" over the phone, and he was about to go to the States in 2 days, so what was the whole purpose of that?

Was he trying to raise suspicion on himself just like when he informed ALE about the mix of sleepingpills and vodka?

I think he is a messed up guy who drinks and maybe gets high, and he was stressed and excited at the same time, imo. He was not going to just leave without finding out about how the ins claim worked. What idf he left Aruba and found out he had to call and check in with the facts before he left the country? I think he was dying to know what to do next.

 

[vlpate]

Who said he lied???

Girl I've slept since then. I misunderstood a post - they were saying GG lied (huge surprise), and the way I read the sentence was that Taco lied.

 

[Micheline]

Not to me it is not. If someone says their friend is lost in the ocean then LE has to search immediately. They can sort out the witness reports later. But if they had not done all of that searching, then he could have said she was there and nobody bothered to search for her.

Fisherman Silva said Giordano was not able to speak, he was send away for a nap etc. I would expect the police to interview bystanders/witnesses if Giordano was not able to speak (if so, that has been alleged). His swimpants were dry etc. Talking to people who were there would make sense.

This was not just an immediate on the spot search, it was a very intensive search.

 

[LambChop]

You know what I wonder about, Mario Lopez said it was Giordano himself who brought up the insurance to ALE. Giordano himself contacted the insurance company August 4, why would he bring it up, and why would he even bother to call them, there is no "cashing in" over the phone, and he was about to go to the States in 2 days, so what was the whole purpose of that?

Was he trying to raise suspicion on himself just like when he informed ALE about the mix of sleepingpills and vodka?

GG called four times. I imagine American Express called the Aruban police to verify her death and it is more likely than not that LE mentioned it to GG not the other way around. I'd say calling four times he was a little over anxious.

Had RG's body been found right away they would have done toxicology tests on her and then they would have known she was drugged and had a high alcohol blood level. He was just trying to cover all bases and probably did not realize he just shut the door on the insurance claim. jmo

 

[Micheline]

Why is that strange? I sit on the beach and watch people pass by. She had on a very colorful dress, high wedged heels (not beachwear which you would expect to see someone on the beach), her left arm has a very distinctive tattoo so I could see her drawing attention. It also depends on what they were doing, saying that may have drawn attention.

It was also a strange part of the day to be there if you were not fishing, IMO. Not uncommon for Arubans to fish for their dinner in that location. jmo

I do not find it strange if people were there or had noticed them, I do not know if that actually happened but if so I do not find it strange.

When we look at the account of Silva he was there the entire time, even when the police arrived and Giordano send away for a nap, he could have informed them that GG and Robyn never went into the sea on the spot.

 

[LambChop]

Fisherman Silva said Giordano was not able to speak, he was send away for a nap etc. I would expect the police to interview bystanders/witnesses if Giordano was not able to speak (if so, that has been alleged). His swimpants were dry etc. Talking to people who were there would make sense.

This was not just an immediate on the spot search, it was a very intensive search.

I don't recall him saying that about the nap????

LE would interview witnesses regardless of whether or not GG could speak. It's standard operating procedures. GG claimed he did not know what happened to her because he was swimming for his life. A witness might have seen where she went under so they could search there. They were conducting a search and recover at that point and could have used that information had someone seen her go under and not come back up. jmo

 

[vlpate]

From Wikipeadis: Human trafficking differs from people smuggling. In the latter, people voluntarily request or hire an individual, known as a smuggler, to covertly transport them from one location to another. This generally involves transportation from one country to another, where legal entry would be denied upon arrival at the international border. There may be no deception involved in the (illegal) agreement. After entry into the country and arrival at their ultimate destination, the smuggled person is usually free to find their own way.

While smuggling requires travel, trafficking does not. Much of the confusion rests with the term itself. The word "trafficking" includes the word "traffic," which means transportation or travel. However, while the words look and sound alike, they do not hold the same meaning.


Human trafficking - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I wonder if Aruban authorities have added "Swim at your own risk - dangerous human traffickers may appear suddenly", to their warning signs along the beach...

 

[LambChop]

I do not find it strange if people were there or had noticed them, I do not know if that actually happened but if so I do not find it strange.

When we look at the account of Silva he was there the entire time, even when the police arrived and Giordano send away for a nap, he could have informed them that GG and Robyn never went into the sea on the spot.

The nap story is not true and was just a rumor. GG was still on the beach with LE after dark. I think Mr. Silva was too busy fishing to worry about what the police were doing. jmo

 

[Micheline]

I think he is a messed up guy who drinks and maybe gets high, and he was stressed and excited at the same time, imo. He was not going to just leave without finding out about how the ins claim worked. What idf he left Aruba and found out he had to call and check in with the facts before he left the country? I think he was dying to know what to do next.

I thought he had a personal injury lawyer who could have informed him he needed to file a missing persons report, move away and wait for further developments back in the States.
Why would his lawyer advise him to do things that would needlessly raise suspicion even more since he was only considered a witness at this point?

 

[LambChop]

Girl I've slept since then. I misunderstood a post - they were saying GG lied (huge surprise), and the way I read the sentence was that Taco lied.

Oh, I hear you. Been there, done that. lol

 

[Micheline]

The very fact that GG is talking to Mario Lopez about something so important is what baffles me.

-respectfully snipped by me.

I think he told Lopez that he had a travel insurance on Robyn, if she was found things would have to be arranged.

Aside that maybe Giordano was worried, after all he knew about the 1,5 million policy, and since it was not likely Robyn would re appear alive he could have had concern that he became a suspect at some point. It may have been the very reason why he got a lawyer.

 

[LambChop]

I thought he had a personal injury lawyer who could have informed him he needed to file a missing persons report, move away and wait for further developments back in the States.
Why would his lawyer advise him to do things that would needlessly raise suspicion even more since he was only considered a witness at this point?

Maybe he never expected AmEx to call the police to verify her death and found himself in a very bad situation, especially if the agent told LE that he sounded like he had just hit the lottery. That could raise some eyebrows.

If GG were interested in a personal injury attorney it would be for one reason only. He was not injured. He was looking for advice regarding a wrongful death suit that could be filed by the family. Maybe he was afraid they were going to go after that $1.5M he was working so hard to get. This attorney opens up a whole new can of worms, IMO. jmo

 

[Micheline]

GG called four times.

That is new to me, when was that info given?

I imagine American Express called the Aruban police to verify her death and it is more likely than not that LE mentioned it to GG not the other way around. I'd say calling four times he was a little over anxious.

Maybe he told it to them, that would have been the correct way and less suspicious too. I can see Giordano worrying over becoming a suspect with the 1,5 million policy, it may have been his lawyer advising him to tell it authorities (instead of them finding out later), it may have been the reason why he got the lawyer early on, I think in a way that would make sense somehow.

Had RG's body been found right away they would have done toxicology tests on her and then they would have known she was drugged and had a high alcohol blood level. He was just trying to cover all bases and probably did not realize he just shut the door on the insurance claim. jmo

If he planned all this it would be incredible that would not have taken the time to read policy terms and clauses, it can be done in 5 minutes.

 

[Micheline]

Maybe he never expected AmEx to call the police to verify her death and found himself in a very bad situation, especially if the agent told LE that he sounded like he had just hit the lottery. That could raise some eyebrows.

-bolded by me.

If Giordano did not harm Robyn I can see him not worrying about AEX calling LE.
If he murdered her for money (which some people are convinced of) ; I cannot believe that anyone who would murder another person for money would not be extremely cautious, being under continues stress, watch and rethink every move they make. Him being completely careless about AMEX and all the other things mentioned throughout this discussion that does not make sense.

If GG were interested in a personal injury attorney it would be for one reason only. He was not injured. He was looking for advice regarding a wrongful death suit that could be filed by the family. Maybe he was afraid they were going to go after that $1.5M he was working so hard to get. This attorney opens up a whole new can of worms, IMO. jmo

But that suit would not be filed in Aruba, and he would have a language barrier (Lopez studied in Holland), he could get that advice soon as a suit would be filed back in Maryland.

But Lopez not only isn't a personal injury lawyer, it is not even his expertise.

 

[LambChop]

That is new to me, when was that info given?



Maybe he told it to them, that would have been the correct way and less suspicious too. I can see Giordano worrying over becoming a suspect with the 1,5 million policy, it may have been his lawyer advising him to tell it authorities (instead of them finding out later), it may have been the reason why he got the lawyer early on, I think in a way that would make sense somehow.



If he planned all this it would be incredible that would not have taken the time to read policy terms and clauses, it can be done in 5 minutes.

He was in such a hurry according to the agent he faxed everything over instead of mailing it in before he left. He wanted to make sure he had that insurance coverage.

JB claims ML was acting as a personal injury attorney who tried to get GG to sign an agreement to take 1/3 of the insurance money. At the time, GG was not a suspect. He did not become a suspect until after he made those calls to AMEX. The agent from AMEX claimed he called four times and this was reported early on when GG was first arrested. According to JB GG was not planning on hiring ML as a criminal attorney but for as a personal injury attorney which could involve a wrongful death suit. JB said it. He can't take it back. I don't see any other explanation for hiring a personal injury attorney.

Insurance companies need to verify a death and since there was no body yet they would have called the Aruban authorities to get a report. jmo