AZ - Isabel Mercedes Celis, 6, Tucson, 20 April 2012 - # 2

[katydid23]

I'm not watching but the whole window scenario brings back memories of Trenton Duckett.

Someone on NG just brought up the Van Dam case. Kidnapped by a neighbor in the middle of the night. Sounds similar, imo.

 

[JDB]

I always admire the parents that can get up in front of the cameras. If, God forbid, they were looking for any of my loved ones in the landfill, I wouldn't be able to put two words together.

It's going to be hard for Marc Klaas to comment on this case with the similarities.

That was the 1st name that came to mind when I heard on JVM the statement about not often stranger abduction from the house. I shook my head and thought . Want to tell that to Marc Klass

 

[Isabelle]

Their home does not appear to be in a very desirable area, considering the cost of the home. But I guess appraisals are high there. It looks very commercial. Don't like it at all.

 

[GracieLu]

Just heard about this on the news and wanted to chime in and say how truly heartbroken I am. Omgosh, my little one will be 8 this summer and the thought of putting her to bed and then missing the following morning makes me ill! I am sick with worry for this beautiful girl and am praying hard that she returns home soon!

I haven't read the entire thread, and jumped to the end, but am wondering.... Was Isabel's room on the first or second floor and front, side, or back of the house?

I am leaning towards a "worker" in the neighborhood - Somebody that wasn't noticed because he belonged there (like a landscaping, pool guy, maintenace, road worker, construction) who kept a close eye on the house. An older neighbor, loner-type, isn't far fetched either, imo. Whoever did this must have known where her bedroom was, probably knew moms work schedule, and picked a Friday because he was off work for the weekend.

and, being the mom of a 7 1/2 year old who not that long ago was 6, going to bed at 11 o'clock on a Friday night once in a blue moon wasn't uncommon. If I heard her bedtime was normally 11 o'clock I would have been "WHAT!," but maybe the had a busy Friday night, maybe there was a movie on the Disney channel, maybe she was playing with her brothers, none of the things I've read so far have given any details about anything...

I AM PRAYING FOR YOUR SAFE RETURN BEAUTIFUL ISABEL!!!! ((((crying))))

 

[ingra1327]

Raw video of 2:00 pm PC, for those of you who missed some of the updates.

http://www.kvoa.com/news/raw-video-tucson-police-updates-missing-girl-case-in-latest-conference/

Transcript of 2:00 pm press conference

Good afternoon. I am back with another update as to where we are on the investigation. We've continued, as we discussed earlier today, in trying to finish up the search ...I believe we accomplished that. We are having the investigators go through and finish up the leads that they found. I really want to concentrate on the additional unit help and agency help that has proven to be invaluable, and I want to mention another couple of organizations and agencies that we're bringing in. The US Marshall Service have been here since day one. They have been fantastic in helping us conduct searches, to canvass a neighborhood and even helping us on a couple warrants that have been served as part of the investigation process.
We have had assistance from the FBI as you are all aware. The canine units that came in last night, they have also been on the phone with the FBI's behavioral analysis unit who does work with these types of scenarios and provides insight of what to look for in an individual and we're discussing that with them and possibly we may ask for their assistance in a more up close fashion. We're going to bring in the National Center for Exploited and Missing Children. This organization helps out in these types of investigations and specialize in missing children and protocols on how to go about finding, locating, and investigating these types of events.
As I said at other press conferences, we're not turning down out help from any area because our main focus is finding Isabel and bringing her home safely. We've got border patrol who have been out here and providing resources, just in staffing to comb the areas, combing desert areas. County Sheriffs, search and rescue team has been assisting us. And a lot of volunteers have offered to come to help us conduct our search. We're actively involved in that. Our goal is to find Isabelle and bring her home. But we're also conducting things in a very conscious manner to make sure for criminal investigation aspect that we're not going to contaminate any scene or anything like that.
Questions (can't hear question):
A: We had a few residents that we had developed information on that we wanted to serve a warrant on. It doesn't necessarily mean that anything of evidentiary value was necessarily found there, but because of the high profile of this case, we wanted to make sure we followed all the rules. The safest way to do that is to obtain a warrant, which we did before we went to those residents.

Q: On the street?
A: One of them was on the street
Q: Can't hear
A: We have made it a point to contact every identified sex offender within a three-mile radius, so I'm sure we have spoken to him.
Q: Can't hear
A: Well sure, we're all aware of that. We've talked about that and it's possible we'll ask for And every hour that passes causes more concern and more distress.
Q: landfill search?
A: Either by this evening or early tomorrow morning. That's a very painstaking effort, we've brought in people from different factions around the city and it's basically combing through every
Q: How much longer will you have the neighborhood blocked off?
A: You know that's something we're going to evaluate and try to get the neighborhood back to normal ASAP, but there are some sections we'll probably keep blocked off for another day or so. We just want to make sure that we don't miss anything. I can't give you a definitive answer but we're trying to open that back up as quickly as possible.
Q: (something about the location of a room)
A: I'm not familiar enough about the layout.
Q: (something about talking to parents)
A: We constantly check back with where we are in the investigation. If that requires a re-interview with family members or neighbors or anyone else that we would do so.
Q: You asked the parents if they were interested in an interview with the media, you would facilitate that, have you made that request?
A: Yes, we have made that request. I'll tell you right now that they are not really interested in that, but
Q: Why?
A: We don't really delve into that with them. We just give them the request and we're not pushing that either way. If that situation changes, we'll let you know.
Q: What have they done to help look for her?
A: The family? Well they've had a lot of friends and family out passing out flyers and going out doing their own personal search. That's been reported on many media outlets already. I know they are very concerned and are cooperating with us on that.
Q: Have they been out actively searching?
A: The parents themselves? I don't know.
Q: Amber alert status?
A: We still don't have that last criteria met where we know absolutely that an abduction occurred, that we have suspect or vehicle information or direction of travel. So it still does not qualify for an Amber Alert.
Q: Something about the dog search
A: Well, that's part of what the investigation is covering today. We are continuing with that.
Q: So you're still in the house?
A: We have the house secured at this point. We are in the process because, obviously again, as I mentioned earlier, it's such a high profile incident we want to make sure to do everything by the book, so we will be getting a warrant...obviously to go back into the residence and serve that. To make sure If we find anything of evidentiary value that we still have done that appropriately and we don't lose that.
Q: (can't hear)
A: It's still much safer to get a warrant because consent can be questioned later on, a good attorney can sit there and say, "Well, of course, they gave that because if they wouldn't then all this national attention and pressure they felt pressure to do that."
The safer bet is to just get a warrant.
Q: Do they have an attorney?
A: I don't know
Q: How many warrants have you served?
A: I don't know
Q: Dozen?
A: I'm not gonna guess
Q: (can't hear)
A: I mean we've had incidents like this that have happened within this community and people want answers very quickly and we would love to provide answers very quickly. The reality of the situation is these are very painstaking investigations, they're very complex. They require a lot of just good old-fashioned police work, drudging through the details and that takes time. That time causes a sense of what's going on, what's happening, why is this so complicated . And really we're just trying to go through the leads and cover all the bases. So short answer to your question, I'm sorry, is that yes, there have been other cases that have been as complex, frustrating, concerning as this one. Some we've been able to solve successfully, some we haven't.
Q: You were investigating ...leads. How much progress have you made today and are you closer to a conclusion?
A: We may be done with those, we're almost done with that. However what are concern and what we hope you can help us with is to continue to ask for information. We've received some additional leads today, obviously not in the numbers we received the first day of this event. But we are asking for the public anyone who thinks they have information to call 88-CRIME or 911 so that we can follow up with that.
Q: Have you followed those leads?
A: Yes, we have.
Q: can't hear (landfill search?)
A: Like what led us to this case, we've had disposal removal that morning, Saturday morning while we were out here, prior to us locking down the scene. So we had no clue if anything of evidentiary value had been removed from some of the local dumpsters. But what we were able to do is contact the waste management company, contact city waste management and find out where the trash from this neighborhood was taken, to which dump, or transfer station. We just secured that area and said "ok, no one touches that". We'll get a chance to go in and start looking. So that would be, for us, a normal protocol because we don't know what we're dealing with yet. If we found something that pointed us in a different direction that's something we wouldn't have to do, but since we haven't found that we will leave no stone unturned.
Q: Do you think she is alive?
A: I'm hoping my best that the child is alive and we're going to work on the premise the child is alive until proven otherwise. We want to remain hopeful. We want Isabel to come home safely.
Q: Anyway to narrow down the window from 11 pm to 8 am?
A: No, not at this point that's the time frame we're working with. Okay, a couple more questions.
Q: (can't hear)
A: I'm not going to talk about what the family is saying, but they are cooperating with us.
Q: Can you tell us about whatever the canine units found that led you to go back to the house.
A: No, and we're not talking about what the dogs found, other than the fact they were out there. The dogs did alert on some issues that, obviously wants us to investigate and look into that.
Q: and that was this morning?
A: late last night and this morning.

 

[spoiledmom]

NG has a point. They should take a polygraph asap so if they are innocent, all the attention goes to finding their little girl.

 

[Patty G]

it is my understanding from all early reports that the window with the removed screen is Isabel's window (and from the presser this morning)

Chief V.also would also not confirm or deny that there were any other signs of struggle in the room.

The spokesperson for LE on Nancy's show would not confirm or deny it was Isabel's window. :crazy:

Do we have the link from this mornings presser? TIA

ETA: I found the link to the statement!

 

[Anita Richman]

Their home does not appear to be in a very desirable area, considering the cost of the home. It looks very commercial. Don't like it at all.

The probably chose it because of it's proximity to his family members. It is extremely common here for many family members to live on the same block, or at least in the same neighborhood.

 

[Patty G]

For all we know the family took a poly and the media is not aware of it!

 

[spoiledmom]

For all we know the family took a poly and the media is not aware of it!

Very true. If that's the case, it doesn't look good for them.

 

[Coldpizza]

OMG I'm always so amazed and grateful we have people that can transcribe so quickly!!!!

Thank you ingra1327 !!!

 

[Indy Anna]

And look at that big ugly parking lot for the big box stores delivery area. And lots of the warehouse workers in those stores work all night shifts.

My son used to work for Big Buy in college and he worked in the warehouse. They often went in at 2 am and unloaded shipments all night.

So there could have been various workers looking at that home all night every night.

I wonder if any of those warehouse workers behind the Celis home was friendly with the family, especially Isabel. I don't think she would have a view of the dock, would she, from the house? But, maybe she would go around to watch the dock workers with her brothers or parents. I can imagine the sight of people loading and unloading trucks to be fascinating to kids.

It would be good to know if any of the dock workers are RSO's, too.

 

[Jezbel]

I can't believe she interrupted Beth Karas when she was talking about the screen. I turned her off. I'll read the transcripts tomorrow morning.

Omg that women bugs me, she interrupts everyone all the time. If I was anyone important I would never go on her show for the pure fact the people interrupting me is one of my biggest pet peeves lol

 

[nursebeeme]

The spokesperson for LE on Nancy's show would not confirm or deny it was Isabel's window. :crazy:

Do we have the link from this mornings presser? TIA

in the opening post there is a link to the complete coverage page for Isabel at kvoa... it will be there

 

[Prof]

http://www.tucsonnewsnow.com/category/218560/kold-news-13-live-video
There is supposed to be a live presser at 6 pm in 4 minutes here

 

[Prof]

they are doing a mic check

 

[nursebeeme]

caveat on "isabel's window"... it was not said if she had her own room, or where she was sleeping... but he WAS referring to the window in what ever room type situation she was sleeping in fwiw

(and he did confirm the screen was out of the window but didn't yet say anything about the glass of the window, if the window was left up, if they were locked, if the doors were locked... however he has described it as a suspicious point of ENTRY.. he has never once used the word EXIT... hth...)

 

[Prof]

Live conference on Isabela
here

http://www.tucsonnewsnow.com/category/218560/kold-news-13-live-video

 

[Coldpizza]

For all we know the family took a poly and the media is not aware of it!

That does make me mad. The media is not privy to what the family is doing, feeling, living and experiencing. They need to get their story out first and sensationalize it for ratings and job pressure. Honestly, it seems to get worse with each and every high profile case, which IMO muddies the waters of finding the missing.

 

[Patty G]

Found it!

Chief of Police speaks on the search for Isabel Celis
05:55 AM (4/23/12)

Villasenor also confirmed that a possibly broken or removed screen on the window in Isabel's bedroom is a point of entry they are seriously investigating but he stressed that it is not, "a definitive point of entry."

http://www.kvoa.com/full-coverage/finding-isabel/#fcanchor