CA CA - Bob Harrod, 81, Orange County, 27 July 2009 - # 1

[CarrieBean]

The key to finding Bob Harrod is figuring out who took him.

Who had the motive, means, and opportunity?

Pretty much everyone we have heard about in this case has had a motive (money, they all want it), means (they all had access to Bob's home, whether they had a key or were welcomed in by Bob. At his age, he would be easy to overtake. Especially by someone he (somewhat) trusted), opportunity (daughters, SIL who was the last to see Bob, barber girl could have shown up while SIL was gone, new wife could have sent someone while she was out of town).

Some facts would be nice.

 

[dreamweaver]

Facts are few and far between:

1. Robert Harrod was home on Monday.
2. He was on the phone.
3. His sil did repairs around the house.
4. His sil had receipts for some errands done for Robert.
5. The house cleaner was there in the afternoon.

What we need:
1. LE, times of phone calls on Monday.
2. LE evidence of traces of breakfast or lunch in trash.
3. LE evidence that maybe Robert changed his clothes to get
ready to go out.
4. LE evidence of any security cameras nearby showing any car
of any friend of Robert's that day.

To me, we can speculate and discuss and
review and
take up sides
and
let ourselves be swayed
by the hurt felt by the daughters
and by Fontelle,
but it won't help
in finding Robert Harrod.

IMO:

We need information that only LE has.

 

[kai]

Did Bob and Fontelle's love story show up in the news/media BEFORE he went missing or just after he went missing?

 

[dreamweaver]

Did Bob and Fontelle's love story show up in the news/media BEFORE he went missing or just after he went missing?

===============================
Before he went missing.

http://www.ocregister.com/news/fontelle-148279-bob-years.html
One of many news articles about their reuniting and marrying after 60 years.

 

[Fairy1]

This case is so maddening! Based on what little we know, money would be the obvious cause of any possible foul play. IIRC, it was the daughters that pointed out his wealth. IMO, they would not have come out so publicly if they were responsible for him going missing. The fact is, they are the children of Mr. Harrod and his deceased wife. I can't say I blame them for wanting to be sure their inheritance would be safe considering a new wife very suddenly appeared.

I do find it a bit odd (and telling) that Fontelle was so quick to leave her home, family and friends and to show no desire to leave now that her brand new husband is missing. She's in a strange city with few friends or allies. That's suspicious to me. She may not be able to get her hands on his money, but she's in that house and apparently has no intention of leaving. Wasn't it said that she had been living on the property of one of her children?

The barber is the big question mark for me. She would seem to be the most likely person to cause him harm but him being missing isn't doing her any good. Of course, that could be said of any of the players here. If he remains missing, no one will get anything from the family trust or estate for years.

If money was not the motivation but he was harmed in an old-fashioned crime of passion, that is another story. In that scenario, the daughters would be the likely suspects and if he came to harm, my guess is that it happened in his own home. I guess it's safe to assume LE thoroughly checked that out, right?

 

[Angelo]

When people are in their late seventies and early eighties there is not time for a long courtship. They are nearing the end of their lives. They talked every day for several weeks before Fontelle went out there. They knew they still clicked.

As for the woman we call the barber lady, what do we know about her except for what the daughters posted on another forum about her. The daughters pointed the finger at her right after their father disappeared. What if she was a good friend to BH. What if the daughters resented her as they now resent Fontelle.

She was not the girlfriend or former girlfriend of Mr. Harrod. Someone speculated on a forum that she was and now it gets picked up as fact. She and her husband have been cleared by LE. They are the only individuals involved that have been cleared.

What we know:

1. All three daughters went over to their father's house Sunday evening. Things got heated according to one of the daughters. It was about money. One of the daughters felt the need to post on another forum that, "there were no threats."

2. BH spoke to the housekeeper at 10 am Monday morning and told her to come. That is the last time BH can be independently verified as being alive.

3. Later that afternoon, around 2:30 pm, the housekeeper arrived to an
empty house.

4. The SIL, Jeff, has a receipt that shows he was at Home Depot a little after 3 pm.

 

[eachandevery]

Did the SIL keep the receipt knowing that something bad had happened to Bob, and knew he'd need to cover his a** when people started asking questions? I just ask because unless I make a pricey purchase, I generally don't keep my receipts.

 

[dreamweaver]

When people are in their late seventies and early eighties there is not time for a long courtship. They are nearing the end of their lives. They talked every day for several weeks before Fontelle went out there. They knew they still clicked.

As for the woman we call the barber lady, what do we know about her except for what the daughters posted on another forum about her. The daughters pointed the finger at her right after their father disappeared. What if she was a good friend to BH. What if the daughters resented her as they now resent Fontelle.

She was not the girlfriend or former girlfriend of Mr. Harrod. Someone speculated on a forum that she was and now it gets picked up as fact. She and her husband have been cleared by LE. They are the only individuals involved that have been cleared.

What we know:

1. All three daughters went over to their father's house Sunday evening. Things got heated according to one of the daughters. It was about money. One of the daughters felt the need to post on another forum that, "there were no threats."
My understanding of the meeting on Sunday with Robert and his daughters had to do with their legal right to have a copy of their mother's trust information. I think that the daughter posted on another forum that 'there were no threats', because others took 'heated' to mean 'threats.' I thought the daughters were frustrated with their dad because he had kept putting them off about the legal paperwork for over a year.
IMO

2. BH spoke to the housekeeper at 10 am Monday morning and told her to come. That is the last time BH can be independently verified as being alive.
There is no documented evidence of the time Robert spoke to his housekeeper that I know of. It is said he did talk to her on Monday morning, but no time has been established.
3. Later that afternoon, around 2:30 pm, the housekeeper arrived to an
empty house.
This time seems correct, according to the receipt and LE statements.

4. The SIL, Jeff, has a receipt that shows he was at Home Depot a little after 3 pm.

Yes, this has been verified.
================================================

IMO:
I agree that if people are in their 70's or 80's, there is not time for a long courtship. I also agree that Robert Harrod wanted to marry Fontelle.
There are news videos of him saying just that very thing.
I understand that she wanted to move to CA and make a new life with him.
And I can understand Fontelle staying at the house, because none of know what happened to Robert Harrod, missing because he wanted to be, as LE first thought or
missing because some harm came to him.
But, if her family is in MO, and she is alone in CA, I would think her future plans would be to move back, if indeed, Robert Harrod is not found or found deceased.
IMO.

As for the barber lady, we do not have any independent verification of her relationship with Robert Harrod.
What we have is the daughters belief that she was taking advantage of Robert Harrod, which is why the Senior Services Fraud Div. was called in. That verified only by the fact that the case manager investigator arrived the same day that Fontelle arrived back in CA.
I think that it was Robert's choice to give away or loan out his money, but when the money amount is excessive, I think his daughters felt he was being taken advantage of.
I don't know if she was or was not a girlfriend of Robert Harrod's.
There is no verification of her relationship.
But, yes she and her husband have been cleared as suspects.

I go back to a previous post, we just don't have much known evidence to
determine what happened.

We all have our theories or ideas. Which I consider a good thing.

 

[dreamweaver]

Did the SIL keep the receipt knowing that something bad had happened to Bob, and knew he'd need to cover his a** when people started asking questions? I just ask because unless I make a pricey purchase, I generally don't keep my receipts.

===============================================

I keep all receipts.
If they were for a small inconsequential purchase, I will throw them away at the end of a week.
If they were for even a 20.00 purchase, I keep it for at least
a month.
But, in this instance, I think maybe the SIL kept the receipt
to give to Robert Harrod.
It would show what was bought and the cost of the item or items.

 

[suzyq211]

The one experience I can draw from is that I had a small relationship with the old man that owned my house before me. It is 200 years old and he loved to talk about it. I had him over several times for dinner just to visit because I knew he was lonely after his wife died. His kids were in the next state so he didnt see them much.

Now, he never gave me money, but it makes me wonder if Robert Harrad didnt have an almost fatherly relationship with that woman, maybe she gave him the attention he didnt have from his family. Who knows? Once again, anything we have gleaned is from the daughters, and I have to take that with a grain of salt.

 

[Angelo]

* Bob Harrod talked to the housekeeper on the phone earlier that morning and told her to come.

* Officials have said that at 10 a.m. July 27 there was a phone call to Bob Harrod, which is the last time anyone other than Jeff Michaels verified he was at the house. Police are not releasing the content of those phone records.

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/-214111--.html

If it was not the housekeeper it was someone else that could verify BH was alive.


The daughter volunteered the information that there were "NO threats" in her initial post telling about the meeting. The daughter capitalized the no in her post. She went on to say that they all left on good terms. The daughter was not posting in reply to someones accusation or question.

Another daughter, the SIL's wife, said in a TV interview that her father went missing around 12:30 or 1:00 pm.

 

[Sharyne]

In years of following trials on TV or news media, I noticed that the prosecutors don't believe in coincidences (or rarely). Therefore, is it a coincidence that Bob marries quite quickly after reuniting with Fontelle, and while she is gone (alibi?) he disappears? Could it be that LE is spending a lot of time investigating her and her family? Sometimes it takes a long while to wait for suspects to tip their hand.

Just my opinion, but if I were innocent and I were Fontelle, I would want to move back home just to be out of the way of all the turmoil in that house.

 

[SuziQ]

In years of following trials on TV or news media, I noticed that the prosecutors don't believe in coincidences (or rarely). Therefore, is it a coincidence that Bob marries quite quickly after reuniting with Fontelle, and while she is gone (alibi?) he disappears? Could it be that LE is spending a lot of time investigating her and her family? Sometimes it takes a long while to wait for suspects to tip their hand.

Just my opinion, but if I were innocent and I were Fontelle, I would want to move back home just to be out of the way of all the turmoil in that house.

I'm not feeling Fontelle's involvement. What would her motive be? It wouldn't be finances, Bob was putting her name on his accounts the day of or the day after he went missing. How much do you want to bet he was adding Fontelle to the deed of the house? Which BTW, makes me think that between all that and Fontelle showing up soon to move into Bob's house, that was the catalyst for the family meeting. I doubt the meeting was about their mother's will at all. The will would have been submitted to the courts on behalf of the estate years ago and if the daughters were heirs, they have access to it. They would not need to get it from their dad.

And if I was Fontelle and had a suspicion that his family was involved in my husbands disappearance, I would stay in that house and fight them in court, just like Fontelle is doing. You betcha.

 

[Sharyne]

I'm not feeling Fontelle's involvement. What would her motive be? It wouldn't be finances, Bob was putting her name on his accounts the day of or the day after he went missing. How much do you want to bet he was adding Fontelle to the deed of the house? Which BTW, makes me think that between all that and Fontelle showing up soon to move into Bob's house, that was the catalyst for the family meeting. I doubt the meeting was about their mother's will at all. The will would have been submitted to the courts on behalf of the estate years ago and if the daughters were heirs, they have access to it. They would not need to get it from their dad.

And if I was Fontelle and had a suspicion that his family was involved in my husbands disappearance, I would stay in that house and fight them in court, just like Fontelle is doing. You betcha.

I was following this case first over on IS and at first believed what the first daughter was posting. Then got to thinking about why she quit. Of course, it could be because she was told to stop by LE. I thought the reason they pursued the follow up on the will was twofold. First because of the barber lady and then because of the marriage - more because of feeling their father was being taken advantage of by, now, two people. I don't really know what to think. My reason for (if I were Fontelle) wanting to leave is because I'm not a 'fighter', and more so because I'm older now and wouldn't want the hassle for the money. Plus, do we know if she knew Bob was adding her name to his accounts? They could have discussed it on their phone conversations, but it could be he was going to surprise her with that.

There doesn't seem to be any evidence of any kind of struggle, so it would seem he left willingly. Could he have been drugged and therefore not have been thinking clearly?

Where, oh, where is he????

 

[Angelo]

There doesn't seem to be any evidence of any kind of struggle, so it would seem he left willingly. Could he have been drugged and therefore not have been thinking clearly?

Where, oh, where is he????

Sniped~

Bob Harrod was an elderly man. There does not have to be evidence of a struggle. It is very easy to overpower a person in their eighties. Muscle strength decreases and bones are much more brittle.

 

[Angelo]

In years of following trials on TV or news media, I noticed that the prosecutors don't believe in coincidences (or rarely). Therefore, is it a coincidence that Bob marries quite quickly after reuniting with Fontelle, and while she is gone (alibi?) he disappears? Could it be that LE is spending a lot of time investigating her and her family? Sometimes it takes a long while to wait for suspects to tip their hand.

Just my opinion, but if I were innocent and I were Fontelle, I would want to move back home just to be out of the way of all the turmoil in that house.

If you look at it another way, is it just a coincidence that the daughters charged over to their father's house and "things got heated" the night before BH turns up missing?


How many daughters does it take to pick up a will? Sounds more like a confrontation to me.

Fontelle made a commitment to Bob Harrod. She loves him. Why should she turn her back on him? She wants to find out what happened to her husband. I'm sure it would be easier for the daughters if Fontelle left.

 

[Angelo]

* Bob Harrod talked to the housekeeper on the phone earlier that morning and told her to come.

* Officials have said that at 10 a.m. July 27 there was a phone call to Bob Harrod, which is the last time anyone other than Jeff Michaels verified he was at the house. Police are not releasing the content of those phone records.

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/-214111--.html

If it was not the housekeeper it was someone else that could verify BH was alive.


The daughter volunteered the information that there were "NO threats" in her initial post telling about the meeting. The daughter capitalized the no in her post. She went on to say that they all left on good terms. The daughter was not posting in reply to someones accusation or question.

Another daughter, the SIL's wife, said in a TV interview that her father went missing around 12:30 or 1:00 pm.

The daughter states her father disappears around noon or 1 pm.

Reporter: “Julie says her husband was with her dad, at his home yesterday. He went to the hardware store alone. When he came back…”
Julie: “My dad was gone.”
Reporter: “What time?”
Julie: “We’re thinking maybe 1, noon?”

http://www.ktla.com/videobeta/watch/?watch=ac85bbd7-919c-45df-8bff-de9407f59354&src=front

 

[cloudajo]

Actually, there is no petitioner named on August 7 but Robert Harrod. One of the daughters also files different papers on the 7th. Then the daughters petition for temporary guardian/conservator on August 10.

Fontelle does not file anything until October 16.

There is suppose to be a hearing tomorrow.

Nov 10 Update: PETITION FOR APPOINTMENT OF CONSERVATOR CONTINUED TO 12/01/2009

 

[cloudajo]

[snipped] I doubt the meeting was about their mother's will at all. The will would have been submitted to the courts on behalf of the estate years ago and if the daughters were heirs, they have access to it. They would not need to get it from their dad.

Agree. I was wondering about that - if they were legally entitled to a copy wouldn't they go to the court and get it?

 

[JulieR]

Sorry if this has been posted, but I wonder if LE ever got camera footage of SL at the hardware store? Someone else could have went to the hardware store and got that receipt, while SL took care of business.