CA - Chelsea King (17) Rancho Bernardo (north San Diego County) #1

[Ghostwheel]

If it's the same Steph Watts, he bills himself as a freelance reporter. Has a website and a blog.

Yes, same one, I hesitate to give him free publicity at this time, though. (I'm a little ticked.)

 

[LilysMom]

Sorry Lily'sMom! I hadn't refreshed before posting and didn't see you posted it, as well!

No worries! Yours looked better with the bold so I just deleted mine.

 

[fabvab]

What's he look like? And wasn't he involved with the Casey or Haley case or something? Why is his name familiar to me?

One of the people I spoke with was standing around with a very large camera and some camera bags around his waist taking photos near where I was at one point, and I wondered who he was and was struck by all of his fancy gadgets on a street that typically mostly locals would have known had a good view for what's going on right now.

Just catching up on this thread...here's a link to his blog. Don't know if it's been posted or not.
http://stephww.wordpress.com/

 

[LilysMom]

RANCHO BERNARDO: Search for missing girl yields 'results,' officials say
By SARAH GORDON - [email protected] | Posted: February 28, 2010 4:13 pm | (3) Comments | Print

RANCHO BERNARDO ---- As authorities and volunteers swarmed the shores of Lake Hodges in the third day of a massive search for missing Poway High senior Chelsea King, sheriff's officials said the effort had yielded some clues.

"We're getting some results; I'm not going to talk about what those results are," said Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Jan Caldwell, speaking in front of the Rancho Bernardo Community Park Recreation Center early Sunday afternoon.


<snip>

Now I'm curious about what they have found. Is Steph Watts telling the truth about the sports bra?? Was the shoe really hers?

I think it's interesting what area they are now focusing on. We had friends and family members who have helped out with the search. Everyone is so shaken over this they have to help in some small way. My mom's church gave the family a prayer quilt last night. For a large community (compared to when I was kid and Poway was still a town), this is a tight knit community.

Blue Sky opened after I graduated, but when we ran Poway Lake, we ALWAYS did it with a buddy. Even in the mid-80s, we were careful. I remember having to walk through the neighborhoods for P.E., but again, we weren't allowed to split up. We had to walk WITH at least one other person. I know that times have changed, more kids disappear now than did back then. I get so upset when I see women out alone - especially in areas with previous attacks like Blue Sky. No place is safe for females of any age these days. It's so very, very maddening. I think living in this community it is easy to become complacent. In any community it is, I imagine. I'm so angry that we can't even be safe here. Sorry, just venting.

So do we think they are seeing a connection to the attack in December based on the area they are searching?

 

[LilysMom]

Just catching up on this thread...here's a link to his blog. Don't know if it's been posted or not.
http://stephww.wordpress.com/

How is he allowed to do this?!

The sheriff's office isn't sharing clues so why is this guy? :furious:

Seems to me they ought to bar him from the search.

 

[Ghostwheel]

Check out the picture here. It's on Alborada, where I mentioned yesterday, on the opposite end from the houses I recognized yesterday, closer to where the Piedras trail goes past the waterfall and utilities building RunningOnEmpty was mentioning. I think that's Smokesignal's sign, where TravelingBug said they were searching today.
http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local-beat/Missing-Poway-Teens-Parents-Be-Strong-Baby----85767192.html
I attached a map with the area circled where they are standing.

Added a zoomed out version so you could see where it is in relation to the community center.

 

[cluciano63]

actually according to an article in Time, the national center for missing and exploited children indicates that the numbers of true abductions/kidnappings by strangers has decreased over the years...but with the internet and cable news we are seeing so much coverage that it seems like it is happening all the time. This does not include custodial cases...the article indicates that while sometimes as many as 700,000 are reported missing in a year, a tiny percentage turn out to be stranger abductions and that more than 94% are returned safely...

 

[TravelingBug]

Now I'm curious about what they have found. Is Steph Watts telling the truth about the sports bra?? Was the shoe really hers?

I think it's interesting what area they are now focusing on. We had friends and family members who have helped out with the search. Everyone is so shaken over this they have to help in some small way. My mom's church gave the family a prayer quilt last night. For a large community (compared to when I was kid and Poway was still a town), this is a tight knit community.

Blue Sky opened after I graduated, but when we ran Poway Lake, we ALWAYS did it with a buddy. Even in the mid-80s, we were careful. I remember having to walk through the neighborhoods for P.E., but again, we weren't allowed to split up. We had to walk WITH at least one other person. I know that times have changed, more kids disappear now than did back then. I get so upset when I see women out alone - especially in areas with previous attacks like Blue Sky. No place is safe for females of any age these days. It's so very, very maddening. I think living in this community it is easy to become complacent. In any community it is, I imagine. I'm so angry that we can't even be safe here. Sorry, just venting.

So do we think they are seeing a connection to the attack in December based on the area they are searching?

I totally agree. And I'm guessing I know which church!

We must have been at PHS at similar times.

 

[prncss14]

Maybe someone is just trying to be mean by posting that or they have info about what happened. A boy from her class knows what happened? Or it could just be someone trying to throw everyone off. I hope is is found alive.

 

[TravelingBug]

KGTV (10) at 6:

New equipment has been added to the search today. The sheriff is still confident they will somehow find her. They still think if she is in the area it's within a 2-3 mile radius.

There's an underwater robot and an unmanned drone used overhead taking photos.

Crews will still be out in full force tonight and again tomorrow.

 

[cluciano63]

Maybe someone is just trying to be mean by posting that or they have info about what happened. A boy from her class knows what happened? Or it could just be someone trying to throw everyone off. I hope is is found alive.

i don't think the post you are talking about could have much merit but i imagine that LE has been advised of it since it was removed from the website and are checking it out...it would be great if it turned out to be a valid clue that could be traced to an internet address...anything that helps...but i doubt it. this is a scary case as i guess there have not been any calls for ransom or the search would not be so intensive or on-going...

 

[hndinglove]

just something i noticed:

in a second post about the case on this person's blog, he said that the track coach warned runners not to go out alone, due to an attack on another female out running "earlier this week."

that attack happened in late december, as noted several posts back. it could just be poor sentence construction -- i.e., the coach could have made the warning earlier in the week; the blogger might not have meant that the attack happened earlier in the week -- but i really wouldn't take this site as a solid source. something seems off, fact-wise. which is a huge bummer for the investigation; getting your name out there as "breaking news" of dubious truth shouldn't be more important than finding Chelsea.

How is he allowed to do this?!

The sheriff's office isn't sharing clues so why is this guy? :furious:

Seems to me they ought to bar him from the search.

 

[redsky]

I am not going to listen to any evidence that has come out unless we can get confirmation. Wherever this guy is getting is info from - needs to be passed to LE first.

 

[TravelingBug]

This is just to show you another glimpse of how our community rallies around one another, and why this rally to support the efforts to find Chelsea is just 'who we are' here.

When many of us lost or had damaged homes during the wildfires that especially devastated RB/Westwood, the following year on the anniversary flags were placed at the park (where Chelsea disappeared) for each home that was lost or destroyed. (This obviously gives you a sort of ground view of the ballpark area of the RB Community Park, sort of looking in the direction of the dog park area)



The hill in the foreground here (with the homes) is the Alborada street area (which then intersects with Smokesignal - the place that Ghost indicated on the map where Chelsea's parents are seen standing today...that's also where you can get the view of the waterfalls and where my photos came from earlier today, as well)



The hills in the background are the ones that eventually end up running along the Legends neighborhood where you see those three streets the trail sort of twists pasts by the waterfalls in my photos from today.

And at Christmas Westwood's streets are lined with luminarias.



As you can see, we're a neighborhood that rallies around causes and supports one another. It's one of the great things about living here - and it's one of the reasons people are coming out in throngs for Chelsea. And I'm confident that our community will continue to stand by and support Chelsea's family for as long as they need us!

 

[AmandaReckonwith]

Steph Watts is saying an arrest of a 30 yr old happened. Anything in the news yet?

 

[TravelingBug]

Supposed to be a press conference on KFMB (8) shortly. They will break to it apparently.

I'll post as it happens.

A person tied to the search center (when questioned) said it is NOT a presser about clothing found, and that it was due to start shortly after 6:30 and that KFMB would be going to live when it happens.

 

[AmandaReckonwith]

Yes, same one, I hesitate to give him free publicity at this time, though. (I'm a little ticked.)

He is freelance, he likes to scoop.

FWIW, I have not heard him lie.

 

[AmandaReckonwith]

Do they have live feed? Steph just posted that tidbit on his facebook a few minutes ago.

 

[Ghostwheel]

He is freelance, he likes to scoop.

FWIW, I have not heard him lie.

Yeah, I know, yeah, I get it, I'm still ticked (for personal reasons). There was a reason they were being tight lipped.

 

[TravelingBug]

Huh, very odd. They promo'd the presser.

The search center point person talked about it on FB and said it was coming up and clarified what it was not about...and then nothing happened?

Apparently it started late (and just started) and when it's over, she (search center point person) will be able to post what was stated.