GUILTY CA - Gavin Smith, 57, Oak Park, 1 May 2012

[shana]

SWAT team ordered home's occupants out, neighbor says

But one law enforcement source told The Times that serving a search warrant in a missing person case is highly unusual and it suggests the case is more complex than originally believed.

Much more at link above, plus video report.

~jmo~

 

[SuziQ]

SWAT team ordered home's occupants out, neighbor says

But one law enforcement source told The Times that serving a search warrant in a missing person case is highly unusual and it suggests the case is more complex than originally believed.

Much more at link above, plus video report.

~jmo~

ITA. IMO, LE doesn't go this far for a voluntarily missing adult. FWIW, I do not believe the sighting in Morro Bay. Sightings like that rarely ever prove to be correct.

 

[SuziQ]

Sooooo, it would appear that something happened at that house in Oak Park. I bet they put him in his car and pushed it off a cliff to try to make it look like an accident. Lots of steep canyons around there. Just my speculation and IMO.

 

[Kaliste]

Sooooo, it would appear that something happened at that house in Oak Park. I bet they put him in his car and pushed it off a cliff to try to make it look like an accident. Lots of steep canyons around there. Just my speculation and IMO.

Well this is certainly getting interesting. Wait, did they search the friends house her was staying at or his family home where his wife and children currently live?

 

[shana]

The home that was searched had reportedly been searched before. It is located in Canoga Park. If you read the Help Find Gavin Smith! fb acct, you can get a lot of info, fwiw, plus links to some good articles about the search and more.

btw, evidence was seized including an SUV.

Also from latest articles:

A $20,000 reward has been setup.

Morro Bay sighting was ruled-out, as I had suspected.

Bragman is no longer representing the family.

Search Google News for Gavin Smith

~jmo~

 

[shana]

Many more details here:

Home searched in hunt for missing movie executive

...and here:

Deputies Seize Evidence, Car, During Search for Missing Fox Exec

Note: There are some inconsistencies in all of the recent articles on-case; for example, the relationship of the persons residing in the home, exactly where it is (Canoga Park or West Hills), which persons were there at the time of the search, and so forth.

 

[deca]

Whoa! I don't want to sound crass...but this is getting interesting. This is the second time LE has raided this house and seized items. Now, a car?

And if I remember correctly, Gavin Smith lives in Calabasas and works in West Hills. Not too far from each other.

IIRC Santa Susanna Pass Rd. (where this home was raided) has stretches that are a little pocket of rural in the city. people hike there and there are properties with horses. It is about 20 min or so (w no traffic) to Calabasas.

 

[shefner]

I can't figure out what could be going on here. Does LE think these people did something to Gavin Smith....do they think Gavin went there for some reason and met foul play?

 

[Seek&Find]

"This is still a missing person's investigation. We don't have anything that indicates that there is foul-play involved in this case, we are not ruling it out. We are always hopeful that Gavin will be found alive somewhere, but we just don't know," said Dave Dolen with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

"We're following up on leads and all the information we've gathered about people that he has come into contact with and that he has known in the past," said Dolson.

Authorities also said the man they were looking for at the residence, Johnny Creech, wasn't home. Neighbors said they have not seen Creech in the neighborhood for a couple days. They also said he used to be co-owner of a Hollywood night club, but was recently between jobs and struggling financially.

link

 

[SuziQ]

Well this is certainly getting interesting. Wait, did they search the friends house her was staying at or his family home where his wife and children currently live?

The friends house he was visiting. As far as I can tell given the various versions reported.

 

[SuziQ]

Whoa! I don't want to sound crass...but this is getting interesting. This is the second time LE has raided this house and seized items. Now, a car?

And if I remember correctly, Gavin Smith lives in Calabasas and works in West Hills. Not too far from each other.

IIRC Santa Susanna Pass Rd. (where this home was raided) has stretches that are a little pocket of rural in the city. people hike there and there are properties with horses. It is about 20 min or so (w no traffic) to Calabasas.

I was thinking of the exact same area. An old BF used to live in the far west corner above 118. It's amazing for how crowded the county is how quickly you can drive to rural areas.

 

[shana]

Based on information in various articles, I believe the house where the search warrant was served (Canoga Park) is NOT the residence where Gavin Smith was spending the night (Oak Park) and from which he went missing. The Smith home is located in West Hills, and he worked in Calabasas.

~jmo~

 

[deca]

I believe Shana is correct (above posting) which is why I am confused who these Santa Suzanna Pass people are. Johnny Creech, former nightclub owner? A woman? Did they owe him money? Was he "with" the woman? They need some good reporters on this case.

 

[2rose]

If you read the Help Find Gavin Smith! fb acct, you can get a lot of info, fwiw, plus links to some good articles about the search and more.

Could you please quote the exact web address on Facebook ?
I am not a regular Facebook user. I went there & tried to find it but could not.
Thanks!

 

[shefner]

Could you please quote the exact web address on Facebook ?
I am not a regular Facebook user. I went there & tried to find it but could not.
Thanks!

I know you didn't address this to me, but here is the link you seek.

http://https://www.facebook.com/groups/169269359866424/

 

[2rose]

I am confused who these Santa Suzanna Pass people are. Johnny Creech, former nightclub owner? A woman? Did they owe him money? Was he "with" the woman? They need some good reporters on this case.

I have searched for that info but do not think that the police have released it to the media. My thinking is that perhaps the police got interested in these people because Gavin Smith phoned them on the night he went missing.

From what I have read those present in the Canoga Park home searched were:
- 2 children
- their mother Chandrika=Chandie Winata
- an unnamed male.

Not sure who the man is because the mother split from her husband about a year ago around the same time she filed for bankruptcy.

The man in the home was NOT the one who the police were looking for.

 

[2rose]

I've been reading these updates re: the sighting and in one of the articles the family spokesperson Bragman, said that this was old news and nothing has come of it. I wonder what the family/LE did when they received this news? Did they check out hotels in that area and cameras?

It is not surprising that Bragman dismissed the sighting. From the family's perspective, it is in their interest to keep Gavin's status as missing. If Gavin were indeed seen alive somewhere, then the police would stop searching for him. I wonder why Bragman is not representing the Smith family any more ?

The sighting of Gavin occurred at a restaurant called the "Taco Temple" in Morro Bay which is about 200 miles north of where he was last seen.
One reason I don't dismiss this sighting immediately is because this restaurant had a surveillance camera. The media asked the restaurant for the tape but did not get access to it. News reports said that this tip had been followed up on so I assume that the police confiscated the tape for examination. The police have not made ANY statement about whether or not Gavin is on the surveillance tape. When a dead body turned up in Angeles National Forest, the police DID specifically state that it was NOT Gavin Smith.

The interesting thing about this very SAME restaurant location is that it was in the news 3 months before Gavin went missing ... when an employee was arrested for selling cocaine out the back door for over a period of 10 years. There are a few articles about it ... here is a link to one of them ...

http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2012/02/02/1932500/taco-temple-drug-arrest-morro.html

 

[2rose]

When a dead body turned up in Angeles National Forest, the police DID specifically state that it was NOT Gavin Smith.

By the way, here is another co-incidence, that dead man was identified as
Noe Vasquez who is a resident of Canoga Park ... the SAME residential area that the swat team just raided when looking for Gavin Smith clues. There is a picture here of the highway at the top of the canyon ...

http://lacanadaflintridge.patch.com...spects-yet-in-angeles-crest-murder-police-say

 

[shefner]

EXCELLENT SLEUTHING, 2rose! Thank you for your helpful comments and supportive links. And welcome to Websleuths....

:welcome:

 

[shana]

Article from June 8th re the search:

Man Puzzled Why Police Looking For Missing Fox Exec Served Search Warrant At His Home

This young man was transporting 2 little girls from the house after the search was completed. His identity is unknown, and he doesn't 'fit the profile' of the individuals who supposedly live there. Perhaps he's a relative who visits often rather than a full-time resident? His apparent ethnicity might tie him to the female homeowner?

What really puzzles me is why LE had to serve a warrant in the first place, and use SWAT, drawn guns, plus dogs (as reported) to do so. Was the homeowner uncooperative? Did something happen since the last reported search (cell phones seized) to make this person unwilling to allow a second search? It was reported that a lawyer for the family was at the house.

~jmo~