Deceased/Not Found CA - Sierra LaMar, 15, Morgan Hill, 16 March 2012 #17 *A. Garcia-Torres guilty*

[mamamia54]

Bingo LBrennanVW!

Those are the pics from the article from early May!

How appropriate that LB VW would find the VW Jetta pix!:rocker:

That bottom picture. the one I used, that car is on the move in that picture, you can tell.

 

[shelarita]

Its possible the footage came from the passing bus they say captured footage too. Either way they certainly have him on tape and that is a fat piece of evidence

 

[IHAVENOCLUE]

There could be a chance then that they actually have footage of AGT out of the car, Sierra, or even the actual abduction.

That would be great in court, and could explain LE's confidence.

This is a thought... and a BIG HOPE..... of mine!lease:

 

[mamamia54]

Its possible the footage came from the passing bus they say captured footage too. Either way they certainly have him on tape and that is a fat piece of evidence

I think the more damning evidence would be to place his car on her street, cause he can't just say he passed "near".

 

[deanna82437]

Body found in Pleasonton should be identified via autopsy by this afternoon. 12:00 Noon News KGO Radio 810

 

[dluke]

Most of us would not have become parents at all if we DIDN'T believe the world is a "beautiful place." Would ANYONE have a child if they EXPECTED him or her to be abused, kidnapped, tortured or killed??

I agree. I don't think I am naive, but I do not worry constantly about something horrible happening to my child. I would be miserable. As for walking, I grew up in a small community where often a kid would be the only one at the stop and had to walk there. We never worried about it, and parents didn't either. Perceived safety near home, I believe. My kids occasionally walk home if they don't feel like doing HW at the library or their dad doesn't pick them up...and (hope no one throws eggs at me) it is a 2.9 mile walk from school to our home. I never worry about them getting home, although my 15 yr old daughter never walks it alone. Besides safety - she is just too lazy, lol! My 16 and 15 yr old sons walk it at least a couple times a week, together or alone. It is partly residential, and then gets a little more rural when they pass some ranches with cows, etc. I'm more worried about it having no sidewalk over there than creeps.

 

[IHAVENOCLUE]

Maybe they have a game/wildlife camera mounted to the trunk of one of those trees. :waitasec:

That is a good idea...!

The camera would not be placed in a standard surveillance spot if this is the case!

 

[Annie1004]

that's what I was hoping it WASN'T yesterday, when I posted it might be 'touch DNA' that they have in both places.

Has "touch DNA" been reported? If so, is there a link?
TIA

 

[IHAVENOCLUE]

That bottom picture. the one I used, that car is on the move in that picture, you can tell.

I agree!

It seems like those pix would have made AGT a little uncomfortable, don't you think?

I cannot imagine he would know the location of EVERY camera in the area he was traveling.

I hope he is continuing to be surprised by the wealth of information LE has!:jail:

 

[Odus]

That is a good idea...!

The camera would not be placed in a standard surveillance spot if this is the case!

Plus I think it would snap a picture like this once it detected the motion of the car driving by.

 

[sherbetjello]

The big question is how solid a case does the DA really have? Finding the body would really help. One possibility would be to drop the charges on Sierra go after him for the sexual assault and get a very long prison sentence. That would buy a little time to investigate the case further. Advances in forensics may work in the prosecution's favor.

This makes sense.

I don't know how dropping charges works, if they can come back to those charges later, but I would hate for him to go to court once, and not be convicted, and walk and never retried again.

 

[MonkeyMae]

"A tracking canine traced Sierra's scent from her house to a point approximately mid-way down her street, where the dog appeared to lose the scent".

So, it WASNT at the end of her driveway...

http://ftpcontent.worldnow.com/kion/statement_of_fact.pdf

And honestly, had we known this little fact early on it would have saved a whole bunch of needless speculation. It would have been clear very early on that this was most likely an abduction. I remember countless nights wondering if he waited outside her door or went inside her home to snag her.

 

[MyTinkieGirl]

From what I can tell, "Touch" DNA was found on Sierra's folded clothing that did not belong to Sierra. It was compared against the California data base of convicted felons and they got a "hit" with Torres, who lived only 7 miles away.

They checked out Torres' car and it was the red Jetta. Reviewing available video's, it was found that Torres' car was "in the area" around the time of the abduction. It is unclear how closely they tie him to the abduction site but the videos shoot down any other alibis. He was definitely "in the area".

A forensic examination of the Jetta turned up "touch" DNA that was "probably" Sierra's. A further study of other sex crimes in the area revealed that Torres could be "100%" linked forensically (we don't have the details) to one assault and is the prime suspect in two others.

That is pretty much the case. Good but not Rock Solid. The big problem is "touch" DNA. It is different from the DNA results were are used to based on blood or semen. It can degrade and give results that are far below the "Billion to one" matches we have come to expect. Sometimes there is real controversy as to whether or not the sample is even a match. You sometimes get "dueling expert witnesses" at trials.

"Touch" DNA is best when you get a "blind hit" with someone who is otherwise a good suspect: ties to the crime scene, history of similar crimes etc. The DNA on Sierra's clothing is compelling evidence if Torres has no other explanation how it got there.

The DNA found in the car is much less solid. Apparently there are fewer "matching points” and there are quite possibly many people in the general population besides Sierra that could have provided that DNA.

The big question is how solid a case does the DA really have? Finding the body would really help. One possibility would be to drop the charges on Sierra go after him for the sexual assault and get a very long prison sentence. That would buy a little time to investigate the case further. Advances in forensics may work in the prosecution's favor.

Hi...just wondering where you're getting all this "touch DNA" results?? I know what it is...usually used for "casual" touching where miniscule amounts of skin cells are/could be present. IF there were a vigorous struggle, skin cells from the perp might have been readily visible.
And, as far as the car "touch DNA"???
Are you speculating or found the info from documents???
Thanks a bunch!!

 

[sherbetjello]

We don't know if it was touch DNA or semen or the like.

We are left to really speculate on what the DNA is. I haven't seen anything reported to what it is, or isn't, including touch DNA.

 

[bbmama11]

Information on "43 missing girls in SC County"...most girls missing are not really missing...
http://www.mercurynews.com/campbell/ci_20711534/many-santa-clara-county-sheriffs-missing-girls-arent

 

[Tuliptiptoe]

And honestly, had we known this little fact early on it would have saved a whole bunch of needless speculation. It would have been clear very early on that this was most likely an abduction. I remember countless nights wondering if he waited outside her door or went inside her home to snag her.

I can't help but wonder if RG was "taking one for the team" by remaining so silent, and no comments on his work schedule etc.

Since we originally thought her scent ended at driveway, many people early on speculated it could have been RG. They could have done this on purpose to make AGT feel like he was off the hook, and go about his normal routine.

Then again he knew he was being watched, so who knows?

jmo

 

[mamamia54]

Information on "43 missing girls in SC County"...most girls missing are not really missing...
http://www.mercurynews.com/campbell/ci_20711534/many-santa-clara-county-sheriffs-missing-girls-arent

And this - if there are THAT many girls missing from that area, then give us the names please so maybe someone could help them clear those up. Please.

A child who was taken by her mother out of the country against the father's wishes. The dad reported the abduction to the Los Altos Police Department, which took the report and forwarded the case to the county's child abduction unit. So officially, Los Altos has one missing girl. "The statistic stuck with us," Agent Mark Bautista said.


Three chronic runaways in Gilroy, two of whom have returned since May 1. The third returned, but ran away again.


A Gilroy child who was taken out of the area by her mother. "It's more of a family issue," Gallacinao said. "There are no suspicious circumstances."


Silvia Lee of San Jose, who disappeared in 1995 after boarding a bus in Campbell. She was abducted, assaulted and killed; Wilbur Atcherley last year pleaded guilty to murdering her. But because her body hasn't been found, she remains on the list of missing children. While an example of a resolved case, Lee's is an exception to the norm of missing children.

 

[GrainneDhu]

"A tracking canine traced Sierra's scent from her house to a point approximately mid-way down her street, where the dog appeared to lose the scent".

So, it WASNT at the end of her driveway...

http://ftpcontent.worldnow.com/kion/statement_of_fact.pdf

And honestly, had we known this little fact early on it would have saved a whole bunch of needless speculation. It would have been clear very early on that this was most likely an abduction. I remember countless nights wondering if he waited outside her door or went inside her home to snag her.

Plus saved more than a little speculation that RG and/or Marlene killed Sierra themselves.

 

[LisaB]

Another thought.. being in a closed, humid container could preserve the contents longer than expect.

A black container heats up really fast. Had a black car once. Once.

 

[bbmama11]

I don't know why I didn't think of all the runaways when I first heard that "missing" statistic. I do truancy for a high school district in SJ and can tell you that every month, I get at leat 15-20 calls from parents who have reported their daughters as runaways.