Deceased/Not Found CO - Aarone Thompson, 4, Aurora, 2003 *A. Thompson guilty*

[KatherineQ]

The fact that the lawyer has abandoned this case is the most telling to me. Whatever evidence they have must be very compelling, and paid lawyers want out right now. Who blames them. The family has no money to pay for a lawyer, and they killed their beautiful little girl about a year ago. I'd ditch too.

 

[mysteriew]

New Aurora Police Chief Daniel Oates said Thursday evening: "I'm baffled that they chose to give this information to the media and not us. We would like to talk to them. I'm very disappointed that they would choose to tell their story to the media when we have all these resources to help find Aaroné and they won't talk to us."

Thompson said in Thursday's interview that he cooperated with police the night he reported Aaroné missing, answering all their questions and denying he killed her. He said his parents and others then advised him not to talk to police again.
Sam Riddle, who has been the couple's spokesman and who also took part in the TV interview, said that they had given police a doll Aaroné played with and that a bloodhound tracked the scent to a 7-Eleven at East Mississippi Avenue and South Chambers Road before losing it.

Lowe and Thompson said a police officer told them that first night that a caller responding to a reverse 911 call about Aaroné's disappearance said a woman was seen at a Wendy's with a little girl matching Aaroné's description, clothing and all.

They criticized police for not doing more to pursue these leads.

The Rev. Acen Phillips, a minister who has been acting as a counselor and spokesman for the family, said he and others continue to pursue tips that might lead to finding Aaroné alive, including talking with a psychic who has worked with police departments in the past. The psychic, Phillips said, specified a particular house in Denver's Park Hill neighborhood where Aaroné might be. Phillips said police hadn't looked into the tip.

Aaroné's mother, Lynette Thompson, said from Detroit late Thursday: "They're lying. Seriously, they're lying. Everybody ain't fooled, for one."
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_3270892

 

[KatherineQ]

So Shely's lawyer quits the case, saying she wasn't supposed to speak to the media, and while she's announcing she's quitting the case, she states she believes Aarone is alive. ???? Really, do you think she really believes that, or is that just lawyerspeak?

http://www.angelsmissing.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=4139&pid=10372&st=45&#entry10372

 

[mysteriew]

Police on Friday continued to insist that 7-year-old Aaroné Thompson was killed, a day after the girl's father and his girlfriend proclaimed their innocence in a television interview.

Also Friday, Leta Holden, the attorney for Aaron Thompson's girlfriend, Shelley Lowe, effectively resigned, saying she disagreed with the couple's decision to conduct the TV interview.

And Friday night, about 30 people attended a candlelight vigil for Aaroné during which speakers criticized police for not continuing to search for her.

Aurora police Chief Dan Oates, in an evening news conference, reiterated investigators' belief that Aaroné is dead and that no "credible" person has reported seeing her alive in the past 18 months.

He said searches of the home at 16551 E. Kepner Place, where the family lived, have uncovered "useful information," but he didn't specify what that was. He said the television interview with the family didn't provide any new information and he questioned why the family decided to be interviewed by the media but not police.

"Nothing that has been reported in the media or brought forward by Aaron Thompson, Shelley Lowe or any of their spokespersons changes our position," Oates said.

He called the behavior of Thompson and his girlfriend "morally reprehensible."

Holden, who believes Aaroné is alive, has been tracking down tips from people who have reported seeing her, including a bus driver and a construction worker. A clerk told Holden she saw Lowe with four girls at her store two weeks before Aaroné was reported missing Nov. 14. Holden brought the clerk to her office Thursday, and the clerk identified Lowe as the woman she saw.

Holden wouldn't say whether the clerk remembered seeing Aaroné.

"Honestly, I believe this child is still alive," Holden said. "I believe someone has her. It's probably someone close to the family. I don't know what their motive is. Are they jealous of the family? Is this vindictive? I don't know. I don't know if it is a gut feeling or just a sense."

She called a news conference Friday to announce that she was quitting as Lowe's lawyer in a child custody case, in which she was working without pay to have Lowe's four children and brother returned. The children were removed from the home Nov. 17 by court order and are living in foster homes.
Holden said she had disagreed with family spokesman Sam Riddle, who was urging Thompson and Lowe to bring their case to the media.

"His proposal was to be out in the media, parading the family around as much as possible," Holden said. "It was my counsel to ... keep your comments limited and limit the exposure."

On Thursday, Holden expected to meet at her Denver law firm with Lowe to discuss strategies if police were to issue an arrest warrant for the couple.

Instead, Holden learned from her family that Lowe and Thompson were being interviewed on television.

"If there was any advantage gained by sacrificing the lawyer, I hope that Mr. Riddle enjoyed his 21 minutes of fame and grandstanding," Holden said.

She said she never told Thompson or Lowe that police were issuing a warrant on Thursday, which Riddle claims is what led the family to seek out the media. Police said they had no plans to issue an arrest warrant Thursday.

Riddle, reached by telephone, wished Holden "well with her career. I am a little disturbed if she denied telling the family there was an arrest warrant."
Community activist Alvertis Simmons said that had Aaroné been a white girl, the search would not have stopped and her disappearance would have been a national story.
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_3274285

 

[KatherineQ]

Police on Friday continued to insist that 7-year-old Aaroné Thompson was killed, a day after the girl's father and his girlfriend proclaimed their innocence in a television interview.

Also Friday, Leta Holden, the attorney for Aaron Thompson's girlfriend, Shelley Lowe, effectively resigned, saying she disagreed with the couple's decision to conduct the TV interview.

And Friday night, about 30 people attended a candlelight vigil for Aaroné during which speakers criticized police for not continuing to search for her.

Aurora police Chief Dan Oates, in an evening news conference, reiterated investigators' belief that Aaroné is dead and that no "credible" person has reported seeing her alive in the past 18 months.

He said searches of the home at 16551 E. Kepner Place, where the family lived, have uncovered "useful information," but he didn't specify what that was. He said the television interview with the family didn't provide any new information and he questioned why the family decided to be interviewed by the media but not police.

"Nothing that has been reported in the media or brought forward by Aaron Thompson, Shelley Lowe or any of their spokespersons changes our position," Oates said.

He called the behavior of Thompson and his girlfriend "morally reprehensible."

Holden, who believes Aaroné is alive, has been tracking down tips from people who have reported seeing her, including a bus driver and a construction worker. A clerk told Holden she saw Lowe with four girls at her store two weeks before Aaroné was reported missing Nov. 14. Holden brought the clerk to her office Thursday, and the clerk identified Lowe as the woman she saw.

Holden wouldn't say whether the clerk remembered seeing Aaroné.

"Honestly, I believe this child is still alive," Holden said. "I believe someone has her. It's probably someone close to the family. I don't know what their motive is. Are they jealous of the family? Is this vindictive? I don't know. I don't know if it is a gut feeling or just a sense."

She called a news conference Friday to announce that she was quitting as Lowe's lawyer in a child custody case, in which she was working without pay to have Lowe's four children and brother returned. The children were removed from the home Nov. 17 by court order and are living in foster homes.
Holden said she had disagreed with family spokesman Sam Riddle, who was urging Thompson and Lowe to bring their case to the media.

"His proposal was to be out in the media, parading the family around as much as possible," Holden said. "It was my counsel to ... keep your comments limited and limit the exposure."

On Thursday, Holden expected to meet at her Denver law firm with Lowe to discuss strategies if police were to issue an arrest warrant for the couple.

Instead, Holden learned from her family that Lowe and Thompson were being interviewed on television.

"If there was any advantage gained by sacrificing the lawyer, I hope that Mr. Riddle enjoyed his 21 minutes of fame and grandstanding," Holden said.

She said she never told Thompson or Lowe that police were issuing a warrant on Thursday, which Riddle claims is what led the family to seek out the media. Police said they had no plans to issue an arrest warrant Thursday.

Riddle, reached by telephone, wished Holden "well with her career. I am a little disturbed if she denied telling the family there was an arrest warrant."
Community activist Alvertis Simmons said that had Aaroné been a white girl, the search would not have stopped and her disappearance would have been a national story.
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_3274285

This story is just getting weirder. I wish they would somehow work on who it is who told them Aarone had been killed 18 months ago. SURELY, if this isn't true, there is SOME video evidence, SOMEWHERE, or SOMEONE who has seen her. She's not an unusual looking girl, and Shely isn't unusual looking either, so I don't know about counting people they don't know spotting them in the community as reliable.

 

[mysteriew]

Eyewitness statements are probably the least reliable of all forensic evidence in a case. They could be talking about someone who actually saw Shelly, but was mistaken about the number of girls with her, the witness could have seen Shelly, but the children with her may not have included Aarone, or the witness may have just seen someone that resembled Shelly. Or and I hate to say this, could be someone just seeking her 15 min of fame.

I also wonder about the witness who called in the tip. LE is strongly protecting that witness. A couple of the children in the house was older. Immediately after the "tip" the children were removed from the household. All LE will say about the person who made the tip is that they are credible. This household was isolated, not many people would know what happened in the household. Yet the tipster was unable to tell where Aarone's body was. I personally wonder if one of the children is who called LE or gave them the info at the scene. Or the tipster could be a friend of one of the children. All LE will say about the children is that at least one of the children says that Aarone hasn't been seen for a long time. It would make sense that it would be one of the children, as they are the ones who would most likely know something about what happened to her. And this could explain why Thompson and Lowe are sticking to the story, as they can't believe that LE is believing the child over their word.

 

[KatherineQ]

Eyewitness statements are probably the least reliable of all forensic evidence in a case. They could be talking about someone who actually saw Shelly, but was mistaken about the number of girls with her, the witness could have seen Shelly, but the children with her may not have included Aarone, or the witness may have just seen someone that resembled Shelly. Or and I hate to say this, could be someone just seeking her 15 min of fame.

I also wonder about the witness who called in the tip. LE is strongly protecting that witness. A couple of the children in the house was older. Immediately after the "tip" the children were removed from the household. All LE will say about the person who made the tip is that they are credible. This household was isolated, not many people would know what happened in the household. Yet the tipster was unable to tell where Aarone's body was. I personally wonder if one of the children is who called LE or gave them the info at the scene. Or the tipster could be a friend of one of the children. All LE will say about the children is that at least one of the children says that Aarone hasn't been seen for a long time. It would make sense that it would be one of the children, as they are the ones who would most likely know something about what happened to her. And this could explain why Thompson and Lowe are sticking to the story, as they can't believe that LE is believing the child over their word.

I think Shely's brother, who is the oldest of the children at 15, stated he didn't know who Aarone was. He has been living in the house for a year or so it seems like from what I can gather.

From Shely's comments, they are reclusive. They don't regularly talk to anyone outside the family and don't socialize at all.

I work in a facility that distributes clothing to indigent people, and I've got to say, there are children who come through there with the biggest lies I've ever seen. They stare you right in the face and say something that's not true. If you try to ask the simplest questions for the forms, like, what grade are you in, they give you a lie. What school do you go to? They make up some school. What's your cousin's name? I don't know.

I think it's very highly possible that the children in this household are giving wildly different versions of everything, and it's very possible that they've just been told to make up some lie or say they don't know whenever they're asked a question. Because that's Shely's lifestyle. And now that it really really counts that they tell the truth, maybe they're just doing what they've been taught. To deny any knowledge.

 

[mysteriew]

LE is saying that at least one of the children is saying that Aarone hasn't been there in a long time. Rumor has it the younger children don't remember Aarone. And it would make sense that if the 15 year old had only been in the household for a year, that he might not remember her or remember much about her. But even if he doesn't remember her, he might still have heard statements either from Thompson or Lowe, or one of the chidren and he may have reported those statements.
But if the household was so isolated that the neighbors didn't see the children much, who else could the tipster be?

 

[BarnGoddess]

One of the TV stations reported on either Thursday night or sometime Friday that someone from the Thompson family is saying that the tip came from an inmate either in jail or prison. They are also trying to put it out that it may be the girlfriend's ex who actually had the fake ID's that were found in the house. The family is claiming that he is the one who is the criminal and not her and that he may be the one who claimed that Aarone had not been seen for a year or more. We watched this on the video from the station's website. I may be mistaken but I believe it may be Denver's Channel 7.

Also, if you caught Greta on Fox Friday night, this idiot new spokesman, Riddle, who is from where the grandparents are from was interviewed. He gave almost no credible answers to Greta's questions. So now there is some national coverage.

 

[mysteriew]

Police wrapped up their search of a missing girl's home and released it Saturday back to her father and his girlfriend, who have been named persons of interest in the case.

"We're confident we conducted a very thorough search of the house," Sgt. Rudy Herrera Jr. said. "It no longer has any evidentiary value to us."

He would not say whether investigators found anything that could lead to an arrest.

"We have recovered some things very valuable to our case, but we're not disclosing what those things are. We don't want to harm the investigation in any way," Herrera said.
http://cbs4denver.com/topstories/local_story_337215109.html

Aurora Police Chief Daniel Oates said in a news conference Friday that investigators remain convinced that the girl is dead.

He says police started believing she was dead after getting information from a credible source and evidence gathered since then has reinforced that.

Oates called the interviews by Thompson and Lowe, "a charade." He called on the two to cooperate with investigators.

Lowe's former attorney said that Lowe may have hurt her
chances of getting her children back by giving the interviews.
http://www.krdotv.com/DisplayStory.asp?id=10497

http://cbs4denver.com/topstories/local_story_336070844.html

 

[mysteriew]

"Their conduct in this case, including their appearance on television last night, from my perspective as a parent and police officer is morally reprehensible," Oates said. "Our position is unchanged. Mr. Thompson and Ms. Lowe, if you care about Aarone as you claim to do, you will come in and talk to us."

After days of searching for the child, Oates said police shifted their focus to a homicide investigation on Nov. 17 after information from a "credible source close to the family."

Oates said police have uncovered "additional compelling information" that supports the homicide theory. Police have not, though, found anyone who has seen the child in about 18 months, he said.

A small group of people held a candlelight vigil near the Thompson's home in Aurora Friday night and prayed for Aarone's safe return. Thompson and Lowe did not attend.

Holden also criticized the couple's friend and spokesman, Sam Riddle.

"If there was any advantage gained by sacrificing the lawyer, I hope that Mr. Riddle enjoyed his 21 minutes of fame and grandstanding," she said, a reference to the length of Thursday's interview.

Riddle was present for that interview. He said Friday he did not arrange it but defended the need for the couple to go public to respond to what he called "half-truths" that were being told about them.

"This family did need to message and desperately did need to be seen as a family who love their children," he told The Associated Press.

Riddle called Holden's decision to withdraw "bizarre" and said she may have been over her head.
http://cbs4denver.com/topstories/local_story_337011443.html

 

[mysteriew]

This is all really "bizarre". We have the family of a missing child, refusing to talk to LE but talking to the media. The LE sending messages to the family through the media, and now a feud between a former defense attorney and a family spokesman, through the media. They are all dancing in circles and going nowhere!
Could it get any more "bizarre"? :slap: LOL, I know better than to ask a question like that, I guess it could get more bizarre.

 

[docwho3]

This is all really "bizarre". We have the family of a missing child, refusing to talk to LE but talking to the media. The LE sending messages to the family through the media, and now a feud between a former defense attorney and a family spokesman, through the media.
Could it get any more "bizarre"? LOL, I know better than to ask a question like that, I guess it could get more bizarre.

(twilight zone music)Doodoo doo doo doo doo doo doo. . . .I think someone is in deep doo doo.

 

[Rle7]

Aaron Thompson, the girl's father, and his girlfriend Shelley Lowe, planned to return to the house, 16551 E. Kepner Place, Saturday to retrieve their possessions, said the Rev. Acen Phillips, who has been acting as a counselor and spokesman for the family.

The couple has been living in a hotel and recently found an apartment where they will live until they can be reunited with their children and find a larger home, Phillips said.

Seven children who lived with the couple and a newborn baby were taken from the couple by court order and are living in foster homes.

Initially, police and volunteers searched fields near the Aurora house for Aaroné after her father reported the girl missing Nov. 14. The search shifted to the home after a person described as close to the family told police the girl was dead.

Thompson and Lowe left the house while police searched for evidence in the disappearance. Their rental contract ran until the end of November, Phillips said.

http://www.denverpost.com/ci_3276619?source=rss

What happened to Riddle? I thought he was the family spokesman. I guess they believe in strength in numbers.

 

[mysteriew]

The mysterious disappearance of Aarone Thompson remains a priority for investigators at the Aurora Police Department even though investigators are no longer searching her home.

Police say even though they are no longer collecting evidence from the Thompsons' two-story rental home, the investigation remains as active as ever and leads on the case are pouring in every day.

"We're constantly receiving tips regarding this matter," said Aurora police spokesman Marcus Dudley.

Aurora police say they are now analyzing evidence collected from the home and an open invitation for Thompson and Lowe to be interviewed by detectives still stands.

"It's definitely upon them to come in and let us resolve some of the inconsistencies that are out there," Dudley said.

Thompson and Lowe have not met with police in almost a month. But in an exclusive interview with 7NEWS last week both disputed claims they had something to do with Aarone's disappearance.

"You know, I see us as the unsung heroes. Don't nobody know what's going on in that house and they don't need to know. We supporting those kids, nobody else," said Lowe.

As for the home, family spokesman Sam Riddle said the couple will likely move back in.

"When your home has been violated like that during a forensics fishing expedition, I'm sure anyone would have misgivings about moving in. But because of economic status, they don't have a lot of options here," said Riddle.

Riddle said the family will now fight to regain custody of their children as well. Since the children were removed from the home Nov. 17, they have remained in protective custody.

They are also trying to get a new attorney to represent them. 7NEWS has learned that attorney Walter Gerash is advising Lowe and may be representing her if they can work out the payment plans. Aaron Thompson is looking to retain attorney David Lane, Riddle said.
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/5470881/detail.html

They are the hero's? They are supporting those kids and no one else?
Thank God there aren't too many "hero's" out there like them! And as far as who is supporting the kids- I believe my tax dollars are involved in the housing subsidy!

 

[fourboys]

Ex-Husband Of Shely Lowe Contacts Police

DENVER -- A court record obtained by The Denver Post reveals a prison inmate told Aurora police that the father of a missing girl and his girlfriend buried the child in a field after she died.

Aarone Thompson was reported missing by her father, Aaron Thompson, on Nov. 14. Three days later, police said they believed Aarone may have been dead for up to 18 months and considered the case a homicide. Thompson and his girlfriend, Shely Lowe, are considered "persons of interest" in the case, according to police.

The Denver Post reported in its Tuesday editions that the day after Aarone was reported missing, Lowe's ex-boyfriend and the father of two of her children, Eric Williams, told police the girl was already dead.

Aarone Thompson was bleeding in a bathtub before she died and then was buried in a field by her father and his girlfriend, according to a police interview recounted in a court record obtained by The Post.

According to the court document quoted by The Post, Thompson and Lowe "instructed" the other children living in the home to tell police that Aarone was home the day before she was reported missing. The children were also told to describe what clothes Aarone was wearing, according to the report.

Continued:

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/5474086/detail.html

 

[PrayersForMaura]

thanks for posting this, fourboys. This is huge. I hope Aarone is found and will finally be able to get a proper burial and rest in peace.


Until then

 

[mysteriew]

I was thinking about this last night. When asked for an item to use for the search dogs that Aarone had used, Thompson and Lowe didn't come up with the usual item of clothing she had worn recently. No shirt, pants, socks or undies for them. They gave LE a doll.
Now this is a home with several children. And one not likely to have a lot of toys. Would this be an item that Aarone only used and touched? Or one all the kids would have played with, thus one likely to lead the search dogs astray?

 

[PrayersForMaura]

Social services records show pattern of neglect
Shelley Lowe's history includes reports of young children being left alone and possibly being abused by beating or burning.

Beatings with a belt. Round, quarter- inch burns in various stages of healing. A court order requiring the children be sent to school.

Those allegations and more about the history of Shelley Lowe's children were found in court records obtained by The Denver Post and illustrate life in the household Aaroné Thompson entered when her father began dating Lowe in 2001.

"If somebody had been there, followed through, put together the picture - clearly, there's a pattern there," said Cathy Phelps, executive director of the Denver Center for Crime Victims, when told of conditions of the children's lives. "Was it disinterest? It's mind-boggling."

The children reportedly told authorities they were beaten. One of them, who is developmentally delayed, had small, round marks on her chest and arms that appeared to be old burns, the court record states.

A document filed as part of the state's effort to remove the children from the Lowe-Thompson household alleged a history of neglect and abuse of Lowe's children that began in Michigan in December 1997.

At that time, Lowe was referred to social services for leaving three small children alone in a motel room.

The next month, one of Lowe's children was taken to the hospital by Eric Williams, Lowe's boyfriend at the time, for a fever.

A bump and cut were noticed on the child, and further inquiry found that seven people lived in a motel room with two beds, in conditions described as "deplorable." That worker felt that the "mother was overwhelmed and did not have the skills necessary to manage a household of 5 children," the document states.

In March 1998, allegations of physical abuse of two children were investigated.

"The report stated that mother became angry after she left the children home alone. ... They were allegedly hit with a belt," the record states.

"Per the Wayne County (Mich.) worker, the children were fearful to talk about what went on in the home." One of the children, a 6-year-old boy, was worried about his sister, then 5, "saying that she was 'beaten' worse that (sic) him."

More: http://www.denverpost.com/ci_3282233?source=rss

 

[PrayersForMaura]

Here's the Denver Post Article that FourBoy's story was referring to:

Missing girl "quit breathing"
Inmate told police his ex-girlfriend and child's father buried Aaroné

Aaroné Thompson was bleeding in a bathtub before she died and then was buried in a field by her father and his girlfriend, according to a police interview recounted in a court record obtained by The Denver Post.

Aaroné's father, Aaron Thomp son, and his live-in girlfriend, Shelley Lowe, reported her missing Nov. 14. The next day, Eric Williams, Lowe's ex- boyfriend and father of two of her children, informed police that Aaroné was already dead.

"Mr. Williams told police that (Shelley) Lowe told him during a meeting ... that she had been doing 'something' with Aaroné Thomp son and that Aaroné was bleeding," the record states. "She had Aaroné in the tub and then she - Aaroné - quit breathing. (Lowe) stated that she and Aaron Thompson Sr. then took Aaroné to a field and buried her body."

The court record does not say when the alleged conversation between Lowe and Williams occurred, only that Lowe was described as "upset and crying" when she spoke with Williams.

Currently, Williams is in state prison on escape and drug charges. Lowe once accused him of sexual abuse of one of her children, though he was never charged with abuse.
Lowe and Thompson couldn't be reached for comment Monday. "They definitely won't have anything to say about (the allegations)," said Sam Riddle, a family friend who has been acting as a spokesman for the couple.

***

The seven remaining children living at the couple's home have been taken into protective custody. They include five of Lowe's children, Lowe's brother and Thomp son's son, Aaron Jr.

Before the children were removed, Lowe and Thompson "instructed" them to say that Aaroné was home the day she was reported missing, according to a social services report that was made part of the court record. The children also were directed to describe what clothes Aaroné was wearing that day, the report states.

When interviewed by authorities, the children said they had not seen Aaroné at last year's Halloween, November birthday and Christmas, according to the social services report. The children said they were told that Aaroné was taken to Michigan by her parents "a long time ago," the report states.
"The children have also said that they have been told they are not to talk about Aaroné," the report states. "There appears to be significant inconsistencies between the parents' stories and children's stories."

There's more, including info on child abuse/"minor" sexual abuse charges:
http://www.denverpost.com/ci_3282198?source=rss