Found Deceased CO - David Puckett, 6, Aurora, 31 Dec 2016

[steelman]

If the pond wasn't iced over then it's a real puzzler as to why David would go into the water. It makes more sense that it was iced and he walked on it for some reason. I don't get why searchers didn't see a break that froze over. It should have been noticeable, right?

He must have headed straight to the park. Why? How did he even know to head in the right direction?

I imagine he passed right by there many many times while out in a car with his folks. He was 6 years old, so he would have had a decent sense of direction as well as be able to remember landmarks.

I would guess that those fountains were a huge source of curiosity for him, working or not.

 

[steelman]

As I understand it, he's not from there or moved there very recently. Children who grow up around icy ponds know a little more about how to deal with them.

A child unfamiliar with icy ponds wouldn't have that same caution.

I know everyone is looking for an explanation of how this could happen, and how it could be prevented, but IMHO, it can't. A child who is very adventuresome, who is sent to his room as punishment but then kicks through a screen in freezing temperatures and runs off onto a frozen pond is an at risk child. Adventuresome children don't live as long or safely as cautious ones.

RIP little David.

That's right.......... accidents still happen................ even though lawyers refuse to acknowledge it.

 

[Momma2cam]

And now I'm getting angry. There NEEDS to be a better system for missing children like this. His didn't meet the AA criteria. But we should have all received text messages that a child was missing. He was literally blocks from home. Of course he went there. It's the park! It's where the fields are and probably some playground equipment. He probably went to the water to throw in stones (because kids go to water, they just do and it looks like there are fountains that may still be running at Olympic park...believe it or not a lot of fountains run through the winter in CO - anyway, fountains to a 6yo = COOL). People would have been there, or would have been headed to their cars. We didn't have bad weather on NYE.

I agree. Amber alerts bring out heightened alert but generally it is focused on watching for a vehicle and looking widespread. An alert should go out in these cases to residents within a 1-2 mile radius.

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[GoJacks]

During the last week or so we've had 50 degree temps (last Friday the 30th). He went in on NYE (assuming), and it was colder that day but not terrible. It's a pretty shallow pond so it may freeze more quickly and the water would still be insanely cold. As soon as he'd hit it he would have to think very quickly to get out. From the street view, looks like you can practically just walk in to the pond. I don't see any fences.

Correct, no fences. It's right next to the parking lot.

 

[MotherOcean]

RSBM

Gahhh !!! Horrible.

WHY aren't they ruling out foul play (per the PC) ; and why are they treating the pond as a crime scene ?

Isn't that unfair to the family--- not to mention like pouring salt into their wounds ?
If they have no suspicions... why is the family being treated thus ?
Poor little David !!!

Seems to be fairly obvious ; imo.
:moo:

Because they don't know what happened for sure nor how or when he ended up in the pond. They must protect any potential evidence if a crime has occurred. I know the family is traumatized, but I think a mother would want all possibilities considered, ruled out, and any evidence preserved if a crime has occurred. They can't just assume he went into that pond unassisted. The FBI is involved, so they can't just walk away from the pond at this point. It is so horrible. I am sure no one is intending to add to the family's grief. Securing potential evidence is what law officers do.

 

[Elainera]

I was still reading way back, catching up, when I noticed the thread starting to move fast.

I'm so sorry for this outcome! I hope no foul play was involved.

RIP David.

 

[ZhaZhaHa]

I imagine he passed right by there many many times while out in a car with his folks. He was 6 years old, so he would have had a decent sense of direction as well as be able to remember landmarks.

I would guess that those fountains were a huge source of curiosity for him, working or not.

They might walk up there often. It's not far at all. CO is really big on movies in the park and they might even do things like that there in the summer. My daughter knows the way to the nearest park because we've ridden bikes there many times. She would have no problem finding it. Looks like he just had to leave the cul-de-sac, go up Jasper, cross Yale, and he's there. That's a 10 minute walk for a kid that size.

 

[GoJacks]

I imagine he passed right by there many many times while out in a car with his folks. He was 6 years old, so he would have had a decent sense of direction as well as be able to remember landmarks.

I would guess that those fountains were a huge source of curiosity for him, working or not.

I think there is also a playground there. Maybe he went for that?

 

[mrsu]

Includes pic of pond from today.

http://denver.cbslocal.com/2017/01/03/dive-team-begins-search-in-olympic-park-for-david-puckett/

 

[ZhaZhaHa]

Correct, no fences. It's right next to the parking lot.

And I would guess a lot of people toss coins into it. A kid who is "running away" might think they'll get their money from the pond.

 

[LietKynes]

A reporter asked Chief Metz if David's body was placed in the pond after his death. Chief said they have no comment at this time. (Paraphrase.)


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RSBM

If there's water in his lungs, then he drowned. Even if he'd drowned or somehow died at home--- someone would have seen him being carried to the pond. makes no sense.

 

[Gardener1850]

From the google Streetview it looks like there are kids playing soccer in the field beyond the pond: https://www.google.com/maps/place/1...e26941fbb7e3d!8m2!3d39.6662818!4d-104.8052068

David might have played in this park in the past. There is a sidewalk around the edge of the pond. Even if it was not fully iced over yet, he might have been walking along the edge and slipped on an icy patch on the sidewalk or just lost his balance and fell in. Kids do stuff like that--pretend they are on a balance beam while walking along an edge.

 

[kanzz]

This pond was very close to where David lived and attended school. Odds are pretty good that he knew where it was.


I have a large pond. It's really easy to see the water or ice at night, even here in the country with the night sky reflecting on the surface. Plus, it wasn't quite dark when he left home that day. Odds are also good that little David wandered out onto the ice, knowing that it was ice but not knowing it wouldn't hold his weight. jmo

It is a very small pond and appears to have a sidewalk all the way around it.

Google map:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/1...e26941fbb7e3d!8m2!3d39.6662818!4d-104.8052068

 

[AmyPond]

As others have said...it looks like he probably walked onto thin ice on night 1 and fell in and drowned. Then, the water likely iced back up where he had fallen through. Very sad. Prayers for his family. Heartbreaking.

I have to say that I am a bit shocked that a dog actually led them to this pond.

 

[kanzz]

RSBM

Gahhh !!! Horrible.

WHY aren't they ruling out foul play (per the PC) ; and why are they treating the pond as a crime scene ?

Isn't that unfair to the family--- not to mention like pouring salt into their wounds ?
If they have no suspicions... why is the family being treated thus ?
Poor little David !!!

Seems to be fairly obvious ; imo.
:moo:

Hold up. Let's think about this. They're the police. It's their job.

And this doesn't necessarily point towards the parents. It says, imo, "It's a crime until it's proven otherwise." Bravo! To me, that's the way LE should handle it every single time.

If only they would have done this in the JonBenet case, methinks we would have had a different outcome and maybe we wouldn't still be here 20 years later discussing that kid. So - maybe LE in Colorado learned a little something from the way the BPD botched that case?

 

[SerenitySprings]

I agree. Amber alerts bring out heightened alert but generally it is focused on watching for a vehicle and looking widespread. An alert should go out in these cases to residents within a 1-2 mile radius.

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I live 4 miles from David and my husband and I got 3 alerts each via text, email, and voicemail. Our first notifications came through via text at 4:04pm MST on 1.1.17 (Sunday.)

Timeline of 12.31.16:

2:00pm MST: last person not in family saw David alive.

4:30pm MST: family realized David was gone from the house.

5:45pm MST: police are notified. (Family says they looked for David for an hour or so before contacting police.)

6:45pm MST: dogs on scene.

This timeline was created using the timeframes the APD set out in their pressers.

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[GoJacks]

http://denver.cbslocal.com/2017/01/03/body-pulled-from-pond-not-definitive-if-its-missing-boy/

If anyone is curious about what Olympic Park pond/layout looks like, watch the video.

-also says in video that his family went there and looked around and saw no breakage in ice. (you'd assume this meant immediately after he went missing, no?)

 

[mrsu]

According to this post on FB from a family who was at the park on 12/20 and tagged Olympic Park in their pics, the fountains were still going on 12/20.

 

[Gardenista]

Here's a video of them searching the pond

https://www.facebook.com/ilike9news/videos/10154566656731077/

 

[lmadler]

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