CT- Annie Le, missing from Yale, thread #2

[Angel Who Cares]

'Bloody Clothes' Found Inside Lab Where Missing Yale Student Worked
Sunday, September 13, 2009
<snipped>
Bloody clothing was found inside a science laboratory building where missing Yale student Annie Le was last seen, FOX News confirms.

Police sources said the clothing was found late Friday night above ceiling tiles in the basement of the five-story building where Le worked as a pharmacology graduate student. The items have not yet been linked to her disappearance by investigators.

The FBI said Saturday that only "potential evidence" has been seized in the search for Le, a 24-year-old pharmacology graduate student who disappeared days before she was scheduled to be married. Le was last seen Tuesday entering the lab building on 10 Amistad Street in New Haven, Conn.

Parts of the building have been labeled a crime scene, WTNH-TV reported Sunday.

"Items that could potentially be evidence have been seized. None have yet been associated with Annie Le,&#8221; FBI Special Agent Kim Mertz said while declining to confirm reports that the evidence.

Click here for photos:
http://www.foxnews.com/slideshow/us/2009/09/12/yale-graduate-student-disappears

VIDEO: Geraldo At Large~ Search for student yields bloody clothes 10:23
Grim Discovery: September 13, 2009
http://www.foxnews.com/video2/video...p://www.foxnews.com/national/crime/index.html

Article:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,549527,00.html?sPage=fnc/us/crime

:angel:

 

[TonyGatto]

OK ~ thanks for clarifying! So that brings me back to another question, like when did someone go into her office and discover her phone/purse/etc there and why wasn't she reported missing until 9pm? I'd just think if she was so punctual and reliable somebody would've thought something was wrong sooner. MOO

I don't think 9pm -- approx 10 hours -- is long at all. Most police agencies won't even talk to you unless it's been 24 hours. Don't forget we have hindsight. A college student not being seen for 10 hours is not exactly something that would peak LE interest. I'm sure they (students, faculty) thought "something was wrong" around lunchtime -- but a matter to bring to the police? End of the day sounds good to me. And it appears that her purse was found there by roomates/friends/faculty...and eventually Yale Univ police.

 

[TravelingBug]

I don't think there was test-stealing either. It is the beginning of the year, right? More likely any papers were syllabi/handouts for a course. We don't know it was papers, though, do we? I just can't see that clearly what she is holding.

There is the other screenshot of her that's much clearer - and that one it definitely appears to be papers and like an open 3-ring binder, I believe.

 

[lucky181]

Belimom:
If she was a TA for a pathology class, then her labwork would be related to prepping for the afternoon class. If she had not shown up that morning in lab, then perhaps there wasn't going to be much to work on/discuss in class. However, being the first day of class, it seems like they would've gone ahead and met, handed out the syllabus, etc. When I was a doctoral student, I was a TA (an assistant one year and an instructor two other years), and if I was going to miss a class or be late, there was always someone you could find to show up temporarily, even to say I was running late.

From your experience as a TA, can we assume that Annie was going to teach the path class rather than assist the prof? I'm not sure if I've read how many years she'd been at Yale. I believe she was to graduate in 2013. The speculation is that the course she was TAing was Robek's at 2pm. That is a 600 level course. Would she be qualified to actually teach that class?

I just checked and she's in her third year.

 

[SeriouslySearching]

~Snipped for space~

Now this is interesting. This may be why Bennett contacted the Dept Head immediately and also why the roommate got suspicious that evening. They knew something had happened before and they were concerned this time. Contacting a Dept Head to cancel a class isn't usually necessary, I wouldn't think. Dept Heads have more to worry about that each class that's cancelled, etc. But for a grad student to be a 'no show' under suspicious circumstances who had also been targeted before - now *that* would be a reason to go up the ladder.

“She did not feel safe in New Haven,” Schlessinger said, adding that her 4’ 11” stature would have made her an easy target.

http://www.yaledailynews.com/news/university-news/2009/09/11/ten-hours-days-and-still-smiling/ BBM

Now, did he get this from her article or did she mention something to Schlessinger personally? Why did she feel so unsafe in New Haven? Does this have to do with the incident mentioned by her friend?

Is there a campus police blotter somewhere? I have looked, but have not found it yet.

 

[Knox]

I mentioned the landfill or transfer station several pages back. The event happened on Tuesday and they did not search the dumpsters/roll-off boxes until Thursday? In a facility that big there was a good chance trash was collected in the interim period. It is really one of the few ways to get her body out of the building that made sense. She had so much to offer this world, truly a loss to us all. Praying for her family.

 

[amysmom]

PURSE
Purse was discovered early on when only YALE U police were involved.


This is one of the first articles on the disapperance...it's worth readiing because it has raw stuff...before everybody started clamping down on info.
http://www.yaledailynews.com/news/city-news/2009/09/09/medical-student-goes-missing/

Le started her Tuesday morning working in the Sterling Hall of Medicine, where her lab was located, Yale Vice President and Secretary Linda Lorimer said. Le left the lab around 10 a.m. to walk to the 10 Amistad St. three blocks away, where she frequently went to conduct experiments, Lorimer said.

Minor issue but if she left the Sterling Hall of Medicine around 10a she did not enter & swipe her card at the Amistad bldg until at least 10:15ish.

It seems to me there would be a security guard/desk in this lobby..Most bldgs with far less security have them but there has been no word about it..Since she went there so often they would also know her & be able to relay some info to LE..Ya think?

 

[SeriouslySearching]

This should be added somewhere to the timeline:

School of Medicine Dean Robert Alpern said he was notified about Le’s disappearance late yesterday afternoon, just before the department of pharmacology met and was briefed on the on-going investigation.

http://www.yaledailynews.com/news/city-news/2009/09/09/medical-student-goes-missing/

Suzi~ Here is the article which mentioned the malfunction of the fire alarm:

A fire alarm that was sounded at 12:40 p.m. Tuesday is not thought to be related to her disappearance, Highsmith {Deputy Secretary Martha Highsmith} said. She added that a malfunctioning smoke detector caused the alarm and that investigators do not believe anyone tampered with the fire system.

[ame="http://www.helpfindthemissing.org/forum/showthread.php?p=661401"]Annie Le, 24, Missing Since 9/8/09, New Haven, CT - Help Find The Missing[/ame]

 

[panthera]

I don't think 9pm -- approx 10 hours -- is long at all. Most police agencies won't even talk to you unless it's been 24 hours. Don't forget we have hindsight. A college student not being seen for 10 hours is not exactly something that would peak LE interest. I'm sure they (students, faculty) thought "something was wrong" around lunchtime -- but a matter to bring to the police? End of the day sounds good to me. And it appears that her purse was found there by roomates/friends/faculty...and eventually Yale Univ police.

I realize LE usually won't take a missing persons report for 24 hrs. but in this case I was thinking more of the campus police being alerted. MOO

 

[milton99]

http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2009/09/13/news/doc4aad41ad5531c586462814.txt

UPDATE: Bloody clothes not items Le was last seen wearing

The blood-stained clothes found in ceiling tiles at the Yale University laboratory where graduate student Annie Le disappeared are not the clothes Le was last seen wearing, law enforcement officials said.

The items were sent for testing to see if the clothes had any connection to Le, whose disappearance five days before her wedding has attracted national media attention.

Investigators said a small amount of blood was found on the clothing found Saturday at 10 Amistad St.

Le is the daughter of Vietnamese immigrants and her mother is said to own several nail salons in California. Sources said Le was primarily raised by an aunt and uncle.

 

[SeriouslySearching]

Just to note what the officer said about the bloodhounds for future reference:

Bloodhounds from the Connecticut State Police were also on the scene for most of the day, though officers said they will have a more difficult time picking up scents of Le as time passes. One officer added that it may be impossible for the dogs to do their work after 72 hours have passed from the time when Le went missing.

[ame="http://www.helpfindthemissing.org/forum/showthread.php?p=661401"]Annie Le, 24, Missing Since 9/8/09, New Haven, CT - Help Find The Missing[/ame] BBM

Makes me wonder why they waited so long to bring in the dogs?! Again...I have to question this investigation and why things were not done initially which should have been routine in a missing persons case. Is it because Yale is involved and they hedged on drawing attention to this case? WTH?!

 

[panthera]

Just to note what the officer said about the bloodhounds for future reference:

Bloodhounds from the Connecticut State Police were also on the scene for most of the day, though officers said they will have a more difficult time picking up scents of Le as time passes. One officer added that it may be impossible for the dogs to do their work after 72 hours have passed from the time when Le went missing.

Annie Le, 24, Missing Since 9/8/09, New Haven, CT - Help Find The Missing BBM

Makes me wonder why they waited so long to bring in the dogs?! Again...I have to question this investigation and why things were not done initially which should have been routine in a missing persons case. Is it because Yale is involved and they hedged on drawing attention to this case? WTH?!

I think in this case there are too many LE agencies involved, meaning campus police ~ probably not wanting to set off any alerts to the students of a potential predator on campus. I think whoever did this knew it would be hours before anyone was alerted to Annie being missing and had plenty of time to clean up and/or dispose of her body. MOO

 

[MomofBoys]

http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2009/09/13/news/doc4aad41ad5531c586462814.txt

UPDATE: Bloody clothes not items Le was last seen wearing

The blood-stained clothes found in ceiling tiles at the Yale University laboratory where graduate student Annie Le disappeared are not the clothes Le was last seen wearing, law enforcement officials said.

The items were sent for testing to see if the clothes had any connection to Le, whose disappearance five days before her wedding has attracted national media attention.

Investigators said a small amount of blood was found on the clothing found Saturday at 10 Amistad St.

Le is the daughter of Vietnamese immigrants and her mother is said to own several nail salons in California. Sources said Le was primarily raised by an aunt and uncle.

It makes sense that they're not the same clothes. It would be very odd for someone to remove the body and not the clothes. I guess now we have to wait for DNA.

It's the first time I've seen reference to the amount of blood, and that was my biggest question. A small amount gives some modicum of hope. I know you wouldn't really expect to see a lot on the perp's clothes, but the half-glass-full approach would be that this was an abduction and she was simply subdued with a blow and not brutally killed.

Even still, this is very frustrating so far. Have they found blood elsewhere? Are the clothes 'evidence of a crime scene' or is there evidence beyond them?

An abduction wouldn't make very much sense under their successful parent theory, though, as there hasn't been one inkling regarding a ransom note, and how did they leave the lab?

Sad.

 

[Amster]

What reason could there be for bloody clothes to be found hidden in the ceiling tiles? I can't think of any "innocent" reason!

 

[Emma Peel]

http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2009/09/13/news/doc4aad41ad5531c586462814.txt

UPDATE: Bloody clothes not items Le was last seen wearing

The blood-stained clothes found in ceiling tiles at the Yale University laboratory where graduate student Annie Le disappeared are not the clothes Le was last seen wearing, law enforcement officials said.

The items were sent for testing to see if the clothes had any connection to Le, whose disappearance five days before her wedding has attracted national media attention.

Investigators said a small amount of blood was found on the clothing found Saturday at 10 Amistad St.

Le is the daughter of Vietnamese immigrants and her mother is said to own several nail salons in California. Sources said Le was primarily raised by an aunt and uncle.

Oh gee. That changes things.
Are we back to Annie having disappeared into thin air?
It makes me wonder what compels LE to chase incinerated garbage to Hartford? What has LE discovered that might make them think that's the way to go?

 

[Labrat]

I realize LE usually won't take a missing persons report for 24 hrs. but in this case I was thinking more of the campus police being alerted. MOO

I have an article from the Yale Daily News that says the Yale Police Department declared her missing on Wednesday. It doesn't say when they were originally called.

I've been reading all these linked articles and it seems her office and lab were in Sterling and 10 Amistad is where "she sometimes went to conduct experiments"

I wish I could find out where the animal rooms are at Yale. I am wondering about the basement of Amistad where the bloody clothes were found.

Here's the thing- if I disappeared from work, they could find my last swipe in, pull the security tapes and see just what was going on in the animal facility at the time I disappeared. They would certainly see if someone followed me into a room. I wonder if it is the same at Yale, and if it is, are they much further along in the investigation than is being reported?

 

[Angel Who Cares]

UPDATED: Search for Yale student turns to incinerator
Source to NBC: Bloody clothes removed from lab building
September 13, 2009
<snipped>
The FBI says authorities are searching trash at a Connecticut incinerator as part of their investigation into the disappearance of a Yale University graduate student.

FBI agent Bill Reiner said Sunday that investigators are searching the Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority's trash-to-energy plant in Hartford. He says officials are "following the trash" that left the laboratory. He declined to comment further.

Twenty-four-year-old Annie Le was last seen Tuesday morning at a university laboratory in New Haven.

Authorities say Le, a pharmacology doctoral student originally from Placerville, Calif., swiped her identification card to enter the lab, but there is no record of her leaving despite the many surveillance cameras around the complex.

Earlier, potential evidence was seized from the building where Le was last seen before she vanished days ahead of her wedding, authorities said Saturday.

A police source told NBC News that investigators had recovered bloody clothes from a laboratory building. The New Haven Register and the Yale Daily News reported on their Web sites that the clothes were found in a ceiling space.

Items that could be evidence are being analyzed but none has yet been associated with Annie Le, FBI spokeswoman Kim Mertz said at a news conference.

"I will categorically say a body has not been found," Mertz said. "Items that could potentially be evidence have been seized. None have yet been associated with Annie Le at this time."

Mertz would not confirm reports that the items found included bloody clothing.

&#8216;We don't know if a crime was committed&#8217;

Today Show video: Missing Yale student&#8217;s mentor speaks out 2:34
Sept. 13: Professor Rocky Tuan from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine joins NBC's Jenna Wolfe to discuss the disappearance of 24-year-old Annie Le.
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/32823673#32823673

Today Show video: Evidence of crime in missing student case? 2:33
Sept. 13: Bloody clothes were found at the building where Annie Le, the missing Yale student, was last seen. NBC's Mike Taibbi reports.
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/32825273#32825273

Today Show video: New evidence linked to missing Yale student 3:05
Sept. 12: According to authorities in New Haven, Conn., items have been recovered that may be connected to the disappearance of the 24-year-old Ph.D candidate. NBC's Mike Taibbi reports.
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/32813991#32813991

Today Show video: FBI aids in search for missing Yale student 5:39
Sept. 12: Annie Le, a doctoral student in pharmacology and molecular medicine, was last seen at her laboratory Tuesday. NBC's Jeff Rossen reports, then Amy Robach sits down with former FBI profiler Clint van Zandt.
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/32810901#32810901

Today Show video: Search continues for missing Yale student 3:10
Sept. 11: Police use search dogs and review security camera footage as they continue to look for Annie Le, a Yale University graduate student who disappeared less than a week before her wedding. NBC's Jeff Rossen reports.
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/32795579#32795579

Article:
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/32810822/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/

:angel:

 

[amysmom]

The missing NYC cleaning woman back in July did not get much national attention still LE searched the landfill (in PA!) within 4 days..Why in this case did it take longer?

As it turned out she was not found there but back at the 26 story bldg in an air duct..Maybe the same scenario plays out here, maybe not, but the 2 cases are eerily similar.

The perp? (elevator operator) was questioned early on cos he left his shift early..I am not sure where it stands now but when taken in he cried & asked for an atty..I have a feeling it will be someone like this in her workplace vs a Prof or fellow student..I think LE may have the same mindset & I am confident they are checking out these employees..It is very possible the man (not in blue shirt!) seen taken away in the police car is one of them.

 

[TonyGatto]

FBI Evidence Team has just arrived at landfill in a big way and are setting up camp.

 

[lucky181]

This Yale Daily News article is from Wed. In it, the Dean of the School of Medicine states he was notified yesterday (which would have been Tues afternoon) "about Le&#8217;s disappearance late yesterday afternoon, just before the department of pharmacology met and was briefed on the on-going investigation."

So Yale was investigating her disappearance Tues afternoon.

http://www.yaledailynews.com/news/city-news/2009/09/09/medical-student-goes-missing/