FL FL - Isabella Hellmann, 41, catamaran off Cay Sal, SE of the FL Keys, 14 May 2017 #1 *GUILTY*

[JerseyGirl]

Hmmm....

Bennett said he couldn't drop anchor because he needed to keep the boat on track.

What?? I thought the boat was taking on water???

 

[Hiandmighty]

Her family said that he said that. Its part of what makes me think they misunderstood whatever he said.

They wanted to know why he didn't drop anchor. You can"t drop anchor in 3-4,000 feet of water and/or when the boat is taking on water!

For reasons known to them, they are suspicious of him. They don't believe or don't care that he was also in a survival situation once he awoke (taking his story at face value)

 

[JerseyGirl]

Her family said that he said that. Its part of what makes me think they misunderstood whatever he said.

They wanted to know why he didn't drop anchor. You can"t drop anchor in 3-4,000 feet of water and/or when the boat is taking on water!

How do you expect them to know that? The family most likely knows nothing about boating or assumed he was in shallow water.

The fact is he should have said the cat was taking on water and I had to abandon the boat right away.

Instead he said he was trying to keep the boat on course??

Makes no sense.

 

[Hiandmighty]

Maybe he meant since they hit something, he had to be sure they didn't re hit the same item.

I'm inclined to believe he either didn't say it or he said something similar as part of a longer explanation, all of which they didn't understand.

The boat was likely sinking fast, so he didn't have time to do anything but abandon ship.

He may have meant that she was steering and keeping the boat on course when the accident happened...

I don't expect them to know it. English may not be their first language and boating is an advanced topic with its own lingo.

I am saying we shouldn't put much emphasis on that because I don't believe he said that verbatium as reported. Something got lost in translation among him/her family/the reporter.

 

[frisson]

Was she a sailor or a captain with boating experience? He was one, right? Why was SHE supposedly at the helm at one in the freakin morning? BC she wasn't (imo) Who saw her get on the boat AT ALL?

 

[Hiandmighty]

(BTW! I'm going camping in a little bit for the weekend and my big boating weekend is next weekend. If I disappear, I expect no less than 2 threads and DH didn't do it!)

I keep looking for new articles but have found none today.

 

[FlossyMay]

Was she a sailor or a captain with boating experience? He was one, right? Why was SHE supposedly at the helm at one in the freakin morning? BC she wasn't (imo) Who saw her get on the boat AT ALL?

I thought we knew she was on the boat because she called her sister from the sat. phone that evening and told her they were at sea.

 

[JerseyGirl]

I thought we knew she was on the boat because she called her sister from the sat. phone that evening and told her they were at sea.

Her sister said:

"She called me at 8:25 p.m. and said, 'Oh hi, we just connected the phone, it’s been really hard for us to connect it cause his [Bennett's] friend told me it’s hard.' She said 'I’m in the middle of the ocean right now, we left Cuba.' She didn't tell me what time but she said we left Cuba and that's it, she said I’ll see you tomorrow."

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nat...-lost-sea-questions-husband-article-1.3212682

Again, this was after he went down below at 8:00 p.m. to go to bed.

 

[Bently]

Hmmm....

Bennett said he couldn't drop anchor because he needed to keep the boat on track.

What?? I thought the boat was taking on water???

Perhaps the language barrier issue with her sister?

In my opinion you would not even think about throwing out an anchor because the water is too deep for it to do any good and all it would do would be to drag.

:moo: You actually would not want to Anchor if it was a lost person because you would want it to drift with the current as would a person that was unconscious in a life jacket for a person in a rescue raft to have greater probability they will both move with the current at the same distance.

 

[alexwood]

(BTW! I'm going camping in a little bit for the weekend and my big boating weekend is next weekend. If I disappear, I expect no less than 2 threads and DH didn't do it!)

I keep looking for new articles but have found none today.

Wear your life jacket!!! Otherwise, you'll end up on a Thread entitled: "Woman Thought She Could Walk on Water"

 

[Bently]

How do you expect them to know that? The family most likely knows nothing about boating or assumed he was in shallow water.

The fact is he should have said the cat was taking on water and I had to abandon the boat right away.

Instead he said he was trying to keep the boat on course??

Makes no sense.

The quoted words from the sister were he was wanting to keep it "on track".

As a boater I understood it to mean that he was wanting it to keep on track and drift as the current moved it. Throwing out the anchor would merely be detimental. It would not anchor the boat and it would just drag to move slower than the current potentially. Keeping the boat on track with a current is the right thing to do. :moo:

Again, misunderstood semantics/language without clarification?

 

[tiffay01]

I thought we knew she was on the boat because she called her sister from the sat. phone that evening and told her they were at sea.

Very true..I do wonder though what if he forced her to make that call, therefore establishing contact and less suspicion. But I also can't help but wonder what ALL was discussed in that call. Did she complain to her sister on the phone and Bennett was suppose to be sleeping but he heard her convo and it caused him to snap?

This particular case is a tough one, because both scenarios 1) accident or 2) murder are both very likely options. I know the family is hurting, but I think if they let LE investigate and do their jobs they will get some answers. Right now if there were a trial it would be difficult to find jurors who haven't heard their statements, and comments,therefore causing even more stress for them. IMO

I also hope they really didn't take anything from the house. This also will cause major issues if/when there is a trial. I really want LE to release a statement with the facts and squashing what is rumor, emotional responses and 2nd & 3rd party comments.

 

[msphilosopher]

The comment from the sister asking about dropping the anchor IMO is her probing Bennet to see what he did to try and find her. This comment is mentioned after she stated that Bennet didn't say much about the accident and after a few days it began to stir in side her... so she started asking questions.

I honestly don't think the family was suspicious at all of Bennet initially. We assume he stayed with the in-laws until the 17th. Since it was reported he was brought back to the Hellman house and didn't return to the condo until the evening of the 17th.

If my sister was missing at sea it would bother me to see a lack of emotion from, a lack of action from, and especially lack of details about the incident from him.

Maybe he was just too traumatized to do or say anything...IDK

 

[frisson]

I thought we knew she was on the boat because she called her sister from the sat. phone that evening and told her they were at sea.

ok thanks. Was that a voice call and we know it was her for sure or was it a text from her phone so her phone called her sister. ? Still trying to catch up, but t is fishy to me.

 

[frisson]

It is not impossible that someone forced her to call.The business partner helped imo. *sigh* This whole story does not seem normal.

 

[frisson]

HOw convenient that his wife is overboard, yet he is safe and has all his personal belongings saved. Prayers for the baby who lost a mom.

 

[Jersey*Girl]

Hmmm...have to admit that it's pretty suspicious that he needed his wife's help bringing the boat stateside considering she didnt have boating experience...and especially considering they'd be crossing waters littered with various debris/flotsam...

https://www.local10.com/news/florid...tigation-in-delray-beach-womans-disappearance

Husband under investigation in Delray Beach woman's disappearance
Sister-in-law of Isabella Hellmann blames husband for her death
By Peter Burke - Local10.com Managing Editor
Posted: 8:58 AM, June 01, 2017
Updated: 3:19 PM, June 01, 2017

An investigator with the U.S. Marshals Service told police that Lewis is under investigation in his wife's disappearance, the report said

Dayana*Rodriguez told WPTV in West Palm Beach that her sister didn't want to leave their baby, but she needed to help Bennett bring back his boat from St. Maarten.

"They were supposed to go from St. Martin to Puerto Rico, from Puerto Rico to Cuba, from Cuba to Key West," Dayana Rodriguez said.

 

[msphilosopher]

IF this was an accident, wondering if she was in the bathroom and hit her head and was unconscious.

Bennet coming top side with Isabella "no where to be seen"(sounds like meaning in plain sight) and takes over steering the boat at the helm..

IF the boat was taking on water quickly he may have called out for her looking in plain sight but no response.

IMO the vessel needs to be thoroughly checked...

Hazard / tracking device that the coat guard put on the catamaran said the battery died so now we don't know where it is? How long does it last? Could it have been damaged by someone removing it?

 

[Bently]

HOw convenient that his wife is overboard, yet he is safe and has all his personal belongings saved. Prayers for the baby who lost a mom.

Usually a * go bag* is put in the berth.

I wonder where the satellite phone was found? Did she put it back in the bag in berth, or was it up in the birth on a table or on the floor, or was it at the helm, or where was the satellite phone that she used?

What order did he make the phone calls to the Coast Guard, to the rescue organization,to his coworker, to her sister?

If he had already spoken to the Coast Guard, rescue, and his co-worker - he have then left the coordinates with her sister on her voocemail on her phone also? I guess he was covering all bases.

Coast Guard and rescue organization conversations would be on tape :moo:

I would assume, through Freedom of Information, that one of the media Outlets is trying to get the coast guard tape.

 

[JerseyGirl]

Hazard / tracking device that the coat guard put on the catamaran said the battery died so now we don't know where it is? How long does it last? Could it have been damaged by someone removing it?

That's another issue I have. It is up to the owner to retrieve the vessel. For all we know, he made no attempts to salvage it and the locator beacon has since died.

I'm guessing he was in no hurry to retrieve the boat.