FL - Somer Thompson, 7, Orange Park, 19 Oct 2009 #38

[Dr.Fessel]

I think there were lots of trees.

I don't remember any at the corners of the property and they would not want to have to keep stepping over the tape to search the yard like they were.

 

[Dr.Fessel]

The two houses are ONE in Meridian, MS -- Lauderdale County and ONE in Callahan, FL (Nassau County).

But I'm curious as to what they'd have found at the Orange Park house to connect him to the case in any way ...

Yeah I wonder it that is just the reporter jumping to a conclusion.

 

[Dr.Fessel]

The two houses are ONE in Meridian, MS -- Lauderdale County and ONE in Callahan, FL (Nassau County).

But I'm curious as to what they'd have found at the Orange Park house to connect him to the case in any way ...

Yes I see what you mean about the homes now, I was reading it wrong.

 

[Noway]

I don't remember any at the corners of the property and they would not want to have to keep stepping over the tape to search the yard like they were.

The fence that blocks the ditch would work on that side (stretched across Gano). That's what it looks like to me.

Don't know about other trees, but they could have gone from police car to police car across Gano ...

Street view of JH house

Lots of trees.

 

[Noway]

If they found her book bag and lunchbox (and how dumb would you have to be to hold onto THOSE?) ... then BOMBSHELL! Definitely a person of interest.

But there could be evidence that was less obviously connected to Somer ... don't ask me what ... I'm trying to come up with some thoughts on that right now.

 

[Noway]

... yielded evidence which led authorities to name him as a person of interest in the [Somer Thompson] case ...

What could the evidence be?
Lunchbox and/or bookbag found at JH Gano house?
Hat and/or scarf found at JH Gano house?
He had taken pictures of kids walking home?

He lived on Gano, on Somer's normal route and lived a block from where she was last seen by Kyle, construction worker. (If police had not talked to him before, then they would definitely want to, but I don't think they would name him a POI based on that.)

He was there on October 19 between 2:30 p.m. and 6 p.m.? (Not sure what evidence would show he was at that house during that time -- pizza/ Chinese food/other delivery receipt like FedEx ... ?)

 

[eyes4crime]

A few reasons JH would be named POI:

Lied to LE about where he was living at time of Somer's murder
Refused to give DNA
Lives just feet from children walking to and from school each day
Involved with child - ages including age of Somer
Produced a child video that included himself and a child around 3yo
Was unemployed leaving plenty of time for child
Was fired from place of employment due to temper
No age appropriate relationships
Parasite living off different family members
Moved around a great deal
Knew the area well
Police matched bank transactions to child downloads
Person(s) turning in the computer passed lie detector tests

Some of the points I can remember - so I must say: It would be NEGLIGENT of LE if they didn't name him a POI!!!! MOO MHO JMO ect.

A POI does not carry with it any charges, it is someone they will focus on, perhaps one of many. MOO

 

[Noway]

Eyes, while the points above are valid ... the article says that evidence from the Gano house led investigators to name him a POI.

ETA
Based on those things you listed, IMO it would have been negligent of CCSO not to investigate him, but I don't know that it would have been negligent to not name him a person of interest.

I don't think LE is required to name POIs in a case or be considered negligent.

 

[eyes4crime]

Eyes, while the points above are valid ... the article says that evidence from the Gano house led investigators to name him a POI.

Okay Noway - but they didn't name him a 'suspect' rather, a POI which is just a small alarm that he should be looked into.

I would consider as 'evidence' the fact that he used the Gano house to make child - that he finds children the age of Somer to be erotic, therefore causing him to scope out and watch such children. Maybe they found a receipt for food that matched what was found in stomach contents at autopsy. My guess is that if it was more significant, like the book bag etc. they would have named him 'suspect'. But what the heck do I know? lol just my opinions!

 

[amytlake]

Possible things found at JH Gano home that could implicate him as POI

1) Pictures (hard or soft copy) of kids walking by house - which included Somer
2) bookmarked pages on a computer at Gano relative to Somer Thompson or her family, but unrelated to her murder investigation
3) (more likely) Large number of newpaper articles regarding Somer's murder found in his bedroom
4) As Noway stated, any of the "missing" items of Somer's.

Even if they obtained JH's DNA from the Gano house, the results wouldnt have come back yet of a comparison on any DNA from Somer's body.

I think that there was a partial match to JH's bio dad (enough to make JH a likely suspect) and in addition something of Somer's was found at the Gano home. That would explain the 1 mill dollar bond, but i think they are waiting on a DNA match before officially naming him suspect.

 

[amytlake]

Okay Noway - but they didn't name him a 'suspect' rather, a POI which is just a small alarm that he should be looked into.

I would consider as 'evidence' the fact that he used the Gano house to make child - that he finds children the age of Somer to be erotic, therefore causing him to scope out and watch such children. Maybe they found a receipt for food that matched what was found in stomach contents at autopsy. My guess is that if it was more significant, like the book bag etc. they would have named him 'suspect'. But what the heck do I know? lol just my opinions!

but the child wasn't "found" at the Gano house that we know of. It was from the computer left at the roommates and the camera found in Callahan. And if there was additional child found at the Gano house i would have expected him to be charged with that.

 

[Dr.Fessel]

Crime scene tape is used to control access to an area a crime was committed at, they had plenty of police presents there and crime scene tape to keep people off the property.

 

[Noway]

Thursday morning: Jarred Harrell is arrested on 29 counts of possession of child .
Thursday morning: Search of Gano house where Harrell formerly resided, yielded evidence which led authorities to name him a POI.
??Thursday afternoon/evening: Meridian house, Jarred's car, and the Callahan house searched. SD card from camera found at Callahan house.
Thursday evening: Rick Beseler announced that a POI is being questions in Somer's abduction and murder.

So he was arrested, they searched, and he was named a POI (based initially on evidence found in the Gano house).



I'm not sure when they found the SD card as far as time of day. But it was found on 2/11 unless they searched the Callahan, FL, house more than one day.

I think they took the safe route and named him a POI until they had strong, irrefutable evidence. Simply finding her book bag there would not PROVE that he killed her, but you sure would want to ask him how it got there ... JMO

 

[Noway]

Amytlake, I don't think is any evidence that Somer had a MS page, is there?

Or were you speaking hypothetically?

 

[Dr.Fessel]

Thursday morning: Jarred Harrell is arrested on 29 counts of possession of child .
Thursday morning: Search of Gano house where Harrell formerly resided, yielded evidence which led authorities to name him a POI.
??Thursday afternoon/evening: Meridian house, Jarred's car, and the Callahan house searched. SD card from camera found at Callahan house.
Thursday evening: Rick Beseler announced that a POI is being questions in Somer's abduction and murder.

So he was arrested, they searched, and he was named a POI (based initially on evidence found in the Gano house).



I'm not sure when they found the SD card as far as time of day. But it was found on 2/11 unless they searched the Callahan, FL, house more than one day.

I think they took the safe route and named him a POI until they had strong, irrefutable evidence. Simply finding her book bag there would not PROVE that he killed her, but you sure would want to ask him how it got there ... JMO

Noway, the more I think about it before you put that in your time line about the evidence being found maybe we should check with the reporter. I get the feeling they were jumping to a conclusion since they did not quote any official source or unnamed source.

 

[amytlake]

I agree with whoever just said that the backpack alone wouldn't be enough to hold his as a "suspect" b/c he could have been walking around and found it (although that would be a bunch of bs if he claimed that).

I just am not sure how they will be able to nail someone on DNA due to cross contamination (unless it's somewhere like under her fingernails? but couldn't that also be explained from cross contamination?).. but if there is DNA in addition to her backpack being found at his house, it'd be a pretty tight case.

Plus, if/when this were to go to trial, i bet his child /molestation charges won't be admissible.. so they will need as much physical evidence in addition to circumstantial to hang him...

 

[Noway]

New1 pointed this out to me ... (I was focused on crime scene tape) :slap:


The reporter also says something VERY interesting at 0:55. This might be the evidence that connected him to Somer.

Says Somer was found wrapped in a rug.

http://www.myfoxorlando.com/dpp/news/local/021110-somer-case

 

[eyes4crime]

but the child wasn't "found" at the Gano house that we know of. It was from the computer left at the roommates and the camera found in Callahan. And if there was additional child found at the Gano house i would have expected him to be charged with that.

JH's bedroom, at the house on Gano, was the identified room where he produced a video with the 3yo. To me, that makes Gano a place of 'comfort' to JH regarding child erotica. AND makes him very suspect to the possibility of having other children in the home, especially when living alone. MOO

 

[Noway]

I wonder if the alleged rug she was wrapped in matched any of the real rugs in the Gano house ...

 

[Noway]

JH's bedroom, at the house on Gano, was the identified room where he produced a video with the 3yo. To me, that makes Gano a place of 'comfort' to JH regarding child erotica. AND makes him very suspect to the possibility of having other children in the home, especially when living alone. MOO

BBM

Yes, but that evidence was not found until AFTER they had searched the Gano house and as a result of that search, named him a POI.

(Based on the article quoted previously.)