GA - Carlene Rigby, 4, strangled, March 2015

[eileenhawkeye]

I hope it wasn't her parents. Whoever it was, I know that the DA is a fierce advocate for children. His background is in special victims prosecution and he will certainly see that justice is done for sweet Carly. Until we know something more I continue to pray for her.

So you think an intruder killed Carly? Or a sibling?

 

[MsFacetious]

My only opinion is I can't believe it was Mom.
Beyond that I am open minded.
It seems an odd way to intentional kill someone.
I'm thinking and hoping it was more of an accident.... maybe a game gone bad. :twocents:

 

[wendybtn]

So you think an intruder killed Carly? Or a sibling?

If it was a sibling in a game gone wrong, how could you ever explain or confess that to these parents who lost a son 5 years to the day of Carlene's death? I would say that sibling (if it was one) would be at an extremely high risk of suicide, whether quick (gunshot) or slow (drugs, alcohol).

 

[eileenhawkeye]

If the autopsy had revealed that Carlene's COD was something other than being strangled by the blinds, I presume the parent(s) would've been arrested. So the other alternative is that someone intentionally strangled Carlene with the blinds, but LE is having a hard time proving it was intentional. I can't see someone accidentally strangling Carlene with blinds. Maybe it was some sort of punishment that went too far?

But Carlene's parents, if they are guilty, were smart to cover it up as a complete accident. There's no need/demand for them to be in the media. They can't do an interview; it just wouldn't make any sense. Look at how few posts there are on this forum. We have a lot of cases on WS where the parents are likely guilty, but I can't think of really any where people think the police are a crusade against them. We know nothing about the parents....just that they are middle-class and I think religious? So this is very "There is no way people like that would do something like this".

 

[midstateMind]

With all due respect, I've never seen discussion that Carly was a great deal like her deceased brother. That's either hearsay or insider information if true. I don't like the Dad for this crime, and I think if there was a chance one of the other kids did it they wouldn't place other siblings at risk by homing them together. If there's mention of how much Carly was like Glenn, please c&p or put links.

 

[midstateMind]

If the autopsy had revealed that Carlene's COD was something other than being strangled by the blinds, I presume the parent(s) would've been arrested. So the other alternative is that someone intentionally strangled Carlene with the blinds, but LE is having a hard time proving it was intentional. I can't see someone accidentally strangling Carlene with blinds. Maybe it was some sort of punishment that went too far?

But Carlene's parents, if they are guilty, were smart to cover it up as a complete accident. There's no need/demand for them to be in the media. They can't do an interview; it just wouldn't make any sense. Look at how few posts there are on this forum. We have a lot of cases on WS where the parents are likely guilty, but I can't think of really any where people think the police are a crusade against them. We know nothing about the parents....just that they are middle-class and I think religious? So this is very "There is no way people like that would do something like this".

This issue of media relations is huge. The only thing we have is the mom hanging up on a reporter, and the grandmother asking for privacy & saying its a terrible accident. I mean, if my kids were removed from my custody, I'd have a legal defense ********, and set up that put me out in front of this. Not everyone is the same, but I think they've painted themselves into a corner and hung their hats on this notion of an "accident." The DA doesn't seem very aggressive & local LE has had their fair share of screw ups so who knows what will happen here.

 

[midstateMind]

If the autopsy had revealed that Carlene's COD was something other than being strangled by the blinds, I presume the parent(s) would've been arrested. So the other alternative is that someone intentionally strangled Carlene with the blinds, but LE is having a hard time proving it was intentional. I can't see someone accidentally strangling Carlene with blinds. Maybe it was some sort of punishment that went too far?

But Carlene's parents, if they are guilty, were smart to cover it up as a complete accident. There's no need/demand for them to be in the media. They can't do an interview; it just wouldn't make any sense. Look at how few posts there are on this forum. We have a lot of cases on WS where the parents are likely guilty, but I can't think of really any where people think the police are a crusade against them. We know nothing about the parents....just that they are middle-class and I think religious? So this is very "There is no way people like that would do something like this".

COD was asphyxiation. Asphyxiation can happen many ways...take that however, but I think it can't be overlooked that there may be other autopsy details not listed. She could have blunt force trauma, signs of molestation, etc...that might not be the COD but still are evident. She could've been manually strangled, but had the cords put around her neck to stage an accident. Absent actual facts, I think we need to look outside the box. Nobody in the family or LE has made a statement about a possible intruder or play gone wrong. The thing that sticks with me is the report of the dad finding her in her room. He didn't remove the cords or try to free her based on police account. Who doesn't try to free someone who's tied up even in the vain hope that you could save them? This whole thing is hinky.

 

[Backwoods]

There is also a possibility that this child killed herself -- possibly playing a solitary game or staging a scenario she had seen on TV, etc. Maybe she was playing Spiderman, etc.

There is even a slight possibility that it was an intentional suicide, though at her age, I know, that's highly unlikely...I think the youngest confirmed suicide was about age 6 or so, IIRC.

Just food for thought.

Do Children Commit Suicide?




Yes, but sometimes it seems like an accident.

...About four children out of every 500,000 below the age of 12 commit suicide annually, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ...

...Suicide among children is more likely to be spontaneous and less connected to psychiatric disorder or aggression. This is often reflected in the method: Instead of hanging or cutting or using a gun, "suicidal" kids tend to kill themselves by doing things their parents have warned them against, such as running into traffic or jumping out of a window.

As a result, it's often hard to tell the difference between a suicide and an accident. ...

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2008/10/do_children_commit_suicide.html

 

[MsFacetious]

With all due respect, I've never seen discussion that Carly was a great deal like her deceased brother. That's either hearsay or insider information if true. I don't like the Dad for this crime, and I think if there was a chance one of the other kids did it they wouldn't place other siblings at risk by homing them together. If there's mention of how much Carly was like Glenn, please c&p or put links.

It only takes a bit of research to find comments directly from Mom and other family members.
Not only did Carly look like Glenn she also shared many personality traits according to the family.
Mom was involved in helping other parents who had lost children. There is quite a bit out there. :twocents:

Here is Mom's facebook (since she is a POI it can be shared here.)

https://www.facebook.com/JoMonster

It's also worth noting that this was the first girl.
She looks just like her Mom... and appears to have been her little princess.
I am more than open to other family members but my gut says Mom didn't do this.

I am not naive and I am well aware appearances can be deceiving. But that is just my gut feeling.
For me it has nothing to do with them being middle class or religious.
I also felt strongly that a guy living in a trailer was innocent even after he was arrested and charged.
I was right and he was ultimately cleared. :twocents:

 

[midstateMind]

It only takes a bit of research to find comments directly from Mom and other family members.
Not only did Carly look like Glenn she also shared many personality traits according to the family.
Mom was involved in helping other parents who had lost children. There is quite a bit out there. :twocents:

Here is Mom's facebook (since she is a POI it can be shared here.)

https://www.facebook.com/JoMonster

It's also worth noting that this was the first girl.
She looks just like her Mom... and appears to have been her little princess.
I am more than open to other family members but my gut says Mom didn't do this.

I am not naive and I am well aware appearances can be deceiving. But that is just my gut feeling.
For me it has nothing to do with them being middle class or religious.
I also felt strongly that a guy living in a trailer was innocent even after he was arrested and charged.
I was right and he was ultimately cleared. :twocents:

I would love to see those quotes. Pointing to a social media page that only shows the posts non-friends of hers can see is relatively useless. Creating a hypothesis from gut feelings or words that can't be referenced directly is not working for me. My .02.

 

[MsFacetious]

You asked for a link and I provided one I was allowed to link, I'm not sure why that is useless?
Some of the quotes you are looking for are on that page if you look hard enough.
I am not a friend of hers, I cannot see anymore on her page than you can. :twocents:

I rely on my gut and defend people I feel deserve it.
Many people here do that and some don't.
Everyone has their own way of looking at and processing these cases.
Like I said, my life experiences make it difficult for me to believe Mom did this.
I could be wrong, but I would be very surprised if I was.

 

[LadyL]

does mom work in health care?

 

[MsFacetious]

Yes.

https://www.military1.com/all/press...-impact-of-the-wreaths-across-america-program

Jodi Rigby is a military spouse and mother to James, Jacob, Carly and Sarah Katherine, and a student at AMU whose major is still undecided. She is also a nurse and is the founder of the Heart of Georgia Chapter of Bereaved Parents of the USA. She is active in her church and community, and is a volunteer with Wreaths Across America at Historic Riverside Cemetery.

 

[eileenhawkeye]

It's just hard for me to think LE has some sort of vendetta against this family. Their daughter died in an accident, and now you are taking their other children away, and telling the media that they are POI in their daughter's homicide? If LE has found no evidence pointing away from an accident, why would they be so set on Carlene being murdered? They don't exactly fit the profiles of people who get falsely convicted. I can't see them making the parents POI unless they had something, even if it isn't enough for an arrest. I think LE is well aware that children die in accidents, and I don't think they are going to spend $$$ on an investigation, where they desperately look for anything they can to throw the parents behind bars.

The coroner ruled her death a homicide; I don't think all investigators are out to get this family.

 

[midstateMind]

It's just hard for me to think LE has some sort of vendetta against this family. Their daughter died in an accident, and now you are taking their other children away, and telling the media that they are POI in their daughter's homicide? If LE has found no evidence pointing away from an accident, why would they be so set on Carlene being murdered? They don't exactly fit the profiles of people who get falsely convicted. I can't see them making the parents POI unless they had something, even if it isn't enough for an arrest. I think LE is well aware that children die in accidents, and I don't think they are going to spend $$$ on an investigation, where they desperately look for anything they can to throw the parents behind bars.

The coroner ruled her death a homicide; I don't think all investigators are out to get this family.

Agree with you 100%. I have a friend in LE here who has said that 2 investigators on the case have said there was no way this was an accident. I'm sure that's why the GBI was brought in. I doubt the GBI would waste resources either. LE has been as discreet as possible in a small town where this has the capacity to rock a lot of interlocking communities: charitable, private school, church, etc. There would be no reason for LE to be out to get anyone here. Respectfully, this town is just not like this. The DA and ADA just wrapped up a very convoluted case where they had to balance issues of local institutions, crime, and mental illness coupled with police errors. I'm hoping they're ready to focus on this now.

On the subject of the rest, I think if one person can read between the lines here and believe a person is innocent & be within her rights, so may another with the opposite verdict. IMHO, the family is not who she portrays it to be on social media. That's all I can say...as someone who swims in the same pool with them. KWIM? ;-)

 

[eileenhawkeye]

Agree with you 100%. I have a friend in LE here who has said that 2 investigators on the case have said there was no way this was an accident. I'm sure that's why the GBI was brought in. I doubt the GBI would waste resources either. LE has been as discreet as possible in a small town where this has the capacity to rock a lot of interlocking communities: charitable, private school, church, etc. There would be no reason for LE to be out to get anyone here. Respectfully, this town is just not like this. The DA and ADA just wrapped up a very convoluted case where they had to balance issues of local institutions, crime, and mental illness coupled with police errors. I'm hoping they're ready to focus on this now.

On the subject of the rest, I think if one person can read between the lines here and believe a person is innocent & be within her rights, so may another with the opposite verdict. IMHO, the family is not who she portrays it to be on social media. That's all I can say...as someone who swims in the same pool with them. KWIM? ;-)

Yeah, I just don't think the police are out to get this family. Not just the police, but the coroner too. Someone in Carly's autopsy showed that her death was a homicide. Perhaps she had suffered a head bash? And then the strangulation was what really killed her, and it was done to set it up as an accident?

Yeah, there are actually quite a few cases where I think the parents killed their kid, and I think if they had social media, their pages would look very normal. Or husbands who kill their wives. Plus, her facebook is such a small snapshot, it's what she choses to present to the world. "Don't compare your daily life to someone's highlight reel" is what's said about social media.

 

[MsFacetious]

I never said investigators are out to get the family.
I said I don't believe that Mom is guilty.
I never said I don't believe Dad is guilty.
I would expect authorities to just say "the parents" are POI's at this point.
I would not expect them to single one out at this stage.
I am anxious to see the evidence, definitely. :twocents:

 

[midstateMind]

Yeah, I just don't think the police are out to get this family. Not just the police, but the coroner too. Someone in Carly's autopsy showed that her death was a homicide. Perhaps she had suffered a head bash? And then the strangulation was what really killed her, and it was done to set it up as an accident?

Yeah, there are actually quite a few cases where I think the parents killed their kid, and I think if they had social media, their pages would look very normal. Or husbands who kill their wives. Plus, her facebook is such a small snapshot, it's what she choses to present to the world. "Don't compare your daily life to someone's highlight reel" is what's said about social media.

I also think the fact that this has been subject to a GBI autopsy and not just the local coroner says a lot.

There's a lot more here than meets the eye.

 

[eileenhawkeye]

JR's son died 10 years. Perhaps JR liked the attention and sympathy she got as a mother who lost a child, and with it being ten years since the son's death, it was starting to fade. Maybe nobody said anything to her on the son's birthday, and that set her off. It is a very big coincidence that her daughter dies on her son's birthday, and now she and/or her husband are POIs in her homicide.

 

[gapeach32]

The DA is more aggressive than he seems. He is methodical and exacting. He led the special victims unit of one of the most progressive counties in the state (in terms of LE/prosecution) and cut his teeth in Atlanta prosecuting major violent felonies. Don't mistake his silence for inaction - the more likely scenario is that he wants to make sure this is done right. The parents are not going anywhere - they are certainly no flight risk. That being the case, there is no reason to rush an arrest. My (educated) guess is that he is building an airtight case so he can get an indictment that will stick. Downgrading charges post-indictment or post-arrest isn't good for public confidence, which matters in a small town with a limited jury pool. This DA has an enviable conviction rate he surely wants to maintain; and with a case like this that will continue to generate substantial media attention, all the better to wait until your ducks are in a row before making any moves. JMO, only speaking up to say I think the prosecutor knows exactly what he's doing and feel sure he's on top of this, which I know is important to everyone in the community.