GA - Suspicion over heat death of Cooper, 22 mo., Cobb County, June 2014, #1

[CHERIE.T]

I don't get what would lead them to his office, other than to ask coworkers about his day, but consider the time. How many were still there? I admit I haven't paid close attention in the past to cases like this... I do remember a mother that worked at a school, bringing breakfast for a meeting and forgetting her child. I don't remember search warrants at all. I don't ever remember charges of felony murder.

I have friends that work at corporate- both locations... it's really hard not to call and bug them!

All posts are my opinion only. Sent via Tapatalk

CALL THEM
anic::gasp:

 

[CHERIE.T]

ATLANTA - There may be more to the story of a 33-year-old Georgia father charged with murder after his 22-month-old son died in the sweltering SUV where he was left.

http://www.newsnet5.com/news/nation...harged-with-murder-in-22-month-old-sons-death

However, police doubt the story Harris told them and are looking for injuries that happened before the little boy’s death, according to a CNN report .

cbm ////

 

[jmcgladr]

When was the last time a third party saw the child alive ?

One witness indicated that even after being removed from the car seat, the child remained 'in position'. The ME would be able to determine whether that was a result of rigor or heat stiffening.

Where was the vehicle parked ? If it was in a visible location, did no one pass by and see the child unattended ?

The little one was 22 months old. I have two of my own children and several nieces and nephews. Each of them were able to undo their own buckles by the time they were 2.

I always wonder how a child could go all day unattended in a vehicle and not be seen, either, especially in an urban/suburban environment like an office park. But it does happen, this is far from the first time! Wouldn't a child who's trapped and hot make a lot of noise, unless they're unconscious? Also, how long does it take for rigor mortis to set in? That might be a clue as to how long he was dead and what happened in this case.

 

[CHERIE.T]

After seeing 2 pictures of the dad, I wonder if he generally shaved before work.
It may mean nothing ................ he has somewhat of a 5 oclock shadow in his arrest picture. Was he up all night?

 

[newone]

After seeing 2 pictures of the dad, I wonder if he generally shaved before work.
It may mean nothing ................ he has somewhat of a 5 oclock shadow in his arrest picture. Was he up all night?

I questioned that upthread too and didn't get much of a reaction but to me he didn't look terribly ''ready for the office''. I had wondered if he had taken meds for allergies, cold flu that kind of thing. He didn't appear as clean cut as he had appeared in other photos.

I know IT people often put in lots of odd hours and even go into work after hours kind of thing. Perhaps he had deadlines that meant he was working remotely (at home) and maybe had pulled an allnighter.. MOO

 

[newone]

http://*************************/20...s-intentionally-kill-22-month-old-son-cooper/

Scroll 1/2 way down, there is a great picture of the baby and his mom and dad. wow

link missing

 

[newone]

I always wonder how a child could go all day unattended in a vehicle and not be seen, either, especially in an urban/suburban environment like an office park. But it does happen, this is far from the first time! Wouldn't a child who's trapped and hot make a lot of noise, unless they're unconscious? Also, how long does it take for rigor mortis to set in? That might be a clue as to how long he was dead and what happened in this case.

this link will answer your question with regard to rigor

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?p=10648937&highlight=rigor+mortis#post10648937

 

[jmcgladr]

this link will answer your question with regard to rigor

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?p=10648937&highlight=rigor+mortis#post10648937

Thank you. Informative link. It says that infants and young children often don't display rigor mortis, which I found interesting. But it sounds like there are distinct stages and patterns to rigor mortis, so that probably would be very helpful for forensic investigators to determine the time of death and also possibly the location of death (i.e. if the body had been moved).

 

[Chewy]

Maybe Mom did something to the child/is responsible for his death, it happened the day/night before and in an attempt to protect her, the Dad put deceased child in carseat and staged things to look like HE made the tragic error of forgetting child in car all day.............to protect wife, to cover for her.

I too had this thought. His "what did I do" squarely puts the blame on him.


One thing I'm wondering. If he's faking, when he came out of work why not do the "big reveal" right there? Why drive away and stop at a new location?

There's a lot of reasons that "later" the cops would arrest him. Like them finding benadryl in the kids system. Or finding out he checked the back of the car. Or him searching the internet. Or cell phone records that reveal he ignored calls from the day care.

But they slapped the cuffs on him right then and there. So I'm thinking there must have been something he said or something in the child's body that just proved him wrong instantly.

There's also not been much evidence revealed by the police but they seem adamant he's guilty of murder.

So what would show up right on the spot. Rigor mortis and the condition of the body. And also maybe the body smelled of decay and they knew there would be no way he could have gotten in the car and not noticed it.

 

[Karmady]

My siggyline includes the line 'my post are imo'.
I should have added it to the end of my short post, sorry. :blushing:


ps
Several people who saw the child 'lying' on the ground said he looked like he was still sitting in the car seat... as in he was not limp.

Oh, I know it was just your opinion. As was my comment :seeya:

 

[CHERIE.T]

link missing

sorry, I will delete and try to find another news source.

 

[*LD*]

After seeing 2 pictures of the dad, I wonder if he generally shaved before work.
It may mean nothing ................ he has somewhat of a 5 oclock shadow in his arrest picture. Was he up all night?

I was leaning toward an accident at home but if police believed that, wouldn't they have searched their home by now? Clearly they believe they've may have found the crime scene. This is confusing to me.

 

[jking]

to add to what you are saying

http://guardianlv.com/2014/06/much-...man-arrested-in-death-of-toddler-left-in-suv/

from that article, "Leanna Harris told the media that she had been instructed not to discuss the case with anyone'' (sure sounds like basic instructions from an attorney)

What really stood out to me from this article:
"Eyewitnesses declared they saw Harris speed into the Cobb County Akers Mill Square shopping center and slam his vehicle to a stop while he overlapped two lanes of traffic."

I find it so hard to believe he could get into his car and not know his child was in the back seat. It looks more like he staged his stop to be in a location where there would be lots of witnesses. It would have been more believable to me if he had called 911 from his workplace parking lot.

 

[Chewy]

What really stood out to me from this article:
"Eyewitnesses declared they saw Harris speed into the Cobb County Akers Mill Square shopping center and slam his vehicle to a stop while he overlapped two lanes of traffic."

I find it so hard to believe he could get into his car and not know his child was in the back seat. It looks more like he staged his stop to be in a location where there would be lots of witnesses. It would have been more believable to me if he had called 911 from his workplace parking lot.

You know, most people don't leave work at 4 pm but later. Maybe he intended to do the "big discovery" in a parking lot filled with people. But no one was around. He couldn't very well move the car to more people in the same lot, so he switched his story and drove away and tried to find a better "reveal" spot.

Problem in his story shows up because why would he forget or say he thought he dropped him off at day care in the morning and then not just go to the day care to pick him up in the afternoon? It doesn't match if he really thought he dropped him off. Maybe the cops asked him this and then he fumbled and changed the story two times and just had a "busted!!!" look in his eyes and then the cops put two and two together.

:twocents:

 

[eileenhawkeye]

I don't understand why someone would think that LE would buy that a child who was killed before actually died in a hot car. They would do the autopsy, and discover another COD and another TOD. It is suggested in another post above that the autopsy could be taken longer due to toxicology, and I think that it is likely, that perhaps they thought it wouldn't be detected or mistaken for something else?

 

[newone]

I was leaning toward an accident at home but if police believed that, wouldn't they have searched their home by now? Clearly they believe they've may have found the crime scene. This is confusing to me.

I think that's why LH is not talking to the media and is not discussing the case....home is next....but maybe LE doesn't have enough at this time for a search warrant? :truce: MOO my guess

 

[eileenhawkeye]

I think that's why LH is not talking to the media and is not discussing the case....home is next....but maybe LE doesn't have enough at this time for a search warrant? :truce: MOO my guess

I would think charging someone w/ murder would be enough for a search warrant?

 

[newone]

You know, most people don't leave work at 4 pm but later. Maybe he intended to do the "big discovery" in a parking lot filled with people. But no one was around. He couldn't very well move the car to more people in the same lot, so he switched his story and drove away and tried to find a better "reveal" spot.

Problem in his story shows up because why would he forget or say he thought he dropped him off at day care in the morning and then not just go to the day care to pick him up in the afternoon? It doesn't match if he really thought he dropped him off. Maybe the cops asked him this and then he fumbled and changed the story two times and just had a "busted!!!" look in his eyes and then the cops put two and two together.

:twocents:

re 4 p.m. departure

Maybe he made a big announcement at work something to the effect of "daycare called -- have to pick up my son he's unwell" (total guess on my part)

The dramatic arrival at the mall seems staged to me. The ''confusion'' over one kid/two kid mentioned upthread just doesn't add up -- so yes I think it was definitely easy for police to suspect something wasn't ''right'' with him and the situation.

 

[blue22]

re 4 p.m. departure

Maybe he made a big announcement at work something to the effect of "daycare called -- have to pick up my son he's unwell" (total guess on my part)

The dramatic arrival at the mall seems staged to me. The ''confusion'' over one kid/two kid mentioned upthread just doesn't add up -- so yes I think it was definitely easy for police to suspect something wasn't ''right'' with him and the situation.

He loses a lot of control of the situation, if a whole building of employees leaves work the same time as him. Someone could see the child in the car first and his big reveal or staging could be thwarted.

Another thought...his behavior might have been really strange at work that day. If the child was found at work, people could have spoken up about anything strange they saw. If he is away from work, there are no witnesses to his behavior all day. I bet he left early, so that he could control the situation and the reactions. Strangers in a parking lot can be witnesses to his grieving father act, while coworkers might have been witnesses to a disheveled appearance and erratic behavior.

 

[eileenhawkeye]

I wonder how premeditated this all was. Did he say, I am going to kill my child and then stage it to look like an accident? If he did, it shows major entitlement issues that he thought this would be a great coverup. He is probably used to people liking him, and did not think that anyone would buy that a great guy like him could kill his kid.

But could it be more impulsive and not really thought out?