I agree the bedding should not have been placed on the ramp for scent purposes. It would have been better if the scent dogs would have been provided with an object specific to Haleigh, shoes, shirt, etc.
The reason her scent was not acquired by the dogs from inside the home is because more than Haleigh lived there, how would the handler know whose scent the dog picked up to track? It could have been anyone who had previously been in the home.
The dumpster that the cadaver dogs hit on was searched early in the case. That is SOP. I don't think LE is that incompetent to not search it. There are many media pieces stating the dumpster was searched early on and the cadaver dogs were brought in 2 weeks later to go over areas to make sure nothing was missed. There are several threads here discussing the dumpster.
It was not the type of dumpster the residents of the community throw their personal trash in like what is used in an apartment complex. The dumpster in question is a construction dumpster and not emptied when the residents trash is picked up. LE has also stated the landfill where the residential trash was taken was searched, too.
~snip~
Putnam County Sheriff's Major Gary Bowling said they had cleared a
large construction dumpster located about a quarter of a mile from the home where Haleigh Cummings was last seen just over two weeks ago.
Major Bowling said the dumpster had been checked before but not as thoroughly as the search conducted Thursday evening.
http://www.myfoxorlando.com/dpp/news/022609Haleigh_Search
From Greta show:
VAN SUSTEREN: Have there ever been cadaver dogs at that dumpster after February 9 other than today?
COURSEY: They have had canines out here and bloodhounds, but this is the first time they have had cadaver dogs out. There was seven dogs out today. There will be 12 dogs out tomorrow.
VAN SUSTEREN: I take it the dumpster has been dumped since February 9. Is that right?
COURSEY: No. This was the first time the dumpster was emptied. The area, this lot behind me, has been searched three or four times, police say. But they had bloodhounds out But they never got a hit on the dumpster. They said before tonight's there was really no reason to empty it. Tonight was the first time it was emptied.
Inside all they found was construction debris and leaves and branches, things like that.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,501724,00.html