Still Missing HI - Ariel Sellers AKA 'Isabella Kalua', 6, last seen asleep in bdrm, Waimanalo, 12 Sep 2021*Arrests

[cvaldez1975]

Hmm. Let's just say that money is not a motive:
No allotment from the parents
No money from the foster care system
Child--maybe all four, adopted by foster parents
Child lived with adoptive parents for at least four years
So...this is a very big investment for the adoptive parents. I'm trying to imagine what could even motivate them to harm her. Was there an abduction? Highly unlikely. Better minds than mine figured that out and I'll go with what they say. So, could it have been a bizarre accidental death or someone else accidentally killed the child? --Assuming that she is not hiding or being kept somewhere. Also, could the belongings that were found be yet another red herring? Even if was the child's, would anyone be able to determine when it was dumped/placed/lost there?

that may not be true, but i am not familar with hawaii. in orrin and orson case, they were adopted but the family continued to get allotments in california. you can still get them if 1. you adopt siblings (true here) and 2. if child has disabilities (possibly here)

 

[watson&winny]

Wow. you are good, Knox. Live here but like I said, don't live near there nor have I gone recently. I agree with you that a child crossing there would be extremely unusual. Anyway, maybe that third alternative of bio-mother's last name may bring other factors to light.

 

[watson&winny]

Hi, cvaldex1975, interesting to know. I, don't know about Hawaii. Perhaps it is also the same...soooo...Again, why do away with (one) golden goose? Makes no sense.

 

[Rosegold68]

imo someone has left a trail of belongings to divert searches from somewhere else

would not surprise me if some other items belonging to Isabella are found soon

 

[Unalienable Rights]

Several posters have referred to Isabella as autistic, but do we know this for sure? I haven't seen it mentioned in any of the MSM articles. I have seen speculation in comments to news items, but nothing in the actual articles. When a missing child is autistic, that information is usually an important detail that is provided by LE.

 

[Dave99]

Not a local, but here is the distance between the home on Puha and Bellows Beach where the backpack was found. I didn't add the trash drop off location, because I don't think it would have been carried there by Isabella.

Google Maps click on map link

Locals, if I've got this wrong, please correct me. But it looks like she would have needed to cross the highway and walk a good ways on Tinker road to get to the location the backpack and shoes were found? The growth appears to be pretty dense, could she access the beach not using Tinker Road?

Yes, Tinker Road through the Bellows Air Force Base access would have been the nearest route for a walker. The highway is more of 2 lane street here, so she could have crossed. The speed limit is only 25 mph on the highway there, plus there are asphalt sidewalks on most of the route. If she walked a little bit farther than the Tinker Road/Bellows entrance, then she could have gone to the beach at the Waimanalo Bay State Recreation Park entrance to Sherwood Beach. A little further after that and she would have been in the residential area of Waimanalo town where there are beach access points every few houses. Waimanalo Beach is about 5 miles long. If she accessed it anywhere she could have walked to the Bellows area, or vice versa.

By the way, the Refuse Convenience/Collection Center where the photo album was found is about 1 mile right past her house on Hihimanu St. If she had gone in that direction, which she might have, and kept going another 1/2 mile after the Convenience Center then she would have been in the residential area of Waimanalo, also, and could have accessed the beach from there.

If she really did leave in the middle of the night and run away, then it seems possible that she might have gone looking for her mom, who news reports say was living houseless in Waimanalo. If the girl knew that then it's probably equally likely that she could have headed towards the beach or else more inland using the route to the Convenience Center. There are people living houseless along some beach areas in Waimanalo, as well as inland. Any of these routes still would have been scary at night, though.

A few news sources I've read here have mentioned she may be autistic, to some degree. I don't know about that, but I sure don't understand why the authorities and family aren't providing more info so that people have more to go on to find her. Plus, it's far past time for them to release some of the other pictures of her. I've seen a few and she looks dramatically different than the one in all the news stories.

jmo imo

 

[hollye]

On Friday, the attorney for Isabella’s adoptive family said they have been “fully cooperative” with the police department’s investigation.

“They consented to a full all-day search of their residence, retrieval of electronic data from home cameras and door equipment,” Attorney William Harrison said in a letter to the media. “They have given multiple statements to authorities and have agreed to meet with and give an additional recorded statement.”

Harrison said there has been much misinformation surrounding this case, including previous media reports that Isabella was recently taken out of school to be home-schooled. According to Harrison, she has been home-schooled for two years now.

Attorney for adoptive family of missing 6-year-old girl in Waimanalo explains their absence in search parties

 

[Dave99]

Hmmm.. Very Experienced Criminal Defense Attorney Harrison, according to web advertising: "SPECIALTY:
Domestic Violence, Theft, Fraud, Drug, and Murder Charges, White Collar Crimes, Homicide, Felony, Misdemeanor Charges, Military & International cases".

We haven't heard anything from the adoptive family in the press, other than their claim that the police told them not to talk. Only 1 photo of the girl and hardly any other info from the family she was living with or the authorities. And now the adoptive family has one of Hawaii's top criminal defense attorneys stepping in and releasing a statement that purports to put them in a good, supportive light. Not to be negative, but this doesn't smell good. Plus, it sure seems like CPS might have screwed up big time putting the children in that situation. <modsnip: Not victim friendly> JMO MOO IMHO

 

[Mistree]

Not a local, but here is the distance between the home on Puha and Bellows Beach where the backpack was found. I didn't add the trash drop off location, because I don't think it would have been carried there by Isabella.

Google Maps click on map link

Locals, if I've got this wrong, please correct me. But it looks like she would have needed to cross the highway and walk a good ways on Tinker road to get to the location the backpack and shoes were found? The growth appears to be pretty dense, could she access the beach not using Tinker Road?

Dear lord,,,,,, my personal opinion is not buying she walk

Not a local, but here is the distance between the home on Puha and Bellows Beach where the backpack was found. I didn't add the trash drop off location, because I don't think it would have been carried there by Isabella.

Google Maps click on map link

Locals, if I've got this wrong, please correct me. But it looks like she would have needed to cross the highway and walk a good ways on Tinker road to get to the location the backpack and shoes were found? The growth appears to be pretty dense, could she access the beach not using Tinker Road?

Dear lord,
My personal opinion is NOT buying she walked all that way. Ugh. This poor baby.

Edit: I have NO clue why my post duplicated.

 

[Dave99]

According to local news article this afternoon, the adoptive family's attorney, Harrison, said "... electronic locks on the house confirm when Isabella left the home, that she had a history of going outside at night to sleep in the yard, and that the family home-schooled their adopted children due to concerns about COVID ― not to hide abuse."

Earlier news reports said neighbors weren't able to confirm seeing Isabella outside. If she's been sleeping in the backyard sometimes I would think a neighbor would have noticed. Also, I drove that street and neighborhood and there's no way in the world I would allow a small child to sleep alone outside in the backyard there (or most anywhere). It's not densely populated and there are quite a few unbuilt lots on that street. I would have thought they would have immediately implemented a secure lock system the very first time she left in the night. I would freak out if my young daughter ever left the house in the middle of the night. From the attorney's statement he makes it sound like it was no big deal for that to happen. IMHO that's simply incredulous.

MOO

 

[Unalienable Rights]

Link to the full Honolulu Police Department News Conference held this afternoon:

VIDEO: Honolulu police discuss search for missing 6-year-old girl, Isabella Kalua

Items found yesterday were in a garbage bag (not a backpack.) Still too premature to say if they are connected to Isabella.

Confirmed that a photo album was found but wouldn't comment on who was in photos.

When asked if any other witnesses saw her alive before Sunday evening, said they are investigating that right now.

 

[watson&winny]

Someone wondered the distance between Bellows and the convenience center? According to Google, it is 2.9 miles, 7 minutes by car.--I did not look at a map. I "had it out" with Google who actually tried to boss me around and rush me. Good grief.

 

[watson&winny]

Could it be possible that the bag flew out and ended up in the ditch whilst someone was driving to the convenience center?

 

[Dave99]

Could it be possible that the bag flew out and ended up in the ditch whilst someone was driving to the convenience center?

I don't think so. The location at Bellows where the bag was found and the Convenience Center are in opposite directions from where she lives. Her house is roughly in the middle between those 2 locations. It does seem possible that someone might have disposed some stuff at the Convenience Center and then driven to Bellows and thrown other stuff away, trying to confuse. I still hold out some hope that she walked to Bellows and still could be found. The weather has been fine here, though hot, so someone could survive quite a while.

A note about the Convenience Centers, for those not from here. They are drive up disposal sites with huge dumpsters that any resident can dispose household trash in, at no charge. Plus, you can leave appliances, etc, there to be recycled. The refuse is then picked up and trucked to the far side of the island to be burned (trash to energy) and/or buried at the big landfill. The Waimanalo Refuse Center is a smaller collection facility and it's pretty close to where she lived. I'm sure all the families in the area visited it from time to time. I suspect that the pickups/transfers are not as often at that facility. Anything discarded there probably sits for a bit before it is hauled to the trash to energy site or dump. There is a much larger refuse collection center about 6 miles away at Kapaa Quarry. The refuse there is processed much more quickly in a huge operation. There wouldn't be any opportunity for some random person to go through the trash at the Kapaa Quarry site. There might have been at the Waimanalo Collection Center, though. Just throwing some info out for those not from here in case it might lead to any ideas.

 

[watson&winny]

Apologies. Looks like I restated what was already said by Knox and Dave99. On the other hand, interesting that items were in a garbage bag. Did someone have to make a left turn to get to convenience center and in a rush, the arc of the swing of the vehicle caused the bag to fall out or was it thrown there or was it planted? Occam's razor says the simplest answer is usually correct.

 

[watson&winny]

Hmm. But Dave99, each dumpster is designated for a certain dump. Green waste in green waste bin, etc. These dumpsters are huge. The gates are locked after a certain time. How, exactly, did a homeless person pop into a dumpster the size of a semi, find an album, and then decide to save it? Also, as far as I know, the dumpsters are picked up when they are filled and there's a person, at least one, that mans the establishment. Probably a simple answer but I don't know it.

 

[azure]

According to local news article this afternoon, the adoptive family's attorney, Harrison, said "... electronic locks on the house confirm when Isabella left the home, that she had a history of going outside at night to sleep in the yard, and that the family home-schooled their adopted children due to concerns about COVID ― not to hide abuse."

IMO, re: sleeping in the backyard. When people start to make little admissions (we neglected our child or at least turned a blind eye to unsafe behavior), they're trying to avoid making bigger admissions.

Reminds me so much of little Sherin Matthews, where dad claimed he put her outside at 3am because she didn't drink her milk. When her body was found, she had numerous injuries consistent with abuse, and her dad admitted to killing her.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...-at-3-a-m-as-punishment-then-she-disappeared/

 

[Knox]

Police confirmed they are continuing to search Bellows — where items of interest were found late Thursday afternoon, Sept. 16 — and they said more people are coming forward.

Lt. Deena Thoemmes said it could take up to a week to determine if items found at Bellows in Waimanalo are linked to the disappearance of 6-year-old Isabella.

Why adoptive family of missing 6-year-old Waimanalo girl have remained absent in search parties

The media has said the items found at Bellows Beach were a backpack filled with toys and shoes. Why would it take a week to determine if they are Isabella's? Can't the AP's identify the items found? I'd be able to identify my kids stuff? I guess they feel the need to conduct DNA testing, which I guess is smart if this case goes to trial. But in the interim, the parent should be able to answer that question. Odd.

ETA- I just read a news story that said it was a garbage bag filled with "items". Not a backpack as previously stated? Whatever the case, my point still stands. Why can't the parents identify the items?

Curious if this garbage bag was taken from the refuse center by a homeless person and left on the beach? That's even more concerning. WHO is disposing of her belongings? Maybe just discarding old no longer used items?

 

[watson&winny]

Hi, Knox. So would the other children in the household. Wonder if they are the family members keeping mum. Who knows? Children fall under a different law...yet, now that the adoptive parents are the real parents, don't they have a say what the children can say? Or, are they protecting one of the children? All this stuff...so elaborate, almost fake...thoughts?

 

[Knox]

Hmmm.. Very Experienced Criminal Defense Attorney Harrison, according to web advertising: "SPECIALTY:
Domestic Violence, Theft, Fraud, Drug, and Murder Charges, White Collar Crimes, Homicide, Felony, Misdemeanor Charges, Military & International cases".

We haven't heard anything from the adoptive family in the press, other than their claim that the police told them not to talk. Only 1 photo of the girl and hardly any other info from the family she was living with or the authorities. And now the adoptive family has one of Hawaii's top criminal defense attorneys stepping in and releasing a statement that purports to put them in a good, supportive light. Not to be negative, but this doesn't smell good. Plus, it sure seems like CPS might have screwed up big time putting the children in that situation. Chatter on local websites and forums is that the state is likely being very quiet on this due to that CPS mistake. Plenty of other cases in Hawaii in past years of children being put into horrendous situations by CPS, then dying. The most famous one is the old Peter Boy Kema case. I sure hope this one is fully investigated and fast and that the authorities don't try to downplay this or fail to fully investigate how these children came to be in a risky situation. Plus, how in the world are foster families EVER allowed to homeschool their children? JMO MOO IMHO

Reform, reform, reform. CPS policies, procedures, and lack of oversight have been shown time and time again, to be responsible for the death of innocent children. In the AJ Freund case, two DCFS employees were actually arrested and charged Two ex-DCFS workers charged with endangering life of AJ Freund months prior to boy’s death

The circumstances with the AP don't look good at this moment.