I had to log off right after my last mega-post (sorry about that one, lol), so I'm back to catching up again, hopefully, before I log off to make supper.
One thing that bothers me and I'd like some local input on -
I read a report that says the cctv footage caught the girls going in the OPPOSITE direction, away from the lake, not towards it.
Is this correct?
This may have been addressed, but just in case: I can't say anything about Hollye's map that doesn't include the word "amazing," and I live in the town on that map, lol.
But on that map, there is a thumbtack in the spot where they were last seen. The cctv was facing SSE in such a way that the Collins' home is just out of view (on the left). It has been said that the home was visible, but that is not correct. In the video, the girls are headed west on Brovan, meaning that they were in front of the Collins' home (where Gramma apparently could easily see them out a window) within a second or two before the cctv captured them. (Note that the Collins' home is mis-labeled on that map...the Collins' live in the largest house on the street, on the corner of Brovan and Sipple.) They rode out of view to the west (away from home).
Since that has been the last time that LE confirms they were spotted, we must assume that they never pass by that spot again (altho we don't know if they were spotted on that cctv before that). Since we only see them ride for about 200 ft, traveling west (and quickly), it is a stretch IMO to say they are headed "away from" or "in the opposite direction" from the lake.
With the lake approximately 1.5 miles south, technically the girls are almost
exactly the same distance from the lake for the duration of the video. (Zoom out on that map to see that the entirety of Brovan Blvd exists within the east-west parameters of the lake.) It is presumed they headed south on River Forest Rd, but could have turned back east at any of several roads before finally arriving at the lake. They could also have found a way north towards Lafayette and looped back around, but I suspect that area was also covered by some camera(s) somewhere and discounted.
It was baffling for me to read that a MSM outlet considered their path to be one that was headed away from the lake. According to that line of logic the only way for them to be headed toward the lake in the video, would be if they were riding away from the camera, off the street and into back yards. That is clearly not what is happening in the video; if anything, they are riding parallel with the lake.
(And I'm saving this comment of mine in a Notepad file, because this point - and that "away from the lake" statement - has caused many to be confused, repeatedly. It's likely I'll copy/paste it again when the next sleuther re-visits that article.)
Thanks ... the below image was posted here today and dated July 14. It looks like it was taken with a zoom lens from the parking area on the opposite side of the lake (about 1400 feet away). It looks like there is enough room on the shore to walk without much difficulty. If someone was paying attention to the opposite side of the 27 acre lake, they would see people along the trail or at the drainage pipe, but if they were paying attention to their surrounding area, would they really see two children walking the 100 foot length from the drainage pipe to the forested area around Maiden Lane, or would they really see someone walking quickly towards the gate with two bikes? I'm just wondering ... since people aren't always that observant and even if they do see something, they don't always think about what they're seeing.
I saw that, and I agree, it is not at all impossible. You can see in that view just how depleted the lake had gotten this summer due to the drought. (I can remember even recently when the lake was lapping at the paved trail right up under the fence.) And it's true, that is a zoom lens being used, and that figures moving about over there
could be missed, but, considering that the view is across the lake and not much is moving other than cars passing above the trail, any movement over there catches the eye. The jetty is also something that immediately draws your eye. That said, if you were distracted, sure you could miss it.
I was thinking more along the lines of a perp, in that once you step outside (off the trail) that gate, onto the jetty, you
feel exposed. Since from over there the parking area is easily viewed, and you can clearly see anyone on the docks, fishing, even back on the playground, you'd definitely get the feeling that
everyone across the lake would be watching you. Of course, if there were only a couple people, it might not register. To me, however, the walk to the east and around the fence provides much more cover, and is just as likely (if not more so) the route of choice if you were headed in to those woods (which I suspect).
I'm certainly not trying to discount the path from the jetty to the woods between the lake and the fence. I'm just trying to see myself doing it (or my kids, or someone trying to do it with less-than-willing kids and/or two bikes), and it seems difficult. Ultimately, I'm not sure it matters much, since I think we can universally agree that if the girls were taken from the lake, they entered a vehicle, and that vehicle had to be on Maiden Lane, on Arbutus, or in the grassy area. All of those areas have been scoured thoroughly, and since completely trampled by onlookers and sleuthers.
lease:
