Found Safe IL - Juana Arellano, 32, left home to walk to bar but didn't arr, later seen on camera walking So on Illini Dr, Clinton, 21 August 2022

[CharlestonGal]

If they don't know who she left with in the car or what that situation was, how do they know the criminal investigation can be closed? I mean, perhaps they got the license plate off the video and talked to those people who assured them all was good, but do we know they were being truthful? Even if it appears she willingly went into the car, it doesn't mean something criminal didn't happen later, right? I'm so confused by this.

Why was a criminal investigation opened in the first place? Wasn't it just a missing person? jmo

 

[Stunned]

Why was a criminal investigation opened in the first place? Wasn't it just a missing person? jmo

Because she was seen running supposedly?

 

[katydid23]

If there was a history of DV in the home, then her daughters would understand WHY she had to leave so suddenly. And they probably expect to hear from her at some future time.

But it does seem odd that a mom would leave daughters behind with someone who was violent. So IDK if it was a DV situation.

Sometimes Mom's walk away...

 

[cocomod]

If there was a history of DV in the home, then her daughters would understand WHY she had to leave so suddenly. And they probably expect to hear from her at some future time.

But it does seem odd that a mom would leave daughters behind with someone who was violent. So IDK if it was a DV situation.

Sometimes Mom's walk away...

Agreed. My sister-in-law walked away from my brother and their three boys. Her new boyfriend walked away from his wife and 5 children. They married and my brother became "friends" with them again at some point. His kids hurt for a very long time and wouldn't speak to their mom for quite a while. After the hurt simmered down, things smoothed over. My brother became sick, and she helped. Not long after we buried my brother, she was diagnosed with cancer and also passed away. Sometimes mom's walk away...

 

[CharlestonGal]

CLINTON, Ill. (WCIA) — After saying last week that the investigation into the disappearance of Juana Arellano was closed, Clinton’s Police Chief is now backtracking on that statement.

Chief Ben Lowers said on Monday that he may have misrepresented the situation in a Facebook post on Thursday. In that post, Lowers said the investigation revealed that Arellano left Clinton voluntarily and there was no evidence of foul play or criminal wrongdoing. For that reason, he wrote, the investigation was being closed.

But Lowers said that the investigation is not and will not be closed until authorities can confirm that Arellano is safe.

Police Chief: Juana Arellano investigation still open

CLINTON, Ill. (WCIA) — After saying last week that the investigation into the disappearance of Juana Arellano was closed, Clinton’s Police Chief is now backtracking on that statement. C…

www.wcia.com

 

[Elliot_Alderson]

CLINTON, Ill. (WCIA) — After saying last week that the investigation into the disappearance of Juana Arellano was closed, Clinton’s Police Chief is now backtracking on that statement.

Chief Ben Lowers said on Monday that he may have misrepresented the situation in a Facebook post on Thursday. In that post, Lowers said the investigation revealed that Arellano left Clinton voluntarily and there was no evidence of foul play or criminal wrongdoing. For that reason, he wrote, the investigation was being closed.

But Lowers said that the investigation is not and will not be closed until authorities can confirm that Arellano is safe.

Police Chief: Juana Arellano investigation still open

CLINTON, Ill. (WCIA) — After saying last week that the investigation into the disappearance of Juana Arellano was closed, Clinton’s Police Chief is now backtracking on that statement. C…

www.wcia.com

If she has not been found and they aren't even sure she is safe, then I'd say "misrepresenting the situation" is putting it mildly.

 

[Elliot_Alderson]

CLINTON, Ill. (WCIA) — After saying last week that the investigation into the disappearance of Juana Arellano was closed, Clinton’s Police Chief is now backtracking on that statement.

Chief Ben Lowers said on Monday that he may have misrepresented the situation in a Facebook post on Thursday. In that post, Lowers said the investigation revealed that Arellano left Clinton voluntarily and there was no evidence of foul play or criminal wrongdoing. For that reason, he wrote, the investigation was being closed.

But Lowers said that the investigation is not and will not be closed until authorities can confirm that Arellano is safe.

Police Chief: Juana Arellano investigation still open

CLINTON, Ill. (WCIA) — After saying last week that the investigation into the disappearance of Juana Arellano was closed, Clinton’s Police Chief is now backtracking on that statement. C…

www.wcia.com

This quote was in the above article,

Wright said that it is critical that people only post accurate information on social media to get word out that she is still missing.

Ironic considering the chief of police is the one posting inaccurate info on social media.

 

[tlcya]

CLINTON, Ill. (WCIA) — After saying last week that the investigation into the disappearance of Juana Arellano was closed, Clinton’s Police Chief is now backtracking on that statement.

Chief Ben Lowers said on Monday that he may have misrepresented the situation in a Facebook post on Thursday. In that post, Lowers said the investigation revealed that Arellano left Clinton voluntarily and there was no evidence of foul play or criminal wrongdoing. For that reason, he wrote, the investigation was being closed.

But Lowers said that the investigation is not and will not be closed until authorities can confirm that Arellano is safe.

Police Chief: Juana Arellano investigation still open

CLINTON, Ill. (WCIA) — After saying last week that the investigation into the disappearance of Juana Arellano was closed, Clinton’s Police Chief is now backtracking on that statement. C…

www.wcia.com

well that is a relief for her family I imagine. Seeing her get willingly into a car doesn't really confirm anything either way. I hope her family gets the answers they need.

 

[swanniee11]

well that is a relief for her family I imagine. Seeing her get willingly into a car doesn't really confirm anything either way. I hope her family gets the answers they need.

Who's to say there wasn't a gun pointed at her or a threat against her kids etc if she didn't get in the car. LE dropped the ball on this. IMO

 

[MntnHiker]

I’m still so confused on how the police can know she left Clinton voluntarily. They obviously must have footage of her getting in the car seemingly of her own accord. But firstly we have no way of knowing if that wasn’t coerced or she wasn’t threatened into doing so.

Additionally even if she willingly got in the car, it doesn’t mean she wasn’t then driven to a location against her will, a place she had no intention of going. I’m still just flabbergasted about this case and how they know for certain nothing criminal or foul has happened to her.

 

[CharlestonGal]

This is such a strange and awkward situation. Her husband is not worried or frantic. He is "sad" and doesn't want to force Juana to come home? I don't understand why she doesn't just contact a family member, even if she wants nothing to do with him? There are three children involved here and someone needs to start doing the right thing. IMO

Arellano’s husband Leo said he is sad but hopeful she will be found. He added that he and the rest of his family aren’t trying to force her to come home; they just want to make sure she is safe.

Police Chief: Juana Arellano investigation still open

CLINTON, Ill. (WCIA) — After saying last week that the investigation into the disappearance of Juana Arellano was closed, Clinton’s Police Chief is now backtracking on that statement. C…

www.wcia.com

 

[kccorona]

Arellano’s husband Leo said he is sad but hopeful she will be found. He added that he and the rest of his family aren’t trying to force her to come home; they just want to make sure she is safe.

I wonder (with no evidence, pure speculation) if this is what he is being told to say by LE? It sounds similar to other family statements we see here when the missing person is suspected to have walked away or left somewhat voluntarily. Just my opinion, as it sounds like a very open, non-judgmental, neutral statement to make in hopes that Juana may hear and feel safe/comfortable at least contacting her family.

 

[Lyanna]

That’s what I was thinking, someone she was meeting or must have known. She recognized the car it seemed.

Also looked like she was carrying something, a large bag maybe?

imo

Sorry if it's already been mentioned - am catching up

 

[kccorona]

Also looked like she was carrying something, a large bag maybe?

imo

Sorry if it's already been mentioned - am catching up

Yes- family noted the bag being carried on video was not the same as the purse she left home with earlier in the evening. Bag on the surveillance video was more like a backpack or larger tote, at least from what I saw, and I believe it was described as such.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Juana Arellano-Garnica posted almost daily on TikTok documenting her weight loss, racking up comments from admirers.

On the day before the 32-year-old Illinois woman disappeared, her last post was an eerie nighttime beach scene with the words “you did it? But at what cost? I lost everything.”

Through a translator, her sister insists Arellano-Garnica would have contacted them if she was OK.

“She doesn’t feel she’s safe,” the translator said. “Because it’s been so many days and she hasn’t communicated to anyone, not even her daughters.”

The Clinton Police Department says it appears “Juana Arellano-Garnica left the area voluntarily, absent any evidence of criminal wrongdoing.”

But in a statement to NewsNation, Chief Ben Lowers said: “We will continue to investigate any new information or new leads that may lead us to Juana’s whereabouts for the purpose of verifying her safety and well-being, however future investigative efforts must balance public safety and an individual’s right to privacy.”

Cybersecurity expert Alex Hamerstone said of Arellano-Garnica’s robust online presence that while social media platforms now strip geolocation meta data from photos and video, the risk still becomes heightened.

“When you start to share these pictures out, and you get these concerted efforts to find out where someone is, generally someone’s going to know where that location is just by the photo,” Hamerstone said. “Anybody who gets a lot more attention, you know, may be at more risk.”

Gia Wright, founder of Missing Person Awareness Network, says the search for Arellano-Garnica needs to continue until her family has answers.

“There always is somebody who knows something, and it is your responsibility as a human to say something,” Wright said. “It is absolutely critical for all of these cases to be put out.”

Late Wednesday, Lowers said Arellano-Garnica contacted her sister, but that phone call could not be authenticated and the case is still open. Lowers asked that if Arellano-Garnica can contact law enforcement wherever she might be, to please do so.

Family searches for answers in disappearance of Illinois woman

Police say Juana Arellano-Garnica was seen on video voluntarily getting into a car with two other people inside.

www.newsnationnow.com

 

[Lusitana]

Would her daughters keep it a secret from anyone if she contacted them and asked them to not tell anyone? When I was 13/14, I had a family member go voluntarily missing and I wouldn't have told anyone if she contacted me (which she didn't). It was an awful time, I feel terrible for her children.

 

[mewmew]

Has it been mentioned anywhere if police looked at her social media private messages? I know she posted regularly on TikTok, is it possible that police or family found messages between her and a fan, planning to meet up? Just trying to rack my brain for why they are so certain it’s voluntary. Of course the large bag is interesting too, because she likely had it hidden somewhere in advance where she could pick it up when she left.

But, even if she did voluntarily go missing, things may have gone wrong and she may not be safe now. It is concerning that she has not contacted anybody at all.

JMO

 

[Unalienable Rights]

Sister of missing Clinton woman claims she has spoken to her

CLINTON, Ill. (WCIA)- The sister of the missing Clinton mother wrote on the Facebook page “Prayer chain for Juana Arellano” that she has spoken with Juana. “My sister has contacted me, she is…

www.wcia.com

CLINTON, Ill. (WCIA)- The sister of the missing Clinton mother wrote on the Facebook page “Prayer chain for Juana Arellano” that she has spoken with Juana.

“My sister has contacted me, she is fine,” said Mariela Arellano. “Thank you for helping us search and pray, God has heard each and every one of your prayers.”

The post has since been taken down.

Clinton Police Chief Ben Lowers says they cannot verify the call.

“It is encouraging, however, because we can’t authenticate the phone call, the case will remain open and we will continue to investigate any information that may lead us to contact Juana Arellano, to verify her safety and well-being,” said Lowers.

We reached out to Arellano’s husband; he says he was not aware contact had been made by his sister-in-law.

Gia Wright, the founder of the Missing Person Awareness Network, says a call does not mean Juana is safe.

“While there is an understanding that contact is being made by someone believed to be Juana, it does not make her safe,” said Wright. “Anyone could have made that call or forced her to make that call. Therefore, with the highest importance of knowing Juana is safe, we stand with law enforcement in the idea that she is still missing until we know that she is safe, and this call isn’t a confirmation that she is.”

The investigation continues.

 

[ashhouston]

sometimes the family just don't want to believe this can happen. But I know if I called my family they would know my voice so that's weird was the person who got the call elderly perhaps? maybe hearing not up to par is why she couldn't verify her voice? This case is still showing up on the MSM I saw it yesterday on newsnation asking her to call the police and say she's okay and that they wouldn't disclose her location just want to make sure she's okay.

 

[ashhouston]

My father up and left when I was two didnt know where he was until my mom filled divorce then gone again but showed back up when I was 25 on of all things facebook then met in person strange but true probably why I'm not to worried because I've had this happen to me