GUILTY IL - Willow Long, 7, Watson, 8 Sept 2013 - #1

[margarita25]

"Effingham County Sheriff John Monnet said, “We don’t feel there’s foul play, that she just walked off. We’re gonna continue until we find her”. The Sheriff said, however, “it’s been quite a time since she’s been missing, and time is not a good thing.” Monnet said Willow’s mother Cierra Deryke was feeling ill, and was in bed. She got up once to check on Willow and her 3-year old brother, and they were watching TV. She got up later and Willow was gone."

http://highlighthollywood.com/2013/...-agencies-searching-highlight-hollywood-news/
Not sure if this is an allowable source. Mods please delete, if not ok. Thank you.

LE in this article states that they do not think foul play is involved. Oddly, circumstances prior to disappearance are different in this article. There is always so much confusion in the beginning.

From the above link:

"She got up later and Willow was gone. She asked her son where Willow was, and the boy pointed toward the front door."

 

[GateKeeper]

It looks to me like Willow,most likely, wears her glasses for more then just reading. Im wondering if,as someone already mentioned,she fell down a hole or well.

 

[Salem]

Thinking about this further, maybe the magnitude of this search is simply due to the fact the local police department is smart enough to know that they need help and do not have the resources to adequately provide for a thorough search, and therefore were especially prompt, efficient and resolute in getting other agencies quickly involved, as opposed to other cases we see in small towns where the local pd "thinks" they can handle everything and valuable time is lost.

I think this is true because early reports said that LE was not asking for volunteers, but if they showed up, they would NOT be turned away. It makes it sound like this LE dept is very proactive. That's a good thing.

Salem

 

[LucyOso]

I may be barking up the wrong tree here...but I think the reason they're putting so much effort into finding her is due to funding. Big cities, I would think, don't have the funds to put all this on 1 missing person. Smaller towns, where hardly anything ever happens, I would imagine *might* have the excess funds to put toward finding a missing person.

I'm brand new here and I've been glued to this site all day. There are many of you (most of you actually) who know a whole lot more about what goes into an undertaking (finding a missing) than I do...but I'm just saying - I would think a small town like this would have extra money laying around they could put toward this...moreso than a big city where lots of crimes take place and lots of staff are held up elsewhere, etc.

I really pray she is found safe very soon.

They said her little sibling (sorry I don't remember if it is a brother or sister) was asked and they just pointed toward the door. A 3 year old is capable of speaking in full sentences (unless impaired somehow)...all the ones I've known have been able to carry on a full conversation. I haven't known many, but enough to know they speak clearly and can talk in full sentences just like you, or I. Pointing to the door could mean a lot of things. Someone could have grabbed her and taken her, and he or she pointed to the door to indicate such. That kiddo needs to be spoken to in depth.

I don't believe she walked out on her own.

Thanks. I agree. I also think they might be acting fast due to past cases still on peoples minds such as Lyric and Elizabeth in nearby states.

 

[No Stone Unturned]

The strange thing I have found about mom's Facebook:
The last post by her or by a friend posting her page was on Sept. 5.

Clearly, everyone in their town knows that Willow is missing and not a single
person posted -praying for you, or find Willow, or how can I help?

Strange.

 

[J1981]

"She got up once to check on Willow and her 3-year old brother, and they were watching TV. She got up later and Willow was gone. She asked her son where Willow was, and the boy pointed toward the front door."

From this article: http://highlighthollywood.com/2013/...-agencies-searching-highlight-hollywood-news/

This was mentioned before (mom checking on the kids and then W was gone), but I hadn't seen the part about the little brother pointing to the door.

To me, a 2 year-old pointing to a door doesn't mean "she walked out and left" - it simply means "that way"...which could open up the scenarios a great deal.

ETA- sorry! I see a couple others were posting this same quote at the same time.

 

[LucyOso]

It looks to me like Willow,most likely, wears her glasses for more then just reading. Im wondering if,as someone already mentioned,she fell down a hole or well.

BBM. I was also wondering if there were canals or irrigation ditches in the area.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Just being proactive here...

DO NOT start sleuthing mom's Facebook. Or picking it apart. Or sleuthing her friends. Or any other family member. Or anything else you all know is against TOS.

For now, it's fine to have as there are pictures of Willow. But if any of that starts up it'll be gone.

 

[eileenhawkeye]

I may be barking up the wrong tree here...but I think the reason they're putting so much effort into finding her is due to funding. Big cities, I would think, don't have the funds to put all this on 1 missing person. Smaller towns, where hardly anything ever happens, I would imagine *might* have the excess funds to put toward finding a missing person.

I'm brand new here and I've been glued to this site all day. There are many of you (most of you actually) who know a whole lot more about what goes into an undertaking (finding a missing) than I do...but I'm just saying - I would think a small town like this would have extra money laying around they could put toward this...moreso than a big city where lots of crimes take place and lots of staff are held up elsewhere, etc.

I really pray she is found safe very soon.

They said her little sibling (sorry I don't remember if it is a brother or sister) was asked and they just pointed toward the door. A 3 year old is capable of speaking in full sentences (unless impaired somehow)...all the ones I've known have been able to carry on a full conversation. I haven't known many, but enough to know they speak clearly and can talk in full sentences just like you, or I. Pointing to the door could mean a lot of things. Someone could have grabbed her and taken her, and he or she pointed to the door to indicate such. That kiddo needs to be spoken to in depth.

I don't believe she walked out on her own.

I think that counties with bigger populations have such a significantly higher budget that even a big search for a missing person would only be a small %. The budget for the Sheriff's Office for Effingham County in 2010 was around 2.5 million, and you can't realistically expect any county in this country to spend even 10% of their budget searching for one missing person. For example, they spent about $1 million on Kyron Horman's case, and the the budget for the Sheriff's Office in his county is $118 million.

 

[LucyOso]

10PM UPDATE: Update: Authorities tell us they are about to begin a search north of Chaparral Subdivision, in grid-formation, based on earlier tracking dogs indications of possible northern travel by Long.

A large crowd still remains at the Watson Fire Station, with many of them waiting to be dispatched on 4-wheelers and side-by-sides. Horse teams are also set to begin searching.

http://www.thexradio.com/news/78-local-news/7442-authorities-searching-for-missing-watson-girl

 

[AnotherSetOfEyes]

Deleted. Wrote a comment before I saw what SheWhoMustNotBeNamed wrote.

 

[No Stone Unturned]

I think most of the locals are out searching. But, it seems odd to me that local people haven't starting changing their Facebook to reflect that a child is missing.
That seems to be how most of the small town cases go. Some of the friends change their profile picture to the missing kid in order to get the word out. They all get online and share missing flyers and photos and generally ask for support and prayers and volunteers.

 

[Pensfan]

This article states that mom thinks Willow might be barefoot. How far could she get walking barefoot? It's dropping down to 67 degrees tonight. Tomorrow it will be 95 degrees. Small children and the elderly dehydrate quickly.
http://www.thexradio.com/news/78-lo...authorities-searching-for-missing-watson-girl

 

[No Stone Unturned]

http://www.thexradio.com/news/78-lo...authorities-searching-for-missing-watson-girl

(LE) said Long was wearing a lavendar oversize shirt, bearing the "Betty Boop" emblem.

 

[AnotherSetOfEyes]

When looking at the google map provided earlier, I noticed that quite a few homes have above ground pools. If Willow is autistic, that would be a huge concern. But no mention has been made of that being the case. No shoes really worries me.

 

[LucyOso]

Circle Drive according to the link posted earlier. Anyone know if that is a church or school to the northwest of the house?



Circle Drive to Chaparral subdivision.

 

[TGIRecovered]

I always like to know when the last time was that someone outside the immediate family saw the child alive and well. Has that info been given yet?

(Not implying anything, its an important detail to note any time a child is missing.)

MOO

 

[eileenhawkeye]

Is it possible she's at a friend's house? Like the friend is hiding her in the room? The parents go out to search, maybe they have an older child babysitting, and none of the kids realize what a big deal it is? 'Cause I feel like a friend's house is where a child who leaves their home in a small town might go.

 

[Pensfan]

I feel like it's unusual for a case where a child wandered out of the home. But if they believe a child was taken by someone? IDK. Anyone know any recent cases where Homeland Security was involved?

bbm
They are there because there is the possibility that she was taken by a predator.
http://www.hstoday.us/focused-topic...l-takes-on-challenge-of-missing-children.html
http://www.ice.gov/predator/

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

View attachment 37198

Circle Drive according to the link posted earlier. Anyone know if that is a church or school to the northwest of the house?

View attachment 37199

Circle Drive to Chaparral subdivision.

That area is where our RSO "friend" lives. 111 Sunset Drive