GUILTY MO - Hailey Owens, 10, Springfield, 18 Feb 2014 #1

[SamanthaL]

http://m.koco.com/news/amber-alert-issued-for-10yearold-girl/24551380

Am I doing this right?

Looks like they found her body :-(

 

[SamanthaL]

And this article says he was arrested for murder. Updated an hour ago.

http://www.kjrh.com/news/local-news/amber-alert-girl-10-allegedly-abducted-by-stranger

Ok but as I read more it looks like police haven't confirmed?? I am so confused. If the parents have come out and said it, what is LE waiting for?

 

[Hap]

What a sick . Someone who was in a position of authority,
and abused it. His place of employment must be in shock and tears.

So very sad for this sweet little girl.

 

[TxLady2]

Hope this is OK to post..if not, MOD please remove..but it is a good timeline

http://www.springfieldmo.gov/webapps/news/getStory.jsp?relid=10220

"Approximately 5 p.m.
Officers obtained preliminary information from witnesses regarding vehicle description, license plate and a suspect. Based on this information, SPD was able to develop information leading to a potential suspect"

So, according to this, SPD issued the information to the MHP within an hour, but MHP did not issue the Amber Alert for another hour. So it's not actually LE's fault, it was the MHP who caused the delay. And since these alerts are usually put out on billboards on main highways, it probably didn't help, because he didn't take her out of Springfield.

I have to give kudos to the neighbor who witnessed the abduction, and for getting the plate# and his description, because otherwise this perp may not have been found as soon as he was. So sad for this to happen, but she may have recognized him and didn't think he was a danger. You just never know who people really are till something like this happens.

My prayers for her family and friends, this is going to be hard for them for a long, long time.

 

[oceanblueeyes]

And this article says he was arrested for murder. Updated an hour ago.

http://www.kjrh.com/news/local-news/amber-alert-girl-10-allegedly-abducted-by-stranger

Ok but as I read more it looks like police haven't confirmed?? I am so confused. If the parents have come out and said it, what is LE waiting for?

Once the autopsy report is completed I expect they will add additional charges of kidnapping and rape.

 

[IBsleuthin]

It's being reported that her body has been found Mrs.g.

As sad as this is, if it's true, I must say I give a tremendous amount of credit to the people responsible for finding her so quickly.

Statistically this all reads like a teaching manual on kidnappings. Amazing.

 

[shefner]

I. AM. SICK.

Oh my goodness....have we so devalued life now that our young ones are simply grabbed through car doors while skipping down their sidewalks...then murdered and tossed aside like so much trash? And these are our teachers and coaches?

Oh goodness. I say we give her daddy and granddaddy about 5 minutes in the same room with this "man" and let justice be served the old-fashioned way. I really just want to scream.

 

[shefner]

As sad as this is, if it's true, I must say I give a tremendous amount of credit to the people responsible for finding her so quickly.

Statistically this all reads like a teaching manual on kidnappings. Amazing.

I agree....except the Amber Alert was delayed. Who can know if the alert had been issued within 10 minutes of the abduction, if Hailey and her abductor could have been located in time. Heartbroken.

 

[IBsleuthin]

Eye witnesses say he drove up and down the street several times...he obviously was waiting for her..and if someone had stopped him, he would have just said he was a teacher at the school..def premeditated.imo

That's the truth!

We had a lifelong resident from our small town go a little goofy this summer and ended up calling the police.

Several of us had explained away his weird behavior for most of the summer because we 'knew' him.

But truly do you every really know anyone?

when the police spoke with him about his very unusual behavior on one particular day, this guy had an explanation for EVERYTHING. And he had it immediately without hesitation and that's when I told the cop the guy obviously has been rehearsing his alibis for awhile.

The man has gone back to being just the 'weirdo' in town but I still keep my eye on him.

We may never know what makes someone just snap one day and do something horrific like this.

 

[keyleigh]

It's 1am here but I don't want to log off. I don't want to see the thread move and deceased next to the name of another innocent child.

 

[skibaboo]

News-Leader ‏@springfieldNL 7m
UPDATED: Kidnapping suspect a coach at Pleasant View Elementary and Middle School. @officialSPS releases statement:http://www.news-leader.com/article/20140219/NEWS12/302190065/craig-michael-wood-hailey-owens?nclick_check=1&sf22995622=1

 

[JeannaT]

I know you all agree, this is the exact scenario for which Amber Alert was created! And it failed horribly. The whole city should have been looking for that truck immediately.

I agree - this is one of the few times that an amber alert was issued for the reason it was created - to find a missing child snatched by an unknown stranger and in terrible danger.

On the other hand, honestly, it seems to me that if an alert had been activated virtually immediately after her kidnapping, this wouldn't have ended any differently. He was in the neighborhood, and my guess is she perished very soon after being abducted.

I just don't think LE can move quickly enough to save a child in a situation like this.

 

[SCHMAE]

Ok criminal background checks are NOT ENOUGH to hire school employees ! They need to do lie detector and psyche evaluations before hiring. This is sick and unacceptable and I'm not faulting the school itself, but I am faulting the system of 'not intruding on someone's privacy ' before a hire. A simple 5 question lie detector about their LIKES and DISLIKES would be easy enough. F*** this CO********** creep. I 'm very concerned about other potential victims. ISS kids are already at a disadvantage ..

 

[~n/t~]

So he was a teacher and a coach? Was he registered sex offender? What ????

 

[IBsleuthin]

I agree....except the Amber Alert was delayed. Who can know if the alert had been issued within 10 minutes of the abduction, if Hailey and her abductor could have been located in time. Heartbroken.

Yes, so true.

I am going to save my burning comments on that Amber Alert. As I've mentioned before, THE criteria for releasing the Amber Alert was met 100% in this case.

The idea is that the Amber Alert is an aid to the LE as they search NOT something they put out AFTER they've determined they can't find the kidnapper in the immediate area.

None of it matters now. It's as if a wild animal came and snatched this little girl and just killed her.

No matter how many of these cases I read about I simply will never be able to understand the ticking time bomb inside some of these people's heads.

This little girl is dead for absolutely no reason.

 

[~n/t~]

Ok criminal background checks are NOT ENOUGH to hire school employees ! They need to do lie detector and psyche evaluations before hiring. This is sick and unacceptable and I'm not faulting the school itself, but I am faulting the system of 'not intruding on someone's privacy ' before a hire. A simple 5 question lie detector about their LIKES and DISLIKES would be easy enough. F*** this CO********** creep. I 'm very concerned about other potential victims. ISS kids are already at a disadvantage ..

Lie detectors are unreliable. Why wouldn't a criminal background check not be enough?

 

[MissouriGirl]

http://www.kmov.com/news/local/Suspe...246104241.html

Springfield Public School Superintendent Norm Ridder confirmed to News 4 Wood has been a district employee since Aug. 1998.
“He works as a paraprofessional and athletic coach at Pleasant View K-8 School,” Ridder said in a statement. “His employment has been suspended until this matter is resolved."

---------------------

Also on a side note, wasn't this the same school that in 2011 a different teacher was charged after trying to lure a student into meeting him at night at a specific location, after sending the student sexually oriented messages?

 

[threecrazykids]

Sorry, I missed this...where was he/the vehicle located?

 

[LaLaw2000]

http://www.news-leader.com/article/...raig-michael-wood-hailey-owens?nclick_check=1

this says ^ they are not confirming anything and the AA is still active?

It just infuriates me that this article refers to little Hailey just by her last name in parts of it. She has a first name. IMO, it just would show respect for a 10 year old to be referred to by her entire name.

Sorry, folks. I'm just really upset by all of this.

 

[~n/t~]

I agree....except the Amber Alert was delayed. Who can know if the alert had been issued within 10 minutes of the abduction, if Hailey and her abductor could have been located in time. Heartbroken.

What's the normal delay in issuing an amber alert?