Identified! NY - Manhattan, LIVING girl, 14-17, amnesia, Oct'09 - Kacie Peterson

[not_my_kids]

I would be 100% ready to call bs, but, that little tidbit about her passing the math portion of the GED testing with no problem, but not recalling history or science...that makes me believe that she wasn't faking it. That's a hard one to incorporate, and pull off the right way.
It's a different part of the brain that handles number stuff, and it can be unaffected by the fugue and the ensuing amnesia. Subjects that are nothing but the written word are easier for the brain to totally overwrite, like wiping a hard drive.
She could be faking, but a detail like that is hard to pull off. I'm glad that she was identified, and if she did fake it, I hope she gets some help, because that would be a huge scream for help.

 

[RoseRed]

Has me wondering if thats where Benjamin Kyle is from

I agree especially since both were said to have non distinct accents. Nothing can be found on Benjaman Kyle.

 

[Dave AHFB]

I thought the same thing as others when I first read this, she knows her pin #, it is not her first time.....

 

[SuziQ]

Below is a special report published in 2003 by the Seattle PI. I like to post it from time to time as it lays out exactly what happens in missing persons cases. There are about 30 articles and graphics and will take days to get through, but well worth it. Some states have gotten better than others, but still have a ways to go.

http://www.seattlepi.com/missing/

Without a Trace
People go missing, killers go free

Because of ignorance, indifference or poor training, police here and around the nation fumble missing-person reports.
Bodies remain unidentified, families get no answers and killers get away.
Over two weeks, the P-I revealed the startling results of a year spent investigating the problem.

Key findings

Police routinely botch missing person investigations and, in more than 100 cases, lose reports. They often ignore cases with obvious signs of foul play.

Killers in Washington, including up to 30 serial murderers, have used flaws in the system to avoid detention.

Nearly 100 corpses are without names in Washington, in part because of flaws in the missing person system. Those charged with identifying them have lost records -- and remains.

Computer systems to track the missing and identify the dead have problems, often producing false matches -- or no leads at all.

 

[Dani_md]

Below is a special report published in 2003 by the Seattle PI. I like to post it from time to time as it lays out exactly what happens in missing persons cases. There are about 30 articles and graphics and will take days to get through, but well worth it. Some states have gotten better than others, but still have a ways to go.

http://www.seattlepi.com/missing/

Without a Trace
People go missing, killers go free

Because of ignorance, indifference or poor training, police here and around the nation fumble missing-person reports.
Bodies remain unidentified, families get no answers and killers get away.
Over two weeks, the P-I revealed the startling results of a year spent investigating the problem.

Key findings

Police routinely botch missing person investigations and, in more than 100 cases, lose reports. They often ignore cases with obvious signs of foul play.

Killers in Washington, including up to 30 serial murderers, have used flaws in the system to avoid detention.

Nearly 100 corpses are without names in Washington, in part because of flaws in the missing person system. Those charged with identifying them have lost records -- and remains.

Computer systems to track the missing and identify the dead have problems, often producing false matches -- or no leads at all.

I've noticed a lot of serial killers from Washington state. Thats also where that guy that died from having sex with a horse was from.

 

[Texas Mist]

<snip>


NEW YORK (WABC) -- A woman with possible amnesia found outside a Manhattan youth shelter near Times Square has been identified.

A television viewer in Washington state identified her as his 18-year-old daughter, Kacie Aleece Peterson of Hansville, Washington


more here

http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/local&id=7082840&rss=rss-wabc-article-7082840

 

[Texas Mist]

<snip>

06:50 AM PDT on Monday, October 26, 2009

By KYLE MOORE / KING5 News



This isn't the first time Peterson has suffered a case of amnesia. Her father told investigators in May she vanished. He later found her lying near a stream on his property. When she woke up at the hospital the dad told detectives she didn't remember her name or where she was from

more here


http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_102609WAB_amnesia-girl-bank-account-JM.254328e56.html

 

[Capri]

<snip>

06:50 AM PDT on Monday, October 26, 2009

By KYLE MOORE / KING5 News



This isn't the first time Peterson has suffered a case of amnesia. Her father told investigators in May she vanished. He later found her lying near a stream on his property. When she woke up at the hospital the dad told detectives she didn't remember her name or where she was from

more here


http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_102609WAB_amnesia-girl-bank-account-JM.254328e56.html

Interesting that she took off after she found out her father was coming to visit.

 

[Capri]

When Kacie went missing, the father requested the media NOT be notified???

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33474948/ns/local_news-spokane_wa/

 

[kgeaux]

When Kacie went missing, the father requested the media NOT be notified???

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33474948/ns/local_news-spokane_wa/

Sounds like the family believed she was a runaway, at least initially, doesn't it?

 

[jjenny]

She withdraw a lot of money from her account.
"The woman, now identified as Kacie Aleece Peterson, 18, of Hansville, Washington, withdrew about $400 from her Bank of America account, said Scott Wilson, spokesman for the Kitsap County Sheriff's Office in Washington."

But Peterson "left everything," including her wallet, identification, cell phone, clothes and even her bike, which was secured outside a Wal-Mart, Wilson said."
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/10/26/teen.jane.doe/index.html

How would that be explained in connection to the apparent memory loss? If she forgot who she were, how did she remember her pin or account number?
And if she had this apparent memory loss after she withdraw the money, why did she withdraw the money to begin with? They should at least look at the ATM video and see if she was there alone, if they really believe her memory loss is genuine. Maybe somebody made her withdraw the money and that caused memory loss?

 

[maggieo]

I don't know what to think about this, but isn't it possible she ran away, drained her bank account, and then lost her memory?

I'm usually very suspicious of stuff like this, but I have a relative who's had amnesia twice, for no clear reason (no obvious head injury) so I know it can happen...

 

[LadyL]

Interesting that she took off after she found out her father was coming to visit.

where did you read that? I didn't see it in the link you quoted ...

 

[Tizzle]

where did you read that? I didn't see it in the link you quoted ...

http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_102609WAB_amnesia-girl-bank-account-JM.254328e56.html

Investigators say Peterson had a rocky relationship with her father over her academic performance. In June she moved from her father's house in Colville, in Eastern Washington. According to investigators the teen moved in with a friend of her now deceased mother. Peterson took off after learning her father was coming to visit says Wilson.

 

[marlalouise]

I think she looks like Kara...look at the shape of her eyes and her mouth in the pic where she isn't smiling...I hope someone is looking onto this.

 

[kgeaux]

She withdraw a lot of money from her account.
"The woman, now identified as Kacie Aleece Peterson, 18, of Hansville, Washington, withdrew about $400 from her Bank of America account, said Scott Wilson, spokesman for the Kitsap County Sheriff's Office in Washington."

But Peterson "left everything," including her wallet, identification, cell phone, clothes and even her bike, which was secured outside a Wal-Mart, Wilson said."
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/10/26/teen.jane.doe/index.html

How would that be explained in connection to the apparent memory loss? If she forgot who she were, how did she remember her pin or account number?
And if she had this apparent memory loss after she withdraw the money, why did she withdraw the money to begin with? They should at least look at the ATM video and see if she was there alone, if they really believe her memory loss is genuine. Maybe somebody made her withdraw the money and that caused memory loss?

I thought the withdrawal occurred BEFORE she left her stuff outside of the Wal-mart. Maybe something happened in the store to cause her to lose her memory. Maybe she met up with someone at the store and left with them and then something happened to make her lose her memory.

My own thoughts, and this is just my opinion, is that she withdrew the money because she was going to run away. But the amnesia seems to be genuine, based upon the tests that were done, so after either running away or preparing to run away, something happened to her memory.

I do agree and hope that LE pulled the videos from both the bank and
Wal-mart----just to rule out the question you ask about someone forcing her to withdraw the money. I get the feeling, however, that not much of an investigation was done......maybe I'm just reacting to the horrible effort the state made on it's missing persons page.

 

[gaia227]

I wonder if she has been seen by a neurologist to rule out something like a brain tumor? Also some testing to see if she had epilepsy would be helpful. there are some other conditions like Transient Global Amnesia which causes sudden and complete loss of memory. The person can still function yet they cannot form new memories and they lose their old ones. It usually effects older people though.

I have to wonder what Kacie's childhood was like and if she is not a victim of sexual or physical abuse. If that is the case then it would make sense hearing her father was coming to visit could have triggered her to black out like she did. Trauma and stress can cause amnesia.

 

[pamlet]

I don't think Kacie was faking anything. Some of the news reports are saying that this kind of thing has happened to her before - disappearing, and turning up dazed, confused and with little to no memory of what happened.

Dollars to doughnuts that she has undiagnosed epilepsy. There's a type of seizure known as an epileptic fugue which presents as flight and amnesia. The confusion and subdued demeanor in the post-ictal period is also typical of seizures.

I would imagine that this began as a runaway situation, and the combination of stress and the high stimulus environment of NYC brought on the seizure. I know that my seizure threshold is seriously lowered by both stress and high stimulus environments.

That's what it sounds like to me too .. Our DS has/had epilepsy - has been seizure free for 4 years now - but there are HUGE chunks gone to him (we refer to the "seizure years") .. He never lost memory of himself .. but his verbal skills were DRAMATICALLY reduced .. yet math/numbers stuck with him ..

I hope this girl gets the medical attention she needs ... It's heartbreaking to deal with this stuff ... more for the family - as the "patient" doesn't remember anything .. so they don't fully understand the impact of it all.

 

[lawlady84]

A little O/T but I'd like to know how she got from Washington State to NYC without an ID? Planes, trains, and even greyhound buses check your ID against your ticket when boarding. Need to be 25 with ID to rent a car. Makes me think she didn't do this alone, by far.

 

[Elphaba]

A little O/T but I'd like to know how she got from Washington State to NYC without an ID? Planes, trains, and even greyhound buses check your ID against your ticket when boarding. Need to be 25 with ID to rent a car. Makes me think she didn't do this alone, by far.

It is easy to not show ID when flying within the country: if you don't have any bags, it means you don't have to present ID if you use a kiosk to pick up your ticket (or even print your ticket from home). Until last year, you could legally refuse to present ID at the security check point... now you can't right out refuse and get through... BUT, you can get around that by saying you lost your ID and agree to extra screening. So, she could have gotten a flight without ID.