Ransom Note and Calls to the Boss

[Mountain_Kat]

Well, that kind of stress would be exactly the thing to start it right at that moment.

It sure would. Especially if each is responsible for 1/2 of what happened to Zahra. Let's say she actually killed Zahra and AB dismembered her. They are working together at this point because they have to. But does mistrust start to set in between the 2 of them? Does he start to freak that she might try to lay all this at his feet? And does she do the same?

So, does he take the note from an earlier aborted plan, put it on the Tahoe and set the fire? And does she maybe mistrust him enough to stash evidence somewhere that he did the dismembering? And is that what her lawyer retrieved and handed over the police?

ETA: And the first person who comes in here and drops Occam and his razor in my face is gonna get ear boxed. LOL!

 

[Clue Hopper]

Off to try and let go of another notion in my head. Lol.

 

[Kamille]

What I can't get past is why did they continue on to plan B when plan A failed. At that point they could have regrouped. There was a thousand different ways to report their child missing that were more believable. They had to realize how bad it would look to be reporting her missing at 2 in the afternoon from the night before. The ransom note and arson were already hanging out there. Any disappearance of their daughter in the days to follow would be tied into it. Why the urgency to continue on with this charade that day?

I agree that the whole thing came off as a frenzied mess. But why would they both be in a frenzy if Zahra had been gone for a while. Who was supposed to show up that weekend and why wouldn't they have just gone away for a few days to avoid them. EB doesn't strike me as the type to hang around waiting for "inspectors" to show up, especially when she's trying to hide something.

So in this scenario, I can't help but think that EB had managed to hide Zahra's "disappearance" for maybe Thursday and definitely Friday night but she knew darn well that AB was going to be around Saturday afternoon/night and she'd better be able to come up with something to explain why Zahra was not there.

MOO

 

[bessie]

ETA: And the first person who comes in here and drops Occam and his razor in my face is gonna get ear boxed. LOL!

:floorlaugh::floorlaugh:

It sure would. Especially if each is responsible for 1/2 of what happened to Zahra. Let's say she actually killed Zahra and AB dismembered her. They are working together at this point because they have to. But does mistrust start to set in between the 2 of them? Does he start to freak that she might try to lay all this at his feet? And does she do the same?

So, does he take the note from an earlier aborted plan, put it on the Tahoe and set the fire? And does she maybe mistrust him enough to stash evidence somewhere that he did the dismembering? And is that what her lawyer retrieved and handed over the the police?

If I'm reading correctly, two possibilities are being considered:

1. The note was drafted prior to the fires. AB decided to set up EB; placed the note in the Tahoe; then set the vehicle on fire and had EB call 911, knowing LE would find the note knowing it would eventually implicate EB.
2. The fires broke out and became out of control. FD/LE had to be called to to put them out. The B's feared LE would discover Zahra's absence. To cover their behinds, they made a hasty decision to stage a phone kidnapping, thus the note.

The problem I see is that placing the note could have been destroyed by the fire, which would defeat the purpose in either theory. So, what am I missing in the details? :waitasec:

Suppose the note was in the car all along. (I haven't caught up on the entire thread, so I apologize if I'm repeating.) The B's are driving together in the car, discussing how to explain Z's disappearance. The kidnapping story is born, and EB grabs the utility bill envelope and begins to sketch out the ransom note, but it stays behind in the car. The rough draft was never intended to be discovered by LE.

 

[Clue Hopper]

What I can't get past is why did they continue on to plan B when plan A failed. At that point they could have regrouped. There was a thousand different ways to report their child missing that were more believable. They had to realize how bad it would look to be reporting her missing at 2 in the afternoon from the night before. The ransom note and arson were already hanging out there. Any disappearance of their daughter in the days to follow would be tied into it. Why the urgency to continue on with this charade that day?

I agree that the whole thing came off as a frenzied mess. But why would they both be in a frenzy if Zahra had been gone for a while. Who was supposed to show up that weekend and why wouldn't they have just gone away for a few days to avoid them. EB doesn't strike me as the type to hang around waiting for "inspectors" to show up, especially when she's trying to hide something.

So in this scenario, I can't help but think that EB had managed to hide Zahra's "disappearance" for maybe Thursday and definitely Friday night but she knew darn well that AB was going to be around Saturday afternoon/night and she'd better be able to come up with something to explain why Zahra was not there.

MOO

With the inspector it was a home inspection from what the reporter said and they had been there sometime recently. I personally took that as inspecting the water damage. That's just my own observation for that one.

The last part is what I have been thinking too. She was trying to hide it from AB. He works long hours, I'm sure he is very tired, it's hard labor for anyone, let alone someone whom hasn't worked in a while. JMO

 

[Kamille]

With the inspector it was a home inspection from what the reporter said and they had been there sometime recently. I personally took that as inspecting the water damage. That's just my own observation for that one.

The last part is what I have been thinking too. She was trying to hide it from AB. He works long hours, I'm sure he is very tired, it's hard labor for anyone, let alone someone whom hasn't worked in a while. JMO

I wondered about that too Clue Hopper. Was LE trying to get someone to come forward whom they believed had been there before all this went into action? Just to see if they had seen Zahra at the house to help with the timeline. Might have been the boss/homeowner who tipped them off that someone was supposed to have come out to check on the roof or something else.

I also don't understand why they didn't call to report Zahra missing earlier in the morning if they were planning to continue on with the kidnapping charade? :waitasec:

MOO

 

[tehcloser]

It sure would. Especially if each is responsible for 1/2 of what happened to Zahra. Let's say she actually killed Zahra and AB dismembered her. They are working together at this point because they have to. But does mistrust start to set in between the 2 of them? Does he start to freak that she might try to lay all this at his feet? And does she do the same?

So, does he take the note from an earlier aborted plan, put it on the Tahoe and set the fire? And does she maybe mistrust him enough to stash evidence somewhere that he did the dismembering? And is that what her lawyer retrieved and handed over the police?

ETA: And the first person who comes in here and drops Occam and his razor in my face is gonna get ear boxed. LOL!

Occam's razor...you are on it. The simplest explanation, and you have described it. But, eh, go ahead and smack me. :crazy:

 

[Mountain_Kat]

With the inspector it was a home inspection from what the reporter said and they had been there sometime recently. I personally took that as inspecting the water damage. That's just my own observation for that one.

The last part is what I have been thinking too. She was trying to hide it from AB. He works long hours, I'm sure he is very tired, it's hard labor for anyone, let alone someone whom hasn't worked in a while. JMO

How then do cadaver dogs hit on human remains in the vehicle HE drives? Does EB not only carry parts off in the family car, but also load them up into his company truck and haul them to a dump site while AB is sound asleep?

I'm not seeing that at all. Which is at least part of the reason I don't believe for one split second that AB is clueless in all this.

JMO

ETA: Also, I know some of you don't agree with me, but from the timeline he gives in the GMA interview, he couldn't possibly have searched the house and neighborhood for Zahra, imo. And if he didn't bother to look for her, that tells me he knew it wasn't neccessary to do so.

 

[Mountain_Kat]

Occam's razor...you are on it. The simplest explanation, and you have described it. But, eh, go ahead and smack me. :crazy:

I'm fine with Occam and his personal care products, so long as he agrees with my theory.

 

[Harmony 2]

What I can't get past is why did they continue on to plan B when plan A failed. At that point they could have regrouped. There was a thousand different ways to report their child missing that were more believable. They had to realize how bad it would look to be reporting her missing at 2 in the afternoon from the night before. The ransom note and arson were already hanging out there. Any disappearance of their daughter in the days to follow would be tied into it. Why the urgency to continue on with this charade that day?

I agree that the whole thing came off as a frenzied mess. But why would they both be in a frenzy if Zahra had been gone for a while. Who was supposed to show up that weekend and why wouldn't they have just gone away for a few days to avoid them. EB doesn't strike me as the type to hang around waiting for "inspectors" to show up, especially when she's trying to hide something.

So in this scenario, I can't help but think that EB had managed to hide Zahra's "disappearance" for maybe Thursday and definitely Friday night but she knew darn well that AB was going to be around Saturday afternoon/night and she'd better be able to come up with something to explain why Zahra was not there.
MOO

Bolded and underscored by me... I have been pondering along these same thoughts...

It seems to me that the fire and ransom note were concocted to account for Zahra to him. She had kept him at bay long enough and had run out of excuses when he asked about Zahra. Purchasing a new mattress also makes me wonder if it was to hide Zahra's death from him. No one else would have gone in Zahra's room but him. If both were involved in her death why not make up a story that Zahra had been sent back to Australia. Who would have checked? They could have also moved and used aliases as EB had done many times. Why bring LE's attention to the home of a murder and dismemberment?

I am still waiting for evidence to be revealed before I make up my mind about AB. As for the 911 call I was very suspicious of it at first and still think it is hinky but may be explained by EB lieing to him.

 

[Kamille]

How then do cadaver dogs hit on human remains in the vehicle HE drives? Does EB not only carry parts off in the family car, but also load them up into his company truck and haul them to a dump site while AB is sound asleep?

I'm not seeing that at all. Which is at least part of the reason I don't believe for one split second that AB is clueless in all this.

JMO

ETA: Also, I know some of you don't agree with me, but from the timeline he gives in the GMA interview, he couldn't possibly have searched the house and neighborhood for Zahra, imo. And if he didn't bother to look for her, that tells me he knew it wasn't neccessary to do so.

Well if she possibly had Thursday night and/or Friday night when he was sleeping to haul off that troublesome mattress, she could have used his vehicle.

Her claim to LE however appears to be that they both did it in "early" October.

The landfill search centered on a mattress belonging to Zahra that had been disposed of by her parents sometime in early October, police said.

http://www.wsoctv.com/news/25564797/detail.html

She did admit to being up at 2:30am on Friday night/Saturday morning to "check on Zahra". And we know now that there was no need for that.

Just trying to picture the conversation between EB and AB upon his return home on Saturday if he really didn't know anything.

He comes home and heads out to the yard to check on the area of the fire and the equipment in the back. She comes out of the house screaming that Zahra is missing...like she just realized this? He says "what the #&^* are you talking about?" Why are you just noticing this now!? She says she thought Zahra was with him but when he came home without her she panicked. She starts planting the seed that she must have been taken by the kidnappers who were after Coffey's daughter. He looks in Zahra's room and around the house while EB is yelling at him to call the police. In disbelief he calls his boss to tell him that Zahra appears to be missing and he doesn't know what's going on. The boss also tells him to call police and he'll be right over. Still in disbelief, he calls 911, knowing how bad this is going to look if she really is missing and they are just noticing now...and well we know how that went.

I wonder at what point AB is claiming that EB told him she had checked on Zahra at 2:30am? Was it supposed to have been around 5 in the morning when the FD and LE were there or was it supposed to be part of the conversation in the afternoon when she came out screaming that she was missing?

MOO

 

[Clue Hopper]

How then do cadaver dogs hit on human remains in the vehicle HE drives? Does EB not only carry parts off in the family car, but also load them up into his company truck and haul them to a dump site while AB is sound asleep?

I'm not seeing that at all. Which is at least part of the reason I don't believe for one split second that AB is clueless in all this.

JMO

ETA: Also, I know some of you don't agree with me, but from the timeline he gives in the GMA interview, he couldn't possibly have searched the house and neighborhood for Zahra, imo. And if he didn't bother to look for her, that tells me he knew it wasn't neccessary to do so.

That is where I am thinking the 2:30 am thing comes in. He woke up with her coming in. He asks her what's going on. She tells him she heard Z coughing and went in and checked on her. I think he usually sleeps through everything, yet this particular night he didn't because there was too much going on. I think that might have even made her slip up a little.

I also don't think she expected him home at 2 pm Sat. afternoon.

I also don't think he believed her story. I think he thought she took Z somewhere. I would almost bet he heard about ED contacting KB and told EB. Now he thinks EB took ZB to a family member or friends house. The note that was found makes him think she planned this whole thing.

I also think the bedding that was found in the Camry is Z's bedding. I won't go all into that right now.

I really think the boss was helping AB stand on his own two feet. In the process I think AB was starting to see all the lies going on and the games she had been playing. I think it all started with the brother/hubby thing a month earlier. EB's fantasy world was crumbling fast.

It's all just my opinion though.

 

[Mountain_Kat]

Well if she possibly had Thursday night and/or Friday night when he was sleeping to haul off that troublesome mattress, she could have used his vehicle.

Her claim to LE however appears to be that they both did it in "early" October.

The landfill search centered on a mattress belonging to Zahra that had been disposed of by her parents sometime in early October, police said.

http://www.wsoctv.com/news/25564797/detail.html

She did admit to being up at 2:30am on Friday night/Saturday morning to "check on Zahra". And we know now that there was no need for that.

Just trying to picture the conversation between EB and AB upon his return home on Saturday if he really didn't know anything.

He comes home and heads out to the yard to check on the area of the fire and the equipment in the back. She comes out of the house screaming that Zahra is missing...like she just realized this? He says "what the #&^* are you talking about?" Why are you just noticing this now!? She says she thought Zahra was with him but when he came home without her she panicked. She starts planting the seed that she must have been taken by the kidnappers who were after Coffey's daughter. He looks in Zahra's room and around the house while EB is yelling at him to call the police. In disbelief he calls his boss to tell him that Zahra appears to be missing and he doesn't know what's going on. The boss also tells him to call police and he'll be right over. Still in disbelief, he calls 911, knowing how bad this is going to look if she really is missing and they are just noticing now...and well we know how that went.

I wonder at what point AB is claiming that EB told him she had checked on Zahra at 2:30am? Was it supposed to have been around 5 in the morning when the FD and LE were there or was it supposed to be part of the conversation in the afternoon when she came out screaming that she was missing?

MOO

I do have a slight problem with the way this article is written, though. It says that both of Zahra's parents admitted to checking on her at 2:30 am, but then it links to AB's 911 call. EB doesn't admit to anything in that call, that's just what AB says.

But anyway, I'm of the opinion that there was no way on earth AB had time between "shortly before 2 pm" and 1:58 when 911 call came in, to have searched for anything or anyone, so I can't comment on that part of your post.

I'm with you on wondering just what time EB supposedly told AB (according to him) that she'd checked on Z at 2:30 am. In this story, is that supposed to have occurred at 2:30 am, between 5 am and 7:30am before they "went back to bed", over breakfast the next morning, just before the 911 missing child call? I'm sure LE was very interested to hear AB's answer to this question too. Wonder what he said. Was AB sleeping, and EB woke him up to tell him that? Or was he awake at 2:30 am. If so, why didn't HE check on his daughter? And exactly what time DID he go to sleep that night? What time did he get home from work that night, and what time was he supposed to report for work the following morning?

Lots of questions.

 

[Kamille]

I do have a slight problem with the way this article is written, though. It says that both of Zahra's parents admitted to checking on her at 2:30 am, but then it links to AB's 911 call. EB doesn't admit to anything in that call, that's just what AB says.

But anyway, I'm of the opinion that there was no way on earth AB had time between "shortly before 2 pm" and 1:58 when 911 call came in, to have searched for anything or anyone, so I can't comment on that part of your post.

I'm with you on wondering just what time EB supposedly told AB (according to him) that she'd checked on Z at 2:30 am. In this story, is that supposed to have occurred at 2:30 am, between 5 am and 7:30am before they "went back to bed", over breakfast the next morning, just before the 911 missing child call? I'm sure LE was very interested to hear AB's answer to this question too. Wonder what he said. Was AB sleeping, and EB woke him up to tell him that? Or was he awake at 2:30 am. If so, why didn't HE check on his daughter? And exactly what time DID he go to sleep that night? What time did he get home from work that night, and what time was he supposed to report for work the following morning?

Lots of questions.

Yes but AB never said he was home "shortly before 2pm" did he? I thought that was suggested by a reporter and he agreed to that statement. Of course he also had no idea what day it was in those early interviews either. :crazy:

 

[Mountain_Kat]

Yes but AB never said he was home "shortly before 2pm" did he? I thought that was suggested by a reporter and he agreed to that statement. Of course he also had no idea what day it was in those early interviews either. :crazy:

Well, like I said, he was standing there with the chief of police when he agreed to this time. I'm sure he and his "buddy Tom" had already gone over timelines quite a bit by this time.

But yeah, AB hadn't slept for the whole of October for all we know. So maybe he IS confused. :crazy:

 

[NancyA]

Well, like I said, he was standing there with the chief of police when he agreed to this time. I'm sure he and his "buddy Tom" had already gone over timelines quite a bit by this time.

But yeah, AB hadn't slept for the whole of October for all we know. So maybe he IS confused. :crazy:

LOL. Confused or deliberately confusing?

I'm gonna keep it really simple (and if it's not simple enough for Occam well that's just too bad) I firmly believe Zahra died at least several days if not weeks before the emergency calls, EB killed her or let her die from untreated illness and AB knew he'd be on the hook for neglect so let himself be persuaded/forced into going along with the cover up. They spent time dismembering and disposing of the body, they spent time burying what they couldn't dismember and they spent time cleaning up and staging Zahra's room. I cannot believe all of that was done by EB alone in a hurry in the space of the 36 hours or so spanning Thursday through early hours of Saturday morning that AB claims to have been at work/asleep.

I don't know what it was that panicked them into putting their hasty and ill-thought through fire and kidnap plan in motion but clearly there was something pending that came up unexpectedly which meant they would have to account for Zahra's whereabouts and quickly. The ransom note is one huge slip up and one I hope that will come back to bite BOTH of them in the end.
JMO and alla that.

 

[tlcya]

Purchasing a new mattress also makes me wonder if it was to hide Zahra's death from him. No one else would have gone in Zahra's room but him. <----snipped from harmony2's post above.

YES! Why replace the mattress? For whose eyes is that mattress? If AB and EB were both involved together, who was the mattress meant to fool? It appears that

1) the marriage wasn't legal
2) AB and Z may not have been here legally at this point.

So had they both been involved, it would have been far easier to simpy explain Zahra's absence as her returning to OZ to stay with her mother or grandmother. For that matter, the neighbors had never even seen her at this home and didn't know she existed. So what was the benefit in replacing the mattress with another one that would not be slept in?

ETA this is also part of what leads me to believe it is possible that EB was responsible alone for the ransom note.

 

[NancyA]

Purchasing a new mattress also makes me wonder if it was to hide Zahra's death from him. No one else would have gone in Zahra's room but him. <----snipped from harmony2's post above.

YES! Why replace the mattress? For whose eyes is that mattress? If AB and EB were both involved together, who was the mattress meant to fool? It appears that

1) the marriage wasn't legal
2) AB and Z may not have been here legally at this point.

So had they both been involved, it would have been far easier to simpy explain Zahra's absence as her returning to OZ to stay with her mother or grandmother. For that matter, the neighbors had never even seen her at this home and didn't know she existed. So what was the benefit in replacing the mattress with another one that would not be slept in?

But what if it were Zahra's grandmother or mother asking about her whereabouts? I believe the new mattress was acquired to throw LE off, when a missing child is reported they always start by searching the child's house and a mattress soaked in blood or decomp fluids would be hard to explain as would bloodstains on floors and walls hence the pink paint job. I also think it when the new mattress was acquired is going to be important and when the old one was dumped. If it turns out to be within that 36 hours or so that AB's 'alibi' such as it is covers then Mr Teflon scores again but if it was before that then he has some serious explaining to do about when really was the last time he 'genuinely 100%' saw Zahra.

 

[Mountain_Kat]

Purchasing a new mattress also makes me wonder if it was to hide Zahra's death from him. No one else would have gone in Zahra's room but him. <----snipped from harmony2's post above.

YES! Why replace the mattress? For whose eyes is that mattress? If AB and EB were both involved together, who was the mattress meant to fool? It appears that

1) the marriage wasn't legal
2) AB and Z may not have been here legally at this point.

So had they both been involved, it would have been far easier to simpy explain Zahra's absence as her returning to OZ to stay with her mother or grandmother. For that matter, the neighbors had never even seen her at this home and didn't know she existed. So what was the benefit in replacing the mattress with another one that would not be slept in?

How then did EB dispose of the mattress? How did she get the new mattress to the house. The car she drives is awfully small. So does she use AB's "company vehicle" for these trips too, without his knowing? Hauls an old mattress out, hauls a new mattress in, hauls body parts, all in his company vehicle, while explaining to him that Zahra is sleeping in her bed or while he's sleeping blissfully unaware?

(Wait...aren't we suppose to be discussing the ransom note? Grrrrr.)

 

[Mountain_Kat]

Sorry mods...I'll try to stay on track from now on. :blush: