Found Deceased SD - Angela Armstrong, 45, Sioux Falls, 3 June 2020

[Finlay]

What terrible news!! RIP Angela.
I would think if one were to take their own life they would do it inside their car?
I'm hoping that LE is able to definitively figure out exactly what happened, and that her family can have a bit of closure and begin to grieve and heal.. hoping for some answers for her loved ones

I had that thought as well. My thought was that, if a person intended to take their own life by CO poisoning (Carbon Monoxide from car exhaust fumes), my thought was that the person would expect to park the car in a garage, close the garage door, maybe roll down the windows, and just "take a nap". After a couple of google searches though, I'm not sure it's that "easy". I wouldn't be at all surprised if that may have been the original intent, but that she kind of became a little coherent at some point, forgot why she was there to start with, wasn't feeling good, and just tried to get out of the car and garage when she collapsed.

Also, if she really were intending to commit suicide, maybe she had another approach in mind. One that was maybe a little more "messy". And maybe she thought that her kids or family might want/need her car (or the income from the sale of it) so she wanted to make sure that "mess" wasn't left in the car.

BUT, those thoughts only apply if one were to follow the train of thought where she was in fact trying to commit suicide. I'm honestly not quite convinced yet that a suicide attempt is the only thing that could have led to this conclusion. I do truly hope that investigators will give a FULL consideration to other scenarios.

 

[Finlay]

Okay, you clearly work for SFPD.

...speaking of knee jerk replies...

 

[wannabedetective03]

I'm devastated for her and her family as well ... but I'm not even close to throwing that "knee-jerk" reflex response out there and blame the authorities for not having found her earlier. I've watched a lot of FB groups and comments, this WS forum, other FB profile comments and responses, and plenty of other info. And not once do I recall anyone saying, "She's obviously in an empty garage that's damned near next door to her residence. Has anyone checked there?" Other than having found her, all of us amateur CSI's know *nothing*. We don't know what kind of fight the authorities may have had to go thru to get financial records, phone records, *factual* statements from friends & family, video footage from only God knows how many places, or anything else. Yes. I'm frustrated too. ...and I"m just a wanna-be web "detective" that happened to try to dig into some details of a case that intrigued me. I can't even begin to imagine the frustration and anger and confusion that everyone else is still dealing with. But, as frustrating as having found her that close to her residence, I don't begin to see enough reason to start throwing nasty comments and exclamation points out at the people that our community leans on to help us find answers.

I do understand where comments like that stem from. But honestly, I'm just not sure that our general society as a whole can give a fair evaluation and response to those kind of comments. I feel like we're all living in a powder keg right now and I just don't know that we have enough info to start "setting off sparks".
Also, in support of your comments, I will honestly say that we all may *eventually* find reason to question how the investigation was handled - but I really think it's way too early to throw out comments like that which might just serve to incite others who are just looking for reasons to complain about things.

I feel your pain & frustration. But let's just all take a few moments to stop and reset. The important thing now is that they've found Angela and her car and potentially her phone or other evidence that may lead to more answers. From our vantage point & the info we have, don't begin know if there's enough information to yet even begin to unravel what all really transpired that night. There could be a long road of discovery yet in front of us all.

And my friend actually told me that yesterday when she was driving around out there. Her exact words were, “I feel like they need to look in her garage.” Okay, so I hope to God she wasn’t found in her very own garage or the National media will be airing this story everywhere.

BUT... I’ve said since I started following this case not even a week ago (it was the day I heard of it - I literally never watch the local news and none of my friends had mentioned it to me), that we need to start at her residence and work our way outwards. That her vehicle didn’t just up and disappear! What direction did it go? WATCH SURVEILLANCE - that’s how I felt we would find her.

So needless to say, if a group of us would’ve done that this upcoming weekend, we potentially would’ve found that she never even left. And it would be common sense what to do next.

 

[Finlay]

And my friend actually told me that yesterday when she was driving around out there. Her exact words were, “I feel like they need to look in her garage.” Okay, so I hope to God she wasn’t found in her very own garage or the National media will be airing this story everywhere.

BUT... I’ve said since I started following this case not even a week ago (it was the day I heard of it - I literally never watch the local news and none of my friends had mentioned it to me), that we need to start at her residence and work our way outwards. That her vehicle didn’t just up and disappear! What direction did it go? WATCH SURVEILLANCE - that’s how I felt we would find her.

So needless to say, if a group of us would’ve done that this upcoming weekend, we potentially would’ve found that she never even left. And it would be common sense what to do next.

She was not found in her garage. And even if she was, wouldn't the family have found that first? Would you really blame the authorities for not having searched the garage where the family lived and has been occupying for the last few weeks?

If you would have walked the parking lots and the driveways of the complex, do you think you would have had the authority of reasonable cause to start opening garage doors that you can't identify the owners/renters of? Even if you would have done that after a strong odor had started to be noticeable, why do you think that none of the other residence would have noticed it? Perhaps it just wasn't noticeable outside of the garage. And if it was, were you expecting authorities to repeatedly do foot patrols around the entire complex and sniff around until a smell started to be noticeable? And if they had done that, and she ended up having been found buried in the backyard of a boyfriend or other location, would you be blaming the authorities for being dumb enough to walk around sniffing garages? Or do you think there was flat out enough reasonable cause for a judge to grant a search warrant for every enclosed building that was large enough to conceal a car and a body that might exist within a certain radius of where she lived?

Have you driven thru the complex and looked for surveillance cameras? Go ahead. See how many you can find. We don't even know if she left the parking lot(s) of the complex that night so it's hard to say that any personal or street cameras outside of the complex would have helped. You seem to think that someone should have reviewed video footage that likely doesn't even exist. And even if it did, this all likely played out in the middle of the night. Do you have any kind of surveillance camera? If so, does it have night vision? Or do you have flood lights that light up the area it's recording video in? If you're relying on a night vision camera, unless the subject is very close, it can be very hard to make out any detail and things are black and white.

What someone deems to be "common sense" after the fact isn't necessarily what was "obvious" before the fact.

Again, I feel the pain and frustration. Obviously not as much as her family does, but I feel it. It's been an eventful day. It's easy to feel energized by the new findings, but also frustrating for having not found this earlier. And then, after it all starts to set in, even more frustrating when we realize that we still don't know how or why this happened. The reality is that we may never know all of that. It's also reality that we may be a lot closer to finding more answers though if we let forensics and autopsy findings and more basic research come up with more information. It's hard to be patient, yet I think we're still finding ourselves all in a place where patience is the only thing we have. We can't organize searches or do much of anything more to offer our own "help" at this point. ...at least not that I can think of. So for tonight, I'll likely toss and turn and struggle with all of these thoughts to some degree - just as I'm sure others are doing. But I will do my best to be patient. I hope others can find a way to do so as well.

 

[wannabedetective03]

@Finlay I never said she was found in her garage. My friend said, “I feel like they need to look in her garage.” And I certainly hope that LE would’ve made sure that they checked the garage, but I wouldn’t put it past them.

Look, I’m glad you’ve had excellent experience with SFPD, but I have NOT. **Insert lots of bad experience with LE.** So yeah, PLEASE excuse me if the SFPD has left a bad taste in my mouth! I hope to God you don’t have to go through the trauma that is the events above or that Angela’s children, family, and friends are going through right now. If you did and LE didn’t have your back, there wouldn’t be a need for me to explain this.

 

[Finlay]

@Finlay I never said she was found in her garage. My friend said, “I feel like they need to look in her garage.” And I certainly hope that LE would’ve made sure that they checked the garage, but I wouldn’t put it past them.

Look, I’m glad you’ve had excellent experience with SFPD, but I have NOT. A friend of mine was murdered by her boyfriend and they deemed it a suicide. (This was a few years ago.) They had to cover her neck with a cloth at her very own funeral due to the strangulation marks. A young child close to me was sexually abused and they had everything on video from A Child’s Voice. Yet, they refused to take the case to court. I was sexually assaulted and my perpetrator was never even arrested. So yeah, PLEASE excuse me if the SFPD has left a bad taste in my mouth! I hope to God you don’t have to go through the trauma that is the events above or that Angela’s children, family, and friends are going through right now. If you did and LE didn’t have your back, there wouldn’t be a need for me to explain this.

I'm sorry that you've had to go through all of that. I don't know what the ligature mark's on your friend's neck looked like - and even if I did, I certainly wouldnt have the expertise to determine cause of death from them. You're obviously more familiar with the case though so I'll respect your opinion.

I had to serve nearly two years on a grand jury in my area several years ago. When cases involving juveniles were presented to us, everyone on the jury immediately knew it was going to be difficult to listen to as soon as we saw an advocate for the minor step into the court room. I do understand how difficult that is. I'm not sure it's fair to say that the SFPD refused to bring the case forward though as I believe that decision usually lies in the hands of a District Attorney or legal entity of some sort and not with the police, detectives, or other law enforcement agency. I can still understand that you have a bad taste in your mouth due to those past issues. I pray that you can some day find some amount of peace and closure with it all.

 

[Flight154]

I am absolutely DEVASTATED for Angela and her precious children. My heart is absolutely broken. I may have never known her, but I’ve never felt so connected to a case that I’ve followed. She only lives about a mile from me.

I’m also disgusted with the SFPD detectives! There’s absolutely NO reason they shouldn’t have found her the first week. The first couple days. No reason whatsoever.

RIP, beautiful Angela.

If you were so close to this case, why didn't you figure it out and tell them where to locate her? Right, you had no idea who this woman was! Did you ever happen to think that there is probably a whole lot more info on this case that wasn't shared with the public. Or that the tidbits of info you found, the police knew it long before you sleuthed it?? There is no reason whatsoever to throw SFPD under the bus here, none. She has been located, and really that is all that matters.

May Angie rest in peace and may her family find comfort during this horrible situation.

 

[PixieStix]

Such sad news. How strange AA was found so close to her house. I am not sure I am leaning towards self-harm in this situation. If the car was running, wouldn't people have heard it? How long would a car be able to run before it ran out of gas? I suppose that depends on how much gas was in the car. I guess we might learn more after LE investigates, and there is an autopsy.

 

[Finlay]

Whose apartment was she found at? This is a complex that does not have a large parking garage. It appears to be individual unit garages.

In a video snippet I saw on a news channel earlier this morning it appeared that Angela was found on a block of garages that sit right off of Beal Ave which I'd guess are are least a couple/few hundred yards from where she lived. This is strictly my guess but those garage units are near several of the townhouse type units so I'd guess they're maybe for residents to rent if they need an additional garage stall for an extra vehicle or storage or something like that. It's still impossible to know if it was an empty/unused garage, or if perhaps Angie did have an extra garage unit that she paid rent on and which other family members didn't know about until just recently when the monthly rent bill came or something.

 

[oviedo]

KOTG: Family says body is Angela Armstrong, early morning fire, Noem announces CARES Act numbers

snipped
Posted: Jun 24, 2020 / 07:28 AM CDT / Updated: Jun 24, 2020 / 07:38 AM CDT

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Begin your day with all you need to know in news and weather with KELOLAND On The Go.

According to social media posts shared by her family members, the body of Angela Armstrong has been found. Yesterday, Sioux Falls police said the missing woman’s car was discovered in a garage in southern Sioux Falls with a body next to it.

 

[misgrn]

"Results from an autopsy of a body that was found next to a missing woman's vehicle could be released today, Sioux Falls police say.

The vehicle of Angela Armstrong was found inside a garage Tuesday afternoon at an apartment building in southwestern Sioux Falls after someone called police to report a strong odor.
...

Armstrong lived "in the area" of the apartment building, but police spokesman Sam Clemens said it wasn't known how Armstrong was connected to the specific apartment building in the 6500 block of S. Beal Avenue. Clemens said the garage did not belong to Armstrong. "

ETA: Her death is being treated as an unattended death, and they investigate all unattended deaths.

Authorities conducting autopsy today after body found near missing woman's car

 

[wannabedetective03]

"Results from an autopsy of a body that was found next to a missing woman's vehicle could be released today, Sioux Falls police say.

The vehicle of Angela Armstrong was found inside a garage Tuesday afternoon at an apartment building in southwestern Sioux Falls after someone called police to report a strong odor.
...

Armstrong lived "in the area" of the apartment building, but police spokesman Sam Clemens said it wasn't known how Armstrong was connected to the specific apartment building in the 6500 block of S. Beal Avenue. Clemens said the garage did not belong to Armstrong. "

ETA: Her death is being treated as an unattended death, and they investigate all unattended deaths.

Authorities conducting autopsy today after body found near missing woman's car

LE probably isn’t telling the truth in order to protect the children, since they’re still living there.

How are you able to open a garage door without a remote??

 

[Flight154]

LE probably isn’t telling the truth in order to protect the children, since they’re still living there.

How are you able to open a garage door without a remote??

Are you seriously suggesting the police are lying?

 

[Flight154]

Strong odor leads Sioux Falls police to missing woman’s car

 

[wannabedetective03]

Are you seriously suggesting the police are lying?

We have Marsy’s Law. They don’t have to give out that information. It’s to protect the victim and in this case her children more than likely.

And it certainly wouldn’t be the first time LE has lied in a case that I’ve followed.

 

[misgrn]

LE probably isn’t telling the truth in order to protect the children, since they’re still living there.

How are you able to open a garage door without a remote??

If door was released from the opener and unlocked, a person could just pull the door up. I had to do that with one in the past.

 

[wannabedetective03]

If door was released from the opener and unlocked, a person could just pull the door up. I had to do that with one in the past.

What do you mean by the door being released from the opener??

 

[misgrn]

What do you mean by the door being released from the opener??

From my experience, there is a cord with a plastic handle on it hanging by the opener. So when you pull that, it unhooks so a person can manually open the garage door by just lifting it...like in case of power outages or in my case when the opener quit working.

ETA: it is called an Emergency Release
And fix my formatting error.

 

[Flight154]

We have Marsy’s Law. They don’t have to give out that information. It’s to protect the victim and in this case her children more than likely.

And it certainly wouldn’t be the first time LE has lied in a case that I’ve followed.

I'm not quite sure I get your hang up on the police, and nor do I want to at this point. Yes, we have that law that states they do not have to release certain/all information, but that does not mean they are lying!! The information is on a need to know basis. If they are not releasing it at this point, you don't need to know, plain and simple.

You complained that the police were not doing anything to find her, every step of the way..... then they find her, and its still not good enough for you. Now they lie about the facts, in your opinion. Why not let them finish investigating the case, give them a chance to work. And since you seem to have an answer for everything, maybe you ought to go fill out an application at SFPD and show them how to do their job.

 

[MimosaMornings]

From my experience, there is a cord with a plastic handle on it hanging by the opener. So when you pull that, it unhooks so a person can manually open the garage door by just lifting it...like in case of power outages or in my case when the opener quit working.

ETA: it is called an Emergency Release
And fix my formatting error.

But you would have to be inside the garage to open it that way? And then close and lock it once you’re in it?

And I would be surprised that garages would be left wide open - unlocked or unsecured?

So she just happened to know which one in a row of garage units was not occupied and unlocked?
Strange but possible.