Skyla Whitaker, 11, & Taylor Placker 13 - Found Murdered - #5

[oceanblueeyes]

I don't think there can be an exact timeline for everything that happened. The time of the phone calls can be documented, but most people don't look at a clock every time they do something. I could give you the general time frame of when I got up this morning and when I ate breakfast, but the times might be off because I did not look at my clock or watch. If I had set an alarm it would have been different, but in a regular day where there are no deadlines that I must be somewhere at a certain time, I couldn't be exact on when I did anything.

But then some do. They may have been headed to church that Sunday evening. They may have known if they were watching tv and heard the shots what was on at the time. Many things can jog someone's memory on the time something happened. I think they really noticed the gun fire because it wasn't one or two shots but a whole barrage of shots.

I do think they have this time line down very tight.

I also think they have forensic reenactment specialists who are assisting in this case and they know much about establishing time lines.

imoo

 

[OrdinaryLife]

5:08 is when Skyla's mother calls to say she is coming to get Skyla.

We may assume that Taylor's grandmother and her might have chit-chatted a bit (did the girls have fun, oh yes, they always do, they're out walking right now. that's good) So, the call may have lasted a couple of minutes. It's 5:11-5:13 before they call the cell phone at the earliest, IMO.

This is exactly what I was thinking, but you got there first! I completely agree with you. There was no rush, but the grandfather left to kinda help them move along faster towards home. There would have been absolutely no reason to even think anything was wrong so why rush...

 

[Busylady]

With the time frames being so close it just kills me to think that this killer could of drove right past the grandfather looking for the girls or Skylas mom driving there.

 

[EnvoyDriver61]

I do think they have this time line down very tight.

I also think they have forensic reenactment specialists who are assisting in this case and they know much about establishing time lines.

I agree. If they can say they are looking for a POI who was seen minutes/moments before the girls were shot, someone noted a time when they say the POI.

I bet they have the killings down to within a minute rather than ten that I think I can get it down to.

A point of clarification: we don't know when Skyla's grandmother comes upon the scene or when she calls Skyla's mother to say she is dead. I think 5:20 is too early for that to have occurred.

Skyla's grandmother is a vet. I suppose she lives near the Whitaker's (she's Skyla's mother's mother) in Salem, but we don't really know where she lives or how long it takes to drive there. If she does live near the Whitaker's, it is about 12 miles and about 15 minutes, which would put her there at 5:25 at the earliest.

 

[Busylady]

This makes sense. I think what was throwing me is Skylas grandmother saying they received the call at 5:20 that something was wrong (which is probably off). As Christine said I am sure LE has the times all confirmed etc by phone records.

I've done a chart with various timeline's based solely on distance and time.

If GP Peter finds the girls at 5:25 (as Rosser stated in the video), then he takes 4-6 minutes to walk the 900 yards to the girls, leaving the house between 5:19 and 5:21.

Since he doesn't report seeing anything on the road going that way and he doesn't hear the gunshots (he doesn't take take the car or consider anything other than walking to find the girls, thus expediency isn't that high on his priorities), we'd have to give a minimum of 3 minutes before he takes off for the road to clear and sounds to not have been heard.

The latest the killings could have taken place then are 5:16 - 5:18.

The earliest, based on what we know is 5:08 - 5:13, or so, when they didn't answer their cellphone (assumption they are dead is the reason they don't answer)

 

[Albert18]

The latest the killings could have taken place then are 5:16 - 5:18.

The earliest, based on what we know is 5:08 - 5:13, or so, when they didn't answer their cellphone (assumption they are dead is the reason they don't answer)

This has to be accurate. Peter finding them about 5:25 appears to be very reasonable. And so it would be nice to know the exact time the 911 call was made.


Assuming a child, your child, is dead doesn't cut it.

Panic and shock does not perform a lobotomy.

 

[oceanblueeyes]

This makes sense. I think what was throwing me is Skylas grandmother saying they received the call at 5:20 that something was wrong (which is probably off). As Christine said I am sure LE has the times all confirmed etc by phone records.

Right. Thankfully there was communication and actions happening around the time of the crime. It will be a valuable tool in determining what happened... when.

imoo

 

[Garnan]

When I hear or see something strange, I always look at the clock and make a mental note of the time. Sometimes I will even say so to a family member, so that they can remember it to. Am I the only person that does this? Maybe it's just me because I read too much true crime and hang out on this board.

 

[oceanblueeyes]

This has to be accurate. Peter finding them about 5:25 appears to be very reasonable. And so it would be nice to know the exact time the 911 call was made.


Assuming a child, your child, is dead doesn't cut it.

Panic and shock does not perform a lobotomy.

I don't agree, Albert. I don't think he was assuming anything. I think he could easily recognize they were deceased.

imoo

 

[Morag]

If Taylor's GP was on foot, then he would have gotten to the end of his driveway and looked down that long, seemingly straight road. He wouldn't have seen them walking, so he would logically have gone for his car/truck to go looking for them.

If the object was to get them there to be picked up by Skyla's mom, then it would make sense to drive, once he realized that they weren't within sight. If they were walking back from the bridge, and they weren't within sight, then he could have walked for a long time without encountering them.

Yet he walked 500-1000 feet, then found them. I find it odd that he would have been prepared to walk so far on a hot afternoon when he knew that the mom was on the way. Once he encountered them, then he would have had a long walk back (with them) to where Skyla's mother was waiting. What was the point of his doing that walk rather than driving? Yes, he's not old, and he's used to the heat, but would he have walked all the way to the bridge had things been otherwise? And if there was no real urgency to get them back, why go at all?

Do we know for sure he was on foot?

 

[oceanblueeyes]

When I hear or see something strange, I always look at the clock and make a mental note of the time. Sometimes I will even say so to a family member, so that they can remember it to. Am I the only person that does this? Maybe it's just me because I read too much true crime and hang out on this board.

Let me raise my hand in unison! I sure do.

imoo

 

[Clearly Confused]

When I hear or see something strange, I always look at the clock and make a mental note of the time. Sometimes I will even say so to a family member, so that they can remember it to. Am I the only person that does this? Maybe it's just me because I read too much true crime and hang out on this board.

You are not alone. I have done that since the OJ trial. The dark barking thing has stuck with me for years. I always note the time when I hear or see something strange.

 

[oceanblueeyes]

If Taylor's GP was on foot, then he would have gotten to the end of his driveway and looked down that long, seemingly straight road. He wouldn't have seen them walking, so he would logically have gone for his car/truck to go looking for them.

If the object was to get them there to be picked up by Skyla's mom, then it would make sense to drive, once he realized that they weren't within sight. If they were walking back from the bridge, and they weren't within sight, then he could have walked for a long time without encountering them.

Yet he walked 500-1000 feet, then found them. I find it odd that he would have brrn prepared to walk so far on a hot afternoon when he knew that the mom was on the way. Once he encountered them, then he would have had a long walk back (with them) to where Skyla's mother was waiting. What was the point of his doing that walk rather than driving? Yes, he's not old, and he's used to the heat, but would he have walked all the way to the bridge had things been otherwise? And if there was no real urgency to get them back, why go at all?

Do we know for sure he was on foot?

I don't think he had any urgency. He felt he would see them walking back.

Do you live on a country road where your kids walk to the bridge and back? In my neck of the woods when we going looking for the kids we walk the road looking for them.......not get on the dusty road in our vehicles especially when they are supposed to be close to home anyway.

imoo

 

[Lyn1001]

Okay, responding to two things.

1.) Is it possible the reason it took so long to call 911 is that on top of the shock and flagging down Skyla's mom, he had to look for the cell phone? Maybe it wasn't immediately visible, but he knew Taylor had one on her and figured it would be quicker to look than to run back to the house?

2.) Maybe GP was on foot because the girls had a habit of veering off into the woods for some reason. Is it possible he could have thought they were close by, but not on the actual road?

 

[OrdinaryLife]

This has to be accurate. Peter finding them about 5:25 appears to be very reasonable. And so it would be nice to know the exact time the 911 call was made.


Assuming a child, your child, is dead doesn't cut it.

Panic and shock does not perform a lobotomy.

Apparently, you have been fortunate not to have experienced shock for your self or witnessed it. It does give you a temporary "lobotomy". Everything within you literally shuts down as your body tries to adjust/adapt to what has happened.

I do not believe for one iota of a moment that this Grandfather "assumed" anything. I humbly suggest you Google shooting victims and see if there are any photos to see. It may help the confusion of what a body looks like when shot up.

IMVHO

 

[WhitneyLea]

The latest the killings could have taken place then are 5:16 - 5:18.

The earliest, based on what we know is 5:08 - 5:13, or so, when they didn't answer their cellphone (assumption they are dead is the reason they don't answer)

Wait - maybe I missed something, but why couldn't they have been killed before 5:08? They had been out walking since somewhere between 4:30 and 5:00, right? For all we know, they could have been killed on their way TO the bridge. Maybe?

 

[oceanblueeyes]

Wait - maybe I missed something, but why couldn't they have been killed before 5:08? They had been out walking since somewhere between 4:30 and 5:00, right? For all we know, they could have been killed on their way TO the bridge. Maybe?

I do feel they certainly could have already been dead when Taylor's mom tried to call her and got no answer.

 

[christine2448]

I emailed OCSD, told them we are sorry for loss, sent them links to all 5 threads, told them understandable the audio not being released, but could they please give us the time the 911 call came......I will update you if I get a response.

 

[christine2448]

Wait - maybe I missed something, but why couldn't they have been killed before 5:08? They had been out walking since somewhere between 4:30 and 5:00, right? For all we know, they could have been killed on their way TO the bridge. Maybe?

I can't find it right now, but I am 99.9% positive LE said they had evidence they made it to bridge and were on thier way back. Someone?

 

[KR2tonenow]

Welcome and thanks so much for your insight into the area and for the distraction from the family tree. I also think Linda resembles Taylor and the poem Linda wrote sound like she loved her like a Mother would.

Agreed. TY for your in depth comments, and Welcome to WS!