Skyla Whitaker, 11, & Taylor Placker 13 - Found Murdered - #8

[Tom'sGirl]

lol, i was going to post the same thing

Okay you and DD, go ahead and make me feel bad :Banane28:

 

[SailorMoon]

That could be as well Smart -- or, it could simply be that they feel they are wasting too much times listening to rambling biddies like me with their versions of ---"let me tell you what I think happened..." But I don't recall ever hearing an agency discourage tips before.. has anyone else?? Too too confusing and I do think theres a lot of stuff we have no idea of.

For instance..I remember with the Groene case...they found a minimal amount of weed and their smoking utensils in the bedroom and some more under the stairs. But we never heard anything about any drugs until way after. Which, I think was smart, because drugs played no part in what happened there. But do you see what I mean...who knows what we DON'T know.

 

[close_enough]

Okay you and DD, go ahead and make me feel bad :Banane28:

lol, sorry, but it was just sooooo easy...:Banane37:

 

[Leila]

I thought g'pa DID call, she didn't answer so he went looking for her.

Yes, grandma or grandpa tried to call Taylor's cell phone a couple of times, and after it was not answered, that's when grandpa decided to go looking for the girls.

 

[GetSmart]

What we don't have access to is info you are so right. That is why I sure wish we a local to fill us in.

 

[poco]

Well, IMO, it had to be something pretty damn big for someone to blow away two little girls................

 

[Albert18]

So...is the POI even real? Let's say yes. And maybe he did go bee bopping down the road and see that, or thought he saw the girls lying there and figured crap....I'm the prime suspect, they are going to pin this on me and split. Not what most of us would do, but possible.

But OSBI says he was seen by the witness minutes before the gunshots. So the girls should have still been alive at that point.

So did the witness who drove by the POI also see the girls? They must have been there somewhere if OSBI says the POI was seen minutes before the gunshots.

 

[murdershewrote]

IMHO, honestly I don't think LE has a clue who did this.

 

[Leila]

to me, that POI is long gone out of the area, and I mean far away from there. Otherwise, seems somebody would have ID'd him by now. The town isn't that big. If he was a local, somebody would have "missed" him by now, so maybe he wasn't from around there after all.

I agree.........if the POI was a local person, he would have been identified already, especially with the reward money being higher than the average annual income of most residents in the area.

I tend to think the POI was not a local, but perhaps he knew his way around the area from previous trips there.

If the POI had any involvement in the crime, I tend to think he's long gone from the area and in hiding somewhere.

 

[FlowerChild]

I've read the posts from Day One, and I don't believe this was an abduction. Evidence suggests the girls were walking, not running. The bodies were found close together. There appears no evidence of an attack either, which probably means no DNA on the girls. The case is baffling, to say the least.

The 1st article (Fox) says the ME stated the girls were shot in the FACE and CHEST (vs Head and Body) - it says to me that they were walking (people saw them walking, they made no "SOS" call home) and were confronted by their killer - face to face.

I have to agree with Trino - Pedophiles don't kill kids they TRY to abduct - there is no reason - even if the person is KNOWN to the children why would he kill them - he hadn't DONE anything or touched them (their word against his) - there was no reason to kill the girls - especially in such a hideous (non-sexual) manner...pedophiles are usually trying to AVOID detection, not openly invite onlookers or witnesses. Multiple gunshots (extreme overkill) is certainly not the MO of a pedophile. If the killer is the POI--- well the POI was standing or sitting outside his vehicle - a vehicle OPENLY and OBVIOUSLY parked askew in the road - not skulking around in the bushes hiding himself from public view.

This killing says to me:
ONE Killer
-The Killer was an adult - at least 20 years old
-The Killer was serious about killing both girls - multiple shots, 2 firearms, no doubt the girls were dead when he left
-The Killer was not nervous - or inexperienced - this killing was ugly - young girls, multiple gunshots, up close, in their face, and it wasn't "silent" or "clean" - head/face shots?? Those are bloody and ugly and nasty...they sicken even experienced LE officers
-The Killer felt "justified" - almost a feeling of vengeance, vigilante justice, or settling a score here. The killer left "piles" of bullet casings lying in the road where he stood and shot these girls. It seems so personal, so targeted, so blatantly "screw you" somehow. There was anger, but it was controlled anger - he didn't just spray bullets everywhere - every shot was targeted to kill...not maim, not warn, not hurt...KILL. And he didn't leave until he was sure the girls were dead...even though it might have taken longer and risked detection or getting caught.
-The Killer felt it was more important that the girls were dead, than it was to not be observed or caught or clean up any evidence. I think the casings just weren't a concern - this killer came with one or two "throw away guns" (premeditated). The killer had to know how busy that road was - and he was seen by someone because the POI was seen by several people - and he just didn't care. It also tells me that he didn't worry about being recognized - like he wasn't from the area and was not associated with either family in any way.

My instincts tell me that the killer targeted Taylor and Skyla - but in my mind the target might not specifically have been them - as in personally Taylor and Skyla. It could have been that the Killer was
- mad at a similar girl or girls
- or he was targeting one of the girls over a problem with someone (not immediate family) associated with one family
- or maybe he is delusional or mentally ill and one of the girls reminded him of someone else - a daughter or a sister
- or maybe he was delusional or mentally ill and thought the girls were "bad or "evil"

I just get that feeling that the Killer was shooting and shooting - like once he started he couldn't stop until he had emptied two guns. Almost like he had a "fit" and when it was over, he was calm and "normal" again and just got in his vehicle and drove away. Now if it is true that there were "execution" shots under the chins of the girls I would lean more toward a killer who knew at least ONE of the girls or her family and the family was the general target.

Otherwise, I am not sure that in the Killers mind, he killed Taylor and Skyla - he may believe he killed something "evil" or someone who abused him or was responsible for some death or loss in his life. Maybe the Killer (in some delusional, even drug addled state) blames one of the girls (or in general maybe girls from their school or area?) for (choose one) his divorce, his wife leaving him, losing custody of his kid(s), his child's death, his childs illness, losing his home, losing his job etc etc etc. I seems to me, the Killer almost tried to "erase" the girls as individuals and make them (in his mind) representative of some bigger evil he was compelled to eradicate and killing them with such "force" gave the Killer relief from something inside him.

I believe there must be SOME link between the Killer and one of the girls or her family, OR a link between the Killer and something the girls were generally a part of or represented to the Killer. I don't think both the location and the victims were "random" - either he was after a family OR he was after a "look" or area or an organization or something the girls represented to him personally.

My Opinion

 

[SeekingJana]

Could someone who knows how please do a land search and find out who owns the land where the girls were killed? I know it's a matter of public record, but I don't know how to do it. The may not be important at all, or it may be very important.
If the landowner is not local, it would be more important, perhaps.

Thanks!
Maria

 

[SeekingJana]

FlowerChild said: "I believe there must be SOME link between the Killer and one of the girls or her family, OR a link between the Killer and something the girls were generally a part of or represented to the Killer. "

I have had the feeling that there is a link between the killer and one of the girls from the very beginning, when I was not feeling well enough to post on the case. The other was killed because she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Because so much of the girls' backgrounds is unknown, I think the intended target could be either girl equally, at this point in what we know. I think the extreme silence about their families other than Mr. Plaket and his wife is also indicative of LE supressing info for a reason.

One thing I keep wondering about: There is a tent shown in the Plaket yard during one of the interviews with Taylor's grandfather.
Is anyone local to the case who might know anything about why there's a tent in his yard in near 100 degree weather? It's WAY too hot in this part of the country for being closed up in a tent for any period of time.
It's one of those things I wonder about.. not that it's sinister.

Maria

 

[oceanblueeyes]

The 1st article (Fox) says the ME stated the girls were shot in the FACE and CHEST (vs Head and Body) - it says to me that they were walking (people saw them walking, they made no "SOS" call home) and were confronted by their killer - face to face.

I have to agree with Trino - Pedophiles don't kill kids they TRY to abduct - there is no reason - even if the person is KNOWN to the children why would he kill them - he hadn't DONE anything or touched them (their word against his) - there was no reason to kill the girls - especially in such a hideous (non-sexual) manner...pedophiles are usually trying to AVOID detection, not openly invite onlookers or witnesses. Multiple gunshots (extreme overkill) is certainly not the MO of a pedophile. If the killer is the POI--- well the POI was standing or sitting outside his vehicle - a vehicle OPENLY and OBVIOUSLY parked askew in the road - not skulking around in the bushes hiding himself from public view.

This killing says to me:
ONE Killer
-The Killer was an adult - at least 20 years old
-The Killer was serious about killing both girls - multiple shots, 2 firearms, no doubt the girls were dead when he left
-The Killer was not nervous - or inexperienced - this killing was ugly - young girls, multiple gunshots, up close, in their face, and it wasn't "silent" or "clean" - head/face shots?? Those are bloody and ugly and nasty...they sicken even experienced LE officers
-The Killer felt "justified" - almost a feeling of vengeance, vigilante justice, or settling a score here. The killer left "piles" of bullet casings lying in the road where he stood and shot these girls. It seems so personal, so targeted, so blatantly "screw you" somehow. There was anger, but it was controlled anger - he didn't just spray bullets everywhere - every shot was targeted to kill...not maim, not warn, not hurt...KILL. And he didn't leave until he was sure the girls were dead...even though it might have taken longer and risked detection or getting caught.
-The Killer felt it was more important that the girls were dead, than it was to not be observed or caught or clean up any evidence. I think the casings just weren't a concern - this killer came with one or two "throw away guns" (premeditated). The killer had to know how busy that road was - and he was seen by someone because the POI was seen by several people - and he just didn't care. It also tells me that he didn't worry about being recognized - like he wasn't from the area and was not associated with either family in any way.



My Opinion

Very thought provoking FlowerChild and well done.

Your first paragraph sparked a memory about Joesph Duncan. He always drove a red car. He had a red Grand Am and he was driving a red Jeep Cherokee when he was finally apprehended. In his blog he always said he wanted to be noticed and scoffed at those who saw him in plain sight but yet saw nothing even though he preyed on children. His was wearing a bright red tee-shirt when he came into the little store with Shasta. He was bold and brazen just like this POI sure seemed to be. So I don't think we can say for certain that pedophiles/murderers aren't bold enough to want to be seen. It may be a part of the game they relish in their twisted evil minds.

 

[FlowerChild]

We have a real forum....now we need to add a few topics - I'd like to request a thread for "photos, graphics and sketches we have either made or gathered. I don't want to look thru a "Media Thread" for maps, individual photos, the POI sketch etc.

Having our own separate area is AWESOME, THANKS Websleuths and Mods!

 

[Littledeer]

:woohoo:Our request got answered! Guess I had better get busy then. FYI, MissHolmes and I split up the gathering of information, she took the even pages and I took the odd pages.

She has not been able to give me what she has so far. Since FlowerChild requested a Map Thead, I will start that one with my information and MissHolmes can add her's. Would any one mind if the maps are out of date sequence??

 

[oceanblueeyes]

FlowerChild said: "I believe there must be SOME link between the Killer and one of the girls or her family, OR a link between the Killer and something the girls were generally a part of or represented to the Killer. "

I have had the feeling that there is a link between the killer and one of the girls from the very beginning, when I was not feeling well enough to post on the case. The other was killed because she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Because so much of the girls' backgrounds is unknown, I think the intended target could be either girl equally, at this point in what we know. I think the extreme silence about their families other than Mr. Plaket and his wife is also indicative of LE suppressing info for a reason.

One thing I keep wondering about: There is a tent shown in the Plaket yard during one of the interviews with Taylor's grandfather.
Is anyone local to the case who might know anything about why there's a tent in his yard in near 100 degree weather? It's WAY too hot in this part of the country for being closed up in a tent for any period of time.
It's one of those things I wonder about.. not that it's sinister.

Maria

Maybe they had company that have stayed with them and when they sat outside they sat in the tent where it would be shaded instead of the hot sun. Is it too hot for a tent? It has been over 100 degrees here and people are still camping out and kids have tent sleepovers. My grandson just went to one this past weekend.

imoo

 

[oceanblueeyes]

IMHO, honestly I don't think LE has a clue who did this.

I am beginning to think the same and they have had way long enough to check out family members and any sex offenders in the area.

Seems like they are stumped.

imoo

 

[FlowerChild]

:woohoo:Our request got answered! Guess I had better get busy then. FYI, MissHolmes and I split up the gathering of information, she took the even pages and I took the odd pages.

She has not been able to give me what she has so far. Since FlowerChild requested a Map Thead, I will start that one with my information and MissHolmes can add her's. Would any one mind if the maps are out of date sequence??

I don't think anyone cares about the order - just that we can locate things. Maybe call it "the Crime Scene" so we can include the photos of the scene, aerial photos, etc
Just My Thoughts

 

[EnvoyDriver61]

Good thoughts FC.

I'd like to add that the killer truly believed that the girls HAD to die. There wasn't time to decide or mull over whether they had to die; THEY HAD TO DIE, in the killer's mind. They may not have even known what they did. It might have been an innocent action. I'm still thinking the first cell phone call from grandmother looking for the girls was made while the girls were alive and may have provided the impetus for the girls' death.

I don't know why, other than it's very early in the time frame for them to be dead already, but I feel the phone call was a trigger somehow that lead to the girls death. The killer wasn't sure maybe what, if, how, why the girls saw or heard anything, but they couldn't take a chance.

 

[cloudajo]

Questions/Thoughts:


Witnesses who saw POI:

If you read the description of the witnesses who “came forward” or revealed during interviews they saw POI, they always mention that the witnesses saw the POI outside the truck. Unless the witnesses drove by in a very short time frame, doesn’t it sound more likely it was several people in one vehicle? I mean, how long would the guy have been standing outside the truck? They said he was “doing something and they couldn’t really tell what he was doing so they kept driving because it looked a little suspicious.” They must not have been going very fast if they had to pull around him, probably driving by pretty slowly. Do you think they said what he was doing but the OSBI doesn’t want to say what he was doing? I mean, was he scratching his head, leaning over, looking around, what? And if the witnesses thought it looked suspicious, the driver probably looked in the rear view mirror after passing. Did they see the POI do anything then, like reach into the truck for something, walk around the truck, get into the truck, still continue to stand there?

Male Witness who saw the girls walking on the road together (supposedly minutes before shots were heard):

We don’t know the details, but the OSBI said the witness was driving along County Line Road when he saw the two girls walking together. I wonder if they were hurrying and did they look nervous, or were they walking at a normal pace chatting with each other, and did they look happy and unconcerned? If they had seen something at the bridge or interrupted something, would they have called someone on their cell or would they have kept it to themselves and just try to get home as quickly as possible?