The White Ford 250 Pick Up Truck Towed from the Family Home

[pufnstuf]

This video shows a rollback using a winch to load. The winch noise is loud and distinctive.

Just FYI.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrI5x1uZQ4A&feature=related[/ame]

 

[pufnstuf]

Per this post below and a few others with a similar quote, an investigator stated that the car being towed was not a part of the investigation. LE goes on to explain that the family tried to drive the car to the store, which would explain why it had to be towed from that random spot on Sheltered Nook Road, but that the car died on the way. If LE really wanted to keep people hanging, they wouldn't have said anything at all about the car being towed. Instead, they have made an effort to clarify to the media (and the public in general) what happened to the truck and that there wasn't a connection.

If the starter were DEAD, it wouldn't make it out of the driveway. It wouldn't START.

 

[Calliope]

If it's the starter, it won't stall. It just won't start.

You said in earlier post here that starters don't go bad all at once.

Thing is, starters don't usually just go bad in one fell swoop. You start getting an indication early on. Once you get that indication, then you need to get it on to the mechanic.

 

[LillyRush]

If the starter were DEAD, it wouldn't make it out of the driveway. It wouldn't START.

Those were the words of the investigator, Lindstrand. I don't know what to tell you as I'm not mechanically-inclined nor have I ever thankfully had problems with a starter. But, perhaps, Lindstrand misspoke or maybe she does not know the specific mechanical difference between a "stalled" car and a "dead" car. I do know that a couple of different people on this thread have referred to their own problems with a starter where the problems were intermittent at first and led to stalling before greater problems arised, which could have been what happened to the Hormans.

 

[LadyL]

Don't most people have towing included in their car insurance?

never heard of that
around here we belong to an auto club and/or have some things covered by warranty for new cars

I think my car's warranty covers for flat tires/mechanical problems and I specifically remember the policy stating that it would only cover once for running out of gas LOL

 

[human]

I am the one that brought up about the car dying in the driveway.

Let me try to be clear on this. I did not say that a car could not die in the driveway.

Maybe I am giving the father too much credit here because he is an engineer, but with cars nowadays, they have a lot of sensors that tell you that something is wrong.

I know that some people choose to ignore them.

If the sensor is not telling you, the part is telling you. It makes noise, or it doesn't always work-like a starter.

The manual that comes with your vehicle tells you when you should get your car serviced, such as the timing belt.

My car is almost ten years old, and the dealership sends me post cards to tell me when I should come in and do stuff for my car. I did purchase it new, so I have a relationship with the dealer.

Supposedly, the Friday that Kyron became missing, he was to go with his mother.

Now we don't know if there was half way driving involved.

With a five hour trip, one would think that keeping a car running is important as the family lives out in the sticks. It wouldn't do to have a car that doesn't work for either parent, I would think.

I just assumed, perhaps very incorrectly, that the father would keep on eye on his vehicle and would be aware of any issues with it before it became a towing issue.

My hubby has a Ford (and in the olden days we used to call Ford-Fix and Repair Daily).

I am just surprised with an engineer, that a car would not work because of a starter and he would not realize that the starter or a related part with the starter was going bad.

Consequently, I felt that there was more to the story.

And yes, a starter will go sooner than expected if a car is driven through water.

 

[LillyRush]

Road side assistance is an option with some insurance companies. I know Geico offers it. Of course, there is always triple A, etc.

 

[WholeLottaRosie]

And sometimes when a car doesn't start or has issues, people say starter as that is a part most people know. Monday, my mother has a relatively new car towed from her driveway because she said she was having "starter trouble" - it turned out to be something with the power steering, not being mechanically inclined, I don't recall exactly.

 

[Pondering Mind]

If the starter is bad, sometimes it's just a bad spot, and you can rock the vehicle or tap the starter with a hammer, and then it'll start.

It'd be interesting to know how the truck was diagnosed to have a bad starter when, if the vehicle won't start, it could be the starter, the battery, the alternator, the solenoid.

Can't believe they called a tow truck for a starter when it could have just been a loose battery cable that just needed to be tightened.

Is this the same truck in photo #1 @ the link below? ..to the back left of Grandpa. Does anyone know where this photo appears to be taken? Is it the Hormans' home?

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2066372&id=1264414625#!/photo.php?pid=1356418&id=1264414625

I hope it's ok to post this link to the photos that SM uploaded recently on her FB. Of course the profile is private now, but I came across a link to the photos. I feel sure they have been posted before as I am WAY behind. There is a couple of very cute ones of Kyron..

 

[Pondering Mind]

[bbm]

some of us in the world aren't *ahem* mechanically inclined (like me :blushing: )
if my car wouldn't start, I would call a tow truck
and actually have at least twice that I can remember

LadyL, I guess that I'm just struggling with the fact that with everything going on..unless this was their only vehicle, how one could even deal with vehicle repairs at the moment. We are all different though..

 

[carole]

never heard of that
around here we belong to an auto club and/or have some things covered by warranty for new cars

I think my car's warranty covers for flat tires/mechanical problems and I specifically remember the policy stating that it would only cover once for running out of gas LOL

Not car warranty from the car maker, I mean car insurance with State Farm, Allstate, Geico, etc. If you have comprehensive insurance on your car, it may reimburse you for your towing bill if your car won't start or you have a wreck, etc. and need to have your car towed to a garage/mechanic.

 

[WholeLottaRosie]

Not car warranty from the car maker, I mean car insurance with State Farm, Allstate, Geico, etc. If you have comprehensive insurance on your car, it may reimburse you for your towing bill if your car won't start or you have a wreck, etc. and need to have your car towed to a garage/mechanic.

I know State Farm does. We have it. And have used it a time or two. LOL

 

[Pondering Mind]

Not car warranty from the car maker, I mean car insurance with State Farm, Allstate, Geico, etc. If you have comprehensive insurance on your car, it may reimburse you for your towing bill if your car won't start or you have a wreck, etc. and need to have your car towed to a garage/mechanic.

Yes..I have it with State Farm. (and have used it with my clunker!) Very inexpensive and it pays $85.00 towards a tow bill...at least mine does.

 

[snarkymalarkey]

If this truck is manual, whose to say the clutch didn't give on it or what if the tie rod was about to go. I drive manual, and while cars have sensors, mine never had a sensor for the clutch or tie rod. My car's clutch literally gave in the parking lot of a car dealership. I will however say, I was there because I knew my car was acting funny and was considering the need to buy a new one.
IMO thats a rather large truck, if they have this type of truck because they are involved in an activity that would require hauling something frequently, I would think the engine gets strained and would be subject to repairs after a few years. Also, some people just like to have big trucks and dont haul anything.

 

[pufnstuf]

I haven't heard anything about Terri and Kaine being involved with horses. Maybe you mean Terri's older son's father and his wife?

 

[snarkymalarkey]

I haven't heard anything about Terri and Kaine being involved with horses. Maybe you mean Terri's older son's father and his wife?

Thank you, I don't have all the information. I did say 'if' but I will edit my post.

 

[GrainneDhu]

If the starter is bad, sometimes it's just a bad spot, and you can rock the vehicle or tap the starter with a hammer, and then it'll start.

It'd be interesting to know how the truck was diagnosed to have a bad starter when, if the vehicle won't start, it could be the starter, the battery, the alternator, the solenoid.

Can't believe they called a tow truck for a starter when it could have just been a loose battery cable that just needed to be tightened.

No disrespect intended but my eyes just glazed over. If my van had a loose battery cable, I can guarantee you it would be headed into town on the back of a tow truck because I have no idea of how I would fix such a problem. I'm not a mechanic and I know just enough to know I shouldn't fool around under there with stuff I know nothing about.

And the tow would only cost $15 because I have an auto club membership and I'm not afraid to use it.

I assumed that the dealership poked around under the hood and told the Hormans "we looked, it's the starter and it will cost around $350 to fix, including parts and labour." Why $350? Because everything that goes wrong with a vehicle always seems to be estimated at $350!

 

[GourmetSoy]

Really, does it matter whether it was the starter or not? Does it matter whether is was dead, stalled, or working? Possibly they didn't want to be hounded by the media trying to figure out what was wrong with it in their driveway. Could have been the battery, could have been the starter, could have been the alternator. No time to get it fixed while their little boy is missing, not something they want to worry about. Someone just come get it and fix it!

LE clarified they were not having it towed and there was clearly no chain of custody. That tells me that it has nothing to do with this case. I know there has been next to nothing available as far as information to sleuth but I really think time is being wasted on something that has no bearing on finding Kyron. JMHO FWIW.

 

[Chili Fries]

Are you certain that the picture is of the truck being loaded versus the truck in the process of being towed? I have a full sized Ford van and when it was towed, it had it's front wheels up on a sort of ramp thing, the back wheels on the ground and the rear lights were hooked up to light up in concert with the tow vehicle's lights.

So to me, that looks like a picture of the truck in the process of being towed.

It's not in the process of being towed. If you watch the video it shows the truck on the back of the flatbed being driven away. It seems obvious to me that the tow truck driver is in the white truck driving it onto the flatbed or guiding it while the winch pulls it up.

I have two contradictory thoughts on the subject:

1. The truck going to the shop is probably a routine thing that has just become a big deal because of the circumstances.

2. LE have been known to lie to protect their investigation. We just learned in the Phuong Le case that LE lied when they called media reports that she was stabbed inaccurate.

 

[Chili Fries]

LE clarified they were not having it towed and there was clearly no chain of custody. That tells me that it has nothing to do with this case.

Very good point.