TN - Holly Bobo, 20, Darden, believed abducted 13 April 2011 - #29

[OldSteve]

Thinking about what you are thinking about docwho3....

LIke you I believe it is not something serial, though may be too soon for that, especially if this is the first, though seems too well planned for a first, else very lucky... ..

Because I do not see it as something serial I believe Holly was the specific target.

I do not think it was a spur-of-the-moment decision change in plans to take her since it was too well planned. Cannot imagine it otherwise, else LE would have solved this...

As for taking her out of state, or far away, not sure... seems like the items found were planted to give that appearance, thus I think just the opposite....

 

[cluciano63]

I don't know if this abduction really had to be all that well-planned. Just because he seems to have gotten away with it doesn't automatically means it was planned out. He could have just taken off in the vehicle with Holly once he got her in there by whatever method, and driven away, tossing the lunch carriers along the way. That is the only thing we know for sure that was found, belonging to Holly. Even if he planned to assault her or try to take her away, he may not have had a "place" prepared, etc. One he had her in his vehicle, he had the advantage over Holly, LE, and everyone else. he had lead time to drive off, and could have been 20 miles away before LE got there. And still been back home within an hour or two. JMO. Just thinking aloud.

 

[wfgodot]

I don't know if this abduction really had to be all that well-planned. Just because he seems to have gotten away with it doesn't automatically means it was planned out. He could have just taken off in the vehicle with Holly once he got her in there by whatever method, and driven away, tossing the lunch carriers along the way. That is the only thing we know for sure that was found, belonging to Holly. Even if he planned to assault her or try to take her away, he may not have had a "place" prepared, etc. One he had her in his vehicle, he had the advantage over Holly, LE, and everyone else. he had lead time to drive off, and could have been 20 miles away before LE got there. And still been back home within an hour or two. JMO. Just thinking aloud.

Agreed. Townsperson out hunting coveted Holly, captured her, took her away. May have been a spur of the moment thing.

 

[Frogzilla]

Agreed. Townsperson out hunting coveted Holly, captured her, took her away. May have been a spur of the moment thing.

The problem I see with following this idea, is that HB was abducted in the small window of time that she would normally walk from inside her home to her vehicle outside. To me that shows it was not a spur of the moment decision. Somebody was very familiar with her routine whichever way you look at it, her father was right about that. I do not think saying that it may not have been well planned is the same as saying it was a spur of the moment act. It is hard to say how well planned something is without knowing the actual plan, abductions are grab and go however you look at it, and six months later HB is still missing. Along that line of thinking, I also wonder what parts of the story we are not aware of that make LE state the abductor is a local, make LE believe HB never left west TN and make the family focus all of their efforts locally. I can remember a few articles that have mentions of the family's efforts focused on the local region within 100 miles and also handing out cards and fliers throughout the south. It makes sense that they focus locally unless a lead takes them further away, but this theme of local has been with this case since the very beginning.

 

[wishuwerehere]

Sometimes it feels like the answer to this case is right in front of my face, but all I can see is my nose. :crosseyed:

I think WHERE the evidence has been found around town, i.e. the lunchbox, etc. holds great clue value. I don’t believe anything in this case is random. I think everything the perp has done is very PURPOSEFUL.

Holly’s father, Dana Bobo, has stated in the past that he believes the evidence found may have been placed to throw LE off of a trail.

I agree with DB up to a point. I think the perp PLACED the evidence but not to throw LE off of a trail. Quite the contrary, I think he placed it to toy with LE. I think the placement of this evidence is an actual clue(s) to finding Holly.

--moo

 

[wfgodot]

The problem I see with following this idea, is that HB was abducted in the small window of time that she would normally walk from inside her home to her vehicle outside. To me that shows it was not a spur of the moment decision. Somebody was very familiar with her routine whichever way you look at it, her father was right about that. I do not think saying that it may not have been well planned is the same as saying it was a spur of the moment act. It is hard to say how well planned something is without knowing the actual plan, abductions are grab and go however you look at it, and six months later HB is still missing. Along that line of thinking, I also wonder what parts of the story we are not aware of that make LE state the abductor is a local, make LE believe HB never left west TN and make the family focus all of their efforts locally. I can remember a few articles that have mentions of the family's efforts focused on the local region within 100 miles and also handing out cards and fliers throughout the south. It makes sense that they focus locally unless a lead takes them further away, but this theme of local has been with this case since the very beginning.

Blind luck? You're right of course, but sometimes life is entirely random and cruelly felicitous.

 

[OldSteve]

The problem I see with following this idea, is that HB was abducted in the small window of time that she would normally walk from inside her home to her vehicle outside. To me that shows it was not a spur of the moment decision. Somebody was very familiar with her routine whichever way you look at it, her father was right about that. I do not think saying that it may not have been well planned is the same as saying it was a spur of the moment act. It is hard to say how well planned something is without knowing the actual plan, abductions are grab and go however you look at it, and six months later HB is still missing. Along that line of thinking, I also wonder what parts of the story we are not aware of that make LE state the abductor is a local, make LE believe HB never left west TN and make the family focus all of their efforts locally. I can remember a few articles that have mentions of the family's efforts focused on the local region within 100 miles and also handing out cards and fliers throughout the south. It makes sense that they focus locally unless a lead takes them further away, but this theme of local has been with this case since the very beginning.

I agree with you!
- small window of time
- knows her routine
It appears to me he acted with the confidence someone who has things planned would do. She wasn't able to scream, fight, runaway.... shows planning, almost as if he knew his disguise would fool her brother... .

 

[cluciano63]

Or someone who waited overnight in the woods, watching for his chance and then just took it...obviously he either did not know or did not care than Clint was in the home. I don't believe LE could have any idea where she might be now, unless they have a suspect whom they know did not stray from far W. Tenn that day-how else could they say, with any truthfulness, that she is still in the area? So, to me, either they have a suspect or are just saying things to make it sound like they know something, JMO.

 

[Frogzilla]

Sometimes it feels like the answer to this case is right in front of my face, but all I can see is my nose. :crosseyed:

I think WHERE the evidence has been found around town, i.e. the lunchbox, etc. holds great clue value. I don’t believe anything in this case is random. I think everything the perp has done is very PURPOSEFUL.

Holly’s father, Dana Bobo, has stated in the past that he believes the evidence found may have been placed to throw LE off of a trail.

I agree with DB up to a point. I think the perp PLACED the evidence but not to throw LE off of a trail. Quite the contrary, I think he placed it to toy with LE. I think the placement of this evidence is an actual clue(s) to finding Holly.

--moo

I also have a hard time believing the abductor tossed all of HB items in one swoop. The word you used is 100% accurate IMO, purposeful. If you look at the maps that show where searches and items found were, there are a couple of oddities. I realize there is no way to verify where LE themselves searched, but I will assume there was some tactic in how public searchers were used. In the first week of searches, April 14-18, the focus was moving north from the home in and around the state park. The lunchbag was located 8 miles north of the Bobo home on a shorter road that that T's on the north and south end.
On April 19, the HUGE area between the Bobo home and where the Easter evidence was found, April 24, had been covered by several search groups in one day. That night the roadblock was setup just south of the Bobo home, but also at the southern edge of where the searches were.
On April 21, the area to the east of the Easter evidence was searched.
On April 22-23, the searches were split more. One group searched north by the Bobo home. One group was very far south, much further south than any of the other searches. Then the rest of the searches were at the very north end of the state park, into another county.
It was also at this time the TBI had been saying that if nothing was found by Easter, the searches would expand out more. Then Easter comes and evidence is found (still not clear how or what, but we do know there was a big rush to get searchers out there, so something was up). This evidence was found in the area (along side the road near HB school) of where the most focused searches had been conducted in the previous week. This was also the end of public searches, some very bad weather came into that area and it seemed a convenient time for the TBI to call off public searches.
It could all just be coincidences, but it didn't feel like it following the case then, and it still doesn't now.

 

[Frogzilla]

Or someone who waited overnight in the woods, watching for his chance and then just took it...obviously he either did not know or did not care than Clint was in the home. I don't believe LE could have any idea where she might be now, unless they have a suspect whom they know did not stray from far W. Tenn that day-how else could they say, with any truthfulness, that she is still in the area? So, to me, either they have a suspect or are just saying things to make it sound like they know something, JMO.

There is no way to discount that possibility with what we know, but I would imagine it would probably be a better idea, especially if you are an experienced hunter, to try and blend in the best you can. We can probably all agree a vehicle was used, so I am not sold that this person wanted their vehicle to be spotted, even if parked very close to the home where others could possibly notice. I would believe the abductor knew there was an element of chance to this, so why not try to control your risks before the abduction? If anybody spots you on your routine, don't go through with the abduction. For all we know this was not the first time this abductor had their trap set for HB only to not follow through.
Also, if you want to consider that somebody lay in wait a long time for HB or somehow came upon her on her property in the middle of nowhere, I would ask this.
If HB came out of her house and assuming her car was within an eye shot of her, would you come running from the woods at her? Or would you already know what time to expect her and be in position to surprise her?
I completely agree that CB did not seem to matter to the abductor, maybe after CB awoke it caused this person to speed their plan up and maybe that is when they thought of a ruse to have her walk away. If the abductor felt they were alone, I do not see him letting the victim walk away.
I also agree the statements made by the TBI do not add up to very much. There are certainly some smokescreens in this case, as with all criminal investigations, but that particular statement you mention makes it hard to not conclude they are blowing smoke or are sending a message at an intended target.

 

[Whisperer]

ok, evidence found around school? It sounds more and more like this is either someone from the home, the school or her love life.

I am interested in knowing who in this town has lawyered up. Instinct tells me the suspect has.

Nowadays, the perp walks when they have an attorney and no body is found. Once an attorney steps in, the case shuts down. Nothing is told anymore unless the family goes public for help. Karen Bobo is in charge, and IMO, she prefers to keep this local. She has not made any appearances by herself, AFAIK.

 

[Whisperer]

This perp took Holly with him, despite the fact that he knew CB was home. Think about it.. What sort of suspect would abduct somebody with the family in the house? They don't leave blood either. Never heard of such a thing. My suspicions tell me she was injured and it could have been by a stray bullet. W/O a trail, she was either placed in a vehicle right at the carport (making CB's acct void) or she was carried to a vehicle, again making CB's acct void.

No one will convince me that she carried all her stuff with her and walked quietly into the woods after being injured. It makes no sense...none.

Because I believe this, I am highly suspicious of what CB saw. Reading his statement, I come to believe that he was watching this take place from outside the house. All this is speculative, of course. If I am correct, then CB has way more information to give LE, if he hasn't done so.

The abduction does not play out for me. She either left willingly or she left injured or worse. I haven't seen a case where a sex offender behaved in this manner w/o being psychotic.

So, this is either a crazy SO gone wild or a home-grown crime (somebody very well known to the Bobos)

 

[cluciano63]

How do we know he knew Clint was home? Clint never confronted anyone.

 

[Carla Lashelle]

The problem we have here at Websleuths is that, for the most part, we are operating on exactly the same basic info that we had six months ago. Some minor details have changed here and there but they really don't change the few known facts and given story of what happened.

After six months people have run out of new ideas. You can only look at the same few pieces of evidence for so long and keep on coming up with new ideas.

To me, something is not "right" about the case, but I have no idea where to start with that. It could be a lot of little things... who knows.

Now, six months in, after most of us have exhausted the more reasonable attempts to reconstruct what happened to Holly, we are either back at square one, or people are starting to entertain really off the wall, rumor type speculation that has seemingly no basis in known fact.

 

[plaidmom]

How do we know he knew Clint was home? Clint never confronted anyone.

Oooh. Very good question!

It's possible the perp didn't know.

It's also possible the perp saw him through the window (or whatever...however Clint managed to see him?).

Third possibility Holly either says "my brother is home" or even yells out for Clint? Because if I were being taken against my will and knew a family member was nearby I'd sure as heck scream out for him!

I've also thought about the fact that Clint "wasn't supposed to be home" (per several interviews). How would this whole case be different if Clint wasn't home that morning?

Holly wouldn't be discovered "missing" until at least, what, 5:30/6:00 pm at night when the parents returned home from work?

We'd have no eyewitness account and just her car in the carport and ?

 

[Frogzilla]

How do we know he knew Clint was home? Clint never confronted anyone.

One could make a fair guess and say CB may have somehow alerted the abductor to his presence while the abduction was in progress, but it is impossible to assume the abductor knew CB was there beforehand or whether there was some type of confrontation.
Sad to say but I have to agree with Carla, these are basically the same discussions that were going on when the abduction happened. I guess it goes to show that people cannot stay away from a mystery, especially one as confusing as this.

 

[wfgodot]

I still think - after thinking about it quite a bit today (and over the last many months!) - that the abduction has a lot more spontaneity about it than it does carefully planned event. Somebody was home - that can't be according to plan. Holly exited screaming, heard by neighbors - careful planning would have foreseen the possibility. What this person had going for him (I'm assuming male) was an iffy witness to the event and law enforcement which sat tight and waited for the tracking dogs. Those aspects of the case couldn't have been planned for.

Missing for 178 days now, if my math is right. Holly Bobo, where are you??

 

[docwho3]

How could/would the perp have known clint was there? That another
person besides Holly was there?

I assume Clint had a vehicle parked on the property.
It has been suggested by some that the family was watched and/or
stalked before the abduction took place but anyone watching should have
noticed the extra vehicle and if someone had been watching a day or so
he/they would have known who was there. (That fact that Clint
was not taken into account by the perp makes me believe he had
not stalked the home or planned the abduction.)

However if this was someone that was poking around the property for
reasons other than abduction they might not have been paying much
attention as the plan (using the term loosely) would have been to
look things over, possibly stealing a few things, and then leaving
undetected. In that scenario the exact number of people in the home
at the time is not so much an important thing to the perp. because no
matter how many are home he plans to poke around outside and leave
without being detected or having to confront anyone.

Was he possibly casing the place for a later burglary where he would enter
the home when no one was there? I do not know but it seems possible.
I do not think the object of his activities that day was to enter the home
while people were there because if that was the plan then holding Holly
hostage was a way in (although it would lose the element of surprise.)
While I do not think the plan was to enter the home with occupants
present I can not rule it out entirely. It is possible he just got rattled
when Holly poppped out of the door and panicked & ran taking the one
person who had seen him.

I wonder if he had a meth thing going on at home or something which
he did not want the LE to find. You can't just run away after having been
seen poking around someone's yard & home if you have something
to hide that might get you years in prison. You can't leave behind a live
witness who can immediately raise the alarm & possibly ID the perp.


On another thought:
I think the RSO's were looked at but I wonder how many live in the area
that are not registered because they have changed their name and moved
into the area as if they were a normal person.

 

[Frogzilla]

I still think - after thinking about it quite a bit today (and over the last many months!) - that the abduction has a lot more spontaneity about it than it does carefully planned event. Somebody was home - that can't be according to plan. Holly exited screaming, heard by neighbors - careful planning would have foreseen the possibility. What this person had going for him (I'm assuming male) was an iffy witness to the event and law enforcement which sat tight and waited for the tracking dogs. Those aspects of the case couldn't have been planned for.

Missing for 178 days now, if my math is right. Holly Bobo, where are you??

I think those are all very fair points and I agree for the most part. That line of thinking reminded me of a quote from General George S Patton, "A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week." With this type of crime, abducting somebody at their own home, is going to have elements of chance involved and those elements can work for or against you.
I also think that spontaneity may not be the right word you are aiming for. In other words, isn't it possible that a planned crime may be done spontaneously? As in, everything seemed to line up for the person on that particular morning?
I do agree with this line of thinking though, mostly because of the chance elements you bring up. How can you account for someone being there that was not suppose to be home(CB has agreed he was not suppose to be there, what that means is not very clear), the victim screaming AND somebody out in the middle of nowhere actually hearing the screams. Also, the abductor reportedly walked her off of her own property, with her brother inside as a witness to it, and six months later has still not been found.

 

[Frogzilla]

How could/would the perp have known clint was there? That another
person besides Holly was there?

I assume Clint had a vehicle parked on the property.
It has been suggested by some that the family was watched and/or
stalked before the abduction took place but anyone watching should have
noticed the extra vehicle and if someone had been watching a day or so
he/they would have known who was there. (That fact that Clint
was not taken into account by the perp makes me believe he had
not stalked the home or planned the abduction.)

However if this was someone that was poking around the property for
reasons other than abduction they might not have been paying much
attention as the plan (using the term loosely) would have been to
look things over, possibly stealing a few things, and then leaving
undetected. In that scenario the exact number of people in the home
at the time is not so much an important thing to the perp. because no
matter how many are home he plans to poke around outside and leave
without being detected or having to confront anyone.

Was he possibly casing the place for a later burglary where he would enter
the home when no one was there? I do not know but it seems possible.
I do not think the object of his activities that day was to enter the home
while people were there because if that was the plan then holding Holly
hostage was a way in (although it would lose the element of surprise.)
While I do not think the plan was to enter the home with occupants
present I can not rule it out entirely. It is possible he just got rattled
when Holly poppped out of the door and panicked & ran taking the one
person who had seen him.

I wonder if he had a meth thing going on at home or something which
he did not want the LE to find. You can't just run away after having been
seen poking around someone's yard & home if you have something
to hide that might get you years in prison. You can't leave behind a live
witness who can immediately raise the alarm & possibly ID the perp.


On another thought:
I think the RSO's were looked at but I wonder how many live in the area
that are not registered because they have changed their name and moved
into the area as if they were a normal person.

I do not doubt your logic, and what you bring up does tend to happen a lot more than we would like to believe, but it all hinges on one key aspect. If you believe that she was abducted during the time she would normally walk out her door and walk to her car in the morning, would you not agree a prowler type of person would of needed to be at the right spot at the right time with the mindset of abducting anybody that spots them and the ability to remove a person from their property in a timely fashion, which is much harder than an inanimate object.
Also consider where this house is. It is in the middle of nowhere. I find it hard to believe somebody would stumble upon it, someone would probably need to target this house specifically.