GUILTY TX - Alanna Gallagher, 6, Saginaw, 1 July 2013 - #2

[BeginnersLuck]

See now if I was her parent, I would be over at the friend's house asking the parents if it was okay if my child come over to watch cartoons for a couple hours, that way everyone was on board with where the kids were and who was in charge of watching them. If my child was invited to stay at someone's house, I would want to be notified of that by the parents or my child calling for permission first. There's just some lack of common sense going on that sort of turned into a recipe for a child to go missing. Again, she was barely 6 years old, I would be less helicopter-ish if she was older.

We don't know the particular circumstances and what the parents did. It hasn't been released yet.

 

[manzana]

I don't think this neighborhood needs money ($10 000) as an incentive to help out in this case. Is it standard for the FBI to offer up a cash reward for info leading to an arrest?

I would not be surprised to see that go to 50,000 in a couple of days if nothing fruitful turns up.

 

[Alyssa]

Good question regarding skid marks and sounds of screeching...

I still wonder if the truck's driver was driving over the speed limit/erratically/etc. to bring attention to it... As it seems to have been noticeable...

:waitasec:

You would think a nice quiet neighborhood like that would notice if someone was driving fast or peeling out. There are just some weird things going on with case. I just can't see someone with a wrapped up body in their truck, stop at a intersection surrounded by homes while it's still light out, get out and shove a huge tarp out and then drive off....that's too risky. People usually dump bodies where there won't be witnesses. Makes you wonder if this guy was under the influence and not thinking right.

 

[ArianeEmory]

I think I'll be typing this a lot, but I'm not a parent and won't be engaging in judging the parents' parenting skills, any moreso than with Jessica Ridgeway's mom. I know Monday-morning quarterbacking is easy, but I don't think they deserved to have this happen.

 

[Alyssa]

We don't know the particular circumstances and what the parents did. It hasn't been released yet.

I was replying to ArianeEmory's post.

 

[ArianeEmory]

You would think a nice quiet neighborhood like that would notice if someone was driving fast or peeling out. There are just some weird things going on with case. I just can't see someone with a wrapped up body in their truck, stop at a intersection surrounded by homes while it's still light out, get out and shove a huge tarp out and then drive off....that's too risky. People usually dump bodies where there won't be witnesses. Makes you wonder if this guy was under the influence and not thinking right.

Apparently there is also discrepancy about when the tarp was first seen (LE says they have reports as early as 12 noon), so I can't get a handle on how busy the streets were.

How hot was it there? Hot enough that everyone was hiding indoors?

 

[human]

Early reports (don't have a link) mentioned the father (the one going door to door) thought she was at a neighbor's watching cartoons. We've also seen quotes from a 13 yo girl and another neighbor with a younger child saying Alanna played at their homes often.

Yes, that is true, but I think anyone with any manners whatsoever would not assume a child is welcome for dinner.

And, would the family not wonder where the little tiny child is? No concern whatsoever? She can fend for herself like some feral child?

 

[SuziQ]

I think I'll be typing this a lot, but I'm not a parent and won't be engaging in judging the parents' parenting skills, any moreso than with Jessica Ridgeway's mom. I know Monday-morning quarterbacking is easy, but I don't think they deserved to have this happen.

BBM. They definitely did not. Hey, my son could have been a victim. Some residential areas give off a sense of security. Sometimes that's a false sense. I still wouldn't let my kid wander around alone. But you also can't watch them or lock them up 24/7. The bad guys out there are really good at seeing an opportunity too good to pass up. There have been kids go missing just while taking the trash out or picking up the newspaper.

 

[Alyssa]

Apparently there is also discrepancy about when the tarp was first seen (LE says they have reports as early as 12 noon), so I can't get a handle on how busy the streets were.

How hot was it there? Hot enough that everyone was hiding indoors?

According to weather.com it's been in the upper 80's to low 90's this past week in Saginaw. Warm but not too bad, although I don't know about the humidity, that can play a big role your comfort level.

 

[ArianeEmory]

I understand the "what about dinner" issue, and that it's more symbolic than anything, but looking at photos, the family obviously enjoys their food. I really doubt she was left to scavenge/fend for herself.

On a different topic--does anyone know if Alanna had started school yet? Would she have started in fall?

 

[matou]

There is a video here of the area taped off with the tarp still on the road. Also footage of LE at the home of the victim and them taken items from the home. Looks like a shot of a sleeping bag and golf clubs and other items.

http://www.nbcdfw.com/video/#!/news/local/Saginaw-Neighborhood-in-Shock-/214063901

 

[matou]

I understand the "what about dinner" issue, and that it's more symbolic than anything, but looking at photos, the family obviously enjoys their food. I really doubt she was left to scavenge/fend for herself.

On a different topic--does anyone know if Alanna had started school yet? Would she have started in fall?

She was going to school and was going into first grade. I'll find a link. THe school has the same name as her neighborhood (Whispering something?)

 

[SLP]

Just some thoughts on the neighborhoods around here. All residential streets are 20 MPH in city limit which is not normal because most cities it would be 30 and 20 ONLY in school zones and even then only during certain hours.

There are a lot of residential subdivisions in town with only one main highway with the big businesses so I have always thought that is why we see a lot of police presence on the residential streets. I have no idea how they police break up the territories or anything or even how many officers we have but I have always thought that we have at least one or two all the time in our subdivision just because you can always see one traveling up and down our streets and we really don’t have any real crime that I know of. It is a joke around here that in a Saginaw neighborhood you don’t want to run a stop sign or have expired tags because you won’t get out of the neighborhood without getting pulled over. I don’t complain because I like the police presence and their response times are great even to very minor things.

In my neighborhood children from elementary age to teens are always walking around and playing on the sidewalks or ball in the street. There is always someone running or walking a baby or dog and I usually recognize them or know them. I don’t live in that specific subdivision but close by and, from people I know in that area, they say it is pretty much the same. In the past 20 years there has been a lot of new construction, new schools so with the affordable housing and the close proximity to Lockheed and BNSF it has brought a lot of young families (from all over the US-lots of NY and CA on my street) to the neighborhoods. I can't even get in or out of my neighborhood without interrupting a ball game or waving a kid across the street.

So even though hindsight is always 20/20 I can see how, at first, they would naturally assume that she was out playing and had lost track of time and then go out to look for her. I would hve freaked out and probably reacted differently but I have been reading here for a long time and I am known as overprotective. I can truthfully say though that on our street there is only one house where you never see the kids outside at all with other kids and that has brought out more talk among the adults than any of the kids that play. It is not the norm. You always see groups of kids though no matter what the age. If I saw one tiny one walking alone that would definitely make me have some questions but I personally haven’t ever come across that.

The police station is directly to the east on McLeroy Blvd. (on the map above in this thread) of where she was found. Maybe a mile. The area where she lives and where she was found is right next to the city’s largest park Willow Creek Park (65 acres) which is always busy with people. It has volleyball, tennis, baseball, basketball, walking trails, disc golf, playground…pretty much everything. Lots of teams and people practice there and kids play.


McLeroy is a main road but what it doesn’t show on the map is that McLeroy does become a smaller and much slower road at the point where she was found. The park is separated by McLeroy and it is only the park and houses at that point before it goes directly into another newish residential subdivision at Old Decatur Rd further up. IIRC even the walking trails cross McLeroy in the park. I know that I have walked across there when my children had hours of little league baseball practice at that park but that was some years ago.
We have so many fields, lakes, hiking trails and country areas around here that I can’t believe that someone would just leave her in the middle of a residential street. It doesn’t make sense but what does about this? It is hard to wrap my brain around the fact that anyone could do this at all though much less here. I really hope that the police dept and FBI are making progress and will make an arrest soon. It is hard to drive around here thinking about that baby and I am noticing every single red truck while I am out.

 

[AnnieOakley]

Apparently there is also discrepancy about when the tarp was first seen (LE says they have reports as early as 12 noon), so I can't get a handle on how busy the streets were.

How hot was it there? Hot enough that everyone was hiding indoors?

Surprisingly not as hot as I thought.... Hi 89, Lo 67. (I think it was hotter here in Portland!). Anyway, I've visited TX family several times in the summer, and I would consider those temps pretty mild....

 

[bessie]

:seeya: Scanner discussion remains in the scanner thread.

Thank you.

 

[manzana]

Apparently there is also discrepancy about when the tarp was first seen (LE says they have reports as early as 12 noon), so I can't get a handle on how busy the streets were.

Well if she was there at 12 noon, that throws the fathers timing off of last seeing her at 4pm.

Actual time of death is needed, going out on a limb, she could have died the night before, disposed of at 5 am and no one would notice. I would think decomposition smell would be there from 12 noon til 7:12pm


If LE had reports at 12 noon, what did they do? or are these reports stating 12 noon after she was found? Hurry up ME, at least release TOD.

 

[SuziQ]

Maybe the 4pm time last seen was dinner?

 

[SCHMAE]

I'm sorry but this LE telling the public they're safe is just mind boggling. We saw this just now with Dylan's case but you know a big difference? Before Dylan was found no one really knew for CERTAIN if there was foul play or not. There is clearly foul play in Saginaw and someone killed a baby and that someone is NOT in custody so only a fool would believe that everyone is safe ! mooo

 

[manzana]

Maybe the 4pm time last seen was dinner?

Very possible, kids out of school, dinner is not always served at 5pm sharp.

Eat when they are hungry and sleep when they are tired.

 

[cakegirl0905]

Here is an approximate map from her home to the location she was found. Please disregard the route. For some reason this morning I have forgotten how to do a pinpoint map. You should be able to zoom in though and view or walk the area.

https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Babbling+Brook+Drive,+Saginaw,+TX&daddr=Cindy+Lane,+Saginaw,+TX&hl=en&sll=41.082613,-85.1509&sspn=0.230836,0.488892&geocode=FcKF9QEdxAMy-ikJi1Bqe99NhjE8ezk9W4ezsQ%3BFdhV9QEdIgwy-ikRhbisiHVOhjEP5bkOYBa2Gw&oq=cindy+lane&t=h&mra=ls&z=15

Does this remind anyone else of JR, where the backpack was left, vs where she was abducted? He knows the neighborhoods- WELL.