GUILTY TX - Alanna Gallagher, 6, Saginaw, 1 July 2013 - #4

[carole]

Can someone refresh my memory about Alanna having a near-drowning episode (or something like that) in the days/weeks prior? Was this in the news, posted on a fb and/or a rumor??

It was posted by her mom on her FB page. Happened at the recent church camping trip. Alanna had moved a little over to deeper part of pool, mom was in the pool nearby, saw her, grabbed her up and she was alright. More of a big scare for her mom than an actual near drowning.

 

[carbuff]

Surely though, it's infinitely more immoral to torture and kill and innocent 6-year-old child?

Yes, one would have to be pretty sick and twisted to do something like that. But on the other hand, people plant bombs in the name of God every day, so it's not like those people don't exist.

 

[skibaboo]

Can someone refresh my memory about Alanna having a near-drowning episode (or something like that) in the days/weeks prior? Was this in the news, posted on a fb and/or a rumor??

It was from Mom's FB

 

[ahintexas]

Regarding the evidence taken by LE -

I got the impression that one group of items was taken from car A, car B etc.

I don't know about you but when I was driving around with kids I had all sorts of bizarre carp in my car, including toilet paper.

As for the "house" list...isn't that of things they were looking for, not things they necessarily found?

:waitasec:

that's a lot of TP to be in the car.

 

[skibaboo]

Meagan Harris ‏@BigDNyeBooker 8m
Billboards up for Saginaw child murder case. Can't look at that pic w/o thinking of my kid. Such a horrible crime. pic.twitter.com/VxyQk74FnU

https://twitter.com/BigDNyeBooker

(edit by myself to add smaller image)

 

[GingerzMomma]

Some of us come from a generation where that was normal.

Some of us live in places where it's still normal for toddlers to visit next door on their own.

Letting your kid play outside is not illegal. 99% of the adults around you played outside unsupervised at some point and survived to tell the tale.

It's a fine line between being over protective and bringing up an independent fully functional adult, which after all is a parent's job. Kids live in the world too, they have a right to not be shut up and wrapped in cotton wool. They need to learn safe behaviours, it doesn't matter if they're 6 or 16.

It's also easy to judge when you yourself have been brought up in a protected way. A lot of people just aren't, it's not part of their world. It still seems safe to them.

:twocents:

I walked down the street to my friend's house alone all the time. I wasn't even in kindergarten yet (I am sure because she moved that year). Mom had a newborn to take care of, dad was at work. It was a different place and a different time. Or, apparently she was perhaps just negligent?

A kid should be safe to walk down their own street or play in their yard. A parent turning their back for a moment, attending to another matter, or allowing them a little independence doesn't shift any portion of the blame for something like this onto them.

If there were CPS investigations in the past, they had been turned in, people who actually do know the family well, teachers, etc.....had negligence concerns that would be one thing. Nasty things a couple neighbors said, who perhaps knew their lifestyle and didn't care for it or a million other things that people don't like their neighbors for.....aren't enough for me.

But what do I know? I was neglected as a child.

 

[SapphireSteel]

I played outside alone, but with strict rules to stay within sight of my front windows and a watch to come check in every 20 minutes. If I went to a friends house, my mom (who was probably worse than lots of parents we talk about here) walked me. My mom let me have the freedom to walk to a friend's house a few blocks away when I was 8-10 years old, but I always had to call home when I got there to let my mom know I arrived. I also walked to school starting at age 6-7. But times have changed. I won't let my daughter do that. It seemed safe but it wasn't, and it is not.

Learning safe behaviors doesn't just HAPPEN when you let the door close behind your six year old and hope they come back in one piece. It's taught! It is very very odd that these parents weren't making sure their child was safe.

A toddler means a 1-2 year old. I venture to say it is *NEVER* normal to let your toddler go visiting next door alone. Ever. Who is to say they won't get kidnapped or wander too far? Or is that just helping them turn into fully functioning adults?

We'll have to agree to disagree, because I won't ever budge on the thought that young children need to be supervised. I'm not talking about wrapping them in cotton, I'm taking about making sure they are protected from predators. A six year old doesn't have the ability to discern bad people from good, cannot be trusted to not get in the car with a stranger, and certainly cannot fight off a perp.

Safe or not, there is not ONE legitimate reason that this girl was apparently gone from her house for hours without anyone bothering to find out why. Sorry. It is not OK.

Ok got it.

 

[IHAVENOCLUE]

Oh no...Now that sounds like they have no idea who did this.

I was thinking that too...

I imagine billboards cost money...

and I do not believe LE would spend funds unnecessarily in such a visible way...

JMO

 

[Hejlena]

The bickering about supervision vs lack of supervision is really getting distasteful. Let it go?

 

[nothingnew]

Some of us come from a generation where that was normal.

Some of us live in places where it's still normal for toddlers to visit next door on their own.

Letting your kid play outside is not illegal. 99% of the adults around you played outside unsupervised at some point and survived to tell the tale.

It's a fine line between being over protective and bringing up an independent fully functional adult, which after all is a parent's job. Kids live in the world too, they have a right to not be shut up and wrapped in cotton wool. They need to learn safe behaviours, it doesn't matter if they're 6 or 16.

It's also easy to judge when you yourself have been brought up in a protected way. A lot of people just aren't, it's not part of their world. It still seems safe to them.

:twocents:

I call ********! 99 percent of the adults around did NOT play and wander about solo. I know at least since the sixties there was the "buddy system" out here in California. Hence the term tagalongs? I doubt it took Texas 50 years to catch on to the fact that somebody, preferably a parent, is responsible for watching out for their children. It is not a neighbors responsibility to be entertaining a wayward toddler. If people don't enjoy spending copious amounts of time with an energetic kid then they should leave the breeding to others.

 

[SCHMAE]

I'm not sure I'd want to drive by that any time I left my house if I were her parents.

 

[SCHMAE]

The bickering about supervision vs lack of supervision is really getting distasteful. Let it go?

Agreed !

 

[21merc7]

From a generation of playing outside for hours while mom was inside watching t.v. or cooking.

Looking at the arial photo of the street, the truck could have hit a bump, wonder if that line in the pavement is a bit of a bump. Could also have been making a turn. At first I thought to the right where the firetruck is, but a sharper speedy turn to the left would jossle items.

I save toilet paper cobs for making soap embeds. Yep, loads of them. Lol. However, I also go through about 4 rolls a week as one person, and they sit in the trashcan until I take the trash out at the end of the week. After I've saved up enough of course. I have no idea how many rolls a family would go through in a day, much less a week. Must be many.

 

[IHAVENOCLUE]

Maybe the parents know the perp and LE knows they know. I mean , maybe they've discussed, ' we think it's a our friend, relative, co worker, neighbor ' etc. Now LE has that info and is trying to fit it together?

That had crossed my mind, too...

I was wondering how doubly horrible it would be to have someone heinously murder one's child...

and then have deep suspicions that it may be a friend/relative/etc....

and then have to relay those suspicions to the LE.... Though those suspicions may not be proven yet....

JMO

 

[SapphireSteel]

I call ********! 99 percent of the adults around did NOT play and wander about solo. I know at least since the sixties there was the "buddy system" out here in California. Hence the term tagalongs? I doubt it took Texas 50 years to catch on to the fact that somebody, preferably a parent, is responsible for watching out for their children. It is not a neighbors responsibility to be entertaining a wayward toddler. If people don't enjoy spending copious amounts of time with an energetic kid then they should leave the breeding to others.

California has always been stand alone in the child rape/abduction/murder stakes so it makes sense the "buddy system" evolved there. It also means that you can't compare the air of paranoia you grew up with to the air of safety I grew up with, or my kids do even now.

Where I live (not California) kids still wander about alone, as they do in 99% of places in the world.

Not everywhere is California. Some places won't even allow you to own a gun, which makes it safer again.

 

[carbuff]

Maybe the parents know the perp and LE knows they know. I mean , maybe they've discussed, ' we think it's a our friend, relative, co worker, neighbor ' etc. Now LE has that info and is trying to fit it together?

Good point.

There's a huge difference between LE suspecting somebody, knowing who did it, and being able to prove it.

I think they think the person in the truck may have seen something important, possibly not knowing it's important.

 

[floridamomma]

OK, here goes.

F250, no bed liner, tailgate up, as I am not TRYING to hurt them and HTH would I explain an injury to LE if it happened?! LOL!! I was on a sandy road. My lab rats were C, 2 1/2 and 40 lbs, and J, 13 yrs old, 5'8'' and 200 lbs. Sat them on a tarp, and then went and made them lay down on the tarp and tried a few turns/going straight.

They really didn't slide at all. I turned L, went back and turned R, and they leaned toward the side of the truck. (I had J tell me which way he was forced to lean as we tried each move.) Now, when I went straight, quickly, J said that C slid a bit towards the tailgate, so I went and did it again, and I suspect I'd have had to take off quickly enough to leave skid marks in order to lose either kid- C more likely, as he's lighter. (I did tear up the sand, but wasn't going to go out to the pavement to try this!)

I was totally on the fence as far as if Alanna was left there intentionally or not, but after doing this I really, really think it WAS intentional. They just didn't slide around like I thought they would. Granted, I have no idea what kind of truck (if it was a truck) she was in. It could have had a bedliner, which would be more slippery. Heck, there could have been oil spilled in the back and slid her out easily. But the boys just didn't slide like I thought they would. Even the little one, who is smaller, but closer to Alanna's weight. I have to say, if it was not intentional, she had to have been at the very end of the bed, and the driver sped off quickly to leave her there. But I am just not sure that's how it happened...

 

[fred&edna]

It was posted by her mom on her FB page. Happened at the recent church camping trip. Alanna had moved a little over to deeper part of pool, mom was in the pool nearby, saw her, grabbed her up and she was alright. More of a big scare for her mom than an actual near drowning.

Thank you.

LE obtaining a sample of the hot tub water made me think about about... obviously, it's completely unrelated.

 

[carbuff]

Has anyone considered the possibility that this precious one fell off a landscaping truck ? They are everywhere in my neighborhood. Could someone have just harmed her and placed her there when no one was paying attention ? Not necessarily the person driving, but someone nearby ? Just a thought, as i am always seeing these with lots of things in the back. They drive through many neighborhoods near one another.

Yes, I have wondered about that, too.

And a relatively heavy object on top of a load of branches and stuff would be more likely to fall off than if it was in the bed of the truck. I don't know about in Texas, but around here, lots of landscape trucks use mesh tailgates instead of metal ones. Trailers usually have low sides. Stuff slides off easily.

 

[CatFancier]

Please do not bicker! We are here to help in finding Alanna's killer, not to attack one another. We are not here to attack the parents either as they have not been named suspects or POI's.

Posts and comments that are meant to incite conflicts between members or outside parties are strictly prohibited.

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