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

[Threeplus1]

If Alanna was killed by a predator, I think it's likely that the COD was suffocation based on what has been eliminated and what I've seen in similar cases.

Why are they saying she probably wasn't beaten or strangled...Have they not gotten the results for COD back yet?

Tarrant county medical examiner's site still shows her COD as pending.

 

[eileenhawkeye]

I am in the middle about whether they have a suspect or not. LE was only seen going into the house of one family but they only took a small bag of evidence. LE also searched the cars of everyone who drove into the street. LE also announces that they are looking for three different cars. So do they have a suspect in mind or not? And if they don't a suspect, why aren't they communicating more with the public? Asking for information? Why are they saying it's an isolated event if someone kidnapped and murdered a little girl, and they have no idea who that person is?

I am hoping LE has a suspect...but is getting SWs for the parents' house, looking for certain cars, searching cars, etc...so when there is a trial, they can show that they didn't just focus on the defendant, but followed up on other leads.

ETA: If LE searched (or spent a lot of time at) the home of someone...who didn't live in Alanna's neighborhood...do you think the media would find out about it? Either through it being leaked, a neighbor telling them, or the media following LE on the road?

 

[kkdj]

I give very little weight to the information people post about themselves on websites they control. It's hardly unbiased, and most people try to put their best side forward online. I have plenty of friends who appear to be happily married on facebook, or great parents, or what have you, but it's all a matter of what they decide to post about themselves. I give more weight to the fact that she was apparently home for hours and could not be bothered to go see if her little girl was OK or confirm that she was actually playing at a friend's house. How irresponsible and neglectful.

I agree about watching kids closely. I too see irresponsible and neglect. I was just stating that I believe she loves her children and I feel very sorry for what shes going thru.

 

[GingerzMomma]

I am in the middle about whether they have a suspect or not. LE was only seen going into the house of one family but they only took a small bag of evidence. LE also searched the cars of everyone who drove into the street. LE also announces that they are looking for three different cars. So do they have a suspect in mind or not? And if they don't a suspect, why aren't they communicating more with the public? Asking for information? Why are they saying it's an isolated event if someone kidnapped and murdered a little girl, and they have no idea who that person is?

I am hoping LE has a suspect...but is getting SWs for the parents' house, looking for certain cars, searching cars, etc...so when there is a trial, they can show that they didn't just focus on the defendant, but followed up on other leads.

ETA: If LE searched (or spent a lot of time at) the home of someone...who didn't live in Alanna's neighborhood...do you think the media would find out about it? Either through it being leaked, a neighbor telling them, or the media following LE on the road?

Hmmm.....

This is only house they've been to and left with one bag, MM said she went to a neighbor's house, Ing says lab results can't come fast enough......

Doesn't address any of the vehicle stuff, though.

Thinking out loud......

 

[Threeplus1]

ETA: If LE searched (or spent a lot of time at) the home of someone...who didn't live in Alanna's neighborhood...do you think the media would find out about it? Either through it being leaked, a neighbor telling them, or the media following LE on the road?

Respectfully snipped.

According to the initial reports, local police are working with the area Major Crimes Unit and the Texas Rangers and the FBI. I think it is entirely possible for any one of these units to to have a suspect under investigation without anyone knowing why or suspecting a connection to this case.

 

[GulfCoastKAT]

I keep checking in hoping to see "ARREST" at the top..

 

[GulfCoastKAT]

That only says that LE may not be considering every theory. I think they should have at least asked to search every residence on the street and then concentrated on ones who said no.

I still think the recanvass the other day had to do with some tests results back that did not point to family. That they were fairly confident it was domestic until then and had to regroup.

As Jjenny said, it could have been a quick stop and grab too but i figure because he needed room to do everything a house she knew makes more sense.

Also LE may not have gone to any other house because they couldn't get a warrant. The occupants probably look like a normal family or married couple who wouldn't hurt a fly and if he has no history of assault there is nothing to make them zero in on that house. To many of these creeps are the person next door (be it one door or 10. Everyone likes them and can't believe they were arrested when found out.

I think I would be quiet upset if I was targeted by LE because I told them they couldn't search my home. Especially if I declined because I had nothing to do with The crime. I am a pretty private person so I wouldn't want LE going through my things for no reason.

 

[Threeplus1]

I'm the kind of parent who is over the top protective. Admittedly. Mine do not play out front without supervision and never have. I volunteered every single day at their schools. Yes, every single day. I am the first to look down my nose at what I perceive to be bad parenting.

That being said, I've also been witness to media coverage after a murder and seen people interviewed who knew nothing about the victim or what transpired. They were simply in the same school as the victim, but were reported to be "close friends". The things they said were simply not true, but everyone close to the victim was too devastated to be all over tv telling everything they knew. I was appalled to see them come inside bragging about how they were going to be on tv! It really opened my eyes to how the media will grab anyone standing around for their perspective.

According to MM (in the interview last night), she told him she was going to a friend's house. So they knew where she was going. Should they have watched her get there? Should they have confirmed that she made it there and expected a phone call from said neighbor saying she was on her way home? I certainly would have, but again, I'm considered a "helicopter" parent by many.

As a parent, we can't win. We are either smothering them or neglectful with no in-between for most on the outside looking in.

 

[fred&edna]

I think I would be quiet upset if I was targeted by LE because I told them they couldn't search my home. Especially if I declined because I had nothing to do with The crime. I am a pretty private person so I wouldn't want LE going through my things for no reason.

If a crime had been committed in my neighborhood and police asked to search my car, I'd readily agree. However, if they wanted to search my home... I think I might require a search warrant. I'm private, too! It depends upon the crime, the details, and the scope of the search.

 

[Ladylub]

That only says that LE may not be considering every theory. I think they should have at least asked to search every residence on the street and then concentrated on ones who said no.

RSBM and BBM If they had a missing child they may have went around the neighborhood asking to enter. This one is a bit backwards then many missing kids since we had a body then a report. The manner of death may not have been very messy so just looking in the home would not tell them anything. Many of the things they took from the family's home is stuff that many people have. A perp confident enough to take Alanna, kill her and dump her body all in daylight is IMO more then confident enough to let police in acting as if they did nothing wrong.

 

[GulfCoastKAT]

That only says that LE may not be considering every theory. I think they should have at least asked to search every residence on the street and then concentrated on ones who said no.

I still think the recanvass the other day had to do with some tests results back that did not point to family. That they were fairly confident it was domestic until then and had to regroup.

As Jjenny said, it could have been a quick stop and grab too but i figure because he needed room to do everything a house she knew makes more sense.

Also LE may not have gone to any other house because they couldn't get a warrant. The occupants probably look like a normal family or married couple who wouldn't hurt a fly and if he has no history of assault there is nothing to make them zero in on that house. To many of these creeps are the person next door (be it one door or 10. Everyone likes them and can't believe they were arrested when found out.

I think I would be quiet upset if I was targeted by LE because I told them they couldn't search my home. Especially if I declined because I had nothing to do with The crime.I am a pretty private person so I wouldn't want LE going through my things for no reason.

 

[coastal]

re: Honda van

I do not have a Honda van but I do have a van and many other WSers probably have also.

The seats in my van are easily removed. We take them out often if we need to transport large items.

Coastal, any ideas why you think the van's seat may have been found inside the home? (speculation only).

Nothing but speculation, really. It just feels right to me, but it is only my WAG.
:moo:

I just hate this case, so I went and found this one small thing I think I understand about it, hoping one thing would lead to another, but it didnt, yet.

 

[SuziQ]

I'm back to catching up again. So I'm probably speaking out of turn. My thoughts on the TP is that a roll or tube also fell out along with Alanna.

 

[Donjeta]

The cause of death being such a mystery now I'm wondering if she was gagged with TP and suffocated.

 

[MsFacetious]

I think I would be quiet upset if I was targeted by LE because I told them they couldn't search my home. Especially if I declined because I had nothing to do with The crime.I am a pretty private person so I wouldn't want LE going through my things for no reason.

I am extremely private. My kids friends don't come over. Family doesn't come over.
However, when a child went missing down the street I immediately invited LE inside.
Despite the fact that we'd just returned from the hospital and I was exhausted.

The killer actually did the same thing despite her body being in the house...
They did not find her body in that initial search since she was concealed in a bin. They walked by her. :twocents:

 

[CaptainKangaroo]

I don't care who looks like a "normal" family/person etc. LE should know better to not go by appearances. I realize they can't get warrants for every house within a mile radius but you would think that they would want to go in and talk to residents and try and figure out the comings and goings of everybody.

I hope we hear something soon. It's been nine days already and there is a killer on the loose.

And where are the dogs? Why haven't they used scent dogs/cadaver dogs? I haven't seen any pics of them out there with dogs or heard of them bringing in dogs.

 

[sreshowtime]

hmm... the perp isn't necessarily male

 

[human]

I am so impressed! WS peeps are true detectives. All the ideas about the cooler, blue cloth. Yup, any of them make sense. Thanks!

I think we have enough ideas for the TP as possibilities of what could be the need to get TP.

What now?

Do they always say not to worry? Isolated incident?

If you look at the Josh Powell case, they knew so much. It seems enough to arrest him, but I guess it wasn't.

Since the Caylee case, I think LE is very thorough on what they do. No one wants that debacle again.

So we are awaiting the results of WS peeps who are going to test the theory of accident or on purpose for the body from the truck.

To me it is crazy they have the license plate of a red truck, but no news on that?

A van without hubcaps? That would seem easy to ID.

She could have been violated in a van. Where?

The window would be between 5- maybe 6:45. Then clean up and disposal.

A time when most people are home, in and out. Sounds like lots of activities in the community. Walkers. Runners. Etc

 

[SurfieTX]

I'm reminded of Breann Rodriguez. She was the little girl riding her bike outside with her brother. One of their neighbors, Shawn Morgan, father of 3, snatched her and her bike. He then suffocated her with a plastic bag. Didn't do anything else sexually or otherwise. He dumped her bike training wheels and participated in the searches for her. She has a thread here too on Websleuths.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/breeann-ro...charged-murder/story?id=14297243#.Ud2V19Lkua8

 

[alwaysonmymind]

News 8 WFAA played part of the raw interview with MM.
Entire uncut video on WFAA website.

He's not sure LE wants him to disclose the last time she was seen.