GUILTY TX - Alanna Gallagher, 6, Saginaw, 1 July 2013 - #7

[floridamomma]

My AP (advanced placement) English teachers would be so proud of this sentence structure. This is why you shouldn't post while taking a conference call.

:floorlaugh:

ha!

my pet peeves: i would of thought they could of....

ack!!!!

and.... next time i will try and say could have....

TRY TO!!!

/end rant/ thank you.

 

[willowfae]

But all three vehicles were searched. But you could be right. I'm gonna guess this is MM's car since he was the only adult home at the time Alanna went missing. JMO

I think it's KG's.

 

[gitana1]

The fires remind me of the wedding dress theft after Laci Peterson disappeared. It was completely unrelated ... just a crazy person that did a crazy thing. That could be what happened here too. It could also be a crazy person that disagrees with the unusual marriage arrangement. Is this in a Bible belt by any chance?

It is.

I don't know, this gets into areas where I'm sure my pool of knowledge comes too much from television. If the family isn't fully cleared, wouldn't they watch their movements?

I think they don't need to as much when the child isn't
missing. However I know from experience with my cases where we use PIs that tracking a subject's movements or activities is not done by watching the outside of their house. But I frankly don't want to say more on that subject.

 

[Pensfan]

I think Pensfan meant "Alanna" instead of "Laura." IIRC, there was mention of Alanna doing chores before she went missing (from LD, I believe?)

Thank you. I just saw that and edited it. I hope LDhummingbird will be so kind to answer it. She previously told us that Alanna didn't leave to run errands with Laura and herself, but stayed at home with MM to do some chores. I am curious to know what chores Alanna regularly... <modsnip>

 

[1southernmama]

can't find the original post, but the question of "hair sticking out of the bag" - one of the news stories said it was a 'Walmart' bag.
I use plastic grocery bags to line my small trash cans & they almost always have holes in them that you could see through. (Small pieces of paper can go through and end up on the bottom of the trash can.)
It also depends on how the bag was secured.

 

[Threeplus1]

can't find the original post, but the question of "hair sticking out of the bag" - one of the news stories said it was a 'Walmart' bag.
I use plastic grocery bags to line my small trash cans & they almost always have holes in them that you could see through. (Small pieces of paper can go through and end up on the bottom of the trash can.)
It also depends on how the bag was secured.

And I thought the original quote was "bag on her head" which could mean a bag stuck to her head or somewhat covering her head, not fully enclosing the entire head.

 

[gitana1]

ha!

my pet peeves: i would of thought they could of....

ack!!!!

and.... next time i will try and say could have....

TRY TO!!!

/end rant/ thank you.

Not to derail but totally in agreement. People hear the "ve" sound of would've, should've, could've, and hear "of" which is a totally different word. It makes me itch! (My mom was an English teacher for awhile).

But here's one that I've discovered few are aware of, including professors and other educated people. But it is totally wrong: "Get off of there." A thing or person is either of something or somewhere or off something or somewhere. Not both. No need for the extra "of". My mom has drilled that into me.

Sorry for the OT!!

Back to Alanna. Do we know how many vehicles the family has and if all were searched? Do we know if any other vehicles in. The neighborhood were searched? Or other homes?

 

[Linda7NJ]

can't find the original post, but the question of "hair sticking out of the bag" - one of the news stories said it was a 'Walmart' bag.
I use plastic grocery bags to line my small trash cans & they almost always have holes in them that you could see through. (Small pieces of paper can go through and end up on the bottom of the trash can.)
It also depends on how the bag was secured.

Teen who found her when interviewed motioned with his hand to his neck when describing tape...make of that what you will. Video is posted up thread somewhere.

 

[Linda7NJ]

Not to derail but totally in agreement. People hear the "ve" sound of would've, should've, could've, and hear "of" which is a totally different word. It makes me itch! (My mom was an English teacher for awhile).

But here's one that I've discovered few are aware of, including professors and other educated people. But it is totally wrong: "Get off of there." A thing or person is either of something or somewhere or off something or somewhere. Not both. No need for the extra "of". My mom has drilled that into me.

Sorry for the OT!!

Back to Alanna. Do we know how many vehicles the family has and if all were searched? Do we know if any other vehicles in. The neighborhood were searched? Or other homes?

All we have is the inventory from the SW that included 3 cars.

 

[bessie]

“At first, I just thought it was some rubber stuff at first, and then I got a closer look and all I saw was a bag and I saw some hair sticking out and so, I was like, ‘Oh my God! It’s a girl!’ And that’s when I dropped to my knees and just started crying,” said 18-year-old John Smith.

http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Ne...erneath-Tarp-on-Saginaw-Street-213959331.html

911 call (audio only file)
Saginaw 911, where is your emergency?
Caller: We have a dead body on the corner of Round Rock & Cindy Lane in Saginaw.
911: Round Rock & Cindy Lane?
Caller: Yes, mam. I think it's a little girl in a plastic bag. Somebody dropped it off.
911: And what exactly is it?
Caller: I think it's a baby girl, a little girl.
911: And you say its in a baggie?
Caller: Yes, Its in a bag & everything. Its in a bag, it was tarped up. My kids opened it up. Because they said they were playing around with a dead body. I didn't open it all the way up but I can see the legs and eveything. There's a belt around it. Tape.
911: How big is it, is it small like?
Caller: I'm going to say probably.... oh, age ?
911: Well, is it a small like a Walmart bag or like a bigger trash bag?
Caller: Its a black trash bag. I don't know if its real. It looks real. I don't want to put my fingers all over it.
911: Thats fine.
end of recording

http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/07/03/4980912/911-call-i-think-its-a-little.html

 

[Linda7NJ]

Correction about the dog photo. It was earlier today I saw it. So it could very well be arson dog. My mistake. Sorry.

 

[ArianeEmory]

Not to derail but totally in agreement. People hear the "ve" sound of would've, should've, could've, and hear "of" which is a totally different word. It makes me itch! (My mom was an English teacher for awhile).

But here's one that I've discovered few are aware of, including professors and other educated people. But it is totally wrong: "Get off of there." A thing or person is either of something or somewhere or off something or somewhere. Not both. No need for the extra "of". My mom has drilled that into me.

(It's a 'mute' point anyway.)

(*ducks*)

 

[Linda7NJ]

(It's a 'mute' point anyway.)

(*ducks*)

Roflmao!

 

[briTCU]

I think its possible that if Alanna's death was "punishment" for something the family did or is doing, I could see the perp feeling as if they deserved it and that there shouldn't be a memorial.... a "let them suffer" kind of thing. Maybe I've read to many books....

That is a very good point. It really only makes sense for whoever desecrated a beautiful child's memorial to be involved in her death IMO This case gets more confusing by the second and the town is getting a lot scarier as well.

And I know that it would've been risky for the person involved to do this last night, but it was riskier for someone to take a child in broad daylight and leave her on a somewhat busy residential intersection. I think the perp might just like the risk or maybe they want to get caught. And they certainly like attention. Maybe they were angry at the lack of attention?

 

[LDhummingbird]

Alanna (and her siblings) was assigned by Laura to fold and put away some laundry before we left.

Yes, the family has lawyers.

The family has two cars, a minivan, and two motorcycles.

Were there any other questions I missed? It's been a hectic day and I'm so mad I can't think straight, so I apologize if I did miss anything.

 

[x_files]

Hello Websleuth community,

Apologies for the long, long, post...

I'm an acquaintance/friend of Alanna's family. I know her non-biological father best (an incredibly sweet guy), and once spent a really fun afternoon playing board games with the whole family. They're all wonderful people, and I have vivid memories of a 4 ½ year old Alanna giving me lots of hugs and demanding to be picked up and swung around. She was so beautiful and full of love, my heart just breaks for all of them.

As a mom, these cases are always really tough on me, but this one hit so very close to home... I want justice for Alanna and some measure of peace for her family, and I'm posting this because something has been bothering me increasingly over these last weeks – especially after hearing that LE are at a standstill. I'd like your opinions on something that happened at our home, less than 48 hours before Alanna was murdered.

On the night of June 29th, we had a friend in from out of town. We had taken our daughter (an occasional playmate of Alanna's older sister) to see Peter Pan in Fort Worth that day. By the time we left the theater, it was nearly 11:00, and our friend wanted us to meet him for drinks before he had to go home. Since the bar was in Fort Worth and we only had the one car, I dropped my husband off there before taking my daughter home and dropping her off with my son (almost 18). By the time I met back up with the guys, it was midnight. We stayed a little past 2:00 AM, and by the time we arrived back home it was nearly 3:00.

Being the driver, I was completely sober of course, and my husband had also been drinking conservatively – he was not drunk in any way. As we approached our home we saw a strange man emerging from the immediate vicinity of our house. Our memories of the event differ slightly, but it definitely raised our hackles. I thought the man came from the very dark area between our house and the neighbors', while my husband (who didn't have to watch the road) said he came from the front porch. Either way, he was definitely on our property in the middle of the night.

The man saw our headlights approaching, and quickly walked down our driveway and across the street. By the time I parked he was on the other side of the street, a couple of houses down, and increasing his pace. My husband told me to check on the kids, and took off after him. I was torn for a moment, not wanting him to get hurt, but the kids took priority so I raced inside to make sure they were okay. I was met by our dogs as usual, and they didn't seem particularly agitated, but then again, Mom was home. I pounded upstairs to find two sleeping kids, and then back outside to check on my husband.

He was walking back toward me. He said that the man had apparently gone into a house four houses down from ours, on the other side of the street. I asked him later if he actually saw the door open and he said he hadn't, and couldn't be sure if he'd even heard it open and close. He took photos of the house and the cars in the driveway, in case anything at home was wrong, and headed back. We checked all the doors and found no sign that anyone had attempted to force them.

We didn't call the police. I wish now that we had, but I'm too willing to give someone the benefit of the doubt. My husband was upset and wanted to call them, or knock on the door of the house and demand to know what was going on, but I argued that nothing looked out of place, everyone was fine, and that the guy might have been drunk and looking for a dark place to pee (the house directly across the street from where he seems to have gone has young people in it, and they sometimes have raucous parties), or chasing Marshmallow - a neighborhood stray cat. (I was still convinced he'd come from the side of the house, and when I went to check back there, Marshmallow was there as she often is.) I also didn't want a confrontation with a possibly drunk neighbor at 3:00 in the morning, and in the end I convinced my husband to let it go. Thirty-seven and a half hours later, Alanna's body was found.

When I heard that a child's body had been found in Saginaw Monday evening, I called my husband, distraught. His first thought was the creeper guy from two nights ago, and so I called the tip line and told them about the incident, including a description of the man. I gave them my information, and they said they'd call if they had any more questions. Wednesday morning I heard the identity of the child, and went into hysterics. No one has contacted us about the incident.


I know I'm an idiot for not wanting to call the police, when we had an apparent prowler while our kids were home alone. I also know there's a good chance it's completely unrelated. But it's driving me crazy hearing that LE have no leads, while no one has followed up on this. For a while I was hoping that they weren't calling us because they had a description that didn't match ours, but that hope is fading with each desperate call for information. Monday I called the tip line again, having heard that they were looking for two dark SUVs – there's a dark SUV in the driveway of that house at night. But they said they were only looking for a red truck, and that investigators were going through all tips carefully.

Other relevant information:

We have an eleven year old daughter.

We live about 2 ½ miles away from Alanna's home, and the place where her body was found is about halfway between her house and ours.

A couple of days ago on this site, there was discussion about a swimming pool, and a map to the nearest one. That pool is in our sub-development, my kids walk there all the time.

I have not mentioned this to the family. It's tenuous at best, and while I consider them friends, I don't feel I know them well enough to intrude on their grief for any less-than-concrete reason.



I've been following the discussion here for several days, and there are some very smart people here. I guess I just needed to get this off my chest, and see what others think. I'd like to think that we haven't been called because LE is following other, better, leads. But the complete lack of information is wearing on everyone, especially residents of this haunted little town. I was hoping that at least you guys might be able to make something of the fact that we haven't been contacted.


If you've made it all the way through this enormously long post, thanks for your time.
- A

I'd contact the police. Walk into a station and show them the photo of the house and cars you took that night.
Demand (nicely) that they take down your report.
I'd call Alannah's parents asap.
If I was them I would want to speak to you asap.
This is very important.

 

[ahintexas]

ITA.

Suspicious or being made to look suspicious.

Big time hink, why the car?

Question: Was the car ever taken in on a warrant?

Pretty damn specific thing to torch, and I don't like it one bit.

EXACTLY! Why just that car? If you truly wanted to make a statement or threat, why not set both on fire?

 

[greenpalm]

The fires remind me of the wedding dress theft after Laci Peterson disappeared. It was completely unrelated ... just a crazy person that did a crazy thing. That could be what happened here too. It could also be a crazy person that disagrees with the unusual marriage arrangement. Is this in a Bible belt by any chance?

This made me laugh out loud.

Oh yes, yes yes yes yes. It sure is. Oh my goodness yes.

 

[greenpalm]

There are thunderstorms moving through DFW today. Not in Saginaw yet. They are unusual, in that they are moving from East to West.

Most systems move West to East.

 

[ArianeEmory]

I haven't been able to even come up with a single intelligent post to make about the fires. Nothing. Almost everything you all have theorized (and some things I know people are thinking about but are against TOS) all seem 'possible', and yet none of it seems likely. This thing just gets weirder every day.

And I agree that house and everyone around them need to get cheap remote surveillance cameras.