TX TX - Bridgette Gearen, 28, Crystal Beach, 14 July 2007

[Bobbisangel]

I wonder who stayed home with the baby after the friends left? I have a theory, and I'd love some opinions. Here goes:

Mom and friends decide one of the male friends is going to stay with the baby while the others go out for a drive. Male friend manages to strangle mom to the point that she passes out (one of the articles stated that the ME was unsure if strangulation was the cause of death) and closes the door to the room she's in. He then proceeds to go outside and open and close the gate to make it sound as if she had left. Friend's assume mom went outside / left for whatever reason, and leave a few minutes later, not knowing she was still in the house. The male friend is staying home with the baby, so he has a reason to stay behind. Mom is passed out in a bedroom somewhere even though they think she left. He now has time to rape and beat her and dump her on the beach before the other's return.

Sound possible?

Did she take the baby with her on the weekend trip?

 

[Taximom]

I wonder who stayed home with the baby after the friends left? I have a theory, and I'd love some opinions. Here goes:

Mom and friends decide one of the male friends is going to stay with the baby while the others go out for a drive. Male friend manages to strangle mom to the point that she passes out (one of the articles stated that the ME was unsure if strangulation was the cause of death) and closes the door to the room she's in. He then proceeds to go outside and open and close the gate to make it sound as if she had left. Friend's assume mom went outside / left for whatever reason, and leave a few minutes later, not knowing she was still in the house. The male friend is staying home with the baby, so he has a reason to stay behind. Mom is passed out in a bedroom somewhere even though they think she left. He now has time to rape and beat her and dump her on the beach before the other's return.

Sound possible?

It's been a while since I've looked at the facts of the case, but you are right-someone had to watch Kyra if she left for a drive. Your idea would cover all the friend's stories matching.

That's another odd part to this story. Would she leave her presumably sleeping child alone or with one of the friends to go on this ride or would she have awakened Kyra to go? What if she found one of the "friends" doing something to Kyra? I wonder if Bridgette was drugged?

I hope they figure this out soon! There's a brutal rapist and murderer out there somewhere. :sick:

 

[Taximom]

Did she take the baby with her on the weekend trip?

Yes, several articles say that she and her 2-yr old were staying there with friends.

 

[UM&AMWfan]

I wonder who stayed home with the baby after the friends left? I have a theory, and I'd love some opinions. Here goes:

Mom and friends decide one of the male friends is going to stay with the baby while the others go out for a drive. Male friend manages to strangle mom to the point that she passes out (one of the articles stated that the ME was unsure if strangulation was the cause of death) and closes the door to the room she's in. He then proceeds to go outside and open and close the gate to make it sound as if she had left. Friend's assume mom went outside / left for whatever reason, and leave a few minutes later, not knowing she was still in the house. The male friend is staying home with the baby, so he has a reason to stay behind. Mom is passed out in a bedroom somewhere even though they think she left. He now has time to rape and beat her and dump her on the beach before the other's return.

Sound possible?

But there likely would've been some interaction between the friends and the guy before they left and when they went to say bye to the male friend they would've seen that he was raping/killing Gearen. It's possible but I think all the friends (including the guy staying behind) would've been physically too close in the same house to have him actually kill/rape someone right under thier nose.

Now if you change things a bit and say they ALL conspired to kill her meaning the friends agreed to leave to let him rape/kill her then your scenario concurs with this but it is very hard to believe that they ALL were on it so that's probably not what happened.

But I still think it's a pretty good chance one of those "friends" was involved or a friend of those friends.

 

[Taximom]

Officials hope clue moves case forward:
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/5008704.html

Family pleads for clues:
http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/s...8624713&BRD=2287&PAG=461&dept_id=512588&rfi=6

$10,000 Reward
http://www.orangeleader.com/local/local_story_207232230.html

Friends say she was one of the nicest people:
http://www.orangeleader.com/local/local_story_201004554.html

Gearen struggled, may have inflicted pain
http://www.orangeleader.com/local/local_story_202021638.html

(may have left scratches, bite marks, bruises) I hope they have some DNA under her fingernails or elsewhere.

 

[Bobbisangel]

No news on this case yet? I have so many questions about the people that she was with.

 

[dale46]

If they were going for a drive right around midnight then why didn't they talk to authorities or look for her until the next morning??? I agree this doesn't sound right.

Any update?

I agree here,
If she was as nice as they say and knew her that well then why wait to search for her?
Were they drinking or has that been brought up?
I also wonder how many friends we are talking about and how many place's were rented out besides them?

 

[MeoW333]

Here's an update and link for this case. Evidently several witnesses saw her being adducted and put into a vehicle.



Vehicle sought in Gearen murder
By Debby Schamber

The Orange Leader



Following a tip from the Golden Triangle, Galveston County Sheriff’s Office detectives are now looking for a vehicle that could have been involved in the July 15 murder of Bridgette Gearen.

Gearen, a 28-year-old Orange woman, was killed while spending the weekend with friends at a rented beach house on Crystal Beach.

“This is the best lead that we have had and this can lead us to a suspect,” said Maj. Ray Tuttoilmondo of the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office. “The vehicle is most definitely related to the crime.”

Investigators spoke with several witnesses Thursday and Friday who reported they saw Gearen around the suspect vehicle.

However, it is not determined whether Gearen was forced into the vehicle. Witnesses did say they heard screams in the area, but could not directly relate it to Gearen’s murder.

The vehicle is described as a newer model small to mid-size 4-door SUV. It is described as dark blue, gray or black in color. The SUV has a spare tire mounted on the rear. There is a third brake light mounted in the center above the rear window. The windows are said to be very darkly tinted.

Anyone who may have seen a vehicle matching the description or anyone that may be familiar with someone owning such a vehicle that was in the Crystal Beach area that weekend is urged to call the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office at 409-766-2222 or 866-248-8477.

After additional examinations of Gearen’s body, it is believed she struggled with her killer. The detectives suspect the assailant may display some injuries such as scratches, bruises or maybe some bite marks.

The Bolivar Peninsula Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and other local business owners have collected money for a reward fund of $10,000.

The local bank, Texas First Bank, has also put the reward information on their marquee. Anyone wanting to contribute to the Bridgette Gearen Reward Fund can do so at any of the locations.



Reach this reporter at 409-883-3571, Ext. 2613, or [email protected]



http://www.orangeleader.com/local/local_story_208224300.html

 

[Bobbisangel]

I wonder if the witnesses who saw the vehicle were the friends that were with her at the house or was it people that had nothing to do with the friends?

 

[Taximom]

I wonder if the witnesses who saw the vehicle were the friends that were with her at the house or was it people that had nothing to do with the friends?

I wondered that at first too, but in the 1st article I linked in post #25 it says:

Investigators learned only a couple days ago that a group of people enjoying a bonfire on the beach had noticed a woman, just a few yards from the beach house, get into the back passenger seat of the "suspect vehicle" around midnight. They heard a woman screaming from that area, said Tuttoilmondo.
Because that side of the car was screened from the witnesses' view, they are unsure if she was forced into the car.

 

[UM&AMWfan]

It's been over 2 months. Any update on Bridgette?

That first link with the article and the pic doesn't even work anymore. Any new links?

 

[UM&AMWfan]

Bump for Bridgette.

 

[SLY]

It definitely doesn't make sense to me, who else is on the beach at that hour of day? .

~Snip

Me and my boyfriend use to spend a lot of odd hours out Crystal Beach back when I lived in Baytown, TX. during the 1990's. To me it made sense.

I don't know what it is like now but many times when I got off work at 2 AM I went there. I don't understand why that would seem strange. It sure was a good thing for me. The sound of water helped calm me down if my night had been stressful and the water helped ease my aching feet and legs. It was a place I went to many, many times for meditation at all hours.

There are also those who are born nocturnal, I am one and know many others. If you do not know what that means, it is that some actually function, concentrate better late at night into the morning.
This does not make us bad people.

I am very sad of what happened to Bridgette. A bad person did this.

Sly

 

[Taximom]

This was in the heat of summer, vacation time. From what I gleaned this was quite the party spot during the summer, so I would imagine there were lots of people up late on the beach.

It's too bad the witnesses didn't realize something was wrong though!

SLY, is it typically a well-lit area? Are you familiar with the area she was last seen?

 

[SLY]

That first link with the article and the pic doesn't even work anymore. Any new links?

~Snip

I just tried it also... it took me to the Chronicle search page and I simply type her name in the search box and the story appeared.

Sly

 

[SLY]

SLY, is it typically a well-lit area? Are you familiar with the area she was last seen?

~Snip

No, it was not lite at all in the 90's. You could see "stars dancing on the water" as Rodney Crowell (from Crosby, TX) sings in a song. But they are really the light reflection from the refineries around there.

I was VERY familiar with that area in the 90's. I always felt safe. Also, there was always police patrols. They knew my truck and always stoped to say hi.
And there was always lots of extra patroling when anything was going on.

I hung out there for close to a decade and the worse thing I can ever remembering happening there was when tons of bundled cocaine washed to shore.

As a teenager my Son and his friends also hung out there. He also knew the police that patrolled there (in a good way). I never worried when they went there.

Sad that this has happened in a place I have so many good memories.

Sly

 

[sissy's mom]

~Snip

No, it was not lite at all in the 90's. You could see "stars dancing on the water" as Rodney Crowell (from Crosby, TX) sings in a song. But they are really the light reflection from the refineries around there.

I was VERY familiar with that area in the 90's. I always felt safe. Also, there was always police patrols. They knew my truck and always stoped to say hi.
And there was always lots of extra patroling when anything was going on.

I hung out there for close to a decade and the worse thing I can ever remembering happening there was when tons of bundled cocaine washed to shore.

As a teenager my Son and his friends also hung out there. He also knew the police that patrolled there (in a good way). I never worried when they went there.

Sad that this has happened in a place I have so many good memories.

Sly

me too, sly

my dh and I spent prom night there WAY back in 1984... how sad for Bridgette... but it was safe when I was there

 

[barb0301]

The 1 year anniversary of Bridgette's death is coming up on July 15. Bumping for her, hoping for renewed interest and more leads.

 

[Taximom]

The 1 year anniversary of Bridgette's death is coming up on July 15. Bumping for her, hoping for renewed interest and more leads.

Oh, Barb, thanks for bumping this. I hate when I forget about cases slowly turning cold like this.

Here's an article about the year anniversary:
http://therecordlive.com/article.cfm?articleID=50518

"We do have one or two persons of interest that we are looking closely at," said Lt. Tommy Hansen, lead investigator. "This is a very open investigation."
Galveston had two homicides this week, so officers were somewhat busy for interviews Monday, but Hansen said he had a two-foot stack of files in the Gearen case on his desk. "This one haunts me," he said. "Somebody knows something ... somebody from the Golden Triangle ... this case isn't closed by any means."

 

[philamena]

What a a sad, sad, unsolved case.