Unorganized Searching

[Blackwatch]

I'm confused and disappointed by the way things went down this weekend. I'm confused because I believed Tim when he said TES would search until Tuesday and they didn't. I'm disappointed because I guess I had thought there was one man in the world you could count on. I was wrong and it's my own fault for investing a human being with more virtues than the rest of us posess. That is wrong, we ALL have feet of clay. It's just that this is a hard way to learn that.

I want to thank everyone who got out there in the brush and the bugs and the heat, and all the nastiness and did what the rest of us wanted to do, but couldn't. Many of us donated what we could, and were glad to do so.

I need to add that I'm horrified the leader's meeting was held in MN's nightclub. I'm sorry so many things happened in this search that weren't totally positive. I guess I'm sorry to see a man fall off his pedestal - but no human being should be put on one in the first place. A pedestal is a very precarious place to be and I don't believe it's much fun. I guess I'm sorry to see things the way they really are instead of the way we wanted them to be be. I guess there really isn't any superman and I feel sad.

 

[Truthwillsetufree]

I understand. What I don't understand is why TM would bad mouth another man that I thought was his friend for going out and paying to have divers come in and dive into the Econ River where everyone knows Casey used to take Caylee often to play. Everyone should support one another and be glad that others are out searching for precious Caylee. IMO LP cares about little Caylee just like everyone else does and he wants to just help. Thank you all who have helped search or helped in other ways. Hugs

Hey Gurl, I saw you on TV, so did my family and I was a hollerin', I know her...(Like I know you, I feel like I do anyway)...My family thinks your a Rockstar!!!!! Thanks for all you do and did. You searchers are Topz in my book!!!!!:blowkiss:

 

[Sparky]

What happened to this is all about Caylee....................

Chester I'm jumping off your post. Thank you.

It seems as though Caylee may have been forgotten somewhere along the line.

Personally I would like to say "Thank you" to those that donated food and water. It was greatly appreciated.

I know it was very hard for TES and the volunteers to get their teams together and conduct a search when they didn't know the area. Did "we" volunteers have a problem waiting around? No, because we were hoping to bring a beautiful baby that is missing home. It was about Caylee not us.

None of us knew what to expect as this was our first search. I don't think anyone that hasn't been on a search like this can fully understand what goes on. I know I didn't. I had no idea that I would be walking so far back in the woods that I would come out with wet pant legs up to my knees and ticks in my hair. I didn't care though, cause I was hoping that over the w/e Caylee would be found. We didn't care we drove our own POV. Didn't matter. I had no idea it would be so emotional but it was.

I know we are disappointed that she hasn't been found yet and everyone is entitled to their own opinions.

Whether it be TES or another search team, or group I would do it again. For Caylee or the next missing person. Doesn't matter who leads up the search effort, what matters is it's being done and hopefully they'll be brought home. In this case with Caylee, I believe it wasn't her time to come home yet, but maybe one day soon.

 

[Chilly Willy]

I believe that Tim had a lot of very good reasons for ending the search and that he shouldn't be judged harshly for it. IMO> Tim knows that the outlook for finding Caylee without specific information as to her whereabouts is very slim. Massive amounts of money and time were being spent, with little chance of success. I think Tim returned to Orlando against his better judgment, in response to public outcry. That said, I believe he would have stayed, even with the knowledge that the search would likely fail, if he hadn't seen that the entire effort was about to become a circus with LP as the ring leader. I believe he cut his losses and high-tailed it out of Dodge in an effort to avoid being associated with LP's media events. Tim has class and integrity, there's no way he could approve of LP's antics and he didn't want the good name and reputation of TES tarnished. Tim's comments about LP show that he's furious with him. LP betrayed him. Tim is not a man who acts first and thinks later. If he's angry with LP, he has good reason to be.

I can't blame him for moving on, and I'm sure he didn't want to leave so many disappointed and discouraged people behind. Try to look at things from Tim's side.

 

[Truthwillsetufree]

would sonar pick up a few small bones in the water? Its not like it would be an intact body .

Excellent point. I don't know if it is an accurate point because I am not an expert but from my perspective an excellent point.

 

[Truthwillsetufree]

Oh, my.

Was the check a donation to help the search or a donation for them to cease searching? I really don't want to think that, because I respect TM and everything he has done.

wow,wow,wow.

 

[txsvicki]

I don't understand why there is all that much disappointment over Tim leaving one day early. Didn't about a hundred of his people stay and search? Also, I can understand people needing plenty of water while actually out in the heat searching, but food sure wouldn't be on my mind except for maybe a cheese sandwich or something for some protein. I'm very suprised that many people didn't become ill from eating spicy popeyes fried chicken and pizza while out in that heat working. Any community is lucky to have someone come in and organize a big search and also bring their own equipment such as sonar or horses where called for. If it doesn't appear to well organized, I'll bet it's more together than it appears.

 

[Blackwatch]

I believe that Tim had a lot of very good reasons for ending the search and that he shouldn't be judged harshly for it. IMO> Tim knows that the outlook for finding Caylee without specific information as to her whereabouts is very slim. Massive amounts of money and time were being spent, with little chance of success. I think Tim returned to Orlando against his better judgment, in response to public outcry. That said, I believe he would have stayed, even with the knowledge that the search would likely fail, if he hadn't seen that the entire effort was about to become a circus with LP as the ring leader. I believe he cut his losses and high-tailed it out of Dodge in an effort to avoid being associated with LP's media events. Tim has class and integrity, there's no way he could approve of LP's antics and he didn't want the good name and reputation of TES tarnished. Tim's comments about LP show that he's furious with him. LP betrayed him. Tim is not a man who acts first and thinks later. If he's angry with LP, he has good reason to be.

I can't blame him for moving on, and I'm sure he didn't want to leave so many disappointed and discouraged people behind. Try to look at things from Tim's side.

Bolding mine. I believe Tim tarnished his own name by not keeping his word. Hightailing it out of Dodge wasn't a class act, in my opinion. I don't believe LP can be blamed because Tim decided to "cut his loses".

I'm just disgusted and sad this all went down the way it did.

 

[Chilly Willy]

Bolding mine. I believe Tim tarnished his own name by not keeping his word. Hightailing it out of Dodge wasn't a class act, in my opinion. I don't believe LP can be blamed because Tim decided to "cut his loses".

I'm just disgusted and sad this all went down the way it did.

I can understand why you feel that way. I think Tim had little choice.

 

[cocoamom]

As much as I appreciate what TES & LP are doing, it has been bugging me since this past weekend that I feel I need to make these comments.
The organizational skills of the Core Team w/TES was poor at best this past weekend. Many team leads were not given specific map locations/grids of where to search. As a team lead, I was told on Sunday to hang out at the core team tent, but wasn't given any real direction of what they needed me to do, so I did whatever I thought needed to be done.

Many, many search teams had to use their own vehicles to go to their assigned search spot, and many were not from the area, so had problems knowing where to go. Those that rode a bus, ran out of food and water half way through their 2 hour assignment, and had to load onto the bus to go to a local fast food or convenience store to refresh their bodies.

The TES command center phone was directed to VM all day Saturday, so if we came upon something, we had to call 911. When we did call 911 upon stumbling upon something, it took FOREVER for a deputy to show up.

Many teams were not assigned a CSI person because there simply weren't enough to go around. Many teams were also not assigned an EMT as there weren't enough to go around.

We were told to line up at arms length and move forward while searching but that was simply not possible because of the "thick thickets" that we had to walk through. I assigned a number to each of my team members, told them to scatter the area in small segments, and every 30 minutes I did a number call out so as to know where they were and if they found anything.

Sign in sheets were not numbered on Saturday, so when it came time to sign out, you had to look at over 40 sheets to find your name.

And as a team lead, I was able to see the core TES team run around like chickens with their heads cut off. (Love them to death though)

Any WS'rs that were there searching this weekend know what I'm talking about.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

With that said, I REALLY DO appreciate what TES stands for, but can see why little Caylee hasn't been found yet. Therefore, myself, my husband, AND his army unit of 6 will continue to search on the weekends and hope to bring this baby home.

:clap::clap::clap::clap::clap: Very well said!! I was there - same exact scenario!! Were you on my team??? I brought a whistle and gave it to my team leader. Every once in a while he blew it and we all regrouped. I adore TM and TES and the entire intention of them, but was also VERY very disenchanted with the process. The organization was atrocious! If I had known it was going to be that bad, I would have reported the day before and organized - lots of us would have...

I still fail to understand what cost so much $$ since the food and water was mostly donated by WSers and Murt groups - people were mostly volunteer, off duty cops and equipment, etc. Maybe those sonars are expensive by the hour? Helicopter ride arounds? Hotels? Didn't TM say on NG that he was flying in 100 team members? How much was that? hotels? food?

Still gotta love them though - each and every one...

 

[Truthwillsetufree]

Just found this:

Strait Talk with Texas EquuSearch's Tim Miller

*snipped*
"When I asked him why he suspended the search effort, Tim had this to say:

'I feel as though we accomplished a lot. Nearly all of the areas that law enforcement wanted covered have been searched. We generated far more resources than before. We now have 100 local members on the scene. They are capable of doing a good job and they are going to continue looking for Caylee. I challenge anyone to sit in my office and when the family of a missing person calls, tell them that they can't be helped until Caylee is found. Someone else can, cause I'm not going to do that.' "

http://blogs.discovery.com/criminal_...-wit.html#more

The link isn't working.
http://blogs.discovery.com/criminal_report/2008/11/strait-talk-wit.html
I hope this is the correct link.

 

[jennyb]

After reading some of the first-hand descriptions of the (or lack of) organization and handling of the search i have to agree with the poster who earlier wondered what if the 3,000 or 8,000 volunteers had actually shown up. TOTAL CHAOS. Holy moley.

 

[cyberborg]

I'm confused and disappointed by the way things went down this weekend. I'm confused because I believed Tim when he said TES would search until Tuesday and they didn't. I'm disappointed because I guess I had thought there was one man in the world you could count on. I was wrong and it's my own fault for investing a human being with more virtues than the rest of us posess. That is wrong, we ALL have feet of clay. It's just that this is a hard way to learn that.

I want to thank everyone who got out there in the brush and the bugs and the heat, and all the nastiness and did what the rest of us wanted to do, but couldn't. Many of us donated what we could, and were glad to do so.

I need to add that I'm horrified the leader's meeting was held in MN's nightclub. I'm sorry so many things happened in this search that weren't totally positive. I guess I'm sorry to see a man fall off his pedestal - but no human being should be put on one in the first place. A pedestal is a very precarious place to be and I don't believe it's much fun. I guess I'm sorry to see things the way they really are instead of the way we wanted them to be be. I guess there really isn't any superman and I feel sad.

:clap::clap::woohoo::clap::clap:

 

[jennyb]

And please correct me if I have the timeline wrong, but weren't the dramatic drop in numbers for the second day due to TM's announcement that they were not going to find her, ever? I could be wrong but that's how I remember it.

Anyway, no one is condemning TM. He came for awhile. And then he left. So he did something.

 

[cyberborg]

I believe that Tim had a lot of very good reasons for ending the search and that he shouldn't be judged harshly for it. IMO> Tim knows that the outlook for finding Caylee without specific information as to her whereabouts is very slim. Massive amounts of money and time were being spent, with little chance of success. I think Tim returned to Orlando against his better judgment, in response to public outcry. That said, I believe he would have stayed, even with the knowledge that the search would likely fail, if he hadn't seen that the entire effort was about to become a circus with LP as the ring leader. I believe he cut his losses and high-tailed it out of Dodge in an effort to avoid being associated with LP's media events. Tim has class and integrity, there's no way he could approve of LP's antics and he didn't want the good name and reputation of TES tarnished. Tim's comments about LP show that he's furious with him. LP betrayed him. Tim is not a man who acts first and thinks later. If he's angry with LP, he has good reason to be.

I can't blame him for moving on, and I'm sure he didn't want to leave so many disappointed and discouraged people behind. Try to look at things from Tim's side.

There were MANY other factors that played into TM's decision to pull tents so prematurely, maybe LP was the straw that broke the camel's back and is taking much of the heat but I respectfully disagree that LP played any major role in what TM and TES ultimately did.

It is not about TM and LP, that's mis-characterization but a LOT of factors pulling at TM.

 

[Truthwillsetufree]

Maybe TES found something that caused the end to the search. I mean its a stretch to think that, but it is possible and maybe they're just not releasing the information.

I wasn't even in the state of Florida so it is probably not my place to say but the last search that ended early there was the speculation of the very thing that you have ssaid and all our hopes were up, I mean we were waiting on pins and needles everyday for a big announcement..that never came. So with that being said, I don't want to even get on that merry-go-round. I think the search ended because a family needed TM and TES in NC, it was urgent and the search was called off early just like TM said. JMO.

 

[fay]

The search was fine. Not perfect but alot of ground was covered.
I do not care if TM isn't talking to LP or if CA now hates TM, it's like a damn soap opera.
I came with zero expectations so I cannot criticize what went down.
I accomplished what I set out to accomplish, look for a little girl whose witch of a mother threw her tiny little body away because she is a spiteful bithc.
It is what it is. I hope texasequasearch will continue to get support financially. The goal of the weekend was to look for her until it got dark then come back the next day and look again until it got dark. Period.

 

[Boston]

Months ago Tim Miller & TES were practically "begged" to come to Orlando & search for Caylee

When TES was finally "formally Invited" to search for Caylee that's exactly what they did - search for Caylee

The search was halted for several reasons

1) The Hurricane flooded the search area making it unsafe & unreasonable to continue searching

2) TES spent over 40k searching for Caylee & funds were running low

3) Tim Miller said that he felt that the Anthony's did not want him searching

4) There were plenty of other missing children that he could be looking for who's family would appreciate his efforts, experience & the valuable resources that he brings to a search

So TES packed up & left Orlando to go & search for other missing children

Why did he return....?

Who Talked TES into returning because they "Guaranteed" that Caylee was near the Airport..?

Who was on the Nancy Grace show every night saying "Hundreds" of Bounty Hunters & 1,000's of searchers were showing up to "find" Caylee....?

Who "Promoted" this search & raised everybody's expectations....?

Who promised to "stay out of the way" & let Tim Miller do his job because he was "The Leader" & the "Best in the Business".....?

Did that happen....? Did Leonard stay out of the way.....?

I don't know what happened between Tim Miller & Leonard Padilla but I have a pretty good idea & I don't blame him one bit for leaving

Long before Caylee went missing Tim Miller & TES quiety went about the business of finding missing children without all the fanfare, publicity & nightly Interviews as they will continue to do long after this case loses it's interest.

Can any of us say the same about Leonard Padilla...?

My Opinion

 

[EgyptNug]

I wasn't even in the state of Florida so it is probably not my place to say but the last search that ended early there was the speculation of the very thing that you have ssaid and all our hopes were up, I mean we were waiting on pins and needles everyday for a big announcement..that never came. So with that being said, I don't want to even get on that merry-go-round. I think the search ended because a family needed TM and TES in NC, it was urgent and the search was called off early just like TM said. JMO.

I was hoping it was called off early because of a finding, but after I listened to TM's interview on SM on Sunday night, I don't have that belief. He couldn't have faked how he sounded when he said we'd never find her.

 

[Baznme]

:clap::clap::clap::clap::clap: Very well said!! I was there - same exact scenario!! Were you on my team??? I brought a whistle and gave it to my team leader. Every once in a while he blew it and we all regrouped. I adore TM and TES and the entire intention of them, but was also VERY very disenchanted with the process. The organization was atrocious! If I had known it was going to be that bad, I would have reported the day before and organized - lots of us would have...

I still fail to understand what cost so much $$ since the food and water was mostly donated by WSers and Murt groups - people were mostly volunteer, off duty cops and equipment, etc. Maybe those sonars are expensive by the hour? Helicopter ride arounds? Hotels? Didn't TM say on NG that he was flying in 100 team members? How much was that? hotels? food?

Still gotta love them though - each and every one...

Cocoamom: Read this. Should clear up a lot of your questions.

http://blogs.discovery.com/criminal_report/2008/11/strait-talk-wit.html