VA - Aveion Lewis, 2, Roanoke, 14 January 2010 #2

[Calliope]

I was under the impression no one was aware of the burns from the heater until BL confessed the kidnapping story was a hoax and the burns were part of the confession.

I couldn't find who had told of the burns. It was included in the first search warrant when they searched the house on Tuesday 1/19. That was the day the police had the press conference that the abduction was a hoax, BL was arrested and Ward was interviewed.

I think that comment from Chris was just him verbalizing trying to sort out the facts that he had. We know from other threads that family who participate here at WS often do not get all the facts and details from LE regarding open investigations. I have no doubt the situation is the same with Chris, and LE hasn't given him all the facts they have.

I agree, and I hope my comments haven't been taken as being against him. That's not it. I think he would naturally defend his sister, especially if (as he's said) he has known or suspected BL was abusive. He clearly doesn't like BL and never has.

We don't know if anyone in Morgans family had red flags after she regained custody of Aveion. I'm not trying to defend anyone, but the thought occured to me that perhaps if Morgan shut them out once she regained full custody she could have given them the excuse that she needed to do this on her own without help.... and most likly the family would have accepted that after seeing the efforts she made for the state. I don't know that she gave them any red flags or they missed any red flags. Remember Uncle Chris is a firefighter and was or is currently in the service. I don't think he would have deliberately protected his sister if he had reason to believe something this drastic could have happened. I just don't. I get that he is in 'shock' and will only be able to sort this out as details are made public and if he chooses to attend any trials (for BL and ML) for this case.

I agree with you here too. The biological father has said that ML "changed" after getting with BL, and had shut him out of his kids' life. Chris says he doesn't understand why she's shut out her family. That is classic abuse victim behaviour; and BL was required to take an abuse class during the time Aveion was in foster care. When I said he may deep down realize she knew what was going on, I meant that at more of a subconscious level as I'm sure he's not processing that yet. While I can't defend her allowing BL to harm her baby, I DO understand the hold an abuser can have.

 

[Calliope]

Could be. Could mean in addition to the trash which was seperated on the 16th LE went back to the dumpsters with dogs to search, but that has not been reported that I know of anywhere....... credible source or rumored.

hth

I remember seeing people searching through dumpsters, but I'm not sure they were looking for anything in particular other than his body

 

[Calliope]

From one of the media articles, it was specified LE started seperating the trash on Saturday the 16th before ML was taken into custody and charged tuesday the 19th.

Yeah, that was the trash already at the landfill. I HOPE they also watched for any that left the area after that, too.

 

[Calliope]

I stared at that map, while half asleep because I took something to sleep, for a good 45 minutes last night. The site which provided the trash map indicated specifically the map may not coordinate with postal addresses and to disregard postal address grids for the city when looking at the trash pick up map. (paraphrased)

The E/W running cut off point between north and south sides of town is the main rail road tracks, so I went back to the google map, zoomed in and found the main rail road tracks, where it looks like a lot meet together. I zoomed at/to ground/street level to confirm that and then followed the tracks east. While they split and veered off in different directions, NONE of the tracks, or branches where the tracks veered off were south of Aveions address. ( until much further east of Avieions house which would not matter because that area of the tracks is much further east than the east west cut off line on the map) Thus I concluded Aveions house is east and south in the grid. The location of Aveions house is in the very NW corner of the blue colored SE area of the map

hope that helps explain what I was seeing.

That's what made it so hard to determine where it lay on the grid.

The city would do well to post a more detailed map =\

So that means the trash pickup containing his body was on Wednesday. IMO, that still means ML was lying to the police Thursday night.

 

[Calliope]

I was checking the front page of the Roanoke Times website for anything new about either Morgan Harrington or Aveion when I saw this about a little girl from Haiti adopted by a local couple.

http://www.roanoke.com/news/breaking/wb/234989

 

[Cubby]

Memorial postponed until next Saturday

WSLS News Staff
[email protected]
Published: January 31, 2010

Even though police have yet to confirm the body found in Smith Gap Landfill is that of Aveion Lewis, the little boy’s family planned a memorial today, and it was postponed.
A family friend tells WSLS the memorial will be held next Saturday at 1 p.m at St. Matthew Word-Fellowship Church.

http://www2.wsls.com/sls/news/local/article/memorial_postponed_until_next_saturday/78098/

Thank you for the update. I wonder why they waited until today to announce this.

Going in a completely different direction here but from the above link that Texas' posted.


Police believe Aveion Lewis died on January 14th.

My comment. We sleuths don't. It is impossible that Aveion could have died on January 14th and his body could have been picked up and found with Wednesday January 13th's trash. There is absolutely no way he could have time traveled in history to be placed with garbage that was picked up prior to his death.

The only way anyone is going to convince me Aveion died on Thursday January 14th is 1) with GPS records that prove Aveion was in trash picked up from an area other than Jamestown, and LE should have this information as they were able to seperate the trash found the weekend of the 16th. (IIRC before Brandon fessed up the story was phony).
I believe each individual garbage truck HAS GPS and LE can not only narrow exactly which truck picked up the trash from Jamestown, but also at what time the truck picked up that trash which included Aveions remains. I'm sure they can also get a cadavor dog to sniff out the truck too. If not, there is no way they would have known which garbage to seperate Saturday Jan 16th. ETA: Keep in mind, that while residential pick up is only once a week, the CBD or central business district pick up is daily, some twice a day according to the earlier link regarding trash pick up.

and 2)that a witness outside of the immediate family (ML/BL and the children living in the home) comes forward to say physically saw Aveion on Thursday January 14th. IF that were the case, it would have been made public already.... NOT ONE INDIVIDUAL has stepped forward to confirm when this child was last seen alive. Note, not one person from Morgans family has come out and said the last time any of them saw Aveion alive.......

JMHO

 

[MBLover]

See...I've told you these people in LE around here aren't too bright....

I did just confirm with a resident of SE who lives within 1 mile of Jamestown that trash day is Wed.

ETA: So very sorry for the mix up on my part

 

[Calliope]

I guess it's possible he was thrown in a store dumpster (food lion, perhaps?) that is picked up by a private contractor. Not sure if that would have been among the trash separated by the police at the landfill, though. Also, given that ML was at work (supposedly), BL would have had to walk to the dumpster during that day to dispose of the body. I'm sure he would have been seen.

Then there is his 'set up' with the phone call on Wednesday as described by the neighbor.

Not only that, I don't think BL is smart enough to have come up with this elaborate story in the few hours he had alone on Thursday (even though his story wasn't smart, it was at least credible enough on the surface to fool some people for a while).

Forgetting for a moment the time travel necessary for Aveion to get into that trash pickup, IF he was killed and disposed of while ML was at work on Thursday, then he absolutely had to have tied and gagged the 4 year old. His story was that after she found him on the floor "coming to", they ran up the stairs to untie the 4 year old. If he didn't, then again she knew she was lying to the police as the call came after he "rescued" the little girl.

BTW, how specific can the ME get in determining the exact time and date of death? Especially after that long?

I'm getting pretty disgusted with LE in this case. And the local media too, for not asking these obvious questions. No offense to anyone here, but we're not professionals. If a bunch of anonymous people on a website can blow holes in this story a mile wide, why can't the police and media do the same?

I hope this is a case of LE playing it close to the vest, but something tells me it's not...

 

[Cubby]

Morgan is going to have to have a time line for exactly where she was Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday along with proof to back that up. Time card for start and finish time at work. Receipts from any stores she claims she went to after work. What times she was in the home from the time that trash was picked up on Wednesday and through the time she and BL made that 911 call. She is gonna have to have some pretty compelling evidence to make it impossible she knew her sons body went out with Wednesdays trash.

I'm also going to speculate that with the trash found with Avieions body, LE will be able to determine were the surrounding trash came from. Did it come from trash tossed from the Food Lion, or was it surrounded by trash which came from the addresses using that dumpster behind his home? Remember, their neighbors had no reason to 'hide' or attempt to hide their garbage. There was no reason to keep their trash in the house because they only have pick up one day a week and can only set their trash out at certain times. They use dumpsters so people are dropping their trash out there 24/7. In addition to GPS, some of his neighbors could have tossed out trash with envelopes stamped earlier in the week. That will all point to a timeline of either Wednesday January 12th, or that his remains were with trash which came from the Food Lion dumpster.

Then we need to know what time the trash was picked up Wednesday. If it was Wednesday morning, it is most likely BL put Aveion in the trash between sunset Tuesday evening and sunrise Wednesday morning.

jmho

 

[MBLover]

Trash collection usually starts running here shortly after 7 AM and they are generally done by mid afternoon. Do not know what the pick up time for Jamestown is though. Just giving a rough estimate of trash times.

 

[Calliope]

Trash collection usually starts running here shortly after 7 AM and they are generally done by mid afternoon. Do not know what the pick up time for Jamestown is though. Just giving a rough estimate of trash times.

Yeah, same here. We have it out the night before, because they come early. The landfill closes at 5pm, so they'd have to be finished with their rounds by 2-3pm I think, in order to unload by that time.

http://www.rvra.net/LocationHours.htm

 

[MBLover]

I just posted over on WSLS...about the date of death. Wonder if their staff will pay any attention to the comments.

 

[VaGal]

Has it been established that it is the city who picks up their trash. I live in a rrha development that our trash used to be picked up by the city but then it went to waste management systems in vinton.

 

[Calliope]

Has it been established that it is the city who picks up their trash. I live in a rrha development that our trash used to be picked up by the city but then it went to waste management systems in vinton.

Good question. An article said this:

Investigators said the body was found around 12:30 p.m. today at the Smith Gap Landfill in Roanoke County. The body was found in trash collected near and around the Jamestown Apartments, where Aveion’s family lives.

That sounds like it was collected by the city, since it appears to include areas other than just the apartments.

 

[Calliope]

The pile of trash is from the immediate area surrounding the Jamestown Apartments from the days before and after police believe Aveion was killed. The digging will continue they say, until they either find Aveion or the trash pile is gone.

http://www2.wsls.com/sls/news/local/article/aveion_lewis_search_heads_to_smith_gap_landfill/77119/

I found a report with the press release from the police dept:

Roanoke, VA- The Roanoke Police Department is committed to locating the body of Aveion Malik Lewis and providing closure to those who have shown compassion and concern during this investigation. Today would have been Aveion's third birthday.

On January 16, 2010, investigators identified trash from Roanoke in the Smith Gap Landfill operated by the Roanoke Valley Resource Authority. This trash was isolated and contained within the landfill to prevent further contamination from other trash. With the assistance of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, who provided personnel with expertise in landfill searches, and Smith Gap landfill machine operators, teams began searching the landfill January 23, 2010. The search was suspended January 24 and 25, 2010, due to inclement weather.

The landfill search will resume today, January 26, 2010. The landfill search is in addition to numerous searches of trash dumpsters and other receptacles that have been conducted in and around the Jamestown area by Roanoke Police investigators and agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Searching of the area around the 2100 block of King Charles Avenue, including the Roanoke River, will continue when the water level recedes. Investigators will also continue to follow up on leads. This marks the second weather related impediment of search efforts. The Roanoke Police Department has utilized the assistance of trained search teams and water recovery teams from across Virginia and other states. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has also provided expertise in the search process.

The Roanoke Police Department thanks the community for its overwhelming support during this investigation. Numerous citizens have called offering to assist in the search for Aveion's body. Additional assistance from citizens in the search is not requested at this time. The Department will utilize the media and social media if additional search teams or volunteers are needed. The Roanoke Police Department is calling on citizens to help in other aspects of this investigation. Citizens can be of most assistance at this time by calling with information regarding the location of Aveion's body or additional information regarding this investigation. Anyone with information should call the Roanoke Police Department at (540) 853-2212.

-------

This, from the RVRA site:

http://www.rvra.net/AboutRVRA.htm



Each locality collects its own trash using its own equipment. After collection, refuse trucks deliver the trash to the Resource Authority's Tinker Creek Transfer Station. The Transfer Station was designed by citizens and planners to resemble a Norfolk Southern shop or office building and to be an asset to the neighborhood. At the Transfer Station, waste is loaded into specially-designed rail cars and covered with watertight lock-down lids. Each rail car holds 65 tons of waste, making them among the largest on the railroad. At the end of the day, all waste that has been collected and loaded into the 10-12 rail cars are transported 33 miles on the Waste Line Express by Norfolk Southern to the landfill.


The Waste Line Express is a 10-12 car, custom-built train that hauls solid waste between the Roanoke Valley Resource Authority's Tinker Creek and Smith Gap stations. Each weekday evening, the train makes its 33-mile journey carrying over 500 tons of waste collected from residents and businesses in the County of Roanoke, City of Roanoke, and the Town of Vinton .

Each rail car can hold up to 65 tons of waste, making these cars among the largest in operation on the railroad. The Waste Line Express is owned by the Roanoke Valley Resource Authority and operated under contract with Norfolk Southern.


The Smith Gap Station is located on Bradshaw Road in the County of Roanoke. The building is designed to resemble a rural train station. Upon arriving at the landfill, the rail cars are uncoupled and positioned for unloading the following day. The train makes a daily trip to Smith Gap with the loaded cars from the Transfer Station and returns the same day with empty rail cars from the previous day's load.

Smith Gap Station Rotary Dumper At the Smith Gap Station the rail cars are unloaded using the largest rotary dumper in the world. The rail cars are rotated upside down to remove the waste. The unloading operation takes place inside the tipper building, where the waste is inspected and loaded into haul trucks.

Waste is buried in a 1,200 acre, environmentally protected landfill disposal area that meets all state and federal regulations.
------

Over 500 tons of trash every day????


Dear God. It's a miracle they were able to isolate that trash in the first place, nevermind find his body.

 

[Salem]

I'm so glad the memorial was postponed. I'm hoping that ML will be charged and jailed before next Saturday.

As for LE saying they think Aveion was killed on Jan 14th - all I can say is if that is true (and I don't believe it for a minute) than the phone call discussion BL had with the neighbor can go to show premeditation and BL will be more likely to fry.... just sayin'

Salem

 

[Calliope]

Exactly. Excellent point!

 

[Cubby]

Yeah, same here. We have it out the night before, because they come early. The landfill closes at 5pm, so they'd have to be finished with their rounds by 2-3pm I think, in order to unload by that time.

http://www.rvra.net/LocationHours.htm

I thought about that too. However, according to the first link you posted regarding city scavenger pick up etc. the CBD or central business district has 7 day a week pick up and some of those pick up hours are late in the evening. I assume end of day, especially when food is tossed for rodent control. Having that late in the evening pick up hours and the landfill closing at 5 leads me to believe the trash is either left in the parked truck, or unloaded onto the train car which is later taken to the landfill.


hope that makes sense.

 

[MBLover]

That late pick up is in the downtown district (lots of offices & restaurants) when businesses have closed - and you're probably right...it sits on the truck or is taken to the trains.

 

[Calliope]

I think it's probably safe to say that most --- if not all --- of us don't believe Aveion was murdered on Thursday morning. The only way I'll believe that is to hear from someone outside of family/friends who can say they saw him before ML left for work on Thursday. This is one case where I wouldn't go by what the 4 year old may have said; not only because she may have been threatened by BL, but kids that age are a bit fuzzy when it comes to stuff like that. My grandson is the same age and often "yesterday" means any day not "today".