WA - Lindsey Baum, 10, McCleary, 26 June 2009 - #1

[Noexcuse]

My youngest is 10 also.She is very into Twilight and has her own parentally monitored myspace page. It is checked regularly, I know her username and password. There is no identifiable info and all friend request must get my approval.I think Lyndseys' myspace page is very normal for a tween.Especially one with older teenage siblings.

 

[Liz]

Fox News Channel is covering this right now.

ETA: By the time I could post, it was about over.

But next hour on "Happening Now" (Fox News Channel) is supposed to cover the case because Jon Scott did the tease for it a few minutes ago.

 

[dreamweaver]

I think reading choices are just that,
individual to each person.
I have two ten year old grandchildren.
Both read above their grade level.
The girl reads the Twilight series.
The boy does not like Twilight.
BTW: Neither are allowed a my space page.

As for Lindsey, the author S E Hinton has been around a long time, and those are
great books, IMO.

OT: I was ten years old in the late 1950's.
I read every Nancy Drew, but I also read God's Little Acre by Erskine Caldwell, not exactly your typical ten year old reading material.
But then I read all my dad's true detective magazines.
Could be why I am on this forum.

 

[scandi]

"A search of Lindsey’s MySpace page showed only the typical postings of a 10-year-old girl, things that showed her affinity for the movie “Twilight,” Scott said."

Really? Typical? I don't have a child so obviously am not up to date on what is normal for a 10 yr old but a lot of the things her myspace page represented seemed to be more like that of a teenager. My 16 year old neice is reading the Twilight series - I never considered it to be a children's book. When I was 10 I was reading The Babysitter's Club, Nancy Drew, etc.......kids are not kids for very long anymore are they? At least until something like this happens and reminds everyone of just how young ten yrs old is.

This was in the comments may be the dad????

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/49428097.html#idc-ctools

Hi Gaia and jnTexas, Thanks for that. The comment has been removed by KOMO, and understandably so. Can LE trace who wrote it? The person doesn't seem very literate so I don't think it is the mother as I've read her writing. That means it could be the dad and you could be right on.

I know so little about MySpace that I get lost looking at them.

 

[scandi]

Fox News Channel is covering this right now.

ETA: By the time I could post, it was about over.

But next hour on "Happening Now" (Fox News Channel) is supposed to cover the case because Jon Scott did the tease for it a few minutes ago.

Thanks Liz,

In one of the comments from that KOMO article a poster said one of her MySpace accounts she had been on there the day after she went missing. What do you make of that? If it were LE wouldn't they fix it so no one could tell they'd been in there? How could they tell if it was really her?

 

[gaia227]

I think reading choices are just that,
individual to each person.
I have two ten year old grandchildren.
Both read above their grade level.
The girl reads the Twilight series.
The boy does not like Twilight.
BTW: Neither are allowed a my space page.

As for Lindsey, the author S E Hinton has been around a long time, and those are
great books, IMO.

OT: I was ten years old in the late 1950's.
I read every Nancy Drew, but I also read God's Little Acre by Erskine Caldwell, not exactly your typical ten year old reading material.
But then I read all my dad's true detective magazines.
Could be why I am on this forum.

You make some good points. When I was 10 I was reading above normal levels. I read Gone With The Wind (read it again as a teen and then again as an adult and it just gets better and better) and in addition I was interested in also crime books. I would sneak John Grisham (mom wouldn't let me read him yet) and some others in addition to 'normal' 10 yr old books like Nancy Drew, The Secret Garden, etc.

Like I said - I don't have any children so I am not in touch with what is normal these days. My mom was very strict with me when I was growing up which is probably another reason why my perception of what is appropriate or inappropriate for young girls is. So I hope I do not come off as judgemental because I don't mean to be. I am more curious than anything and definitely ignorant abotu the lives of children.

That said, I think children and teens internet use needs to be monitored closely by their parents. IMO I don't think a 10 yr old girl should have a Myspace account much less one with her picture on it......

 

[Liz]

Thanks Liz,

In one of the comments from that KOMO article a poster said one of her MySpace accounts she had been on there the day after she went missing. What do you make of that? If it were LE wouldn't they fix it so no one could tell they'd been in there? How could they tell if it was really her?

You're welcome.

Gosh I really don't know for sure, Scandi. I "feel" like IF LE were to go in and nose around, they would have a way of being "invisible". But, on the other hand, I think I vaguely recall reading here about cases where LE logged into peoples' myspace, and that it did cause the last logged on date to update.

I bet Tom'sGirl would know.

 

[Amster]

10 year olds with MySpace accts. ?? With pics of themselves?? That seems so wrong to me....and mom Kara saying the girls were talking about typical 10 yr. old stuff....boys, music, occasionally school....boys?? Were they dating, already? :banghead:

 

[WhyaDuck?]

You make some good points. When I was 10 I was reading above normal levels. I read Gone With The Wind (read it again as a teen and then again as an adult and it just gets better and better) and in addition I was interested in also crime books. I would sneak John Grisham (mom wouldn't let me read him yet) and some others in addition to 'normal' 10 yr old books like Nancy Drew, The Secret Garden, etc.

Like I said - I don't have any children so I am not in touch with what is normal these days. My mom was very strict with me when I was growing up which is probably another reason why my perception of what is appropriate or inappropriate for young girls is. So I hope I do not come off as judgemental because I don't mean to be. I am more curious than anything and definitely ignorant abotu the lives of children.

That said, I think children and teens internet use needs to be monitored closely by their parents. IMO I don't think a 10 yr old girl should have a Myspace account much less one with her picture on it......

BBM

You're not even supposed to be allowed one until you're 13, according to the MySpace TOS:

http://www.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=misc.terms

 

[Amster]

BBM

You're not even supposed to be allowed one until you're 13, according to the MySpace TOS:

http://www.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=misc.terms

Good grief! What are these moms thinking?? Maybe they didn't know the girls had set these up? :waitasec::waitasec:

 

[dreamweaver]

Good grief! What are these moms thinking?? Maybe they didn't know the girls had set these up? :waitasec::waitasec:

----------------------------------------------------------------

I think it is listed in previous posts that the mom of both girls have my space pages and included one of the girls as a 'friend.'
So, they knew they had a my space page.

I know some ten year old girls talk about boy friends, but not all of them.
I think some like a certain guy, but I personally do not know any who date.

My grandson is ten years old. He has liked girls since kindergarten, but he has never dated. He did go to a school dance and hung out with the other guys on one side of the gym.

 

[Mimiof8]

I work as a 3rd grade teachers aide so I'm around alot of kids. I'm also the mother of a ten yr old girl and 3 teenage girls. We live in a small town of around 3800. I'm continually surprised that some of the girls in 3rd grade already have boyfriends but it's still innocent. I mean only their friends know like it's a secret amongst friends. In the 4th grade when girls are 9-10 yrs old it seems to change, the calling each other begins and it's openly dating.

i'm no expert but this is just what i've noticed that changes as girls age in this small town.

 

[jnTexas]

UPDATE: Massive search continues for missing McCleary girl
MCCLEARY: No leads days after 10-year-old vanished
Published June 30, 2009
<snipped>
Police in this community of about 1,500 had no leads Monday on what happened to 10-year-old Lindsey Baum after she left her friend’s house on Maple Street by herself Friday evening to walk about a half-mile to her home on Mommsen Road.

The mother of Lindsey’s 10-year-old best friend said Lindsey’s disappearance hasn’t really sunk in for her daughter.

“I don’t think she quite understands the seriousness of it,” said Kara Kempen on Monday in front of her home.

The last person to see Lindsey was a resident driving through town who saw her walking on Maple Street between Fifth and Sixth streets around 9:15 p.m. – about the halfway point between the two homes, Scott said. People said light was waning but the sun hadn’t gone down.

Lindsey was wearing a gray or blue hooded pullover shirt and blue jeans. Investigators have reviewed surveillance video from the downtown Shell Station that Lindsey would have walked by on the way to Mommsen Road, but it turned up nothing, Scott said. Detectives are waiting for additional video surveillance from local businesses.

LOOKING BACK

Lindsey left her cell phone at home before leaving to play with friends Friday, said Grays Harbor Undersheriff Rick Scott. Lindsey’s older brother had left the Maple Street residence before his sister after the two had a dispute over the bike Lindsey had borrowed from him that day – a common occurrence between frequently squabbling siblings, Scott added.

Kempen said her daughter Michaela had spent Friday with Lindsey and a group of other girls, swimming at a friend’s pool before they returned to the home on Maple Street. Kempen said her daughter and Lindsey were “almost inseparable” and loved to spend time together talking about “10-year-old girl stuff, boys and music, school occasionally.”

Linda Cunningham, owner of McCleary Video, said she remembers Lindsey coming into her store with a group of friends to rent movies around 8:15 Friday night. “They were all laughing and joking and having a good time.”
WHAT’S NEXT

Police did not issue an Amber Alert for Lindsey after her mother reported her missing at 10:50 p.m. Friday, Scott said. Scott said an Amber Alert wasn’t issued because police had – and still have – no evidence that she was abducted.
The search for Lindsey continues today, Scott said. “We’ve been working everybody until the early evenings to the point of exhaustion,” Scott added.

Scott said “there hasn’t been a case like this for years anywhere in the county.”[/COLOR]

Photos: Massive search continues for missing McCleary girl
http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/v-standalone/story/896613.html

Article:
http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/896613.html

:angel:

The girls were swimming earlier in the day (who was there during the swim?)
She was at the video store at 8:15 (hope they pull video from there maybe someone was watching her)
So she left a the friends house after 9 pm.
Last person to see her is a resident driving by at around 9:15 pm about half way to her house.
She not on the shell video.
And police are called at 10:50pm

9:15pm to 10:50pm is a long time for someone to snatch her and get out of town.

I'm thinking someone she knew offered her a ride. If she were picked up by a stranger wouldn't she scream? Someone would've heard something.

 

[WhyaDuck?]

Good grief! What are these moms thinking?? Maybe they didn't know the girls had set these up? :waitasec::waitasec:

Others have posted that the mom was one of her MySpace friends, so I guess she did. She likely thought it was harmless, and for millions of kids it likely is.

However, I agree with Gaia that it's really dangerous to have kids' pictures on these sites, as that kind of gives the game away about their age, leaving them open to all sorts of predators. For the brief week or so I had an account on that cesspool we call MySpace, I didn't even have a pic up, and I was 21!

The internet can be an enjoyable use of time, but it really isn't for kids - it's full of a lot of garbage. TV, internet, video games, trash reading... no wonder kids lose their spirits so quickly. (MOO)

I am so glad I was raised in the boonies.

 

[jnTexas]

Charts don't look good.

Kidnapping, not runaway. LE should check brothers/relatives/friends/acquaintances of friend she visited. Someone got her on the way home. She is in extreme danger.

Thanks,
Soulscape

Soulscape is there a post of the chart? I couldn't find it.


http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/896613.html

Says a resident was driving by and seen her walking at 9:15pm about half way home.

Do the charts show her close to home?

 

[Liz]

Fox News just gave the tease and ended with, "Up next, the missing little girl's mom". They're back from commercial break now.

 

[Tom'sGirl]

You're welcome.

Gosh I really don't know for sure, Scandi. I "feel" like IF LE were to go in and nose around, they would have a way of being "invisible". But, on the other hand, I think I vaguely recall reading here about cases where LE logged into peoples' myspace, and that it did cause the last logged on date to update.

I bet Tom'sGirl would know.

Oh wow Liz, wish I was up on MySpace 'stuff', but I'm not.

I have a MySpace page but mainly so I can view other pages. Too bad my grandson's not here, he would know.

 

[darlin gal]

You're welcome.

Gosh I really don't know for sure, Scandi. I "feel" like IF LE were to go in and nose around, they would have a way of being "invisible". But, on the other hand, I think I vaguely recall reading here about cases where LE logged into peoples' myspace, and that it did cause the last logged on date to update.

I bet Tom'sGirl would know.

Her "DISTURBED" account, KaraK (her friend's mom) said over at SM that one of Lindsey's friend is the one that wrote "i'm on lindsey's myspace cool" on that myspace page and the wet smiley/comment was in reference to a water fight the kids had. So I am guessing Lindsey's friend has the password and has been signing in. They updated the smiley to adorable, etc..


LE is aware of both myspace accounts and they can get any information they need, such as IP's that logged in, when, etc from myspace. Myspace has a safety division with a 24 hour hotline that police can call.

 

[Hucklepie]

The MySpace accounts don't surprise me - I too think Twilight is a little iffy for a 10-year-old's favorite reading material, but it really is what they're all reading right now. I've seen people on other boards horrified that she claims to like Stephen King and Twilight and saying that horror stories aren't for 10-year-olds, but it wasn't that long ago that the Goosebumps series (which, granted, isn't Stephen King) was THE biggest reading material for upper-elementary school kids. I'm guessing that Lindsay made her page with her mom's consent, since her mom is her MySpace friend, but I know for a fact that a lot of kids have them (even below the legal age of 13) without their parents knowing - technically, MySpace and Facebook are blocked by the computers at my school and the middle school where I used to teach, but the kids have some kind of sixth sense for getting around the proxy servers and getting to the websites anyway. The school librarians had their hands full keeping kids from logging on to social networking sites from library computers during lunches - it's sort of sad that it's not enough for a parent to be vigilant in guarding their at-home Internet activities, because if a kid really WANTS to do it, they're going to find a way regardless.

I'm glad LE is monitoring the MySpace pages, though; I'm still hoping that the post from a few days ago about her possibly running off to another friend's house is true.

 

[WholeLottaRosie]

"A search of Lindsey’s MySpace page showed only the typical postings of a 10-year-old girl, things that showed her affinity for the movie “Twilight,” Scott said."

Really? Typical? I don't have a child so obviously am not up to date on what is normal for a 10 yr old but a lot of the things her myspace page represented seemed to be more like that of a teenager. My 16 year old neice is reading the Twilight series - I never considered it to be a children's book. When I was 10 I was reading The Babysitter's Club, Nancy Drew, etc.......kids are not kids for very long anymore are they? At least until something like this happens and reminds everyone of just how young ten yrs old is.

My thoughts exactly. I do have a daughter 11, and if that were her myspace.... Oh, my I read that and just about vomited. My daughter is so not into any of that, and I am so thankful. She is still into dolls, books you mentioned and also Beverly Cleary, Sammy Keyes, old classics, and this summer for the first time Harry Potter. So are some of her friends, but, I will say that some others in the age but not necessarily her close circle are much more "advanced". It makes me ill just thinking about this.

No, kids aren't kids for long. You know, I have a friend who is constantly on me that my daughter is too immature, that I should make sure she knows a lot of, shall we say, hard truths, explicitly, that I am doing my child a disservice by not spelling everything out right now, and I come back, that she will learn this eventually and I just want her to be a little girl for a while. One who loves her tree house, fairies, dolls, make believe, that still has tea parties, dresses up a bit still, plays kids games, chases fireflies etc.

I know she has to grow up, but, not too fast. This case is really hard. I pray that Lindsey is found safe soon, but, oh my goodness it scares me.