WV WV - Aliayah Lunsford, 3, Lewis Co., 24 Sep 2011 - # 6

[MarthaM]

BBM....But what doesn't happen in those cases is the immediate reaction of the parent that we've seen here.

Well, most recently there's the Breeann Rodriguez case. They didn't call 911 but searched for a while, and there was some criticism of them for that and questioning whether the parents' stories of what they were doing and where they were before the 911 call were even true. And it turns out they were not involved at all.

I honestly DO NOT have an opinion in this case. I'm utterly and totally baffled. But one thing keeps slapping me in the face. On this 911 call Lena mentions the potential for wandering off AND the potential for someone taking lil A (even if that someone is 'just' Lena's Mom)....but during the whole checking the closets, under the bed, in the basement, driving the streets....not one single time (assuming that lil A DID wander off) does Lena think it's necessary to mention that the doors may have been unlocked and that they live 200-250 feet from a RIVER?????

I snipped this part because Lena did sound hesitant when asked whether the doors were locked, and said 'I think so'. I don't think it matters that she mention the river to 911; they know that the river's there because of the address.

I think I read on here that LL was convicted and/or charged with lying to police in the past. If that is true she might have 'learned her lesson' and knew she had better be sure before calling the police or she could face charges again. IMO

This is very true. I think that anybody who has had problems with LE in the past is going to be more hesitant to contact them immediately, especially if they're not thinking straight and figure they can solve the problem on their own.

On the 911 tape LL says she searched for over an hour. She didn't say all of that time was driving around looking for baby A. Therefore, the 2 hour time frame included searching the house and basement, the yard, the car, and driving around. If she did run out of gas, then time needs allotted for that too.
IMO

Good points!

 

[secretagent]

THANK YOU mrsu!

Why does this bother me?

it's a girl
it's a girl and this morning real early i went in to check on her cause she's been sick with the flu

Why is she referring to baby A as an "IT"?

I know I'm being overly critical and I apologize.

MOO

Mel

Seriously?

The "transcript" reads this way- "mam, how old, i need you to calm down
i'm sorry, she's only 3Mom referring to A as SHE
when was the last time you saw him? Dispatcher calls it HE
it's a girl and this morning real early i went in to check on her cause she's been sick with the flu (whimpers)(either edited or cuts out) Mom Corrects dispatcher
okay, is it a male or female Dispatcher STILL doesn't get it
it's a girlMom clarifies AGAIN
it's a girl?Mom Clarifies for the 3rd time
yes

 

[wenc]

Just back-tracking a bit here. Has it ever been verified by anyone other than MSM exactly how many people were living in or staying at the house? I also wonder if it is standard practice for the SD to ride to work with a friend and leave the car for LL or if it was just that day because the vehicle was low on gas or to create an alibi.

 

[Dr.Fessel]

Well, most recently there's the Breeann Rodriguez case. They didn't call 911 but searched for a while, and there was some criticism of them for that and questioning whether the parents' stories of what they were doing and where they were before the 911 call were even true. And it turns out they were not involved at all.



I snipped this part because Lena did sound hesitant when asked whether the doors were locked, and said 'I think so'. I don't think it matters that she mention the river to 911; they know that the river's there because of the address.



This is very true. I think that anybody who has had problems with LE in the past is going to be more hesitant to contact them immediately, especially if they're not thinking straight and figure they can solve the problem on their own.



Good points!

BBM

I don't remember the parents going on a 2 hour secret search for her.

 

[Dr.Fessel]

Seriously?

The "transcript" reads this way- "mam, how old, i need you to calm down
i'm sorry, she's only 3Mom referring to A as SHE
when was the last time you saw him? Dispatcher calls it HE
it's a girl and this morning real early i went in to check on her cause she's been sick with the flu (whimpers)(either edited or cuts out) Mom Corrects dispatcher
okay, is it a male or female Dispatcher STILL doesn't get it
it's a girlMom clarifies AGAIN
it's a girl?Mom Clarifies for the 3rd time
yes

That really makes me think the mom never said the name of the child.

 

[MarthaM]

BBM

I don't remember the parents going on a 2 hour secret search for her.

I don't see anything 'secret' about a search that's done in broad daylight, caught on video, and that the mother herself tells a 911 operator happened.

Regardless, I'm not any more willing to set standards for the 'right' way to search for one's missing child, anymore than I'm willing to judge the demeanor of family members that are broadcast by the media as being 'right' or 'wrong'.

My point is that even in a case in which it ended up that the parents were not involved in any way, they were criticized for not calling 911 before searching themselves and their stories were scrutinized. They were even criticized for sleeping patterns in their home.

 

[CarrieBean]

That really makes me think the mom never said the name of the child.

Wasn't this near the beginning of the first call?

I think there was so much edited out after that and there's no way to tell what info was/wasn't given during the calls.

 

[Dr.Fessel]

I don't see anything 'secret' about a search that's done in broad daylight, caught on video, and that the mother herself tells a 911 operator happened.

Regardless, I'm not any more willing to set standards for the 'right' way to search for one's missing child, anymore than I'm willing to judge the demeanor of family members that are broadcast by the media as being 'right' or 'wrong'.

My point is that even in a case in which it ended up that the parents were not involved in any way, they were criticized for not calling 911 before searching themselves and their stories were scrutinized. They were even criticized for sleeping patterns in their home.

It was a secret search since she never told anyone about it till after it was over.

I am very willing to set standards for what I consider the truth and a lie. I don't believe there ever was a search for the baby. There is zero evidence she ever looked for a 3 yr old child sick with the flu.

A video of her in a van is just that, a video of her in a van.

 

[Dr.Fessel]

Wasn't this near the beginning of the first call?

I think there was so much edited out after that and there's no way to tell what info was/wasn't given during the calls.

Right, I was referring to just that very first part of the tape. I went back and listened to it and find it hard to believe the mother said Aliayha or there would never had been the confusion on the sex.

I think the 911 operator did a great job getting it all cleared up as fast as she did considering how poor the conversation was.

 

[Mjskit]

It is a possibility that LL did not search for her child, true. But it is also a possibility that she did in fact search.
I personally have a problem pointing the finger at ANYONE with the tidbits of information available to us.

 

[MarthaM]

It was a secret search since she never told anyone about it till after it was over.

I am very willing to set standards for what I consider the truth and a lie. I don't believe there ever was a search for the baby. There is zero evidence she ever looked for a 3 yr old child sick with the flu.

A video of her in a van is just that, a video of her in a van.

And you could be very right. Or wrong. I guess I'm hesitant to set standards like that, especially when details are so sketchy. And they are almost always very sketchy at this point in an investigation.

I disagree with the labeling of it as a 'secret search', because that would then have to apply to any situation where parents go out looking for a missing child on their own first, before contacting LE or getting other people involved. I don't think it's necessarily secret, it's just the way things unfolded in a particular case.

 

[cluciano63]

Seems like she would have added "but he is in jail" when she mentioned the dad's name, if he is (and if she knows.)

 

[tlcya]

I take it there is zero in the way of new news today. I have seen nothing updated in the way of press coverage. Does anyone know if LE searches are still going on, or are they pretty much giving up on that? The silence from this town is just deafening and madding.

 

[cluciano63]

I take it there is zero in the way of new news today. I have seen nothing updated in the way of press coverage. Does anyone know if LE searches are still going on, or are they pretty much giving up on that? The silence from this town is just deafening and madding.

I know, I can't even find any rumors

 

[wenc]

Seriously?

The "transcript" reads this way- "mam, how old, i need you to calm down
i'm sorry, she's only 3Mom referring to A as SHE
when was the last time you saw him? Dispatcher calls it HE
it's a girl and this morning real early i went in to check on her cause she's been sick with the flu (whimpers)(either edited or cuts out) Mom Corrects dispatcher
okay, is it a male or female Dispatcher STILL doesn't get it
it's a girlMom clarifies AGAIN
it's a girl?Mom Clarifies for the 3rd time
yes

Psychiatrists/psychologists also use that tactic in counseling to get people who are upset to pause and get them on the right track again. It's called redirection.

 

[Darcyline]

And you could be very right. Or wrong. I guess I'm hesitant to set standards like that, especially when details are so sketchy. And they are almost always very sketchy at this point in an investigation.

I disagree with the labeling of it as a 'secret search', because that would then have to apply to any situation where parents go out looking for a missing child on their own first, before contacting LE or getting other people involved. I don't think it's necessarily secret, it's just the way things unfolded in a particular case.

I am trying to find other cases where this has happened. Like, a parent searching for a kid for hours and literally not telling or asking anyone including neighbors standing outside at the time or the grandma involved in the kid's lives. I am just curious to see how common it is.

 

[Dr.Fessel]

IMO only the lowest of the low on the humanity scale would go out looking for a baby with the flu for two hours and only use their eyes and not the rest of their God given talents such as voice and the ability to communicate. Animals at least howl and screech when looking for their lost.

 

[MarthaM]

I am trying to find other cases where this has happened. Like, a parent searching for a kid for hours and literally not telling or asking anyone including neighbors standing outside at the time or the grandma involved in the kid's lives. I am just curious to see how common it is.

That would be interesting to find out.

In this case, though, we really don't know that she didn't tell or ask anyone during her search. IIRC, we have one neighbor who talked to the media. She may not have mentioned her daughter to anyone while she searched, but we don't know if she did or not. She might have said something to others but we just haven't been told that.

I'm not sure if it's confirmed that they were new to the neighborhood, but that might make a difference in whether she would ring doorbells in the neighborhood. And again, the hesitancy to call LE before she was sure could play into that, too. If she got the neighbors involved, one of them would be sure to call 911.

 

[Donjeta]

It makes very little sense to me to drive about alone trying to locate a three year old. The chances are that if she wandered away from home a short time ago she didn't get far from the home and the further you drive the more it becomes like a needle in a haystack. The child may or may not be so obliging as to stand beside a road visible from a van. With the motor running, you might yell her name but you might not hear the child respond.

Maybe she thought of someone who might have taken the child and went to check? To ask the stepdad? A relative? A friend?

 

[cluciano63]

Well one thing that is bothersome is that even with a very pregnant mom of several children, LE is not going out of their way to clear her at all.