Leanna Warner Missing June 2003

[Juliana]

This case really upsets me. I hate that when I do a Google News search on Leanna's name, I come up with nothing. What happened to Leanna?

http://findbeaner.org/

[Up2theminute]

Remember, it's LeeAnna :)
I'm having conversation deja vous. :innocent:
Hey, what happened to the other thread we had on her around here?

[Up2theminute]

:) Juliana, It was on page 4 past a month old in the other missing section. I just bumped it.
I swear I'm not being picky about the name spelling thing but we might want to change that just so info/article searching is easier. :angel:

[Juliana]

:) Juliana, It was on page 4 past a month old in the other missing section. I just bumped it.
I swear I'm not being picky about the name spelling thing but we might want to change that just so info/article searching is easier. :angel:

Thanks for the correction! I remember that, now! Anyway, I did a search with the correct spelling and still nothing.

[Ghostwheel]

findbeaner.org has it as Leanna (so check both) and I found quite a few articles by searching www.go.com (powered by google), but none of them new.

http://www.amw.com/site/thisweek/W/WarnerLeanna/warnerindex.html
http://www.kdlh.com/news/headlines/392557.html
http://www.virginiamn.com/placed/index.php?story_id=156241

[WasBlind]

Thanks for adding Leanna to 18 Wheel Angels, Kelly.

Praying for answers and soon, Lanie

[Mom who cares]

Is there any new news about this little peanut? Same age as my little niece, where did she go?

[AuntieKaren]

This case really upsets me. I hate that when I do a Google News search on Leanna's name, I come up with nothing. What happened to Leanna?

http://findbeaner.org/

Has LE ever formally said that she is considered dead? I mean, after all this time...damn, it's like she fell off the face of the earth. So sad. I still think her parents were involved.
Karen

[deputylinda]

i have not forgotten this child. something doesn't smell right.

[emma l]

I haven't forgotten her either. The one positive thing about this case is that the child is so young that is not impossible she was taken by someone who wanted a child of their own. She would be too young to recall much of her previous family life after a while. I pray that this is what happened..........

[Mom who cares]

If that were the case, LeeAnna has a rather unique face and someone might recognize her somewhere. I believe they are going to search for her again in September.

[Trino]

It seems many posts are from city folks, so I'll post this again. Maybe it will help to clarify the possibilities.

Northern Minnesota from where Leanna disappeared is part of a region known as the Iron Range. What you see for miles and miles are trees, abandoned mines, lakes and snowmobile/ATV trails. Between this landscape there are a few towns, built a century ago as mining settlements. Just as soon as you leave these towns, the landscape abruptly changes. There are so many hiding places, so many places where people just don't go, that unless you've seen the region, you cannot imagine the possibilites - miles and miles of iron ore tailings, an occasional house, but mostly nothingness. Without a clue, to look for anything in that region is like looking for a needle in a haystack.

[Mom who cares]

Hi, Trino, thanks for the info. I live in Northern Wisconsin, very remote, but not with the old mines or anything, just lots of forests, lakes and miles of nothing much. I don't know if you remember the Cora Jones case, she was killed near Waupaca and her killer for some reason brought her body just North of Antigo, where I live. If not for some bow hunters checking a deer stand, she may never have been found. I just pray and hope that something like that will happen for Beaner.

[Mom who cares]

Wouldn't it be awesome if our best scenario came true, and someone enrolls LeeAnna in school and she is found? I wonder how well trained school admins
are at watching for this.

[WasBlind]

Has LE ever formally said that she is considered dead? I mean, after all this time...damn, it's like she fell off the face of the earth. So sad. I still think her parents were involved.
Karen

Leanna's parents have been cleared. You would know that, had you taken time to read the whole story instead of just posting without any regard for their feelings.

Please post as if the family was going to read it every time, and then you will have nothing to worry about. Consider people's feelings, and bind your tongue (fingertips), please.

To Leanna's parents, I am truly sorry if you are hurt by any comments on this forum. May God bless you and keep you until Beaner is home.
Much love to you, Lanie
Help For The Missing
HelpForTheMissing@yahoo.com

[WasBlind]

i have not forgotten this child. something doesn't smell right.

???

I would agree, something isn't "right". A child has been taken.
Again, I will restate something that is public knowledge.
Leanna's parents have been cleared.

With prayers of HOPE for Leanna and her family, Lanie

[WasBlind]

It seems many posts are from city folks, so I'll post this again. Maybe it will help to clarify the possibilities.

Northern Minnesota from where Leanna disappeared is part of a region known as the Iron Range. What you see for miles and miles are trees, abandoned mines, lakes and snowmobile/ATV trails. Between this landscape there are a few towns, built a century ago as mining settlements. Just as soon as you leave these towns, the landscape abruptly changes. There are so many hiding places, so many places where people just don't go, that unless you've seen the region, you cannot imagine the possibilites - miles and miles of iron ore tailings, an occasional house, but mostly nothingness. Without a clue, to look for anything in that region is like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Thank you Trino. Please pray for Beaner and those who search for her.
Special thanks to Kelly, Robert, Cindy and Marti for all you have done on behalf of this precious little girl.
With HOPE, Lanie
Help For The Missing

[emma l]

Wouldn't it be awesome if our best scenario came true, and someone enrolls LeeAnna in school and she is found? I wonder how well trained school admins
are at watching for this.

This would be amazing........didn't someone try to do that to missing child Bethany Markowski? I found this link.
http://www.wrcbtv.com/special_reports/crimestopper.cfm?DID=4465


Never the less Bethany and Leanna are still missing and thats the main thing. I guess an alert school admin officer might notice- in Bethanys case the woman was acting suspicious..........not sure how many other people REALLY look at missing peoples photos. Watched an episode of Oprah once where the took a piccie of a kid and put up fake "missing child" posters in a mall. They then sat the kid UNDER A POSTER to check whether people read these things..........You know how many people noticed the "missing child" was sat underneath his own poster? None! Not one person..............Lets just hope people open their eyes...............and these little girls can be brought home safe!

[Trino]

Emma, what you described on Oprah is truly amazing. Our local grocery stores, small restaurants, the mall, post offices, etc. have wanted posters and pictures of missing kids. Thanks for showing us all that we need to be more alert!

[AuntieKaren]

Leanna's parents have been cleared. You would know that, had you taken time to read the whole story instead of just posting without any regard for their feelings.

Please post as if the family was going to read it every time, and then you will have nothing to worry about. Consider people's feelings, and bind your tongue (fingertips), please.

To Leanna's parents, I am truly sorry if you are hurt by any comments on this forum. May God bless you and keep you until Beaner is home.
Much love to you, Lanie
Help For The Missing
HelpForTheMissing@yahoo.com

Lanie--
I don't appreciate your comment. You make me out to be someone who is cold-hearted and uncaring. I truly do not remember reading that the parents were cleared.
Karen

[Mom who cares]

Bumping for Beaner. Please pray for her safe return.

[Mom who cares]

After the July searches turned up nothing, I had read that they were going to search again in September. Has anyone heard anything?

[Mom who cares]

For Beaner
http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforks/news/state/9840776.htm

[lisag]

Praying for Beaner....

[Mickeymouse523]

I could be way off but I thought I remembered hearing that there was a man who have been accused of rape or sexual abuse previously who committed suicide not long after Leeanna disappeard. I could be wrong but I thought that what I heard...Correct me if I'm wrong.

[LillyRush]

Yes, I remember there being something about a neighborhood sex offender that commited suicide, but haven't heard much of anything about it. I hope that they did not just drop that lead all because the guy killed himself.
I think the parents were a little naive and maybe even a little bit irresponsible, but I don't think that they're guilty.
I think the sex offender possibility should have been considered more, if it's not still being investigated, they may have at least been able to find her body..as sad as that sounds.

[emma l]

No, you're right.I think they impounded this guys car but couldn't find any trace of the little girl of her DNA................................I wonder where she is??

[MistyGirl]

I jsut wanted to bup this thread because little Leanna is from the state where I live and it makes me so sad that she has nto been found and that there has never been much said about her in the media etc.:banghead:

My thoughts and prayers go out to you Leanna and all of her family and friends. Thinking of you all.

[MistyGirl]

Bump, for you sweet little Beaner! I have not frogotten you. You and your family are still in my prayers and thougths often.

[LillyRush]

MistyGirl, Do you get any local news on this story? I never hear anything about this anymore. It's really sad the way it seemed to be just left to go unsolved.

[Dark Shadows]

I could be way off but I thought I remembered hearing that there was a man who have been accused of rape or sexual abuse previously who committed suicide not long after Leeanna disappeard. I could be wrong but I thought that what I heard...Correct me if I'm wrong.
You heard it right, it never panned out in Leeanna's disapperance.

Has anyone heard any "new" news lately?

DS:angel:

[PaulaKay]

Nothing new or it seems nothing at all has been reported on this in the last few months.

[MistyGirl]

Nothing new or it seems nothing at all has been reported on this in the last few months.:banghead: I have not heard anything either and I am in MN...nothing :banghead: It is like this poor little girl is just forgotten about. I can't even begin to understand what her parents are going through. Being a parent mysell the not knowing I would drive me CRAZY. Praying for Beaner!!!!!


PS...nice to see another fellow poster from MN!!! Welcome PaulaKay!

[Usher737]

Personally, I think LE needs to fully search the area that loser committed suicide in. I remeber reading only a small, surface search was conducted. If he did hurt her, he should have left a letter confessing to end the mystery. But these predators lack all forms of reason.

[wondering22]

This case really upsets me. I hate that when I do a Google News search on Leanna's name, I come up with nothing. What happened to Leanna?

http://findbeaner.org/


It's almost three years, and still no news of this precious child. How sad.



Here's a cut & paste from a different thread about little Beaner:


Leanna Warner

Nickname: Beaner
Date Missing: 6/14/03
Missing From: Chisholm, MN
DOB: 1/21/98
Age at Disappearance: 5 years
Sex: Female
Race: Caucasian
Height: 3'
Weight: 50 lbs.
Eyes: Dark Brown
Hair: Brown, short bob.
Last Seen Wearing: A blue sleeveless denim dress and barefoot.
Other: Leanna has a wart on her left ankle and a dimple on her left shoulder.

Circumstances: Leanna was last seen at her home in Chisholm, Minnesota at 5 p.m. on June 14, 2003. She was going to walk to a friends house around the block from her home and has not been seen or heard from since. LEANNA IS CONSIDERED TO BE ENDANGERED. Leanna's website A $5,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction in the abduction of Leanna Warner. Leanna's photo is shown age-progressed to 7 years by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.


If you have information concerning this case, please contact:
Chisholm Police Department (218) 749-6010
or The Polly Klaas® Foundation (800) 587-4357


http://www.findbeaner.org/
__________________

[narlacat]

So, a 5 year old was allowed to walk from her home to someone else's home, a block away (is that what 'round the block' means?) by herself??
I find it incredulous that people let their kids roam the streets by themselves.
It reminds me of the three Beaumont children who went to the beach by themselves and were never heard of again.

[wondering22]

So, a 5 year old was allowed to walk from her home to someone else's home, a block away (is that what 'round the block' means?) by herself??
I find it incredulous that people let their kids roam the streets by themselves.
It reminds me of the three Beaumont children who went to the beach by themselves and were never heard of again.

Hi, the way I remember it, is that the family spent several hours at the beach, and when they came home, Leeanna wanted to see her friend who she played with everyday. Her friend lived a few houses away, just around the corner --- so, no, not a block away, but just a few houses away.

If we could transport you from Australia to the many tiny rural towns of an economically depressed northern Minnesota... where in some respects, it seems that time has stood still for many decades... then you might understand why many small children are permitted to travel such distances by themselves.

Even in larger American cities, I've seen four, five, and six year olds permitted to visit houses of friends "down the block" unaccompanied by any adult.

However, there are also plenty of Americans who'd never permit that until the child was at least 8 years of age.

Unfortunately, I don't think that the public at large really has any idea how potentially downright dangerous it is out there for youngsters.

[cheko1]

It would be a miracle if the family could put some closure on this case.

Her tiny little smiling face was on the news here for a long time, to no avail. It is very sad for the community. She vanished without a trace.....

[narlacat]

Hi, the way I remember it, is that the family spent several hours at the beach, and when they came home, Leeanna wanted to see her friend who she played with everyday. Her friend lived a few houses away, just around the corner --- so, no, not a block away, but just a few houses away.

If we could transport you from Australia to the many tiny rural towns of an economically depressed northern Minnesota... where in some respects, it seems that time has stood still for many decades... then you might understand why many small children are permitted to travel such distances by themselves.

Even in larger American cities, I've seen four, five, and six year olds permitted to visit houses of friends "down the block" unaccompanied by any adult.

However, there are also plenty of Americans who'd never permit that until the child was at least 8 years of age.

Unfortunately, I don't think that the public at large really has any idea how potentially downright dangerous it is out there for youngsters.Hi wondering
I was going to ask how big the town would have been in Minnesota....I thought it might have been a small rural town, without googling...
I just don't understand some parents.
Where I live in Australia, we have attempted abductions happen more and more often lately...and it never ceases to amaze me when I see little kiddies walking or riding their bikes by themselves. It's like their parents just don't care or don't watch the news, one or the other....

It must be absolutely heartbreaking for the parents of missing children and my prayers are with these families, LeeAnna's included.

[wondering22]

I just don't understand... It's like [they] just don't care or don't watch the news, one or the other....

Hi, narlacat...

I think it's much more pervasive than just the situation with parents not knowing where their kids every single minute 24/7.

It seems that we humans are hardwired with some strange psychological trait which translated into action equals something along the lines of, "Oh, don't be silly, that can never happen to ME, to US..."

I found it utterly confounding that so many people stayed in New Orleans during Katrina, and I became enraged when I realized how many people were in attics, WITHOUT FOOD OR WATER and none of the attics had an axe.

When I started ranting and raving that City Code for NOLA should have insisted by strict law that EVERY single attic be equipped with an axe and a minimum week's supply of water --- well, my mate simply hushed me up and repeated again & again & again, "NOBODY believes it will happen to 'them,' absolutely NOBODY."

Until one month ago, I knew absolutely nobody who is prepared to shelter in place for a couple weeks incase of natural disaster or terror attack or avian influenza. NOONE else, and now I know of ONE other family.

And that's it.

WHY?

Well, WHY prepare - that's "paranoid," right, that's "overreacting," we all know that something like THAT can't happen here, .... right?

Anyway, when I do happen to see unaccompanied youngsters, I stick around unobtrusively until I see a parent re-unite with the youngster ---- happens really frequently, particularly in grocery stores.

And will continue to happen ALL of the time, cuz most people have a basically trusting naive outlook upon life in general.

[wondering22]

Leanna's parents have been cleared. You would know that, had you taken time to read the whole story instead of just posting without any regard for their feelings.

Please post as if the family was going to read it every time, and then you will have nothing to worry about. Consider people's feelings, and bind your tongue (fingertips), please.

To Leanna's parents, I am truly sorry if you are hurt by any comments on this forum. May God bless you and keep you until Beaner is home.
Much love to you, Lanie
Help For The Missing
HelpForTheMissing@yahoo.com

I've seen the parents on local TV many times, and they are totally convincing, a sweet young couple who are utterly unpretentious and have always seemed totally forthcoming.

At the time that Shasta Groene was finally located, Leeanna's parents were frequently on TV in the USA, because everyone wondered if her abductor was responsible for the disappearance of Beaner.

I personally remain very suspicious of Joseph Duncan who wrote in his online blog that he was afraid that he'd be accused of her disappearance.

I know that LEOs have examined JED's alibi and decided he couldn't be implicated..... but that man simply gives me the creeps, and I will always wonder about him... I'd like to know more about exactly how his alibi checked out, and if the individuals vouching for his location can actually be trusted.....

I'm very suspicious.

[narlacat]

Hi wondering

<<Anyway, when I do happen to see unaccompanied youngsters, I stick around unobtrusively until I see a parent re-unite with the youngster ---- happens really frequently, particularly in grocery stores>>

I do too lol.
I watch the kids wander all through the store by themselves....and wait until I see them re unite with their parents before taking my eye off them.
I can't help it, I can't bring myself to walk away until I know they are with an adult and are safe.

<<cuz most people have a basically trusting naive outlook upon life in general.>>

I think you might be right, there's really no other explaination.
We think it can't happen to us.

[Trino]

I, too, am from MN. The Iron Range cities are a different breed - pretty much retroactive to the 1950's, when kids could freely roam around. If you understood the area at the time, I don't think you would blame the parents so much.

All of MN is not the same. In the TC kids definitely should not walk a block unsupervised, but northern MN (until this incident) had always been considered a safe place to live and raise a family. And, I'm guessing that before L disappeared, every family allowed their kids outside unsupervised.

[rachrach99]

It is sad that the world is like this now. No matter how small or rural a town is, it doesn't mean it is safe. People should NEVER feel like anywhere is safe. The monsters out there have proven it time and time again. It isn't fair, but that is the way it is now. You really can't trust anybody. Very said IMO

[cheko1]

I, too, am from MN. The Iron Range cities are a different breed - pretty much retroactive to the 1950's, when kids could freely roam around. If you understood the area at the time, I don't think you would blame the parents so much.

All of MN is not the same. In the TC kids definitely should not walk a block unsupervised, but northern MN (until this incident) had always been considered a safe place to live and raise a family. And, I'm guessing that before L disappeared, every family allowed their kids outside unsupervised.
I am from the area too........your so right Mn is not the same.
Jacob Wetterling & Little Leanna.

I sincerely hope parents really start to keep a better eye on the little ones. To many sickos out there.

[wondering22]

I am from the area too........your so right Mn is not the same.
Jacob Wetterling & Little Leanna.

I sincerely hope parents really start to keep a better eye on the little ones. To many sickos out there.

Joseph Edward Duncan, the monster who abducted Shasta Groene and murdered her family, he spent quite abit of time in Minnesota, so I hope the local media is impressing the danger of crimes against their children to midwestern parents.

She is such a little sweetie, it's so tragic.

[Mom who cares]

Bumping for Beaner on the eve of the anniversary of her disappearance.

[Trino]

I am from the area too........To many sickos out there.

I'm only posting this because you're from MN. Please understand that I'm not a person to cry wolf.

At about 8:50 a.m. today I was in the REI parking lot (Bloomington, MN). I assumed it opened at 9:00. There was one other car in the lot, and I stupidly parked nearly next to it. I got out and was going to wait at the store door, but midway across the drive I noticed the hours as 10:00 a.m., so I headed back to my car.

As I neared the other car with a male occupant, he got out and quickly approached me, trying to get me to stop. I broke into a run and was able to get in my car and lock it. Honestly, he was at the side of my car when I slammed the door. This guy was definitely not the REI type.

If you're not familiar with REI, the front of the store is made to look like a hiking area - lots of trees, water, etc. The front door cannot be seen from the lot. Additionally, the lot is surrounded by trees, separating it from nearby roads. Sure. It looks nice, but maybe nice isn't the same as safe.

I was so shaken that I called the Bloomington Police.

[Trino]

http://kstp.com/
06/13/06
The Chisholm Police Department and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) have released an age-enhanced image of Leanna Warner, the 5-year-old Chisholm girl who was reported missing on June 14, 2003.

"Though three years have passed since Leanna was reported missing, this is still an important, active investigation for us," said Chisholm Police Chief Scott Erickson. "This image will help us show the public what we expect Leanna to look like as an 8-year-old girl."

Leanna, now age 8, was 5 at the time she was reported missing. She was last seen walking to a friend’s house in Chisholm, wearing a denim dress with a belt. She has brown hair and brown eyes, 3 feet, 2 inches tall, weighing about 48 pounds. She has a mole on her left leg, just above her ankle, and she goes by the nickname "Beaner."

The BCA arranged for the enhanced image in cooperation with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. More than 600 children nationwide have been found as a result of age-enhanced photos.

"

[blueclouds]

UPDATED PHOTO OF BEANER. GOSH, HARD TO IMAGINE. I thought this was one little dolly that would have been found somehow.

http://www.startribune.com/462/story/489799.html

[MrsMush99]

I don't know if anyone was watch Catherine Crier today but they had a segment on about Leanna, they are speculating that possibly Joseph Duncan had something to do with her disappearance. At least that is how it appeared to me, I was half listening. Did anyone else catch this?

[scandi]

Oh, there is no updated picture in the post from Blueclouds ;{

Scandi

[meggilyweggily]

I don't know if anyone was watch Catherine Crier today but they had a segment on about Leanna, they are speculating that possibly Joseph Duncan had something to do with her disappearance. At least that is how it appeared to me, I was half listening. Did anyone else catch this?
Duncan was investigated and ruled out as a suspect, I think.

[tuppence]

bumping for Beaner

[Mom who cares]

Bless you sweetie, wherever you are, I hope you are safe.

[Rle7]

The parents of Leanna Warner say their daughter was behaving strangely in the weeks leading up to her disappearance in 2003.

Leanna Warner's parents, Chris and Kaelin Warner, told the syndicated TV show "Maury,'' hosted by Maury Povich, that their daughter appeared one day with a case filled with Barbie dolls and their clothes, but would only say she'd gotten them from "a little old lady."

Their daughter, nicknamed "Beaner,'' also packed a suitcase a week before she vanished, saying she wanted to go live at her "new family's house,'' the mother said, according to excerpts released by the show, which was scheduled to air Wednesday.

And they say that two weeks before she disappeared, they found Leanna sleeping in the closet.

"She said there were monsters outside her window,'' Chris Warner told the Duluth News Tribune. "I actually went out and looked, because you never know if there's a footprint out there. The second time, I said: 'They won't get you.' That was a real eye-opener. Our flags kind of went up at that time.''

Leanna was 5 years old when she was last seen June 14, 2003, after walking over to a friend's house to play.

http://www.startribune.com/462/story/735071.html

[carolina]

i wonder why we are just now hearing about these things?

[Trino]

I'm from MN and wonder why we are just hearing these things.

If my child said she was going to go live with a new family, I'd certainly ask who this new family was. The story never says if the family responded to the statement. Did they?

[SewingDeb]

I would be wondering where the barbie dolls and the case came from and I would for sure be asking about the new family. All the more reason not to let her go anywhere alone at her tender age.

[philamena]

I find this alarming. Why after 5 years are her parents telling the public about a strange suitcase filled with Barbie dolls that were not Beaner's? Why didn't LE give that very important piece of evidence creedence? Did they test the suitcase for fingerprints?????:behindbar :doh:

[SewingDeb]

I find this alarming. Why after 5 years are her parents telling the public about a strange suitcase filled with Barbie dolls that were not Beaner's? Why didn't LE give that very important piece of evidence creedence? Did they test the suitcase for fingerprints?????:behindbar :doh:

They didn't seem to give it much weight in the investigation. It sounds to me like she was being groomed.

[philamena]

SewingDeb,
It certainly sounds that way. I am shocked that this is being reported now. I followed this case and I honestly do not remember that information.

[englishleigh]

If it's true, then I find it promising that she may still be alive...maybe she was abducted by a group of people or a family who just found her adorable, couldn't have kids of their own, etc.
It is weird that that info never came out in the beginning, but maybe it was something police knew and were holding close to the vest.

[missacorah]

God! That sent a shiver down my spine to hear of the problems just before Leana went missing. I cant believe this has never been made public, or have I just missed it?

At best all we can hope for is that someone took her to love and care for but Im finding that increasingly hard to believe!

[SewingDeb]

SewingDeb,
It certainly sounds that way. I am shocked that this is being reported now. I followed this case and I honestly do not remember that information.

Same here. I don't think they released the information at the time, but the police did know all of that. I just hate that her parents didn't walk her to her friend's house and make sure they were home. I guess if some adult was grooming her in preparation to abducting her they could have taken her at another time, but the strange things would have made me even more careful about not letting her out of my sight.

[miimaa]

I live close to Chisholm and this is the first time I've heard this info. If your five year old came home with a case full of Barbies wouldn't you find out WHO gave them to her???? How is it that she was 'somewhere' alone long enough to meet this person and receive these Barbies??? Who was watching her that she is able to be in contact with a stranger (a little old lady :snooty: ) that her parents don't know and did not see?

This does make any sense at all. My grandson is five years old and I can guarantee you that there is no way in he!! that he would be out of my sight long enough to interact with ANY OTHER HUMAN. I am with him constantly or he is with someone I trust when he visits me. There is no possible way that he would have the opportunity to meet and interact with anyone without me being right there.

[Wayne]

Was the "little old lady" ever identified? Could the "little old lady" have been an adult or teen dressed as a "little old lady"? (A 5-yo might not be able to distinguish between an old lady and a person (adult or teen) dressed as an old lady.)

If I recall, there was a carnival or festival in the area that ended on June 13th - and that likely attracted outsiders. Maybe from Canada? Could a performer (or associated person) have dressed up with professional make-up to look like a 'little old lady' to try to pull-off this abduction?

Reading about the dolls and "new family's house", I'm thinking Leanna Warner was recruited or groomed.

[docwho3]

The parents of Leanna Warner say their daughter was behaving strangely in the weeks leading up to her disappearance in 2003.

Leanna Warner's parents, Chris and Kaelin Warner, told the syndicated TV show "Maury,'' hosted by Maury Povich, that their daughter appeared one day with a case filled with Barbie dolls and their clothes, but would only say she'd gotten them from "a little old lady."

Their daughter, nicknamed "Beaner,'' also packed a suitcase a week before she vanished, saying she wanted to go live at her "new family's house,'' the mother said, according to excerpts released by the show, which was scheduled to air Wednesday.

And they say that two weeks before she disappeared, they found Leanna sleeping in the closet.

"She said there were monsters outside her window,'' Chris Warner told the Duluth News Tribune. "I actually went out and looked, because you never know if there's a footprint out there. The second time, I said: 'They won't get you.' That was a real eye-opener. Our flags kind of went up at that time.''

Leanna was 5 years old when she was last seen June 14, 2003, after walking over to a friend's house to play.

http://www.startribune.com/462/story/735071.html
This part of the story brings a few things to mind:
1. It is usual for someone to give a child toys to keep them quiet about having been molested. Her reluctance to talk about who gave the dolls to her supports that possibility.
2. The monsters outside the window may have been real 2 legged ones or this could well have been her reaction to having been molested by someone, whether this was someone in the home, near the home or a stranger I do not know.
3. What did the case that the dolls were in look like? (I have a reason to ask since I have run into a case of barbie dolls in a yard sale once years ago so this story caught my attention.)

[Becba]

This part of the story brings a few things to mind:
1. It is usual for someone to give a child toys to keep them quiet about having been molested. Her reluctance to talk about who gave the dolls to her supports that possibility.
2. The monsters outside the window may have been real 2 legged ones or this could well have been her reaction to having been molested by someone, whether this was someone in the home, near the home or a stranger I do not know.
3. What did the case that the dolls were in look like? (I have a reason to ask since I have run into a case of barbie dolls in a yard sale once years ago so this story caught my attention.)
Do the parents still have the case and the dolls? Could there be fingerprints on them?

[scandi]

Do you remember at the beginning of the Beaner thread, or after she had been missing a while, Rocky said he was worried her 'light' was going to go out {which would mean she had died}, and time was of the essence to locate her, and that he thought she had been taken by someone from the Carnival that was in town.

Rocky has gifts. We could just never find an obscure person with that carnival as a POI. How were we ever going to find out anything like that!~ lolI wonder if LE ever learned anything more about that. And we had another gal posting here then too who was like the ultimate poster that we all respected so much, and she had clairvoyant or psychic abilities as well. Oh, I just hate that when I forget names! :banghead: ;)


Scandi

[Socks]

I wish we would hear something.

Thinking of you, Leanna.

[teonspaleprincess]

Hi, the way I remember it, is that the family spent several hours at the beach, and when they came home, Leeanna wanted to see her friend who she played with everyday. Her friend lived a few houses away, just around the corner --- so, no, not a block away, but just a few houses away.

If we could transport you from Australia to the many tiny rural towns of an economically depressed northern Minnesota... where in some respects, it seems that time has stood still for many decades... then you might understand why many small children are permitted to travel such distances by themselves.

Even in larger American cities, I've seen four, five, and six year olds permitted to visit houses of friends "down the block" unaccompanied by any adult.

However, there are also plenty of Americans who'd never permit that until the child was at least 8 years of age.

Unfortunately, I don't think that the public at large really has any idea how potentially downright dangerous it is out there for youngsters.
I will never understand this either. I think that is neglect, pure and simple. My oldest is 10 and I will not let him go to the park 4 houses up from us without an adult. There is to much evil in this world for parents not to watch what thier children are doing.

[Trino]

Chisholm, a MN Iron Range town, WAS a city caught up in a time of innocence. It could have probably fit with the 1950's - a place where nearly everyone knew everyone else, and everyone trusted their neighbor. Leanna's parents, in allowing Leanna to venture out alone, did what every other parent did because Chisholm was considered a safe place. Knowing what they now know, I'm sure the parents would have taken a different approach.

Leanna's disappearance has shown us all that there is no safe place, no more innocent towns, no more trusting your neighbor.

[monkalup]

http://www.startribune.com/462/story/849032.html

Missing girl's grandmother recalls family's anguish
Lois Warner, 55, is the grandmother of LeeAnna Warner, who was 5 when she disappeared in June 2003 near her home in Chisholm, Minn.
Richard Meryhew, Star Tribune
Last update: December 02, 2006 – 9:21 PM


Lois Warner, 55, is the grandmother of LeeAnna Warner, who was 5 when she disappeared in June 2003 near her home in Chisholm, Minn.
Despite an exhaustive search of LeeAnna's neighborhood in the hours and days afterward and several follow-up searches over the years, investigators have yet to find out what happened to the girl.

In the aftermath of the Nov. 22 disappearance of brothers Tristan White, 4, and Avery Stately, 2, on the Red Lake Indian Reservation, Lois Warner talked about her feelings and her family's experience after LeeAnna vanished.

Q. What was your initial reaction when you heard about the missing boys?

A. Oh, no! ... And I guess fear for this family, watching them on TV and knowing what they are going through -- knowing the fear and panic they are going through and the lack of sleep. ... And hoping that it goes easier for them than it went for us. ... I can't imagine the grief that family is going through.

Q. What was the hardest part of the search for a missing child?

A. When the big search is over and you don't have any answers and you have that letdown and everybody goes home. And you look at each other and say 'Oh, my God, now what?' It's a very lost, helpless feeling.

Q. What advice would you give to the family of Tristan and Avery as they continue to search for the boys?

A. Work with the media. Don't hide from them because you are scared, like we did. ... And work with authorities and remember that they are doing their job the best they can and that they are human beings and that they too are grieving with you and want to give you answers. ... And get used to people you don't know loving you, and accept their help and caring. It's hard when you are so overwhelmed with grief that all you want to do is be alone. [But] you can't afford that emotionally and spiritually.

Q. What have you learned in your experience with LeeAnna's case that has helped you survive the darkest days?

A. Don't allow your thinking processes to get out of control because it does no good to envision the worst. There are certain areas where I won't let my brain go. ... Stay strong, stay focused, be courageous and know that you are not alone.

Q. As time passes, does it get any easier for you to deal with what happened?

A. No, it doesn't. ...You just have to have a very strong faith. And if you don't have faith, you have problems. You don't have anything tangible to hang onto. We have channeled it well and we have a strong faith. And we have a great support network.


Richard Meryhew • 612-673-4425 • richm@startribune.com

[pedinurse]

Bump.

[teonspaleprincess]

Chisholm, a MN Iron Range town, WAS a city caught up in a time of innocence. It could have probably fit with the 1950's - a place where nearly everyone knew everyone else, and everyone trusted their neighbor. Leanna's parents, in allowing Leanna to venture out alone, did what every other parent did because Chisholm was considered a safe place. Knowing what they now know, I'm sure the parents would have taken a different approach.

Leanna's disappearance has shown us all that there is no safe place, no more innocent towns, no more trusting your neighbor.
I hope that I did not come off as to harsh. I do not place the blame on the parents. I also live in a supposedly "safe" town where I see children 5 or 6 walking to school and out riding the bikes and I will never understand how parents can allow it. There are 50 registered sex offenders within 5 miles of me and I wonder if the parents are aware of this. I do not feel like my kids are safe if they are out of my sight.

[Bobbisangel]

The parents of Leanna Warner say their daughter was behaving strangely in the weeks leading up to her disappearance in 2003.

Leanna Warner's parents, Chris and Kaelin Warner, told the syndicated TV show "Maury,'' hosted by Maury Povich, that their daughter appeared one day with a case filled with Barbie dolls and their clothes, but would only say she'd gotten them from "a little old lady."

Their daughter, nicknamed "Beaner,'' also packed a suitcase a week before she vanished, saying she wanted to go live at her "new family's house,'' the mother said, according to excerpts released by the show, which was scheduled to air Wednesday.

And they say that two weeks before she disappeared, they found Leanna sleeping in the closet.

"She said there were monsters outside her window,'' Chris Warner told the Duluth News Tribune. "I actually went out and looked, because you never know if there's a footprint out there. The second time, I said: 'They won't get you.' That was a real eye-opener. Our flags kind of went up at that time.''

Leanna was 5 years old when she was last seen June 14, 2003, after walking over to a friend's house to play.

http://www.startribune.com/462/story/735071.html



I wonder what this was all about? This little 5 yr old comes up with a box of barbies and clothes for them but won't say where they came from? Then she packs a suitcase to go live with her new family? Sounds like a couple were working on this little girl. I think I would have been taking her by the hand and saying "show me who gave you the barbies" and take me to your new family." It just sounds like a couple...family...were really working on this little girl so that she would go with them when they were ready to take her.

Then she is sleeping in her closet. Maybe at some point these people did something that caused her to change her mind about them and she was scared of them. I wonder if a couple took her and she is still alive and living with them. Stranger things have happened. If she is alive I wish that she would be found like Shawn Hornbeck was.

[lostwithoutyou]

Today, June 14, 2007, marks the fourth anniversary of Leanna's disappearance. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers. If you have any information regarding the disappearence of Leanna "Beaner" Warner, please call the Chisholm Police Department at 218-749-6010 or your local police station.♥

I hope you are safe, Beaner, and that you will be home safe with your family next June 14th. ♥

[cheko1]

I think of little Beaner often. I always hoped they'd find her.

[fran]

I think of little Beaner often. I always hoped they'd find her.

This case is baffeling and it just seems as if it could be solved. With a LOT of footwork and interviewing, beginning in a cirlce around her house and widening to within range of where they think Beaner may have walked to play. With so many registered sex offenders in the area, Beaner getting the Barbie stuff, someone outside her window, her sleeping in her closet, talking about her 'other family,' it just seems solveable.

Someone knows something and IMHO, she could be locked away in a room within walking distance of their home. Seriously, we've seen this happen before, or similar.:(

JMHO
fran

[pedinurse]

I have really wondered about this case. Thanks for reminding us of the anniversery.

[Trino]

This must be a difficult time for the parents. It would be great if either the Star Trib or the Pioneer Press would do an article to remind everyone.

[dufresnecw]

[quote=wondering22;1059571]

It seems that we humans are hardwired with some strange psychological trait which translated into action equals something along the lines of, "Oh, don't be silly, that can never happen to ME, to US..."

I found it utterly confounding that so many people stayed in New Orleans during Katrina, and I became enraged when I realized how many people were in attics, WITHOUT FOOD OR WATER and none of the attics had an axe.

When I started ranting and raving that City Code for NOLA should have insisted by strict law that EVERY single attic be equipped with an axe and a minimum week's supply of water --- well, my mate simply hushed me up and repeated again & again & again, "NOBODY believes it will happen to 'them,' absolutely NOBODY."

quote]


ok.. totally OT.. but I live right out of NO and grant it, everyone around here knows that the city is below sea level and built like a bowl which would mean that it would retain water. but the problem is that the levees were not built to code. Because they weren't, they broke.. that's when all the water flooded the city.

[Mom who cares]

Happy Holidays, little angel, forever in my heart, I hope you are safe and happy. I pray for you everyday and wish nothing but the best for your family. Take care, baby, stay strong.

[ScooterD]

"BUMP" for little Leanna (Beaner). I'm just 10 miles from where she lived and think of her whenever I'm out and about.
Please! Can't we get some answers!!!!!!

[tuppence]

a bump so that maybe some of those people who are new due to the Caylee case take a look at this girls picture and information!

http://www.charleyproject.org/images/w/warner_leeanna7.jpghttp://www.charleyproject.org/images/w/warner_leeanna_ap.jpg
Missing Since: June 14, 2003 from Chrisholm, Minnesota
Classification: Endangered Missing
Date Of Birth: January 21, 1998
Age: 5 years old
Height and Weight: 3'0 - 3'2, 48 - 50 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian female. Brown hair, dark brown eyes. LeeAnna has a mole or wart just above her left ankle, and a dimple on the back of her left shoulder. Her nicknames are Beaner and Little Beaner. Her hair was cut in a shoulder-length bob at the time of her June 2003 disappearance, and her ears are pierced. Her name may be spelled as "Leeanna," "Leanna," or "Leanne," or she may be referred to as LeeAnna Marie Warner.
Clothing/Jewelry Description: A sleeveless dark blue denim dress (some agencies call it a shirt) with a belt and no shoes or socks.

Details of Disappearance

LeeAnna was last seen walking home from a friend's house, which was a block and a half from her own residence. She had gone to play with the friend at 4:30 p.m., but no one was home at her friend's residence. She was last seen walking on southwest Second or Third Street, westbound, between 5:00 and 5:15 p.m.


LeeAnna's mother, Tiffany Kaelin Whittaker, more commonly known as Kaelin Warner, began looking for her at 5:30 p.m., enlisting neighborhood children to help. When the search turned up no sign of LeeAnna's whereabouts, Kaelin called the police between 8:40 and 9:00 p.m. An extensive search by authorities, which lasted several days and included helicopters and bloodhounds, failed to locate LeeAnna or any sign of where she might be. LeeAnna lives near the Iron Mountain Range and, had she gotten lost in the mountains, probably could not have survived the conditions more than about 72 hours. While there is no evidence that she was kidnapped, authorities have been leaning towards that view, feeling they would have found her quickly had she merely wandered off. Tracker dogs traced her scent to the roadside edge but lost it after that.


An unidentified man in his mid-thirties was seen on foot in the neighborhood at about the time of LeeAnna's disappearance. He was approximately 5'10 tall and 155 pounds, with a dark-colored tattoo of a star or sun on his right arm. A maroon and blue two-door Cadillac driven by an African-American man in his twenties or thirties with a bald or shaven head, and an older model rusty brown pickup truck driven by a Caucasian man with black curly hair were also seen in the area. Neither the vehicles or their drivers have been identified. It is unknown whether any of them had to do with LeeAnna's apparent abduction.


Matthew James Curtis, 24, was arrested in Chrisholm in August 2003 for possession of child pornography charges which were unrelated to LeeAnna's case. He was interrogated several times about a possible connection to LeeAnna, however, due to the nature of his alleged crime. Curtis was found dead September 2003, the day before he was supposed to appear in court on the child pornography charge. Police say he suffocated himself with a plastic bag and his body was found in a gravel pit eight or nine miles outside of Chrisholm. The investigation into his death has been closed and ruled a suicide. There has been speculation that Curtis did not commit suicide and was in fact murdered in a possible revenge or gangland-style killing, and his remains were then staged to make it look like he took his own life. There is no evidence to support this theory, however.


Authorities initially suspected that Curtis was involved in LeeAnna's disappearance, and they processed his pickup truck for DNA samples. They could not find any evidence that the child had ever been in the vehicle, and it was decided that Curtis was not connected to LeeAnna's apparent abduction.


Police suspect foul play in LeeAnna's disappearance. LeeAnna's parents were not asked to take lie detector tests and are not suspects in their daughter's apparent abduction. They have both been previously divorced and LeeAnna's father, Christopher, had domestic problems with his ex-wife; they both sought mutual restraining orders and he alleged that she had threatened Kaelin and LeeAnna. These difficulties occured several years before LeeAnna's disappearance, however, and are not thought to be related to it. The Warners moved to Chrisholm just a few months prior to LeeAnna's disappearance.


After LeeAnna vanished, her footprints were found near Longyear Lake, a shallow lake near where she was last seen. Investigators pumped some of the water out of the lake in late October 2003 to search for evidence relating to her case, but they found nothing important and had to stop pumping because the lake was freezing over. They began a new search of Chrisholm in the summer of 2004, looking for the child's remains, but to no result. No further searches are scheduled for the forseeable future. LeeAnna's parents believe she is still alive and was possibly abducted for the purposes of black-market adoption.


LeeAnna enjoys playing with dolls and riding her bicycle, and is described as an outgoing, precocious, and fearless child. She has been known to wander, and her survival instincts are said to be quite advanced for her age. Her case remains unsolved.

Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Chisholm Police Department

218-749-6010
Charley Project (http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/w/warner_leeanna.html)

NCMEC (http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PubCaseSearchServlet?act=viewChildDetail&caseNum=965221&orgPrefix=NCMC&seqNum=1&caseLang=en_US&searchLang=en_US)