GUILTY VA - Tina Smith, 41, slain, 12yo daughter abducted, Salem, 2 Dec 2010 - #6

[alwayslooking]

I was 14 years old when I was kidnapped from my home. I was missing and repeatedly raped for a period of almost 24 hours. I am 33 years old now. Although no one was killed in my presence, my life was threatened over and over during that time period. No gun, no knife, only the fact that here I was begging for my life while this 24 year old man held me. His strength was his only weapon. I spent years of my life questioning what if I had done this or what if I had not done that. What if I didn't answer the door, what if I had stayed on the phone with my friend when I answered the door. What if, what if, what if.......it took many years for me to realize that none of those what ifs would ever change the facts of what did actually happen and I did what I had to do in that situation to survive and stay alive. I would have told my attacker ANYTHING he wanted to hear and did ANYTHING he wanted me to do to stay alive. In fact, that is what kept me alive. I had many police officers, counselors, etc. all tell me that in my situation it is the one thing that kept me alive.

When I look at Brittany, I see myself, I see a LITTLE GIRL who is just trying to keep herself alive and in fact that is what she did. She LIVED and for that I applaud her.

Thank you for your posting! I agree that we can not understand how anyone would react given the same situation...I am just thrilled Britt has been found alive!

 

[Strawberry Fields]

Okay - here's the original post from Japandaaa where she saw a red Chevy Blazer - I added it to tlcox's map (hope it works):

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&sou...02515&sspn=0.029501,0.054846&ie=UTF8&t=h&z=14

I cannot help but think Japandaaa did see this red SUV being driven by "somebody" that night. She mentions Texas Hollow Road in this post and look at the map that was just posted. Clearly, right near that AM, TS's house and Walmart, there is Texas Hollow Road.

 

[salvarenga]

I am only sharing my story in hopes that anyone who may be doubting Brittany can gain just a little bit of understanding from someone who has been in a similar situation at a similar age.

 

[belimom]

Okay - got tlcox's map working with the new point (D) where Japandaaa saw a red SUV swerving:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&sou...10692&sspn=0.018984,0.045276&ie=UTF8&t=h&z=15

 

[my_tee_mouse]

This is what I thought !

As soon as I saw this, I was like that guy is with them. The thing is it looks like he gets out of the passenger seat of the car in front of JSE's SUV at the beginning. This makes me think that maybe two people were helping JSE because one would be driving the car in front of JSE's SUV, then maybe JSE took the SUV back to wherever TS's car was, left it for one of the guys to pick up, while the other car stayed in the car. I am thinking all over the place here, but is there a possibility that TS and BS were out and about, when JSE and this guy followed them and abducted both of them ? Maybe TS was still alive at this point ? For all we know, she could have been in the car being held hostage. Maybe that's why JSE went back outside the door. I noticed he looked frantic and like he was on something because he keeps playing with the money in his hands. Plus, he seems to be on the "lookout" constantly.

Seeing this video just opened another door of theories in my mind.

:waitasec:

Also, this store is located right on W Main St at the entrance of Beverly Heights. It's literally a minute down the road from their house. Around this time, this store usually isn't busy because if I am correct, they close at 10pm on the weekends.

I got the feeling that he was scoping out the store at first.

There must have been some sort of communication going on between JE and the guy in the hat or BS, because the first guy at the cash register was swiveling his head back and forth to look JE's way and then off the other way. It's easy to be Monday quarterback, but this whole store scenario had my radar on high alert.

 

[Strawberry Fields]

OMG. They just said on WSLS that Easley did sell his SUV to a guy he met at AM and they have not charged that guy with any crimes yet but they are still investigating. They also state police had this video a good while ago but did not want to "tip their hand and release it"

 

[salvarenga]

OMG. They just said on WSLS that Easley did sell his SUV to a guy he met at AM and they have not charged that guy with any crimes yet but they are still investigating. They also state police had this video a good while ago but did not want to "tip their hand and release it"

Hmm...has anybody checked old Craigslist ads for that time period to see if there is a listing for a red SUV for sale?

 

[impatientredhead]

OMG. They just said on WSLS that Easley did sell his SUV to a guy he met at AM and they have not charged that guy with any crimes yet but they are still investigating. They also state police had this video a good while ago but did not want to "tip their hand and release it"

That makes sense.
I was wondering what he sold him to get him to bring cash to this location.
But didn't they find the SUV abandoned?
So did this guy see JE on the news on Monday and dump it?

 

[passionflower]

OMG. They just said on WSLS that Easley did sell his SUV to a guy he met at AM and they have not charged that guy with any crimes yet but they are still investigating. They also state police had this video a good while ago but did not want to "tip their hand and release it"

that answers how JE got money!!!Seriously would you buy a car at the AM???
was there an add for sale??? Did they know each other.......answers slow but sure!!!

 

[Strawberry Fields]

So this may also answer the who he was talking to on his cell phone at WM that LE said they knew who he talked too but were not going to say.

It all came on WSLS while I was sitting here on my computer and was trying to absorb every thing that was being said. Went to WSLS but they have not posted this whole thing they were talking about just yet.

 

[nervous_nellie]

http://www2.wsls.com/news/2010/dec/13/new-surveillance-video-easley-brittany-smith-leavi-ar-712919/

The video, taken at the Salem Apple Market on West Main Street, shows Easley buying gas and a few other items at around 9:20 p.m., roughly 45 minutes after leaving the Salem Walmart, where police say he bought camping gear with Tina Smith's credit card.

i thought that le chief lavinder has said in recent pressers that tinas tod was between late morning and late afternoon would be as close as they could estimate? since this is after they were at the walmart purchasing the camping gear i would think that tina was not still alive when they are seen at this market...jmo

i also wonder what the clerk was making the motions with her arms for? giving directions??

 

[nervous_nellie]

so if he sold the red vehicle was it found at the buyers home?

 

[Strawberry Fields]

Maybe that is how LE located this SUV. I cannot remember if they stated it was found abandonned, so maybe when this guy got wind of the whole thing breaking with JE abducting BS, he tipped LE off and they came and picked up the SUV?

 

[TexasLil]

OMG. They just said on WSLS that Easley did sell his SUV to a guy he met at AM and they have not charged that guy with any crimes yet but they are still investigating. They also state police had this video a good while ago but did not want to "tip their hand and release it"

So the guy innocently purchased the SUV and then just ditched it after finding out it was wanted in connection to a murder/abduction? Why on earth didn't he go to LE in the beginning when the news broke? Perhaps he did and we're just now hearing about it?

I think had he notified LE early on they would have known that JE had cash and could have easily made it a long distance away rather than speculating someone was helping and/or hiding them.

 

[impatientredhead]

I guess I added my own detail that they found the vehicle abandoned, the articles just say it was recovered Monday afternoon in Roanake. They had this info very early on.

 

[Japandaaa]

i also wonder what the clerk was ma...and, of course, but it's so frustrating. LOL.

 

[cluciano63]

I don't think LE ever said where they found the truck, which we all thought was odd. But it was probably at the buyer's house.

 

[Pollywog]

Correct, and it makes sense to speculate it was at least changed by or even on that date as she commented on it. I was just trying to make people see that the June/July thing is not proven, because it keeps getting tossed around.

June or July she talks about watching TV with Jeff and hanging out by the pool with Jeff. IMO, it is this Jeff. So I think he was hanging around at least in June and then moved in there in Oct.

 

[tlcya]

sounds as if LE got a call from concerned citizen in Ronoak who had purchased a suspect vehicle unknowlingly at the A.M.

LE kept it under their hat as they didn't want JE to know for sure if the buyer of the SUV had turned it in hiimself or been interviewed etc etc by LE. Hence the very limited info about LE's recovery of the SUV.

 

[Strawberry Fields]

So the guy innocently purchased the SUV and then just ditched it after finding out it was wanted in connection to a murder/abduction? Why on earth didn't he go to LE in the beginning when the news broke? Perhaps he did and we're just now hearing about it?

I think had he notified LE early on they would have known that JE had cash and could have easily made it a long distance away rather than speculating someone was helping and/or hiding them.

You make an excellent point. LE did state more than once that they knew that JE and BS did not have very much money. Have to wonder how much this guy gave them for it. Maybe this was the reason for that smirky almost gleeful look on JE's face in the video at AM. He now had some money to make his escape cross country. Must have spent a lot of this money somewhere if they were really panhandling in SF.