TX - Leanne Bearden, 33, Garden Ridge, 17 January 2014 *Media, Map Links Only*

KateB

New Member
Joined
May 28, 2012
Messages
9,751
Reaction score
546
Husband desperate to find wife who vanished during Garden Ridge walk
Posted on January 19, 2014 at 10:46 AM Updated Monday, Jan 20 at 6:57 AM
Garden Ridge Police are looking for Leanne Bearden after she went missing during a walk around 1 p.m. Friday. Police say Bearden is 33, 5' and weighs about 100 pounds. She has brown eyes.

Josh Bearden, her husband, said his wife was adventurous type and might have seen something on her walk and got lost or injured.

"It's just pretty hurt. It's supposed to get 20 degrees next week, I'm just scared to death," Bearden said.

Leanne was last seen walking from a relative's residence in Garden Ridge at 1:30 p.m. on Jan. 17.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Comal Co. dispatch at 830-620-3400.

Family: Missing woman did not walk away
January 20, 2014 : Updated: January 20, 2014 10:42pm
Leanne and Josh Bearden were scheduled on Monday to go back to Denver, where they had job interviews lined up, Sculley said. They were renting their house there through an agency and were planning to take it over in May, Sculley said.

Leanne Bearden was having some difficulties adjusting after the worldwide excursion, according to her sister-in-law.

“It was kind of a hard transition for her, so she's having some anxiety about it, but nothing that seemed like she was just going to run off,” Sculley said.

The Beardens blogged during their trip around the world at www.goexplore365.com.

Search underway for missing woman
Jan 20 2014 06:22:07 PM CST Updated On: Jan 22 2014 07:38:08 AM CST
Josh said he and his wife were in town visiting his parents for the holidays. He said he was working at his computer when he last saw his wife.

“She came upstairs and told me she was going to go for a walk and said she would be back in a little bit,” Bearden said.

Josh said his wife had credit cards and about $60 with her.

“She needs help, and I know she is in the area,” Josh said. “She didn’t catch a bus or go to Omaha or anything ridiculous like that.”

Thank you AddysMom7610 for these videos of the Garden Ridge neighborhood Leanne went missing from:

http://youtu.be/ONhgmE5jf8M
http://youtu.be/MI6HJpgRQ9U

Leanne and Josh Beardens travel blog & social media sites:
http://www.goexplore365.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/goexplore365/sets/
www.youtube.com/user/GoExplore365?feature=watch

https://www.facebook.com/ourfriendleannehechtbearden

Map where Leanne went missing from to FM 3009 http://goo.gl/maps/Nxts1

http://findleannebearden.com/
 
Desperate search for woman, 33, who returned from a two-year world trip then took a stroll near in-laws' home in Texas and hasn’t been seen in a week
PUBLISHED: 20:35 EST, 24 January 2014 | UPDATED: 08:06 EST, 25 January 2014
Leanne Bearden, 33, left her in-laws' Texas home on January 17 for a walk, planning to return in an hour
When she didn't return for four hours, her husband called police
Bearden has not been seen since
She and her husband Joshua Bearden had just returned from a two-year world trip
They were staying with Joshua Bearden's parents before returning to their home in Denver to find work
Searches of the Garden Ridge area have turned up no sign of the marketing graduate
article-2545694-1AF04FCD00000578-921_634x233.jpg

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/01/25/article-2545694-1AF04FCD00000578-921_634x233.jpg

New search set in Garden Ridge for missing woman
January 24, 2014
Josh and Leanne Bearden were alone at the house when told him she was going for a walk, Will Bearden said. A tree trimmer working in the neighborhood reported seeing her leave on foot.
Josh Bearden, 39, called police to report his wife missing when she hadn't returned four hours later. She had cash and a credit card with her, but no phone.
Although the tree trimmer described the pedestrian he saw as a teenager, Will Bearden said that description fits his youthful-looking, petite daughter-in-law, who is 5-foot-2 and weighs 100 pounds.
<snip>
On Thursday, the family hired two helicopters to search by air.

Search for missing woman turns up no new evidence
January 25, 2014 : Updated: January 25, 2014 6:08pm
Search teams deployed on foot, on horseback and on ATVs, Pyles said. A DPS helicopter scoured the area by air, zooming over the command center and the surrounding neighborhoods.
Twelve K-9 teams also joined the search, including human cadaver dogs and dogs that can pick up live scents, Pyle said.
At the epicenter of the search zone was the home on Sumac Lane where Bearden, 33, was living with her husband at her in-laws' and where she was last seen leaving to go for a walk Jan. 17.
A tree trimmer reported someone matching Bearden's description as she left the house. So far, it is the last known sighting of her.
About four hours later, when she failed to return home, her husband, Josh Bearden, called police.
 
After Traveling the World, Woman Goes Missing Close to Home
Jan. 26, 2014
"We have exhausted the area surrounding our city and we will continue to follow all leads," Garden Ridge Police Chief Donna O'Conner said.
Dale Lane of the Texas State Guard said they had searched 23 square miles for the missing woman, but had so far found nothing.
"We have no idea what has happened, we have no clues whatsoever and the police department briefed us as well and they have no clues as to where Leanne might be," Bearden's brother, Michael Hecht told ABC News.

Search continues for woman missing in Comal*Co.
Updated: Sunday, January 26, 2014, 9:20 am Published: Sunday, January 26, 2014, 7:32 am
Authorities from more than 15 state agencies searched for Bearden on Saturday, using canines, horses, ATVs, and aerial support to cover more that 23-square-miles. Garden Ridge Police said the search resulted in no signs of Bearden.
Josh Bearden reported his wife missing to Garden Ridge police several hours after she disappeared. The search began immediately. Police, Comal County sheriff’s deputies, and the FBI are all now involved in the search.
“Her husband, Josh, has been cooperative with all investigations and is not a person of interest,” Garden Ridge Police Chief*Donna O’Conner said in a statement. “Our heart goes out to the Hecht and Bearden families as they search for their loved one.”

Search ends for missing woman in Garden Ridge
Jan 25 2014 03:18:05 PM CST * Updated On:*Jan 25 2014 10:32:19 PM CST
Garden Ridge Police Chief Donna O'Conner said they have had a few calls from residents saying they remember seeing Bearden walking, but as far as Saturday's search, they did not find anything to lead them to believe that Bearden is in the area.
"We have exhausted the area surrounding our city," said O'Conner. "And, we continue to follow all leads."
<snip>
"The issue here is there are no clues," said Hecht. "There are no articles of clothing found, no items. We have no idea. You can think of all different types of scenarios. Right now, honestly, we don't know."
Garden Ridge Police are concluding their search of the area for now, but they will still be following up on leads.
 
After traveling world, woman vanishes in Texas
updated 11:28 AM EST, Sun January 26, 2014
Search continues for Leanne Hecht Bearden, who went missing after walk
Bearden recently returned to U.S. after taking trip around world with husband

HLN Weekend Express video interview with Leanne Bearden's brother, Michael Hecht.
 
Search Saturday Jan 25th

- Sheriff Holder, Captain Ward and the Comal County Sheriff’s Office, Comal County Constables, Comal County Emergency Management, Schertz PD, Texas Rangers, Texas Dept. of Public Safety and The Bracken Fire for providing local support. TEXAR (Texas Search and Rescue) CEO, Greg Pyles (TEXSAR)

- foot, canine, horseback, ATV and air elements from many agencies, local, state and federal including military

- 12 canines

- 145 certified searchers

- Texas SAR has search planners trained by air force


http://www.woai.com/pages/michaelboard.html


Police also have searched the family's phones and computers for clues, said Will Bearden, noting, “We're cooperating with them completely.”

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/lo...in-Garden-Ridge-for-missing-woman-5173286.php


bbm Link confirming 2nd day, January 18, law enforcement searched with dogs:

on day 1, officers met with neighbors. day 2, canine. day 3, follow leads

http://www.woai.com/pages/michaelboard.html#ixzz2rZ8u9qF8


No idea who this guy is. Direct link to comment about scent/Teakwood
https://www.facebook.com/ourfriendl...370&reply_comment_id=453376&total_comments=11


I'm just putting this here so I can find it again later if I need it.

Walking directions to Farm to Market 3009, Garden Ridge, TX 78266

9325 Sumac Ln, Garden Ridge, TX 78266
1. Head northeast on Sumac Ln toward Timber Rose 0.2 mi
2. Turn right onto Timber Rose 322 ft
3. Turn left onto Teakwood Dr 0.1 mi
4. Turn right onto Natural Bridge Caverns Rd (3009) 0.1 mi

Farm to Market = 3009 = Natural Bridge Caverns Rd

Total distance/time = 0.5 mi, 12 mins

View attachment 40564

https://www.google.com/maps?saddr=9...+market+3009,+gardTX&dirflg=w&mra=ls&t=m&z=17


Looks like 3009 runs into I35, which is a hot spot according to the FBI map.

Map of 3009 - I35
View attachment 40559

FBI hotspot map
http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2009/april/hsk_victim_map.jpg/view


The reason I'm asking if 3009 is considered a highway, is because the FBI has a Highway Serial Killings initiative that was started in 2009. Texas is the #1 hotspot state in the US for highway serial killers.

Graphic shows that TX is #1 state:
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-10-05-1Ahighwaykiller05_CV_N.htm

FBI pages on their Highway Serial Killings initiative:

http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2009/april/highwayserial_040609

http://www.fbi.gov/news/podcasts/inside/highway-serial-killings-initiative.mp3/view

http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2009/april/hsk_victim_map.jpg/view




“Her husband, Josh, has been cooperative with all investigations and is not a person of interest,” Garden Ridge Police Chief Donna O’Conner said in a statement.

snip

A man trimming trees across the street reportedly saw Bearden leave the home January 17. Garden Ridge police say they interviewed that man and verified the time she left the home by herself, and that everything appeared fine.

snip

Garden Ridge police say no suspects have been eliminated, and they say they have no reason to suspect foul play at this time.

http://kxan.com/2014/01/26/search-continues-for-missing-woman-in-comal-co/


Interview with Leanne's brother Mike Hecht. Says Josh is last to see Leanne. Doesn't mention tree trimmer/landscaper:
HLN Weekend Express &#8207;@WeekendExp 52m
After traveling world, woman vanishes in Texas http://bit.ly/1eWJNTl



Press release from Garden Ridge Police Dept
WOAI http://bit.ly/1mKxHy3

A multi-agency search was conducted today for Leanne Hecht Bearden. This is the latest in the investigation into the disappearance of Leanne after she went for a walk on Jan. 17th from a relative’s home in Garden Ridge. The search basically covered a 23 square acre area that formed a cone surrounding where she was last seen. The search consisted of foot, canine, horseback, ATV and air elements from many agencies, local, state and federal including military. The search resulted in no signs of Ms. Bearden.

As in all investigations, those who last saw the missing person are considered persons of interest.

While we continue to follow all leads, an extensive investigation has led us to believe that Mrs. Bearden went for a walk and did not meet with foul play at the family home or in the immediate area.

Her husband, Josh, has been cooperative with all investigations and is not a person of interest.
 
“What we're all thinking is that she just went on a walk to clear her head, to think about things, but it does seem out of character for her to run off because she just doesn't want to disappoint anybody,” Rebekah Sculley, the missing woman's sister-in-law, said Monday. “She's just a family pleaser. She wouldn't want to cause anybody trouble.”

snip

Leanne and Josh Bearden were scheduled on Monday to go back to Denver, where they had job interviews lined up, Sculley said.

snip

Leanne Bearden was having some difficulties adjusting after the worldwide excursion, according to her sister-in-law.

“It was kind of a hard transition for her, so she's having some anxiety about it, but nothing that seemed like she was just going to run off,” Sculley said.

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/article/Family-Missing-woman-did-not-walk-away-5159834.php
 
This one says early afternoon instead of 1:30pm that she left the house.

Garden Ridge Police Dept

Emergency Alerts

January 21, 2014 8:50 AM
Missing Person - Leanne Bearden
Garden Ridge Police Department along with the family and friends of Leanne Hecht Bearden continue to seek information regarding her disappearance. Current information indicates that Ms. Bearden left a relative’s home in Garden Ridge on Friday January 17th in the early afternoon to go for a walk. At approximately 5:20PM, when Ms. Bearden did not return, Garden Ridge Police Department was contacted. While we are very concerned for Ms. Bearden’s welfare, there is no indication at this time that this is criminal in nature. We continue to follow all leads and encourage anyone with information to contact Garden Ridge Police Department at 210 651 6441 or e-mail police@ci.garden-ridge.tx.us. You may also contact Comal County Crime Stoppers at 830-620-TIPS(8477) or 800-640-8422. For web or text tips follow instructions at http://comalcrimestoppers.org/

http://www.ci.garden-ridge.tx.us/AlertCenter.aspx?AID=Missing-PersonLeanne-Bearden-7
 
Press Release from Garden Ridge Police Dept

Posted on: January 23, 2014
PRESS RELEASE RE: LEANNE H. BEARDEN

PRESS RELEASE
Press*Release***Garden*Ridge*Police*Department
On Saturday January 25th, 2014, Texas Search and Rescue will be conducting a
search in Garden Ridge and surround areas for, Leanne Hecht Bearden, the
female reported missing. Officials are asking that private volunteers and
volunteer organizations refrain from searching this immediate area so not to
interfere*with*the*search*or*contaminate*the*area. **

Garden*Ridge*Police*
Department, Comal County Sheriff’s Office, Comal County Constables, Schertz
Police Department, Texas Rangers and Bracken First Responders will be
supporting with the rescue.

http://tx-gardenridge.civicplus.com/DocumentCenter/View/455


From Garden Ridge police dept website:

Posted on: January 21, 2014
MISSING PERSON ALERT - LEANNE BEARDEN

MISSING PERSON ALERT - LEANNE BEARDEN

Current information indicates that Ms. Bearden left a relative’s home in Garden Ridge on Friday January 17th in the early afternoon to go for a walk. At approximately 5:20PM, when Ms. Bearden did not return, Garden Ridge Police Department was contacted. While we are very concerned for Ms. Bearden’s welfare, there is no indication at this time that this is criminal in nature. We continue to follow all leads and encourage anyone with information to contact Garden Ridge Police Department at 210 651 6441 or e-mail police@ci.garden-ridge.tx.us.

http://www.ci.garden-ridge.tx.us/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=35


Garden Ridge Police Dept missing person flyer for Leanne

Leanne Bearden was last seen on or about Friday, January 17, 2014 at approximately 1:30PM
when she left a relative’s house in Garden Ridge to take a walk.

http://tx-gardenridge.civicplus.com/DocumentCenter/View/451
 
Although the tree trimmer described the pedestrian he saw as a teenager, Will Bearden said that description fits his youthful-looking, petite daughter-in-law, who is 5-foot-2 and weighs 100 pounds.

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/lo...in-Garden-Ridge-for-missing-woman-5173286.php


Here's the latest: The 33 year old may have been carrying a backpack. We have learned that her family noticed that a backpack was missing from the home. It's black on the sides and orange on the front.

http://www.woai.com/pages/michaelboard.html?article=12002765#ixzz2rLT2Lw53
 
Police chief clarifies original "left on her own free will" comment:

The Garden Ridge Police Department has been searching for Bearden since Saturday night and has checked the area in its jurisdiction, Chief Donna O'Conner said.

The department has been working with the Comal County Sheriff's Office and the Texas Rangers from the beginning, O'Conner said. The agencies now are getting permission from property owners to search more private land, she said.

The agencies also are continuing their investigation in other ways, O'Conner said.

&#8220;We really are doing things that are confidential, and information about those things could impede an investigation,&#8221; she said.

O'Conner had said over the weekend that Leanne Bearden had left &#8220;of her own free will.&#8221; To clarify, the police chief said Wednesday that she meant Leanne had voluntarily left for a walk and had not been abducted from the house. O'Conner said she was not alleging that Leanne ran away or left her husband.

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/lo...ssing-woman-searching-for-answers-5165452.php
 
Private investigator now on missing woman case
January 27, 2014
The family of a Colorado woman who went missing from a Garden Ridge home Jan. 17 has hired a private investigator to supplement police efforts to find her.
&#8220;He's going to start taking a closer look, and perhaps look into different areas,&#8221; Will Bearden, the missing woman's father-in-law, said Monday of investigator Charlie Parker.
more at link
Family exploring all options after woman vanishes in Texas following trip around the world
January 27, 2014
Garrett Stethens, a friend of the family and their spokesman, told FoxNews.com that Leanne said to Josh that she would only be gone for an hour, but she never returned.
Stethens said more hikes were scheduled for Monday and there have been searches for Leanne every day since January 17.

&#8220;We&#8217;re not going to stop just because they did,&#8221; Stethens told FoxNews.com.

Leanne Bearden Press Conference
Published Monday, January 27, 2014 (Held Saturday AM Jan 25, 2014)

And here is Garden Ridge Police Chief Donna O'Conner answering questions about why it took more than one week to organize the search

Click here to listen http://media.ccomrcdn.com/media/sta...ault/leanne_bearden:_missing_0_1390830228.mp3
http://www.woai.com/pages/michaelboard.html?article=12008201
 
http://www.ci.garden-ridge.tx.us/
Jan. 25, 14

A multi-agency search was conducted today for Leanne Hecht Bearden.* This is the latest in the investigation into the disappearance of Leanne after she went for a walk on Jan. 17th from a relative’s home in Garden Ridge.* The search basically covered a 23 square mile area that formed a cone surrounding where she was last seen. The search consisted of foot, canine, horseback, ATV and air elements from many agencies, local, state and federal including military.* The search resulted in no signs of Ms. Bearden.

As in all investigations, those who last saw the missing person are considered persons of interest.* While we continue to follow all leads, an extensive investigation has led us to believe that Mrs. Bearden went for a walk and did not meet with foul play at the family home or in the immediate area.* Her husband, Josh, has been cooperative with all investigations and is not a person of interest.* Our heart goes out to the Hecht and Bearden families as they search for their loved one.* We continue to support them in their efforts and encourage anyone with information to contact Comal County Crime Stoppers or the Garden Ridge Police Department via e-mail police@ci.garden-ridge.tx.us.* Any updated information will be posted at www.ci.garden-ridge.tx.us.

While law enforcement does not speculate, our concern is that Mrs. Bearden was not familiar with the area, she may have become disoriented or lost. Ms. Bearden is listed as a missing person through every available missing person data base.
The Garden Ridge Police Department would like to thank Sheriff Holder, Captain Ward and the Comal County Sheriff’s Office, Comal County Constables, Comal County Emergency Management, Schertz PD, Texas Rangers, Texas Dept. of Public Safety and The Bracken Fire for providing local support. TEXAR (Texas Search and Rescue) CEO, Greg Pyles, provided the organizational skills to mount this massive search. This search was made possible by the efforts of over 145 highly trained search and rescue personnel from over 17 agencies.
 
To Anguished Husband of World Traveler Who Vanished Near Home, 'Feels Like 1,000 Years'
01/27/2014 11:53 AM EST
By REENA NINAN | Good Morning America
"It's been nine nights and feels like 1,000 years, and everything is going through my head ... every single thing you can think of is going through my head," Josh Bearden told ABC affiliate KSAT. "There's not one scenario that I have not thought about."
<snip>
The situation is especially difficult for Josh because he says the two were preparing for their next stop &#8211; Denver, and their next adventure, "to start a family."
"The hardest part of all of this, besides not sleeping, has been keeping my hope," Bearden said. "The second I lose my hope, Leanne is gone, and my biggest fear is I will lose my hope."
He has one plea for his missing wife.
"If somebody has you just hang in there," he said. "We're going to keep looking for you. We're never ever going to stop looking for you."
video & more at link.
Texas officials call off search for missing woman
ByCrimesider Staff CBS January 27, 2014, 10: 18 AM
Garden Ridge Chief of Police Donna O&#8217;Connor said: &#8220;Actually, we are somewhat relieved that today&#8217;s results did not develop into anything that has led us to believe that she was in an area where she got hurt or out of the elements. All we know is that she has disappeared, and that is very heart-wrenching for investigators to not have anything.&#8221;

Husband says search will 'never' stop for woman who vanished in Texas following trip around the world
Published January 28, 2014
FoxNews.com
Josh Bearden said police told him that at this time they will continue to follow up on any leads.
&#8220;As far as any sort of search in the area, we&#8217;re on our own on that,&#8221; he said on "Fox & Friends." &#8220;If you see Leanne, let somebody know. Call the police. If you live in the area&#8230; could you do me a favor and check out your property and see if there is anything unusual out there?&#8221;
Leanne left the house without her cellphone and there has been no activity on her credit cards.
Authorities are not considering Josh Bearden as a suspect in her disappearance.
Family discounts reports of missing woman seen in Houston
By Zeke MacCormack : January 29, 2014 : Updated: January 29, 2014 9:48am
SAN ANTONIO &#8212; A private investigator working with police to locate a Colorado woman missing from Garden Ridge said reports that the woman was seen in Houston are false.
<snip>
Garden Ridge Police Chief Donna O'Conner said the four reports arose in the same area of Houston, and that one person who notified authorities provided a photo of the subject, described as a homeless mother asking for money.
&#8220;It was NOT her,&#8221; O'Conner said via email Wednesday.
<snip>
photos of Leanne's diamond rings at this link.
 
JVM
Aired January 27, 2014 - 19:00:00 * ET

Snipped...

JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, HOST: Tonight, a bone-chilling mystery. A beautiful young woman vanishes into thin air in a small Texas town while taking a walk near her in-laws` house, just hours before a terrifying attack on a young woman jogging in the same general area. Is a man in a ski mask preying on beautiful young women in Texas?

Good evening, I`m Jane Velez-Mitchell coming to you live.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She went for a walk while visiting his parents in Texas and never returned.

JOSH BEARDEN, LEANNE`S HUSBAND: You know, the daytimes I`m strong- ish. The night times are awful.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sometimes not knowing is worse than knowing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Cops say 33-year-old Leanne Bearden left her in-laws` house in Garden Ridge, Texas, which is near San Antonio, in jeans and a T- shirt to go for a walk. She didn`t have her cell phone with her. It was just a casual little stroll. But after a few hours, her husband realized something was terribly wrong.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J. BEARDEN: I knew after three hours that something was really, really wrong.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Search parties have now scoured the entire area, looking, hunting for any trace of Leanne, but so far they have not found any clues. Zero. It is a total mystery.

But just hours after Leanne disappeared, a female jogger was attacked 30 miles away by a masked man who happened to have a spider tattoo. The jogger successfully fought off the masked attacker. The suspect has not been identified or located. Are these two cases connected? We`re asking tonight.

Call me, 1-877-JVM-SAYS, 1-877-586-7297. Together, we`re going to try to solve this case.

Joining me now in a primetime exclusive, Leanne`s husband, Josh Bearden. Josh, first of all, I want to say that my heart goes out to you. I`m so sorry over what you`re going through. I understand that this is a complete nightmare. But I probably don`t even have an inkling of what you`re feeling emotionally.

I want to say, cops have cleared you of any involvement. That is a published report.

Let`s -- let`s start with what you`re going through. What has this been like since the 17th?

J. BEARDEN: It`s been just the worst experience that you could possibly imagine, to go from traveling around the world for two years with your best friend, and seeing her every single day, and then all of a sudden she`s just gone, and nobody has any idea where she is. It`s the worst feeling that anybody could ever have.

And I want to thank you for helping us today, and being interested in our story.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: We are very interested. And we want to see if somehow we can either jog somebody`s memory who is watching.

Now, here`s the thing that I want to clarify. What time exactly did she go out, and why would she go out without a cell phone? And yet I understand she had her wallet with her.

J. BEARDEN: You know, we always go out for a walk with a cell phone. So normally, you know, she wouldn`t have her cell phone with her. Plus we only had one cell phone. Because we`d been sharing a cell phone, until we moved back to Denver. So her not having a cell phone isn`t that unusual, because I was doing job interviews.

And as far as the wallet goes, we always hike with our wallet or go walk around with our wallet. I really don`t understand why that`s unusual. But I guess it is. We always go for a walk with our wallets.


VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Well, let me ask you to stand by. We`re going to mention some clues that we have so far. And they`re few and far between. And then we`re going to get your reaction and the experts that we have on our panel to try to solve this. Or at least get a break of some sort.

Leanne`s husband, you just heard him. He`s speaking to us exclusively tonight. Says she only took her wallet when she left the house, not her cell phone.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J. BEARDEN: She had, at most, $60 cash. And she had her -- she had her wallet. So she had her credit cards in there, which I have checked.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, according to cops, there`s been no credit card activity on any of her cards. They did confirm that Leanne, in fact, left the house. Police say landscapers talked to them and said yes, they saw Leanne walking north from her in-laws` home.

Now, she`s extremely petite. She weighs just 100 pounds and is 5`2". So she`s in great shape. She could be easily overpowered.

Jon Leiberman, here`s what I don`t get. How is it possible that police are saying they`re calling off the search tonight because they don`t have any evidence that a crime`s been committed. Are you kidding me? This is a petite young woman who, what do you think, she walks out into the sunset with no possessions and no cell phone, just for no reason and that`s not suspicious?

JON LEIBERMAN, HLN CONTRIBUTOR: Look, this is a young woman who also ran marathons. That`s what kind of shape she was in. When she left the house, we`ve learned, she had on hiking boots.

So right now, Jane, there are two parallel investigations. One investigation into the scenario that, did she try and go hiking, and perhaps fell, or got bitten by some sort of animal? And I will say she was not familiar with the terrain around this area, because this was her in- laws` home. That`s one possibility.

And in fact, Texas EquuSearch has offered drones to go up and actually survey all the land around there, because there are these little caves and little cavities where she could have fallen. And that`s one investigation.

The other parallel investigation, as you mentioned, even though the searchers have been called off actively, they are following up leads. They`re looking at 41 sex offenders in that area, in this county. They`re looking at the unsolved case that you mentioned of the hiker. So there are two parallel investigations. Don`t read too much into the fact that they`re not actively searching. They`re putting those resources elsewhere.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, let`s take a look at this possible -- we don`t know -- but there`s possibly -- we can look at it, a connection between Leanne`s disappearance and this other terrifying case. Cops say another jogger was attacked near where Leanne vanished. You can see on the map -- and we`re going to show you -- the location is only 30 miles apart.

Now, according to the woman who was attacked, her attacker was wearing a ski mask and had a spider tattoo on his neck. Now Leanne disappeared on the afternoon, is my understanding, of Friday, January 17. So two Fridays ago. The female jogger was attacked by the man in the ski mask 10 p.m. that same night, 30 miles away. That woman was able to fight him off.

But Joe Gomez, reporter, KRLD in Dallas, what do you make? Is that just a bizarre and terrifying coincidence, or could there be somebody who is on the loose there preying on women?

JOE GOMEZ, REPORTER, KRLD, DALLAS: Yes, we`ve always heard there`s no such thing as coincidences, right, Jane? This was a brazen attack by this individual to assault this woman in the middle of the night, while she`s jogging out there. I mean, a lot of joggers go out there. It`s decent weather out there in San Antonio this time of year. And that he would just attack this woman, with the possibility of getting caught, is very brazen.

Now, what`s also frightening, Jane, is that earlier this month, another woman was stabbed to death at a park in the San Antonio area, as well. She was discovered stabbed to death. Her attacker has never been found. So it`s...

VELEZ-MITCHELL: My understanding was -- my understanding was that there was an arrest in that case. And we`re going to have to try to clarify that. We`re going to clarify that during the break. Because there`s a lot of information coming out.

There was an attack on New Year`s Eve where a young woman was attacked and my understanding is killed, tragically. But my understanding is that that attacker has been caught, or at least the suspect in this case has been caught.

But if not, you`re possibly right. There could be three women now at risk of one dead, one missing, one who fought off her attacker. You know, this is a war on women that we`re talking about here. Women in America should not have to feel terrified of going for a hike or going for a jog. And it`s a sad state of affairs when that is the reality. That when women are jogging in an area, there`s warnings: oh, be careful, be careful.

We have a great surveillance technology. Often used for all the wrong reasons. We should have surveillance technology to protect women in America, so that we, more than half the population -- taxpayers, mothers, daughters, wives, sisters -- can go out without fearing for our lives.

Garth in New York, Garth, New York, what do you have to say?

CALLER: I have one thing to say, Jane. Because I don`t have a problem with the law enforcement camera system. Because there`s so many people been disappearing, and when they`re ready to use the cameras for the right reasons, they`ll find it. What happened to the camera when our children and our sisters and our brothers are disappearing and they don`t find them. What`s going on with the camera system? And what is...

VELEZ-MITCHELL: You`re absolutely right. There are -- there is incredible surveillance technology, extremely cheap right now, that we could put on every street in America. You know, they could catch you when you cross a red light. I`ve been caught driving and gone through that red light, boom, that camera has me. So it`s not a question of privacy, because they`ve got the cameras out there. But they should have cameras out there to save lives.

If you`re in a national park, or a local park, put cameras out there, so that people can see who`s going in and out, and we can catch predators.

We`re just getting started. We`ve got new information coming in. We`re clarifying the issue of whether or not a suspect has been caught in the New Year`s Eve case.

And again, we`re on exclusively with Josh Bearden, who is searching for his wife. They went around the world for two years. Then she gets back to Texas and goes missing while taking a walk. What do you think? Stay right there.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have to be doing something. We just -- the waiting is the worst part of this. The waiting and not knowing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEANNE BEARDEN, MISSING WOMAN: How about little kisses?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: That is the woman who is missing tonight. We`re trying to find her. With her husband in Athens, Greece.

Leanne and her husband just got back from fulfilling a lifelong dream traveling the world. They visited 56 countries in 22 months. And then, in a tragic irony, back visiting the in-laws, Josh`s parents, this beautiful young woman, petite, goes out for a walk on the 17th, Friday the 17th, two Fridays ago, never returns.

And we found out there was an arrest in the New Year`s Eve case. So we`re talking about her disappearance on the same day as a woman is attacked by a man in a ski mask.

Josh, I want to go back to you. I ask this not to embarrass you. But have you been able to look at her cell phone and see, did she have communications with anyone? Is it possible that she met somebody during her travels, and wanted to hook up with that person? Was she upset about anything? Were there money troubles? You know, anything?

J. BEARDEN: No, there`s nothing that I can figure out. And as far as if she hooked up with somebody, or something like that, we were together 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for 22 months. I`m pretty sure that I would have known if anything like that was going on. So I don`t mean to chuckle at it, but it`s just -- it`s not possible.

Can you ask the other part of the question? I forgot, sorry.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, I said, did you have a chance to look at her cell phone and see if there were any communications? I mean, it may not be something that is -- there might be something that she texted like, "Hey, I`ll stop by the bank," or "I`ll meet you at the coffee shop," or whatever, to a friend that would give an indication of where she was going.

J. BEARDEN: Yes, we turned over my cell phone, or our cell phone over to the police. And they had it for about a day. And then we hired a private investigator today, and he went over the phone records with us. So we`ve gone over every single phone number that`s been called and received. And have checked all of those. So there was nothing unusual that`s on there.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Nothing they can use at all.

Well, let me go to Evangeline Gomez, criminal defense attorney. You`ve handled so many of these cases. What do you make of this?

EVANGELINE GOMEZ, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: This is a very sad, tragic case. This is a Katherine Middleton look-alike.

In this situation, I think you`d want to hire various private investigators and actually investigate the theories they come up with. You don`t want to put all your eggs in one basket. You want to make sure that every stone has been unturned, that nothing has been left out of this search.

Also, competing search teams would be something that I would advise hiring, that could work with and independently of the local police department.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, he did hire a private investigator.

E. GOMEZ: One.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. One. Well, OK, it`s a start. Dr. Tiffanie Davis-Henry, this is a surreal nightmare for this family.

TIFFANIE DAVIS HENRY: It is.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: What are your thoughts?

HENRY: Well, it`s really tragic. It`s kind of unthinkable that -- you know, I`m someone who goes out when I go running, and oftentimes, I go running by myself in national parks. You don`t think that something like this could happen. But this is certainly a wakeup call, Jane, that this can -- this is a very real possibility.

I don`t think this woman just seemingly vanished in thin air. I think that there is someone out there that knows something about this case. And I would ask, plead with Josh -- and I know he`s doing it -- to keep praying, keep being strong. You and your family, you have the love and support of an entire nation that wants to see Leanne found. So keep making noise. Keep doing everything that you have to do. Keep searching. Don`t let this die, because she is out there somewhere. And someone knows something about what happened to her.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. And we`re going to stay on top of this. I hope that surveillance video of the nearest stores, even if they`re a walk, a long walk, check to see if anybody got gas in the neighborhood, any kind of vehicle going through. We have to find this young woman.

This is wrong, that in America, we women have to fear going for a hike or a jog, that we`re putting our lives in our hands. It`s wrong. It`s got to stop.

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1401/27/ijvm.01.html
 
2:07 video
Family: 'Strong possibility' Leanne Bearden left Garden Ridge voluntarily
by KENS 5 staff Posted on January 30, 2014 at 5:09 PM Updated yesterday at 10:15 PM *
SAN ANTONIO -- A statement released on Facebook by the family of Leanne Bearden suggests the missing woman may have left on her own accord.
"The pressure of transitioning from her two year trip back into what we consider 'normal' life seems to have left her very anxious and stressed," the statement read. "As a result of this investigation there is evidence that Leanne may have voluntarily left the area, and we understand this is a strong possibility."

Family of Leanne Bearden releases statement
Bearden has been missing since Jan. 17
Author: Mariza Mendoza, Reporter, mzmendoza@ksat.com
Published On:*Jan 30 2014 01:59:36 PM CST * Updated On:*Jan 30 2014 06:44:19 PM CST
The family of missing woman Leanne Bearden posted on their Facebook that evidence leads them to believe she may have voluntarily left the area of Garden Ridge.
A local private investigator reviewed several text, email, and voicemail messages over the last three months and said there is a strong possibility that Bearden was not happy being back in the United States after travelling the world for two years.

Leanne Bearden Update 1/30
Michael Board WOAI
Thursday, January 30, 2014

Here's new information:*
<snip>
There have been sightings in Houston that have not panned out.* The person that was thought to be her had tattoos... and that's not her.
3 new pieces of information (backpack, powerbars, witness) at link. Too short to quote without violating copyright. Please click through to link.
 
ABC Good Morning America
Sunday, February 2, 2014

New Theories Develop Around Missing Texas Woman

Transcript

Male News Anchor:
Leanne Hecht Bearden went for a stroll. She hasn’t been seen in two weeks. Her family is speaking out this morning with new theories on what may have happened to her, and ABC’s Marci Gonzalez is here with more. Marci, Good Morning!

Marci Gonzalez:
Good morning, Dan, and Brianna, they are far from knowing the whole story, but at least some of her family members believe it is possible she may have run away.

More than two weeks after she vanished, Leanne Bearden’s loved ones are making a bold statement – that they now believe the 33-year-old just returning to the U.S. after a two-year trek around the world with her husband may have wanted to disappear, posting on Facebook that there is evidence that Leanne may have voluntarily left the area.

Josh Bearden:
She was having some difficulty adjusting back to uh…life in the United States after being on the road.

Marci Gonzalez:
Her husband, Josh Bearden, explains that on January 17th, Leanne said she was going for a walk near his parent’s home outside of San Antonio, Texas. She said she’d be gone an hour, but Leanne never returned. Josh claims she didn’t bring a cell phone but took her wallet with no more than $60 cash and credit cards that still haven’t been used. Josh also now believes she took a backpack similar to this (shows photo of backpack – red and black) and a few energy bars.

Josh Bearden:
She is a budgeter. She can stretch money out. Umm…she could have stretched this out; I hope that she’s just taking a time out or playing survivor woman or something like that. That’s…that’s actually what keeps me going.

Marci Gonzalez:
While police have called off their search because there’s no evidence of foul play, Josh and Leanne’s family refuse to give up.

Josh Bearden:
There’s no clues at all, and I just …I can’t believe it! Like…nobody just disappears like that!

Marci Gonzalez:
Her brother and sister are speaking out for the first time.

Douglas Hecht:
Just know we’re constantly looking out for you and we want you back. We miss you and love you.

Marci Gonzalez:
Now two witnesses have come forward claiming they saw Leanne the day she disappeared, but they say she was carrying that backpack, and one claims she was heading for Interstate 35, but where she went from there is still a mystery.

Female News Anchor:
Such a surprising twist. Marci, our thanks to you, yeah.

http://gma.yahoo.com/video/theories...n_ref_map={"10152551852299018":"facebook_cb"}
 
1/25/2014
This is the short audio clip posted on WOAI of the search day press conference held in the morning of 1/25/2014.

Q: Chief, can you give us a sense about what searches have already been done and how this will be different from what's already been done?

What I will say to you is that your interpretation of search and my interpretation of search frequently aren't the same. My interpretation of a search is that we search the area for any homes that might have cameras on them, that have footage. We research businesses and our own facilities, the tapes to see if anything shows, any sign of Ms. Hecht as she went for her walk that afternoon. The family have been massively involved. We have worked together with the Hechts and the Beardens They have contacted many sources and done private searches.

When I say we haven't had foot searches, our officers on every shift have walked. Understanding that we have a small community that is mostly a bedroom community and a good majority of our residents are a part of our citizen's police academy and have been very active and neighbors know each other in this community. It is very much a bedroom community where people know each other and talk to each other and the churches are a source of support for them and they spread the word. So the word has been out there. Our officers walk every shift, we've walked every creek. I don't think at this point that within our small six, little over six square miles of Garden Ridge that there's anywhere where someone hasn't walked.

Q: There was just some confusion with people saying, why, why doing this eight days later, why wasn't this done on day 1?

I can tell you that On day 1, our officers were walking and meeting with neighbors. On day 2, Comal County Sheriff's Office provided us their canines and we did a search. On day 3, we continued to followup every lead that came in. When we're talking about this week, we would have probably pulled this together by Wednesday. But we knew the weather events that were going to go on Thursday and Friday and we did not think it was practical to try. We would not have had the success that I think we will have today having better weather.

Link to audio file: http://www.woai.com/pages/michaelboard.html?article=12008201
http://www.woai.com/pages/michaelboard.html
 

Members online

Online statistics

Members online
144
Guests online
1,985
Total visitors
2,129

Forum statistics

Threads
590,019
Messages
17,929,078
Members
228,038
Latest member
shmoozie
Back
Top