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

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Laddsy said:
I cant help but think of the countless chances she would have had to get away. (if she wanted to)
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That's just it... She was groomed -- and she is a child.

Try to think back to how you thought as a child. I know different people mature or act differently at different ages. But at some point, we all still thought that we HAD to do what our parents and other adults said. We didn't realize we had a choice - almost like training elephants in the circus (put a huge chain on the baby elephant, they can't break free, they stop trying; put nice little cutesy rope on adult elephant b/c chain is no longer needed and rope looks better to the spectators). Same principle. I keep waiting for the day when my own children get old enough to realize that they don't have to do what we say. Sure, they pitch fits and don't always listen/obey immediately. But in the big scheme of things, they still look to us to control their lives. They don't realize that we don't have a big chain on them - it's all in their heads b/c they're children. I think Brittany is still at the stage of doing what an adult says b/c 'adults are in charge'. PLUS, she had been groomed. PLUS, she may have seen JE kill and/or beat her mom: she KNEW what he was capable of doing to her if he got angry with her. :twocents:
 
Just a reminder: do not quote from her MS or FB. Against TOS here.
 
I worked with troubled kids for many years. I don't think it's unusual that none of BS's family went to SF to get her. This is a very delicate situation...probably more delicate than any of us want to think about (and I'm not implying that BS is/was in any way complicit). The chances are high that she was sexually assaulted by JE. Her father adores her but he's also a cop...the investigators didn't need for him to ask or answer questions regarding what all had happened but you know that under the circumstances, no relative, including/especially her dad, could make idle conversation with her for all the hours it will take to get her home. I feel sure that she's spoken with her father and with other relatives and that they have been instructed as to what can and can't be discussed with her during their chats. Even when she gets back to VA there will be at least a short time when she's not with family...when she's in a protected custody situation...so that until law enforcement get what they need from her, no one else clouds her memory or interferes with what she knows or doesn't know. This little girl has been through an amazing trauma and only she and/or JE knows the answers to lots of questions. The investigators just won't run the risk of someone, well-meaning though they may be, interfering with the investigation of all the possible crimes committed over the last several days.

BS will certainly be given contact with her father and other relatives. She'll be given medical treatment if she needs it. She'll talk with a psychologist or psychiatrist for lots of reasons, chief among them to assess her risk for suicide. They also need to try to ascertain whether she's still in the mental clutches of JE and, if she is, start the process of breaking that bond. That's a delicate process too.

I don't think this child is being mistreated by VA authorities...she's being treated as what she is...a child who who has been abducted and whose mother has been murdered. That's quite a balancing act for everyone involved, including Brittany. But she is a key witness here and also a victim...she must be protected as both and that's a tricky situation. I feel sure, though, that investigators will work quickly to de-brief Brittany and make sure that she's secure with family ASAP. Not only is she a child, her father is part of the "blue line". She will be treated as fairly and as well as possible, I'm convinced. (Just MHO, of course :) )
 
Based on the TS and BS's comments on FB and MS, I think that Thursday, Dec 2, was the day JE was told to leave. TS was trying to be positive, while BS wasn't very happy (summarizing). Maybe they took some time to do some mother/daughter stuff on Friday after whatever went down Thursday evening. Came home and had run-in with JE... and it went downhill from there. Again, Brittany is still a child and a victim through all of this... just like Jean Marie Berlinghoff - and Jean is 15, not 12.
 
sam24 said:
Here's what erks me the most. Brittany's fb and myspace messages were 'screaming out for help'. She even changed her name to his and pictures with him and ily and hcb to him. UH, why did it take something like this for the relatives to say 'what a second, why is she posting this stuff?' Why did not one of her friends say 'uh, Brittany, this is not right, this guy is not right.' It would be one thing if this had been totally secret however, that doesn't seem to be the case. Did no one in her family not see the fb posts about him. She was screaming out for help, someone, anyone, she was looking for some guidance, from anyone. That's the sad part. Just my opinion but I place all the blame on those left that did nothing until it was way too late. I'm not going to say much about Tina, she's paid the ultimate price and her state of mind is unknown to me however every one of her friends that has been interviewed has talked about how sweet and nice she was to everyone. I want to believe that she had major blinders up and saw what was taking place as just innocent fun between her daughter and boyfriend, probably never imagining that he would take it to the level he did.
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Maybe she was eager to have a father figure and hence the last name change, pictures with him..etc. In any case, imo, it's very easy to judge a situation on the outside.. "they should have done this" "this could have been prevented by" but sometimes you just don't know if you should act on a feeling about something. It's quite possible they did. We don't know all the details. For me personally, in this situation, I can only blame evil in mans' heart.
 
sam24 said:
Leaving out of Salem, I'd say they took I-40. Takes you straight through TN, AK, OK, TX, NM, then CA, almost a straight shot to SF. They would have been able to stay on that road all the way across. That weekend had lots of snow further north (I-70) too.
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Yeah. I've been on a road trip from Riverside - CA to Salem - VA ( when I moved here ) and it's easier staying South. I'm pretty sure if they took the North approach, they would have ran into bad weather, especially going through Salt Lake City - UT. I have a friend from there and she's been complaining about the snow for over a month now. Not to mention, it's a lot colder.
 
shorty42404 said:
Maybe she was eager to have a father figure and hence the last name change, pictures with him..etc. In any case, imo, it's very easy to judge a situation on the outside.. "they should have done this" "this could have been prevented by" but sometimes you just don't know if you should act on a feeling about something. It's quite possible they did. We don't know all the details. For me personally, in this situation, I can only blame evil in mans' heart.
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I totally agree and I shouldn't have worded it the way I did, I felt real bad after posting it, maybe the family did do more than we know of. I hope that was the case. I do believe she was in need of a father or male figure for guidance in her life. My parents divorced when I was 12 and I did not see my dad again until I was in my twenties. I felt totally lost for a long time. My mother was one of those started putting the men she dated ahead of her concern for her own children. You can bet your last dollar that my child (13) does not worry like I did. 12 is an extremely tough age when things aren't going right. Again, I'm sorry I wrote that, I don't really blame anyone other than JE, just very frustrated with the whole situation.
 
sam24 said:
I totally agree and I shouldn't have worded it the way I did, I felt real bad after posting it, maybe the family did do more than we know of. I hope that was the case. I do believe she was in need of a father or male figure for guidance in her life. My parents divorced when I was 12 and I did not see my dad again until I was in my twenties. I felt totally lost for a long time. My mother was one of those started putting the men she dated ahead of her concern for her own children. You can bet your last dollar that my child (13) does not worry like I did. 12 is an extremely tough age when things aren't going right. Again, I'm sorry I wrote that, I don't really blame anyone other than JE, just very frustrated with the whole situation.
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I don't judge you :) I think a lot of people are frustrated right now.
 
Someone made a post earlier about Brittany, going through all of this, has walked in the shoes of an adult...that 12 was a pretty precarious age at best and that Brittany's age had just been seriously complicated by all she's gone through. That is precisely the case.

Brittany's re-adjustment will be extremely difficult and complex. She may be only 12 y/o, but she's been through things that very few people of any age ever experience. She is no longer a 'normal 12 year old'...by virtue of what she's been through, she's not 'normal' anything. Her experiences over the last 2 wks have changed her life forever. She's no longer 'just like' her friends...she's worlds away from them now. Whatever her childhood once held, it's gone now. Her life has been altered in ways no child's life should ever be altered. Her life's been altered in ways no adult's life should be altered either. To me, this is JE's greatest crime...for his own selfish reasons, he has denied this young girl a normal life, probably forever.

I'm sure that her father wants desperately for her to come live with him. He's a cop...we all know what kind of hours they work. I'm sure other relatives would gladly take her to live with them too. But wherever she goes, there's going to have to be lots of therapy and lots of understanding. Wherever she goes to live, it's going to be difficult for everyone involved and for lots of reasons. Relationships will be difficult. Friendships with girls her age will be difficult. Having an age-appropriate 'boyfriend' will be difficult. Getting along with adults will be difficult. The road ahead for this child is going to be full of pitfalls and difficulties. JE has destroyed much of what Brittany was...we can only hope that there's enough of her essense/spirit left that she can get on another path and become happy and productive again.

If there are prayers or positive thoughts for this child, they need to be that she's able to find security with her family and a sense of direction with her future...that she heals from this ordeal with as few scars as possible. She was a bright and beautiful young girl. Now she's a bright and beautiful young girl who has lived through a nightmare. The monsters under her bed were real. That's quite a lot to overcome but here's hoping that she gets the right mix of therapy, family, and friends to pull her through it.
 
Lysistrata said:
Someone made a post earlier about Brittany, going through all of this, has walked in the shoes of an adult...that 12 was a pretty precarious age at best and that Brittany's age had just been seriously complicated by all she's gone through. That is precisely the case.

Brittany's re-adjustment will be extremely difficult and complex. She may be only 12 y/o, but she's been through things that very few people of any age ever experience. She is no longer a 'normal 12 year old'...by virtue of what she's been through, she's not 'normal' anything. Her experiences over the last 2 wks have changed her life forever. She's no longer 'just like' her friends...she's worlds away from them now. Whatever her childhood once held, it's gone now. Her life has been altered in ways no child's life should ever be altered. Her life's been altered in ways no adult's life should be altered either. To me, this is JE's greatest crime...for his own selfish reasons, he has denied this young girl a normal life, probably forever.

I'm sure that her father wants desperately for her to come live with him. He's a cop...we all know what kind of hours they work. I'm sure other relatives would gladly take her to live with them too. But wherever she goes, there's going to have to be lots of therapy and lots of understanding. Wherever she goes to live, it's going to be difficult for everyone involved and for lots of reasons. Relationships will be difficult. Friendships with girls her age will be difficult. Having an age-appropriate 'boyfriend' will be difficult. Getting along with adults will be difficult. The road ahead for this child is going to be full of pitfalls and difficulties. JE has destroyed much of what Brittany was...we can only hope that there's enough of her essense/spirit left that she can get on another path and become happy and productive again.

If there are prayers or positive thoughts for this child, they need to be that she's able to find security with her family and a sense of direction with her future...that she heals from this ordeal with as few scars as possible. She was a bright and beautiful young girl. Now she's a bright and beautiful young girl who has lived through a nightmare. The monsters under her bed were real. That's quite a lot to overcome but here's hoping that she gets the right mix of therapy, family, and friends to pull her through it.
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Thank you for sharing this.

I went through a lot of horrible things in life too, especially at that age, and there IS Hope. I pray Brittany will see that and that God will do above and beyond what she could ever ask or imagine in her life as He has done in mine.

Btw, has it been confirmed who she is staying with yet? Whoever it is, they will need a TRUCK load of grace and love for this sweet girl. Praying for that too :)
 
Lysistrata said:
Someone made a post earlier about Brittany, going through all of this, has walked in the shoes of an adult...that 12 was a pretty precarious age at best and that Brittany's age had just been seriously complicated by all she's gone through. That is precisely the case.

Brittany's re-adjustment will be extremely difficult and complex. She may be only 12 y/o, but she's been through things that very few people of any age ever experience. She is no longer a 'normal 12 year old'...by virtue of what she's been through, she's not 'normal' anything. Her experiences over the last 2 wks have changed her life forever. She's no longer 'just like' her friends...she's worlds away from them now. Whatever her childhood once held, it's gone now. Her life has been altered in ways no child's life should ever be altered. Her life's been altered in ways no adult's life should be altered either. To me, this is JE's greatest crime...for his own selfish reasons, he has denied this young girl a normal life, probably forever.

I'm sure that her father wants desperately for her to come live with him. He's a cop...we all know what kind of hours they work. I'm sure other relatives would gladly take her to live with them too. But wherever she goes, there's going to have to be lots of therapy and lots of understanding. Wherever she goes to live, it's going to be difficult for everyone involved and for lots of reasons. Relationships will be difficult. Friendships with girls her age will be difficult. Having an age-appropriate 'boyfriend' will be difficult. Getting along with adults will be difficult. The road ahead for this child is going to be full of pitfalls and difficulties. JE has destroyed much of what Brittany was...we can only hope that there's enough of her essense/spirit left that she can get on another path and become happy and productive again.

If there are prayers or positive thoughts for this child, they need to be that she's able to find security with her family and a sense of direction with her future...that she heals from this ordeal with as few scars as possible. She was a bright and beautiful young girl. Now she's a bright and beautiful young girl who has lived through a nightmare. The monsters under her bed were real. That's quite a lot to overcome but here's hoping that she gets the right mix of therapy, family, and friends to pull her through it.
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So very well said Lysistrata. Everything I've been thinking and how it has and will effect her life, but I couldn't put into words. I hope and pray she finds within that family the understanding you have mentioned. It will be hard and it will be long. Giving her the freedom to grow and be herself, yet the strength of a discipline to guide her in making the right decisions for her future. Prayers she and her family find it. Again, thank you. :blowkiss:
 
Investigators working an abduction case said they had interviewed a 12-year-old girl from Roanoke, Virginia and the man who alleged abducted her over a week ago, but are keeping mum about what they learned.Investigators said Sunday that two days after San Francisco Police took 32-year-old Jeffrey Scott Easley and an allegedly abducted 12-year-old girl into custody, they talked with both for the first time since they were reported missing and the girl’s mother was discovered dead.<snip>
Since arriving in San Francisco Saturday, Roanoke detectives visited the area on the outskirts of ocean beach, where the girl and Easley were staying prior to their discovery.At the conference Sunday, McPhail would not describe the girl's condition or say whether she had been sexually assaulted.“We don't want anything to jeopardize the case back in Roanoke and its very important we get justice for Tina Smith's family,” said McPhail.Easley was being held in the psychiatric unit of the San Francisco County Jail Sunday on warrants for abduction, credit card theft and credit card fraud.The girl was in protective custody Sunday and she spoke with her father over the phone last night. Police have not yet said when the two will go back to Virginia. An extradition hearing for Easley had not been set as of Sunday. more at link: http://www.ktvu.com/news/26111688/detail.html
 
mgardner said:
Rochestergirl said:
Wow - I'm suprised her dad didn't go to SF...considering what his daughter must have gone through. I would have been on a plane in a heartbeat. I'm not going to read much into it, but perhaps LE doesn't want BS distracted by family members while being questioned??

Just thinking out loud.

Mel
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I would think that the family had little choice in the matter. Given that LE had and has little insight into the mind of BS they must presume that she may be a "hostile witness". Yes she was abducted BUT she may harbor ill feelings toward her rescuers. I don't imagine they would want to present her with the security of family until they can mine useful information for future court proceedings. No better time to do that than when someone is out on a limb with no help is sight. Nasty job but someone has to do it. I'm not suggesting that she was "grilled"... But she is surely vulnerable and I would think LE would use that to their advantage.
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pharsin said:
OMG...Has everyone seen this? Explain this to me: Going back to BS calling herself Brittney Easley instead of Brittney Mae Smith. Here she has posted a comment on her Brother's memorial page on June 27 and she was using the Easley name back then. My understanding was that JE met TS in the Summer and moved in October. This post on FB tells me that JE knew BS back in June..OMG what a predator, he very well could have created a relationship with TS simply to get close to BS..

SHOCKING STUFF...jmo

Brittany Easley i miss yu sooooo muchh bubbaa

June 27 at 3:22pm

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=115192928023&v=wall
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When you make a name change on FaceBook it is changed on all the comments or status' that you ever posted. There are activity notices that go to the feed such as "BS changed her profile picture", "BS changed her name", etc...Unless you have access to all the notices of activity for her and could pour through those you would never know when it was changed.
 
hollyblue said:
I really think they have a psychologist involved in questioning her and they would be able to ascertain if she would be in the state of mind to run away or disappear again shortly after going back....along with thoughts to LE of her role in this. jmo
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I sincerely hope BS is as happy and relieved to have been rescued as everyone else is.
 
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