ME ME - Ayla Reynolds, 20 mnths, Waterville, 17 December 2011 - #1

[katydid23]

Originally Posted by Hazel

I don't think she is the mom Sleuthster.....This is the caption under that picture:

There is one picture of Ayla and a woman that could be her mom (or maybe aunt), in the second Facebook link I posted. Here is the link to Pictures: http://www.facebook.com/Help.Find.Ayla?sk=photos

She broke her arm while....?

oh ok, while at her dad's. I wonder who was her primary caretaker at Dad's. Did he take care of her the most, or did he have a gf, or his parents take her while he worked?

[MsFacetious]

Since she has been at Dad's since October, I assumed that was likely where she was when she broke her arm... since that is where she would have been spending the majority of her time.

[Dee10]

"The girl's mother, Trista Reynolds, is living in Portland without a permanent address, Massey said. Both parents have been interviewed and are cooperating with the investigation, he said.

He said there were several adults at the home Friday night when Ayla went to bed. At least one of them was not a family member, he said.

Massey said "everything is on the table," and is not ruling out an abduction."


http://www.onlinesentinel.com/news/s...011-12-18.html

[Courtney93277]

Originally Posted by cluciano63

So Mom has a 9-month old living with her at a hotel but lost Ayla due to something that is not being mentioned? Why would she be allowed to keep one baby but not the other?

The article is written in such a way that it is difficult to determine who has custody of the child. To me, this could read as if the maternal grandmother has custody of the 9 month old and is staying in a hotel with the mother.

Hanson was staying with Ayla’s mother, Trista Reynolds, in a South Portland motel Sunday as the search continued in Waterville.

“This is the worst thing of all because she doesn’t know where her daughter is at,” Hanson said. “I’m hoping that they call us soon and say they found her.”

Hanson said Trista Reynolds was not able to talk to the media. Trista Reynolds also has a 9-month-old son who is living with her at the South Portland motel, Hanson said.

The living with "her" part of the quote could mean mother or maternal grandmother. If the father of the youngest is not the same father as Ayla, it is possible that the father of the youngest was not appropriate to take custody and then the maternal grandmother could have custody of the youngest and have to supervise any contact between the child and the mother.

Just an idea of what could explain the living arrangments. Risk for a 20 month old is risk for a 9 month old, so it would not make sense for custody of one to remain while the other is removed *although sometimes that occurs when the younger is born after the older was already removed, but that is not the case here

[Pensfan]

This article
http://abcnews.go.com/US/police-sear...9#.Tu7OL5jN7zK
describes the "cast" as soft (yes, it might be an ACE bandage). The clavicle is the most frequently broken bone in toddlers. Toddlers' arms are put in slings usually with a soft wrap on the forearm to safety pin the sling in place. If her clavicle is broken, she couldn't open a front door with any significant weight. She would also be very fussy trying to get comfortable to sleep. She couldn't roll on her sides without pain and trying to lying on her back or prone would also be painful.

[RT51]

What I would like to know is:

How long has she stayed at this address, or was this just temporary for the night and she woke up and decided to wander to her regular home? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought I read the Dad was informed she was not there, which means he wasn't either, so who was it that noticed she was gone?

As far as not hearing, I still remember finding my not quite 2 yr old asleep on a bean bag chair in the living room with food around her, and the TV on. She was too young to even know how to change the channel. The living room was next to my bedroom. I remember being horrified that I never heard her climb out of her crib (monitor) and help herself to food in the kitchen and turn the TV on. That was 20+ years ago and it still haunts me.

I'm hoping she is found soon and is ok. This is just getting to be too much lately.

[lauriej]

Originally Posted by RT51

What I would like to know is:

How long has she stayed at this address, or was this just temporary for the night and she woke up and decided to wander to her regular home? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought I read the Dad was informed she was not there, which means he wasn't either, so who was it that noticed she was gone?

--i assume from this article----that she was with her father at that address since mid-october..

http://www.kjonline.com/news/Press-conf ... ddler.html
Search for missing toddler continues
--snipped--

The toddler had lived in Portland with her mother and grandmother until mid-October

said Becca Hanson, Ayla’s grandmother. The grandparents, who are not married and have separate addresses, said Maine’s Department of Health and Human Services had removed Ayla from her mother’s care in October.

--her father was the last to see her-----when he put her to bed at 8 p.m. and he was the one to find her missing, and call 911 at 8:51 a.m. the next morning..

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...sed-clues.html

Ayla Reynolds's father Justin DiPietro

woke up in his Waterville home to find her bed empty Saturday morning and he immediately called police.

Ayla was last seen in her bed around 10pm Friday evening. DiPietro reported her missing at 8.51am the next morning.

[SnoopyDoobyDoo]

Originally Posted by PMLsmom

And a baby in diapers - that need changing...and a baby that hasn't eaten - in AT LEAST 13 hours...

The baby was approaching two. At Ayla's age, my younger child woke up dry most mornings. We never had a leaking diaper from either child past the one year mark, and we stopped (no need, not laziness) night changes by six months. They also ate around 6 pm and had breakfast about an hour after they woke up, so 9 am most days. They weren't interested in food before then. Sleeping for 12-13 hours is completely age appropriate. I don't check on the kids unless I have reason to (ill, noises suggesting they woke up, a tingling mommy sense) overnight- the younger is a terrible sleeper who usually wakes up if I try, and then I spent an hour or more getting her back to sleep and she's still not well rested in the morning. The older one is easier to settle, but it does affect his quality of sleep.

Thinking of that sweet little girl.

[matou]

Uh oh...have to go:

Missing Maine Toddler: Mother sought custody on the day before disappearance.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/missing-mai...2#.Tu8t7Fa8g8s

[tlcya]

Ayla's mom on GMA right now

[tlcya]

She claims to have filed papers on Thursday for full custody of Ayla. She says Ayla's father was unaware of this but that he will now know. She says they have shared joint custody and were co parenting prior.

[tlcya]

Speculation on GMA "how did Ayla's arm become broken?"

Look at family, immediate and extended, babysitters, etc.

[matou]

Now motive is there, IMO. No stranger abduction IMO. I wish these games would stop.

[WillenFan21]

Oh god this is not going to end well.... and I just have to say that it angers me that people are killing their children (not saying that is what happened here just saying in general) and then using the abduction excuse to try and get away with it. It's sickening! Prayers for Ayla.

I've been tweeting Nancy Grace some links about this in hopes she will cover it on her show.

[CarrieBean]

Originally Posted by matou

Now motive is there, IMO. No stranger abduction IMO. I wish these games would stop.

I hope her Mother does have her. Anything else wouldn't turn out good.

Why go through the trouble of filing a claim for custody if she's just going to take her anyway? Unless she was feeling desperate.

[matou]

The father called the police and he is the last to see his daughter. He claims to not know about the mother filing for custody on Thursday. Where is Ayla?

[Coldpizza]

GMA video from this morning

http://gma.yahoo.com/video/news-2679...-27636526.html

[not_my_kids]

Here's what I'm trying to figure out. By DHS rules, and I know this for sure in ME, not sure about all other states, it is not suitable to live in temporary housing with minor children. That includes hotels, unless of course, you are travelling or it is an emergency. Otherwise, a hotel is not a permanent home, and you are not allowed to live with a child in a temporary home. Exceptions are usually made for domestic violence shelters, or if you can prove that you are taking steps to find a "real" home. I only say this because I have a friend that lost both of her kids to the state of ME, and her only offense was living in a motel room, with herself and both of her kids. There were no other problems, according to the court papers.

I point this out for two reasons: It is possible that Ayla's mother did nothing wrong, except to be deemed homeless with kids, meaning that she didn't necessarily abuse them or neglect them in any traditional sense. The problem usually is that children over a year are not allowed to sleep in the same room with two adults or one adult of a different gender. If Trista had a boyfriend that was staying at a hotel with her and DHS caught wind of that, they would have had grounds to remove Ayla, but not the baby, as no violations would have occurred with regards to the baby. Typically, the state removes all the kids from someone's custody, but not always. Considering the baby's age, and the lack of need for privacy, they might not have considered it a problem for the baby to be in a hotel.

ETA AGAIN: If the grandmother is also living in a hotel, I see no way that the grandmother would be allowed to keep the baby either. Unless grandma is very close to having her own home, or the state allowed it because grandma is very unlikely to have boyfriends coming through the motel to see her.

ETA: It depends on the reunification plan. If the genuine plan is to return one child ASAP, then the state often will allow the parent to keep the other child if there are no signs of abuse in regards to that child.

[OneLove]

Not saying it is true at all in this case, but just to keep in mind: some mothers file for cutody simply because they are desperate for the money child support and govt aid would bring. In social services, we saw this most often with drug addicts or alcoholics. I hope this is not the case here. If the grandparents are the ones that 'removed custody', I wonder why.

Bless them all and I do hope for a happy ending.

[Jareau]

God, I hope Ayla will be found unharmed and healthy. I just can't believe how many times this is happening.

Ayla is a common name in Turkey and they pronounce it "Eye-la". Just for trivia.

The father's name, DiPietro, is Italian.

On page one or two, some people were wondering about the circle-shaped things in two of the neighbours' backyards. Some were thinking pools, my thought is that they could also be trampolines. Do people have those for their children in their backyards in the US? Around here (Mainland Europe), lots of people have them. I attached the map for reference.

[not_my_kids]

Another possibility is that both kids were removed in October, and the baby has already been returned to her care. DHS will often take children all at once, but return them one at a time. The theory is that it gives the kids more one on one time, and gives the parents more time to spot personality changes that might have occurred while the kids were in foster care, things that they might miss if their kids are sent home all at once. That would be even more likely if the baby's father is not in the picture to petition to keep him out of her care.

[PMLsmom]

Originally Posted by SnoopyDoobyDoo

The baby was approaching two. At Ayla's age, my younger child woke up dry most mornings. We never had a leaking diaper from either child past the one year mark, and we stopped (no need, not laziness) night changes by six months. They also ate around 6 pm and had breakfast about an hour after they woke up, so 9 am most days. They weren't interested in food before then. Sleeping for 12-13 hours is completely age appropriate. I don't check on the kids unless I have reason to (ill, noises suggesting they woke up, a tingling mommy sense) overnight- the younger is a terrible sleeper who usually wakes up if I try, and then I spent an hour or more getting her back to sleep and she's still not well rested in the morning. The older one is easier to settle, but it does affect his quality of sleep.

Thinking of that sweet little girl.

True - every child is different. My DS got up at 5-5:30 EVERY morning, no matter what time he went to bed, ran into our room and wanted breakfast.

But...This almost 2-yr. old obviously does not have the home stability our children have. Look at her short life thus far:

She just got taken away from her mother, has since then had a broken arm (still in a sling), and is now missing. Our norms can't apply...IMO

[not_my_kids]

Reynolds says she hasn’t talked to DiPietro since Ayala went missing from her father’s Waterville home since Friday night. She was last seen sleeping in her bed.
http://bangordailynews.com/2011/12/1...-sole-custody/

This confuses me. She hasn't spoken to him since the night before Ayla was found to be missing, or she hasn't talked to him since Ayla was found to be missing?

[ynotdivein]

Originally Posted by Jareau

God, I hope Ayla will be found unharmed and healthy. I just can't believe how many times this is happening.

Ayla is a common name in Turkey and they pronounce it "Eye-la". Just for trivia.

The father's name, DiPietro, is Italian.

On page one or two, some people were wondering about the circle-shaped things in two of the neighbours' backyards. Some were thinking pools, my thought is that they could also be trampolines. Do people have those for their children in their backyards in the US? Around here (Mainland Europe), lots of people have them. I attached the map for reference.

IMO they are pools--two round above-grounds, and then it looks like the house at the far right of the pic has a rectangular in-ground.

(Trampolines are fairly common here, too, btw.)

[not_my_kids]

http://ezinearticles.com/?What-is-a-...nt?&id=2783756

She might not have had a broken arm at all, as soft splinting is not advised for fractures, because the arm is not completely immobilized. She might have nothing worse than a pulled muscle or a badly pulled or torn tendon, since those are the most common applications for soft splinting.

ETA: I think it all depends on whether she had a soft splint or a soft cast, and the articles are about half and half as to which one it was.