GUILTY GA - Lauren Giddings, 27, Macon, 26 June 2011 # 1

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Uhhh...yeah. In fact most of the people I saw were walking their dogs! These are Victorian Era cemeteries, they were intentionally designed to be like parks, to create an atmosphere that encourages people to visit, relax, walk around and enjoy the mausoleums and artwork and spend an afternoon in a pleasant way. The people that spent big bucks on family mausoleums and statues expected and WANTED others to enjoy and admire the memorials. Dogs are a part of that park like atmosphere, I am sure in the Victorian Era they brought their dogs along too, and yeah the dogs did pee on stuff! Folks had different view of death at that time, it was an obsession in a way, from what I have read picnics at the cemetery were a common thing in Victorian times.

The most beautiful historic cemetery in Atlanta, Oakhill, not only welcomes canines they have a water faucet with a chained dog bowl right outside of the visitors center for the convenience of thirsty dogs. They understand and respect the ideology behind Victorian Cemeteries, come by, relax, spend the afternoon. I was fortunate enough to unexpectidly visit Oakhill during a Mausoleum tour day (yeah with my dog) and we were able to enter a dozen or so crypts at Oakhill with the guides that told the stories of the families that built them. Beautiful white marble floors and walls, pristine stained glass windows, labors of love that look different from the inside.

hmmm okay. I'm a(n) historian, so while I'm very aware of changing views of death, I just didn't think people would do that today (not the dogs in the park, but the urinating on graves permitted) anyhoo, thanks for the info. Guess I'm just old-fashioned ( in an un-Victorian way). =)
 
hmmm okay. I'm a(n) historian, so while I'm very aware of changing views of death, I just didn't think people would do that today (not the dogs in the park, but the urinating on graves permitted) anyhoo, thanks for the info. Guess I'm just old-fashioned ( in an un-Victorian way). =)

If you have visited a Victorian Cemetery you know it is not just a bunch of headstones so no it isn't about "urinating on graves". Bushes, trees, grass, walkways, lots of walkways, cast iron fences, marble curbs, many many various things of interest.
 
Hi everyone. I'm a newbie here. I have read this forum off and on for over a year. This case has hit a little closer to home for me.

My daughter attends Mercer University (main campus), and, until last month, she was living in a house right next to these apartments. The clump of trees they cut down looking for body parts is the only thing that separated the apartments from her back door. Her friends are still living there, and she has only moved a few blocks away. The idea that someone could do something like this to an innocent woman within a few feet of the residence where my daughter lived is unsettling, to say the least.

I do have some observations based on the discussions here. This area of Macon is considered "safe" by the students. My daughter convinced me it was a good area. It's proximity to the law school and the downtown area draws the students. As for people not going out at night. Well, they aren't NOW, but last month, they did. The students would walk everywhere. My daughter would walk to the main campus of Mercer University daily. She would also walk to the downtown area to visit the restaurants and bars. This is very common for the people living in this area.

She has had a few incidents while walking to and from locations, but this usually took place while walking to campus and in the parks. Homeless men would sometimes yell things at her. I know of one occasion where she had one following her and telling her in detail what he was going to do to her. She kept walking and held her pepper spray close. That was the day I told her to quit walking through the parks, even during the day. Of course, she didn't stop. She said she had her pepper spray and could take care of herself. I expect a woman like LG would feel the same way. No one was going to stop her from living her life her way.

This tragic event has shaken these young people to the core. They are traveling in groups and carrying more forms of protection. I have to admit, we are getting my daughter something more potent than pepper spray. I hope they resolve this quickly.

On another note, my background is in psychology. SM is not the number one suspect in my mind. His lack of social skills reminds me of other students I have met who are a little awkward. Very bright, but just not so good at social skills. They can be successful because they look at things a little differently. I also lean away from it being one of the 'hoodlums' in the area. This crime took a lot of time and intelligence to pull off. They don't have a frenzied, violent scene. It is clean and clear in her apartment. And they are saying it happened there.

Now, here I have dropped all this and started a conversation and I get paged into work! I will check back in a bit.
 
MICHELLE: Have you met her family before?

MCDANIEL: I mean, there was one time that I met them. They came down through here. She -- she had a little dog, a little brown dog, that she would exercise out in front of the law school. And it got hit as she was coming across the road. I -- I heard the car hit it and ran out, and she was there crying, and we -- thankfully, there was someone who came along who knew a vet or something, and they helped that. And her family came down I think a couple weeks after that or something, and I met them just briefly.
http://www.wmac-am.com/includes/news_items/6/463/7oclockhour.mp3

[LG's cousin] said her family was familiar with McDaniel, but he didn’t insinuate that family members suspect that McDaniel had anything to do with Giddings’ disappearance or slaying.

The family had seen McDaniel at a graduation party thrown jointly by the Giddings family and another law student’s family at the Fish N’ Pig restaurant in May.

He said Giddings was always kind to McDaniel.

Read more: http://www.macon.com/2011/07/07/1623060/body-is-lauren-giddings-police.html#ixzz1RjYYiEjK

Strange that he doesn't mention the graduation party. Did the accident with the dog happen around the same time as the party? And then the cousin's statement that LG was always kind to McD seems to say they knew McD better than he let on. It at least says that LG talked to her family about McD. It's probably nothing, but these statements bother me.

 
I am beginning to think this is something far more sinister than McD would have been capable of.
 
That was the day I told her to quit walking through the parks, even during the day. Of course, she didn't stop. She said she had her pepper spray and could take care of herself. I expect a woman like LG would feel the same way.

Yeah, youthful exhuberance, thinking they are untouchable/immortal. I strongly suspect LG felt that way too, but I doubt it mattered in this case.

Modern PC parents shield their children from "negative images" however nature dictates you teach your offspring about dangers and instill fear for survivals sake!

This case is scary and shocking, no doubt, but statistically the real threat is Macon thugs. This was not the work of Macon thugs but it will have a big effect on Mercer students, one article states Dateline NBC has looked into this.
 
Welcome psychomom! I agree with all you said. Downtown Macon is beautiful and a great place to live. I have lived there (not as a student) and loved it when I did. However, it is not a place to walk alone at night unless you are on one of the well traveled main streets in the retail area, in one of a handful of residential areas or on campus. Almost every street downtown has a hidden one lane alley running behind it. Barristers Hall has one behind it. These little alleys are great places for people to travel unseen because everything backs up to them. They are usually dark because they are covered by mature trees/foliage or the buildings and homes that surround them are tall. I would still feel safe walking with someone after dark in the areas mentioned above, but nowhere else. And even in the safe areas I would be on high alert the whole time. I would even feel comfortable doing as your daughter and traveling by foot alone most places during the day. There really are so many nooks and crannies where people could hide.

The homeless people were not ever a concern for us while living downtown. They were quite comical and entertaining sometimes in how they would approach us for money. There are such a variety of people who live downtown that it's a great life experience. In our neighborhood (which was Georgia Ave) we had students, professors, business owners, drag queens, retail workers, insurance agents, hoodlums :), stay at home moms, homeless people.... you name it.

I can't imagine, since you are a mom of a Mercer daughter, how worried you will be in the fall if this case isn't solved.
 
Hi everyone. I'm a newbie here. I have read this forum off and on for over a year. This case has hit a little closer to home for me.

On another note, my background is in psychology. SM is not the number one suspect in my mind. His lack of social skills reminds me of other students I have met who are a little awkward. Very bright, but just not so good at social skills. They can be successful because they look at things a little differently.
respectfully snipped

Welcome to Websleuths, Psychomom. I appreciate your insight. Your point is well taken. I'm familiar with quite a few individuals who are brilliant but lack charm and social skills. I can't imagine one of them spending more than a few seconds in front of a camera giving an interview to a reporter, much less taking a 20 minute break and returning to continue the interview after learning that a friend's body had been found. And when you take into account that McD is a law school grad who should've known the situation would likely move into a criminal investigation, his chattiness seems odd to me.
 

I assume he didn't mention meeting the parents at the grad party because he didn't actually speak to them- at least the articles I've read only indicate they saw him. The reporter asked if he had ever met her parents. So maybe he only spoke of the instance in which he had direct contact with them. From the way I read the various articles, McD met parents after dog incident at beginning of their law school education. And of course the graduation party was at the end.
 
I can't imagine one of them spending more than a few seconds in front of a camera giving an interview to a reporter, much less taking a 20 minute break and returning to continue the interview after learning that a friend's body had been found.

McDaniels appears to be a socially awkward pleaser. That means if he was talking to reporters and got upset and left....he would be feeling obligated to go back and finish the engagement.

He knows they are out there, and he knows he left the conversation and they want to talk to him so he goes back.

Sort of like listening to the phone ring endlessly, some folks can say "forget it" and other folks are really bothered by it and feel the need to answer it.
 
I'm new here as well, so here goes... I agree with PsychoMom---the students and full time residents of downtown Macon (which, btw, is pushing a huge initiative--by Macon standards--to encourage downtown living) really, in general, do not see living there as risky. I know that there have been a number of posts citing "thugs" and "hoodlums," but I can't say that I see Macon in this way. I grew up in Atlanta, have lived in two different areas of Macon and have been here for over 10 years. When people say there is high crime down here, I sort of roll my eyes based on my ATL experience. I just put this out there for perspective---I have felt comfortable putting my kids in downtown parochial school just minutes from LG's apt. We play in the park down the street after school many days a week before we go to other activities downtown. My husband and I regularly attend all sorts of events during day and night. This is just to say that most people who live here have not traditionally walked in fear in the downtown corridor.

There is something that sticks out about the discussion here, and this is just a comment/question: Why do we presume/assume that this crime happened at night? All we really know (to my reading) is that the last LG was accounted for sometime after 10pm on that Saturday. There is a wide breadth of time between then and the report of her being missing.

I definitely concur with the members who suspect that this is a very personal crime. I just feel like there's something so bold about putting her body so very close to the apt. bldg. I feel almost as if it's a taunt--as if to say, "Look what I can do. Look what I can get away with." I won't play my hand right now, but I have a pretty strong, gut feeling about this entire scenario.

I hold out hope that we'll soon find out that this atrocity was personal so that Macon residents will not have to fear that a random attacker is on the loose.

Sorry this is a blur of ideas...just getting started here. :)
 
McDaniels appears to be a socially awkward pleaser. That means if he was talking to reporters and got upset and left....he would be feeling obligated to go back and finish the engagement.

He knows they are out there, and he knows he left the conversation and they want to talk to him so he goes back.

Sort of like listening to the phone ring endlessly, some folks can say "forget it" and other folks are really bothered by it and feel the need to answer it.

You are certainly passionate in your defense of McD and entitled to your POV for sure.

I feel differently. He is not under lock & key because of the way he looks, talks or interacts socially. I believe there is some sort of preliminary evidence that gives them sound reason to name him a POI.
 
http://www.wmac-am.com/includes/news_items/6/463/7oclockhour.mp3


Read more: http://www.macon.com/2011/07/07/1623060/body-is-lauren-giddings-police.html#ixzz1RjYYiEjK

Strange that he doesn't mention the graduation party. Did the accident with the dog happen around the same time as the party? And then the cousin's statement that LG was always kind to McD seems to say they knew McD better than he let on. It at least says that LG talked to her family about McD. It's probably nothing, but these statements bother me.

The accident with the dog happened when they were 1Ls (first year law students) - that came from McD's interview. You can also see pictures of the dog's rehab on Lauren's Facebook page.
 
You are certainly passionate in your defense of McD and entitled to your POV for sure.

I feel differently. He is not under lock & key because of the way he looks, talks or interacts socially. I believe there is some sort of preliminary evidence that gives them sound reason to name him a POI.

By mid next week the forensic evidence will be in, either they have a suspect and proceed with charges or they do not. Course realize even if McDaniel is 100% innocent he will suffer greatly from this. But if his life is shattered it isn't a big deal, we need to focus on the victim, McDaniel is collateral damage. Nothing more.

I just honestly cannot see that awkward kid pulling off a crime of this nature. If he did this he should have been upgraded to SUSPECT by now, the FBI was on top of this.

Honestly there had to be a whole lot of evidence if McDaniel did this (and then landed himself in jail due to stupid statements). The kid seems a bit off so this would be a crime of passion which means lots of mistakes. If there was a whole lot of evidence he would be a SUSPECT not a POI. The police wouldn't be saying "when the forensics come back they will have a full house or move on to other things".
 
I stand by my belief that the city is pretty safe, but also would point out that LIFE is not safe. We will all encounter risks over the course of our lifetimes, and hopefully live to tell about it. IMHO, That holds true whether you live in Gray, GA or NYC.
 
I stand by my belief that the city is pretty safe, but also would point out that LIFE is not safe. We will all encounter risks over the course of our lifetimes, and hopefully live to tell about it. IMHO, That holds true whether you live in Gray, GA or NYC.


Hi midstate! Appreciate your perspective on the community.
 
I stand by my belief that the city is pretty safe, but also would point out that LIFE is not safe. We will all encounter risks over the course of our lifetimes, and hopefully live to tell about it. IMHO, That holds true whether you live in Gray, GA or NYC.

Welcome to WS, Midstatemind!
 
The rude, personal attacks have to stop now!! I know we have several new members who might not be familiar with the way things roll here at Websleuths. If someone posts an an offensive comment, please do not respond. Use the Alert button, the red triangle in each post, so a mod can handle it. If you quote the offensive post, your post is subject to deletion, as well, and you risk becoming part of the problem.

Thank you.
 
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