Forgive me in advance as this post is going to be quite long. But I have so many questions surrounding his behavior, her families behavior, and what was going on behind the scenes. All quotes in this post can be referred back to here :
http://www.mypalmbeachpost.com/news...mystery-missing-woman/5reNR5lTYpl2kcOKNxdxaP/
Here are some of my thoughts:
1. So it sounds like she/her family were not independently wealthy, as she told a neighbor she sunk her entire savings into their condo:
"Mayer, who lives in a nearby building and who also is in the real estate business, told The Post that Hellmann told him shed sunk all her savings into the condo:
"All of a sudden he (Bennett) was on the scene. And all of a sudden they spent $60,000 to $70,000 remodeling the apartment, he said.
too".
2. My thoughts: insurance policy. Sounds like she wasn't independently wealthy, so I would be curious about the life insurance and were any changes made, recently. Also - is he possibly the independently wealthy one, and was there a prenup? Perhaps he didn't want to lose money to her in a divorce. His work history/employment is difficult to follow: he was a captain of private yachts (per Isabella to a neighbor), a plumber (per him), and owner of Next Generation Solar originally from Australia (per docs via the Post).
Also - and this is out of pure curiosity and total speculation and just a stab in the dark - it was mentioned that they met online. I wonder if (let's run with the idea that he is the wealthy one or purporting to be wealthy) they met on some sort of sugar daddy/wealthy men site. There are plenty of "dating sites" for wealthy men to meet interested and attractive women. Many require proof of monetary value, but not all. Perhaps they met on one such site, and either a) he decides he wants out or b) she finds out he isn't nearly as wealthy as he had purported and not the person she thought he was, and was wanting to leave him and take the baby. Motive. I wonder what his past looks like.... MOOOOO.
3. Family clearly IMO doesn't trust the guy - just hours after he would have been rescued they were at the condo and sounds like they took several items. Why would a family go and take pricey electronics/designer handbag/engagement ring unless they felt something i towards had happened? Seems very odd:
"Fennimore said Bennett told her later that after the Coast Guard rescued him on the morning of May 15 and flew him to Florida, Hellmanns family picked him up that afternoon and brought him to their home in Boca Raton. She said Bennett told her his first time back in his apartment was the evening of May 17. She said he told her Hellmanns engagement ring and electronics and an expensive handbag were gone. She said she told him shed seen the family in the apartment."
4. Contention about where to live/raise the baby? Sounds like Bennet wanted to go back to Australia and Hellman had no interest:
"Fennimore said Bennet had told her in the past that they had always planned to go to Australia with the baby. She said Hellmann had told her last summer Bennett had asked her but that she had no intention of leaving South Florida because her family is here."
5. His response to his neighbor is a huge red flag, for me..."need to move on with my life". It's all so recent. And, you KNOW that her family will most likely raise hell at the idea of him taking the baby, their last living connection to Isabel, away from them.
"On May 17, the night before the U.S. Coast Guard called off the search, neighbor David Mayer said last week he approached Bennett to express his concern and sympathy.
He said, Yeah. Im going to be leaving for England. Ive got to move on with my life, Mayer recalled. I said, What about the baby? He stopped and said, Oh. I guess Ive got to take her with me too".
This could all mean nothing - maybe she went overboard, maybe she wasn't tethered or wearing a life vest, maybe it's all above water, pun intended. But maybe, maybe it isn't...because my hinky meter has been going off since the moment I read the first article about this several days ago. Too many red flags for me in the background - not even just in how it all happened.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
