Found Deceased TX - Lauren Elizabeth Thompson, 32, Panola County, 10 Jan 2019 *called 911, car found in a ditch*

[NanZDrew]

The area where the vehicle got stuck is kind of a scary place to be all alone. It is very desolate and heavy woods there.

I thought they got the call and were there within 5 minutes. I didn't know the call had gone on for so long. That worries me, because before, I thought she could not go very far in 5 minutes. Twenty minutes is a different thing. If she was running straight into the woods, it eventually runs into the Sabine River which was very flooded at the time that she disappeared. If you went on I-20, the river looked like a lake. It was literally out of its banks for several miles. It has very heavy overgrowth. Hearing this, I am afraid that she may have gotten into a heavily thicketed area and drown. I hope this isn't the case.

 

[MFH]

So they were in walking distance of this “friend’s” house?? Alarming, also the fact that there was someone with her! This just really amped up my hinky meter!

 

[interestedincases]

Several new pieces of information:

1. The 911 call lasted 21 or 22 minutes.
2. A male friend was with her in the car when she got stuck in the mud.

Ugh! These are HUGE IMO.

Texas mother Lauren Colvin Thompson still missing after sounding ‘disoriented and confused’ on 911 call

"Sheriff Lake told Dateline the female caller identified herself as Lauren Colvin Thompson and sounded “disoriented and confused” as she told the operator she had fled her vehicle."

Was she running because she was scared of the man she was with???!!!
​

"On January 10, at 2:24 in the afternoon, our 911 operator received a call from a female reporting she was in a wooded area and she thought someone was chasing her,” Panola County, Texas Sheriff Kevin Lake told Dateline. “We could hear background noise and it was clear she was running.”

HUGE question.....WHO was she running from! If someone was chasing them via a car, then the male she was with would have known. If no one was chasing them, then he should be able to explain her paranoia......drugs......or him.........hmmmmmmmm.......​

"He said he then told her he was going to walk to his house to get a vehicle to get them out of the mud, but then she took off running into the woods.”

If they were close enough to walk, why in the world would she have not walked WITH him. If my husband and I broke down on the side of the road and something was within walking distance, no way would I stay in the car, alone, to wait for him to come back. I would walk WITH him so we were together.

I know it was mentioned/wondered if she could possibly be doing drugs at this time too because of the disoriented part. And that's totally possible. But IF she did indeed go running into the woods, why did male not follow her, OR, call 911 himself? It sounds like 911 had to contact the friends versus the friends contacting them. I guess it says they were able to contact the friend WHILE on the phone with her within that 20 minutes, so I guess it isn't out of the question he went ahead and walked home and depending on how far that is, could have not made it back yet. But still, would you leave a woman that ran into the woods scared? If drugs were in play, maybe he didn't want to call for fear they would get in trouble. I'm surprised he left her though!
​

"The search for the 32-year-old single mother of three started that afternoon. Off-road vehicles and canine teams scoured the area, Sheriff Lake said, and officers remained on the scene through the first night."

This is sad, it seems like they did stay through the night in hopes she would come back, or, they could find her. I'm curious to know if the dogs tracked her scent or not.
​

“We did locate a shoe that we weren’t sure was hers, but later we were able to determine it was hers,” Sheriff Lake said. He added that since it is such a heavily-wooded area, no footprints were found around the shoe. “Since then, we have searched approximately 2,000 acres of heavily-wooded terrain and open fields with ground searches [and] have covered approximately 9,000 acres with drones and helicopters.”

I wonder how far in the woods they found her shoe? I'm in OK and our woods aren't easily walkable/runnable without a shoe. Lots of sticker vines, a lot of areas with goat heads. It's doable, but surprising she wouldn't stop somewhere eventually.



​

I guess I have three thoughts....
1) the male she was with did something to her
2) someone else was indeed chasing her and caught up to her. But....they would have had to know she was on the phone with 911. 20 minutes is a long time to chase someone AND drag them back out of the woods that same distance, especially knowing 911 had been called and help was on it's way. I just don't see this being a possibility now because of the amount of time she was on the phone with them.
3) She was hallucinating and running and possibly hid somewhere and now can't be found Drugs eventually wear off though, so if searches stayed through the evening, I'm surprised she didn't try to find her way back out. I can see her hiding out for the night and then trying to get help that morning. They said 2000 acres were searched, I need to look at a map because I would like to know if there is anything nearby within a few miles in each direction. If she got lost and took off walking in any direction, is it possible she would eventually run into a home?

 

[cocomod]

I have watched too many cases here on WS where searchers look next to a vehicle and don't find the person; then months later, the person is then found withing a small radius of the search.

This one makes me scratch my head though. They talked to her for 20 minutes?!! If she was scared, she may have hid from the search crews. Could she have died from hypothermia while hiding?

 

[inmyhumbleopinion]

Twenty minutes is a different thing. If she was running straight into the woods, it eventually runs into the Sabine River which was very flooded at the time that she disappeared. If you went on I-20, the river looked like a lake. It was literally out of its banks for several miles. It has very heavy overgrowth. Hearing this, I am afraid that she may have gotten into a heavily thicketed area and drown. I hope this isn't the case.

RSABBM for focus

What you said makes a lot of sense, IMO.

So first, I pulled up the spot where Lauren’s car was found (“... officers found her car stuck in the ditch on an oil/gas company lease road off of FM 1794 west of Rock Hill.”):


It looks like from the car to the Sabine River is approximately three miles, but if it was heavily flooded at the time of her disappearance, she wouldn’t have to go nearly as far to reach the water, IMO:


I’m also concerned about this lake (or maybe a pond) I see to the northeast of the vehicle. According to Google Maps, it’s only about a mile (0.997 miles) away:


In the Dateline piece, Sheriff Lake shares:
1) “‘The 911 call actually lasted for 21 or 22 minutes.’”
2) “‘We could hear background noise and it was clear she was running.‘“
and
3) “that authorities believe the 911 call Lauren placed only ended because Lauren’s cell phone battery died.”
Texas mother Lauren Colvin Thompson still missing after sounding ‘disoriented and confused’ on 911 call

So I googled “average time to walk one mile,” the first search result to show up was:
“The average time it takes most people to walk a mile is about 20 minutes (walking at about 3 mph). If you walk briskly, it will probably be more like 15 minutes.”
https://www.quora.com/How-many-minutes-does-it-take-the-average-person-to-walk-one-mile

Could it be that Lauren fell into the lake/pond, and that’s why her call ended? Or maybe her phone did run out of battery first and then she fell into the river?

I do wonder how thoroughly the lake/pond has been searched.

 

[interestedincases]

RSABBM for focus

What you said makes a lot of sense, IMO.

So first, I pulled up the spot where Lauren’s car was found (“... officers found her car stuck in the ditch on an oil/gas company lease road off of FM 1794 west of Rock Hill.”):
View attachment 177650

It looks like from the car to the Sabine River is approximately three miles, but if it was heavily flooded at the time of her disappearance, she wouldn’t have to go nearly as far to reach the water, IMO:
View attachment 177659 View attachment 177660

I’m also concerned about this lake (or maybe a pond) I see to the northeast of the vehicle. According to Google Maps, it’s only about a mile (0.997 miles) away:
View attachment 177662

In the Dateline piece, Sheriff Lake shares:
1) “‘The 911 call actually lasted for 21 or 22 minutes.’”
2) “‘We could hear background noise and it was clear she was running.‘“
and
3) “that authorities believe the 911 call Lauren placed only ended because Lauren’s cell phone battery died.”
Texas mother Lauren Colvin Thompson still missing after sounding ‘disoriented and confused’ on 911 call

So I googled “average time to walk one mile,” the first search result to show up was:
“The average time it takes most people to walk a mile is about 20 minutes (walking at about 3 mph). If you walk briskly, it will probably be more like 15 minutes.”
https://www.quora.com/How-many-minutes-does-it-take-the-average-person-to-walk-one-mile

Could it be that Lauren fell into the lake/pond, and that’s why her call ended? Or maybe her phone did run out of battery first and then she fell into the river?

I do wonder how thoroughly the lake/pond has been searched.

Bouncing off of this, I googled how many miles 2000 acres is and it says 3.125 miles. That would take her to the river, but, like you said, was the river itself searched? If it was flooded, her body most likely would have floated pretty far, or, it could have gotten caught up on brush. I'm wondering if the river gets and foot traffic, or if it mainly flows through private property.

Call came in at 2:24 and she was on with them for appx 20 minutes = 2:45-ish. It was still January and it got dark around 5:00-5:30ish, not a lot of time to do a foot/ground search. I just can't imagine her continuing to walk three miles in the dark and cold. I could more see her finding a rock formation and crawling inside to try to stay warm for the night. Again, if drugs were involved, I DO see her continuing to walk. It would be a HUGE answer to know whether drugs played a factor or not. If they were fishing that day, it had to have been somewhat warmer and I would be curious to know what she was wearing. Coat, hat, or warm enough for just long sleeves?

Texas mother Lauren Colvin Thompson still missing after sounding ‘disoriented and confused’ on 911 call

“Since then, we have searched approximately 2,000 acres of heavily-wooded terrain and open fields with ground searches [and] have covered approximately 9,000 acres with drones and helicopters.”

“On January 10, at 2:24 in the afternoon, our 911 operator received a call from a female reporting she was in a wooded area and she thought someone was chasing her,” Panola County, Texas Sheriff Kevin Lake told Dateline. “We could hear background noise and it was clear she was running.”

 

[Criminal Justice mom]

RSABBM for focus

What you said makes a lot of sense, IMO.

So first, I pulled up the spot where Lauren’s car was found (“... officers found her car stuck in the ditch on an oil/gas company lease road off of FM 1794 west of Rock Hill.”):
View attachment 177650

It looks like from the car to the Sabine River is approximately three miles, but if it was heavily flooded at the time of her disappearance, she wouldn’t have to go nearly as far to reach the water, IMO:
View attachment 177659 View attachment 177660

I’m also concerned about this lake (or maybe a pond) I see to the northeast of the vehicle. According to Google Maps, it’s only about a mile (0.997 miles) away:
View attachment 177662

In the Dateline piece, Sheriff Lake shares:
1) “‘The 911 call actually lasted for 21 or 22 minutes.’”
2) “‘We could hear background noise and it was clear she was running.‘“
and
3) “that authorities believe the 911 call Lauren placed only ended because Lauren’s cell phone battery died.”
Texas mother Lauren Colvin Thompson still missing after sounding ‘disoriented and confused’ on 911 call

So I googled “average time to walk one mile,” the first search result to show up was:
“The average time it takes most people to walk a mile is about 20 minutes (walking at about 3 mph). If you walk briskly, it will probably be more like 15 minutes.”
https://www.quora.com/How-many-minutes-does-it-take-the-average-person-to-walk-one-mile

Could it be that Lauren fell into the lake/pond, and that’s why her call ended? Or maybe her phone did run out of battery first and then she fell into the river?

I do wonder how thoroughly the lake/pond has been searched.

Does someone local know if the area that was said to be flooded into the woods which is allegedly where she was running has regressed any or is it still really wet and water expanded past its orginal boundries?

 

[NanZDrew]

Does someone local know if the area that was said to be flooded into the woods which is allegedly where she was running has regressed any or is it still really wet and water expanded past its orginal boundries?

Yes. It is heavily wooded. This isn't a scenic river. It is a river that runs through private property and it has lots of brush, briars and rattan vines. Part of it would be impassable. A few days after this happened, I drove on I-59. The river goes under the highway. I marked my odometer when I started seeing water. I drove for 5 miles north with the water being spread for that distance. When this type of flooding occurs, it picks up tree limbs and all types of debris. Also, during that day it was mild, but a cold front came in and it was in the 40's that night. The next night, it was down to freezing. There would also be streams and creeks along the way that would drain into the river. They can flow really fast when it is flooding.

 

[NanZDrew]

Here are two pictures from Google about 2 miles from where she disappeared. This is I-59. You can see it is heavily thicketed. This photo looks like from Dec. 2018 and the river is partly flooded. Jan 2019 when she disappeared, this river was 5 miles wide.

 

[JerseyGirl]

‘Missing in America’ series brings national focus to missing Panola County woman’s story

 

[MimosaMornings]

All of her children are old enough they would have been in school.

I haven't seen reference in any of the news articles/LE statements about why she would have been in that area, but I do know that nursing home day shifts are often 6 am-2 pm and 2-10 pm, so she could have just been getting off.

Texas mother Lauren Colvin Thompson still missing after sounding ‘disoriented and confused’ on 911 call

Lauren’s three children, aged 3, 5, and 9, are currently living with [Lauren’s mom] Torie [Colvin] in Fort Worth.

Lauren’s mom lives in Fort Worth which is 3 hours away, so she wouldn’t have been the daily babysitter. Where were her children that afternoon?

Was a friend babysitting the youngest and Lauren was going to pick up the oldest at school?

(I’m interpreting “currently” as the children are now living with her mom, not that they were living with her mom previously and not with Lauren)

 

[johnbelt]

The whole story about fishing sounds fishy with all the flooding.Like the article mentions was there fishing rods in the car?

 

[Knox]

A lot of information we didnt know in that article. The story does sound fishy for sure. But what stands out even more is why LE won't let TE search? They weren't allowed to search for Hailey Dunn either.

 

[MimosaMornings]

“While the 911 operator still had Lauren on the phone, officers were also able to get in touch with people Lauren said she was with earlier in the day.”

Okay....how does this happen? Lauren is disoriented, confused and RUNNING through the woods but she is able to tell the 911 operator the names and telephone numbers of the people (plural) she was with?

 

[tmar]

Is this what they are talking about in the article?

APR 1 2019, 4:38 PM ET
“[SBM]

‘On January 10, at 2:24 in the afternoon, our 911 operator received a call from a female reporting she was in a wooded area and she thought someone was chasing her,’ Panola County, Texas Sheriff Kevin Lake told Dateline. ‘We could hear background noise and it was clear she was running.’

Sheriff Lake told Dateline the female caller identified herself as Lauren Colvin Thompson and sounded ‘disoriented and confused’ as she told the operator she had fled her vehicle. Through 911 phone pings, officers quickly obtained a general area of where Lauren had called from, and located her vehicle within a few minutes. It was stuck in the mud on the side of a road in the Rock Hill community outside Panola County.

‘The 911 call actually lasted for 21 or 22 minutes,’ Sheriff Lake said. Dateline has not listened to the 911 call, as authorities say it’s still part of sealed evidence in her case. While the 911 operator still had Lauren on the phone, officers were also able to get in touch with people Lauren said she was with earlier in the day.

‘One person she was with told us they had been in the area, reportedly fishing,’ Sheriff Lake said. The friend had been in the car with Lauren when he said she ran off the road. ‘He said he then told her he was going to walk to his house to get a vehicle to get them out of the mud, but then she took off running into the woods.’

[SBM]

Despite the search efforts, investigators say they are no closer to finding Lauren.

‘We have nothing to indicate foul play is involved,’ Sheriff Lake told Dateline. ‘But again, just like anyone being a suspect, we haven’t ruled anything out.’

[SBM]

Lauren’s three children, aged 3, 5, and 9, are currently living with [Lauren’s mom] Torie [Colvin] in Fort Worth. Lauren’s family is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to her safe return. Police urge anyone with information to come forward.

[SBM]” (BBM)
Texas mother Lauren Colvin Thompson still missing after sounding ‘disoriented and confused’ on 911 call

Why leave a female in a deserted area, and go to seek help?
After months, of not finding Lauren, it appears unlikely she is alive.
Were their fishing rods in the car?
I wonder if the person leaving Lauren, has more info that we are not aware of.
I guess their relationship will be well researched by Police, via Lauren's friends.
MOO.

 

[johnbelt]

I wonder if the person who was with Laura has any connection to law enforcement or govt.

 

[MimosaMornings]

First pic shows car and two circled areas which appear to be occupied homes/houses.
(FM1794 is probably a well used road)
Second pic shows houses/homes.

 

[MimosaMornings]

From the car to Carthage
Approximately 14-15 minutes

 

[NanZDrew]

“While the 911 operator still had Lauren on the phone, officers were also able to get in touch with people Lauren said she was with earlier in the day.”

Okay....how does this happen? Lauren is disoriented, confused and RUNNING through the woods but she is able to tell the 911 operator the names and telephone numbers of the people (plural) she was with?

Could LE encountered him on the road, asked questions, and found that he was the guy with her?

 

[hurryup]

What was the background noise the operator heard?