GUILTY WV - Riley Crossman, 15, Martinsburg, Morgan County, 7 May 2019 *arrest*

[flashy09]

Wow. In order to become a mother of three children, you had to trust at least one man. See how that works? Whole lot of women and mothers themselves killing their kids out there too. We don't blame all Mom's for the one that does kill her kids. We shouldn't be blaming all step-dads or boyfriends either when one kills a kid. People kill people - blame them. Blame Mom too? Then blame an apparent entire community who has failed to clean up the drug problem you allude to in their back yard as they apparently must have missed the sign too and so they get to shoulder blame upon themselves as well IMO.

Lots of victim blaming the Mom here IMO.

I think you misinterpreted my post. I did not blame all step dads or boyfriends or moms in the least. Definitely not the whole community lol! I also do not have 3 kids myself, I was referring to Riley's mother.

But I do regret if any mother allows a "shady character" to be alone with their children. Shady meaning a history of serious illegal offenses and current drug abuse and any sort of unsavory behavior in general. I should not have said that remark about his creepy face. Just meant you can often tell when someone is not doing well.

 

[Dre]

@Vern i feel you. I have a hard time on some of these threads when the mom seems to get more attacked than the man that did the gruesome acts. Like there’s some sort of imbalance that happens.. feels like women get blamed harder, and even when they didn’t perpetrate any abuse..
there’s grey space here... she didn’t murder her child, nor is there evidence of her abusing her child, that was him.
She’s a terrible mother for letting that be in her daughters life, but her intent was far different from his and that needs to be remembered. She will be in her own personal hell now for the rest of her life. Imo that’s plenty punishment for her bad choices.

 

[Curiousobserver]

If the abduction occurred after midnight but before twenty of six in the morning then it had to happen in the house. I don't see any way that RC would leave the house to meet that awful person. If it happened after the FaceTime attempt at twenty of six the he may have picked her up on the way to school.
She may have disliked him but not feared him.
But. a neighbor saw his truck or one like it backed up her driveway later in the morning, where was her mother at that time?
Geez, I hope she ( her mother) knew nothing about this before or after the fact.

The crime may have occurred much later. She may have skipped school that day and got caught by the boyfriend.

 

[AzPistonsGirl]

here to eat my hat and express my outrage. %$#@)*&< How does this happen, over and over again - what are we doing wrong?! Heartbreaking.

 

[JohnTate90210]

I don't know if anybody else has worked on a timeline but this is based largely on the Dateline episode and some on an article on "The Journal" website:

May 7, 3:30 pm - Riley woke her mother, Chantel, for work.

May 7, 7:00 pm - Riley's grandmother left Riley's home.

May 7, 10:00 pm - Chantel arrived home from work. Saw Riley's bedroom light on but didn't see her.

May 7, 10:30 pm - Riley finished video call with her boyfriend.

May 7, Midnight - Riley finished texting with a friend.

May 8, 5:40 am - Riley tried to video call her boyfriend but he was asleep.

May 8, 7:15 am - Chantel woke up and saw that Riley was gone but thought she'd already left for school which was across the street. (Story said "across the street" but it appears she lived on Greenway which is about a quarter-mile away.)

May 8, 7:45 am - Riley's school started classes.

May 8, 9:00 am - McCauley left work site.

May 8, 10:00 am - Green Dodge 2500 work truck (apparently used by McCauley) was seen backed into Riley's house. McCauley says he was there for 15 to 30 minutes.

May 8, 12:41 pm - McCauley's work truck was seen on video near Apple Harvest Drive, east bound. Note, this is only about 15 minutes from his work site. Also, about 45 minutes from Riley's house (based on shortest route, per Google Maps).

May 8, 1:41 pm - McCauley arrived back at his work site.

May 8, 3:30 pm - Chantel messaged Riley asking where she was because her grandmother had said she hadn't come home from school. Message didn't deliver. She then called and it went to voicemail. Second text went undelivered.

May 8, 3:40 pm (approximate) - Chantel asked her mother to go to school and look for Riley. Riley wasn't there.

May 8, 5:00 pm - Chantel left work and drove to school to look for Riley. Riley's boyfriend was in parking lot. He'd just returned from a school field trip. He hadn't talked to her all day. School then called Chantel and reported Riley had been absent that day. Chantel they called 911 and Riley's father, Lance Crossman, whole lived 25 minutes away.

 

[JohnTate90210]

From Riley's home to the body location, is about 44 minutes. From there to the video sighting of the truck on Apple Harvest Drive s about 17 minutes. From Apple Harvest to McCauley's work site is about 15 minutes. So, total is about 76 minutes. If he left the house around 10:30, he could have disposed of her body and continued on to work by 11:46 but he didn't show up there for nearly two more hours. But we also know he was at Apple Harvest at 12:41, so still nearly an hour missing between home and there. Why did it take another hour to drive from Apple Harvest to work when it should have been only 15 minutes? There are a couple of mystery hours that are missing. One on each side of the Apple Harvest sighting.

 

[johnbelt]

I don't know if anybody else has worked on a timeline but this is based largely on the Dateline episode and some on an article on "The Journal" website:

May 7, 3:30 pm - Riley woke her mother, Chantel, for work.

May 7, 7:00 pm - Riley's grandmother left Riley's home.

May 7, 10:00 pm - Chantel arrived home from work. Saw Riley's bedroom light on but didn't see her.

May 7, 10:30 pm - Riley finished video call with her boyfriend.

May 7, Midnight - Riley finished texting with a friend.

May 8, 5:40 am - Riley tried to video call her boyfriend but he was asleep.

May 8, 7:15 am - Chantel woke up and saw that Riley was gone but thought she'd already left for school which was across the street. (Story said "across the street" but it appears she lived on Greenway which is about a quarter-mile away.)

May 8, 7:45 am - Riley's school started classes.

May 8, 9:00 am - McCauley left work site.

May 8, 10:00 am - Green Dodge 2500 work truck (apparently used by McCauley) was seen backed into Riley's house. McCauley says he was there for 15 to 30 minutes.

May 8, 12:41 pm - McCauley's work truck was seen on video near Apple Harvest Drive, east bound. Note, this is only about 15 minutes from his work site. Also, about 45 minutes from Riley's house (based on shortest route, per Google Maps).

May 8, 1:41 pm - McCauley arrived back at his work site.

May 8, 3:30 pm - Chantel messaged Riley asking where she was because her grandmother had said she hadn't come home from school. Message didn't deliver. She then called and it went to voicemail. Second text went undelivered.

May 8, 3:40 pm (approximate) - Chantel asked her mother to go to school and look for Riley. Riley wasn't there.

May 8, 5:00 pm - Chantel left work and drove to school to look for Riley. Riley's boyfriend was in parking lot. He'd just returned from a school field trip. He hadn't talked to her all day. School then called Chantel and reported Riley had been absent that day. Chantel they called 911 and Riley's father, Lance Crossman, whole lived 25 minutes away.

I have more detailed timeline with police searches and impounding a few vehicles which came from a neighbor let's law enforcement was not confused in the least about what happened from the start.

 

[Hte2w8]

I'm assuming that most are operating on the belief that he killed Riley in the early morning hours, hid her somewhere in the house or garage, and returned mid morning to dispose of it?

If this has been discussed already I apologize.

 

[Rosiebones]

I'm assuming that most are operating on the belief that he killed Riley in the early morning hours, hid her body returned somewhere them in the house or garage,m and returned mid morning to dispose of it?

If this has been discussed already I apologize.

If that is the case then she didn't attempt the FaceTime call to her boyfriend. It doesn't make a lot of sense if AM did it because if the boyfriend had picked up he wouldn't have seen RC.
It seems to me the window was between the 5:40 call and the 7:15 look in by the mother (if that time is correct). That is a little more than an hour, enough time to do what was done.
I wonder if cadaver dogs were taken through the house and garage area.

 

[Hte2w8]

If that is the case then she didn't attempt the FaceTime call to her boyfriend. It doesn't make a lot of sense if AM did it because if the boyfriend had picked up he wouldn't have seen RC.
It seems to me the window was between the 5:40 call and the 7:15 look in by the mother (if that time is correct). That is a little more than an hour, enough time to do what was done.
I wonder if cadaver dogs were taken through the house and garage area.

Will trained Cadaver dogs can pick up the scent of death between 1.5 and 3.5 hours after death. I have no idea where the dogs used were from (what agency) and how well trained they are.
They hit on the truck bed though.
Do we know what Mom did after she checked in on Riley?
I think it's unlikely Riley was still alive at 715.

 

[Sachi]

A parent has a responsibility to protect their children from threats both external and internal. Maryland is one of the states that allows online access to arrest records. Granted, he lived in Berkeley Springs, WV... But he did plenty of time in Maryland, which is the closest long term correctional facility. Even if she didn't know from talking to him and others, observing his behaviors etc,., She could have (read should have) looked up any man who was going to sleep in her home, and have access to her children, in the State o MD records database. It's called due diligence and every parent has a responsibility to perform their due diligence on people they will be sharing a bed with and introducing to their children. I'm not even going to touch the yet unsubstantiated rumors about Mom's own vices. The fact he had arrests that were searchable online is enough, to ME, that she shares some of the responsibility for what happened.... I said some, not all... But that is our job as parents, to reduce the likelihood or occurrence that something bad will happen to our children. We are the filter... Clearly in this instance, she failed her daughter and herself. I won't even let unlicensed or unbonded blue or white collared workers into my home... But then again, I've been a police officer for 29 years, I've seen the danger where most don't.
This is clearly just MOO

Thank you for this.

 

[Rosiebones]

Will trained Cadaver dogs can pick up the scent of death between 1.5 and 3.5 hours after death. I have no idea where the dogs used were from (what agency) and how well trained they are.
They hit on the truck bed though.
Do we know what Mom did after she checked in on Riley?
I think it's unlikely Riley was still alive at 715.

I believe there are two younger children in the house, both boys, perhaps she was getting them off to school.
Who do you theorize made the FaceTime call and do you think it was to alter the time line?

 

[Hte2w8]

I believe there are two younger children in the house, both boys, perhaps she was getting them off to school.
Who do you theorize made the FaceTime call and do you think it was to alter the time line?

There are so many unknowns in this case that I hesitate to even theorize... But this case was like a gut punch to me, so I find myself going where I normally would not...
I think the Face time call was accidental. I do it all the time with my own phone while handling it... I accidentally call the last person I called or text, or just randomly place a call to someone. If I were in trouble, my boyfriend wouldn't be my first call. She could also have grabbed it during a struggle and accidentally dialed.
The crime scene lab found a small amount of a substance resembling blood in her room. There are a million sources for blood in her room that could be completely legitimate, if it's is even blood. Having said that, the totality of the circumstances lead me to believe that she was harmed, at least, in her room, before the mom checked in the morning. I would like to know where mom was after 715...hell I'd like to know where she was BEFORE 715... and where Riley's room was in comparison to mom's.
I don't think this was planned, I think it happened and he panicked. It seems unlikely, but not impossible, that he would go into Riley's room to do whatever he did, while the house was up getting ready at 715. I need more info on the timeline before I speculate further though.
I could be completely wrong, it wouldn't be the first time.

 

[Rosiebones]

I wonder what the layout of the house is. If it is a split level then the bedrooms are upstairs at one end and other bedrooms are downstairs and the garage opens into that level. It is just so hard for me to understand how the others in the house didn't hear anything.
We don't have enough information about AM to overlay the timeline of his movements onto the timeline laid out by JohnTate90210 up thread.

 

[johnbelt]

I think the facetime call was accidental and likely not Riley.

 

[Hte2w8]

I have more detailed timeline with police searches and impounding a few vehicles which came from a neighbor let's law enforcement was not confused in the least about what happened from the start.

I am very interested in this additionally info, and look forward to the time you can share it.

 

[MsFacetious]

I think the facetime call was accidental and likely not Riley.

I'm guessing LE will be able to tell if there are other fingerprints or not.

 

[BloodHoundSleuther]

I'm assuming that most are operating on the belief that he killed Riley in the early morning hours, hid her somewhere in the house or garage, and returned mid morning to dispose of it?

If this has been discussed already I apologize.[/QUOTE

I see it a bit differently. The problem I have is that we can't include social media and discuss it, technically because it's not MSM. Something happened right after midnight, right after Riley was done texting her friends. MSM had stated that Andy was asleep downstairs around 10:30 pm and it was assumed Riley was texting her friends at this time up until midnight. I think that last call from Riley to her boyfriendat 5:40 am, was not a call from Riley, rather a call made to convince LE that an abduction was possible. That was the first story, then they also said there was no way she ran away! What we know about the rest of the scenario, Andy went to pick up a truck from his place of employment in Martinsburg, around 1 am. Who gave him a ride to get that truck? Then he's reaching out to someone at 3 am for drugs. I beleieve Riley lost her life in the early morning hours. I don't think she was hid anywhere in the house. I think when he knew what he had done a plan was put in place. I don't think for a second Riley texted her boyfriend at 5:40 Am. I think that was done intentionally so that people would think she was alive and well and possibly abducted. That was a red herring to throw off LE. Riley lost her life in my opinion between midnight and 3 Am. I believe she was disposed of during those hours, or shortly there after. Everything that happened after that was either people covering their tracks or orchestrating a cover up. MOO

 

[BloodHoundSleuther]

I think the facetime call was accidental and likely not Riley.

I also don't think it was Riley that made the call at 5:40 am.. But I differ in that I don't think it was an accident, I think it was intentional because the story originally was that they believed she was abducted, you can't have that story without the 5:40 am call. Something has to point to the fact that she is alive and well at 5:40 am? We have nothing other than someone, most likely manipulating the timeline to throw law enforcement off.

ETA, it's a huge gamble on the behalf of the perp. But in reality, all he or she had to do is make sure that 5:40 am call connected, and then hang up. What are the odds it would wake someone on the other end up, not likely! And even worse that call puts the magnifying glass on someone else who may have spoke to her last, when sadly they never got the chance to speak to her at all! I see that as either framing someone else or making it look as if Riley was alive then and possibly abducted.

 

[MsFacetious]

I don't think anyone put that much thought into the facetime call at all. She could have been abducted without it. I don't think it changes that possibility at all. I don't see someone with a dead teenager on their hands thinking to do that, but anything is possible I guess.