Found Safe TX - SS, 8, Fort Worth, kidnapped while walking w/mother, 18 May 2019

[Simply Southern]

Those motel beds sit on boxes. They always freak me out. I mean, it is possible someone could be hiding inside. Since this was extended stay, I wonder if he could have prepared that underside of the bed ahead of time to hide her in.

ETA - probably not, if all of the beds look like the one shown in the link Simply Southern posted. But I have managed to creep myself out yet again about motels.

I traveled alot for work and the extended stays are popular with electric, cable and lots of contract workers. I've stayed once or twice, if family traveled with me, otherwise give me the Marriott. All hotels are creepy, I always search the whole room, then wipe it down with Clorox wipes, yeap creepy.

 

[PommyMommy]

Those motel beds sit on boxes. They always freak me out. I mean, it is possible someone could be hiding inside. Since this was extended stay, I wonder if he could have prepared that underside of the bed ahead of time to hide her in.

ETA - probably not, if all of the beds look like the one shown in the link Simply Southern posted. But I have managed to creep myself out yet again about motels.

I have wondered about that but have never looked! MOO

 

[MsFacetious]

As was pointed out to me up thread, without a warrant, LE are only allowed to do a visual, in plain sight search. No looking in closets.

I don't believe there are doors on the closets. I think they likely checked in bathroom/tub/closet. That's probably it. It allowed him to appear minimally cooperative.

I'm guessing she was in a suitcase/drawer/under bed or out in the trunk of the car.

 

[MsFacetious]

I have wondered about that but have never looked! MOO

I wouldn't worry. The only things under the beds in motels are dead bodies, not live humans.

 

[blue22]

I am not sure that any discipline would be warranted. If they didn't have warrants, nor any cause for a warrant, then they didn't do anything wrong.

And the description of the perp was vague as well as the description of the vehicle. Those cops had no way of knowing if that was the suspect or if it was just some middle aged guy who looked like the general description given.

I suppose I should have said "if needed" not "where needed."

I disagree with you to a point. There is no reason that they couldn't have watched the room for a while to see if anything else suspicious happened. In fact, I think that should have been an automatic.

 

[Simply Southern]

What a catastrophe, the FAX BROKE and they couldn't notify the media. Was there no other fax in the city, ya??

Well FB may have saved this girl, imo.

FW Police Explain Why Amber Alert Notification Was Not Sent

Police said they submitted the notification for an Amber Alert to the Texas Department of Public Safety at 9:14 p.m. Texas DPS is responsible for sending that information to the Joint Crime Information Center, which sends alert to cell phones.

The alert was scheduled to be sent out at 6 a.m., police said, but the 8-year-old girl was located around 2 a.m.

Fort Worth police said they were also in charge of getting Emergency Alert information to local radio stations, which include KRLD and WBAP in North Texas. Radio stations must receive the information by fax, but police detectives had problems with the fax machine they were trying to use and that step was not completed.

 

[JaneEyre]

What a catastrophe, the FAX BROKE and they couldn't notify the media. Was there no other fax in the city, ya??

Well FB may have saved this girl, imo.

FW Police Explain Why Amber Alert Notification Was Not Sent

Police said they submitted the notification for an Amber Alert to the Texas Department of Public Safety at 9:14 p.m. Texas DPS is responsible for sending that information to the Joint Crime Information Center, which sends alert to cell phones.

The alert was scheduled to be sent out at 6 a.m., police said, but the 8-year-old girl was located around 2 a.m.

Fort Worth police said they were also in charge of getting Emergency Alert information to local radio stations, which include KRLD and WBAP in North Texas. Radio stations must receive the information by fax, but police detectives had problems with the fax machine they were trying to use and that step was not completed.

Wow. Just wow.

 

[Simply Southern]

Wow. Just wow.

I can just see it now...what a vision.

 

[katydid23]

I suppose I should have said "if needed" not "where needed."

I disagree with you to a point. There is no reason that they couldn't have watched the room for a while to see if anything else suspicious happened. In fact, I think that should have been an automatic.

Maybe, in a perfect world they should have. And maybe they did watch him for awhile.

But Fort Worth is a big crowded place. The officers were not certain he was their guy. They may have felt it was more important to keep moving and try and find the little girl before it was too late. Sitting outside in a parking lot might have felt like a big waste of time, considering. And they would have been severely criticised if it was the wrong guy. JMO

 

[mpnola]

Fax machine? Is this 1986?

 

[Simply Southern]

Fax machine? Is this 1986?

LOL, my vision is in Mayberry, Andy is out of town. Barney and Gober in the office with fax machine......

 

[blue22]

Maybe, in a perfect world they should have. And maybe they did watch him for awhile.

But Fort Worth is a big crowded place. The officers were not certain he was their guy. They may have felt it was more important to keep moving and try and find the little girl before it was too late. Sitting outside in a parking lot might have felt like a big waste of time, considering. And they would have been severely criticised if it was the wrong guy. JMO

I understand Ft Worth, I have lived here for decades. LOL. I also understand the incredible incompetence and poor hiring and training practices that permeate the LE here. There was SO MANY cops looking for SS, the car, and perp. These dudes would not have been criticized for due diligence.

 

[MsFacetious]

I think it was more than the fax machine, without a plate number that complicated things too.

Then with jerks complaining about Amber Alerts coming through in the middle of the night, it wasn't going to go out until 6am anyway.

Which is ridiculous in my opinion. That would have been 12 hours after her abduction, when most victims would already be dead.

I realize they didn't do everything perfect, but I really think they did a pretty fantastic job overall. I hope everyone uses this as a model to learn from and improve on for next time. I want more awesome outcomes like this.

 

[Simply Southern]

I understand Ft Worth, I have lived here for decades. LOL. I also understand the incredible incompetence and poor hiring and training practices that permeate the LE here. There was SO MANY cops looking for SS, the car, and perp. These dudes would not have been criticized for due diligence.

I wondered if there were concerns with LE, when I heard locals were organizing to search for SS.

When the preacher found the car 2 hrs later on a "tip", I began to suspect there were concerns with LE.

I'm not LE, just an everyday citizen, but LE should have at the very least consulted a supervisor before clearing this call.

 

[Simply Southern]

I think it was more than the fax machine, without a plate number that complicated things too.

Then with jerks complaining about Amber Alerts coming through in the middle of the night, it wasn't going to go out until 6am anyway.

Which is ridiculous in my opinion. That would have been 12 hours after her abduction, when most victims would already be dead.

I realize they didn't do everything perfect, but I really think they did a pretty fantastic job overall. I hope everyone uses this as a model to learn from and improve on for next time. I want more awesome outcomes like this.

Respectful, imo...This was the perfect storm on LEs internal issues.

• LE went to hotel, he would not initially open the door, finally agreed to let LE in., reported he was seen with a girl.
• Making the decision to close the call, without notifying a supervisor or detective, was the wrong call.
• The dang fax machine difficulties. They could have gone to another fax, or called in an office person. The report said, they did not follow process to notify media.
• The lack of license number was not an issue. It is the procedure to not sent out AAs late at night, that is why contacting media was of the up most urgency.

Without locals, FB blitz, and organization she may not have been found, or found in a different condition.

Hopeful, everyone learns from this. Its like the olden days, we need to step up and help our friends and neighbors.

 

[blue22]

I think it was more than the fax machine, without a plate number that complicated things too.

Then with jerks complaining about Amber Alerts coming through in the middle of the night, it wasn't going to go out until 6am anyway.

Which is ridiculous in my opinion. That would have been 12 hours after her abduction, when most victims would already be dead.

I realize they didn't do everything perfect, but I really think they did a pretty fantastic job overall. I hope everyone uses this as a model to learn from and improve on for next time. I want more awesome outcomes like this.

I'm not sure which part was fantastic. (I do not mean this in a condescending way.) LE didn't find her. They didn't distribute her information. They didn't conduct broad searches. The citizens of Ft Worth and surrounding cities did. They distributed information HOURS before LE did. They were searcher further than LE for hours. They found her.

LE really just existed in this case. They are so lucky that she was found alive. Enormously lucky. They really showed what not to do. I cannot even tell you the local frustration in this case.

I am generally a massive benefit of doubt kind of person with LE, but I'm not giving them that here. They failed and got lucky.

 

[jjenny]

They are very lucky. When they went in the first time, they could have spooked him. He could have either taken off with the girl, or done who knows what to the girl.
If you don't have a search warrant and he isn't allowing to search the room, locate the witness who said they saw him with the girl, and get that search warrant-at least that's what one would think police should do. Instead of just leaving.

 

[jjenny]

I am not sure that any discipline would be warranted. If they didn't have warrants, nor any cause for a warrant, then they didn't do anything wrong.

And the description of the perp was vague as well as the description of the vehicle. Those cops had no way of knowing if that was the suspect or if it was just some middle aged guy who looked like the general description given.

Reportedly there was a witness that saw him with the girl. What LE should have done is locate that witness, take a statement, then go get that search warrant if he isn't allowing them to search the room.

 

[jjenny]

I think it was more than the fax machine, without a plate number that complicated things too.

Then with jerks complaining about Amber Alerts coming through in the middle of the night, it wasn't going to go out until 6am anyway.

Which is ridiculous in my opinion. That would have been 12 hours after her abduction, when most victims would already be dead.

I realize they didn't do everything perfect, but I really think they did a pretty fantastic job overall. I hope everyone uses this as a model to learn from and improve on for next time. I want more awesome outcomes like this.

Going to a hotel and then just leaving is not a fantastic job. I think vast majority of perps would have taken off after that, or killed the child and hid the body. In this case luckily the child was still alive and in the same place several hours later. But likely in most other cases, outcome would have been much worse.

 

[MsFacetious]

Reportedly there was a witness that saw him with the girl. What LE should have done is locate that witness, take a statement, then go get that search warrant if he isn't allowing them to search the room.

I believe the report was a man matching the suspect description with A YOUNG GIRL. Not THE young girl. I don't think we know if the guest who reported it did so as they were checking out, or leaving the hotel for the night. Maybe they were not there to talk to.

If they believed S was in the room they would have gone in. Maybe they did totally screw it up. I'm just glad we have a happy ending for once I guess.