Took the chief 3 weeks to notice lockbox. He had someone walk a dog around house nobody noticed. Everybody was just waiting for LE to get done before they searched themselves. Guess the search ended last night. I hope the city takes the reward money as a start to begin putting up security / traffic cameras.
Getting trapped in chimneys not uncommon. Just a few months ago a young lady in California I think it was tried to climb in because of breaking curfew. She was stuck but yelled and her family heard her. She was rescued.
When people try to climb down chimneys in unoccupied places, such as cabins, they are found deceased, sometimes years later. People don't understanding about chimneys with flues. Horrible way to go. IMO
While nothing can be done for Harley now, as sleuthers I think there is a lot to remember and take away from this case. The idea of proximity to last location in non-abduction cases, the idea of pushing more thorough searches of nearby structures (MANY here felt vacant places should have been searched), and IMO immediate use of drones with infared sensors.
rsbm
It would've taken a while for him to die. Most likely two weeks or more.
He basically starved to death.
Where is this from?
"Police say that Dilly was climbing up an antenna, slipped off and into a chimney and was stuck."
Wow, what are the chances of that? I need to see an aerial view.
they really said this? looking at the pictures, that antenna is a long way from the chimney. This sounds so illogical and improbable to me. What are the chances a live body would fall from that antenna and perfectly slide down the chimney ? I’m not buying that.
Even if the police would have checked inside that home back from the day he was reported missing Harley may have already been dead then. Didn't his mom wait like 2 or 3 days to even report him missing?
May be best to make sure your 14 year old not only carries a phone, but also wears a bluetooth headset. And always has a buddy. Just in case.
I don’t even know where the word “slipped” came from. Obviously, I believed the implication was that he slipped (slid) into the chimney.
In the press conference, the chief uses the phrase “entered,” which has the same implication.
Harley didn’t fall inside, he entered it intentionally.
This is an inaccurate summary of what police actually said. They believe he climbed the antenna to the roof, then tried to descend the chimney and got stuck. They don't know any of it for sure and admit so.
What made LE decide to go into the house? I've been down with pneumonia and not following much. Such a sad story. RIP Harley.
So ridiculous. Suppose HD had gotten in thru an UNLOCKED door or window, and locked it once he was in. Really bad investigative thinking on someone's part.Police checked the abandoned home multiple times, but since there was no sign of forced entry and the doors seemed secure there was never a reason for them to check-in.
Another thought.
They saw the lockbox and thought “we should check that house....let’s get permission from the owner”...
... but shut down four streets and had BCI, a dozen cops and ambulances there for a routine check bc they saw a lock box?
Taking photos for 9 hours? Blocking all the windows? Nope. Nope. Nope.
What made LE decide to go into the house? I've been down with pneumonia and not following much. Such a sad story. RIP Harley.
Another thought.
They saw the lockbox and thought “we should check that house....let’s get permission from the owner”...
... but shut down four streets and had BCI, a dozen cops and ambulances there for a routine check bc they saw a lock box?
Taking photos for 9 hours? Blocking all the windows? Nope. Nope. Nope.
Oh my word. I have a 14 year old son. It looks like basically a ladder right to the roof. Yes the space is small but I can see this happening. They are so wiry and flexible. And what a challenge it would be which is exciting and thrilling. I feel the need to have a conversation about the dangers of chimneys with him now.