Missing cell phones

[LancelotLink]

The phone story is collateral damage imo; someone used the phone and had to cover it up. Wouldn't you just switch sim cards and not have to reprogram the phones? But the real issue is, why would a kidnapper take all the phones? How did they know they din't have a land line? How long would it delay a 911 call if they had to run next door to use a phone? I agree they had to make up a reason the phones were't there to cover their own butt.

Good question. They wouldn't, unless they knew the family fairly well. And if a stranger, why take cell phones that you thought were working, only to have them ping your direction of travel?

Does anyone know what sort of phones they had to begin with? Sprint, etc.

 

[grandmaj]

Anyone who would steal cell phones after kidnapping a baby isn't smart. I mean come on why not just tape GPS to your backside and say here I am. Phones ping and it only takes a few short minutes to get those pings reports by a member of LE.

I'm not buying the phones. There is a reason Debbi mentioned the phones but we haven't heard what it is yet.

 

[Mountain_Kat]

My theory on the cell phones is that they had to be gotten rid of because they prove dad got home 2 hours earlier than he said he did.

JMO, can't prove a thing. But I bet you LE knows.

 

[LancelotLink]

A caller on NG just asked the best question. How would a stranger know he/she was taking ALL the phones, if they snatched the three on the counter. Hmmm :waitasec:

 

[mlc9852]

naw, I think they were sitting on the bar & the perp saw easy $$$$ -- grabbed them on the way out (front door unlocking the door)

I doubt they were high-end phones, probably not worth much. Plus stolen cell phones are easy to trace. I don't think they were stolen. But I don't think Lisa was stolen, either. JMHO.

 

[Rallihanna]

I think LE may have the phones...

 

[katshep]

A caller on NG just asked the best question. How would a stranger know he/she was taking ALL the phones, if they snatched the three on the counter. Hmmm :waitasec:

Maybe s/he was just stealing the phones as s/he was entering/ leaving.

 

[LancelotLink]

Maybe s/he was just stealing the phones as s/he was entering/ leaving.

Maybe, but why take something that could pinpoint your location or direction of escape?

 

[panthera]

Maybe s/he was just stealing the phones as s/he was entering/ leaving.

With the layout of the house, it appears the counter the cell phones were allegedly on is out of the way either entering through the computer room, or exiting through the front door. Still can't imagine an abductor stopping on the way out to go into the kitchen and retrieve three worthless cell phones knowing they would have to be disposed of immediately so not to track the abductor.

MOO

 

[panthera]

A caller on NG just asked the best question. How would a stranger know he/she was taking ALL the phones, if they snatched the three on the counter. Hmmm :waitasec:

Excellent point, as well as not knowing if there was a land-line in the house that someone could use, unless of course the abductor doesn't exist or knew the family.

MOO

 

[katshep]

Maybe, but why take something that could pinpoint your location or direction of escape?

Maybe the thief didn't think of that. In my experience, people become criminals because they're not too smart.

 

[PolyGraph]

Ok heres what Im thinking....obviously DB and JI knew what those phone numbers were, I mean the numbers of the cell phones used, unless they lie to le and say they dont remember which i doubt, and all LE needs is subpoena and they can trace the records and calls, i believe even prepaid lists those calls in some type of carrier database. I dont know about pinging the call etc. obviously le knows what calls were made if they know about a text/call coming in around 2:30 am or so...all they need to do is call those numbers and then talk to people they have called to find out 1.) how long they have had those numbers 2.) what exactly they used the phones for. 3.) were they everyday phones or just once in awhile or certain people phones, a whole slew of questions can be answered if they know the numbers the phones called and who to contact regarding those calls. So maybe that is why they are focusing so hard on db because they know much more than we think they do!

 

[panthera]

Maybe the thief didn't think of that. In my experience, people become criminals because they're not too smart.

I will agree, however, wouldn't most criminals also know that LE can track a cell phone by it's pings? My belief is the cell phones being missing could be to confuse the crime scene as a burglar would take the cell phones while a kidnapper would abduct the baby, which would also mean the scene was staged.

MOO

 

[gwenabob]

I'm not sure why someone would borrow a phone that had no service. Or restricted service. Wouldn't that be...well, pointless?

I have wondered this as well.

 

[Kamille]

Have the descriptions of the three missing cell phones even been released? If they are associated with Baby Lisa being missing, then why not ask the public for help in finding these phones as well?

Exactly. They apparently weren't too reluctant to give out the information that the phones were missing in the first place, complete with theory as to why that might be, but they never went as far as telling the public what kind of phones to be on the lookout for. Why not? It would be an important clue as to at least the direction that the "abductor" was travelling with the baby.

Why aren't their "people" doing this now? It seems probable that they were pinging in the vicinity of the house at first by the multiple searches, complete with metal detectors, by LE. All of the people living in that area could be doing a thorough ground check of their own property in case the phones were just tossed.

But the phones were likely hidden. And I have to wonder if it's not so much the actual phones that are important but where they were hidden. Unless there are some interesting deleted texts stored on them from previous days.

The problem now is that once the batteries died, LE could no longer ping them. So once that happened, the phones could have been retrieved and removed from the area. And the family had access to the house for a full two weeks before LE got the search warrant to really search for them there.

MOO

ETA: Anyone else wonder what might have been in the garden with the freshly turned earth before LE got there 2 weeks later? Or perhaps even before they showed up with the metal detectors and searched around the home?

 

[voxrock2000]

Maybe whomever was helping DB and the neighbor kill that box of wine stole the cell phones. They were probably the only halfway valuable thing lying around. May not even be related to what happened to Lisa. If all you wanted to do was delay someone calling 911 all they would have to do is toss the phones on the front lawn, or stick them in kitchen garbage. All they had to do was confuse them by the phones not being where they thought. No need to throw them in the river or wherever.

 

[In da Middle]

The phone story is collateral damage imo; someone used the phone and had to cover it up. Wouldn't you just switch sim cards and not have to reprogram the phones? But the real issue is, why would a kidnapper take all the phones? How did they know they din't have a land line? How long would it delay a 911 call if they had to run next door to use a phone? I agree they had to make up a reason the phones were't there to cover their own butt.

you can't switch sim cards if the new phone is with a different carrier. A couple of carriers don't even have a sim.

 

[In da Middle]

Exactly. They apparently weren't too reluctant to give out the information that the phones were missing in the first place, complete with theory as to why that might be, but they never went as far as telling the public what kind of phones to be on the lookout for. Why not? It would be an important clue as to at least the direction that the "abductor" was travelling with the baby.

Why aren't their "people" doing this now? It seems probable that they were pinging in the vicinity of the house at first by the multiple searches, complete with metal detectors, by LE. All of the people living in that area could be doing a thorough ground check of their own property in case the phones were just tossed.

But the phones were likely hidden. And I have to wonder if it's not so much the actual phones that are important but where they were hidden. Unless there are some interesting deleted texts stored on them from previous days.

The problem now is that once the batteries died, LE could no longer ping them. So once that happened, the phones could have been retrieved and removed from the area. And the family had access to the house for a full two weeks before LE got the search warrant to really search for them there.

MOO

ETA: Anyone else wonder what might have been in the garden with the freshly turned earth before LE got there 2 weeks later?

The info about the phones was not released right away. It was finally revealed several days later. Don't know why LE didn't release what kind they were though.:waitasec:

 

[Abby Normal]

Exactly. They apparently weren't too reluctant to give out the information that the phones were missing in the first place, complete with theory as to why that might be, but they never went as far as telling the public what kind of phones to be on the lookout for. Why not? It would be an important clue as to at least the direction that the "abductor" was travelling with the baby.

Why aren't their "people" doing this now? It seems probable that they were pinging in the vicinity of the house at first by the multiple searches, complete with metal detectors, by LE. All of the people living in that area could be doing a thorough ground check of their own property in case the phones were just tossed.

But the phones were likely hidden. And I have to wonder if it's not so much the actual phones that are important but where they were hidden. Unless there are some interesting deleted texts stored on them from previous days.

The problem now is that once the batteries died, LE could no longer ping them. So once that happened, the phones could have been retrieved and removed from the area. And the family had access to the house for a full two weeks before LE got the search warrant to really search for them there.

MOO

ETA: Anyone else wonder what might have been in the garden with the freshly turned earth before LE got there 2 weeks later? Or perhaps even before they showed up with the metal detectors and searched around the home?

I don't know anything about pings- but if dying battery makes them stop pinging, wouldn't taking the battery out as well? It seems if that's the case there would be no reason to risk hiding and then retrieving them? Just curious.

 

[Abby Normal]

you can't switch sim cards if the new phone is with a different carrier. A couple of carriers don't even have a sim.

Well, and, not everyone saves their contacts to a sim card. I never have. I manually reprogram or take it to ATT for help everytime I upgrade.