TN - Gail Nowacki Palmgren, 44, Signal Mountain, 30 April 2011 - #12

[Pearl*]

I am intrigued by the report that Gail made a stop at the store right before her accident. By all accounts she was in a very agitated state of mind. Seems that a store employee would have come forward with details of her stop by now, as this has been all over the news.
I'd be very interested to know what she purchased, if anything. Does anyone know if she was a smoker? I can't think of many things I would purchase moments before committing suicide.

That's a very good point. I went back to the article again. I notice it doesn't say she bought anything and doesn't even say she went inside. Maybe she simply stopped and never left the vehicle. Maybe talking on the phone?

 

[BeanE]

@abburger
Beth Burger
Sheriff: Military will not remove Jeep. Will try to use ropes, pulleys, etc. to try to move vehicle. Maybe Sunday. #GailPalmgren
1 minute ago

 

[realdeal]

Maybe she simply stopped and never left the vehicle. Maybe talking on the phone?

That's a real possibility!

 

[KathyJ]

@meganboatwright Megan Boatwright
Atkinson: scene is large, they don't want to miss anything. Have to map & photograph everything before remains are moved. #GailPalmgren
3 minutes ago

I can't even begin to imagine the magnitude of work ahead for these people. It's alot of ground to cover and they don't want to miss anything --plus having to deal with the fact of the evidence being tampered with by the elements and animals. Not a fun job for them at all. It's going to take awhile to process that site. My thoughts go out to them

 

[JBean]

That's a very good point. I went back to the article again. I notice it doesn't say she bought anything and doesn't even say she went inside. Maybe she simply stopped and never left the vehicle. Maybe talking on the phone?

well we know she was on the phone at that time and perhaps that being pulled over is why her seatbelt was off. ASAMOF, that is exactly the time she was on the phone. IOW she no sooner hung up the phone and she was over the edge.
the only issue I have with that is why would she pull over if she was being followed. UNless she felt she had eluded her tail for the time being.

Additionally, I am wondering how much force it took to move the 200 pound boulder, I mean as it relates to how fast she was going. Does anyone know how tall or broad the boulder was? I understand it was as big as a tire so if she was backing up to turn around as suggested previously, unless she didn't come into contact with it until struck by the undercarriage it would have been enough to cause her to stop before pushing the boulder over because she would have been going very slowly. Also, is that railroad tie still there? I have to look at current pictures. thanks.

 

[BeanE]

@newschannelnine
WTVC NewsChannel 9
See Today's Palmgren Developments on 6pm Webcast ubin.cc/rKu899

http://www.newschannel9.com/articles/play-1006992-football-see.html

 

[Pearl*]

I can't even begin to imagine the magnitude of work ahead for these people. It's alot of ground to cover and they don't want to miss anything --plus having to deal with the fact of the evidence being tampered with by the elements and animals. Not a fun job for them at all. It's going to take awhile to process that site. My thoughts go out to them

Absolutely. I can't imagine a more difficult working location. The ironic benefit, though, is that the location virtually eliminates the possibility of human interference with the recovery effort. Should be a very "pure" evidence scene. I hope they go very slowly and deliberately.

Although 7 months has passed, nothing could have been changed about the scene EXCEPT by natural elements, and I'm hoping that will help bring all the answers.

 

[Oriah]

@abburger
Beth Burger
Sheriff: Military will not remove Jeep. Will try to use ropes, pulleys, etc. to try to move vehicle. Maybe Sunday. #GailPalmgren
1 minute ago

The vehicle condition must be very unstable. I wonder if they are going to disassemble and then reassemble once relocated.

Thoughts and prayers with recovery personnel. Not a safe job.

 

[KathyJ]

Absolutely. I can't imagine a more difficult working location. The ironic benefit, though, is that the location virtually eliminates the possibility of human interference with the recovery effort. Should be a very "pure" evidence scene. I hope they go very slowly and deliberately.

Although 7 months has passed, nothing could have been changed about the scene EXCEPT by natural elements, and I'm hoping that will help bring all the answers.

I hope it brings answers as well. We can only hope that the alot of the evidence was preserved by nature. 7 months is a long time though for the remains to be out in the elements.

 

[fran]

Not being an expert nor on the scene, from the description we've read of the boulder that was taken down with the car, it appears to me, that the car was most likely at a high rate of speed, rather than just backing up or something.

Of course, I could be wrong.
fran

PS....from what I read this am, it appears that if the car was moving as in baking up, it would have stopped at the grassy area on the other side of the boulder. It seems as if it jettisoned down the hill-side. It was on the second ledge down.

 

[Pearl*]

well we know she was on the phone at that time and perhaps that being pulled over is why her seatbelt was off. ASAMOF, that is exactly the time she was on the phone. IOW she no sooner hung up the phone and she was over the edge.the only issue I have with that is why would she pull over if she was being followed. UNless she felt she had eluded her tail for the time being.

Additionally, I am wondering how much force it took to move the 200 pound boulder, I mean as it relates to how fast she was going. Does anyone know how tall or broad the boulder was? I understand it was as big as a tire so if she was backing up to turn around as suggested previously, unless she didn't come into contact with it until struck by the undercarriage it would have been enough to cause her to stop before pushing the boulder over because she would have been going very slowly. Also, is that railroad tie still there? I have to look at current pictures. thanks.

[bbm]

IMO, if that is the case, the substance of that phone call is a critical piece of information not yet released.

 

[Janeumayer]

Re-posting for reference:

@janabarnello Jana Barnello News Channel 9
Matthew Palmgren's atty: HCSO told them they know crash time/date b/c cell "ping" shows when device height above sea level changed suddenly

How amazing it is that they could track the fall?

 

[Emeralgem]

I am starting to believe the key to all of this is "around" 12:15PM. Personally, I think MP's atty has a pretty good handle on the timeline.

In reference to myself and since MP has hired Hoss and Davis to represent him I'm inclined to believe it's his attorneys job to defend him and spin events in his favor..JMHO

 

[realdeal]

And I had sworn off true crime cases after a particularly horrifying verdict back in the summer, but due to being all over our local news, this one has roped me back in.
However, I cannot allow myself to become obsessed. (Repeat out loud 100 times.)

Unlike so many cut and dried (to me) murder cases, this one is a real mystery. I can easily see how this could be an accident, but yet my hinky meter is buzzing somewhat.
This may pan out to be all explained away by someone driving while upset, but the actions of MP have been despicable, and it troubles me to to think Gail was so close to home and he wasn't out beating the bushes. This tells me he either knew there was no live Gail to look for, or he just was past the point of caring, which may very well be. It is not a crime, I suppose, to quit caring about your soon to be ex, during an acrimonious divorce. I just feel so terrible for those children, knowing there mother was so close and could - and should - have been found so much sooner.

 

[MsFacetious]

What are the odds that someone will be in a fatal car accident? What are the odds that someone would call police in fear of their life and say that someone is following them as they drive?

Now, what are the odds that someone would have a fatal accident on the same day that they call police in fear because they are being followed? This is all SO weird and crazy and just unlikely in my opinion. I have no idea what happened and believe an accident is definitely possible. But it boggles my mind that the fatal car accident happened when she said she was afraid of whoever was following her. Such a coincidence.

She told both her sister and police that she was afraid and being followed when she still had the children in the car. Yet she was safe....until she dropped them off. Maybe whoever was following her was waiting for her to drop the kids off? I feel terrible for Gail and her children and family.

Actually the odds of getting in an accident the same day you are freaking out about being followed, are pretty good.
You are nervous, scared, anxious, distracted... about being followed. Looking behind you instead of in front of you.
Anytime you are upset and not paying full attention, it is a great opportunity for a distracted driving accident...

 

[Pearl*]

I hope it brings answers as well. We can only hope that the alot of the evidence was preserved by nature. 7 months is a long time though for the remains to be out in the elements.

Yes, but nature is predictable and has no motive or agenda. Impartial truth. I hope they will go slowly and methodically to preserve whatever is there. There really is, to me, a huge comfort in knowing no human got to the scene before the investigators, and cannot be going there even now. Or ever in the future, it seems. Give a little peace and privacy to such a tragic ending.

 

[Oriah]

well we know she was on the phone at that time and perhaps that being pulled over is why her seatbelt was off. ASAMOF, that is exactly the time she was on the phone. IOW she no sooner hung up the phone and she was over the edge.
the only issue I have with that is why would she pull over if she was being followed. UNless she felt she had eluded her tail for the time being.

Additionally, I am wondering how much force it took to move the 200 pound boulder, I mean as it relates to how fast she was going. Does anyone know how tall or broad the boulder was? I understand it was as big as a tire so if she was backing up to turn around as suggested previously, unless she didn't come into contact with it until struck by the undercarriage it would have been enough to cause her to stop before pushing the boulder over because she would have been going very slowly. Also, is that railroad tie still there? I have to look at current pictures. thanks.

It seems to me like there should be evidence of contact with the vehicle evident on the rock- not just damage (as there is from rock slides and such) but actual evidence on both the Jeep and rock- such as fuel, paint, etc.

I hope that's the case. Would help to explain to the crash better.

 

[MsFacetious]

Sheriff Hammond said it appears the Jeep landed on its rear when it first hit.
He said that caused severe damage and would make it more difficult to determine if anyone had "bumped" it from the rear.
But he said there would be inspection to try to determine if there were any signs of paint from another vehicle left on the rear of the Jeep.

http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_214723.asp

 

[KathyJ]

One more thing that has my hinky going off is the fact the cell and purse stayed in the car while a body did not. Of course there are alot of reasons to that as well, could have survived and been disoriented and tried to get out for help not even thinking to grab phone to call for help. But if that's not the case a body is tossed from the car and yet the phone and purse did not get tossed out during the wreck? Ugh so many new questions now for everyone.

For anyone local there---is it unusual that NO one looked around the site of the wreck? People went out on searches---could you look over off the road and possibly see below?? It looked pretty dense to me but just curious of the area. I also remember people saying they looked along roads that could have been traveled and there was no sign of an accident yet now its reported this large boulder was out of place---I dunno so many new questions now...sigh

 

[JBean]

[bbm]

IMO, if that is the case, the substance of that phone call is a critical piece of information not yet released.

I think we pretty much know the substance of the call. She was scared and she felt was being followed.