GUILTY GA - Lauren Giddings, 27, Macon, 26 June 2011 # 1

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Latest word I've gotten is that McDaniel is in the psychiatric ward of the jail. The source, a Mercer Law graduate and friend, said he is mostly just staring at the wall. Again, not confirmed, and could be taken a couple different ways.

I also wanted to add that the restaurant where the celebration took place is quite a ways from their apartments, a long way to travel to a party you weren't invited to (at least in my opinion).

McD is a real mystery. And if he was into role-playing and/or video games then there is a community of people who have interacted with him quite a bit. Even if it was fantasy based. He should have some kind of gamer profile or something, not that it would necessarily yield anything significant... but I thought I'd mention it.
 
More from that same link SaMY ...


I agree with you, it does not make him a murderer, but I do consider it relevant. Especially, if he was not specifically invited to the gathering. Goes to state of mind and what he may have considered his relationship with Lauren to be, MOO.



That's what left me with a weird sort of feeling. What did he interpret their relationship to be? It wouldn't be the first time a woman's politeness and friendliness was confused with something of a more romantic nature by an unstable individual.
 
Two things, first of all did you read all the threads posted last night? The body was in bad shape when they found it, they found it based on the strong odor. The theory that the killer was holding on to it and then HAD TO dump it last minute when the police arrived doesn't quite add up. If the killer were keeping this body close by in an enclosed space the smell would be horrendous and someone would quickly notice when they went sniffing around the apartments knocking on doors later that morning.

Refer to Jeffrey Dahmer. He had dismembered bodies stored in his apartment, LOTS OF THEM, and cops didn't even initially realize it. Neighbors did notice a smell, but in Jeff's case he had such a stockpile for so long that you can't even compare it to just one body. It is quite possible, given the lack of info, that the police didn't end up checking the unsub's residence--he may just have freaked out thinking they might.
I'm not saying all the dots add up, because I don't have complete information. However, clarify for me whether or not you think the body was placed there Thursday during the search? Because if so, then regardless of why it was placed there, it's still likely that the killer was staying close to the scene with that rotting body either way, so either way there was a smell. It's hard to believe someone could arrive in a car with cops around and go unnoticed, so I'm still thinking this was done on foot. I'd like to see a map/photos of whatever properties adjoined the complex to see if a wooded corridor existed, enabling someone to walk through that area rather than the parking lot/entrance.
I'm certainly not arrogant enough to think what I can make a 100% sure conclusion based on information that has been absolutely scant, but just based on the nature of the crimes I've been required to get to know intimately this just doesn't feel like a killer who is in control--many times during the initial phase of investigation it appears a suspect must be a mastermind due to the trouble cops have turning up evidence but then once they catch their man, it turns out he just got lucky.
Also, while I think cannibalism may be at play here, that's more of a question than a conclusion for me. I can't think of a single parallel to this crime, the details we know if it, where someone kept a dismembered body for so long without having the urge to either engage in cannibalism or necrophilia.

Regarding a hateful message, don't misunderstand I am not talking about some weird hollywood film type message that likely would only be known to a very few. I mean the torso being found makes sure everyone knows this was murder, not a missing person. The missing body parts and search through the trash is quite humiliating for the victim and ensures the public will become aware of the situation and have a very unsettlilng ugly mental image of the victim. I think that "message" was intentional, without the torso being found this would still be a backpage missing persons story which is exactly what someone afraid of capture would want.

I don't mean a Hollywood message either, nothing super crafty. I'm thinking of real world examples like the Hillside Stranglers, splaying their victims on hillsides for all to see, or even the Black Dahlia murder...if the limbs aren't found soon, they will be so decayed or lost that it won't have been much of a game at all. No shock value for the public if no limbs are found. If the limbs were meant to be found, I feel like they'd have been recovered already. If you dump a body with no limbs, you logically know that there will be a search for those limbs/the head and that garbage and wooded areas will be the first place anyone looks. The fact that they are checking landfills is an example of standard procedure more than anything else. Same with the plumbing, although that is a bit more clever.

If you wanted it to be known that Lauren is dead so badly that you'd dump the body in the midst of a search, you'd probably have left the body somewhere obvious from the start and left her in a state where she could be easily identified while still desecrated. The question remains, why hold onto the body all that time?

Gah, it'd be so much easier to make sense of this if I could go to the crime scene and see the layout.
 
Latest word I've gotten is that McDaniel is in the psychiatric ward of the jail. The source, a Mercer Law graduate and friend, said he is mostly just staring at the wall. Again, not confirmed, and could be taken a couple different ways.

There are two videos of him in court and in both he looks completely out of it, staring off blankly like he has been heavily drugged or just totally shut down. One video here...

http://www.13wmaz.com/video/1034237061001/0/Stephen-McDaniel-Appears-in-Court
 
I also wanted to add that the restaurant where the celebration took place is quite a ways from their apartments, a long way to travel to a party you weren't invited to (at least in my opinion).

Totally agree!

& now I'm back to did he have a car?

I keep leaning toward no cause wouldn't the search radius be much larger?
 
However, clarify for me whether or not you think the body was placed there Thursday during the search? Because if so, then regardless of why it was placed there, it's still likely that the killer was staying close to the scene with that rotting body either way, so either way there was a smell.......

I think it was placed there that night. Keep in mind the police (I think it was a Mercer Police Officer) did a quick walk about and then left. The police didn't return until morning when the body was found so they didn't dump it during an actual "search".

Personally I think the whole thing was done offsite, the dismemberment and the storage. If this had happened at the complex the police would likely have found the scene, not only blood but also a horrid smell, fluids from the decaying body, likely insect activity, etc... I think if they had the scene nailed down they would likely have the tools used, bloody clothes, etc...and that would mean they have a real suspect. If your theory is correct and the body was always there, did the killer keep the rotting corpse but then carefully disgard every other smidgen of evidence?

In order to dismember a body and not leave any of your own dna at the scene you would have to wear a hairnet and special throw away clothes, then carefully dump the clothes and every tool you used and clean the whole area. Then you have to be super careful that the tools and clothes do not contaminate your car when you transport various things out of the area (assuming the person had a car of course). If you were gonna do all that why not plan on a better method of disposal?

I just really wish we had more info! I wish the police would state whether they found the dismemberment scene! Guessing with so few facts is so darn frustrating.

If you wanted it to be known that Lauren is dead so badly that you'd dump the body in the midst of a search, you'd probably have left the body somewhere obvious from the start and left her in a state where she could be easily identified while still desecrated. The question remains, why hold onto the body all that time?

I can't figure out why, if the body was offsite for 5 days, they decided to bring it back on Wednesday night. Why wait until Wednesday? Was it because the police had been there? If the body was found in a trash can was it because Thursday was trash day? Honestly if this was all done offsite I have no clue why they waited.
 
I live in the Atlanta area could not believe this story has not had more widespread attention.
Great posts by you all. I thought I would do a little more research on the surroundings and came across the site for Barrister Hall. http://www.barristershall.com/ There are several interior views of the apartments but what is most surprising is just how close to campus this is. It is LITERALLY steps from the Law School. I can see how one might feel fairly secure given the location.
 
Uhhhh, Mods, did I break a rule with my post of McD's sister's legal affairs? Where did my post go?
 
Reminder: Do not copy and paste from other sites, i.e., Facebook, Myspace, Live Journal, and comments posted after news articles. If you come across an interesting comment, type a sentence or two describing what it says, and why it's pertinent to the discussion. Then include a link.

Do not post links to social media sites associated with individuals who are not named parties in a case. This includes family members of POI's.

Do not post personal information about individuals who are not named parties in a case. This includes family members of POI's.

Thanks.
 
Reminder: Do not copy and paste from other sites, i.e., Facebook, Myspace, Live Journal, and comments posted after news articles. If you come across an interesting comment, type a sentence or two describing what it says, and why it's pertinent to the discussion. Then include a link.

Do not post links to social media sites associated with individuals who are not named parties in a case. This includes family members of POI's.

Do not post personal information about individuals who are not named parties in a case. This includes family members of POI's.

Thanks.

Sorry. Lesson learned
 
Did McD have a car?

Or a bike?

Been pretty hot & humid down here lately, can't imagine body parts exposed to elements not stinking to holy hades.

I wonder when the search begins on all the empty building downtown (& there sure are bunches.)

I doubt they would want to use an abandoned building. Important factors would be water and privacy. Most abandoned buildings probably have the water shut off, plus unless they did this in the daytime it wouldn't be cool to use flashlights or lanterns and risk the police investigating.

More practical locations would be a motel room, a cabin, a friend or relative's empty house, or even maybe the woods next to a river or lake IF they know of an area that is likely to provide absolute privacy for a few hours. That is for the dismemberment, storage of course is another matter.

& now I'm back to did he have a car?
I keep leaning toward no cause wouldn't the search radius be much larger?

Yeah I wonder about that too, but I don't think the search radius is small because of McDaniels lack of a car. Sheesh they are questioning TONS of people and most of those folks DO have a car! I think most likely Thursday morning they found the torso in a trash can (per reporter rumor) and then they thought "sheeshers we need to check local garbage" hence the cadavre dogs local neighborhood search. A second hit means keep checking the local area.

It isn't like they can search the entire city even if they wanted to! Notice they only closed the landfill for ONE day, that is darn quick imo. It took 32 days to find the body of that Utah woman after they were told she was in the landfill (in one piece).
 
[video=youtube;DpVh39D8Y4s]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpVh39D8Y4s[/video]
 
My whole problem with the offsite theory is why on earth would the killer return to the apartment where a search is going to begin?? That seems incredibly risky, even if the killer wanted the torso found, they could have placed it somewhere easy to find but somewhere less likely to be occupied by some sort of nosey LE.

It seems way more likely for the bulk of the murder and dismemberment to have occurred at the very least somewhere extremely close.

And if indeed the murder happened days before the torso was found, wouldn't that have left enough time for the killer to clean up after themselves?
 
My whole problem with the offsite theory is why on earth would the killer return to the apartment where a search is going to begin?? That seems incredibly risky, even if the killer wanted the torso found, they could have placed it somewhere easy to find but somewhere less likely to be occupied by some sort of nosey LE.

It seems way more likely for the bulk of the murder and dismemberment to have occurred at the very least somewhere extremely close.

And if indeed the murder happened days before the torso was found, wouldn't that have left enough time for the killer to clean up after themselves?

According to this latest article (posted above), the police are leaning towards her apartment as being the scene of the crime, although there were no signs of a struggle.
 
My whole problem with the offsite theory is why on earth would the killer return to the apartment where a search is going to begin?? That seems incredibly risky, even if the killer wanted the torso found, they could have placed it somewhere easy to find but somewhere less likely to be occupied by some sort of nosey LE.

It seems way more likely for the bulk of the murder and dismemberment to have occurred at the very least somewhere extremely close.

Well leaving the body outside the victims front door is pretty risky too (if they live there). If they managed to clean up all the evidence (i.e. hacksaw, knives, bloody clothes, etc...) why in the heck not put the torso somewhere ELSE if discovery was a concern? Discovery was not a concern which is why they put the torso in such an obvious place.

If the person had no way of transporting the torso out of their BUT they wanted to hide all the evidence what did they do with the rest of it? Where are the other parts? Where is the hacksaw? Where are the knives? Where are the bloody clothes?

Really think about it for a moment. You got the rotting torso from a body that was dismembered days before in the apartment, and you think "sheesh" the police are here. Gotta do something about this torso cause it makes the whole place reek....I guess I'll just put it out next to the apartment house and hope no one notices. The trash guys are coming in the morning I am sure it won't be a problem! So you carry it out and put it next to the trash cans, then you go home and relax cause you know the rest of your apartment is spotless and evidence free! Every other darn thing was taken care of well in advance, the tools and clothing were disposed of (or rendered untraceable to you), the dismemberment scene was cleaned up, you just spray a little bit of glade around the room and it is all good.
 
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