RAW: Family of missing Pinal County couple holds news conference
Posted: Jul 01, 2015 9:46 PM CST
Broadcast Live: Jul 01, 2015 3:00 PM MT
Video:
http://www.kpho.com/clip/11647551/raw-family-of-missing-pinal-county-couple-holds-news-conference
Family, of the Pinal County couple who disappeared more than a week ago, spoke at a news conference Wednesday.
Thanks to
Purplepixii for the following narrative:
Nothing prepared, taking questions:
1) How is family after "foul play" suggestion? A. We knew this since day 1, otherwise they’d be here with us now, now case is being elevated we might get more answers. Family going through rollercoaster of emotions. Hope, disappointment. Keeping busy to do what they can to help sheriff.
2) Now it's a criminal investigation does that diminish hopes of finding M&T alive? A. We knew there was foul play from the get-go, there’s no reason they wouldn't come home or contact us. Not the kind of people to disappear.
3) Is the family frustrated with police effort? Yes, they wont give us much information, share more with us, it’s understandable but we realise it's the nature of the investigation
4) We hope they found something in the car. House hasn't been thoroughly searched although officers have been in their room. Happy to let them do what they need to do to get them found.
5) Any theories you want to support or dispel? Nothing makes sense, they all come up with scenarios late in the evening. Geoff wasn't happy to say what he thinks when asked by a reporter
6) Proximity of house to drug route - is that part of your thinking? Yes, it's a possibility, not fun to think about, there is a lot of traffic through valley, illegal activity, lot of bad people around here. Nothing M&T would do to bring them into contact with these people.
7) 2 sides of family (Tina’s side & Mike’s side) - is that a problem in the house? No we are in constant contact with Tina's siblings (who are in Mesa). I try to keep them updated.
8) Tina’s brother wants to significantly increase the reward – are you supportive of that? We’ve been advised not to increase reward significantly in case the situation is a kidnapping or ransom – it may delay their return. The advice not to increase the reward comes from "some private investigators & some other people that we know". No reason to believe it is or isn't a kidnapping.
9) Was it typical of Tina to leave for work that early in the morning? No, Tina actually works for Tom across the street, she was running an errand for him that morning (Monday) to Mesa. It was a “special deal” she doesn’t usually go out to Mesa every day.
10) Tina's purse is up in the room. The item she was supposed to deliver for Tom in Mesa was still in her purse (!!!) We don't think she left the house.
11) So that’s very suspicious then – the fact she left the house without her purse and something she was supposed to deliver. Correct, yes.
12) Where do you think Michael was? Was he with her? He was likely to be with her, they were supposed to leave together in the morning on Monday.
13) So that was the plan? So right off the bat something wasn’t right as her purse was there? Yes.
14) Does Michael work, is he currently employed? Mike is on long-term disability, he’s a commercial airline pilot, so he didn’t have a place he needed to go every day
15) How has the (unintelligible) in Maricopa helped in the past few days? I have such a long list of thank you’s we’d be here all night. This is a great community, hundreds of people combing desert in extreme heat, donating supplies, touching that community has come together
16) Sunday night activity – what was going on? Anyone suspicious? Any arguments? All gathered for Father's Day, nothing suspicious, it’s another part of the mystery, people present were well-known to the family
17) PI mentioned Tina came into inheritance. Don’t think it was that much, mum just passed, they were going to use it on a down payment on a mobile home on the lot next door
18) 2 families live on the lot, referred to it as a "compound", plus grandmother lives in the guesthouse, we’re always together, a really close family.
19) Anything in the past few days to sound an alarm? Anything suspicious? No
20) They had mentioned they were going to leave early but no-one saw them leave so when & who was last to see T&M Sunday night? One of the family, probably in the kitchen, he'd gone to bed at 22:30, doesn't know who saw them last, they just weren’t there in the morning.
21) In terms of a timetable Sunday night was the last time someone saw Tina & Mike well. This idea of them leaving Monday is speculative? Yes, they could have left earlier
22) PI was hired by Tina's brother - he's made some "disparaging suppositions about might what might have happened" and we don't like the light he is trying to cast
23) Are you concerned that as Sheriff says it is foul play that search efforts will suffer? Search will continue, we have covered vast amounts of desert, still have things to checkout & areas to re-check
24) Not going into the valley as it's a "dangerous area" - border patrol & county sheriff searching there
25) What is your gut feeling? Not sure, maybe they were in "the wrong place at the wrong time"
26) Private investigators approached us but have not hired any more
27) We have lived in same house with them for 2 years, don't think drugs have anything to do with it
28) Do you have any idea what the Sheriff is going to say at his 7am press conference Friday morning? No, I wasn’t aware of it but I will be tuning in
29) Bottom line Geoff? Lets get the Sheriffs in gear, get going, get answers, get them home
30) The shift from a missing persons case to a criminal Investigation – this comes as no surprise to you? No, not at all, it comes with a bit of excitement and we’re happy – we hope it expedites the case [/COLOR]
31) No-one living in the area that makes him fearful from saying anything beneficial to the investigation.
32) On Father's Day was there someone particularly interested in Mike’s skills as a commercial pilot? There was a friend of ours, friend of my father’s there - José Valenzuela – he expressed an interest, but that’s about all I know. A personal conversation. Not sure what they were talking about.
33) (very muffled / quiet female questioner) Do you know what Mike…party….Sunday night…another property? I don’t know, I know it wasn’t the Crabtrees as we’ve spoken to them.
34) Has anyone been subject to a lie detector test? Not that I know of
35) Is everyone (family, close contacts, friends) being truthful & co-operative? Everyone in this house is, don't know who else they have interviewed