Found Deceased AL - Paighton Houston, 29, left bar with 2 men, Birmingham, 20 Dec 2019 #2

[Maya Love]

I just think the timeline seems odd. She goes out drinking with her good friend. After a very short time in the bar, she sees her friend leave with 2 strangers.

Then she herself leaves the bar, goes home to sleep, and never checks on her friend, whose car is still parked outside.

Wouldn't she text or call her friend, knowing she left with 2 unknown males---to check she is ok? I think most friends would have called before leaving the bar. She had driven PH there---and PH never said ' yo, I'm leaving and I dont need a ride home.'

Sitting on my fingers! Wish we could share what Paighton's mom shared on FB regarding how they found out about the text the next day!

 

[Seattle1]

Trussvile PD: 'Our prayers are with the Houston Family’

Jan 3, 2020

Bessemer District Attorney Lynneice Washington confirmed a female body was found in a shallow gave behind the Hueytown home.

Washington says the female body was found wrapped in cloth. She said the scene was “very muddy, very nasty.”

[..]

Sgt. Johnny Williams with Birmingham Police told WBRC FOX6 in a phone call Tuesday, “Investigators have reviewed the surveillance video from Tin Roof and have not found anyone matching the description of the two men Paighton is believed to have left the bar with. He said officers did not find anything in the video that would be helpful to their investigation.” bbm

ETA: Didn't find anything in the video helpful to the investigation -- those are pretty strong words to me. IMO the video didn't confirm anything either.

 

[jashrema]

Everybody seems focused on the time lapse of the friend receiving the text and how long it took to notify her parents. Whether she was asleep or not, etc. That's not the suspicious part to me. The suspicious part is that we are supposed to believe that PH left with 2 men at 10:45 and well over an hour LATER, she texts and she STILL doesn't know who she's with? Bull. IF she did indeed leave with 2 guys there is no way over an hour later she still didn't even know their names, or what kind of car she was in, or where she was, etc. I call 100% BS on that text being from PH and I'm thinking that sentence texted, at that time,is what is going to be the undoing of the perp.

 

[Seattle1]

As others have pointed out up thread, the Tin Roof has extensive outdoor areas. It's unknown whether they were covered by security cameras. Or whether they were accessible without going through areas covered by security cameras. Also possible to meet someone while taking a smoke break outside the establishment, within eye-shot but outside camera range.

Given a statement by Sgt Johnny Williams of BPD that I saw reported today by WBTV/3, I'm not sure it would have mattered how many surveillance cameras the bar had. According to Williams, in however many videos investigators viewed, He said officers did not find anything in the video that would be helpful to their investigation.”

 

[sraybella]

I was already uncomfortable with the seemingly, IMO, faux text. Add to it the time lapse and I’ve now leaned all the way to the “foul play” side.

The timeline of events should be interesting, when released, IMO.

 

[everybodhi]

Agree. It certainly isn't the smart move! I'm doubting a compassion angle because if you care enough, you can't bury in a shallow grave. Imo

I’ve only dug a grave for a kitty but it takes a long time to dig deep, it took me hours and I was worried it wasn’t deep enough to keep animals from disturbing it. I imagine they were in a hurry or they would have dug deeper, it also suggest to me that there weren’t many people involved in the digging.
I’m not suggesting they “cared enough”, it’s obvious they didn’t.

 

[Momma2cam]

I'm recalling a statement her dad made on TV when his daughter was first reported missing.

He stated PH's plan for Friday night was to have a night out with a group from work to spend time together and to listen to live music.

To my knowledge, there's never been any confirmation from LE or co-workers that there was a planned workgroup outing or if the outing was only between HP and the workmate that reportedly drove that evening.

I believe today was the first date that MSM reported it was around breakfast time on Saturday that PH's workmate contacted the family to tell them about PH leaving the bar with 2 men and the text message she later received from PH.

I don't think it's been reported when workmate read the text message but I'm assuming it was also Saturday morning. MOO

Trussvile PD: 'Our prayers are with the Houston Family’

Perhaps the group of friends were meeting at another bar with live music and the few friends PH was with didn't end up showing up to meet them there. MOO
Do we know what time PH and her coworkers generally got off work? Time the band at the Tin Roof started playing? Leaving at 10:45 seems pretty early as does co-worker being in bed, asleep by midnight. MOO

 

[katydid23]

A different mindset than in my day. We came together, we went home together. He wants to come by for you or me, scarily fine. But I will or you will know his name. I shudder how we lived before cell phones etc.

My daughter and her friends are similar to us back in the day. When she goes out with her girls, they stick together. If one of them runs into an old friend, or meets a new friend, they need to tell the others what their new plans are if they want to leave the group.

They would never just walk out of the bar and leave, without telling the friends they came with. It is part of the bar girl code still. IMO

I find the friend's story a bit odd. JMO

 

[MassGuy]

Everybody seems focused on the time lapse of the friend receiving the text and how long it took to notify her parents. Whether she was asleep or not, etc. That's not the suspicious part to me. The suspicious part is that we are supposed to believe that PH left with 2 men at 10:45 and well over an hour LATER, she texts and she STILL doesn't know who she's with? Bull. IF she did indeed leave with 2 guys there is no way over an hour later she still didn't even know their names, or what kind of car she was in, or where she was, etc. I call 100% BS on that text being from PH and I'm thinking that sentence texted, at that time,is what is going to be the undoing of the perp.

Agreed, that’s a huge issue. Another huge issue is the way law enforcement has handled this.

If they believed the narrative that she left with these two men, I absolutely don’t see them playing it this way. Even if there was no video, there would be an effort made to identify these guys.

Thus far, we’ve heard nothing in that regard. I think there’s a reason for that. They don’t buy the story, and these two men do not exist.

 

[Zella]

I just think the timeline seems odd. She goes out drinking with her good friend. After a very short time in the bar, she sees her friend leave with 2 strangers.

Then she herself leaves the bar, goes home to sleep, and never checks on her friend, whose car is still parked outside.

Wouldn't she text or call her friend, knowing she left with 2 unknown males---to check she is ok? I think most friends would have called before leaving the bar. She had driven PH there---and PH never said ' yo, I'm leaving and I dont need a ride home.'

It's not something I would personally do--don't like bars myself and don't go to them--but it suggests to me that perhaps this sort of thing had happened before, so rightly or wrongly, this didn't worry her friend too much. She also, quite frankly, may have been rather intoxicated herself and not coherent enough to think too much about PH until the next morning when she saw she'd missed a text.

Not saying the case isn't weird--it is and there may be a lot more to the story with the friend--but the fact the friend missed the text message is probably the least weird thing about the whole thing to me. The phrasing of the text message strikes me as very odd.

 

[Seattle1]

It appears that temps were within the average for December and no measurable precipitation on Friday 12/20/19. Investigators reporting the recovery scene today was a muddy and nasty mess.

Fri 12/20

60° / 32°
Actual Temp
Precip 0.00 in

Sat 12/21

53° / 45°
Actual Temp
Precip 0.12 in

Sun 12/22

48° / 44°
Actual Temp
Precip 1.92 in

Mon 12/23

58° / 48°
Actual Temp
Precip 0.07 in

https://www.accuweather.com/en/us/trussville/35173/december-weather/2254272?year=2019&view=list

 

[everybodhi]

It's not something I would personally do--don't like bars myself and don't go to them--but it suggests to me that perhaps this sort of thing had happened before, so rightly or wrongly, this didn't worry her friend too much. She also, quite frankly, may have been rather intoxicated herself and not coherent enough to think too much about PH until the next morning when she saw she'd missed a text.

Not saying the case isn't weird--it is and there may be a lot more to the story with the friend--but the fact the friend missed the text message is probably the least weird thing about the whole thing to me. The phrasing of the text message strikes me as very odd.

I don’t know if there is any evidence that it ever happened before, I have known some addicts who were paranoid enough to keep their addiction secret, using with only their closest friends, I don’t think all addicts will go with anyone for a fix, even though some do.

"She's always very cautious," Houston's friend, Jennifer Schaffner, said at the vigil. "She's just not one to do, you know, something like that, like, leave with a random person. That's just not who she is."
Trussvile PD: 'Our prayers are with the Houston Family’

 

[Seattle1]

Perhaps the group of friends were meeting at another bar with live music and the few friends PH was with didn't end up showing up to meet them there. MOO
Do we know what time PH and her coworkers generally got off work? Time the band at the Tin Roof started playing? Leaving at 10:45 seems pretty early as does co-worker being in bed, asleep by midnight. MOO

It was reported the band started at 10:30 pm.

We don't know what time PH and workmate arrived at the venue, or how many were in the workgroup party. No information on the workgroup has been reported, period.

As to meeting at another bar with live music, I did see that there must be at least 3 bars in the vicinity of the Tin Roof. They consistently promoted a NYE $20 cover and one wristband good for entry at 4 bars including TR. (Viewed on Instagram 2017, 2018, 2019).

MOO

 

[Zella]

I don’t know if there is any evidence that it ever happened before, I have known some addicts who were paranoid enough to keep their addiction secret, using with only their closest friends, I don’t think all addicts will go with anyone for a fix, even though some do.

"She's always very cautious," Houston's friend, Jennifer Schaffner, said at the vigil. "She's just not one to do, you know, something like that, like, leave with a random person. That's just not who she is."
Trussvile PD: 'Our prayers are with the Houston Family’

Interesting. Like I said, my following the case has been a bit sporadic.

The thing that strikes me as very odd about the text message is it doesn't seem like very natural phrasing. And it seems rather lengthy for an emergency text message sent in a hurry. It overexplains. It almost makes me wonder if she's not the one who sent it.

 

[otto]

If she made it to the bar & her coworker/coworkers are responsible for her death, They would have had to do something to her after leaving & buried her & concocted a cover story. A long shot in my mind.

The long shot is that she left work with co-workers who are now implicated in her disappearance. She was reported missing to her parents in the company of two big black men and she sent a bizarre message to a co-worker after her disappearance.

Occam razor suggests that at least one co-worker know how she ended up buried is a backyard.

 

[everybodhi]

There was a big rain storm right before they started searching.
The Weather Authority | Rain returns to Alabama this weekend

It appears that temps were within the average for December and no measurable precipitation on Friday 12/20/19. Investigators reporting the recovery scene today was a muddy and nasty mess.

Fri 12/20

60° / 32°
Actual Temp
Precip 0.00 in

Sat 12/21

53° / 45°
Actual Temp
Precip 0.12 in

Sun 12/22

48° / 44°
Actual Temp
Precip 1.92 in

Mon 12/23

58° / 48°
Actual Temp
Precip 0.07 in

https://www.accuweather.com/en/us/trussville/35173/december-weather/2254272?year=2019&view=list

It appears that temps were within the average for December and no measurable precipitation on Friday 12/20/19. Investigators reporting the recovery scene today was a muddy and nasty mess.

Fri 12/20

60° / 32°
Actual Temp
Precip 0.00 in

Sat 12/21

53° / 45°
Actual Temp
Precip 0.12 in

Sun 12/22

48° / 44°
Actual Temp
Precip 1.92 in

Mon 12/23

58° / 48°
Actual Temp
Precip 0.07 in

https://www.accuweather.com/en/us/trussville/35173/december-weather/2254272?year=2019&view=list

It appears that temps were within the average for December and no measurable precipitation on Friday 12/20/19. Investigators reporting the recovery scene today was a muddy and nasty mess.

Fri 12/20

60° / 32°
Actual Temp
Precip 0.00 in

Sat 12/21

53° / 45°
Actual Temp
Precip 0.12 in

Sun 12/22

48° / 44°
Actual Temp
Precip 1.92 in

Mon 12/23

58° / 48°
Actual Temp
Precip 0.07 in

https://www.accuweather.com/en/us/trussville/35173/december-weather/2254272?year=2019&view=list

 

[MassGuy]

The long shot is that she left work with co-workers who are now implicated in her disappearance. She was reported missing to her parents in the company of two big black men and she sent a bizarre message to a co-worker after her disappearance.

Occam razor suggests that at least one co-worker know how she ended up buried is a backyard.

In order to send that text, her phone obviously had to be on. So the location data of her phone is going to be absolutely huge here, and not merely for that one moment in time.

It’s going to have one hell of a story to tell.

 

[Zella]

Actually now wondering if she left with someone--perhaps not captured on camera--and this seems out-of-character but wasn't because they weren't a stranger? And then the bizarre text message is just further designed to make it seem like she was with someone she didn't know and that wasn't the case. I have no clue.

 

[Momma2cam]

The more I think of any of the possible scenarios, the more nauseous I feel. Especially if Paighton was harmed by someone she cared about and trusted.

Cruel world we live in.

 

[littlegreen]

I wonder if her phone was buried with her?