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

New Posts

Status
Not open for further replies.
UnapologeticallyAspie said:
Just a few thoughts/opinions/questions...


  1. What exactly is heavyset for a man? Like what size/weight/waist? Husky, fluffy or DAMN??? Inquiring minds want to know. This term for women can mean anywhere from a size 12-34 (& beyond). Though if you ask me, a size 12,14 & 16 is NOT heavyset imho. Maybe it’s bc I’m a size 12, Idk. Maybe it’s bc I was a size 26 & lost 129LBS, so I think that size 16 & below isn’t considered to be heavyset. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯....IF a man is a size 36 waist that is equivalent to a size 16 in women’s & is NOT considered “heavyset” but in some people’s eyes they may think a woman’s size 16 is heavyset. It’s hard for me to decipher what is considered heavyset for a man.
  2. Speaking of using shorthand/slang text like idk/idek, btw, bc, etc...I do this all the time. Maybe it’s bc I have a 21 year old. Maybe bc I’m a teenager at heart or maybe it’s bc I’m both or even some other unbeknownst reason to me. My point is is that using “idk” isn’t necessarily a young adult thing.
  3. I used to volunteer in a drug/alcohol rehab center, so I know a little about what behaviors an addict had. Also it has been my experience (see my other posts about my mother who was an addict & the things she did to my brother, sister & I for reference) that someone who relapses does not care, nor do they generally realize what day it is, what holiday it may be, when they go back out. They aren’t thinking of anyone. They are only thinking about their drug/alcohol of choice, more specifically their drug of choice. What they do however care about is when/where/how they will get their next fix. They don’t think any repercussions. They only act impulsively & would pretty much do anything to get their next fix.
  4. Additionally I agree with an above poster, someone who is sober (drugs and/or alcohol), they generally do not go to bars. Even if their drug of choice was drugs. For the most part a lot of people at bars are not only drunk but they have also done some kind of drug before, after & during their trip to the bar. Which leads me to wonder what “friends” was she at the bar with? I CANNOT imagine that any of her friends in sobriety would condone her going to a bar. Let alone go with her to a bar.
  5. Are we sure that the text was even sent by her? I know that’s a long shot bc what criminal would want to shine light on themselves? But crazier things have happened. Just a thought...
  6. This case has been kept close to the breast...whyyy!? IMO it’s very odd. It kinda leads me to believe that the family knows much more than they are saying publicly & they have asked LE to lay low or rather to stop actively pursuing anything atm (slang for at the moment...Urban Dictionary) for reasons unbeknownst to us...I don’t really know I’m just merely thinking out loud.

All of this is MOO...not as in my dog Moo (Moo Moo Cow) but as in My Opinion Only.
Click to expand...

WildcatRunner said:
Other people stated it on here, without a link that I saw. I think the person you're replying too was asking for a link/authentication.
Click to expand...

BBM:

Agree totally with your perspective on the relaspse stated in 3. I have had friends kids struggle with heroin addiction for years. They do fine for a long period of time and then the spiral out of control starts. The addict will lie, steal, disappear, etc...until they hit rock bottom. The cycle starts over.

@WildcatRunner I am asking exactly that. I have read it here.

Do you we know how long Paighton has been sober? Was this her first holiday season and was it normal for her to go to a neighborhood bar? Trying to get some sort of idea about her. Thanks.
 
We know that LE has the surveillance footage. With this, they should at least visually know what the two men look like. My hopes were that they were stalling in releasing the footage so that they could find these guys and/or PH.
But folks, this is taking a long time.
The FBI isn't involved, there are no federal subpoenas needed for evidence, Trussville is a small town.
Reading back, I found this statement:
"Asked about foul play, Williams told the paper, “We’re not quite sure. This is kind of a strange case. We’re not sure where she may be or the last person she actually spoke to at this point.”
Okaaayyyy...
1) So, are they saying they really don't know who those 2 dudes are?
2) Or have they cleared them and have no clue where PH is?
Unfortunately, I'm leaning towards the theory #2.
They have cleared those 2 dudes so cannot release any footage because it would incriminate them.
My main reason for saying this is that Sgt John Williams stated:
"Asked about foul play, Williams told the paper, “We’re not quite sure. This is kind of a strange case. We’re not sure where she may be or the last person she actually spoke to at this point.”
If true, this leads me to believe that she didn't stay with those two dudes and that they have been cleared. So they really have no idea where she is.

Does anyone know whether police have stated whether her car was still parked at her friend's house the next morning?
 
"Do you we know how long Paighton has been sober? Was this her first holiday season and was it normal for her to go to a neighborhood bar? Trying to get some sort of idea about her. Thanks."

I have not been able to find any details about her history of recovery/relapse. Whether she frequents bars....who knows? But this is a small town. If she were a regular at this particular bar, I think we would be hearing a very different narrative from LE.
That being said, so often in adult missing person cases they do not involve fowl play.
Given the length of the investigation and the lack of transparency with the public, I'm leaning towards that being the case here. My heart breaks for this family.
 
bestill said:
If she left her debit card at the bar she doesn't have any resources, so no activity could be for that reason. Hypothetically speaking but and not victim bashing but she doesn't have access to funds to purchase drugs. Scary!
Click to expand...
Has that been confirmed? Do you have a link that states that she left her debit card? I can't find one
 
Business Entity Records | Alabama Secretary of State

Tin Roof Restaurant is an LLC registered in Tennessee. The registered agent is a man that currently lives in Tennessee and is in the bar/restaurant business.

If the ownership lives in another state, perhaps the people with access to the video footage also live in TN? Also with it being the holidays, it might be hard to get ahold of the small amount of people that had access to the footage?

I know restaurant owners that had cameras in both of their establishments. They, the owners, were the only ones with access to the cameras. Not even the management could view the footage. As a matter of fact, they needed the cameras to keep tabs on their management :) In that industry, with low wage workers, there was a lot of petty theft, at least in their situation.

And a legal question...would Tin Roof legally be required to hand over any footage? This is still a Missing Person case and not a criminal investigation. Could Tin Roof legally refuse to give LE the footage, since there is no warrant? I wonder if Tin Roof consulted with their attorneys on this matter? I think their one official statement on FB was very brief, and seems that they are trying to distance themselves from this situation. It's business as usual and they are advertising for their New Year's party.
 
I mean, let's say there was a camera at the door, and LE starts identifying everyone coming through the door, handing their IDs to the Tin Roof bouncers, while Paighton might be in the background of the video. hmmm, what if LE went to interview some of those people and found them to be 17 years old!!! Just saying that the owner of a bar, probably keeps videos under tight wraps. If they were admitting or serving underage people, they could inadvertently get in a lot of trouble? Lose a liquor license? Undergo hefty fines?

And I'm saying this as someone who grew up in Birmingham and at least back in the day, a lot of those bar crowds were made up of underage patrons, with crummy fake IDs or no ID at all.... and the bars let you in anyway.....$$$$$

I'm just wondering if perhaps LE still doesn't have the video footage?
 
WildcatRunner said:
I can't find the post I was going to reply to, but my thought can be applicable to several posts I've seen. Many of us (me initially too), find it strange she texts that she feels she might be in trouble, but doesn't actually to leave the situation, and many people have equated the text to her feeling unsafe. To me (all my own opinion), she felt safe, hence the lack of urgency. There are plenty of times I "feel in trouble" but I'm not worried for my safety. I've made a mistake, and my boss or a friend, or someone is going to get mad at me. I forgot to let the dog out, and I'm going to come home to an accident on the carpet. All trouble, not unsafe. Given we know this sweet girl is a recovering addict, I'm inclined to think she put herself in a position where she felt she may relapse. However, the pull of addiction is so strong, she wasn't ready to actually ask for someone to get her out of the trouble. I think her trouble was relapse, or something else that didn't feel unsafe for her, just felt more like a mistake of some sort. It's the only thing I can fathom that explains the lack of urgency in her text.
MOO
Click to expand...
I hope you are right in your assessment. It's totally plausible.
 
Alabama woman, 29, missing after leaving bar with 2 strange men, texted she could be in trouble

This article states she left with two men and then texted her friend that “she didn’t know them “. I also have not seen anything about her leaving her debit card, only seen that her account hasn’t been touched. For me, anyone sending a text message that they might feel they are in some sort of trouble is concerning to me no matter what. Because why in God’s name would they feel that way. Maybe she was trying to find a way out of her situation that would not be awkward or confrontational. I wonder if LE knows more about these 2 men then they are letting on. Were they drinking at bar with anyone else? Did they pay with a card or cash? Any surveillance of a car they left in? There is a lot of info that is not being released in my opinion.
 
Last edited:
Just because LE does not release the surveillance footage does not mean they don’t have any.

They said they have footage of her leaving willingly with two heavy set black males.

They don’t need help identifying them, so why would they release it? Just because the public is curious?
 
Heleuth said:
Does anyone know if the friend that she texted was the same person that she had been out with and argued with earlier?
Click to expand...
Yes, from all reports, that is the case. Apparently, they had a minor disagreement. Over what, I'm not sure.
 
jmt0189 said:
Alabama woman, 29, missing after leaving bar with 2 strange men, texted she could be in trouble

This article states she left with two men and then texted her friend that “she didn’t know them “. I also have not seen anything about her leaving her debit card, only seen that her account hasn’t been touched. For me, anyone sending a text message that they might feel they are in some sort of trouble is concerning to me no matter what. Because why in God’s name would they feel that way. Maybe she was trying to find a way out of her situation that would not be awkward or confrontational. I wonder if LE knows more about these 2 men then they are letting on. Were they drinking at bar with anyone else? Did they pay with a card or cash? Any surveillance of a car they left in? There is a lot of info that is not being released in my opinion.
Click to expand...

I think the wording of this report is misleading. First, it states Houston left the Tin Roof bar on her own free will with the men -- but does not cite that the SOS text by PH was sent more than an hour later or when she could have been with a different party unknown to her.

Article also confirms police have seen the surveillance video from the bar.

Sgt. Johnny Williams told the paper that police searching for Houston were trying to generate new leads.

He said investigators have been examining surveillance footage from the night of the disappearance, the paper reported.
 
To answer some questions:
December 28, 2019
“TRUSSVILLE — The family of Paighton Houston, missing since Friday, Dec. 20, made an impassioned plea on social media for her safe return.

‘We have to go on facts and we have some known facts at this time, but not much,’ Charlaine Houston said. ‘We have not seen video surveillance yet so we don’t have answers other than what detectives have released.’

Paighton Houston, 29, was last seen leaving the Tin Roof bar at about 10:45 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 20, with two people the Birmingham police described as ‘heavy set black men.’ Employees of different businesses in Lakeview around the Tin Roof said police have canvassed the area to check video from multiple businesses.

[SBM]

‘I know she left our home Friday morning for work and was in contact with her family throughout the day,’ Charlaine Houston said. ‘She sent the message to the coworker that she rode with to the Tin Roof that ”if I call answer, I don’t know these people and I feel in trouble.” We want to know every detail and we want Paighton to come home safely to us.”

[SBM]” (BBM)
Trussville family makes plea for missing daughter’s return
 
alsleuther said:
I mean, let's say there was a camera at the door, and LE starts identifying everyone coming through the door, handing their IDs to the Tin Roof bouncers, while Paighton might be in the background of the video. hmmm, what if LE went to interview some of those people and found them to be 17 years old!!! Just saying that the owner of a bar, probably keeps videos under tight wraps. If they were admitting or serving underage people, they could inadvertently get in a lot of trouble? Lose a liquor license? Undergo hefty fines?

And I'm saying this as someone who grew up in Birmingham and at least back in the day, a lot of those bar crowds were made up of underage patrons, with crummy fake IDs or no ID at all.... and the bars let you in anyway.....$$$$$

I'm just wondering if perhaps LE still doesn't have the video footage?
Click to expand...
From the link in post #371:

“Police said surveillance video from a bar showed Houston leaving leaving with two heavy-set men last Friday night. Reports say she later sent a message to a friend saying she felt like she was in trouble.”
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

DNASolves

Who is Escambia County John Doe (1989)?

Members online

... and 217 more.
Total: 2,302 (members: 218, guests: 2,084)

Online statistics

Members online
218
Guests online
2,084
Total visitors
2,302
Totals may include hidden visitors.

Forum statistics

Threads
594,812
Messages
18,012,797
Members
229,511
Latest member
VicW
Back
Top