Canada - Laura Babcock, 23, Toronto, 26 June 2012

[paris_paris]

lizvr... please be assured that anyone here who has a tip calls it in. Sometimes we talk in riddles because we are not allowed to say the names of people who have been not been named in the media.

 

[SnooperDuper]

Without giving away the name, can someone explain who SS is???

One of the first pics that came out of DM showed him in front of a trailer with a tatted guy in the background. That is SS. He is one of DM's buddies that hung around the hangar (vs. the gangsta rapper wannabe crowd in Oakville)

 

[lizvr]

lizvr... please be assured that anyone here who has a tip calls it in. Sometimes we talk in riddles because we are not allowed to say the names of people who have been not been named in the media.

Originally Posted by Pink Panther View Post
Without giving away the name, can someone explain who SS is???
One of the first pics that came out of DM showed him in front of a trailer with a tatted guy in the background. That is SS. He is one of DM's buddies that hung around the hangar (vs. the gangsta rapper wannabe crowd in Oakville)

Thank you for the tips, much appreciated!!

 

[canadiangirl]

This is why I was hesitant to join this forum, as I am one of Laura's friends, and cannot stand the generalizations people here are making about Laura's family and friends. Her family has been extremely concerned the entire time, and just because you didn't hear about Laura's disappearance on the media, does not mean that her friends and family weren't searching for her. Her family and close friends have been involved since day 1. You are not in a position to judge the behaviour of a missing woman's parents and friends as I'm sure you have never had the situation happen to you. Laura is a wonderful person and has a wild streak. We all believed from the beginning that she may have left the country or area wilfully. Now, we aren't so sure.

I meant no disrespect by my post or judging. I guess I am just shocked that a year later a vigil is being planned. I am truly sorry for what you're going through, however media attention in my opinion is what's needed to get the word out there.

 

[nurse_sleuth]

Thank you for the tips, much appreciated!!

Everyone who has information from here provides it to LE... also it worth noting that LE are also lurking and watching. Especially in a case like this where there are so many social media connections.

I pray they can find answers about Laura.

 

[Honey_West]

We are not here to judge or lay blame on anyone, we are all here for the same reason, and that's to help find Laura. Any tips or leads, no matter how big or small could assist LE in her case. IMO i believe a candlelight vigil is a wonderful idea and will only draw positive attention to Laura, as it will show how much she is loved and cared for by her many friends and family, and will get her face out to the public which may in turn jog someones memory.

Should you have any questions on how to go about organizing a vigil there are many people here that would be happy to share ideas. We are here to help

 

[ArianeEmory]

This is why I was hesitant to join this forum, as I am one of Laura's friends, and cannot stand the generalizations people here are making about Laura's family and friends. Her family has been extremely concerned the entire time, and just because you didn't hear about Laura's disappearance on the media, does not mean that her friends and family weren't searching for her. Her family and close friends have been involved since day 1. You are not in a position to judge the behaviour of a missing woman's parents and friends as I'm sure you have never had the situation happen to you. Laura is a wonderful person and has a wild streak. We all believed from the beginning that she may have left the country or area wilfully. Now, we aren't so sure.

Please understand that just because someone asks the question, 'why weren't her family involved sooner?', it doesn't mean judgement.

I've been trying to clarify this point for a long time, but this is why: people are very keen to throw the police under the bus for not taking her case seriously, but I'm not sure that's fair if the family did not report her missing.

It doesn't mean I judge the parents--there are lots of reasons I can understand NOT reporting it to police right away, and "we all believed that she left..wilfully", is a valid one. Of several.

BUT, if the parents didn't push the police early on, it's not fair to blame the police for incompetence. That's all the point I've ever made when questioning how early and how hard her family pushed. (And I have no dog in this fight--lots of people seem to feel the Toronto Police have major issues, and I'm not from there and have no opinion. Other than the one just before these parentheses.)

Speaking only for myself, I judge no one in this situation because I know I don't, and will probably never, have enough facts to be in a position to judge.

 

[lizvr]

Please understand that just because someone asks the question, 'why weren't her family involved sooner?', it doesn't mean judgement.

I've been trying to clarify this point for a long time, but this is why: people are very keen to throw the police under the bus for not taking her case seriously, but I'm not sure that's fair if the family did not report her missing.

It doesn't mean I judge the parents--there are lots of reasons I can understand NOT reporting it to police right away, and "we all believed that she left..wilfully", is a valid one. Of several.

BUT, if the parents didn't push the police early on, it's not fair to blame the police for incompetence. That's all the point I've ever made when questioning how early and how hard her family pushed. (And I have no dog in this fight--lots of people seem to feel the Toronto Police have major issues, and I'm not from there and have no opinion. Other than the one just before these parentheses.)

Speaking only for myself, I judge no one in this situation because I know I don't, and will probably never, have enough facts to be in a position to judge.

Her parents did report her missing. I know a lot of the time it isn't the fault of the police, but in this case, I really believe they could have done more. The family pushed the police to investigate, as did many others. The police actually did nothing. For example, they didn't obtain a subpoena for the serial number of an iPad SL lent to Laura, when doing so could give a clue as to her whereabouts. They spoke to DM, who said Laura had been buying drugs from him, and took his word for it without digging any further into whether or not she even used drugs as he alleged.

While I understand the police have to respect the privacy of adults, especially those who choose to go missing, there were SO many red flags that Laura's disappearance was uncharacteristic and that she had not left willfully. I frankly find it hard to believe how anyone can truly disappear nowadays, given the prevalence of social media, cell phones & cell towers, and other technology. Laura is a huge user of all of these things, so after about 2 weeks friends and family became suspicious that her disappearance wasn't on her own accord.

I know I am in no position to criticize the operational decisions made by the police in this case, but I honestly believe they wrongly profiled her from the beginning. Tim Bosma's tragic death is the only reason they started to investigate her disappearance. Before that, they did nothing past July 2012.

 

[missy1974]

lizvr ~ I am so sorry that your friend is missing. I hope she is found safe! I agree with a lot of what was already posted. No one is intentionally judging, yes we have questions, and sometimes they are viewed as judgemental but may not always be intended that way.

It's my opinion that the media attention right now should be embraced. I am in Western Canada, and I wouldn't know who Laura was or anything about her if it wasn't for the media. So, IMO, if the family and friends still have hope that she willingly left, posting flyers locally is not as productive as getting her face/name/story out across the country and possibly beyond. Right now the media is willing to listen, take advantage of it.

JMO and after reading, I hold out hope that she willingly left too.

 

[ArianeEmory]

Her parents did report her missing. I know a lot of the time it isn't the fault of the police, but in this case, I really believe they could have done more. The family pushed the police to investigate, as did many others. The police actually did nothing. For example, they didn't obtain a subpoena for the serial number of an iPad SL lent to Laura, when doing so could give a clue as to her whereabouts. They spoke to DM, who said Laura had been buying drugs from him, and took his word for it without digging any further into whether or not she even used drugs as he alleged.

I'm truly sorry, then, if this is the case. Please bear in mind that those of us here on WebSleuths with no personal connection to the case have only heard SL tell us that the police wouldn't take him seriously because he wasn't family. We never hear what happens after that, such as the parents' story, or SL saying "...but when her family contacted them, the police didn't take them seriously either." The story always stops with him being denied access for not being family. Perhaps the media is dropping the ball on this too (or I missed an article).

 

[Woodland]

Thank-you for posting lizvr. I think your clarifications to valid questions are a great service to not only Laura, but other missing women and women that will no doubt go missing in the future.

Imo, you nailed it with 'I honestly believe they wrongly profiled her from the beginning.' LE has no business profiling anyone, yet they do and sadly get away with that behavior and thinking. You also nailed it with '... there were SO many red flags ...' They were ignored as were the red flags with WM's death.

I thank-you for pointing out the above to all readers - hopefully it will spur people into taking a stance with LE when LE tries to block efforts to find someone or look into suspicious circumstances. LE are people, not statues on pedestals and if they are looking for the path of least resistance - that comes from the top down (as in all organizations).

Best of luck finding LB - I hope she is safe.

 

[LilyMacBloom]

I note on the facts page for Laura Babcock FB page that the Police report sheet has EXPIRED!!!!!

just thought I'd point that out

 

[AddyFinch]

Any chance this woman found floating in lake in Toronto is Laura??

 

[Woodland]

I note on the facts page for Laura Babcock FB page that the Police report sheet has EXPIRED!!!!!

just thought I'd point that out

Can you clarify what that means LilyMacBloom? Laura has not been found - are TPS considering this closed? Or is someone posting something on FB? I'm not a FB user so can't look at anything.

Tks

 

[LilyMacBloom]

Can you clarify what that means LilyMacBloom? Laura has not been found - are TPS considering this closed? Or is someone posting something on FB? I'm not a FB user so can't look at anything.

Tks

I went on the Face Book page for LB and clicked on the Toronto police link and that "report" on that page says that it has "expired" ... Shouldn't the peeps running that have the police/or themselves update that status? seems kinda weird (can't post link here because I'm also not a friend of that page)

 

[elepher50]

I went on the Face Book page for LB and clicked on the Toronto police link and that "report" on that page says that it has "expired" ... Shouldn't the peeps running that have the police/or themselves update that status? seems kinda weird (can't post link here because I'm also not a friend of that page)

That is the original police report/bulletin that the police put out when Laura was reported missing. I will see if I can pull the cached report and post it here for historical purposes.

 

[elepher50]

Okay, I swear last week the original police report said "expired" but now it is showing once again on the internet from the Toronto police. No, am not losing my mind.....it did say "expired" last week.

http://torontopolice.on.ca/newsreleases/pdfs/24029.pdf

Here is Help Find Laura facebook page - it is an open group.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/448222475198966/?fref=ts

 

[Gibson67]

have they placed her missing poster on missingcanada.net and all of the missing persons websites and facebook pages? Has someone made a missing poster similar to what TB's looked like? I can't seem to find one anywhere.

 

[missy1974]

Okay, I swear last week the original police report said "expired" but now it is showing once again on the internet from the Toronto police. No, am not losing my mind.....it did say "expired" last week.

http://torontopolice.on.ca/newsreleases/pdfs/24029.pdf

Here is Help Find Laura facebook page - it is an open group.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/448222475198966/?fref=ts

yep, you are right, that was not there yesterday!!!! I looked everywhere, looked for the cached version... anything, but they must have put it back up, cuz it was not there... well... unless we are both losing our minds

I see on there it says last heard from on June 26th. From cell phone records, we know it was active for a week after that date (July 3rd), so I wonder... what date did she drop her dog off at her parents home? and did she just ignore/avoid everyone during that whole week?

 

[KEVINinTO]

yep, you are right, that was not there yesterday!!!! I looked everywhere, looked for the cached version... anything, but they must have put it back up, cuz it was not there... well... unless we are both losing our minds

You're not losing your minds! I did an advanced Google search of the TPS website a few days ago when we learned about the connection between LB & DM and I could not find a trace of information on LB on the TPS website.

TPS must have scrubbed her information from the site along time ago because Google did not have a cached version of the original press release.

Not surprised that they put the information back on their website.

Why would Toronto Police scrub this information from their website in the first place? To free up server space? A young girl is missing under suspicious circumstances - her family and friends are sick with worry and the Toronto Police can't even be bothered to keep her missing person information on their website?

As I have mentioned before I think the inaction on the part of Toronto Police with respect to the LB and WM cases is disgraceful. It just amazes me how TPS have been able to completely avoid any criticism in the media. I suspect this has to do with the fact that most of the crime reporters in this city rely almost 100% on scraps of information being hand-fed to them by LE. They don't want to bite the hand that feeds them so TPS can get away with this crap!