ME ME - Anneliese Heinig, 37, Richmond, 26 Nov 2019 *vehicle found*

[Spider92]

I didn’t realize until it was pointed out by Steelslady and some others that there is more sand and silt than water in parts of that bay, making this an usual water search. I’m a lake guy so I know very little about tides and even less about currents. But I do think it’s significant that AH’s father is reportedly spending time at the search site. At this point, LE is probably keeping him well informed and he’s spent his life working around the water. I’m wondering what he knows that we don’t.

 

[happyday]

I wonder if it being right before Thanksgiving, a holiday week, meant lower volume of traffic (as the article about the trooper said) than usual and this had something to do with no one else noticing AH walking that morning? I also think the holiday coming up may have affected so many people’s actions (inactions) not jumping to report her missing right away—trooper not having car towed for a while or calling owner, her work not worrying about her not showing up, family not immediately concerned about not having contact with her for a couple of days... It wasn’t a typical week so maybe her missing kind of slipped through the cracks... Maybe the holiday week had something to do with it.

 

[deadfoot13]

Speculation about Anneliese leaving the vehicle: Since the SUV was registered to her parents, could she be unfamiliar with it? Maybe the low fuel light came on & since she was not the everyday driver, could she have thought it was actually running out of gas right that very moment?Maybe it had an alarm or bell that she wasn't used to & thought the worst? I know from experience, some cars, the gas light comes on & you've got a good 50 miles. Others, when the gas light comes on, it means get to the nearest gas station now. Or perhaps a check engine light?

We do know that it was *almost* out of gas, why her parents had the tow truck driver follow them to a gas station. Maybe it stalled?

This was my thought, too -- when mine comes on in my Jeep at 1/8 tank, it makes a loud alarm noise and is orange, but on my VW it is red and blinks before staying a solid red, and the gas gauge looks like it is resting on empty.

 

[carbuff]

Yeah, I thought that about the car, too. There are probably a hundred reasons the car was registered in their names. A couple I can think of right off the top of my head would be insurance premiums price, she didn't want/couldn't financially do a car payment, or even just not wanting the hassle of changing ownership since they are family.

This one is a real head scratcher.

Yeah, our youngest drove one of our cars under our name for years because of the insurance, even though it was in another state most of that time. I'm under the impression that it's a pretty common thing to do with younger offspring, or when they're going through difficult times. That doesn't strike me as unusual.

I don't see any way to find common ground for those two very different descriptions of where the vehicle was. The only things I can think of are that the initial report was for a different stalled SUV that happened to look like hers, or that the vehicle moved between reports.

 

[j_in_c]

But you are correct in thinking that something signaled to A that the car was having trouble or close to being out of gas. I still don't get why she didn't call for help - AAA or family. JMO

I think there are a lot of feasible explanations that only family and close friends would know. Perhaps she is forgetful and/or bad with finances and therefore "always running out of gas" and maybe getting lectured on it from family/close friends? That is pure speculation on my part - but just a simple non-nefarious explanation of why you wouldn't call a friend or family member, despite having a close, loving relationship. Embarrassment can be very hard for some people. I have a dear friend who jokes that she is grateful for her kids because they remember to look at the gas gauge (once they were old enough) so she no longer forgets about refueling!

 

[ASheehy]

I didn’t realize until it was pointed out by Steelslady and some others that there is more sand and silt than water in parts of that bay, making this an usual water search. I’m a lake guy so I know very little about tides and even less about currents. But I do think it’s significant that AH’s father is reportedly spending time at the search site. At this point, LE is probably keeping him well informed and he’s spent his life working around the water. I’m wondering what he knows that we don’t.

Yeah, the river opens up into a bay area that has very calm waters and almost totally drains out during low tide. Once you get past the route 1 bridge in this picture, it's more 'open ocean' most of the time - nothing crazy, but has more waves and currents. You can see here that the image is a combination of at least 2 different times - one taken at low tide and one taken at high tide.

 

[carbuff]

I wonder if it being right before Thanksgiving, a holiday week, meant lower volume of traffic (as the article about the trooper said) than usual and this had something to do with no one else noticing AH walking that morning? I also think the holiday coming up may have affected so many people’s actions (inactions) not jumping to report her missing right away—trooper not having car towed for a while or calling owner, her work not worrying about her not showing up, family not immediately concerned about not having contact with her for a couple of days... It wasn’t a typical week so maybe her missing kind of slipped through the cracks... Maybe the holiday week had something to do with it.

That's a good point.

And many of the people traveling that day would probably have been from out of the area. There could be people who saw her, or saw something important, who went back home and haven't even heard about the case. Even down here in the greater Boston area, she's had very little coverage. Some, but it would be easy to miss.

 

[zecats]

I think there are a lot of feasible explanations that only family and close friends would know. Perhaps she is forgetful and/or bad with finances and therefore "always running out of gas" and maybe getting lectured on it from family/close friends? That is pure speculation on my part - but just a simple non-nefarious explanation of why you wouldn't call a friend or family member, despite having a close, loving relationship. Embarrassment can be very hard for some people. I have a dear friend who jokes that she is grateful for her kids because they remember to look at the gas gauge (once they were old enough) so she no longer forgets about refueling!

Actually her mom was the one who originally expressed these thoughts. She stated the same - why didn't A call her sister or AAA for help.

I'm expressing the questions that were asked by family - only reason I even knew of the possibilities.

 

[MrsWatson]

Habitually running out of gas could very well be the reason why she had AAA for all we know.

 

[PommyMommy]

This article is from Dec. 4 but I don't remember seeing it - sorry if it's a repeat- busy week and I've missed a lot.

DEC 4, 2019
Divers search Presumpscot River for mother of 2 missing for more than a week

Maine State Police divers and game wardens using sonar searched a section of the Presumpscot River throughout Wednesday without finding a trace of a missing Richmond woman.

[…]

On Wednesday, Heinig’s mother, father and sister stood on the Route 9 bridge that parallels the interstate and watched while three boats crisscrossed a wide swath of the river. The search ended late in the day with no new clues about what happened to Heinig.

[…]

CH, who spent decades on the water as a marine biologist and is familiar with Maine’s coastal waterways, said he felt the need to be on the scene, to remain active and focused on his daughter.

“I just have to stay occupied or I’d go nuts,” he said.

While game wardens, state police divers and others searched the water under the Route 9 overpass and surrounding area, CH said he was holding out hope that his daughter is not there, even if it means she was abducted from the highway.

[…]

Heinig has no history of suicide attempts, AH said. Anneliese Heinig had made plans to take her daughter to a spa last weekend as a 16th birthday present, AH said, and police found birthday party-themed items in the back of the SUV.

Heinig’s friends have organized a vigil for her Friday at 6 p.m. on the mall in Brunswick, he said.

[…]

 

[PommyMommy]

This is a good article that answers a couple of questions that I've seen here. Mainly, why she was driving her parents vehicle, but also who may have given her clothing description.

DEC 2, updated DEC 3, 2019
Police expanding search for missing Richmond woman
... The vehicle was registered to AH, she said, and her daughter had been borrowing the car for the last couple of months while she saved up to buy a new vehicle of her own.

On Monday, DS, of Stewart’s Towing, confirmed he’d received a call from the state police to pick up the vehicle near mile marker 9 on I-295, but troopers were not present when he arrived.

[…]

In Richmond, CI, Heinig’s landlord, said he’s known her for about 15 years. She had rented an apartment from him early on, and about three years ago moved back in.

CI said he recalls seeing her heading out early either last Monday or Tuesday morning when he went out to get the newspaper, but he has no idea why she might have been going to Portland.

[…]

“She’s an artist,” IC said. “She paints landscapes and people. She’s got good friends.”

RH, a shift supervisor of the Dunkin’ on Route 197 in Richmond, near the interchange at I-295, said Heinig had worked there until about three months ago.

“She’s all about her kids,” RH said, noting that they have children in the same school and would see each other picking them up. “For her not to go home is extremely unusual.”

[…]​

 

[MrsWatson]

After being on the fence about self-harm/voluntary vs. foul play, I'm starting to come down heavily on the side of foul play. Mostly.

I wish we knew more about her back story. It sounds like she was on good terms with her youngest's child's father, what about the 16 year old's? What about dating history? Was she in a relationship? Where did she work? In what capacity? Was she a homebody, or did she enjoy a night out? What did she do in her free time, what did she do online, games, forums, Pinterest?

It's hard to have strong opinions about what happened knowing so little.

MOO

 

[Nudgee]

I wish LE had not turned the vehicle over to her parents from the tow yard. Once that missing persons report was filed, that vehicle should have been held for fingerprints, possible DNA samples, etc. Especially the steering wheel and drivers seat/floor area.... dogs should have been brought in right away as well. Darn

 

[MrsWatson]

Thanks for that article, @PommyMommy !

It does answer some of my questions, at least superficially.

 

[mlhenn]

I wish LE had not turned the vehicle over to her parents from the tow yard. Once that missing persons report was filed, that vehicle should have been held for fingerprints, possible DNA samples, etc. Especially the steering wheel and drivers seat/floor area.... dogs should have been brought in right away as well. Darn

I agree with you on this...totally agree!

I know LE & others are really concentrating on the bridge, the water, seeing her walking, & area on interstate in which her car was found...and I understand why, but isn’t it possible she was taken from that area by someone else & moved to a different location?
Just throwing out thoughts

 

[Steelslady]

This article is from Dec. 4 but I don't remember seeing it - sorry if it's a repeat- busy week and I've missed a lot.

DEC 4, 2019
Divers search Presumpscot River for mother of 2 missing for more than a week

Maine State Police divers and game wardens using sonar searched a section of the Presumpscot River throughout Wednesday without finding a trace of a missing Richmond woman.

[…]

On Wednesday, Heinig’s mother, father and sister stood on the Route 9 bridge that parallels the interstate and watched while three boats crisscrossed a wide swath of the river. The search ended late in the day with no new clues about what happened to Heinig.

[…]

CH, who spent decades on the water as a marine biologist and is familiar with Maine’s coastal waterways, said he felt the need to be on the scene, to remain active and focused on his daughter.

“I just have to stay occupied or I’d go nuts,” he said.

While game wardens, state police divers and others searched the water under the Route 9 overpass and surrounding area, CH said he was holding out hope that his daughter is not there, even if it means she was abducted from the highway.

[…]

Heinig has no history of suicide attempts, AH said. Anneliese Heinig had made plans to take her daughter to a spa last weekend as a 16th birthday present, AH said, and police found birthday party-themed items in the back of the SUV.

Heinig’s friends have organized a vigil for her Friday at 6 p.m. on the mall in Brunswick, he said.

[…]

I was just going to post this article. I didn't see it until today myself. Thanks for posting this.

I didn't think she would be found in that water myself. The tide was low at the time she was seen walking. In order for her to have gotten to any water, she would have had to walk quite a distance as she wouldn't have been in enough water to cover her ankles or knees.

Also, I would imagine at least a shoe would have come off, if she did go in there. Low tide is not only wet but it can suck the shoes or sandals right off of your feet when you walk out to collect shells or just go walking along the ocean. I can't imagine her disappearing in this area.

I sure wish someone else had seen her walking. I'm still confused as to which direction she was heading.

 

[Steelslady]

I wish LE had not turned the vehicle over to her parents from the tow yard. Once that missing persons report was filed, that vehicle should have been held for fingerprints, possible DNA samples, etc. Especially the steering wheel and drivers seat/floor area.... dogs should have been brought in right away as well. Darn

Agreed. I think everyone is so focused on self-harm, because of her FB posts earlier that morning, that no one suspected foul play at that point.

I wish they had waited to release the vehicle. Hopefully, other than the parents, no one else has had access to it, just in case.

 

[Meredith28]

My husband and I just took a drive to see if there was any activity. First, we drove Middle Road (he drove so I could look) and we got stopped for a hydro excavation truck over the Middle Road/Rt. 9 bridge. This didn't seem to be related to the search for AH and there was no water patrol activity in the area.

Next, we jumped on 295 Northbound and got off at exit 10 (Bucknam Road). Headed northbound, we could see a police car and two other vehicles out on a hill/peninsula between exits 9 and 10. We looked at a map when we got home and my husband seemed to think it was out behind Magnolia Lane and Walmart. It's an area you can't really see in the summertime with the trees, but seems to be pretty open in winter. We didn't see anything worth noting, just noticed that that was where some search activity appeared to be happening. I have to think that LE has much more information on this case than they can release to the public, but I also worry, like others, about the two-day window when AH was missing but no one seemed to know.

 

[Steelslady]

After being on the fence about self-harm/voluntary vs. foul play, I'm starting to come down heavily on the side of foul play. Mostly.

I wish we knew more about her back story. It sounds like she was on good terms with her youngest's child's father, what about the 16 year old's? What about dating history? Was she in a relationship? Where did she work? In what capacity? Was she a homebody, or did she enjoy a night out? What did she do in her free time, what did she do online, games, forums, Pinterest?

It's hard to have strong opinions about what happened knowing so little.

MOO

Her family has asked people to not talk about Anneliese in the press.

We have little tid bits here and there of her. Her family is claiming that she's never been suicidal before, she was in a good mood on Monday, had plans for her daughter's 16th birthday that Saturday- LE even found party items in the SUV for that day.

No one knows if she was truly home that night before, as her daughter was at a friend's house for two nights. It appears that between the possibility of Thanksgiving shopping, prepping/baking, possibly sports or other activities for her kids that their father did with them or the son, her family may have been busy and they obviously did not realize she was missing. She was working a job, and her job didn't appear to be worried enough about her that she didn't call in for those two days- so I am assuming she was due for work that day she went missing. What I am wondering, is, was she wearing clothes that morning that she would wear to work? What time was her shift that day? Why isn't this little bit of information given, at the very least? Could she have decided to do a little Thanksgiving last minute shopping before heading to work, or maybe on her way to pick up a gift for her daughter's birthday? There's so many reasons why she could have been on that road.

Did a mechanic thoroughly check that vehicle out? The reason I ask, is one time our Expedition just stalled while I was driving, and luckily, I was able to pull over before it completely conked out. I could not restart it to save my life. Got a ride home, hubby and I went back to see what was wrong with it, and wouldn't you know, the darn thing started right up for him and I drove it home. Only to have it not start in my driveway the next morning. I also had a friend that this happened to, only this was an older car, same exact thing as me, her and her hubby thankfully were able to pull over on the highway before it completely stopped and died on them. He was a mechanic and couldn't figure out why it happened. That's why I am wondering if something similar happened to her vehicle?

 

[carbuff]

Did a mechanic thoroughly check that vehicle out? The reason I ask, is one time our Expedition just stalled while I was driving, and luckily, I was able to pull over before it completely conked out. I could not restart it to save my life. Got a ride home, hubby and I went back to see what was wrong with it, and wouldn't you know, the darn thing started right up for him and I drove it home. Only to have it not start in my driveway the next morning. I also had a friend that this happened to, only this was an older car, same exact thing as me, her and her hubby thankfully were able to pull over on the highway before it completely stopped and died on them. He was a mechanic and couldn't figure out why it happened. That's why I am wondering if something similar happened to her vehicle?

I've had that happen to me, too. Often it's caused by moisture in the fuel lines, especially in cold or damp weather. The moisture will freeze and make a block, and when it melts the car runs fine, or the moisture is a big enough drop to block the fuel, but as the car sits, the drop breaks up and evaporates, and again the car appears to be fine.