GUILTY MI - Katherine 'Kate' Phillips, 4 mos, Ludington, 29 June 2011 (Deceased/Not Found)

[Lovejac]

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2011/07/mother_of_missing_ludington_ba.html

The mother of Ludington's missing "Baby Kate" said Sean Michael Phillips couldn't bear to tell his parents he had fathered another child, so he took the baby and mother to a Department of Human Services office in an attempt to give the infant up for adoption hours before the child disappeared.
The baby's mother, Ariel Courtland, 19, told The Chronicle that on June 29, the day her infant was allegedly abducted by Phillips, he drove all three of them to the Mason County DHS office in Ludington, intending on giving Kate up for adoption. That effort ended when Courtland refused, she said.

Oh God! I have a bad feeling after reading this.

Now we know why they were fighting. Poor baby Kate

 

[TxLady2]

What a horrible excuse for a human being. Maybe he's seen the Casey Anthony trial and is staying quiet thinking all evidence will be gone if he refuses to co-operate long enough.

He need's a few 'gentle' nudges to get him talking. I'd gladly oblige in giving him those 'gentle' nudges too. Just horrible.

Not gentle... he needs LE to come down on him pretty hard, this is a little helpless baby!! I don't usually condone police brutality, but when it comes to missing kids, they need to get rough on these suspects.

 

[TxLady2]

From what i understand, he tricked her by taking her to DHS instead of for her DNA test, they argued, she told him to take her home, was going to walk to the DNA place and instead of getting the baby right then, decided to go get the stroller because it was a few blocks away. He took off.

Personally if a guy i have had issues with in the past tried to take me to give up my baby without letting me know, you bet your you know what i wouldn't leave that baby in the car with him!! But thats just me. She seems to be making him out to be a really nice guy but i am sorry, he took her kid and did who knows what with her and is keeping quiet, that is far from Mr nice to me.

The article a few posts up said the mother was 19? And she already has a 3 or 4 year old with this guy? And he didn't want to tell his parents about this baby? What is wrong with this picture?
I am just coming into this case, but this is so sad. She is saying he's a good father but he wanted her to give the baby up for adoption. And he's a nice guy. ~thud~
Makes me wonder if she isn't in on this disappearance or knows more than she's saying.
I say, put the pressure on her and on the grandparents, somebody knows something!!

 

[jackieblue]

The article a few posts up said the mother was 19? And she already has a 3 or 4 year old with this guy? And he didn't want to tell his parents about this baby? What is wrong with this picture?
I am just coming into this case, but this is so sad. She is saying he's a good father but he wanted her to give the baby up for adoption. And he's a nice guy. ~thud~
Makes me wonder if she isn't in on this disappearance or knows more than she's saying.
I say, put the pressure on her and on the grandparents, somebody knows something!!

Pretty sure the older child has a different mother.

 

[justanother]

The small window between the apartment and wendy's is bothering me. Google maps says it takes 5 minutes to get to Wendy's. How could he hide that baby so well in the extra 5 minutes he had? I am wondering if she was still in the car when he went to Wendy's. Or is the leaving the Apartment story fake?

Also, Wendy's is right across from Mason County Airport, at first i though he dropped her off there but like many i am now thinking he just lost it.

 

[justanother]

Okay, i just read a few different times for the Wendy's visit, 1-2 PM, 2-4 PM, so pretty much i don't think we have an exact time but the 1:20 PM would fit with a route to his parents. I hope they find out more today in Court.

 

[justanother]

Hearing postponed for 2 weeks.....

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2011/07/preliminary_hearing_postponed.html

 

[shefner]

At least he's in jail a little longer...

Things are not looking good in this case and all this child abuse is getting to me. I do not understand it....at all.
Praying for little Baby Kate....

 

[mkay882]

I don't see anything out of the ordinary about this woman going up there to see the this guy. First, if it was me, you bet I would be up there every day talking as calmly as I could, probably about random junk so the other person would let their guard down, and try to find my child. To me, this seems very logical.

Also, someone above said that why would the mother leave the child in the car if he wanted to give the baby up for adoption? I mean, I don't think she was really planning on him taking off in the car with the baby and doing what is speculated. I don't blame her, I blame him - he is the only one that knows what happened to the child.

I agree!
I'd be telling him 'You were right. We'll give her away' etc
Anything he might want to hear in the hope I could get a clue to where my baby was.
I'd promise him the moon and try and lasso the stars..

 

[mkay882]

Not gentle... he needs LE to come down on him pretty hard, this is a little helpless baby!! I don't usually condone police brutality, but when it comes to missing kids, they need to get rough on these suspects.

Alas in the justice system of the USA, the moment someone becomes a victim (baby Kate), the perp (alleged dad) has all the rights afforded to them.
We make the laws (allow them to be passed) and now must follow them.
Even at times when speed is of the essence.

 

[BeanE]

We need a law that once you're arrested for kidnapping, if you don't give the child's location within 2 hours, you get another charge thrown on you, with a good stiff penalty. Or why don't they toss on an extra charge of child endangerment? Not talking is putting the child at great risk of harm.

I HATE it that they won't say where the child is. There are so many of them.

Sorry. Just blowing off steam.

 

[TxLady2]

Alas in the justice system of the USA, the moment someone becomes a victim (baby Kate), the perp (alleged dad) has all the rights afforded to them.
We make the laws (allow them to be passed) and now must follow them.
Even at times when speed is of the essence.

Yes, but there are ways of questioning a suspect that doesn't involve getting physical. If he knows where this baby is, he can be persuaded to talk if they use the right approach. I have a feeling his parents know something, too, and just want to protect him.
I am guessing that he "sold" this baby. Just a feeling I have, I hope I'm wrong.

 

[pinkfly]

Yes, but there are ways of questioning a suspect that doesn't involve getting physical. If he knows where this baby is, he can be persuaded to talk if they use the right approach. I have a feeling his parents know something, too, and just want to protect him.
I am guessing that he "sold" this baby. Just a feeling I have, I hope I'm wrong.

If you are thinking sex market....I have been fighting my brain to not go there.

I wish they could just use Sodium Pentathol when a child is missing and thought to be alive but endangered.

 

[justanother]

Is it regular practice for a suspect to wear a bullet proof vest to court??

Here's the video of his court hearing yesterday, he seems calm.

http://video-embed.mlive.com/services/player/bcpid619326671001?bctid=1052399642001

 

[Miziree]

Pretty sure the older child has a different mother.

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2011/07/preliminary_hearing_postponed.html

snipped from above link:

"Phillips and Courtland have a 3 1/2-year-old daughter together."

 

[jackieblue]

Oh. Well that sparks alot of other questions. Where was the other daughter if she wasnt in the car too? How did they hide a second pregnancy from his parents, with a kid already you'd think they would be around his parents? It is all weird. I just hope they find her.

 

[Miziree]

Oh. Well that sparks alot of other questions. Where was the other daughter if she wasnt in the car too? How did they hide a second pregnancy from his parents, with a kid already you'd think they would be around his parents? It is all weird. I just hope they find her.

I was wondering the same thing too about where the other child was at the time.Maybe with his parents? I haven't read anything about where she was.

The parents did know about the baby, see below

here is the link:

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2011/07/mother_of_missing_ludington_ba.html

Courtland said Phillips, 21, now charged with kidnapping in connection with the baby's disappearance, has always known he is the father of Katherine Shelbie-Elizabeth Phillips, but didn't have the heart to tell his parents.
Courtland said Tuesday that Phillips' parents have never met the infant, but are aware she exists.
“I wanted him to take a DNA test that day because he didn't want to tell his parents that Kate is his. I was sick of it and said, 'Forget it, I'm not going to keep lying to your parents,' and we figured if he gets the paternity test, then we could show his parents the piece of paper,” Courtland said.
But Phillips — already jointly raising the couple's 3 1/2-year-old daughter, Haley, and preparing to be deployed to Afghanistan in August — didn't want to tell his parents about the new baby, she said.

Such a weird case is right! I hope they find this baby girl..

 

[fedfan4life]

I wonder if anyone has thought to get his commanding officer in there to talk to him? Many soldiers are taught - often engrained - to follow the instructions of a military superior. If he is ordered to disclose the whereabouts of the baby by someone outranking him, he may talk.

 

[BeanE]

I wonder if anyone has thought to get his commanding officer in there to talk to him? Many soldiers are taught - often engrained - to follow the instructions of a military superior. If he is ordered to disclose the whereabouts of the baby by someone outranking him, he may talk.

Oh I love love LOVE that idea fedfan!!!! Why don't you call the LE handling the case and suggest it to them? I think it's brilliant!!!

 

[justanother]

Her 911:

http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/local/nw_mich/Baby-Kate-mom:-'(He)-took-our-daughter'

Her story keeps changing.