They thought it was a dead animal of some kind. Most people don't automatically think "My neighbor killed someone and is hiding the corpse!!1" they think "Ewww, what critter crawled up under my house or into my yard somewhere to die?!" Apparently the smell wasn't strong enough to pinpoint where it was coming from, because it was said they "searched their backyards for the source of the smell". So, strong enough to detect, but not pinpoint where it is coming from apparently. I wouldn't automatically think it was a human I was smelling myself, nor would I call the cops right away to report it. I'd look around for the dead opossum, cat, stray dog, or maybe raccoon first. Each neighbor probably thought someone else had found whatever the cause of the stench was and cleared it away when it got cooler and the smell went away. This is plausible. I've heard tales of critters crawling in places and dying and stinking up a neighborhood only to be found some time later as bones, it isn't an uncommn thing at all. I've smelled them too, and no, you can't pinpoint the precise source at times, especially if it isn't a larger critter.
Stop blaming. By the time there was a smell, the baby had already been dead for some time. Calling the police and reporting the smell might not have done anything. The police might also have said "An animal crawled up into a tight space somewhere to die, what do you want us to do?" since they didn't know where the smell was coming from. Finding the body sooner would not have helped that father get home in a timely manner to bury his daughter and be able to see her and touch her, either. She was too far gone to have an open casket by then.
What Johni Michelle Heuser did was TERRIBLE, and if she is responsible somehow for the baby's death, Evil. If she had spoken up earlier, Harmony's father could probably have gotten emergency leave to come be at her funeral, or he'd be able to try. By the time there was a smell, revealing the fact the baby was dead to everyone was quite overdue. Nothing can turn back the clocks, and putting the blame on neighbors who couldn't have known better (given the circumstances and elusive nature of the smell) is wasted energy. Let's focus on learning how the baby died, wishing the baby's siblings well, and the rest of Harmony's family who loved her. Let's focus on waiting to see what happened.
Stop blaming. By the time there was a smell, the baby had already been dead for some time. Calling the police and reporting the smell might not have done anything. The police might also have said "An animal crawled up into a tight space somewhere to die, what do you want us to do?" since they didn't know where the smell was coming from. Finding the body sooner would not have helped that father get home in a timely manner to bury his daughter and be able to see her and touch her, either. She was too far gone to have an open casket by then.
What Johni Michelle Heuser did was TERRIBLE, and if she is responsible somehow for the baby's death, Evil. If she had spoken up earlier, Harmony's father could probably have gotten emergency leave to come be at her funeral, or he'd be able to try. By the time there was a smell, revealing the fact the baby was dead to everyone was quite overdue. Nothing can turn back the clocks, and putting the blame on neighbors who couldn't have known better (given the circumstances and elusive nature of the smell) is wasted energy. Let's focus on learning how the baby died, wishing the baby's siblings well, and the rest of Harmony's family who loved her. Let's focus on waiting to see what happened.
