OH OH - Harley Dilly, 14, enroute to Port Clinton High School, 20 Dec 2019

[GordianKnot]

The fact that LE is backing up the timeline and are asking the public to provide information re: any sightings of HD on Thursday is suggestive.

It may be they want the footage to determine whether or not HD made any purchases the night before he disappeared, i.e., burner phones, etc.

Are there any stores within walking distance of his home?

It may also be the case that LE isn't confident that grainy image they have from Friday morning is really HD, and they want/need to determine when the last independent sighting of him occurred.

This new request reflects in part that LE really is doing their due diligence.
It also reflects that they haven't ruled out any scenarios yet.
The fact that they're asking for it now and that they've locked in very specific time frames that they want footage from suggests they either have new information or a working theory re: HD's disappearance. Possibly both.

JMO.

 

[AgeofAquaruis]

This new timeline for video surveillance. Starting at 3:00 PM on Dec 19th, has me thinking iirc about some of the kids saying they saw him riding a bike,but his mom said he doesn't have a bike.
I wonder if one of his friends loaned him their bike to help him run away. He went to a friends house, we know the friends dad told him to go home at 7pm. I wonder where the bike is. Did he ride it home, or leave it at the friends house? Did he sneak out in the middle of the night, then go back home? Did he go get the bike after the video footage of him on Friday Morning? Then take off? Or did he head back home?

 

[AgeofAquaruis]

This new timeline for video surveillance. Starting at 3:00 PM on Dec 19th, has me thinking iirc about some of the kids saying they saw him riding a bike,but his mom said he doesn't have a bike.
I wonder if one of his friends loaned him their bike to help him run away. He went to a friends house, we know the friends dad told him to go home at 7pm. I wonder where the bike is. Did he ride it home, or leave it at the friends house? Did he sneak out in the middle of the night, then go back home? Did he go get the bike after the video footage of him on Friday Morning? Then take off? Or did he head back home?

 

[Sonic7273]

In the video he posted "I'm scared..." when he's talking about being locked out of the house. I was struck with his comments about going to school. He seemed to really like going to school from the sounds of it. That makes it seem to me that if he didn't want to go to school on Friday because he wasn't feeling well, he probably wasn't feeling well. Could he have left in anger because his mom didn't believe he wasn't feeling well.

I think that he was in middle school during the timeframe of that video, where his trusted assistant principal was. Harley is now, I believe, in high school, new school, maybe different dynamic. I personally haven’t heard him mention anything good or bad about high school but I haven’t watched every video.

 

[Linda7NJ]

Is anyone else put off by Chief's recent comments? It seems to me he's more focused on social media's reaction to the family then he should be (it happens in every missing child case!)

I really dislike the "If you don't have anything nice to say, private message me" approach. Feels intimidating.

To me; A detective shouldn't rule anything out as possibility unless and until they have absolute proof to the contrary. And maybe he does? But it feels really weird to have the focus be on continually defending the family in his limited press releases.

perhaps locking people into statements without lawyering up?

 

[Bellecent]

In the video he posted "I'm scared..." when he's talking about being locked out of the house. I was struck with his comments about going to school. He seemed to really like going to school from the sounds of it. That makes it seem to me that if he didn't want to go to school on Friday because he wasn't feeling well, he probably wasn't feeling well. Could he have left in anger because his mom didn't believe he wasn't feeling well or frustrated because he really needed to stay home and mom said no? If the grainy picture is really of him, it doesn't look like he's wearing a jacket or backpack, there could be a possibility that he really is sick and needs assistance rather than being classified as a runaway. This is just a theory, but it's possible he stormed out of the house, underdressed for the weather, figures he will go back once mom leaves. Hides out to rest and is actually too ill to make it back. IMO that's just as plausible as he ran away to get away from a bad home life, or kidnapped by some SM stalker.

Also, I see there are billboards going up in Toledo, but what about Cleveland? Has anyone seen or heard if one will go up there? I believe I read that Harley's dad is originally from the Cleveland area. Could he be trying to make it to family in the Cleveland area maybe?

One of his videos he does state he is locked out and told to stay home. So it seemed like he was in bad k yard. So maybe he did leave thi k g he could go back home after his mom left bit then something happened to him that did not allow him to go home. How far from water is his house?

 

[Linda7NJ]

I have never in my life, and I’m pretty old, ever heard of police wanting zero help in searching. mobilization of volunteers, grid searching, coordination isn’t difficult.

I have to ask myself WHY?

 

[Presley78]

I know it’s been mentioned about his SM use. This is what alarms me. We have 2 boys who game similar to this, we monitor their accounts and have turned comments or messages from non-friends off. This has been helpful, BUT our oldest is 13 and has already figured out how to change that setting as well as others. He only communicates with friends we know, but this is almost impossible to guarantee. My sons are well aware of stranger danger online, but unfortunately even people they know can be potential enemies as we’ve seen with some cases here. I’m just leaning towards someone he met online. Couple that with what appears to be a pretty lax environment when it comes to parental supervision and I think that’s a recipe for a disaster. Praying he is safe and home soon.

 

[GordianKnot]

I have never in my life, and I’m pretty old, ever heard of police wanting zero help in searching. mobilization of volunteers, grid searching, coordination isn’t difficult.

I have to ask myself WHY?

I've definitely heard of it in many, many other cases.

Sometimes LE doesn't want the public to assist with searches because they don't to risk any potential evidence being contaminated.

Sometimes they don't want the public impeding their own ability to conduct searches.
Sometimes public involvement hampers LE efforts rather than helps.

Sometimes LE doesn't want to jeopardize the safety of the public, e.g., they don't want searchers out in inhospitable environments or inclement weather.

Sometimes they have a good handle on a case and genuinely don't need the public's help.

It's really not all that unusual for LE to message, "Thanks, but we got this" to the general public re: physical searches.

JMO.

 

[bullfighter]

One of his videos he does state he is locked out and told to stay home. So it seemed like he was in bad k yard. So maybe he did leave thi k g he could go back home after his mom left bit then something happened to him that did not allow him to go home. How far from water is his house?

Close, going north and south. He could get to Waterworks Park in 15 mins by foot or to the bay in 30 mins. If he really wanted to walk to Marblehead, it would take 3 hrs by foot. There's a pier and beaches all over. He could have crossed the drawbridge and went to Camp Perry. He could've gone to Catawba Cliffs and hung out there. Lots of places this guy could go that he could easily be out of sight.

 

[Spellbound]

Agreed.

Harley's disappearance is more important than some comments put out there for all to see.
Of course people are going to respond.
If this were my child missing-- I'd be far more worried about finding him than what people say about me.
Where's the concern for Harley ?
I'm not seeing it.
The police chief needs to stop with defending people's hurt feelings and do his job.

If police have any doubts about the family, they likely will not let us know. Staying on their “good side’, keeping the parents talking and ‘cooperating” may be a simple way to keep an eye on them. I don’t know if they are involved in his disappearance, but I don’t blame Harley for leaving, if he did.

I just pray he is safe somewhere, but every day that goes by without knowing is awful.

 

[GeorgiaRai]

Thank you. I wrote the first half of it out last night and decided to sleep on it, but I'm relieved that I'm not the only one to feel this way.
I hope that he is found safe, soon.

Definitely not the only one. I'm glad you mentioned that some kids respond to being needed / asked to help. I think it's perfectly reasonable that a mother wants her son to know how that his presence is a help & comfort to her, that he makes her happy and gets her through tough times. To many kids (and adults!), that's a very strong motivator.

 

[Cubby]

U

Close, going north and south. He could get to Waterworks Park in 15 mins by foot or to the bay in 30 mins. If he really wanted to walk to Marblehead, it would take 3 hrs by foot. There's a pier and beaches all over. He could have crossed the drawbridge and went to Camp Perry. He could've gone to Catawba Cliffs and hung out there. Lots of places this guy could go that he could easily be out of sight.

True, but how can he do any of those and avoid being recorded by surveillance?

Oh, and welcome to WS!

 

[rosesfromangels]

Definitely not the only one. I'm glad you mentioned that some kids respond to being needed / asked to help. I think it's perfectly reasonable that a mother wants her son to know how that his presence is a help & comfort to her, that he makes her happy and gets her through tough times. To many kids (and adults!), that's a very strong motivator.

On the other hand, that may be just too much pressure for a fourteen year old. That type of support and comfort generally comes from a spouse or Partner; an adult far better equipped to handle the emotional requirements. Let fourteen year olds have their childhood.

amateur opinion and speculation

 

[Desert Dude]

U


True, but how can he do any of those and avoid being recorded by surveillance?

Oh, and welcome to WS!

With the plea from the Chief and Sheriff for individuals and businesses to look at any video they may have during certain hours, hopefully more information will come forward. I don't know how many people have Ring Doorbells in Port Clinton, but it can be very arduous looking through every movement that is detected over a 24 hour period. Even though Ring has night vision, the images along the street are very shadowy during the dark.

The most likely time that they would be able to trace his movements is during the day; however, that is a lot of footage to look into. I'm surprised they didn't ask people to start looking at footage two weeks ago.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

You see everything on TV, you watch all these crime shows and you think, 'Oh, that’s never going to happen.' And they solve it in an hour," Heather Dilly said. "It doesn’t take an hour to find out everything. You have subpoenas, you have warrants. It just, it takes a long time."

"The scrutiny that comes with it, nobody tells you how you’re going to be bashed and your family," Dilly said. "And the biggest focus is Harley. That’s the biggest thing. You know, everybody can think whatever they want and that’s fine. But he’s out there somewhere, and you know, it’s two weeks and I have to get up every day and look in that room and he’s not there. I have to see his light. I won’t even go sleep in my own bed. I have to go lay on the couch so I can make sure he walks in."

Dilly added, "There’s no words for any of this. I would never want anybody to go through this. I mean, somebody had to have seen something."

Asked when she last saw her son and whether it was that Friday morning, Dilly said, "I didn’t see him, I talked to him. There’s a difference. That’s really all we can say, it’s an open investigation and that’s the biggest thing people are not understanding. We can’t share because we don’t want to jeopardize him."
Mother of Harley Dilly pleads for his safe return

 

[bullfighter]

U


True, but how can he do any of those and avoid being recorded by surveillance?

Oh, and welcome to WS!

Thank you. I've not been back to town in a few years but locals know how to get around town using the back roads to avoid the tourists during tourist season. I don't know all the areas that have cameras now but if he avoided downtown, he could probably avoid cameras. I wondered that myself earlier then realized that it's very possible on foot to not be seen. Then again, LE is just now asking for footage. He may have been on camera but too much time has passed to have viable security footage of the time in question.

 

[Pax10]

On the other hand, that may be just too much pressure for a fourteen year old. That type of support and comfort generally comes from a spouse or Partner; an adult far better equipped to hand the emotional requirements. Let fourteen year olds have their childhood.

amateur opinion and speculation

Definitely not the only one. I'm glad you mentioned that some kids respond to being needed / asked to help. I think it's perfectly reasonable that a mother wants her son to know how that his presence is a help & comfort to her, that he makes her happy and gets her through tough times. To many kids (and adults!), that's a very strong motivator.

It's actually a strategy that is sometimes used working with kids who have self-esteem issues or who see themselves in an unfavorable light.

Focusing on ways that they are helpers is hoped to change their self image a bit for the better. So that instead of the kid who thinks they are always getting in trouble or can't do anything right or however they might feel, they could start to also see the good that they can do. Obviously, whether or not it works as a positive or is too much pressure or what not would depend on the situation.

I don't know if it's appropriate to emphasize to a 14 year old how much it helps you to have him with you for a medical treatment or not. Harley's older than most of the kids I worked with and I don't have any special insight into his situation.

I have no idea if this is something recommended by the therapists or others working with this child of course, this is only based on my own experiences.

If Harley did run away, it may be because of feeling too much pressure, or it could have been another reason entirely, I have no opinion on that. I'm just really hoping that he did runaway since it means he could come back safe and healthy. Moo.

 

[Sissy123]

It's actually a strategy that is sometimes used working with kids who had self-esteem issues or who see themselves in an unfavorable light.

Focusing on ways that they are helpers is hoped to change their self image a bit for the better. So that instead of the kid who thinks they are always getting in trouble or can't do anything right or however they might feel, they could start to also see the good that they can do. Obviously, whether or not it works as a positive or is too much pressure or what not would depend on the situation.

I have no idea if this is something recommended by the therapists or others working with this child of course, this is only based on my own experiences.

If Harley did run away, it may be because of feeling too much pressure, or it could have been another reason entirely, I have no opinion on that. I'm just really hoping that he did runaway since it means he could come back safe and healthy. Moo.

Whoops, grabbed wrong post, lol. My bad

 

[Sam970407]

Mother "talked" to him??? Yet again more misleading information provided. So how can she determine when he left for school or that he wanted to stay home from school. I am even more bothered now.