Deceased/Not Found PA - Elizabeth “Beth” Capaldi, 55, last seen by husband, phone & car left behind, Sellersville, Bucks Co, 10 Oct 2022

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Margo Hughes said:
I wonder if there are any cameras at neighbors' homes that might have caught something. In some places, cameras on homes are becoming more common to catch people stealing packages off the porch.
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I have no doubt they have canvassed their neighborhood. I would have also asked this question during the DA presser.
 
He is another thought. What about reward money. This would get even more people motivated. I guess it is usually family and relatives that put that up but can it also be crowdfunded. $10,000 is usually a good number to start with. Why do you all think that's not been offered yet? Especially now that the case has gotten some 'legs'.
 
dustingforprints said:
He is another thought. What about reward money. This would get even more people motivated. I guess it is usually family and relatives that put that up but can it also be crowdfunded. $10,000 is usually a good number to start with. Why do you all think that's not been offered yet? Especially now that the case has gotten some 'legs'.
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In all the years I have followed missing persons (more than I like to admit), I can’t remember a single time when a reward was effective. I’m sure other members have better memory than I. Hopefully, they will chime in.
 
Just heard about this case.

Press Conference

26th Oct.

DA - Hi, good afternoon, I'm Buck's County District Attorney, Matt Weintraub. Today we're calling this press conference because we're seeking the public's help. We need any information that any of you out there have related to the whereabouts and the safety of Elizabeth 'Beth' Capaldi. She has been entered into the national database, NCIC, as a missing person. Ms. Capaldi is 55 years old, she's 5ft 6 in, has brown grey hair, hazel eyes. She was last seen at her Sellersville residence in the early morning hours on October 10th, 2022, that's over two weeks ago, near the intersection of High and E. Church streets in Sellersville, where she resides with her husband, Steven Capaldi. She was reported missing two days after that on October 12th., by her daughter, after her family, uncharacteristically, had not heard from her for those two days, from the 10-12th. It was determined that few of her personal belongings, including her wallet, was missing from the Sellersville home. However, most of her other belongings, including her cell phone, her keys to the house and to the car and the car itself, were left behind. So, it's highly unusual behaviour, obviously.

Ms. Capaldi has not ever been known to travel outside of the area by herself. She mainly stayed in or around her house in Sellersville, unless she was running errands or was with other family members. And this is why were are so concerned. We are now seeking your help with any information that you may have related to the whereabouts of Beth Capaldi. We'd like to know any scrap of information that you have, no matter how great or insignificant it is. Let us determine the value of that information, which sometimes can lead to other information. If anyone has seen her or observed anything out of the ordinary, please report it to Bucks County detectives at 3215-348-6354 or to the Perkasie Borough Police Department, who are both right with me here, at 215-257-6876. Or, as you know, you can submit an anonymous tip to Bucks crime tips at buckscounty.org. Or via our Crimewatch site at bucksda.org. We continue to hold out hope that we can find Beth Capaldi and reunite her with her family, but we're not ruling anything out at this time. But please help us if you can, we really could use it. Thank you.

Reporter - Who was the last person to see her?

DA - As far as we know, it was her husband.

Reporter - Anything else you can tell us about her? Does she work? Does she volunteer anywhere?

DA - Last we knew she was working from home, but not at the time that she went missing. I know that that's pretty sketchy, but that's all the current information that we have.

Reporter - So, she lives with her husband but he didn't report her missing? It was only two days later that the family reported her missing?

DA - That is the case.

Reporter - So, is anything suspicious with that or are any foul play suspected?

DA - As I'm sure you can imagine, I have to be circumspect with what type of information I put out there. I don't want to lead or mislead anybody here. We don't want anybody jumping to any conclusions. The investigation, of course, remains open and very hot. This was something that we do as a last resort. We do have some leads that we're working on. We're still hopeful that we can find Ms. Capaldi alive, but we're prepared for any eventuality. But we're not going to abandon hope until there's no room left.

Reporter - So, you're not suspecting foul play? or is it too early to suspect at the moment?

DA - Yeah, I would not want to speculate on that at this time, but we're leaving every option open at this time.

Reporter - Is her daughter, who reported her missing, local to this area?

DA - Yes.

Reporter - Any other children? Grandchildren?

DA - Not that I know of. No other children, I should say.

Reporter - Anything else special in her routine? Would she normally walked a dog, or gone to a coffee shop, anything like that?

DA - Those are good questions, but I don't know the answers to those. At this point, what we're hoping is, by broadcasting the location, the name and her picture and somewhat something of her pedigree, somebody out there definitely knows something that's going to be able to help us out. And this is what we're asking. We need your help now.

Reporter - Is everybody that you're talking to cooperating so far, that you're looking into, cooperating so far?

DA - We are receiving information from everybody that we've asked, to this point.

Reporter - Has the husband been cooperating and talking with you?

DA - Everyone that we've spoken to has been forthcoming with some information.

Reporter - You mentioned that this plea is the last resort. What have been the challenges of the investigation over the last several weeks?

DA - It's just been my experience that people don't go missing unless they intend to go missing, there was a horrific accident or there was some terrible foul play. None of those three options are great, but even if Ms. Capaldi is intentionally missing by her own design, we would want to know it because a lot of people are worried about her. But we certainly would also want to know if any of those two other, far worse options were the case.

Reporter - You mentioned, specifically, the intersection near where her home is. Is that because she was last seen outside the home? or you just want people if they were driving by if they saw anything?

DA - That's just to give people a frame of reference. We didn't want to give out the exact address.

Reporter - So then she was last seen, basically, inside the home according to her husband?

DA - I believe so.

Reporter - Do you know how the daughters doing now?

DA - Very distraught. She's holding out hope that we're going to find her mother, and that's our intention here. You had mentioned this is just what we do as a last resort, I don't want to mislead people, this is not the last resort but this is a pretty substantial step that we're taking here by asking all of you to help us broadcast this to anybody that's watching in the millions. So, we don't do this lightly. This is something that involves a lot of commitment, a lot of resources. Any tips that we're going to get, we will run down. That will take a tonne of manpower, but we are committed to one goal and that is to find Ms. Capaldi and hopefully ascertain that she is safe.

Reporter - Sorry to beat a dead horse but, specifically, have you talked to the husband? You say that he was cooperating, that he talked to you. Have talked with the husband?

DA - I personally have not, but investigators have spoken with him.

Reporter - And I apologise, you've already said this, but where was she found? She didn't leave the car, she didn't have her car, so didn't drive wherever she was found outside the house?

DA - Well she's not been found.

Reporter - Well, not found, last seen I should say.

DA - Correct. She vanished without taking her car keys, her cell phone, her car, which is pretty extraordinary. People just don't vanish off the face of the earth in my experience.

Reporter - Are you able to say, from what your detectives have ascertained - What was she doing in the moments that she was last seen?

DA - I don't know the answer, to be fair to you, but I wouldn't reveal that, even if I did have that information. Some of this information we want to keep as proprietary. If I thought that it would help allow people to give us information back, I would share it, but I don't think that that would be helpful.
Alright thank you all, I really appreciate all your help. Let's find Ms. Capaldi, let's get her back safe if we can. Thank you.
 
NervousNellie said:
In all the years I have followed missing persons (more than I like to admit), I can’t remember a single time when a reward was effective. I’m sure other members have better memory than I. Hopefully, they will chime in.
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Agree. Experts say that rewards are very effective to keep the case in the news but not necessarily in locating the missing victim. MOO
 
Allabouttrial said:
Just heard about this case.

Press Conference

26th Oct.

DA - Hi, good afternoon, I'm Buck's County District Attorney, Matt Weintraub. Today we're calling this press conference because we're seeking the public's help. We need any information that any of you out there have related to the whereabouts and the safety of Elizabeth 'Beth' Capaldi. She has been entered into the national database, NCIC, as a missing person. Ms. Capaldi is 55 years old, she's 5ft 6 in, has brown grey hair, hazel eyes. She was last seen at her Sellersville residence in the early morning hours on October 10th, 2022, that's over two weeks ago, near the intersection of High and E. Church streets in Sellersville, where she resides with her husband, Steven Capaldi. She was reported missing two days after that on October 12th., by her daughter, after her family, uncharacteristically, had not heard from her for those two days, from the 10-12th. It was determined that few of her personal belongings, including her wallet, was missing from the Sellersville home. However, most of her other belongings, including her cell phone, her keys to the house and to the car and the car itself, were left behind. So, it's highly unusual behaviour, obviously.

Ms. Capaldi has not ever been known to travel outside of the area by herself. She mainly stayed in or around her house in Sellersville, unless she was running errands or was with other family members. And this is why were are so concerned. We are now seeking your help with any information that you may have related to the whereabouts of Beth Capaldi. We'd like to know any scrap of information that you have, no matter how great or insignificant it is. Let us determine the value of that information, which sometimes can lead to other information. If anyone has seen her or observed anything out of the ordinary, please report it to Bucks County detectives at 3215-348-6354 or to the Perkasie Borough Police Department, who are both right with me here, at 215-257-6876. Or, as you know, you can submit an anonymous tip to Bucks crime tips at buckscounty.org. Or via our Crimewatch site at bucksda.org. We continue to hold out hope that we can find Beth Capaldi and reunite her with her family, but we're not ruling anything out at this time. But please help us if you can, we really could use it. Thank you.

Reporter - Who was the last person to see her?

DA - As far as we know, it was her husband.

Reporter - Anything else you can tell us about her? Does she work? Does she volunteer anywhere?

DA - Last we knew she was working from home, but not at the time that she went missing. I know that that's pretty sketchy, but that's all the current information that we have.

Reporter - So, she lives with her husband but he didn't report her missing? It was only two days later that the family reported her missing?

DA - That is the case.

Reporter - So, is anything suspicious with that or are any foul play suspected?

DA - As I'm sure you can imagine, I have to be circumspect with what type of information I put out there. I don't want to lead or mislead anybody here. We don't want anybody jumping to any conclusions. The investigation, of course, remains open and very hot. This was something that we do as a last resort. We do have some leads that we're working on. We're still hopeful that we can find Ms. Capaldi alive, but we're prepared for any eventuality. But we're not going to abandon hope until there's no room left.

Reporter - So, you're not suspecting foul play? or is it too early to suspect at the moment?

DA - Yeah, I would not want to speculate on that at this time, but we're leaving every option open at this time.

Reporter - Is her daughter, who reported her missing, local to this area?

DA - Yes.

Reporter - Any other children? Grandchildren?

DA - Not that I know of. No other children, I should say.

Reporter - Anything else special in her routine? Would she normally walked a dog, or gone to a coffee shop, anything like that?

DA - Those are good questions, but I don't know the answers to those. At this point, what we're hoping is, by broadcasting the location, the name and her picture and somewhat something of her pedigree, somebody out there definitely knows something that's going to be able to help us out. And this is what we're asking. We need your help now.

Reporter - Is everybody that you're talking to cooperating so far, that you're looking into, cooperating so far?

DA - We are receiving information from everybody that we've asked, to this point.

Reporter - Has the husband been cooperating and talking with you?

DA - Everyone that we've spoken to has been forthcoming with some information.

Reporter - You mentioned that this plea is the last resort. What have been the challenges of the investigation over the last several weeks?

DA - It's just been my experience that people don't go missing unless they intend to go missing, there was a horrific accident or there was some terrible foul play. None of those three options are great, but even if Ms. Capaldi is intentionally missing by her own design, we would want to know it because a lot of people are worried about her. But we certainly would also want to know if any of those two other, far worse options were the case.

Reporter - You mentioned, specifically, the intersection near where her home is. Is that because she was last seen outside the home? or you just want people if they were driving by if they saw anything?

DA - That's just to give people a frame of reference. We didn't want to give out the exact address.

Reporter - So then she was last seen, basically, inside the home according to her husband?

DA - I believe so.

Reporter - Do you know how the daughters doing now?

DA - Very distraught. She's holding out hope that we're going to find her mother, and that's our intention here. You had mentioned this is just what we do as a last resort, I don't want to mislead people, this is not the last resort but this is a pretty substantial step that we're taking here by asking all of you to help us broadcast this to anybody that's watching in the millions. So, we don't do this lightly. This is something that involves a lot of commitment, a lot of resources. Any tips that we're going to get, we will run down. That will take a tonne of manpower, but we are committed to one goal and that is to find Ms. Capaldi and hopefully ascertain that she is safe.

Reporter - Sorry to beat a dead horse but, specifically, have you talked to the husband? You say that he was cooperating, that he talked to you. Have talked with the husband?

DA - I personally have not, but investigators have spoken with him.

Reporter - And I apologise, you've already said this, but where was she found? She didn't leave the car, she didn't have her car, so didn't drive wherever she was found outside the house?

DA - Well she's not been found.

Reporter - Well, not found, last seen I should say.

DA - Correct. She vanished without taking her car keys, her cell phone, her car, which is pretty extraordinary. People just don't vanish off the face of the earth in my experience.

Reporter - Are you able to say, from what your detectives have ascertained - What was she doing in the moments that she was last seen?

DA - I don't know the answer, to be fair to you, but I wouldn't reveal that, even if I did have that information. Some of this information we want to keep as proprietary. If I thought that it would help allow people to give us information back, I would share it, but I don't think that that would be helpful.
Alright thank you all, I really appreciate all your help. Let's find Ms. Capaldi, let's get her back safe if we can. Thank you.
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Thanks for this transcript, @Allabouttrial. It’s always helpful to see the content of these pressers in black and white.

I can already feel the distancing language related to the husband:
“Reporter - Has the husband been cooperating and talking with you?

DA - Everyone that we've spoken to has been forthcoming with some information.”

Those are carefully chosen words.

And then, “Let’s get her back safe, if we can.”
Seems like they might be leaning towards foul play.

*BBM
 
Trackergd said:
Leaving the house key at home while going out is a red flag for me as the vast majority of folks don't leave their houses unlocked, even if another family member is home. I would be interested in any security camera video that shows how she was dressed, her body language and facial expressions. I have alerted a regional SAR team (with dogs) to contact the DA and LE in case they want Lake Lenape Park searched.
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]
shefner said:
Thanks for this transcript, @Allabouttrial. It’s always helpful to see the content of these pressers in black and white.

I can already feel the distancing language related to the husband:
“Reporter - Has the husband been cooperating and talking with you?

DA - Everyone that we've spoken to has been forthcoming with some information.”

Those are carefully chosen words.

And then, “Let’s get her back safe, if we can.”
Seems like they might be leaning towards foul play.

*BBM
Click to expand...
My friend Lobster on here has a lawyer friend out of the area, her friend also says that when a DA gets involved, foul play is usually suspected. This not what we want to think in that we know her, but I suppose it is a reality some 2-3 weeks out now.
 
dustingforprints said:
My friend Lobster on here has a lawyer friend out of the area, her friend also says that when a DA gets involved, foul play is usually suspected. This not what we want to think in that we know her, but I suppose it is a reality some 2-3 weeks out now.
Click to expand...
Thanks, @dustingforprints. I don't recall the DA leading the presser even for the Snyder children (allegedly killed by their mother) in nearby Berks CO. They clearly want the public to help here. I wonder if they suspect the perp had had help disappearing the victim?

And who takes only their wallet but never uses the contents in 3 weeks time? No happy ending here... MOO
 
Following ... waiting for more information. In the meantime, I don't believe I have ever heard/read the type of comments from a first press conference by a DA. Just some of his phrases are unique to the typical verbiage used to apprise reporters and the public about a missing person.

For example:
...We continue to hold out hope that we can find Beth Capaldi and reunite her with her family, but we're not ruling anything out at this time. But please help us if you can, we really could use it.
...We're still hopeful that we can find Ms. Capaldi alive, but we're prepared for any eventuality.
... I know that that's pretty sketchy, but that's all the current information that we have.

Maybe it's just me ... but I don't recall this type of of candid, honest, transparency so early on in a missing person's investigation, but I actually find it refreshing. MOO
 
Seattle1 said:
Thanks, @dustingforprints. I don't recall the DA leading the presser even for the Snyder children (allegedly killed by their mother) in nearby Berks CO. They clearly want the public to help here. I wonder if they suspect the perp had had help disappearing the victim?

And who takes only their wallet but never uses the contents in 3 weeks time? No happy ending here... MOO
Click to expand...
Weintraub is the Bucks County District Attorney, so there would have been no reason for him to speak on the Snyder children’s homicides as they occurred—as you noted!—in Berks County, outside his jurisdiction.

Also, FWIW, Berks County’s DA *did* hold at least one press conference on the Snyder case: Berks DA: Killing of 2 kids by Berks mother ‘horrific, tragic’
 
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