TN - Gail Nowacki Palmgren, 44, Signal Mountain, 30 April 2011 **Location Project**

[wilco]

testing

 

[wilco]

I'm brand new, live in Red Bank at the base of Signal Mtn.
About 15 or 20 years ago, while loading my boat at Suck Creek boat ramp, I ran into a recaimation operation that worked a regular route at spots like the Suck Creek ramp. They told me that they could always count on 6 to 10 vehicles at SC. Most of them were "insurance jobs, " where the owners couldn't make the payments.

About ten years ago, one of my adult children's Honda Accord was stolen. It was insured, and law enfrocemnt found it on the other side of Signal Mtn., in a field. It had aopparently been left there since the theft. Keys were still in it. My son's music books were still thre. He's a church organist.

Last year, the police in nearby Cleveland re-opened a missing person case from the 1950's. They had some info on a 1950's era car that was in lake Ocoee. They found a removed the car, but there were no remains.

 

[glorias]

Fully agree about duplicate efforts. It's great if people want to share what they've covered and haven't covered yet, but many people across the net and off the net do a lot of work on these cases on their own or in private groups that they don't share, and there's no way to know about it. That's fine though. Double checks never hurt, and it's all for a good purpose.

The project you were talking about regarding Twitter seemed to me to be a different, separate project from fireflylink's -- same goal, two different areas being searched. Just my opinion/impression. That's why when you mentioned doing VINs as well, I thought perhaps the projects were going to overlap, and since you mentioned earlier your concern for not duplicating effort, I thought I would mention it.

 

[glorias]

Just wanted to post what areas/websites I'm looking into, and if someone else has already claimed or worked these, just let me know -- there is a LOT to do so it's not like I'll be without work.

1. eBay auctions for parts and whole Jeeps. A lot of wrecked Jeeps are parted out (surprising how many 2010 Jeep Rubicons get wrecked!) and if I see one that looks like Gail's, I'm sending the informational email fireflylink has to the salvage yard/auto parts place, even if it's not anywhere near TN.

2. Craigslist search for Jeeps in the states of TN and Missouri. (I'm familiar with MO and it shares a teeny tiny border with TN, so I might as well.)

3. Going to send fireflylink's email to dealerships in MO first and move west once that's done, but MO should keep me busy for a long long time.

Again, if this is duplicating anything, just let me know. It should be okay for you to PM me if you don't want to post (I hope I can say that without violating the rules -- mods delete if it's not appropriate! Thanks!)

 

[BeanE]

The project you were talking about regarding Twitter seemed to me to be a different, separate project from fireflylink's -- same goal, two different areas being searched. Just my opinion/impression. That's why when you mentioned doing VINs as well, I thought perhaps the projects were going to overlap, and since you mentioned earlier your concern for not duplicating effort, I thought I would mention it.

glorias, on the VIN, I think I threw out a quick idea about using the VIN, if it was possible, as a means of pulling all the info related to the Jeep and sticking it into one post, like a little reference chart, so that no matter which effort people are working on, we'd just have to go to one post to get any Jeep info we needed. Just a little time saving idea.

I wasn't planning on doing anything with VINs. My plans are to concentrate on the Twitter efforts, and VINs can't be incorporated because of the limitation on tweet length.

With the duplicate efforts, I must have misunderstood your post. I thought you were concerned about wasting time on duplicate searches, and I was trying to say that my experience on these cases has been that duplicate efforts are sometimes inevitable for various reasons, and if they occur, to me, they don't really hurt.

 

[Some1Nose]

To start, a list of potential targets or resources which could potentially have knowledge of, or come in to contact with an unlocated vehicle:

*Feel free to post or PM with additional suggestions

(Snipped for brevity.)

How about Border Crossings and Toll Booths?

Some1

 

[Some1Nose]

GloriaS I think you answered one of my posts regarding repainting the jeep if it were to be sold in-tact...and I agree that it's possible but here are my main thoughts regarding that below...sorry I couldn't find your prior post to quote. :innocent:

Conventional wisdom would indicate that unscrupulous/guilty parties would probably alter the original color of a vehicle prior to selling/consigning it. However, I have wondered, if whoever initiated a sale could be so blatantly sure of themselves that they would only remove the plates, and alter other identifying info such as the wheel cover but not necessarily the color. "The Too Blatantly Obvious For Anyone To Believe It Possible Scenario." And the jeep could, quite literally, be sitting on some car lot, anywhere in the U.S., by now.

I conducted a search for 2010 4-door Jeep Rubicons at www.cargurus.com last night, and Interestingly none appeared to have front or back license plates on them. There were two listed that looked to be the same dark red color as Gail's jeep (both were outside the states of TN/AL and a flame red one was listed in Sweetwater, TN.

There are so many places to sell a car that it would be hard to know where it might be, at least without the Vin #...so the search goes on...

I put a call in to a friend who has a lot of vehicle knowledge to ask about the feasibility of changing VIN #s and in their opinion it's a no can do! Even some parts such as the door frames will bear the VIN #, they said.

Do we know the interior color of the jeep? Approximate mileage? (I'm also told by my friend that it's not that common or easy to roll back the miles on newer vehicles.)

If Gail is somewhere with the jeep.....we can Always Hope....she might trade the vehicle for another or sell it for money to live on or for whatever reason. In that case scenario, the body color wouldn't be altered, probably, imo.

Some1

 

[BeanE]

I marked another batch of posts to move over here late last night. After they're moved, I'll go through again to look for any I missed, and I'll probably be calling on people to alert any of their own Jeep related posts that are straggling over in the other thread. But please don't do that yet, because I might have already caught them in this last batch.

Thanks!

 

[BeanE]

Helpful Twitter tools:

Twitter Help Center
http://support.twitter.com/groups/31-twitter-basics

Snapbird tweet search engine
http://snapbird.org/

Hashtags hashtag search engine
http://hashtags.org/

TwimeMachine tweet search engine
http://www.twimemachine.com/

TwitLonger accomodates tweets longer than the 154 character tweet limit
http://www./index.php/main_new

Twitter advanced search
http://search.twitter.com/advanced

Topsy Twitter search engine
http://topsy.com/

 

[fireflylink]

Some1nose, great efforts and reasearch! If you are interested in continuing the online searches (there are plenty out there, and they change all the time), I can provide you with the VIN email which has been approved by the HCSO. At least that way, despite color or changes in exterior accessories you will be able to eliminate a lot of the guess work. You, or anyone else registered on the site is welcome to PM me with your email address and I will forward the data This also applies to anybody else who is interested in picking a state to cover or even just a special interest focus group.

Thanks again to everybody wracking their brains and helping to get this out for broader exposure! I truly appreciate all of your efforts!

 

[rolltideroll]

Ok...I have been reading about this case. When I first saw the Jeep in the picture I thought it looked familiar. Then I read about her trip to Wetumpka and back to Chattanooga on the 30th of April. I thought to myself "Where was I on the 29th and 30th? " Then I remembered it was right after the tornado outbreak and I live 20 minutes west of Birmingham. On the morning of the 30th we left our house at around 7 a.m. , we stopped and got gas and we were on I459 (it goes around Birmingham) at 7:30. CST. Could that have been the time she would have been there? I have been reluctant to say anything because I don't want people to think I'm nuts...but if it helps...I do remember a few other things so if this could be the time she was there please let me know. I am positive about the date and time I was there but we went to Atlanta but we were on 459 between 7:30 and 8:15..it is about 45 min. around bham that way.

 

[glorias]

It's possible. We think she left Wetumpka about 6:30 AM, and if so she could have gotten to the Birmingham area around 8:00, plus or minus 15 minutes.

Not sure she would have been on I-459 but someone who knows more about the area can help with this. The route from Wetumpka to Signal Mountain that takes I-65 and I-59 doesn't use I-459, if I'm reading the maps right. The intersection of I-65 and I-59 meets at I-459 (looks like I-459 kind of turns into I-59) but otherwise I'm not sure she would have been on I-459 itself.

(By the way, this discussion may need to be in the main Gail forum. I'm not positive about that, but I thought I'd mention it.)

 

[Some1Nose]

Some1nose, great efforts and reasearch! If you are interested in continuing the online searches (there are plenty out there, and they change all the time), I can provide you with the VIN email which has been approved by the HCSO.

:seeya:Thanks Firefly...just trying to help find Gail like everyone else!

I am interested in the outreach you have initiated and hope to be in touch regarding it. I was thinking that I could send the HCSO approved email to the auto dealers who have 2010 Jeep Wrangler Rubicons listed for sale online that I run across during online searches.

Also, interestingly, one of the two 2010 dark red 4-door Jeep Rubicons that I located for sale on cargurus.com yesterday is located in Los Lunas, NM. When I did a mapquest search of the route from the Chattanooga, TN area to Los Lunas, I was surprised to see that it's nearly a straight shot between the two locations via Interstate 40.

 

[fireflylink]

:seeya:Thanks Firefly...just trying to help find Gail like everyone else!

I am interested in the outreach you have initiated and hope to be in touch regarding it. I was thinking that I could send the HCSO approved email to the auto dealers who have 2010 Jeep Wrangler Rubicons listed for sale online that I run across during online searches.

Also, interestingly, one of the two 2010 dark red 4-door Jeep Rubicons that I located for sale on cargurus.com yesterday is located in Los Lunas, NM. When I did a mapquest search of the route from the Chattanooga, TN area to Los Lunas, I was surprised to see that it's nearly a straight shot between the two locations via Interstate 40.

Would love for you to join in this effort. In order for me to provide you with the email (as approved by HCSO), please PM me with your email address (kept confidential ). ....same goes for anyone else who may want to join this effort! It does have to be sent via email to remain intact with one small attachment. Once I receive the email address, I will only use your address to send the original email or to reply back if you should email with further questions. All other information relating to this effort is being shared here on WS in this thread so that everyone may benefit. Thanks!

 

[jeni4smith]

thanks guys for thinking of this... I do have one suggestion .... add the NH and VErmont to the areas.. .there has been 2so called sightings up there but not verified. so it would not hurt

 

[Some1Nose]

Ok...I have been reading about this case. When I first saw the Jeep in the picture I thought it looked familiar. Then I read about her trip to Wetumpka and back to Chattanooga on the 30th of April. I thought to myself "Where was I on the 29th and 30th? " Then I remembered it was right after the tornado outbreak and I live 20 minutes west of Birmingham. On the morning of the 30th we left our house at around 7 a.m. , we stopped and got gas and we were on I459 (it goes around Birmingham) at 7:30. CST. Could that have been the time she would have been there? I have been reluctant to say anything because I don't want people to think I'm nuts...but if it helps...I do remember a few other things so if this could be the time she was there please let me know. I am positive about the date and time I was there but we went to Atlanta but we were on 459 between 7:30 and 8:15..it is about 45 min. around bham that way.

Hi Roll....

Thanks for being so observant....did you see what the driver of the jeep looked like? Were there any other adults, besides the driver, in/with the jeep? Did you notice any children in the jeep or that seemed somehow connected to the jeep? You may want to consider contacting the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office in TN with your info. Your info could provide an important piece to the puzzle!

 

[Some1Nose]

Been thinking that if the Jeep Rubicon is out there, the flyer gives a license plate #, wheel cover design, and trailer hitch logo; however, I believe a statement above or below that specific info stating that these items could have been removed, replaced or altered would be Prudent...otherwise the jeep could be right under someone's nose (no pun intended) and not paid attention if it didn't still have the same license plate #, etc. as shown in the flyer.

 

[Irish_Eyes]

Ok...I have been reading about this case. When I first saw the Jeep in the picture I thought it looked familiar. Then I read about her trip to Wetumpka and back to Chattanooga on the 30th of April. I thought to myself "Where was I on the 29th and 30th? " Then I remembered it was right after the tornado outbreak and I live 20 minutes west of Birmingham. On the morning of the 30th we left our house at around 7 a.m. , we stopped and got gas and we were on I459 (it goes around Birmingham) at 7:30. CST. Could that have been the time she would have been there? I have been reluctant to say anything because I don't want people to think I'm nuts...but if it helps...I do remember a few other things so if this could be the time she was there please let me know. I am positive about the date and time I was there but we went to Atlanta but we were on 459 between 7:30 and 8:15..it is about 45 min. around bham that way.

So clearly from your name, you're not an Alabama fan or anything...hehe....

I think if you think it's even remotely connected you should call LE. All we have heard about is her last cell ping, but I'm thinking LE probably has all of them before then as well....I would imagine they know roughly which route she took back from Wetumpka, and so will be able to rule in or out your concerns pretty quickly. So if it's not related, it won't waste too much of their time, but if it is possibly related, what you know could be important!
I think it's okay to leave it here, as it relates to the Jeep and if it turns out to be related, obviously might provide us additional info related to our project. But I'm not a mod, of course, so I might be wrong!

 

[Irish_Eyes]

So here's the problem I'm running into with the twitter project:

Some things, are easy, like #Birmingham, #BHAM for Birmingham.

Other things are harder. Plus, if I understand correctly, certain hashtags can be searched, but you won't necessarily get a tweet about that hashtag unless you are looking for it.

I'm thinking a better direction to go, is to take the same groups we want to target and then contact those businesses or groups directly that serve our targeted areas and ask them to send a tweet to their followers. We can even have a boilerplate tweet that we just customize for each situation. Examples:

For AAA "TN travelers, help find missing mom - have you seen this Jeep? (link to flyer)."

For a motorcycle club: "Bikers, we've been asked to help bring home this missing mom...Keep an eye out for this Jeep (link)

I think if we give them something to say vs. asking them to write something themselves, they're more likely to do it.

Regardless, I think we've always got to link to an official flyer.

Certain places may not want to do this....For example, if there's a large zoo or water park in GA, they may not want to send out a tweet with a BOLO....they may feel it might imply that there is a reason to think a missing or wanted person would be at their location and may actually scare families away. Some of these places do have their own security forces however. Perhaps we can call and talk to their security forces and just ask if we can e-mail them a flyer for their own knowledge so they can keep their eyes out without necessarily scaring their customers. Actually, now that I think about it, even private security forces are probably great to e-mail flyers to also. They may find the Jeep parked behind some factory or somewhere we never thought to look. Some of these guys are either ex-LE or LE want-to-bes who would LOVE to be the person to find a crucial piece of evidence in a case like this. We can use that to our advantage.


Thoughts?

 

[Irish_Eyes]

Ok...I have been reading about this case. When I first saw the Jeep in the picture I thought it looked familiar. Then I read about her trip to Wetumpka and back to Chattanooga on the 30th of April. I thought to myself "Where was I on the 29th and 30th? " Then I remembered it was right after the tornado outbreak and I live 20 minutes west of Birmingham. On the morning of the 30th we left our house at around 7 a.m. , we stopped and got gas and we were on I459 (it goes around Birmingham) at 7:30. CST. Could that have been the time she would have been there? I have been reluctant to say anything because I don't want people to think I'm nuts...but if it helps...I do remember a few other things so if this could be the time she was there please let me know. I am positive about the date and time I was there but we went to Atlanta but we were on 459 between 7:30 and 8:15..it is about 45 min. around bham that way.

rolltide, I ran a google map asking for directions from Wetumpka, AL to Signal Mountain, TN. The suggested route DOES involve taking 459 E, getting on around Hoover. I then ran directions from Wetumpka, AL to Hoover, AL for time purposes. It was roughly an hour and a half from Wetumpka. So assuming a 6:30 departure from Wetumpka, if Gail went the suggested route, she should have been approaching 459 around 8:00. So depending on when you would have been on the stretch of 459 east of Hoover, this could very well have been Gail!

ETA: I just went back and ran it from Titus, AL. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I think this is actually where the house is....it's actually a little less than an hour and a half from Titus since it's more north, which actually I think makes it even more likely your sighting might be genuine.