WA WA - Shantina Smiley, 29, & Azriel Carver, 8 (fnd deceased), Olympia, Mar 2010 - #4

[Calliope]

Was it confirmed she had a purse and overnight bag with her? Iirc - maybe Robb said she did. Is he certain? How is he certain? Is it missing from their home?

I looked through tons of photos on her myspace, and I didn't notice she carried a purse. I'll go look again when I have time to be sure.

Doesn't it also seem weird her stop at Handy Pantry was at 19:48 (7:48), and then she stopped at Safeway at 8:02 and bought wine, water, and other items. What did she buy at Handy Pantry then?

I think that is the one where there are two angles of video shots; one showing her entering the store (smiling, OMG!!!) and the other angle with the clerk showing her a map. The clerk looks like the same person in the other shot, and in some articles that link to those indicate it's from the same store.

About the van - Were either of the front seats reclined? Was the battery dead? Was it low on gas? From the surveillance tapes, we saw Az enter the van from the passenger side and sit down in that seat and put his seat belt on, he then pushed a button to close the sliding door. Which sliding door was open when they found the van? Was it "his" door?

I don't think we can tell if that one was open just from photos, but it does look like the driver's side one was... and didn't one of the witnesses say 'side doors'?

I wondered about the mud splash on her front windshield too. Could it have been from coasting/rolling down that hill/road fast and then hitting the water and it spraying/splashing forward over the van? She then turned on her wipers for a bit, then turned off the van, and took the keys out.

The windshield being cleared by the wipers (as seen in the photos of the van after it was found abandoned) really bothers me, and is one reason why I won't rule out someone else being involved in this. I'd like to know if the wipers were turned on by LE or the tow driver. Then again, if the van was partially submerged (water to top of seats, at least), would that have shorted out the electronics, including the wipers?

Was her and RS's engagement recent? Did others know they were engaged?

No, it wasn't recent. They both referred to each other as 'fiance' for 2+ years on their myspace/facebook pages.

Will LE announce the results of Az's tox screen? How long does that take?

IIRC, someone posted on an earlier thread ~ 6-8 weeks. Something like that.

 

[90Nine]

Shantina was stated as saying at this house, that there was an accident. I am baffled at this point, why didn't these folks get a license number from the van and call police.

I totally agree. I also think if not that, then one of them escort them to the freeway or even get on the phone with the grandparents to tell them where she was at.

 

[eyes4crime]

But don't you see? She was an alcoholic, therefore she was totally responsible and there couldn't be any other possible explanation, nor could anyone else have been involved in their disappearance.

Are you suggesting this case wasn't investigated properly? And that the reason for the lack of investigation is shantina is a relapsed alcoholic?

If that's the case, I disagree with you. Usually if there is a double homicide one would see some clues or forensic evidence. They found no foreign fingerprints in the car and the body of Azriel was claimed to be a drowning by the ME. If there was some kind of beating or vicious attack, the ME would know the difference between injuries before and after death.

Why would LE continue to investigate a murder scenario when there is no evidence of such - IMO, that's a waste of rescources, energy, and taxpayer monies. Sorry, but I am usually the first one to see some kind of prejudice involved, and the thought never entered my mind in this case. moo mho jmho oo

 

[that78]

I wonder if the search has gone beyond the beach and water. I read back in an earlier post that there are steep stairs up and down the cliffs to the beach. I don't know what kind of terrain the stairs cover (ie: woody, rocky, sandy) but is it possible that in a headlong rush either up or down maybe trying to get help that she could have tripped and fallen and be somewhere on the side hidden from view by shrubs or rocks?

 

[RubyRed]

LE and the tow truck driver wouldn't have turned the wipers on.

 

[KR2tonenow]

We don't know if the family who let her use the phone overheard her state she was in an accident.

I was going by
<quote> The elderly couple who lived nearby said they let Smiley use their phone to call her grandfather, gave her son a piece of pizza, and then directed her back to the freeway. She wasn't heard from again.
"The homeowners said she acted nervous because she was lost," Mealy said. She was not injured but spoke of an accident, which investigators believe may have been a reference to falling down at the diner. <quiote>



from the article Crimesider, March 16th.

 

[Calliope]

My apologies...Call.

No need to apologize, trying to figure out who's who and their relation to SS has been really confusing.

 

[eyes4crime]

LE and the tow truck driver wouldn't have turned the wipers on.

I highly doubt a murderer would turn them on either!

 

[KR2tonenow]

Knocking on my door at 10pm, barefoot, disoriented, I'd call the police, but I don't fault the Williams family for not doing so.

I'd call L.E in a heartbeat especially with a small child in tow.

 

[Calliope]

I agree PaulR - I'm sure Law Enforcement (LE) have interviewed ALL parties involved - step-father, fiancee, step-sisters - all the people she might of had contact in planning this weekend. So far, there is NO hint that this is or will be a murder investigation. My heart goes out to all those who love and care about Shantina and little sweetheart Azriel. :blowkiss:

I'm sure LE has, but don't you think it odd that the media hasn't? No matter what the story, it seems they find tons of people --- neighbors, classmates, ex *whatever*, relatives. Here, with the exception of one interview each with ex-husband and Azriel's aunt, it was RS and only RS. Once JC showed up, he talked a little, but not much.

 

[90Nine]

I was going by
<quote> The elderly couple who lived nearby said they let Smiley use their phone to call her grandfather, gave her son a piece of pizza, and then directed her back to the freeway. She wasn't heard from again.
"The homeowners said she acted nervous because she was lost," Mealy said. She was not injured but spoke of an accident, which investigators believe may have been a reference to falling down at the diner. <quiote>



from the article Crimesider, March 16th.

I am curious about this as well. Did she not tell her grandparents that she was lost? Or, only that she had an accident?

Maybe the accident was that of her scratching the side of the car. Does anyone have the video of her stopping at the Merchantile store? That store was only 3.5 miles away from the beach the van was found on.

 

[Calliope]

Are you suggesting this case wasn't investigated properly? And that the reason for the lack of investigation is shantina is a relapsed alcoholic?

If that's the case, I disagree with you. Usually if there is a double homicide one would see some clues or forensic evidence. They found no foreign fingerprints in the car and the body of Azriel was claimed to be a drowning by the ME. If there was some kind of beating or vicious attack, the ME would know the difference between injuries before and after death.

Why would LE continue to investigate a murder scenario when there is no evidence of such - IMO, that's a waste of rescources, energy, and taxpayer monies. Sorry, but I am usually the first one to see some kind of prejudice involved, and the thought never entered my mind in this case. moo mho jmho oo

I don't know how LE is investigating this, although I DO hope they haven't dismissed out of hand that someone else could have been involved somehow. What I am saying is that once most heard the word "alcoholic", then all other possibilities ceased to exist. There is no other explanation for what happened that night, no other possible scenario, no other reason for her actions.

For example:

They found no foreign fingerprints in the car and the body of Azriel was claimed to be a drowning by the ME. If there was some kind of beating or vicious attack, the ME would know the difference between injuries before and after death.

Why would it have to be an attack or beating? It's been stated many times on these threads, the water was cold enough to kill very quickly. Open door, throw poor little guy into the water.

 

[LogicalMinds]

I'd call L.E in a heartbeat especially with a small child in tow.

And LE would do nothing

nor could you keep her there...if you tried to forcibly hold here there you would be arrested yourself

 

[Jani]

I was going by
<quote> The elderly couple who lived nearby said they let Smiley use their phone to call her grandfather, gave her son a piece of pizza, and then directed her back to the freeway. She wasn't heard from again.
"The homeowners said she acted nervous because she was lost," Mealy said. She was not injured but spoke of an accident, which investigators believe may have been a reference to falling down at the diner. <quiote>



from the article Crimesider, March 16th.

I would sure like to know more about the falling down at the diner. Did she trip over one of those parking space curbs? (I have done that completely sober, felt like a fool :laugh, did she actually hit the ground? A visual of that would sure give us a better idea of her condition. imo

 

[Jani]

I don't know how LE is investigating this, although I DO hope they haven't dismissed out of hand that someone else could have been involved somehow. What I am saying is that once most heard the word "alcoholic", then all other possibilities ceased to exist. There is no other explanation for what happened that night, no other possible scenario, no other reason for her actions.

Tunnel vision.

 

[Calliope]

LE and the tow truck driver wouldn't have turned the wipers on.

Not on purpose, of course. Someone suggested on the prior thread that perhaps it was an accident, if they turned on the ignition to adjust the wheel in order to align the tires, for example.

 

[JBean]

Reminder!

You must post links to the source of any pictures you post or we will have to take them down.

please be courteous to the original posting source. Thanks.

 

[powayparent]

And LE would do nothing

That's not true. I've called 911 to report a drunk relative that had called me from his cell phone while driving drunk. LE located the driver on a CA freeway, observed, stopped and arrested the driver for DUI. Even if only works some of the time, isn't a child's life worth the call? I've called on other drivers and been taken very seriously, but I didn't follow up to see if they'd been located/stopped.

That said, we have the benefit of 20/20 hindsight and knowledge of the events that followed.

 

[Miss Optimism]

I was going by
<quote> The elderly couple who lived nearby said they let Smiley use their phone to call her grandfather, gave her son a piece of pizza, and then directed her back to the freeway. She wasn't heard from again.
"The homeowners said she acted nervous because she was lost," Mealy said. She was not injured but spoke of an accident, which investigators believe may have been a reference to falling down at the diner. <quiote>



from the article Crimesider, March 16th.

MAYBE, the "accident" didn't actually occur. Could it be possible that she called them so they didn't worry, and came up with an excuse for why she was running so late? This could have all been part of her plan not to end up showing up.

I know I would have called 911 with all of these bizarre circumstances:

1. Knocking on total strangers' door at 10:00 p.m. with a child in tow.
2. The child complains of hunger and wants food.
3. Mother appears to be intoxicated and upset.

However, I also wouldn't blame this couple. Its the same thing as blaming her fiance for letting her drive. Yes, maybe we would have done things differently, but that doesn't mean that they are in any way responsible for the horrible death that Shantina put her son through.

 

[90Nine]

-Beach where van was found
-Gull Harbor Merchantile (where she stopped before the Williams)
-Williams home

or reverse that...back to the beach from the williams; she was down at the beach, went to the merchantile, went to the williams and did it all the same back to the beach.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&sou...65944&sspn=0.107607,0.290451&ie=UTF8&t=h&z=11