Why did it take 10 years and a neighbor to find 3 innocent girls in Cleveland?

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   IDONOposted 10 years ago

   Why did it take 10 years and a neighbor to find 3 innocent girls in Cleveland?
   
   They completely shut down Boston and sent armies of men to find a 19 year old criminal, and rightfully so. He killed innocent people. But these 3 girls have been held as prisoners and slaves for 10 years or more, just a short distance from where they were abducted. A neighbor assisted their escape. I'm not sure what my question actually is. Can you help make some sort of sense of this?

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   Wayne Brownposted 10 years ago

   I think it because our law enforcement investigators have fallen into a mindset of defined "MO's"...methods of operation for particular criminal types.  The system starts defining child abductors on the basis of their criminal past and rolls it all together in some scenario that concludes:  "If you 14 year-old daughter was abducted by this person, she will only be alive for less than 48 hours; her remains will be buried in a public place; the killer will be a educated white male in his mid to late 40's, etc. etc. etc.  The profile becomes so defined that soon no one is really looking outside the confines of that profile as such action would be considered a waste of time.  Brain-storming and thinking out-of-the-box become lost arts to criminal models. ~WB

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   DommaLeighposted 10 years ago

   Back when I bought my house I knew every person on my block, every one looked out of each other and every single house was a home owner. Now I only know two and it is just a passing wave. I found that it was to much drama to become close with the renters that move in and out and now there are only three homeowners, including myself. Most of the people on my block stay to themselves and the ones that don't are always causing trouble for the rest of us. I could see how easy it would be for some one to do what was done. I myself allow no one in my house but family and a couple of friends. I have no idea what any of the people around me are doing and really don't want to get close to any of them or become part of the back stabbing and rumor mill. Those men got away with holding those girls because people have changed and no one knows nothing about any one in their own block because if you do know anything you get dragged into their dramas or you are targeted to be robbed.

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      IDONOposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Don't you think it would be a benefit to your safety to be aware of the surroundings and the people you live near to? Isn't that why there are sex predator lists? Rumor mills can turn into tip hotlines. No need for block parties.

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      DommaLeighposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Rumors started that nearly ended my marriage. I had one that stalked me to the point my sons had to be with me just to walk into my yard.  They moved away but why should I let that happen again.I choose just not to open myself up for that again.

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   duffsmomposted 10 years ago

   It's hard to say. First I think we are going to have to wait for all of the facts to come out about their captivity to fully know what they went through.
   
   Secondly, when a tragedy like this happens, we, as human beings, always seem to want to place blame. For now, until the story is fully revealed, I want to revel in the good news that they are free, safe and can now begin to heal. I want their captor(s) to fully pay for this horrendous crime, but I want to leave speculation at the curb and try to take the news in as it comes before I place blame on the PD, neighbors or anyone else.

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      IDONOposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I'm not looking to blame. Just why the difference in effort. Should effort be gauged on venue? If you lose a kid, would it matter whether it was in your neighborhood or at the Boston Marathon? Would wb's 48hr. theory have applied in Boston?

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      duffsmomposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      NO no no -I'm not talking about you. I am talking about all the news, and all the commentary I have seen on this on TV.

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   FitnezzJimposted 10 years ago

   I think it is police indifference.  I've lived in several cities where there are neighborhoods where police prefer not to go.  It is too risky.  The preferred approach is to give things a chance to quiet down, then go in and see if anything further needs to be done.  Indifference, delays and poor judgment explains the failure to react when they had the calls of women being chained in the backyard, when loud knocking on doors was heard at the residence from inside the home, and when there were reports of large quantities of food being taken into the home.  Too risky, give it time, it will quiet down, nothing to see here. 
   The 911 call that has been aired is another example of this.  In my opinion, the dispatcher acted like she thought she was being pranked.  We’ll send an officer when one is available.
   The failure to put effort into searching for the first girl that went missing was another example.  Reports indicate she lost custody of her child shortly before she went away, the police reaction was an assumption that she had run away because of grief over that loss.   Her case also failed to be included, for whatever reason, when the search was advertised nationally for the other two girls.  She was the first victim, but police thought they had a rational explanation for her being missing.  Indifference.

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      IDONOposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Sadly, in 10 years she has probably been pranked about this numerous times.In interviews with the victims, they stated they were never in the back yard. This still doesn't explain the difference in effort between Cleve. and Boston. WB may be right.

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   chef-de-jourposted 10 years ago

   Why did it take so long to find these three young women? Well, for a start it's an exceptional case...3 people abducted and taken to the same house? Who could invent a crime scene like that? Only a fiction writer perhaps.This fact alone could account for why neighbours just didn't tune in to what was happening, and why the police did not go that extra mile following through local leads.
   
   That said there should be questions asked as to why three cases of similar nature were not given a higher priority. We'll have to wait and see when the courts get their teeth into the  details.
   I often think families of missing persons can be helped more by the authorities sooner rather than later - with publicity and neighbourhood schemes and what not. This case should alert more people to the fact that weird things happen on their doorstep and in innocuous looking houses.
   
   Thank goodness they were found alive and well. The guilty man should be locked up for the rest of his days.

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