Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Update: 10 Year Old Hailey Owens Found Dead


Update:  The family has reported that Hailey has been found, deceased.


Springfield police said at midnight Tuesday that they have a suspect in custody in the abduction of 10-year-old Hailey Owens, but the girl remains missing. The suspect’s vehicle was found with the man inside at a residence in south Springfield, according to a police news release.
A command post has been set up at National Avenue and Bennett Street and around 30 to 40 officers have “begun an extensive search that will continue throughout the night, or until she is found,” the news release said.
A couple of hours after Hailey’s reported abduction, her mother said she is trying to stay strong — and positive.
“My nerves are shot,” Stacey Owens said, about two hours after Hailey Owens was allegedly yanked into a pickup truck while walking near her home in west Springfield.
A fourth-grader, Hailey Owens lives in the 3300 block of West Page Street, a couple of blocks from where she was abducted, said Stacey Owens.
A witness told the News-Leader he saw the man luring Hailey to his pickup and pulling her in.
Stacey Owens said her daughter, a student at Westport Elementary, has a friend who lives on Lombard Street, and she was headed home when she was taken.
Stacey Owens said she and husband, Jeff, along with their young son, are trying to find strength through the ordeal.
Five family members were outside the Owenses’ home when a News-Leader reporter arrived.
Aunt Erin Petersen said she wanted to do anything she could to help. She drove from Nixa after multiple friends called her to say they had heard her niece was missing.
“She’s a very lively, bubbly, sweet little girl. She’s spontaneous, very innocent,” she said, choking back tears.
“I’m in shock right now,” Petersen said. “I feel like I need to be productive to find my niece.”
“We will find her,” she added.
Shortly after 7 p.m., the Owenses accompanied police to the Springfield Police Department headquarters.
That’s about the time a statewide Amber Alert was issued — at 7:07 p.m. — two hours after police were dispatched to the abduction call at 3247 W. Lombard. Two additional alerts were issued for Kansas and Oklahoma around 9 p.m.
Late into Tuesday night, police were still searching for Hailey, following up on leads.
Hailey was pulled into a pickup about 5 p.m. by an unknown man, police said. A witness told the News-Leader the man lured her to the pickup by asking if she knew the location of “Springfield Street.”
Hailey, whose birthday is Aug. 18, 2003, was taken by an unshaven white man in his early 40s with gray hair, reported to be driving a gold 2008 Ford Ranger, police said. The license plate number was reported to be 1YS454 or 1YF454.
“Hailey is skinny with sandy blonde hair and wearing jean shorts,” police said in a news release. “If you have any information on Hailey’s whereabouts, please call 911.” Police later said she was wearing purple flip-flops, has long hair and weighs about 90 pounds.
The Amber Alert said the suspect is believed to be en route to Oklahoma.
Police were treating parts of Lombard as a crime scene by about 5:30 p.m., and a witness told the News-Leader he saw the girl taken.
Carlos Edwards told a News-Leader photographer he saw the girl grabbed as he and his wife sat in the garage of their home on West Lombard. He said the girl had been visiting with a friend on the street and lived nearby.
The suspect drove up and down the street several times before pulling up to the girl and asking her the question about Springfield to get her closer to the truck before grabbing her, Edwards said. He said the girl was pulled through the open driver’s side door, over the driver and placed in the passenger seat.
Police later said, “We don’t know where Hailey is. ...We don’t know if she knew this man. We don’t think that she does.” Police also said the girl’s mother “does not know who is in that truck.”
Describing his shock while recounting what he saw, Edwards said he tried to run after the truck as his wife got the license number and called 911.
He spoke with concern about the girl and surprise that the man had grabbed the girl right in front of him.
“I can’t believe he didn’t see us sitting here in the garage,” he said, explaining he heard the man talk to the girl.

44 comments:

ima.grandma said...

The body of an abducted 10-year-old girl in southwest Missouri has been found, according to the girl's family.

Watch live coverage on KMBC.

Springfield police released a statement just before midnight Wednesday saying that a man had been taken into custody. Authorities identified him as Craig Michael Wood, 45. He was booked into the Greene County Jail on suspicion of first-degree murder. Formal charges have not been filed.



Police said he was found inside a vehicle at a local home.

At a news conference early Wednesday morning, police would only say that they found evidence of foul play. Another police update was scheduled for 11 a.m.

Police said they were notified at 4:48 p.m. Tuesday that a man in a gold-colored 2008 Ford Ranger drove down the street several times before approaching Hailey and pulling her into his truck.

Authorities issued an Amber Alert at 7 p.m.

Stay with KMBC-TV and KMBC.com for developments on this story.


ima.grandma said...

http://m.kmbc.com/news/amber-alert-issued-for-missing-girl-from-southwest-mo/24549338

This is the link for the above.

C5H11ONO said...

Oh my God, I'm so heartbroken. How is it possible that someone could do this?

JerseyJane said...

The witnesses will also be forever traumatized.
The witnesses efforts were heroic and heartbreaking all at once in that moment of time. May they feel peace that they did their best for this sweet, innocent little one.

They are " true soldiers for our children", as all of us in the United States, and around this world should be.

All our "Million Man/Woman Marches" on Washington DC should be for united to protect our children.

Grace said...

http://www.ozarksfirst.com/story/d/story/family-says-body-of-hailey-owens-found/64872/DPK8GRZ7Z0i88UR7UXpADQ

Thank you for covering this story, Peter. I am sitting here just broken for this family.

ima.grandma said...

Snipped: http://www.kmov.com/news/local/Suspect-in-custody-abducted-girl-still-missing-246104241.html

The murder booking comes hours after police announced they had arrested Wood in the abduction of Hailey Owens.

Springfield Public School Superintendent Norm Ridder confirmed to News 4 Wood has been a district employee since Aug. 1998.

“He works as a paraprofessional and athletic coach at Pleasant View K-8 School,” Ridder said in a statement. “His employment has been suspended until this matter is resolved.


I don't know what to think about the Superintendent's statement. Yes, he is cautious with his words as to withhold judgement until all the facts are presented and the justice system has run its course but how do you resolve the murder of this little child of God?

I am fighting back the tears as I type. I hugged my babies just a little tighter as they were leaving for school this morning. I am so grateful my daughter is a teacher at the school my girls attend. I am fearful of possible harm that he may have inflicted on young students at the school he was employed. Parents will be demanding full disclosure.

Anonymous said...

i agree, too much time was allowed to pass. perhaps LE didnt believe the witnesses as they had TOO MUCH info to prove their story. and apb and amber should have been immediate.

Unknown said...

This is so incredibly sad, and terrifying! People witnessed the abduction, the vehicle, the perp, etc.. and LE still couldn't find Hailey in time. Bless her heart.

elf said...

I saw the amber alert on Facebook before I got the alert on my phone. Springfield is about 30 minutes from me. I was hoping she would be found safe because the information the witnesses provided was so specific.my thoughts go out to little Hailies family.

Anonymous said...

why do men want to rape and murder little girls? i really want to know. theres no shortage of adult women who want sex. why the outragous cruelty? i can umderstand a lot of motives og various crimes. but this i dont undersrand. could somebbody pref a man please make me understand what this is about . really.

Anonymous said...

Peter & anybody else interested - theres this great tv show called the fall by bbc. crime thriller. first season on netflix now. most popular show accross the pond. among other things lead detective does a great job if explaining why its problematic to define victims as too "innocent" as in virginal and wholesome - in order to comprehend that they are innocent of the crime inclicted on them. if the brits get it we can too. also the show is just awesome and the interrogation of killer is right out of a story posted in here. worth a watch!

elf said...

A normal man couldn't answer that. Only a monster.

Anonymous said...

Why do some "women"ALLOW it/do it as well??? Stupid sexist bitch!

Fig Roll said...

Off Topic:-

Peter,

1 KIngs 13 v 11-34 Verse 18 "The Disobedient Prophet"

You might enjoy this but might not have seen it as I posted it on a topic that is a couple of days old (I'm enjoying the Hockey. I think the Swedes are good for the gold)

Below I have cut and paste my original post with C5H11ONO's reply. I'd be interested in your thoughts if you have the time.

It shows Statement Analysis can save lives, even back in Biblical times.

Fig Roll‬ said...

Hi Peter,

Statement Analysis in the Bible: 1 Kings 13 v 11-34.

Off topic is something you might be interested in. My wife was reading from 1 Kings 13 v 11-34, The Disobedient Prophet" Verse 18 includes a statement from another prophet who we know lies. I'd be interested to see what you think of the statement and had the prophet who was being lied to known about Statement Analysis at the time, he might have avoided an unnecessary death. What do you think?


February 18, 2014 at 6:42 PM

‪C5H11ONO said...
Fig Roll: 
“I too am a prophet, as you are. And an angel said to me by the word of the Lord: ‘Bring him back with you to your house so that he may eat bread and drink water.’” (But he was lying to him.) 

When a sentence starts with And, there is usually missing information. He should have asked the old prophet more questions.
February 19, 2014 at 10:32 AM



‪Fig Roll‬ said...

C5H11ONO:


I Kings 13 v 18 From the New American Standard Bible.

"I also am a prophet like you and an angel spoke to me by the word of the lord saying, "Bring him back with you to your house, that he may eat bread and drink water." but he lied.


Thank you for your reply. I've had another look at it. In the NASB version, "and" is part of the same sentence and is a "connecting" word in the above version. when i look at the whole verse i initially look at order, the first thing said is, "I also am a prophet like you" there are extra and unnecessary words which give more information and can be taken out without changing the context of the message. i feel that the person is trying to convince (make someone believe him) as opposed to convey the truth. he tries to draw a comparison "I also am a prophet like you" why does he have to say he is a prophet and he adds "like" (not the same as) you. this is followed by, "and an angel "spoke" (spoke is soft language and is out of context here, I would expect to see the word "told") to me by the word of the Lord (again unnecessary words unless he is trying to convince. extra words weaken the statement) "saying" (again, a soft word as opposed to "telling" which would be more appropriate) with "saying" there is a change in tense. In an open statement, a person should speak in the past tense, here he switches to present tense (saying not said) showing a lack of commitment to the statement and indicating deception. "bring him back with you (with shows distance i.e. I went shopping with my wife, meaning i wasn't so keen to go") to your house that he may eat bread and drink water" (that is distancing language and is also an explainer in this context which is sensitive as there is the need to explain why he has to bring him back to his house) 

i agree, the prophet should have asked more questions or in the context of the story in the bible either prayed to God or stuck fast to what he was instructed to do. for me, the statement has got "deceptive" written all over it and had he understood statement analysis at the time, it could have saved his life (he gets killed by a lion in the end) 

i appreciate your response. Im not sure if Peter checks in on old posts. I'd like to get his expert thoughts on this. Do you think it's worth cutting and pasting our comments onto a more recent topic?

Statement Analysis - can save your from a Lion Mauling!
February 19, 2014 at 12:43 PM


Anonymous said...

Elf, you must not be too far from me. I was at dinner with a friend last night, just a few blocks from where she was found, when several phones in the restaurant started receiving the Amber alert notification, but it was severely lacking in details in the beginning. No matter where you are in Springfield it takes less than 20 minutes to drive from one side of the city to another. Had they not had to go through all of the ridiculous steps to issue an amber alert, and had they given full information from the beginning, this might have been prevented. I am so upset about how this was handled. It should not have taken 2 hours to issue an Amber alert when they had so much information from the beginning.

Local anon in the Hailey Dunn case said...

Anon on 12:15, where is the report of rape and murder? Did I miss something?

ima.grandma said...

Hi local, he is charged with first degree murder according to his Springfield mugshot. LE has closed off the suspect's residence along with a laundry mat as crime scenes, possibly he tried or did wash clothing that may implicate him.

BTW, this morning was the first time I have logged into the internet since the other day. Your comment was encouraging, positive, uplifting and greatly appreciated. My spirit felt your kindness. Thank you. I won't forget it. God bless you and Hailey's family and her little friends.

ima.grandma said...

Whoops, I mean laundromat.

IMAMOM said...

Sorry for the OT...I'm interested in thoughts/analysis on this:
http://nypost.com/2014/02/19/mcdonalds-worker-fired-after-paying-for-firefighters-meals/

Local anon in the hailey Dunn Case said...

Thanks ima.grandma. I am glad to see you didn't give up on us and very glad my words encouraged you.

Anonymous said...

As a mother of a 4th grade girl, this sickens me even more. I just can't imagine what her family and the witnesses are going through.

Why does this happen? I'm so upset.

Anonymous said...

I will give anythink if the cops would turn CRAIG WOOD over to me he does not deserve to get to stay alive. We torcher POWs I promise to put him in a special place in hell just tell me where to pick him up . It time for a public HANGING

Anonymous said...

OT: Father of girl ripped alive from her mother's womb reveals he can't bring himself to tell daughter how she was born and hits out at claims he was involved in horror killing


Roberto Rodriguez, 29, has kept silent on horror death of Darlene Haynes for five years
Haynes was killed when her friend Julie Corey carved out her unborn daughter from her womb in July 2009
Corey was convicted of the murder last week and was sentenced to life in prison today
Corey tried to pass off the 4lb premature baby as her own but was caught two days after the killing
Rodriguez said of his daughter, now five: 'If I told her how she had been born what would she think?'
Sheila's father also hit out at lingering claims that he had anything to do with the murder
He said: 'I’ll always be known as some scumbag but I don’t care now. The person who did this has got what they deserve'

The father of the child who was ripped from her murdered mother’s womb and then kidnapped has today broken his five-year his silence after the killer was convicted of the grisly crime that shocked a nation.
Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, Roberto Rodriguez, 29, whose estranged partner, Darlene Haynes was eight months pregnant when she was horrifically murdered, revealed that he hasn't told the four-year-old about her mother and fears she might blame herself.
Mr Rodriguez said: ‘My daughter doesn’t know what happened to her mother. She’s too young to understand right now. If I told her how she had been born what would she think?

‘She might blame herself. She might think that it was her fault her mother died.’
Rodriguez, who was accused of assaulting Darlene in the weeks before the murder went on to defend himself after he was accused in court of taking part in the gruesome crime and was questioned twice by detectives.
He said: ‘We’ve waited five years for this, five years for justice. I’ve had my name dragged through the mud.

'I’ll always be known as some scumbag but I don’t care now, I don’t care about my name I’m just happy this is over and that the person who did this has got what they deserve.'

Julie Corey, 39, was convicted of the brutal murder of her friend Darlene, then 23, whose body was found on 27 July 2009 stashed in a small closet of the Worcester, Massachusetts home the friends had shared.
She was sentenced to life in prison today while Haynes's father sat in court holding his daughter's ashes and her other daughter, now aged nine, read a heartbreaking statement to the court.
Haynes had been beaten around the head and strangled with an electric cord from a lamp. Corey, who had herself miscarried three months earlier, then cut the unborn child from her friend’s womb.

/cont.

Anonymous said...

District Attorney Joseph Early Jr described the case as ‘the most horrific case this office has ever seen in terms of facts.’ Haynes, he said, was ‘killed for her baby.’
Corey tried to pass the child off as her own, to her boyfriend Alex Dion, 31. The couple were found following a tip off two days after Haynes's body was found, 130 miles away in a homeless shelter in Plymouth, New Hampshire.
Mr Rodriguez was granted full custody of the child who now lives with him and his wife Ana. He married Ana Cruz on 17 August 2009 having applied for the marriage license at Worcester City Hall on the very day that Haynes’s mutilated body was discovered after neighbors complained to their landlord about the smell.

Haynes knew both Corey and Dion through her relationship with Rodriguez.
In closing arguments defense attorney Louis Aloise offered a theory that Haynes was actually killed by Rodriguez who then removed the 4lb infant from her mother’s womb and gave her to Corey.
Speaking of Rodriguez Mr Aloise alleged: ‘He had had it with Darlene Haynes.’
Mr Rodriguez was questioned twice by detectives investigating the case in 2009.

‘I don’t owe it to nobody to try to clear my name in public. It doesn’t bother me what people think.
‘I have a lovely family and I’m just trying to raise my daughter the best I can. She’s affected by what happened – she is not the same as other four-year-olds.’
Mr Rodriguez declined to elaborate on the extent of the physical legacy of his daughter’s violent birth.
The prosecutor described that violence as an act of ‘extreme atrocity and cruelty.’
As far as shocked neighbors who had known both women were concerned there had been no reason to suspect that Corey and Haynes were anything other than two good friends sharing the excitement of the imminent births of their children.
Corey told friends she was expecting a daughter too and that she planned to call her Ailda.
On the day of the murder Corey told friends she was giving Haynes a ride to a local store. She then called her boyfriend Dion and told him her waters had broken and that she had gone into labor.
The next morning she presented the premature infant as her own. But the umbilical cord raised the suspicion of several witnesses as it had clearly not been cut by a doctor and was tied with a bow.
When the full horror of the crime emerged with the discovery of Haynes’s body, police immediately focused on her estranged boyfriend, Mr Rodriguez as a prime suspect.

The couple’s relationship had been marred by violence and difficulty. Hayne’s own family history was fractured and troubled. Her mother left her in the care of her grandmother, Joanne, when she was just six years old.
Speaking to MailOnline this week Joanne admitted that she had never met Mr Rodriguez. She said that in latter years, the granddaughter she has raised as her own had ‘come and gone’ from their lives, sometimes disappearing for months on end.
?cont.

Anonymous said...


She said she had seen her great-grandchild – whom Haynes told friends she planned to name Sheila – only once when she was brought round by an official from the Department of Children and Families.
In the weeks before her murder, Haynes had reported Mr Rodriguez to police for an assault.
She told social worker Jessica Bader, who had had various dealings with Haynes, that Mr Rodriguez had thrown his heavily pregnant girlfriend into a glass table and ripped the phone from the wall to prevent her from calling for help.

Mr Rodriguez said: ‘I know what some people think of me. But I don’t care anymore and I don’t have to defend myself.
‘The killer has got what they deserve this is justice. Some people need their 15 minutes of fame. I don’t need that. I don’t want it.’
‘I want my family to be respected and for us to start a fresh chapter in our lives. I want this verdict to be the beginning of that.
‘My daughter didn’t ask for this but she’ll have to live with it. We will tell her in time.
‘But right now I’m done with this. I’m just done. We want to move on that people let us do that.’
Meanwhile, in an emotional hearing in court today, the judge read a statement from Haynes's nine-year-old daughter. It read: 'Julie, it was mean to kill my mother. I think it was very bad that you did that.'


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2559730/Father-girl-ripped-mothers-womb-reveals-tell-girl-happened-hits-claims-involved-horror-killing.html#ixzz2todu2skX

Juliette said...

Police found the vehicle and Wood Tuesday night and took him into police headquarters for questioning in the abduction of Hailey, Springfield Police Chief Paul F. Williams said at a press conference at 6:30 a.m. Wednesday.

Wood was booked into Greene County, Mo., jail on suspicion of first-degree murder but a prosecutor had not immediately filed charges.

Wood’s father, Jim Wood of Ash Grove, Mo., said he spoke with his son Tuesday night but would not say whether it was before the arrest or give details about their conversation.
School coach booked for murder in abduction of Hailey Owens



“The only thing I can tell you is that Craig is my son,” Wood said. “I can tell you it is just a tragedy. We’re stunned, for everybody who knows him.”

Jim Wood said he and his family planned to speak with their attorney before making other statements.

READ MORE HERE:

http://thetrialdivas.com/2014/02/19/school-coach-booked-for-murder-in-abduction-of-hailey-owens/

Juliette said...

I got a couple lines out of order in the above post I made...the father of Craig Wood makes statements in the article I posted.

Anonymous said...

I have some concern with how long between the time they arrested at his home and when search warrant obtained. Unfortunately, the end circumstances in this case would have been the same, but when we're talking about our precious little ones, 5 hours is far too long. Am hoping this isn't the norm timeframe to get a judge to sign a search warrant. So very sad for the family.

Anon for a reason said...

she was killed, one shot with a .22 to the base of her skull.

why do men want to rape and murder little girls?

i have seen "why did you do it" reports that to lower their chances of getting aids, they get a young girl. imo, aids patients should have been quarantined.
kidnap and sex offenses carry a long prison sentence, taking the chances of getting away with murder is worth it.
also the prison "religion", if you have sex with someone, they will be with you when you die for all eternity.
and last but very important, have you looked around you, see any attractive women?

Lemon said...

I wonder if he's done this, or attempted this, before.

Anonymous said...

Gee, you think they're insane? Why do serial killers kill? Come on now.

Anonymous said...

Here is the link to an article that tells how Hailey was killed and gives the link to the probably cause statement. http://fox4kc.com/2014/02/19/craig-wood-charged-with-first-degree-murder-kidnapping-in-hailey-owens-death/

Anonymous said...

this is horrifying but i think you are indeed actuslly giving me insight to the perspective of the attacker. thanks for ansering.

Anonymous said...

do you think they think of the girl as a person with thoughts and feelings? how do they feel about taking her life?

Anonymous said...

does a killer fsntasize about this his whole life? or just one day surprise himself with the impulse?

Anonymous said...

there are actually quite a few if wimen being killed /attacked ti cut babies from their womb. every single case it was a woman who did it. not a single recirded / documentrd exception far as i know. some reason its a woman on woman crime.

Statement Analysis Blog said...

Anonymous said...
there are actually quite a few if wimen being killed /attacked ti cut babies from their womb. every single case it was a woman who did it. not a single recirded / documentrd exception far as i know. some reason its a woman on woman crime.

They need a license to do it. The actual crime is not obtaining a license first.

Peter

Trigger said...

The monster who killed this little girl can only be stopped by incarceration or death.

Hailey's family will grieve for her indefinitely and experience survivor'g guilt for who knows how long.

They will replay that day over and over again wondering how they could have changed things so Hailey could still be alive.

I despise evil men like this.

Anonymous said...

i don't believe the give out lisence to kill a woman by cutting open her womb. medical lisence requires you to do no harm.

Lemon said...

I saw what you did there PH.
Anon@ 12:36, you missed it.

elf said...

A medical license does not require a physician 'do no harm'. That's the Hippocratic Oath which most medical schools don't Make graduates take the oath anymore.

Anonymous said...

guess im still missing it --

Anonymous said...

I just heard he is pleading NOT GUILTY! What? This will make the process even longer. So infuriating!

Anonymous said...

Cops discover a three-ring binder containing images of child pornography in the home of the suspect accused of kidnapping & murdering 10-year-old Missouri girl Hailey Owens.

guess it wasnt just a sudden whim.
i hope if he did have more victims in that town that they can get to them and make sure they come out of this ok.