Sunday, November 26, 2017

Disappearance of Theresa Lockhaert Updated


Here is earlier analysis on Christopher Lockhart in which the conclusion of "Deception Indicated" was specific:


He was withholding information on what happened to his wife. 


 In October, he committed suicide and left a note with a map showing where Theres's body could be found. 


  Commentary and statement analysis in bold type.


Analysis Question:  

Is the husband of Theresa Lockhart telling the truth?

PORTAGE, Mich. (WOOD) — The man detectives have identified as a person of interest in a Schoolcraft teacher’s disappearance denies any involvement.
Christopher Lockhart told 24 Hour News 8’s Lynsey Mukomel over the phone Saturday morning he has given investigators all of the information he has on his wife, Theresa Lockhart, and that he has been cooperative despite their statements to media.

With no quote, please note that he has told them "all."  This is very important. 

Honest people who are missing a loved one do not ever feel that they have told everything as long as the person is missing.  They lose sleep and often contact law enforcement incessantly with such things as,

"I just remembered..." and "I was thinking that this might be important..."

It is incessant.  

On Friday the Portage Department of Public Safety named Christopher as a person of interest in their investigation.

They have deliberately put him on the defensive.  Since I do not know what interviewing/interrogation detail, I presuppose that this is part of an overall strategy. 


Theresa, a Spanish teacher at Schoolcraft Community Schools, was reported missing on Saturday, May 20, by school officials after she didn’t show up for work. Her car was found that same weekend just a couple miles from her home at a park-and-ride off of Angling Road.

Her husband cites a history with anxiety and depression, plus a potential non-renewal of her teaching contract after this school year as an explanation for her sudden disappearance.

Although we may feel that this is victim blaming, such is often done in very subtle ways and we do not know what questions were asked here.  

Journalists trained in Statement Analysis have a distinct and clear advantage over those without training, absent an agenda which perverts truth.  

Christopher said the district was trying to force her into resigning and she had been struggling the week leading up to her disappearance.

Dr. Rusty Stitt, superintendent of Schoolcraft Community Schools, told 24 Hour News 8 Saturday that Theresa initiated a potential resignation, however.
The district never received a formal resignation though and continues to pray she will return safely, Dr. Stitt said. Her contract runs through the end of this school year.

Her husband believes stress at work was too much and went on to explain that she received help in the past for her mental health without telling him.

When she left I assumed she was going to get herself some help. That’s why I wasn’t really too worried about it at that point in time because I want to keep her issues private.  basically told them the same story I’m telling you, that she up and left. She’s done this before. I didn’t think she had a job to go back to.”

Here we find a linguistic indication of withheld information.  This statement alone should cause the interviewer to focus, specifically, in the short time period just before she "left", as he is deliberately withholding information.  

Regardless of her situation at work, why would Christopher not cooperate with police if he’s not guilty of anything? Investigators told 24 Hour News 8 Lockhart will not let them search their home.

“I don’t recall in any way that they asked if they could come in and take a look around. That was never asked of me…,” 

Withholding of Information 

Here, he begins his statement with what he does not "recall."  He then qualifies (the rule of the negative) with "in any way" and uses minimizing language of "take a look around", rather than "search."


Lockhart claimed. He said an officer originally took a statement a few days after she had been last seen, then detectives showed up in his driveway unannounced a few days later.

Here we see what is often called "full cooperation" in a statement.  Those who give full cooperation in a missing person's case do not always feel the need to state it.  

“It was at that point after talking to that detective that it was like, OK, we’re going to handle everything through a lawyer.  I’m not acting unusual. I’m going to and from work. I’m carrying on normally around here as best I can. The initial officer came in the doorway and I let him in… I gave them the ability to contact her friends and her family but other than that I don’t see that there’s any other way I can help the investigation. Her car was found and returned. It’s in good working order… I’m assuming if something looked like had happened there, I’d assume they would’ve kept the car.


Here is what we know from his statement.  

1.  Ingratiation Rejection   "OK" 

This is where he sought to align himself, unnecessarily (linguistically) with police and now feels rebuffed.  

2. "We're" is him and someone else (attorney in context) as he does not want to be psychologically "alone" with police.  

3.  "Everything" is "handled" (keep this in mind as the statement unfolds)

4.  "I let him" shows authority/control over police.  

5.  "I gave them"shows authority/control over police.  

This is critical information.  

The subject gives linguistic indicators of control when no such control is warranted. 

This is strongly suggestive of domestic violence.  Not only does he show the language of control in an unnecessary manner, but he does it in context of police.  It is this same police that have named him as a Person of Interest in her disappearance.  This requires in depth analysis, but suffice for now, it helps give us insight into some elements of what life may have been like for Theresa.  

Key:  He exercised linguistic control over police while his wife is missing.  This is not about him letting police in or anything similar:

It is about him telling us what he did.  

Remember:  this is not reality; it is his own verbalized perception of his relationship with police while his wife is missing.  

Mentioning the car may indicate confidence that they won't find evidence in the car to indict him.  

6. Normality:  His statement about him being normal is also unnecessary as he belies that his behavior has been anything but normal for an innocent man.  This is why it enters the language.  

We observe behavior.  When someone needs to linguistically cause us to observe behavior, we are dealing with persuasion.  

Next: 

He is now victim blaming:  


About a quarter of the way through the conversation Lockhart added their tenth wedding anniversary is this October. 

“I’m terribly worried about her, I don’t know where she’s at… I’m holding out hope that, you know, nothing has gone wrong. There’s no evidence right now to indicate anything is wrong.  Did something bad happen to her? Yeah, that’s absolutely possible. But could she also have picked up and left and, you know, drove off and decided I’m going to start a new life somewhere with somebody else or did she check herself into a hospital? It’s like all these other avenues are distinct possibilities.”

He does not know "where she's at" which is often used to describe relationship status, not locale.  "I don't know where she is" is stronger unless the body has been dumped in moving water.  

Lockhart said for now his attorney has advised him not to answer detectives’ questions.

Those who care nothing but the safe recovery of their loved one are not hindered by attorneys, nor by threats, coercion, warnings, or anything else.  Instinct to find the missing person takes over for the innocent.  Those who yield to their attorney have a need to yield to their attorney.  

I have seen family members of missing persons get themselves in trouble because this powerful instinct is difficult to control.

When you see it under control from the beginning, consider that the subject may not be displaying urgency.  

“I think the police just don’t have anything more right now and I guess they’re trying to shake some trees and see what falls out. It’s an attempt to embarrass me and put pressure on me.”

He knows why he is a Person of Interest, hence the weak assertion repeated in "think" and "guess." 

Consider the linguistic indicators of control and now add narcissistic indicators to it, as a portrait of this "normal" man emerges. 

In domestic violence, advocates often see "control" everywhere, and make consistent error in their attempts to protect women.  

We look not so much as for control (many couples say one person is better with money than the other), but we look for the verbalized perception of control.  This is far more effective than any checklist.  Remember:  most victims are not controlled by violence.  They are controlled by the threat of violence.  We look for linguistic indicators not only of control, but of narcissistic-like elements and de-sensitization.  Although this topic is too broad for a single article, even within his short statements, he gives much insight into his personality, including the lack of human empathy for the victim.  


Analysis Conclusion:

Christopher Lockhart is deceptively withholding information about what happened to Theresa.  

Even within this article we have a subject who is giving police (and now the public) the "one of two impressions" that every subject, innocent or guilty give:

The subject is either working with police to facilitate the flow of information, 

or the subject is not. 

Here, police have him rightfully named as a Person of Interest. 

We now know he did kill his wife, as he committed suicide and left directions to locate her remains. 

For training in detecting deception, visit "training opportunities" at 


8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ot

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/conyers-steps-aside-ranking-member-house-judiciary-committee-amid-allegations/?ftag=CNM-00-10aab6a&linkId=45175980

New statement.
Still no denial

Conyers steps aside as ranking member on House Judiciary Committee


He sure wants people to know he's a "Ranking Member,"

Anonymous said...

"Did something bad happen to her? Yeah, that’s absolutely possible."

He asked the question then he gave the answer.

Anonymous said...

Peter, is there any chance you could do a statement analysis on Davey Blackburn’s new blog about his engagement? Lots to digest in that one and I think you would find it very interesting.

happyuk said...


Former Blue Peter presenter issues denial of sexual assault claims.

Is this denial weak or reliable?

"I totally deny the allegation that has been made. I have not done anything wrong."

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/nov/25/john-leslie-charged-sexually-assaulting-woman-edinburgh-nightclub

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/ex-presenter-john-leslie-denies-sexual-assault-claims-and-insists-he-has-not-%E2%80%98done-anything-wrong%E2%80%99/ar-BBFHsd6?li=AAmiR2Z&ocid=spartanntp

Not much to go on, I would be interested to see how this eventually pans out...

Habundia said...

He only denies the allegation. He doesn't tell us he did not do what he is accused of, so we can't say it for him. He only 'have not done anything wrong.' (many abusers don't see anything wrong in what they do......they always think the other is the one who does wrong...in this case 'accusing him of a sexual assault')

Anonymous said...

In his statements, I wonder if she told him she'd resign from teaching and move elsewhere after they divorce?

She LEFT before to get mental health help? Or, just get help?

I really thought the first time I read his statements they sounded plausible. Some women do up and take off a while and not say anything if they are in a tired old marriage. And, LET a police officer onto your property or in your home is not something a person is required to do.

Maybe a friend/co-worker knew something was wrong with her.

Then, his neighbors started to speak. Then they got cameras. Then his weirdness came to light. And, his old stalking record...

Wonder how long he would have kept up the charades had the neighbor not nabbed him?

C5H11ONO said...

I wonder if this is leakage, "I guess they’re trying to shake some trees and see what falls out.". Was the police led to a hollowed out tree?

Anonymous said...

The "beauty" isn't that pretty unless you have something to back it up with. First, the person's own words came from a journalists whose own words are often better than anything that could even be considered personhood. Secondly, the police have access to domestic violence at that address, neighbors claims of the man yelling, "I'll kill you!" (And, no Virginia, I don't think it should be an 'after-the-fact' mental health ordeal...he most likely will).


The report you are reading is after the fact.

Some women do up and disappear to get away from people like that.
I wouldn't have thought him the murderer unless he was LE as he hid the car among many near an Interstate. Most are bludgeoned in their own home. Since he is a professional stalker (he has a record of stalking), he pre-planned his big day and proved a cagey domestic violence violater.

Kinda like the guy in the Strongville Ohio murder of his mother-in-law.