Shantina"'Kat" Smiley & 8 yo son Azriel, WA Missing 3/13/10(BODY OF BOY FOUND)

[labubske]

Clues still scarce 3 days after woman, son went missing

BY JEREMY PAWLOSKI | Staff writer • Published March 17, 2010

 
Dive teams continued searching Puget Sound for a missing Silverdale woman and her 8-year-old son today, and investigators took another look at their abandoned minivan, but neither effort produced new clues to the missing pair’s whereabouts.

Shantina “Kat” Smiley and her son, Azriel J. Carver, last were seen about 10 p.m. Saturday. Their abandoned minivan was found Sunday on a rocky beach at Little Fish Trap, northeast of Boston Harbor.

Thurston County Sheriff’s Lt. Chris Mealy said today’s search along the shoreline of Dana Passage and Budd Inlet included dive team members who used a submersible camera and sonar to try to locate the pair.

Mealy said detectives took a second look at Smiley’s minivan after the inside of the vehicle, which had been partly underwater at high tide, dried out. They dusted the vehicle for fingerprints but found no new evidence, he said.

When a neighbor discovered the minivan on the beach Sunday morning, Smiley’s wallet, containing identification and credit cards, was in the backseat, but her purse was missing. The van’s side door and rear hatch were open. There is no evidence of foul play, Mealy has said.

Smiley’s fiance, Robb Simmons, has told investigators that Smiley was recovering from an alcohol problem, Thurston County Chief Criminal Deputy James Chamberlain confirmed today. Simmons has told The Olympian that Smiley was on medication for anxiety.

No new search efforts were planned for today, Chamberlain wrote in an e-mail late this afternoon. The sheriff’s office is following up on a number of tips that have been called in, Mealy said.

Smiley has no ties to the Olympia area, according to the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office. Simmons has said he has no idea why they stopped in Olympia, at roughly the midpoint of their drive to Castle Rock to visit Smiley’s stepfather.

Hobert Pannkuk, a reserve sheriff’s deputy who was serving as the search commander, said a Coast Guard helicopter had assisted with an air search of Puget Sound on Monday, but the windy weather prohibited a helicopter search today.

Mealy cautioned that investigators aren’t assuming that Smiley and Carver drowned. He said the disappearances are “very suspicious,” but they aren’t ruling out any possibilities, including that she and her son left the area on foot, or that Smiley left the area safely with her son and does not want to be found.

Smiley and her son last were seen when Smiley knocked on the door of a residence on 46th Avenue off Boston Harbor Road to ask for directions back to I-5, Mealy said. The residents reported that Smiley drove up to the home in her minivan, then left in the vehicle, Mealy has said.

About 9:50 p.m., a store surveillance camera recorded Smiley driving up to the Gull Harbor Mercantile on Boston Harbor Road, but it was closed.

Earlier witness accounts placed Smiley and her son at the Martin Way Diner at 9 p.m. Saturday. Witnesses said Smiley was acting erratically and might have fallen in the parking lot. Smiley bought a corn dog at the diner but left without it.

About 7:50 p.m. Saturday, Smiley and Azriel stopped and made a purchase at the Handy Pantry on Olympia’s west side.

Jill Pribbenow, one of the neighbors who discovered the minivan, said today that the keys were on the dashboard.

Pribbenow said the dirt road that leads down a steep slope to the beach is especially dark at night and is difficult to navigate. She said the disappearance of Smiley and her son is “completely weird.”

The water current on Dana Passage off Little Fish Trap is extremely fast when the tides change, Pribbenow said.

Simmons has said he was on his way to meet Smiley and her son in Castle Rock on Saturday evening after Cub Scout training. He has a Web page at www.robbsimmons.com where he has shared information about the events leading to Smiley and Azriel’s disappearance.

Simmons appeared on several national news programs today to discuss the case.

Whom to call The Thurston County Sheriff’s Office asks anyone with information about Shantina “Kat” Smiley and Azriel J. Carver’s whereabouts to call 360-786-5500, Crime Stoppers at 360-493-2222, or 911.

Read more: http://www.theolympian.com/2010/03/16/1174731/clues-still-scarce-3-days-after.html#ixzz0l2ipNJJv

This is an early article...but I missed the statement about her wallet being in the backseat...???  Isn't this what she pulled out of her pocket earlier at the store...front pocket?  She didn't carry a purse in store...right?  Why would it be in the backseat?

[Tracygirl]

She was on meds for anxiety? That doesn't mix with wine too well, in fact you are not supposed to drink at all when on them.

The tide must not have been harsh because it didn't take the wallet. It could have moved it though from the front of the van to the back. She put it back in her pocket at the store, maybe she took it out and put it on the front seat once she got in?
But did the tide take the purse and the overnight bag? What happened to them?

And if the water was so high it just about submerged the van, how did the items on the beach stay put? A ball will float, why didn't it float away? The water bottle looks empty? Why didn't that float away? those items I still say were planted there to make it look like they ran into some kind of danger.

[labubske]

When I look at the time line I have to ask myself why if she just stopped at the williams home to ask for directions, why did she go back to the store she asked for directions? That series of things is strange.

She goes to this store, asks for directions, leaves and a few minutes later shows up at a house 1/2 mile away asking for directions. Then she leaves that house and goes back to the store.

 I have been asking myself all night, what on earth would make a person keep going in the opposite direction and keep asking for directions? In the video you never see her actually look or read the map, the other people are doing it for her. Maybe she didn't understand them correctly when they were telling her? Do they speak clear english?  One thing that dawned on me, do you think maybe she had a reading disability? Do you think maybe she was/is dyslexic?

The only thing with that is she graduated from the medical coding school...or something along those lines...if she couldn't understand them it would probably be difficult to finish this program...unless that night "something" (drinking, head injury) lead to that disability (for the night)...possible but she didn't seem lost when she pulled off of the exit...per Robb...and why didn't she call home/family earlier if she was having so much trouble?  But, I see what you mean though...it seems possible.  After leaving the Williams home...is that when the view of the van is caught on video?  If so, this does not show who is driving the van...but I am VERY confused about this...I have seen different reports about what happened AFTER they left the Williams house.

[labubske]

She was on meds for anxiety? That doesn't mix with wine too well, in fact you are not supposed to drink at all when on them.

The tide must not have been harsh because it didn't take the wallet. It could have moved it though from the front of the van to the back. She put it back in her pocket at the store, maybe she took it out and put it on the front seat once she got in?
But did the tide take the purse and the overnight bag? What happened to them?

And if the water was so high it just about submerged the van, how did the items on the beach stay put? A ball will float, why didn't it float away? The water bottle looks empty? Why didn't that float away? those items I still say were planted there to make it look like they ran into some kind of danger.

true...things could have been shifted...

[Edward]

Description: Paddled from Boston Harbor to the south end of Henderson Inlet and back. Left Boston Harbor in Dana Passage and passed the "little fish trap" and "big fish trap" inlets. Rounded Dickerson Point and ran into a ~15 knot headwind from the south. Followed the inlet to it’s southern terminus at Woodland Creek. After a lunch stop on the east side of the inlet, we crosses back over to the west side and followed the shoreline back to Dana Passage and on the Boston Harbor.

Tides/Currents: To plan your trip with a flood going in to Henderson and an ebb coming out you will have to go against the current both ways in Dana Passage! Make sure you pick a day when the currents are light and easy in Dana Passage – they frequently attain 3 knots +.

3 knots... 2 mph approx...
nothing !

[Edward]

http://www.kayaktripsnorthwest.com/HTM-Directory/HendersonInlet.htm

[Edward]

You nice people need to pay attention..

The alcohol dependance mentioned is by a suspect in this case. He may be covering..mo.

[Tracygirl]

Good point about the school. I don't know much about dyslexia to be honest with ya other then I know a person with it can overcome it and read. Not sure if it comes and goes or if it affected by meds or drinking?

I just don't get how she got to this area in the first place. It is miles from the freeway she would have needed to get where she was going. What the heck is going on with this. I feel we need to paint a big picture, maybe we are missing something.

What are our questions? Lets list them and see if we can answer any of them and what we are left with may give us more clues?

lol I just tried to make my list but I think everything is a question that leads to another question.

[Tracygirl]

I am starting to think everything we think we know, we don't know really know other then what was caught on video but we don't really know why.

We know she was at the places that caught her on video. We do not really know why she went there other then the clerks said she asked for a map and for directions.

We need to know the  "who, what, how, where and why" to put this together and unless there are details that got lost in the story or haven't been told yet, not sure if we can answer these.

Who: Shatina, Azriel
What: lost in Wa, mom missing, boy was found dead
How?: don't know
Where?: don't know
Why?: don't know.

[Edward]

Here is low tide and the search teams are in the water a fair ways out and they still are not in deep water..

[Edward]

[Tracygirl]

Description: Paddled from Boston Harbor to the south end of Henderson Inlet and back. Left Boston Harbor in Dana Passage and passed the "little fish trap" and "big fish trap" inlets. Rounded Dickerson Point and ran into a ~15 knot headwind from the south. Followed the inlet to it’s southern terminus at Woodland Creek. After a lunch stop on the east side of the inlet, we crosses back over to the west side and followed the shoreline back to Dana Passage and on the Boston Harbor.

Tides/Currents: To plan your trip with a flood going in to Henderson and an ebb coming out you will have to go against the current both ways in Dana Passage! Make sure you pick a day when the currents are light and easy in Dana Passage – they frequently attain 3 knots +.

3 knots... 2 mph approx...
nothing !

So the currents are 2 mph? I need a comparison. What are the currents in lets say Huntington Beach or Newport?
Actually I know nothing about any of this stuff. I need to rely on someone else.

[labubske]

great point Edward...Tracygirl, I agree a list of questions is a great idea.  I feel like something is about to break with this...I fell asleep a bit ago...to wake to the breaking news in Haleigh's case.  I will post questions too...I think that whatever we keep coming back to has the most meaning...

[Edward]

Currant in the pacific ocean in front of my home in the Monterey bay area is 5 to 7 mph or 7 to 10 knots moving south.
I can go out in a 12 foot boat and drift 10 miles south in just a hour or more..

There is no place to go in an inland water way.. the water comes in and goes out..

Take a look at this map... the star indicates "Little Fish Trap"

 
http://maps.google.com/maps?um=1&hl=en&rlz=1T4TSHB_enUS311US311&q=Dana%20Passage&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=vl

[labubske]

I will list ANY question that I have...that isn't completely clear...or wasn't verified by police...

Was this a planned trip? Possibly, relative made comment about her coming down.

Was Robb included in these plans?  He says yes...hmmm...

Why would Shantina leave her phone when she had used it not long before she left the house?

Why wasn't Shantina at the cub scout meeting?

How did Robb know what Shantina was wearing in detail if he had not seen her?  If it was bc of the videos then why didn't he know what Azriel was wearing?

What did Robb get repaired in Toldeo-Vader? What shop?

Why didn't Shantina give Robb an idea of where she was when she called at 6:45?  She said she was in Olympia (per Robb) but couldn't tell him where...though she wasn't lost at this time (just getting something to eat...says Robb).

Why didn't Robb have the address before he headed to the step-father's house? Or at least call her (he didn't know yet that she didn't have her phone per Robb) and ask for it before heading out?

What's up with the posted (now taken down) cub scout schedule?  I have read that he said that he wasn't to get out until 6:30pm yet the schedule (for what he was doing not the Outdoor Exp) says 4pm.

Where did Shantina call from at 6:45pm?

Was she intoxicated?  What are ALL of the reports of her affect that night?

The fall?  How bad was it?

Why no shoes when she went to the Williams home?  Is this true?

I have read reports that she hit her head and reports that she hit her knee...but never both in the same report...so what did she hurt?

Why didn't Robb get a charger earlier?

Why did he fall asleep when he was so worried?  Maybe he assumed that she was not in danger but knew more than what he has led on.

Why a memorial so soon?

Why did Shantina seem to not be in a hurry, like she was waiting?

Why aren't we hearing from Shantina's family?

Is there a better picture of the William's home in relation to the road and other houses?  Why did she stop there?

Who was knocking?  Why didn't they check it out further...if it were enough for them to think that someone was trying to break in?  Who the heck was knocking?  Why that house?  Why no scent?

Was Shantina the one driving when she passed the mercantile store?

I have so many more...some cannot be answered...guess I didn't need to post those.

[Tracygirl]

Thanks Edward for that explanation. I understand it clearer now.

Lab, great list of questions. God know we can list 100 each.  This case is a wild one.

I will add these for now,

Was it Shantina that drove the van to that beach?

Did shantina or Robb know the photographers on Boston Harbor Road?

Who placed the items on the beach? If it was Shantina and her son, why did they take these items with them?

The man in the 911 called talked about this beach being known for gathering shelfish, is this was they were doing on the beach? Did someone catch them and run them off, hurt them?

Why did she pull of the freeway at this spot?

Why did she keep turning the wrong way!? Did she understand the directions given to her? She didn't write them down so did he forget?

Who was the wine supposed to be for? Was she going to take it back to the step dads house as a way to say she was sorry for being late?

In a report I read that Robb expected her at 10, is that bad reporting or did he change his story?

In one of the video's I notice the clerk has a map out and it is still on the counter. Shantina walks away and the clerk still is looking at the map, then she stands up and seems like she is waiting for Shantina to come back to the counter then she puts it away before she returns to the counter. What was going on? To me it looks like she didn't get the directions? (sorry I don't know where I found that, maybe on amanda's site?)

that is all for now, I will probably have more tomorrow.

I want to say a prayer for us tonight. Please God I pray to direct us in the direction that brings answers as to what happened to Azriel and his mother Shantina.  If they came into harms way, please enlighten those who are searching for answers in the right direction so justice can be served. Amen

Goodnight everyone.

[Itaryl Moosee]

I've been checking the websites belonging to RS that are still open.

I found one that I think is interesting.

Someone please copy or read before it's closed down.

According to a few RS's websites, including the facebook, my space, and his business one, he used to take off on sightseeing and picture-taking trips. Since he got the motorcycle, he had gone a few times, and there are a few websites which document that well.

That included the trip to the wine-tasting area, and "The Gorge."

Now, I had read these pages before but went back last night to re-read them.

Among the babble I found this page, which says he and his daughter went to Tacoma about a month before Shantina disappeared to shoot (pictures) and his daughter wanted to go to the Asian Market.

On the way, on I-5, they smelled smoke and followed a few fire trucks, and they took some pictures.

Now, the curious thing about this is that the incident in which they took pictures is on Lakewood - about 5 miles from Fox island (across the water) where Azriel was found.

The Asian Market in Lakewood is west of the interstate, at 11717 Bridgeport Way SW, Lakewood. By his comment, his daughter asked to go to an Asian market, and he IMMEDIATELY knew where it was in Lakewood.

People have debated here and in other forums whether anyone in the family was familiar with the area, or had been down to the area where Shantina got lost.

Well, now we know.

It is very probable that if he went to Tacoma to shoot, and there is the coast next to Lakewood, and he belongs to a few navy clubs that go on hiking (ventures), that he could've been close to, or at, that lonely stretch of beach where the van was found before, maybe shooting pictures, or looking for spots to shoot them.

Here's a small map I made to illustrate:

(A) the Asian Market (and where the fire) was
(B) where Azriel was found, and
(C) where the van was found.

Here's the website on their trip:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Silverdale-WA/Robb-Simmons-Photography-Mobile-DJ/175150949629#!/album.php?aid=148479&id=175150949629

His quote:

We were down in Tacoma doing some shooting, and Nickie wanted to got to an Asian market, so we rolled down to Lakewood. We could smell the smoke from I-5, and we found where it came from!

His business page, which has been quoted before:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Silverdale-WA/Robb-Simmons-Photography-Mobile-DJ/175150949629#!/pages/Silverdale-WA/Robb-Simmons-Photography-Mobile-DJ/175150949629?v=photos

----

I have no idea what this is (copycats? old pages?):
http://www.myspace.com/cynthetek
http://www.facebook.com/people/Robb-Simmons/1201642426

 

[Edward]

Earlier Saturday, surveillance video captured her at a convenience store in Olympia asking for directions. At 10 p.m., Smiley stopped by Dennis Williams' house to ask for directions again.

"She was obviously scared. We gave her directions and let her use our phone to call her grandfather," Williams said.

We also need a cast of characters...

Unbelievable how many people touched this girls life in a very short period of time..

Too have her just go poof is... well it is beyond belief.

Here is the line up :


Robb Simmons (currant boyfriend) He calls himself fiance..   Mr. Alibi   



Jerry Smiley (her ex-husband).. She had emailed him the week before and sad she wanted to stop by.

I would believe This is the Friend..


So she was scared... of which one ?
A possible jealous boyfriend who calls himself fiance ?? 
A EX.. Did he owe her any money ?? She was too long at his home ? ignited the boyfriend ?
 

Dennis Williams : She Stops at house to ask for directions again. ?? more then once ?
Quote:
She was obviously scared.

and she calls her grandfather... wasn't she supposed to be visiting her step father ?

Robb has painted a picture for all of us from the beginning...

She has this problem..She has that problem.. "The Dark Side" what if scenario from Robb..

Then of course the father of the son shows up and more "poor me" stories continue.

The what ifs are eating at me.

What If Robb hurt her earlier ??  She had been with abusive males before ? Is Robb an abusive male ? what is HIS arrest history ? What is His life like prior to Shantina ?
What if that hurt her head was from Robb ? What if her EX hurt her ?
What if she went to her Ex Husbands house and THAT is the friend mentioned that she went to visit ??

The witness said SHE WAS SCARED..
What was she scared of ? What if it was Robb or her EX ?
What if Robb was abusing the son ? What if Shantina confronted him on this ?
What If ?

When she ordered food and then did not take it.. Then it is not clear if she fell down or not.
Her son indicated she injured her head... OR  Her head was injured.. maybe not by her.
What If ?

When you leave food on the counter of a restaurant and walk out..
indication of worry ?

I am down to 2 people in question..

WHY Did she divorce her EX ?  What is his arrest record ??

How many males has she been with ? just 3 ? Are all of them Abusive ?

Robb paints a picture for us that he is a good guy..
Gentle caring and went looking for her until he got tired so he went to sleep..

Time to know

[Tracygirl]

wykes and edward I am emailing you

[Wyks]

Great work everyone!   

Has LE declared a suspect or POI in this case?  I sure do hope they are taking a sidelong look at Robb, cuz IMO, he's got some 'splainin to do!!  And why IS Shantina's family so damn quiet?  They aren't even stepping up to confirm or deny what Robb has said happened.  Why not?  Seems the only thing the public knows is what little LE has been able to piece together based on her known stops and what Robb has said.  I wanna see Robb's phone records!