We're expecting a news conference with Roanoke County Police at 3:30 p.m. to update the Amber Alert investigation for 12-year-old Brittany Smith, and her suspected abductor, 32-year-old Jeffrey Easley.
Ahead of the news conference, police in Guntersville, Alabama released a third picture of Easley.
Law enforcement sources tell WSLS's Scott Leamon that local, state, and federal officers are searching both campgrounds and rest areas on a daily basis since the revelation that Easley bought a tent at the Salem Walmart this past Friday night, with Tina Smith's credit card.
Police found Tina dead in her Fort Lewis area home this past Monday morning, and issued the Amber Alert for her daughter Brittany shortly after noon on Monday. Investigators said on Wednesday that they are not certain if Brittany knows her mother is dead.
Investigators tell Scott that the searches include closed campground sights along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Park Rangers are checking to see if anyone snuck in.
presser this afternoon provided no news. more relatives of Brittany's came out to ask easley to let her go home for Christmas. and mom's funeral.
i have a couple random thoughts that have been nagging at me.
first, obviously he could have shaved and she could have cut and bleached her hair. they may look much different from photos out there.
and that car has vanished off the face of the earth, just like them. very strange with all the APB and BOLO. of course other states have only just now issued Amber Alerts.
secondly, and i hope it's just my cop mentality, i have considered a murder-suicide. this guy knows he's probably going to death row. and he could see the two of them as doomed star-crossed lovers.
Chief feels they must be getting help from someone. if so, that person is a goddamn fool. OR under duress.
deceased mother's sister and brother:
and i think car has been stashed or sunk. unless they are deep in the woods.
ANOTHER instance of childrens' services taking heat. they often deserve it. i know they are overwhelmed, overloaded, underpaid.
WDBJ7
At least two phone calls were made to Social Services in the days before Brittany Mae Smith disappeared. Those calls were from relatives who were afraid something wasn't right with Jeff Easley and Brittany living in the same house.
A family member called Halifax County Social Services last week and social services confirms that a person who called there got a referral number.
Brittany's step-grandmother told News 7 that she called and made a complaint but was told if there is no physical evidence then nothing can be done.
The Regional Social Services Director would not comment on this specific case because of privacy laws, but Susan Reese said social services workers take children's welfare seriously.
"If we think a child is in danger at all or is in danger of being sexually abused then that's going to be an immediate response," Reese said. "A lot of times when there are situations like this a lot of rumors get started that just aren't true and because of confidentiality a lot of times social sevices can not respond to set the record straight,"
The Social Services Department has been slammed on national cable television programs for ignoring calls while workers enjoyed a Christmas Party. News 7 asked Reese about that.
"That was not true. The agency involved in that situation they're talking about is Halifax County Department of Social Services. There was a Christmas party, however, the agency had staff there," Reese said. "They had staff manning the front desk. They had staff manning the lines for child protective services as well as all the other program services. Social Services never closes down without emergency personnel there."
Thursday afternoon the Halifax County Department of Social Services released the following statement:
“The Halifax County Department of Social Services is committed to protecting children and their families. We will assist law enforcement in any way possible to affect the safe return of Brittany Smith. Halifax has reviewed reporting procedures and has determined that appropriate procedures are in place and were followed.”
Meanwhile Brittany Mae Smith's step-grandmother who is Tina Smith's mom said she hopes Social Services will make the records public. Eliabeth Dyer said she could not say anything more because police have asked her not to speak to the media about the case.
JUST BREAKING, SHE HAS BEEN FOUND!
holy shit, san francisco!
According to Roanoke County police 12-year old Brittany Mae Smith has been safely located and 32-year old Jeffrey Scott Easley of Roanoke County, VA has been taken into custody in another state.
More details to follow. We will hold a press conference at 8:00 p.m. in the lobby of the Roanoke County Public Safety Center located at 5925 Cove Road, Roanoke.
presser at 8:
Chief gave very little info/details. i expect more will come out over the next couple days.
no murder charges yet on easley, and no release of cause of death. they've got to get him extradited.
an alert person in a safeway store (near Golden Gate Park) spotted them, and called police. they were living in a tent and had walked to store. no more details on that yet either. car not located yet.
(12-10-2010, 09:19 PM)Lady Cop Wrote:
girl does know her mother is dead.
I bet. I would hate to have to live with that (if she had any involvement or momentary ill wish towards her mom). I hope he hangs himself in his cell so she never has to see him again. I don't know what I think should happen to her if she was involved. She is young, but that is evil as hell. Not part of my world so I don't have a fully-formed opinion.
(03-15-2013, 07:12 PM)aussiefriend Wrote: You see Duchess, I have set up a thread to discuss something and this troll is behaving just like Riotgear did.
News 7 spoke exclusively Friday with the family of Brittany Smith, gathered at the home of Tracy Dyer White. White is Brittany's aunt and a step-sister of the late Tina Smith. Below is a portion of the statement White shared on behalf of her family.
"We have good news that Brit is safe. We are happy and anxiously awaiting her homecoming. We are so thankful for everyone's contributions to making this a national event. Brit will now be home for Christmas. She will be here to tell her mother goodbye. She will be able to help her mother rest in peace. There has been a ray of sunshine on this very dark event. May God bless you all and thank you once again from all of our family and our friends."
i am really looking forward to photos of both of them to see how they may have changed their appearances.
and i am looking forward also to leaks of info about what happened from the outset of this mess. as a juvenile, we may never get too much about Brittany's role. the court will shield her if she was involved with her mother's death. but a lot will come out when easley is charged/tried.
and of course as a juvenile, she could be charged with murder IF that's where the evidence takes them.
dumbass was panhandling! with a cardboard sign.
god he'a a moron!
they had run out of gas and taken bus to SF. left the car somefuckingplace unknown.
KTVU
After San Francisco police received reports of the two being sighted at the Safeway on Fulton and La Playa streets in the Richmond district, officers responded and arrested the two outside the store.
A Safeway spokeswoman said Jeffrey Scott Easely, 32, and the 12-year-old girl never actually made it into the store -- they were pan-handling outside when a customer recognized them and called police.
“A witness felt they had seen suspect on Nancy Grace TV show and we believe it’s an accurate statement,” said Sgt. Lynn Tomioka, a SFPD spokesperson. OH GOD NANCY WILL TAKE ALL THE CREDIT TOO!
JC Edralin works at the Wells Fargo bank inside the Safeway and saw the 12-year-old girl being questioned by police.
“She just looked really innocent,” said Edralin. “She looked kind of in the zone, like zoned out”
He says the girl was surrounded by what looked like several bags of personal belongings.
“She had a lot. I mean it looked like enough for a family of four,” said Edralin.
(12-11-2010, 02:02 PM)Lady Cop Wrote: He says the girl was surrounded by what looked like several bags of personal belongings.
“She had a lot. I mean it looked like enough for a family of four,” said Edralin.[/b]
That's pretty damning evidence. If you are abducted, you usually aren't given time to pack.
(03-15-2013, 07:12 PM)aussiefriend Wrote: You see Duchess, I have set up a thread to discuss something and this troll is behaving just like Riotgear did.
Living with the homeless and panhandling outside the Safeway where they were spotted. That's how Roanoke County Police Chief Ray Lavinder describes how Jeffrey Easley, 32, and Brittany Smith, 12, were found in San Francisco.
He spoke at an afternoon press conference and said he could be mistaken, but that's how he understands what they were doing when someone at the supermarket spotted them and called police.
A day after the nearly week-long manhunt, Lavinder offered a few new details in the murder and abduction case. The Dodge Neon Easley and Smith traveled in was located at a parking lot near the San Francisco International Airport.
Easley has also formally been named as the prime suspect in the murder of Brittany Smith's mother, 41-year-old Tina Smith.
The extradition process will start Monday; it's believed Easley will have a court appointed attorney to help him through the process.
No family of Brittany Smith joined four investigators to California; interrogations of Easley will begin tonight, as well as initial conversations with the 12-year-old. There still is no word on the nature of her relationship with Easley.
There will be no new information concerning Tina Smith's cause and manner of death.
here's easley's CA booking photo...he sure did change his appearance.
waiting to hear whether he will fight extradition.
the girl is being brought back to VA today.
photo of woman who recognized them in SF, and spot where they were camped.
Theresa Shanley, the woman who contacted police in San Francisco, CA after recognizing 12-year old Brittany Mae Smith and 32-year old Jeffrey Scott Easley from national media reports.
News7 obtained more surveillance video of 12-year-old Brittany Smith and 32-year-old Jeffrey Easley at a Salem convenience store before they fled to San Francisco, California.
The video was taken Friday night, the same night the two were spotted at the Salem Wal-Mart. After the two were seen at Wal-Mart, maybe less than an hour, the two headed to Apple Market on West Main Street.
First you're going to see a man in a purple car car pull up, and right behind him in the red vehicle are Easley and Smith. Workers inside the store believe the man in the purple car knew Easley, and police have confirmed that to be the true.
You'll see Easley and 12-year-old Brittany walk in. Brittany, employees think, eventually heads to the bathroom.
Easley buys two tins of snuff and about $10 worth of gas, even jokes with the cashier. Store employees say both he and the girl are regular customers, and on this night the video was taken, last Friday, they acted like they normally do.
"Every time they come in here, they are always side by side, all lovey dovey on each other, everything like that so," said Mike Duvall, store clerk.
One thing the cashier told News7 and another worker was that they didn't realize Brittany Smith was 12 until all this hit the media last week. They say she often uses a fake ID when she comes in from time to time.
Roanoke County authorities say they have spoken with the unknown man in the video, and apparently there was someone else in the purple car with him. We're told they're both cooperating with the investigation.
easley is in a psych unit, court on tuesday (tomorrow). i wonder if he threatened to off himself.
I have the myspace messages back and forth between the two. LC let me know if it is okay to post them. They IMO were involved in a relationship. I read on the FB page (can't find it now and am sure it was yanked) Mom's cause of death. LC I'll PM ya.
Hi Cuddles.
i have read some of that too, 'handcuff buddy' etc. you may post them if they were out there on the 'net for anyone to see.
i know the mother was beaten, but ME has not released actual cause of death.
i think the girl was complicit frankly, but that she was under duress, threatened, coerced, etc.
at this juncture she is a minor and a victim, it remains to be seen if she is ever charged in her mom's death. then juvenile records are sealed. they may refer her for mental health eval. and we may never get the true timeline of events. if he goes to trial, much will come out then.
easely has waived extradition, will be in VA soon.
here is NEW news, i have to go find info on these guys----->
they have not been charged with anything at this point.
McElvy and McClure gave police inconsistent statements about their interactions with Easley and Brittany that day, according to the warrant.
"McElvy could have assisted in the murder" because of "the inconsistencies in McElvy and McClure's statements and the possibility that McElvy was with Easley at the Apple Market, which is in close proximity of the crime scene and within the time parameters of the victim's death," the warrant said.
McElvy and McClure have a television, DVD player, DVDs and a Nintendo Wii game console that were taken from Tina Smith's house, the the warrant said.
WDBJ
Police believe a man who bought Jeffrey Easley's Chevy SUV "could have assisted in the murder" of Tina Smith.
Tina Smith was found murdered in her home on Fort Lewis Circle in Roanoke County on December 6th. According to a search warrant, Easley sold his red 2000 Chevy SUV to Adam McElvy and Jordan McClure sometime during the evening hours of December 3rd.
The search warrant goes on to say that surveillance video at the Apple Mart on West Main Street on December 3rd shows Easley and a man, similar in appearance to Adam McElvy, enter the store together and each purchased fuel for their vehicles that were parked at the fuel pumps. Brittany Smith also appeared in the surveillance video.
According to a search warrant, McElvy and McClure were interviewed by Roanoke County Police and both gave inconsistent statements to investigators concerning their interactions with Jeffrey Easley and Brittany Smith on December 3rd. According to police, the meeting at the Apple Mart was never mentioned by either person.
A person familiar with McElvy and McClure told investigators that a television, DVD player and DVD's were in Easley's SUV when McElvy and McClure bought it on December 3rd. These items were reported missing from Tina Smith's house by a family member after her death.
The warrant was filed Tuesday. No word as to what was seized from the home, if anything.
Adam McElvy facebook pic.
McClure is a female. her facebook pic.
don't know what easley is smiling about in court today.
CR02001057-00 MCELVY, ADAM ROYAL CONTRIBUTE TO DEL OF MINOR 12/11/2002 Trial-Judge with Witnesses
CR02001057-01 MCELVY, ADAM ROYAL OBI SEX PENETRATION 12/11/2002 Nolle Prosequi
CR02001057-02 MCELVY, ADAM ROYAL OBJ SEX PENETRATION
On March 28, 2002, at 9:40 p.m., Roanoke Police responded to a robbery in the 900 block of Forest Park Blvd, N.W. James H. Reynolds, 71, of Roanoke, entered his house through a side door and was approached by two men coming from the basement. They forced him to the floor and took his wallet and keys. An investigation is on-going. On March 29, 2002, Roanoke Police made an arrest in connection with a rape that occurred on March 25, 2002. Adam Royal McElvy, 18, of the 1300 block of Gillette Avenue, S.E., was charged with one count of rape and two counts of animate object penetration. He is being held in the Roanoke City Jail on $6,000 bond. The victim, a 14-year-old girl, from Southeast Roanoke, stated that on the 25th around 3:30 a.m., she left her residence and met up with several people who took her to a residence in Southeast Roanoke. While at the residence, she went into a bedroom with an acquaintance and he raped her.
![[Image: ae216911c39fb9735adae7e1ac00a4841ef.gif]](http://i558.photobucket.com/albums/ss26/CSBDan/Smilies/ae216911c39fb9735adae7e1ac00a4841ef.gif)