CNN is reporting that the remains found on the Des Plaines River last week are not those of Stacy Peterson or Lisa Stebic. Instead they are the remains of an unidentified male. You can read more here.
Thanks, Jacqueline, for the update to the story.
Question for you: Do you want me to cover stories like this? Let me know by either a comment or by a rating. Thanks!
As many of you know, little Tori (Victoria) Stafford disappeared back in April. She simply never came home from school on Wednesday, April 8. Not long afterward, police found video surveillance of a little girl they believed to be Tori walking away from her school. She was walking with an unknown woman in a white puff coat. No one could identify the woman in the video, so the police released the surveillance footage to the public with hopes of solving the crime.
Tori’s mother, Tara McDonald, who is divorced from her father, Rodney Stafford, went public to keep her daughter’s story in the news. She gave press conferences on nearly a daily basis for over a month. It didn’t take long before people became suspicious of Tara McDonald. On May 20, however, two people unrelated to Tori were arrested for her abduction and murder.
I thought it might be helpful for people to share their thoughts about why they didn’t believe Tara McDonald and to open up a dialogue so we can learn from this experience as many people doubted Tara’s sincerity.
When the story first broke, I was asked to give an opinion. I watched this video here and shared my thoughts. It was the end of April:
No hot spots for me at this time with regard to these videos, however, they don’t really say anything worthy of a lie here. However, their emotions are supportive that they are truly distressed and worried.
Then over the next few weeks, many more requests were made for me to review Tara McDonald, but because I was going through a difficult time personally, I didn’t draw any conclusions. I did not see any hot spots after reviewing many videos, but I just didn’t feel comfortable making a decision.
When I am emotional, I refrain from giving opinions out of fear my emotions will skew my judgment. I don’t always trust myself when my emotions run high, though I can honestly tell you that I did leaned towards trusting Tara.
In all the videos I watched, I only saw two oddities that were unusual, but didn’t necessarily indicate a lie on Tara’s behalf, hence I called them oddities and not hot spots:
Those were my thoughts and where I was in this scenario. What did you think of Tara McDonald? Did you trust her? What do you think now in hindsight that she was not arrested for her daughter’s murder? Did you learn anything from this experience?
What can we all learn from this experience?
* Please be respectful of all opinions shared. If you aren’t comfortable using your name, feel free to pick an alias. I will moderate any rude behavior. It will not be tolerated. In order to learn, we must all feel free to share our thoughts without ridicule.
Over the months, many people have asked me what I think of “Jon and Kate Plus 8”. They are a couple with contrasting differences who spark strong opinions among us. When we watch the show, no matter who we are, we find ourselves taking sides.
Read moreMany people are fed up with Kate’s antics and want to give her a lashing for all the verbal bashing she has given to Jon. They sympathize with Jon and the predicament his is in, after all he’s the errand boy for Kate when her plans fall short. Let’s face it, many people want Kate to knock it off and get off her high horse and just love Jon for Jon already. She has a great husband, they’d tell us, and she doesn’t appreciate him like she should. Some people have even resorted to calling Kate a narcissist.
Yet on the flip side, there is a crowd (who I suspect is the smaller of the two) who admire Kate’s strong demeanor and no-guff approach to life. They’d tell us she says it like it is, and that she isn’t afraid of anyone. She tackles any challenge head-on with guts and gets the job done, which is more than anyone can say about Jon. She isn’t a shrinking violet. More than that, this group would argue, Kate helps Jon find his place in the family, whereas otherwise he would wander aimlessly helping no one, clueless of what to do next.
So when news breaks like this that Jon is having an affair, you likely take sides with your favorite personality–the one you relate to the most. That’s natural, but if you step back and look at the two of them without any emotional or situational biases, you’d be surprised at the road map they have given us to see the truth (in general terms) just by observing them.
While Kate has an in-your-face approach to life, there is one thing you can garner from her behavior. You will always know where you stand with Kate. If you upset Kate, she’ll likely dish it to you firsthand. And if you make her happy, you can be pretty sure that she’ll come bearing all smiles. Kate says it like it is and with that approach, she really doesn’t have any reason to hide. You are likely going to get the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth–even when it is painful and hurts. That’s part of the package.
People who lay it all out there usually have a very difficult time lying because their emotions are written all over their face. They aren’t used to holding anything back.
Jon, on the other hand, while he is much softer and sweeter in character, isn’t always able to face situations directly. He is prone to frustration and emotional bouts where he has to withdrawal because he is unable to cope. Jon hates confrontation and will often do things just to avoid it instead of dealing with the facts head-on, like Kate. When Jon and Kate get into arguments, you often see Jon walk away from the camera mumbling, unable to hear what he really thinks.
This is not to say that Jon is a bad guy, because he absolutely is not (as Jon has different and equally valuable strengths), but when it comes to honesty, which person would you trust? The person who says it to your face, or “nice guy” who avoids you when he doesn’t like what you are saying?
Which person is likely to lash out behind someone’s back when they are feeling sad, mad or vulnerable? Which person is likely to face the situation head-on and talk about it instead of run from their problems and create more?
You tell me…
To see more of my thoughts on Jon’s denial that he cheated, click here.
Here are my thoughts from last night’s 48 Hours. This show original ran in November 2008.
What did you think of the show?
The Mortgage and The Murder
Check back for my thoughts of tonight’s episode next week!
*This show is a re-run from last November.
