10-year-old girl, Lindsey Baum vanished 6.26.2009 walking home from a friend's house/Warrant details suspicions/Lindsey featured on cover of People Magazine/LE investigates person of interest

Video offers new clues in Lindsey Baum case

MCCLEARY, Wash. – Investigators plan to interview to two women seen on surveillance video talking to a man considered a person of interest in the case of missing McCleary girl Lindsey Baum.
KING 5 News has learned the man told investigators he was not in town when Baum disappeared on June 26, 2009, but the video contradicts that.
The Grays Harbor County Sheriff's Office said the video was recorded from Mike’s Market at 204 West Simpson Avenue. About 23 seconds in, the man is seen chatting briefly with two other customers before he left.
The time stamp on the video is 9:20 p.m. That's close to when Baum, who was 10 at the time, disappeared while walking home. Hours after releasing the video, Grays Harbor County detectives were in contact with the women. Formal interviews will be set up with them, but initially it appeared they did not know the man or where he was going that night, according to Undersheriff Rick Scott.
The man tells KING 5 it is him on the video and admits he told police he wasn’t in McCleary. However, he said that he was working as volunteer firefighter in both Mason and Grays Harbor Counties and forgot he stopped at the store while driving between locations.
"I don't remember going into that mini-mart," he said.
The man is one of several persons of interest in the case. Scott said the man will likely remain a person of interest no matter what the women have to say for other reasons. The sheriff's office would not elaborate and has not released his name.
“It’s very concerning to us when somebody lies to us,” said Scott.
Scott said the man “adamantly” denied being in McCleary the evening Baum disappeared. Investigators won’t say what he told them after seeing the clip.

“His explanation was less than fulfilling,” said Scott.

Scott added that it is possible the man has nothing to do with the case. He said other persons of interest have lied to police for no apparent reason.
Police served a search warrant on the man’s business, Hartman Jewelry, on Oct. 18, 2011. It's believed Baum vanished about a quarter-mile from the jewelry store, which is a couple blocks away from Mike's Market.

The man said the investigation has been hard on him and his wife.
"It's deadened me," he said.
The sheriff’s office said it held off releasing the video until now at the request of the FBI as part of their ongoing investigation.

There is currently a $35,000 reward to find Baum. You can find more information at the Find Lindsey Baum website.
http://www.sheriffin.com/article2163807/video_offers_new_clues_in_lindsey_baum_case.htm
Must see video at link, for the life of me I can't embed.

Thank you Nite! My computer just was not allowing me to get it and I was getting so frustrated!!!!!!!

Person of interest identified in Lindsey Baum disappearance
Last Updated: Feb 9, 2012 at 3:43 PM PDT

MCCLEARY, Wash. - Investigators identified a local jewelry store owner Thursday as a person of interest in the June 2009 disappearance of Lindsey Baum - but the store owner himself denies having anything to do with it.

Tim Hartman, owner of Hartman's Jewelry and Repair in McCleary, admits he "unintentionally" gave false information to authorities about his whereabouts on the night Lindsey vanished. But he maintains his innocence, saying he knows nothing about what happened to the girl and actually helped in the search for her.

The identification of Hartman as a person of interest in the case coincided with the release Thursday of a video from a convenience store in the area that was recorded the evening Lindsey vanished while walking home from a friend's house.

The video shows Hartman making a purchase in the store at about the same time Lindsey vanished, around 9:15 p.m. on June 26, 2009. Hartman had previously told investigators he wasn't in McCleary at that time.
Wouldn't you remember that when you found out that evening that Lindsey was missing? I mean he went out looking for her that night.
Also seen in the video are two women, one of whom can be seen speaking briefly with Hartman. Investigators want to interview the women, and asked for the public's help in identifying them.

Within hours of the video's release, the women were identified as two sisters living in McCleary, and detectives said they were planning to interview them.

Hartman's car, home and his shop were searched in October as part of the investigation into Lindsey's disappearance.

The shop, Hartman's Jewelry and Repair on Fourth Street, is on the route that Lindsey would have taken to get back home on the night she disappeared.

Hartman earlier told police he was not in the McCleary area at the time of Lindsey's disappearance - but the newly released video shows that he actually was there.

In an interview on Thursday, Hartman told KOMO News that he had nothing to do with Lindsey's disappearance.

He admitted he initially told police he was not at the convenience store, but said he honestly doesn't remember being there at the time in question.

He says he showed investigators a "certificate" showing that he had been in a class in Belfair until 9 p.m. on June 26 and couldn't have made it to McCleary by 9:15 p.m. But he says FBI investigators then determined that the class actually had ended at 8:15 p.m. Sounds like a "set-up" alibi.

"I still don't remember being here the night Lindsey disappeared, but they have me at Mike's (Market) at 21:15 on their camera, 'cause I looked at the picture, and I said, 'Yeah, that is me.' But I still don't remember being here at that time."

Hartman tells KOMO News he made an ambulance run later in the evening of June 26, and when he returned to McCleary, the search for Lindsey already was under way.

He says Chief George Crumb of the McCleary Police Department then asked him to join in the search, which he did. But Chief Crumb now says he doesn't remember asking him to take part, Hartman says.

After joining in the search for a while, Hartman says he returned home but couldn't sleep, so he went out searching again. It was then, at about 1 a.m., that he says he ran into Lindsey's mother, and says he drove her to a local creek where Lindsey sometimes went to play, in hopes they would find her there.
This seems strange to me...that he went back out that night.
He says he searched there, and he left some markers to show where he had searched, but they were gone the next day.

"I don't have a clue what's going on," he told KOMO News. "They got to do what they got to do. ... They're wasting a lot of money investigating me."

Hartman says the search of his home and business has "done damage to my reputation."

"Don't accuse me of something I didn't do," he says. "All I can do is tell them what I know, which is nothing about the little girl."

Hartman also says he was interrogated by police for about eight hours in January, and has taken two polygraph tests.

He says he initially was told that he passed the first test, but later was told that he had failed it. So he took a second test, which investigators told him was "inconclusive."

Lindsey Baum was 10 years old when she disappeared. A $35,000 reward has been offered in the case.

At the time of her disappearance, Lindsey was 4-foot-9, 80 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a light blue hooded pullover shirt and blue jeans.

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Investigators-seek-2-women-in-Lindsey-Baum-case-139031194.html

Sorry if this man has been unjustly targeted, but he seems kinda hinky to me.

I agree, Lisette. I noticed the article was in Feb. Wonder if anything came of it.

Thank you so much Lisette for posting! Yes, his story seems VERY conflicting from his initial statement that he was at a class until 9:00, then they find out it got out at 8:15. Then he says he does not remember being at that gas station at 9:15 the exact time Lindsey walks by that location...

He then says he

Hartman tells KOMO News he made an ambulance run later in the evening of June 26, and when he returned to McCleary, the search for Lindsey already was under way.

What in the "H" does he mean by Ambulance run?

I too am confused when he says he went out to help look but came back and couldn't sleep, so he went to pick up her Mom and take her to her daughters favorite hang out.. Makes me think he has to be close to Lindsey's Mom. I know it's a small town, but I to give the Mom a ride in his car seems like they must be close or know each other pretty well.

Also, he failed the first poly then the second was inconclusive...

This story does not add up so of course LE would want to investigate it. If he is innocent then I do feel bad that his name has been slandered, but his story is just off kilter to me........

I agree, Lisette. I noticed the article was in Feb. Wonder if anything came of it.

I just happened to think about Lindsey and looked for some news and this was the latest thing I could find. I don't guess anything has happened since then...Guess it is one of those cases where they have suspicions but no evidence...Hoping that something will break soon.

Thanks for posting the article, Lisette. It bugs me that this person seems extremely suspicious but no more is being done..or IF it is, LE is staying mum.

Mommy, I agree with All you said. And, it's good to see you here. I know w/3 kids and work it's not easy. You're a good kid.


Your "Blog" Mom

June 26, 2012
KXRO Newsradio

It’s been 3 years since the day Lindsey Baum went missing while walking home from a friend’s house in McCleary.

Lindsey’s disappearance caught the attention of families across the nation and worldwide and continues to be on the minds of those in Grays Harbor.

Lindsey’s 14th birthday is July 7th.

A team of investigators continue to work daily on finding Lindsey. That task force contains investigators with the Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s office, FBI, State Patrol Missing Persons Unit and the Department of Corrections.

If you have any information that may help find Lindsey, please call the Grays Harbor County Information Tip line at (866) 915-8299, or email: soadmin@co.grays-harbor.wa.us.

http://kxro.wordpress.com/2012/06/26/its-been-3-years-since-lindsey-baum-went-missing/

Sadly, I think this is one more young girl who was trafficked out. So damned sad and Frustrating!!

3 years later, still no answers in Lindsey Baum disappearance

By KOMO Staff & Associated Press Published: Jun 26, 2012 at 10:16 AM PDT

McCLEARY, Wash. -- It's been three years since Lindsey Baum disappeared while walking home from a friend's house in McCleary.

Repeated searches have found no sign of the girl who was 10 years old when she was last seen on June 26, 2009.

The disappearance received national attention and remains under investigation by the Grays Harbor County Sheriff's Office, Washington State Patrol and FBI.

Detectives have followed up on hundreds of leads and conducted many interviews in the case, but no arrests have been made and it's still not clear what happened to Lindsey.

Most recently, investigators identified a local jewelry store owner as a person of interest in Lindsey's disappearance.

Police searched Tim Hartman's home and business in October last year, and said they seized several pieces of evidence.

Documents show that investigators found "numerous computers and computer storage devices," a "pink sheet with unknown stains," a "brown duffle bag with assumed human hair" and "handwritten notes regarding missing child." Hartman denied having anything to do with the disappearance.

Police have so far not been able to link the evidence to Lindsey's disappearance.

In the years since Lindsey went missing, her family has continued to push to keep attention focused on the case.

"We haven't forgotten her," Lindsey's mom, Melissa Baum said on her daughter's birthday last year.

Lindsey's 14th birthday is July 7th.

A $35,000 reward is available for information in the case, and tipsters are asked to call 866-915-8299.

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/3-years-since-Lindsey-Baum-disappeared-160399925.html

Thanks for posting the article. It has been 3 long years and hardly any news or progress in this case.

http://insession.blogs.cnn.com/2012/08/20/find-our-children-lindsey-baum-3/

CUE Center announces location of Lindsey Baum vigil this Saturday

September 18, 2012KXRO Newsradio
“The CUE Center For Missing Persons” have announced the location of the vigil for Lindsey Baum. Nicole Carney, the National Research Manager for CUE, says that this Saturday they will hold a vigil at 7pm at Heritage Park on 5th Street in Olympia. The tour, called “On the Road to Remember”, will travel this week from North Carolina to Olympia to honor Lindsey who went missing June 26th, 2009 from McCleary.

The national road tour will begin in Los Angeles on September 20th, and end on September 26 and will focus on missing person cases that have gone unsolved. They plan to promote sixty unsolved missing, four unidentified and three unsolved homicide cases.

For full tour dates, times and location, as well as a complete listing of cases featured on the tour, visit CUE on the web at www.ncmissingpersons.org.

http://kxro.wordpress.com/2012/09/18/cue-center-announces-location-of-lindsey-baum-vigil-this-saturday/

Published: January 10, 2013 Updated 58 minutes ago

By JEREMY PAWLOSKI — Staff writer

Elizabeth Smart told a rapt audience at the Saint Martin’s University Marcus Pavilion that there is a simple lesson to be learned from her 2002 abduction from her Salt Lake City bedroom, and her rescue nine months later.

“None of us are perfect. None of us has perfect lives,” said Smart, who was 14 when she was taken.

“We all have our trials in life, and no one can understand exactly how we feel,” she added Thursday. “But, no matter how bad life gets, it will always get equally as good.”

Today Smart, 25, lives happily with her husband in Utah. She formerly worked as a correspondent for “Good Morning America” and now travels the country, appearing at speaking engagements through her work with the Elizabeth Smart Foundation.

Before her noontime speech, Smart met with Melissa Baum, mother of missing McCleary girl Lindsey Baum. Lindsey was 10 when she went missing not two blocks from the McCleary police station as she walked home from a friend’s home June 26, 2009. She hasn’t been found.

Melissa Baum’s eyes welled with tears as she embraced Smart before the event, which was sponsored by the Rotary Clubs of Thurston County. “It was a little more emotional when she turned around than I thought it would be,” Baum said of meeting Smart.

Baum said Smart’s presence gives her hope that her daughter might someday be found ­— and that “when she is found, she’s not going to be destroyed.”

Smart joined local human-trafficking survivor Rani Hong to share a message of hope at Thursday’s event, and to share how they overcame grueling circumstances to live joyful, meaningful lives. Both said they were at Saint Martin’s to raise awareness about how parents and others can be more vigilant and aware of the dangers of human traffickers, abductors and child abusers.

“It really does happen in our community,” Hong said of human trafficking. “We know that trafficking victims are being brought over the border into Washington.” Hong was 7 when she was abducted from her village in southern India, and sold by a broker into child slavery. She eventually was trafficked through Canada into Washington. She said that finally, after authorities intervened, she was adopted into a loving home in Olympia.

Hong works to bring global awareness to the worldwide problem of human trafficking through her work with the Olympia-based organization she founded, The Tronie Foundation. Hong said she has helped pass legislation to fight human trafficking that has been used as a model in other states. She also serves as the United Nations special adviser to the Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking. Every year, human traffickers bring about 14,500 children into the United States to live lives of servitude, she said.

“I speak for those without a voice, for the millions of children that are sold into slavery,” Hong said.

HORROR STORIES

Smart and Hong spoke directly about the horrors of being abducted.

Smart, whose ordeal made headlines nationwide, said that “the worst time in my life is probably a time that you all know.”

She spoke of her abductor forcing her to marry him in a bizarre ceremony in a tent. She also spoke of being raped, and of being threatened with death if she resisted or tried to escape. Smart’s abductor, Brian David Mitchell, is serving a life sentence in a federal prison.

Smart said that during her captivity, she at first felt like the children who are killed by their abductors are “the lucky ones, because they don’t have to feel like their soul has been crushed.” But, Smart added, thoughts of again seeing her loving family, and in particular her mother, gave her hope. She said she remembered her mother’s words that she would always love her, no matter what, and “those words stayed with me.”

“I decided I would survive no matter what it took,” Smart said.

Smart said she was rescued because an alert citizen saw her in public, thought she recognized her and called police.

“It was because of people like you who had the initiative to pick up the phone and call police and say, ‘I think I just saw Elizabeth Smart,’” she said. Smart was rescued March 12, 2003, in Sandy, Utah, about 18 miles from her home. She described how happy she was to see police car after police car arrive at her abductor’s residence.

Smart said advice she received from a friendly woman in a hospital after her rescue have stuck with her. The woman told her that what her abductor did was wicked and evil, and that “the worst punishment you can give him is to be happy.”

“She was right,” Smart told the crowd. “I made up my mind not to give him another second of my life.”

Smart then repeated themes from her introductory remarks.

“We all have trials; we all have rough spots in life,” she said. “… No matter how bad life is or how hard it is to get out of bed, remember, something better will happen.”

Smart urged the audience to keep giving thoughts and prayers to the Baum family.

“If you see something suspicious or not quite right, make a phone call, because you never know whose life you might be saving,” she said.

Hong’s words about how she overcame being taken from her family and being sold into slavery echoed Smart’s. She said that after she was adopted in Olympia, she received support from the entire community, including the Rotary Club, which awarded her a scholarship to attend South Puget Sound Community College.

“I made a choice, that I’m going to live for tomorrow,” Hong said. “Tomorrow is going to be different.”

Thursday’s event was part of a daylong child-trafficking awareness fair at Saint Martin’s that brought leaders and law enforcement together. Booths set up around the pavilion offered services and tools to protect children against exploitation, including fingerprinting, retina scans and Crime Stoppers’ “My Child ID kits.”

Smart and Hong were scheduled to give a keynote address at 7 a.m. at Saint Martin’s, retelling their stories.

Read more here: http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2013/01/10/2832933/abductee-smart-offers-hope-to.html#storylink=cpy

July 8, 2013KXRO Newsradio
Sunday marked the 15th birthday of Lindsey Baum, still missing after 4 years.

In June, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, along with the Grays Harbor Sheriff’s Office, released an age progression photograph of Lindsey. This photo was created to show what she may look like today.

Melissa Baum, Lindsey’s mother, told KXRO that she hopes this image, along with the already active investigation, sheds some light to the location of the McCleary teen. She said, “I don’t need a flood of calls. I just need that one call, that one call that brings her home.”

A team of investigators continue to work on finding Lindsey. Grays Harbor Sheriff Rick Scott says that no suspects in the case have been ruled out, but no definitive evidence has been discovered yet. His hope is that this new photograph could bring new information forward from someone in McCleary at the time of her disappearance, or who has seen her since.

A $35,000 reward for information leading to the recovery of Lindsey remains available.

If you have any information that may help find Lindsey, please call the Grays Harbor County Information Tip line at (866) 915-8299, or email: soadmin@co.grays-harbor.wa.us.
http://kxro.wordpress.com/2013/07/08/lindsey-baum-turns-15/