2-year-old Caleigh Anne Harrison missing from a Massachusetts beach on 4.19.12 after her Mother turned her back for just a minute/LE is NOT ruling out Foul Play/Update: 11.12.12 Pair of pants consistent with Caleigh's found in ocean debris on beach

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

GLOUCESTER (FOX 25 / MyFoxBoston.com) - Family members of a toddler who went missing from a Rockport beach on Thursday are asking the public for help in the search for the little girl they love so much.
Rockport police say 2-year-old Caleigh Anne Harrison was at the beach with her mother and a 4-year-old sibling when she disappeared.
They say the little girl's mother turned around to grab something and when she looked back, Caleigh was gone. The spot is near an estuary that was emptying into the ocean as the tide went out. Seas were reported to be 10 to 12 feet with strong rip currents.
Aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents of little Caleigh gathered at a family home in Gloucester on Thursday night.
The group joined together for support as they wait for any kind of word about little Caleigh.
Caleigh is described as a sweet little girl who is always smiling. She has light brown hair and blue-gray eyes, and was wearing a light pink T-shirt and dark pink capri pants when her family last saw her around noon on Thursday.
A massive search for the toddler was suspended on Thursday night until dawn on Friday.
Family members say Caleigh is not an adventurous toddler. They feel it is very unlikely that she went off on her own.
Authorities say they aren't ruling out anything.


Read more: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

OMG sweet little baby, it just breaks my heart! I think I'll rethink my beliefs in putting a leash on a child, in an instance like this she would be safe with her Mother! This poor baby is probably in the ocean or someone took her, either way something horrible happened. Heartbreaking.

Two-year-old Caleigh Anne Harrison has been missing since around 1:00 p.m. on Thursday while visiting a Massachusetts beach with her mother and four-year-old sister. The family of the missing girl say that she isn't an adventurous toddler who wouldn't wander off by herself, so are they insinuating that someone may have abducted the two year old?
It's not impossible to suspect a possible abduction, but given the environment it is also likely that the child wandered into the water to be swept away. Even seemingly non-adventurous children grow curious and sometimes get themselves into trouble.

With it being over 12 hours since the child vanished, it's unsettling to think about what may have happened to her. During a time when so many children vanish, this has got to be a nightmare for the mother. However, she was not being the most responsible parent, which led to the child's disappearance. Caleigh Anne Harrison was left by herself unattended with her four-year-old sister while her mother retrieved a ball that had gone over a wall, separating the beach park area from a residential area. When she returned, her two-year-old was gone, but her four-year-old was not.

First of all, had someone abducted a child, wouldn't they have taken both children? Wouldn't the four-year-old say something? If the child wandered on her own wouldn't the sibling have said something then? It doesn't seem like the details are entirely clear in this case, so it's important to not jump to conclusions. Nonetheless, this story is kind of starting to smell a bit like the disappearance of Sky Metalwala.

Sky Metalwala was reported missing by Julie Biryukova who claimed to have left the two-year-old boy alone in her car while she and the child's four-year-old sister walked over a mile to get gas for her allegedly broken-down car. When she returned, he was gone. However, police have acknowledged that the woman's car was not out of gas and was not broken down. There are plenty of other inconsistencies in her story that allude to a possible responsibility for her son's disappearance (or worse).

Hopefully, the mother of little Caleigh Harrison isn't pulling the same kind of stunt.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Caleigh Anne Harrison vanished yesterday from a Massachusetts beach in a case that is called "unfortunate and frustrating" by detectives. With there being absolutely no sign of the missing two-year-old child, investigators are not ruling anything out in the girl's disappearance—including foul play or abduction. That's probably just as well because the story is rather strange.

Various sources are releasing new details in the search for the missing two-year old Massachusetts girl, but it's apparent that the primary concern is that she is still missing in a "here one moment, gone the next" type of scenario. The mother of the missing girl, who is not being named yet, claimed to have been playing at a beach near Boston with her Caleigh Anne Harrison, her four-year old sister and the family dog.

The mom says that she and the children were playing on a bridge at the beach with a ball, which bounced over a wall into the yard of a residential property. Instead of just letting it go (since balls are quite cheap and plentiful), she decided to leave the two children unattended to hop over the fence and retrieve the ball. She claims to have only been gone for a couple of moments, but when she returned her two-year-old daughter was nowhere in sight.

Look, it's tempting to leave children unattended sometimes—that's why there are always so many of them running loose in stores and other public areas, hindering your errands with parents nowhere in sight. But this window of "a couple of moments" paired with a bridge on a beach facing the Atlantic Ocean is just a recipe for disaster when it comes to young children and inattentiveness. It's quite possible that little Caleigh fell off the bridge or wandered off in that time—but what of the four-year-old sister?

Sources are reporting that the sister of Caleigh Harrison says she didn't know her sister had wandered away. She claims to have been playing with her mom, dog and sister on the beach and then seeing her mom call for the girl. That's the only bit of news coming out regarding the little girl being spoken to, but hopefully more comes out soon.

The mother of the missing child, Allison Harrison, admits that the four-year-old and dog were "frolicking in the sand" nearby when she left Caleigh Harrison unattended to search for the ball. So does this mean that the child was not left even with her four-year-old sister to keep an eye on her? A four-year-old obviously isn't a good babysitter, but it seems like there was very little attention being paid here, and that's a shame.

Police say they have not ruled any theory out in this disappearance, including foul play or a possible abduction. They aren't clarifying on any of their theories, but obviously they have more information than the rest of the public. They've been able to gauge the situation and discern whether or not the statements given are truthful. What's telling is that they're openly acknowledging that foul play and abduction could be factors in this case, even though the most common sense conclusion would be that this child ended up in the ocean because her mother "lost sight of her." (or vice versa)
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

This reminds me of what happened w/Q yesterday. DIL was at N's baseball practice and took Q while I stayed home and watched R. She told me that Q was standing right next to her and she was talking to one of the gals and could see Q from the corner of her eye. She said about a MINUTE later, she looked down and Q was no where to be found. She looked and could find him nowhere and started to panic. Told me that she and some other people ran up to the road in fear he had walked up to the road but he was not there. Turns out, he had walked all the way down the hill to another practice game that was a good eighth of a mile away.

My point is: it only takes Less than a Minute for a child to take off. They are quick and can disappear in a heartbeat.

Don't know enough about this case (yet) to know if this mother did something to her daughter but will say that I agree IF she is telling the truth, she should NOT have gone after a ball leaving her 2 and 4 year old's ALONE for Any amount of time.

I would like to know how far or close this family was to the water. That "beach" doesn't look like a beach you can actually go into. It looks extremely rocky..reminds me of the Monterey, CA area..no way you can go into that ocean. I cannot imagine a mother leaving her two children alone to go get a fricking ball????

LE is NOT ruling out foul play.

Thank you to everyone who helped update this thread. It is true if you turn your back for a second they can be gone. It is so scary. It has happened to me with Katie one day while shopping. It could happen to any one.

April 20, 2012
Update: Divers, other personnel resume search for girl
By Times Staff

ROCKPORT — State police and other emergency personnel have resumed their search this morning for any signs of the 2-year-old Gloucester girl who disappeared shortly after noon Thursday while playing with her mother and her 4-year-old sister on Long Beach.

While Massachusetts State Police dive teams and searchers on land pulled back when darkness fell Thursday night, the Coast Guard cutter Flying Fish remained just offshore in the continuing search for Caleigh Ann Harrison, age 2 years, nine months, and the daughter of Allison Hammond of Washington Street. And a couple of residents tried to aid in the search by walking the beach with flashlights.

Divers were once again preparing to enter the water shortly after 9 a.m. today, while Coast Guard helicopters once again patrolled overhead.

But there remained no sign of the girl, who was last seen wearing a light pink top and darker pink pants.

Authorities have said that Caleigh was apparently playing ball with her sister Elizabeth near the footbridge at Long Beach and Cape Hedge Beach, and, at one point, the ball over a wall. According to police, the girls' mother briefly went to retrieve the ball, and when she looked back, Caleigh had disappeared.

Authorities are [planning a news conference to provide updates later this morning, and we will continue to provide updates regarding this story here at gloucestertimes.com. To have text alert regarding this and other local Breaking News stories, just sign up for the Times' free text-alert service on the gloucestertimes.com homepage.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

If the mom is telling the truth then I think Caleigh (Spells it like "Haleigh" ) went into the water and could be way out to sea by now.

ROCKPORT — Four days into the search for 2-year-old Caleigh Ann Harrison, Massachusetts State Police and local authorities still have virtually no answers regarding the little Gloucester girl's disappearance, and they're now facing another obstacle: the weather.

With rains beginning to pelt Cape Ann, and heavy rains with high winds expected tonight and into Monday morning, state police say the dive teams that have been a big part of the search efforts off Rockport's Long Beach would not enter the water today or tomorrow, with dive efforts tentatively slated to resume on Tuesday if Caleigh is not found before that. Any searches today and tomorrow are expected to be limited and confined to land along the area where Caleigh disappeared from Long Beach.

Caleigh Ann Harrison, age two years, nine months, was last seen on the beach with her 4-year-old sister, Elizabeth, and her mother, Allison Hammond, shortly after noon last Thursday when a ball with which the little girls were playing went over a nearby wall. Hammond has reportedly told authorities that she left for perhaps a minute to retrieve the ball, and when she looked back, Caleigh was gone.

Caleigh is described as being less than 3 feet tall, and weighing 27-35 pounds, with light brown hair. She was last seen wearing a light pink top and darker pink bottoms, State police are advising anyone who has any information regarding the cae to call 911 immediately.

While the search has focused on the water, State Police continued to note today that they have not ruled out foul play. Yet authorities never issued a so-called Amber alert, and State Police spokesman David Procopio has said there was not enough evidence of a potential abduction to do so. State Police carefully interviewed Caleigh's her 4-year-old sister Elizabeth, who could be seen on the beach talking one-on-one with a police officer, and who reportedly helped investigators retrace her and her sister's steps in the moments prior to Caleigh's disappearance.

WBZ radio reported this morning that Elizabeth told police she does not remember what happened, and that state police are looking to bring in a special child psychiatry investigative expert to speak with her again. But a state police spokesman told the Times today he cannot confirm that, and was not aware of the report.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

ROCKPORT — With wet weather today continuing to stall the search for 2-year-old Caleigh Ann Harrison, and rough seas also forecast for tomorrow, Massachusetts State Police have pushed back to Wednesday any resumption of the formal serach for missing Gloucester 2-year-old, Caleigh Ann Harrison.

But other aspects of the investigation are ongoing — with new hopes are being pinned on the results of a weekend interview with Caleigh's 4-year-old sister to help find the missing child.

Elizabeth Harrison, 4, spoke with a person trained in caring for children with traumatic experiences — described as a child psychologist by family members — on Saturday, according to David Harrison, Jr., brother of Caleigh's father, Anthony Harrison. Elizabeth had initially told State Police she could not remember what happened in the last moments before Caleigh disappeared. Authorities have not advised family members of any the results from Saturday's interview.

Elizabeth and Caleigh were playing on Long Beach near Cape Hedge Beach with their mother, Alison Hammond, and the family dog. Hammond turned from the girls to get a wayward ball, and when she returned, Caleigh was gone.

Massachusetts State Police reiterated this morning that foul play could not be ruled out at this point — noting that, though there seems to be no evidence of an abduction, without proof that Caleigh went into the ocean, alternative scenarios cannot be discounted either.

"We'd have to have obviously clear information that Caleigh entered the water," said State Police spokesman David Procopio. "We can't say for sure what happened to her."

Procopio said late this afternoon that a renewed coastal search by divers and with state police helicopters, initially planned for tomorrow morning, will not restart until Wednesday. That's because Tuesday's weather forecasts continues to call for high winds and rough seas that could endanger searchers as well.

A Gloucester woman, however, is looking to do her part to keep Caleigh's disapperance in the foreground, and is urging fellow residents to shed light on the comunity's support for the family and for Caleigh's return.

A neighbor of the Harrison family, Sheila McCarthy, is asking locals to put a candle in a window facing in the direction of Long Beach, with the idea of an ongoing mini-vigil in as many homes as possible. Family members and other residents had also joined in a candlelight vigil at the Long Beach site of Caleigh's disappearance.

Authorities, meanwhile, continue to carry the investigation in a variety of directions.

On Friday, State Police used a buoy weighed to match Caleigh's estimated 35-pound weight in order to determine where the current could have carried the girl. The buoy followed the southern edge of the rocks at Saratoga Point, then turned north and landed along the rocks by Cape Hedge Beach, Procopio said.

Procopio said divers searched that area before bad weather forced the divers out of the water, but nothing was found.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

I wonder if there were any witnesses when the mother allegedly took off to retrieve a ball.

(NECN: Josh Brogadir, Rockport, Mass.) - The footbridge is here.
And the heavy surf behind it, rolling in along the Rockport shore.

And it's why a water search has now been pushed back for a third straight day.

"We know nothing. It's like she vanished," said Caleigh Anne Harrison's uncle David Harrison Jr.

Waves crash against the rocky Cape Ann shore, as a storm stalls along the coastline in Rockport, Massachusetts.

It's presented another delay, postponing a planned search and rescue mission for little 2 year, 9 month old Caleigh who went missing from the area of this footbridge along Long Beach Thursday, while walking with her mother, 4 1/2 year old sister, and their family dog.

This will be the third straight day weather has hampered the search, so it will now be Wednesday when 20 state police divers will be helped by side sonar to detect objects.

Speaking for the family outside their home in Gloucester, it's not what her Uncle David wants to hear.

"It's heart wrenching. We don't know, just waiting and waiting and waiting. We have no answers. There's nobody out there looking because we can't. We just have to wait. Mother nature," Harrison Jr. said.

David says this morning in the rain, a group of a couple of dozen people, kept up the search on land.

Her family refuses to give up hope that Caleigh will be found alive.

"I think she is out there somewhere. I'm feeling that she's probably not in the water, I'm thinking that maybe we can find her somewhere," Harrison Jr. added.

Tomorrow's forecast is for 20 mph winds, with 4 to 8 foot seas.

And, state police say at this point, no cause for her disappearance has been ruled out.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

April 26, 2012
Police ending water search for missing toddler
CNHI

- — ROCKPORT, Mass. -- Massachusetts State Police divers are set to end their search for missing Gloucester 2-year-old Caleigh Ann Harrison, one week after the toddler disappeared from Long Beach.

Rockport Police Chief John "Tom" McCarthy emphasized that ending the sea search does not mean ending the investigation into Caleigh's disappearance.

Law enforcement will continue looking into what McCarthy called "any legitimate leads."

The little girl disappeared from the beach, where she had been playing with her 4-year-old sister, Elizabeth, and her mother, Allison Hammond of Gloucester.

Family members said they're clinging to the belief that Caleigh may have been abducted.

However, State Police spokesman David Procopio emphasized Wednesday that there is also no evidence of any abduction.

Police removed the "crime scene" tape that had blocked off access to the area of the beach from which Caleigh disappeared. Procopio had noted that the tape had only signified the area as a "potential crime scene," not a confirmed one.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

I smell a rat!

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
PUBLISHED: 11:36 EST, 5 May 2012 | UPDATED: 12:35 EST, 5 May 2012

The mother and father of Caleigh Harrison, 2, who disappeared during a family trip to the beach in April, say her four-year-old sister saw a man take her away.

Anthony Harrison and Alison Hammond went on the Nancy Grace show to share a drawing little Elizabeth made of the man who may have kidnapped Caleigh.

Massachusetts State Police combed the beach looking for clues to the little girl's disappearance, but insist there's no evidence of foul play.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Holding on to Hope: Anthony Harrison and Alison Hammond went on the Nancy Grace show to share a drawing Caleigh's sister Elizabeth made of the man who may have kidnapped Caleigh

Gone: Caleigh, 2, was last seen playing with her sister on a Rockport, Massachusetts beach

Sister Says: Her sister, Elizabeth, now says a mystery 'mean man' abducted Caleigh

She was last seen by her mother on a footbridge linking Long Beach and Cape Hedge Beach in Rockport.

The spot is near an estuary that was emptying into the ocean as the tide went out. Seas were reported to be 10 to 12 feet with strong rip currents.

The sisters were playing with a ball that bounced over a wall. Their mother went to retrieve it and when she returned, Caleigh was gone.

Police conducted an extensive search of the beach, deploying half a dozen divers to comb the water during a week-long hunt.
They do not suspect any foul play, but the search turned up no clues - so the girl's family suspects she was kidnapped.
'It was a pretty big search and they had a lot of resources there, and I don’t think she’s in the water,' Anthony Harrison said.

Who to Believe? Officials say there is no evidence of foul play, but Elizabeth, 4, drew this photo of the 'abductor'

Sought: Police conducted an extensive search of the beach, deploying half a dozen divers to comb the water

He told Nancy Grace that a few days after the disappearance, Caleigh's sister Elizabeth claimed she saw a mysterious man on the beach.

'She mentions a man. It’s a little bit scattered because she is four years old, but she did after a while mention a man on the beach that took her sister,' Mr Harrison said.

'It’s kind of hard to take a 4-year-old’s word for it, but we’re looking into it.'

Missing: But the search yielded no clues as to Caleigh's whereabouts

Elizabeth calls the abductor the 'mean man' and describes him as wearing black shorts, having facial hair and smoking a cigarette.
Massachusetts State Police spokesman David Procopio said they're prepared to follow any lead thoroughly.

'As we previously stated, we found no evidence to support the abduction theory,' he said to CBS.

'That does not mean that we can say with 100 percent certainty that foul play did not occur, but rather, only that we have found no evidence of it, including no evidence of a mysterious man on the beach.'

Read more: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

I don't see how these parents can be so calm. Something doesn't click here.

May 19, 2012

The parents of Caleigh Harrison are involved in a sort of conflict regarding the missing tot's four-year-old sister and whether or not she's living in a neglectful environment. It was recently reported that a report had been filed with the Department of Children and Families regarding the welfare of the four-year-old in Allison Hammond's custody. It was then released that Anthony Harrison, the father of the missing child and her sibling, is who referred police to file the report.



Now it's being reported that this entire ordeal was merely caused by miscommunication and lack of understanding. Anthony Harrison is claiming that he did not want detectives to file a neglect report with the DCF against Allison, but apparently it's too late for that. What's important is that the environment of the four-year-old girl be investigated thoroughly so as to make sure she is in a proper way.

Allison Hammond left two-year-old Caleigh Harrison and her four-year-old sister Elizabeth alone near the shore of the Atlantic ocean several weeks ago. Instead of taking her children with her to retrieve a ball, or simply ignoring the ball that had gotten away, she chose to abandon the children with no supervision while she walked over 60 to 100 yards away. (Reports vary on distance). Perhaps this neglect report is precisely what's needed, regardless of who inspired it.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

May 18, 2012

The sister of Caleigh Harrison may not be in the best of hands, according to Mass. State officials. Police on the case of the missing tot have filed a report in which they allege the 4-year-old sister is in a neglectful situation. This has been something that has been stressed since the child vanished and Allison Hammond's story didn't jive.



Although police have filed this report with the Department of Children and Families (DCF), they are not clarifying on whether or not one or both of the parents are involved in these allegations. There are also no indications that they are tying this to the disappearance of Caleigh Harrison. Police claim that this is solely for the welfare of 4-year old Elizabeth Harrison.

So what could this neglect report entail? It seems like it would be common sense that this, at the least, somewhat stems from the disappearance of the young child. Had Allison Hammond been an attentive parent and not left her two young children unattended at the shores of the Atlantic, it's safe to say that Caleigh would probably still be here. Police, then, wouldn't have a reason to have looked into the welfare of the sister at all.

While the parents of the missing child insist upon an abduction, police have declared many times that there is just no evidence to support these claims. Could this welfare report also have anything to do with the child's sudden change from not seeing anything the day her sister vanished, to suddenly seeing a mysterious man with a cigarette?

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

May 09, 2012

The search for Caleigh Harrison has produced a new discovery, but it may not be connected to the 2-year-old child's disappearance. Sources are reporting that something that looks like skin washed up around Good Harbor and it has been sent to the crime lab for testing.



It's unlikely that this skin belongs to the tot, as far as what detectives are saying.

"They found some skin, but it doesn't appear that the remains are human," said Detective Steve Mizzoni.

If they're tested as not being human, then that's certainly a relief, but what if their "first sight" test of the remains weren't accurate? It's highly likely that Caleigh Harrison was washed out to sea while her mother allegedly left her two children to retrieve a ball. If the child was washed out to sea, it would be likely that her remains would wash ashore eventually.

Hopefully more information comes out, but it seems that the details of this case are as shady as the lack of real timeline in the case. What needs to be known is whether or not the mother has been investigated at all. Yes, this is a small community and everyone appears to know and look after one another. It's rumored even that Allison Hammond has family in law enforcement in the area. So hopefully detectives are not turning a biased eye away from what could be important to this investigation. Just a thought.

In the meantime, 2-year-old Caleigh Harrison is still missing. She may be in the water, or she may be in the possession of a kidnapper. Police say there is no evidence of an abduction, but if they're willing to investigate the possibility they should also be willing to investigate the other possibilities, as gruesome as they may seem. That includes administering polygraph tests to both parents, using scent dogs in the parents' homes and vehicles, and even requesting to polygraph test the 4-year-old sister, who is quoted as telling investigators that she doesn't "want to get in trouble," for telling what she saw.


[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Caleigh Harrison: No Evidence of Abduction, Parents Investigated

May 23, 2012 05:55 AM EDT

The parents of missing child Caleigh Harrison are being investigated by the Department of Children and Families in Mass., but what has come of it? Recent reports indicate that investigators have spoken "at length" with both parents separately. Could there be any substance to the "neglect" allegations filed?

Keep in mind that the DCF is involved on behalf of the missing tot's four-year-old sister Elizabeth. Two-year-old Caleigh Harrison still has not been found and it's likely that she will not be. Police have publicly acknowledged that there is no evidence of an abduction, and it seems most likely that this is a "tragic accident," meaning the little girl may have been swept out to sea.

Nonetheless, this hasn't stopped DCF from investigating Anthony Harrison and Allison Hammond, the parents of the missing child and her four-year old sister. Do you think the DCF is going to find anything foul with this family? The two are estranged so it's unlikely that both of them would be in any trouble. Remember, that it was Anthony Harrison who expressed worries about the four-year-old in Allison's care.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

I don't think that I believe the ball story. Furthermore, why would anyone leave two young children alone on the beach, close to the water to go and retrieve a ball.

This story sounds fishy to me.

I've Never believed that. What parent would take off after a ball and leave their children alone? No way!

You make me Nite!

May 31, 2012

Unless little Caleigh Harrison is found, or miraculously returns home, as members of her family and people across Cape Ann continue to hold out hope, we may never know whether the issuance of a so-called Amber alert in the minutes and hours after her disappearance from Long Beach last month would ever have made any difference.

But if some good is indeed to come out of what continues to linger as a horrific tragedy, it may well be through getting law enforcement and other officials to take a fresh look at the requirements to be met under the Amber alert guidelines in Massachusetts.

And if it brings about any changes that could indeed provide new protocols that can help locate missing children in the future, that could indeed be a fitting legacy for the Gloucester toddler who vanished without a trace of any hard evidence — on the beach, in the waters of the ocean or Saratoga Creek, or on land, if there was indeed the abduction that family members continue to believe.

It's important to note that no one — from the families to residents who turned out in droves three weeks ago to attend a Stacy Boulevard vigil offering hopes and prayers for Caleigh's return — is blaming local or Massachusetts State Police. By all counts, police and other agencies — including the U.S. Coast Guard in the 30 hours or so after her disappearance — did all they could to identify any clues, speak with any potential witnesses and, yes, search nearby cottages and their grounds with police dogs.

But police — who emphasized, more than usual, from the start that they had not ruled out foul play — never did issue an alert through the nationally-recognized Amber system, the federally coordinated program that, as staff writer Joann Mackenzie's powerful Wednesday story noted, was named for 9-year-old Amber Hagerman, who was abducted and murdered in Arlington, Texas, in 1996.

The system was formally adopted in Massachusetts in 2002. Over the years, it has saved an estimated 250 children, according to the Amber Alert website.

But the Amber Alert system as utilized here includes a number of tight requirements — including that, as stated on the official Amber Alert website, "require law enforcement to confirm an abduction prior to issuing an alert ... as well as descriptive information about the suspect and the suspect's vehicle."

That raises all sorts of problems in the Caleigh case. Given that the little girl, her mother Allison Hammond and her 4-year-old sister Elizabeth, were on the beach, police concentrated their efforts on the premise that Caleigh had gone into the water. While there remains no clear evidence of that, there was certainly no evidence of any abduction, let alone a description of an abductor and, or a vehicle.

Yet, would it have accomplished anything to have posted an Amber Alert putting authorities and residents quickly on the lookout for a 2 1/2-year-old girl, with dirty blonde-colored hair, wearing both a pink top and pink bottoms and with no shoes, having been on the beach?

Couldn't such a specific description of a victim at least have put other authorities and residents on notice of what was happening — especially in these days of advanced social media?

There are reasons, of course, for limiting the protocols for issuing an Amber alert. If, for example, Amber alerts were to go out anytime any child "went missing" for perhaps a half hour, then was found, with an easy explanation for his or her "disappearance," more people would likely give less credibility to any such reports.

But by adhering to the strict, current guidelines — notably the need for describing a vehicle involved in any abduction — authorities may well wrongly be tied to too high a standard, when the only "protocol" really involved should be to find the child.

Whatever happened to little Caleigh Harrison, it seems clear that she somehow fell through the cracks of the Amber alert system, and officials should take a fresh look at how those cracks and loopholes can be filled.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

by Chelsea Hoffman
June 27, 2012 06:20 PM EDT

Caleigh Harrison Update: Family Still Pushing Abduction Theory

The family of missing tot Caleigh Harrison are still insisting that the child was abducted, even though investigators have strenuously tested the theory only to come out with negative results. The child was most likely swept out to sea while her mother wasn't paying attention to her -- which is possibly part of the reason why DCF is investigating Allison Hammond for child neglect regarding her remaining child.

The latest news in her case isn't really of much substance. The family of Caleigh Harrison claim that they will be holding a news conference to "put the abduction theory to rest," but sources reveal that there is no scheduled time for any of these plans. It's just talk for now.

This whole idea of an abduction just seems like a scapegoat, to be honest. Allison Hammond was not watching her daughters while playing on the beach with them. She left a 2-year-old and 4-year-old alone, unattended, while she traveled over 60 yards to retrieve a tennis ball, out of the sight of the two girls. When she returned, 2-year-old Caleigh was gone.

After police interviewed the 4-year-old sister (Elizabeth) they had a specially trained child forensic psychologist interview the girl -- to which there was no help. The girl saw nothing. Since then, the girl changed her story, saying she didn't want to tell what happened or else she'd make her mom and dad angry. What does that mean? Furthermore, the so called description of a man smoking a cigarette seems to be either completely from the depths of the child's imagination or a product of coaching, because no witnesses (and there were very few) saw this person being spoken about, but they did see the two girls in the company of their mother.

This report indicates that Allison Hammond has a history of losing sight of her children due to not paying attention to their safety. The comments made in that article were echoed by a commenter on this piece. Catherine Curcuru is the sister of Anthony Harrison (the father of little Caleigh) and she says that Allison has lost her children at least once or twice while at the beach. One time the 4-year-old was missing for nearly an hour while at Harbor Beach in Gloucester.

In all honesty it just seems that the family's negligence is the cause of this disappearance and that's absolutely sad. No child should have to suffer due to the neglect of the very people who are to keep her safe. No doubt the family is desperate to prove that the child was abducted, but the evidence just doesn't point in that direction.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

In video above, the father seems to accept the fact that Caleigh was swept out to sea rather than abducted--maybe life insurance can be collected sooner if this is the story they choose to go with? Sorry if this sounds unsympathetic, but it just hit me that way...

BOSTON —
A pair of child's pants found entangled in ocean debris on a Gloucester beach is consistent with those worn by a 2-year-old girl who vanished from a Rockport beach last spring, the State Police said Monday.

The case of a missing 2-year-old girl took a turn when a pair of pants consistent with those worn by the girl were found in Gloucester.

The pink capri pants were found on the northern end of Good Harbor Beach in Gloucester by a person walking the beach on Friday, state police said.

The pants are consistent in size, color, and style with those that Caleigh Harrison was wearing when she disappeared while playing on Rockport's Long Beach on April 19, state police said.

The pants, found about a mile south of where the girl was last seen, were shown to members of the child's family, but they have not confirmed if they belonged to Caleigh, state police said.

"Obviously, they would love to be able to put this child to rest and this is the first break in the case," said Maureen Flatley, of the Mission for Missing Children. "I think there is the first possibility that they may be able to recover some remains, which is the best we can hope for."

After more than a week of water, air, and ground searches last spring, as well as an exhaustive missing person investigation by Rockport and State Police, investigators concluded that Caleigh Harrison likely somehow entered the ocean and was pulled out to sea.

No evidence connected to her disappearance was found at that time.
Read more: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Must see video at link.

My question: Was she wearing those pants when her mother allegedly went to go find a ball or was she in a bathing suit????

Thanks, LM. I still say the mother should not have gone to get a damned ball leaving her toddler alone!!!!!

That was me Wrap. I agree but have to say that she made a huge mistake for some reason and I bet she'll be messed up from that for life.

Sorry, Raine. I got confused. Yes, IF this is truly what happened (and I think it IS) has messed up those parents for life!!

November 13, 2012
Renewed search for Caleigh planned for tomorrow

By Marjorie Nesin
Staff Writer

Days after a tattered pair of pink children's pants — similar to the pair toddler Caleigh Harrison wore the day of her disappearance — was found on Gloucester's Good Harbor Beach, a group that promotes the awareness of cases involving missing children will be working with law enforcement officials and others in a renewed search for Caleigh on Wednesday.

Maureen Flatley of Essex, a volunteer with Mission for the Missing, a Boston-based nonprofit, is organizing the search with law enforcement officials, dog teams, and a state forensic anthropologist. The plan, Flatley said in an email to the Times, is to conduct will conduct a land search in the area of the beach Wednesday, beginning at 10:30 a.m. — a time that coincides with the 10:45 high tide.

The search teams, which will include members of Caleigh's family, will meet at 10:30 a.m. for a briefing, then the dog teams will deploy about 11 a.m.

The renewed search will come five days after a shredded pair of pink pants, said by Rockport Police Chief John "Tom" McCarthy to be "very, very similar" to those worn by 2 1/2-year-old Caleigh on April 19, when she disappeared while on an outing with her mother and then-4-year-old sister from Rockport's Long Beach, were found tangled in some lobster gear by a man walking along the shore last Friday.

McCarthy told the Times on Monday that Caleigh's mother, Allison Hammond of Gloucester, was unable to say "with certainty" that the pants are Caleigh's; police officials are sending the pants to a lab to undergo DNA testing.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Would there still be DNA inthe pants if they have been in the water that long?

Great question. There was NO dna on little Caylee's remains..even her little shirt as she was underwater for a good 6 mo.

Slys Hunny wrote:Would there still be DNA inthe pants if they have been in the water that long?

Slys, good question. Here's what I found.
Under no circumstances should evidence containing moisture be sealed in plastic
or paper containers for more than two hours. Moisture allows for the growth of
microorganisms that can destroy or alter evidence.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

thanks for updating this thread.