Stephanie Faris's Blog, page 29
April 28, 2016
X Is for X Marks the Spot
This month I'm participating in the A to Z Challenge. My theme this year is Unsolved Mysteries. Today's letter is:
I'm going to be honest. X sucks! I think it sucks for almost everyone, every year. So this year I'm fudging a little and use a term that is attached to treasure maps.
So far this month I've covered missing people, missing airplanes, and even a vanishing boat...but the case of the missing colony may be the largest group I've covered so far. The Roanoke Colony was settled in 1585, during a time when Europeans were beginning to settle in Virginia.
Soon after the colony was established, the settlers were running out of food and tools. John White, who had been named governor of the area, volunteered to travel back to England to get the supplies they needed. He said he'd be back the next year.
A picture of a ship similar to John White's.
He left his wife, his daughter, and his grandaughter, who was the first baby born in the New World to English parents.
Unfortunately, John White encountered several obstacles. It was a full three years before he returned to Roanoke. When he arrived, the area was completely deserted. The only clue was a word carved into a tree: "Croatoan."
Croatoan was the name of a nearby island, as well as a Native American tribe in the area. Over the years, several clues have arisen that might answer the mystery. Recent archaeological finds suggest the colonists may have split into two groups, settling into two Native American colonies. These finds include items that were distinctly European and unlikely to have belonged to Native Americans.
Unfortunately, John White never located his family in his lifetime, although he never gave up searching.
Do you believe the colonists simply relocated? Or did they meet with some sort of tragic end?
⬅️ W Is for the Woolpit Green Children
I'm going to be honest. X sucks! I think it sucks for almost everyone, every year. So this year I'm fudging a little and use a term that is attached to treasure maps.
So far this month I've covered missing people, missing airplanes, and even a vanishing boat...but the case of the missing colony may be the largest group I've covered so far. The Roanoke Colony was settled in 1585, during a time when Europeans were beginning to settle in Virginia.
Soon after the colony was established, the settlers were running out of food and tools. John White, who had been named governor of the area, volunteered to travel back to England to get the supplies they needed. He said he'd be back the next year.
A picture of a ship similar to John White's.He left his wife, his daughter, and his grandaughter, who was the first baby born in the New World to English parents.
Unfortunately, John White encountered several obstacles. It was a full three years before he returned to Roanoke. When he arrived, the area was completely deserted. The only clue was a word carved into a tree: "Croatoan."
Croatoan was the name of a nearby island, as well as a Native American tribe in the area. Over the years, several clues have arisen that might answer the mystery. Recent archaeological finds suggest the colonists may have split into two groups, settling into two Native American colonies. These finds include items that were distinctly European and unlikely to have belonged to Native Americans.
Unfortunately, John White never located his family in his lifetime, although he never gave up searching.
Do you believe the colonists simply relocated? Or did they meet with some sort of tragic end?
⬅️ W Is for the Woolpit Green Children
April 27, 2016
W Is for the Woolpit Green Children
This month I'm participating in the A to Z Challenge. My theme this year is Unsolved Mysteries. Today's letter is:
It was harvest time in the mid-12th century when villagers discovered two children beside one of the wolf pits. They had an odd color that many described as green. They spoke an unknown language and their clothing was unfamiliar to the villagers.
The villagers took them in and began feeding them. Soon they lost their green color and began to acclimate. Unfortunately, the boy died soon after being baptized.
Sign in the village, erected in 1977. Photo credit: Wikipedia
The older sister found a way to communicate with the villagers. She explained they were brother and sister, from "the land of St. Martin." In St. Martin, she explained, it was always twilight and everything was green.
Illustration by Randolph Caldecott. Photo credit: Wikipedia
She told the villagers that one day, she and her brother followed the sound of some bells, somehow made their way into a cave, and were later discovered near the wolf pit.
Some say the language the children were speaking may have been Flemish, since many immigrants were in the area at the time. They believe the children were green due to a disease known as hypochromic anemia, otherwise known as "green disease." That would explain why the green tinge would have disappeared once they began eating.
But some have more other-worldly explanations. Is it possible the land of St. Martin actually exists? Or were the two children merely malnourished?
⬅️ V Is for Vermont's Bennington Triangle
It was harvest time in the mid-12th century when villagers discovered two children beside one of the wolf pits. They had an odd color that many described as green. They spoke an unknown language and their clothing was unfamiliar to the villagers.
The villagers took them in and began feeding them. Soon they lost their green color and began to acclimate. Unfortunately, the boy died soon after being baptized.
Sign in the village, erected in 1977. Photo credit: WikipediaThe older sister found a way to communicate with the villagers. She explained they were brother and sister, from "the land of St. Martin." In St. Martin, she explained, it was always twilight and everything was green.
Illustration by Randolph Caldecott. Photo credit: WikipediaShe told the villagers that one day, she and her brother followed the sound of some bells, somehow made their way into a cave, and were later discovered near the wolf pit.
Some say the language the children were speaking may have been Flemish, since many immigrants were in the area at the time. They believe the children were green due to a disease known as hypochromic anemia, otherwise known as "green disease." That would explain why the green tinge would have disappeared once they began eating.
But some have more other-worldly explanations. Is it possible the land of St. Martin actually exists? Or were the two children merely malnourished?
⬅️ V Is for Vermont's Bennington Triangle
April 26, 2016
V Is for Vermont’s Bennington Triangle
This month I'm participating in the A to Z Challenge. My theme this year is Unsolved Mysteries. Today's letter is:
On December 1, 1946, 18-year-old Paula Welden went on a hike in an area of Vermont known as the Long Trail. It was a few miles away from Bennington College, where she was an art major.
Paula Welden
She hitchhiked her way there. A local contractor picked her up and dropped her off at the trail that afternoon. She was seen on the trail by several people that afternoon. At approximately 4pm, she approached a man and asked how far the trail went. An elderly couple who were walking 100 feet behind her said they saw her turn a corner and when they got to the corner, she was nowhere in sight.
Paula was one of five people who went missing in the area between 1945 and 1950. The cases have led to the area being nicknamed "The Bennington Triangle" after the similarly legendary Bermuda Triangle. Legend goes that if you enter the woods, you may never emerge.
The last missing person was Frieda Langer, who disappeared in 1950 while hiking with her cousin. She slipped and fell in a stream, at which point she said she was going back to the campsite to change. She was never seen again.
Frieda Langer
Locals say the area was deemed "cursed" by Native Americans, who always avoided it. Over the years, there have been numerous claims about the area, including reported sightings of UFOs, hairy "wild men," and strange beasts.
Were these disappearances connected to the same killer? Or is there a more supernatural explanation?
⬅️ U Is for UFOs
On December 1, 1946, 18-year-old Paula Welden went on a hike in an area of Vermont known as the Long Trail. It was a few miles away from Bennington College, where she was an art major.
Paula WeldenShe hitchhiked her way there. A local contractor picked her up and dropped her off at the trail that afternoon. She was seen on the trail by several people that afternoon. At approximately 4pm, she approached a man and asked how far the trail went. An elderly couple who were walking 100 feet behind her said they saw her turn a corner and when they got to the corner, she was nowhere in sight.
Paula was one of five people who went missing in the area between 1945 and 1950. The cases have led to the area being nicknamed "The Bennington Triangle" after the similarly legendary Bermuda Triangle. Legend goes that if you enter the woods, you may never emerge.
The last missing person was Frieda Langer, who disappeared in 1950 while hiking with her cousin. She slipped and fell in a stream, at which point she said she was going back to the campsite to change. She was never seen again.
Frieda LangerLocals say the area was deemed "cursed" by Native Americans, who always avoided it. Over the years, there have been numerous claims about the area, including reported sightings of UFOs, hairy "wild men," and strange beasts.
Were these disappearances connected to the same killer? Or is there a more supernatural explanation?
⬅️ U Is for UFOs
April 25, 2016
U Is for UFOs
This month I'm participating in the A to Z Challenge. My theme this year is Unsolved Mysteries. Today's letter is:
On November 5, 1975, Travis Walton finished his work for the day in the woods near Turkey Springs, Arizona. He and his fellow workers piled into a truck to head home.
Just before leaving, they saw a yellowish light peeking out from behind a hill. As they drew closer, they say they saw a disc hovering just below some tree tops.
The men said when the driver stopped the truck, Travis jumped out and ran toward the disc, ignoring their cries for him to come back. As he drew closer, the disc made a strange noise, at which point he started to turn away. Before he could get away, though, the men say a beam of light shot out, pulled Travis in the air and held him for a while, then was shot back toward the ground. His coworkers panicked and drove off.
In the days that followed, the area was searched on foot, on horse, and with helicopters. No trace of Travis Walton was found. Then, on November 10th--five days after he'd disappeared--Travis Walton reappeared at an Exxon station more than seven hours away from where he'd disappeared.
To this day, Travis stands by his detailed account of what happened to him during those five days. He claims he was poked, prodded, and otherwise studied by creatures who looked a lot like the "aliens" we see depicted in film and TV today.
There are those who say the whole thing was an elaborate hoax. When he returned, Travis would only speak to media outlets that paid him. Plus he failed a lie detector test. Plus others in his family have claimed UFO sightings over the years. Plus, to this day, Travis has continued to make money off of his UFO story through books and speaking engagements.
To do that, though, he would have had to have fooled the six guys who were with him, who swear they saw a disc hovering in the sky that zapped Travis with a light...
Do you think Travis's tale is true? Or was it all an elaborate money-making scheme? Do you believe extraterrestrials exist?
⬅️ T Is for Tara Grinstead
On November 5, 1975, Travis Walton finished his work for the day in the woods near Turkey Springs, Arizona. He and his fellow workers piled into a truck to head home.
Just before leaving, they saw a yellowish light peeking out from behind a hill. As they drew closer, they say they saw a disc hovering just below some tree tops.
The men said when the driver stopped the truck, Travis jumped out and ran toward the disc, ignoring their cries for him to come back. As he drew closer, the disc made a strange noise, at which point he started to turn away. Before he could get away, though, the men say a beam of light shot out, pulled Travis in the air and held him for a while, then was shot back toward the ground. His coworkers panicked and drove off.
In the days that followed, the area was searched on foot, on horse, and with helicopters. No trace of Travis Walton was found. Then, on November 10th--five days after he'd disappeared--Travis Walton reappeared at an Exxon station more than seven hours away from where he'd disappeared.
To this day, Travis stands by his detailed account of what happened to him during those five days. He claims he was poked, prodded, and otherwise studied by creatures who looked a lot like the "aliens" we see depicted in film and TV today.
There are those who say the whole thing was an elaborate hoax. When he returned, Travis would only speak to media outlets that paid him. Plus he failed a lie detector test. Plus others in his family have claimed UFO sightings over the years. Plus, to this day, Travis has continued to make money off of his UFO story through books and speaking engagements.
To do that, though, he would have had to have fooled the six guys who were with him, who swear they saw a disc hovering in the sky that zapped Travis with a light...
Do you think Travis's tale is true? Or was it all an elaborate money-making scheme? Do you believe extraterrestrials exist?
⬅️ T Is for Tara Grinstead
April 24, 2016
Cover Reveal: Catalyst by Kristin Smith
Today is a very special day on my blog. We're celebrating the first book for one of my favorite people, Kristin Smith. You've probably seen Kristin around here a lot over the past couple of years. Now she has a book of her own...and I get to help with her cover reveal!
Ready to see her beautiful cover? Scroll down to read more about it.
Blurb:
Too pretty.
Too smart.
Too perfect.
In a crumbling, futuristic Las Vegas where the wealthy choose the characteristics of their children like ordering off a drive-thru menu, seventeen-year-old Sienna Preston doesn’t fit in. As a normal girl surrounded by genetically modified teens, all of her imperfections are on display. But after the death of her father, everything she's ever known and loved changes in an instant.
With little skills to help provide for her family, Sienna clings to the two things that come easily—lying and stealing. But not all thief-for-hire assignments go as planned. When a covert exchange of a stolen computer chip is intercepted, she becomes entangled with a corrupt government official who uses her thieving past as leverage, her mother as collateral, and the genetically modified poster boy she’s falling for as bait.
In order to rescue her mother, there may only be one option—joining forces with the Fringe, an extremist group, and their young leader who’s too hot to be bad. Problem is, these revolutionaries aren’t what they seem, and the secrets they’re hiding could be more dangerous than Sienna is prepared for. In the end, she must be willing to risk everything to save the one thing that matters most.
Bio:
Kristin Smith writes young adult contemporary and science fiction novels. When she’s not writing, you can find her dreaming about the beach, beating her boys at Just Dance, or belting out karaoke (from the comfort of her own home). Kristin currently resides in the middle-of-nowhere North Carolina with her husband and five incredibly loud but extremely cute boys. To read more about her obsession with YA novels or her addiction to chocolate, you can visit her at kristinsmithbooks.com.
Links:
Website| Blog| Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
Ready to see her beautiful cover? Scroll down to read more about it.
Blurb:
Too pretty.
Too smart.
Too perfect.
In a crumbling, futuristic Las Vegas where the wealthy choose the characteristics of their children like ordering off a drive-thru menu, seventeen-year-old Sienna Preston doesn’t fit in. As a normal girl surrounded by genetically modified teens, all of her imperfections are on display. But after the death of her father, everything she's ever known and loved changes in an instant.
With little skills to help provide for her family, Sienna clings to the two things that come easily—lying and stealing. But not all thief-for-hire assignments go as planned. When a covert exchange of a stolen computer chip is intercepted, she becomes entangled with a corrupt government official who uses her thieving past as leverage, her mother as collateral, and the genetically modified poster boy she’s falling for as bait.
In order to rescue her mother, there may only be one option—joining forces with the Fringe, an extremist group, and their young leader who’s too hot to be bad. Problem is, these revolutionaries aren’t what they seem, and the secrets they’re hiding could be more dangerous than Sienna is prepared for. In the end, she must be willing to risk everything to save the one thing that matters most.
Bio:
Kristin Smith writes young adult contemporary and science fiction novels. When she’s not writing, you can find her dreaming about the beach, beating her boys at Just Dance, or belting out karaoke (from the comfort of her own home). Kristin currently resides in the middle-of-nowhere North Carolina with her husband and five incredibly loud but extremely cute boys. To read more about her obsession with YA novels or her addiction to chocolate, you can visit her at kristinsmithbooks.com.Links:
Website| Blog| Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
Cover Reveal: Catalyst By Kristin Smith
Today is a very special day on my blog. We're celebrating the first book for one of my favorite people, Kristin Smith. You've probably seen Kristin around here a lot over the past couple of years. Now she has a book of her own...and I get to help with her cover reveal!
Ready to see her beautiful cover? Scroll down to read more about it.
Blurb:
Too pretty.
Too smart.
Too perfect.
In a crumbling, futuristic Las Vegas where the wealthy choose the characteristics of their children like ordering off a drive-thru menu, seventeen-year-old Sienna Preston doesn’t fit in. As a normal girl surrounded by genetically modified teens, all of her imperfections are on display. But after the death of her father, everything she's ever known and loved changes in an instant.
With little skills to help provide for her family, Sienna clings to the two things that come easily—lying and stealing. But not all thief-for-hire assignments go as planned. When a covert exchange of a stolen computer chip is intercepted, she becomes entangled with a corrupt government official who uses her thieving past as leverage, her mother as collateral, and the genetically modified poster boy she’s falling for as bait.
In order to rescue her mother, there may only be one option—joining forces with the Fringe, an extremist group, and their young leader who’s too hot to be bad. Problem is, these revolutionaries aren’t what they seem, and the secrets they’re hiding could be more dangerous than Sienna is prepared for. In the end, she must be willing to risk everything to save the one thing that matters most.
Bio:
Kristin Smith writes young adult contemporary and science fiction novels. When she’s not writing, you can find her dreaming about the beach, beating her boys at Just Dance, or belting out karaoke (from the comfort of her own home). Kristin currently resides in the middle-of-nowhere North Carolina with her husband and five incredibly loud but extremely cute boys. To read more about her obsession with YA novels or her addiction to chocolate, you can visit her at kristinsmithbooks.com.
Links:
Website| Blog| Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
Ready to see her beautiful cover? Scroll down to read more about it.
Blurb:
Too pretty.
Too smart.
Too perfect.
In a crumbling, futuristic Las Vegas where the wealthy choose the characteristics of their children like ordering off a drive-thru menu, seventeen-year-old Sienna Preston doesn’t fit in. As a normal girl surrounded by genetically modified teens, all of her imperfections are on display. But after the death of her father, everything she's ever known and loved changes in an instant.
With little skills to help provide for her family, Sienna clings to the two things that come easily—lying and stealing. But not all thief-for-hire assignments go as planned. When a covert exchange of a stolen computer chip is intercepted, she becomes entangled with a corrupt government official who uses her thieving past as leverage, her mother as collateral, and the genetically modified poster boy she’s falling for as bait.
In order to rescue her mother, there may only be one option—joining forces with the Fringe, an extremist group, and their young leader who’s too hot to be bad. Problem is, these revolutionaries aren’t what they seem, and the secrets they’re hiding could be more dangerous than Sienna is prepared for. In the end, she must be willing to risk everything to save the one thing that matters most.
Bio:
Kristin Smith writes young adult contemporary and science fiction novels. When she’s not writing, you can find her dreaming about the beach, beating her boys at Just Dance, or belting out karaoke (from the comfort of her own home). Kristin currently resides in the middle-of-nowhere North Carolina with her husband and five incredibly loud but extremely cute boys. To read more about her obsession with YA novels or her addiction to chocolate, you can visit her at kristinsmithbooks.com.Links:
Website| Blog| Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
April 23, 2016
T Is for Tara Grinstead
This month I'm participating in the A to Z Challenge. My theme this year is Unsolved Mysteries. Today's letter is:
Tara Grinstead was a former beauty pageant contestant, having competed for Miss Georgia in 1999. She used her pageant winnings to pay for college.
On October 22nd, 2005, she spent the morning helping a group of girls prepare for the Miss Georgia Sweet Potato pageant.
On the evening of October 22nd, she was seen at a cookout with some friends from school. She left the barbecue at approximately 11 p.m., saying she was going home to watch the video of the Sweet Potato pageant. Normally when she arrived home, though, she'd turn on a lamp to let neighbors know she'd made it safely. That night, the lamp never came on.
On Monday morning, when Tara didn't show up at the school where she worked, friends contacted the local police department. When officers arrived, they found her car in its usual spot. Inside the unlocked car was an envelope with $100 in cash. Everything looked normal inside the house.
The clothes she'd been wearing at the cookout were on the floor. Her bed looked slept in and her cell phone was on the charger. It looked like she'd arrived home and left the house temporarily. Outside the house was a business card wedged in the door and a latex glove on the ground.
Police believed a crime had occurred at the residence, but they've yet to pinpoint a credible suspect. A man's DNA was found on the glove. In 2008, the case received renewed attention when it was connected to the disappearance of Jennifer Kesse in Orlando three months later.
Jennifer arrived home on Monday, January 23rd, called first her parents and then her boyfriend, and said she was going to bed. Police believe she was abducted the next morning as she walked to her car to go to work. This man was seen parking her car and walking away. He has never been identified.
Do you believe the two cases are connected?
⬅️ S Is for the Springfield Three
Tara Grinstead was a former beauty pageant contestant, having competed for Miss Georgia in 1999. She used her pageant winnings to pay for college.
On October 22nd, 2005, she spent the morning helping a group of girls prepare for the Miss Georgia Sweet Potato pageant.
On the evening of October 22nd, she was seen at a cookout with some friends from school. She left the barbecue at approximately 11 p.m., saying she was going home to watch the video of the Sweet Potato pageant. Normally when she arrived home, though, she'd turn on a lamp to let neighbors know she'd made it safely. That night, the lamp never came on.
On Monday morning, when Tara didn't show up at the school where she worked, friends contacted the local police department. When officers arrived, they found her car in its usual spot. Inside the unlocked car was an envelope with $100 in cash. Everything looked normal inside the house.
The clothes she'd been wearing at the cookout were on the floor. Her bed looked slept in and her cell phone was on the charger. It looked like she'd arrived home and left the house temporarily. Outside the house was a business card wedged in the door and a latex glove on the ground.
Police believed a crime had occurred at the residence, but they've yet to pinpoint a credible suspect. A man's DNA was found on the glove. In 2008, the case received renewed attention when it was connected to the disappearance of Jennifer Kesse in Orlando three months later.
Jennifer arrived home on Monday, January 23rd, called first her parents and then her boyfriend, and said she was going to bed. Police believe she was abducted the next morning as she walked to her car to go to work. This man was seen parking her car and walking away. He has never been identified.
Do you believe the two cases are connected?
⬅️ S Is for the Springfield Three
April 22, 2016
S Is for The Springfield Three
This month I'm participating in the A to Z Challenge. My theme this year is Unsolved Mysteries. Today's letter is:
Every year, more than 900,000 people are reported missing in the U.S. Most often they've disappeared voluntarily. As common as disappearances are, however, it's very rare that three people vanish without a trace at the same time.
That is exactly what happened with the "Springfield Three."
On June 6, 1992, Suzie Streeter and Stacy McCall graduated from Kickapoo High School in Springfield, Missouri.
Janelle Kirby (left), Stacy McCall (center), and Suzie Streeter (right)
After the ceremony, they attended several graduation parties. At the end of the evening, they decided to spend the night at Suzie's house with her mom, Sherill Leavitt. Their friend, Janelle (pictured above) last saw them leaving in separate cars around 2 a.m.
Stacy, Suzie, and Suzie's mom, Sherill Leavitt
Around 9 a.m. the next morning, Janelle began trying to reach her friends by phone. She and her boyfriend drove to the house, finding all three cars in the driveway. As they walked to the front door, they saw that the globe covering the porch light had been shattered and glass was all over the steps.
Sherill Leavitt's house. Photo credit: Disappeared, Discovery ID
When they entered the house, nobody was inside. Both beds looked slept in and the cloths that they'd used to remove their makeup were still on the counter. In addition to their cars, their purses, cigarettes, keys, and other personal items had been left behind.
By the time police arrived, the scene had been contaminated by friends and family members who were searching for clues. There were many leads that emerged in the years that followed, but perhaps the most disturbing was one involving a van that looked similar to this:
Photo credit: Missing & Unidentified People
A resident more than a mile away from Sherrill's house said at around 6:30 a.m. on the morning of June 7, a van turned around in her driveway. She said Suzie Streeter was driving the van. The woman said it looked like Suzie had been crying. She heard a man in the back seat tell the girl not to do anything stupid, just to get them out of there.
What do you think happened to the Springfield Three?
⬅️ R Is for Robyn Gardner
Every year, more than 900,000 people are reported missing in the U.S. Most often they've disappeared voluntarily. As common as disappearances are, however, it's very rare that three people vanish without a trace at the same time.
That is exactly what happened with the "Springfield Three."
On June 6, 1992, Suzie Streeter and Stacy McCall graduated from Kickapoo High School in Springfield, Missouri.
Janelle Kirby (left), Stacy McCall (center), and Suzie Streeter (right)After the ceremony, they attended several graduation parties. At the end of the evening, they decided to spend the night at Suzie's house with her mom, Sherill Leavitt. Their friend, Janelle (pictured above) last saw them leaving in separate cars around 2 a.m.
Stacy, Suzie, and Suzie's mom, Sherill LeavittAround 9 a.m. the next morning, Janelle began trying to reach her friends by phone. She and her boyfriend drove to the house, finding all three cars in the driveway. As they walked to the front door, they saw that the globe covering the porch light had been shattered and glass was all over the steps.
Sherill Leavitt's house. Photo credit: Disappeared, Discovery IDWhen they entered the house, nobody was inside. Both beds looked slept in and the cloths that they'd used to remove their makeup were still on the counter. In addition to their cars, their purses, cigarettes, keys, and other personal items had been left behind.
By the time police arrived, the scene had been contaminated by friends and family members who were searching for clues. There were many leads that emerged in the years that followed, but perhaps the most disturbing was one involving a van that looked similar to this:
Photo credit: Missing & Unidentified PeopleA resident more than a mile away from Sherrill's house said at around 6:30 a.m. on the morning of June 7, a van turned around in her driveway. She said Suzie Streeter was driving the van. The woman said it looked like Suzie had been crying. She heard a man in the back seat tell the girl not to do anything stupid, just to get them out of there.
What do you think happened to the Springfield Three?
⬅️ R Is for Robyn Gardner
April 21, 2016
R Is for Robyn Gardner
This month I'm participating in the A to Z Challenge. My theme this year is Unsolved Mysteries. Today's letter is:
Nothing can be worse than murder. But there's something innately tragic about someone getting away with it. Especially when that person seems a little too smug about it.
Gary Giordano was on vacation in Aruba with Robyn Gardner when she disappeared. She'd actually snuck away for the trip, telling her boyfriend she was going on vacation with her parents. Robyn and Gary had been friends for a while and when he offered her a free trip to Aruba, she decided to go.
Robyn was last seen on August 2nd, 2011 at a local restaurant with Gary. She was dressed up, in full makeup, and drinking heavily. This was a photo snapped of them as they entered the restaurant:
Her attire is notable because, according to Gary, their plans for the day were to go snorkeling. Two hours later, he reported her missing.
Police in the area began investigating. Before they could get too far, though, Gary disappeared. Police found him at the airport, where he'd switched his flight so that he could leave early. They arrested him...
...but eventually they had to let him go due to lack of evidence. According to Gary, they were snorkeling when Robyn was pulled out to sea. He returned to the bar where they'd had lunch and reported her missing, but there was no urgency in his step. The surveillance video shows him moving fairly slowly and casually.
Friends and family say Robyn would never have gone snorkeling. She was a girly girl, all the way.
Plus, Gary had travel insurance on her. He even sued for it when the insurance company denied the claim. He also has a troubled past with women. There are court papers showing his ex-wife said he has trouble controlling his anger.
But mostly, if you ever see Gary Giordano in an interview, you want to smack the living daylights out of the guy. He's a smug jerk. Most interviewers end up snapping at him because of it. Here's a preview of a Dr. Phil segment he did.
What do you think happened to Robyn Gardner?
⬅️ Q Is for Queensland's Mystery Craters
Nothing can be worse than murder. But there's something innately tragic about someone getting away with it. Especially when that person seems a little too smug about it.
Gary Giordano was on vacation in Aruba with Robyn Gardner when she disappeared. She'd actually snuck away for the trip, telling her boyfriend she was going on vacation with her parents. Robyn and Gary had been friends for a while and when he offered her a free trip to Aruba, she decided to go.
Robyn was last seen on August 2nd, 2011 at a local restaurant with Gary. She was dressed up, in full makeup, and drinking heavily. This was a photo snapped of them as they entered the restaurant:
Her attire is notable because, according to Gary, their plans for the day were to go snorkeling. Two hours later, he reported her missing.
Police in the area began investigating. Before they could get too far, though, Gary disappeared. Police found him at the airport, where he'd switched his flight so that he could leave early. They arrested him...
...but eventually they had to let him go due to lack of evidence. According to Gary, they were snorkeling when Robyn was pulled out to sea. He returned to the bar where they'd had lunch and reported her missing, but there was no urgency in his step. The surveillance video shows him moving fairly slowly and casually.
Friends and family say Robyn would never have gone snorkeling. She was a girly girl, all the way.
Plus, Gary had travel insurance on her. He even sued for it when the insurance company denied the claim. He also has a troubled past with women. There are court papers showing his ex-wife said he has trouble controlling his anger.
But mostly, if you ever see Gary Giordano in an interview, you want to smack the living daylights out of the guy. He's a smug jerk. Most interviewers end up snapping at him because of it. Here's a preview of a Dr. Phil segment he did.
What do you think happened to Robyn Gardner?
⬅️ Q Is for Queensland's Mystery Craters
April 20, 2016
Q Is for Queensland’s Mystery Craters
This month I'm participating in the A to Z Challenge. My theme this year is Unsolved Mysteries. Today's letter is:
In 1971, a farmer was digging in his field near Bundaberg, Queensland when he discovered 35 water-filled craters.
The owners of the property have turned the craters into a tourist attraction, which has led some to believe they were manmade in nature.
But some geologists believe the craters are sinkholes that were caused by "the collapse of overlying strata into underground voids produced by tunnel erosion."
Scientists say the craters are made of sandstone and are at least 25 million years old. So while the property owners are certainly guilty of monetizing this unexplained phenomenon, it appears they've been around a while.
Some prefer to be more imaginative with their ideas. They think maybe the craters were formed by this:
Or perhaps a meteor...
What do you think caused the mystery craters?
⬅️ P Is for The Pollock Twins
In 1971, a farmer was digging in his field near Bundaberg, Queensland when he discovered 35 water-filled craters.
The owners of the property have turned the craters into a tourist attraction, which has led some to believe they were manmade in nature.
But some geologists believe the craters are sinkholes that were caused by "the collapse of overlying strata into underground voids produced by tunnel erosion."
Scientists say the craters are made of sandstone and are at least 25 million years old. So while the property owners are certainly guilty of monetizing this unexplained phenomenon, it appears they've been around a while.
Some prefer to be more imaginative with their ideas. They think maybe the craters were formed by this:
Or perhaps a meteor...
What do you think caused the mystery craters?
⬅️ P Is for The Pollock Twins
