PATROL REPORT
In September
2009, Michaela Heinz and her family moved from Tubmanburg to a rural area, south of River Gee.
Because they thought it was a safe community. At the time of the abduction, Michaela
was in the fifth grade and
because of shyness; she was worrying about
an upcoming field trip. She was
close to her mother, Gabriela
Smiths, and infant sister.
Her biological father had left the family.
Although her mother
had remarried, Michaela
was not close to
her stepfather, Carl Smiths. On November 19, 20 IO, Michaela's mother,
who worked as a typesetter at a print house,
left for work early in the day. At 07 I 5 hours on November 19, 20 IO, Michaela wearing
her favorite all-pink
outfit walked up the hill from her house to catch the school bus, walking
against traffic. After a 10 minute walk, when she was
half way up the hill, a car approached her. She thought the man in the
car would ask for directions. When he rolled down the window, Phillip Schneider
shocked her unconscious with a stun
gun and abducted her. Nancy Schneider
held Michaela down in the car as she drifted in and out of consciousness during the drive to the Schneider home in Sinoe, two hours from Michaela's home. The only time, Michaela
spoke was when she pleaded
that her parents
could not afford a ransom.
Follow-up Report #1
Carl Smiths witnessed the abduction of his
stepdaughter from within sight of their home. He saw two people in a gray sedan
make a U-tum at the school bus stop where, Michaela was waiting, and a woman
forced, Michaela into the car. Smiths gave chase on a bicycle, but he was unable to overtake the vehicle. Some of Michaela's classmates were also witnesses to the abduction. Initial suspects included Carl
and Ken Slayton, Michaela's biological father.
Smiths took and passed several
polygraph tests, and Slayton was also quickly cleared of suspicion. By the time the Schneiders arrived at
their home they had removed Michaela's
clothing, leaving only a
butterfly-shaped ring. Taking her from their car onto their property, Philip Schneider placed a blanket
over Michaela's head and ushered
(took) her into an area of his backyard where sheds
and storage units stood,
placing her inside
a tiny one that was soundproofed. He left her naked
in the structure, which he bolted
shut, warning her that Doberman Pinschers
were outside and trained
to attack her if she tried to escape.
Schneider would visit her in the structure,
bringing her food and milkshakes and just talking to her. A week after her abduction she was raped for the first
time.
Follow-up Report #2
Within hours
of Michaela's disappearance, local and national media converged upon River Gee to
cover the story. Within days, dozens
of local volunteers assisted in the search effort, which involved nearly every
resource within the community. Within weeks, tens of thousands of fliers and posters were mailed throughout Liberia. Since her favorite color was
pink, the town was blanketed in pink
ribbons as a constant reminder of her
disappearance and a demonstrated support for the family throughout the
community.
Follow-up Report #3
Immediately after he kidnapped her, Phillip Schneider
forced Michaela into a shower with him. The first
time he raped her, she was still in handcuffs, in which she remained during her first week captivity. During that time, Michaela's only human contact was Schneider, who
sometimes brought her fast food and sometimes told her amusing stories.
Schneider provided Michaela with a bucket
for her to relieve herself.
At one point he provided
her with TV, but she could not see
the news and was unaware
of the publicized search for her. Almost a month and a half after her kidnapping, Schneider moved her to a larger room next door, where she
was handcuffed to the bed.
Follow-up Report #4
On January 24, 2014, Phillip Schneider went to a university police office with Michaela, seeking permission to
hold a special event on campus as a part of his "God's Desire"
program. He spoke with the
University's special event manager Elizabeth Short.
She perceived his behavior as "erratic" and Michaela
to be "sullen and
submissive." She asked him
to
make an appointment for the next day, which
he did, leaving his name in the process. Officer Sandra Cantu discovered through a background check on Schneider
that he was a registered sex offender on federal parole for kidnapping and rape. Having no basis for
an arrest, she phoned the parole office to relay her concerns, leaving a report of the meeting
on voicemail. After hearing Cantus' recorded
message, two parole agents drove to Schneider house later that day. Upon
arrival. they handcuffed him and searched the house, finding only his wife Nancy and his elderly mother at home. They also recovered
Michaela. Schneider and his wife
were placed under arrest. A parole agent put Michaela
on the telephone with her
mother, Gabriela Smiths. Michaela was soon
reunited with her mother.
QUESTIONS:
I. When did the incident
occur?
2. When did parole agents arrest the accused pair?
3. Who were initially considered
to be suspects to the crime?
4. When the victim was first raped?
5. Who was a witness
to the crime?
6. Who discovered that Schneider was a
registered sex offender?
7. In which month did Schneider move Michaela to a larger room?
8. What was not removed
from the victim's
possession?
9. What was the victim's
favorite color?
10. What was Gabriela Smiths profession?
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