Search areas: who searched where, when and how

[misty]

No not at the sleepover. And not in the stream at the bottom of the garden.
He was found somewhere it would have been impossible for the search helicopter to fly.
And it would have been interesting trying to send the whole of the Dartmoor Rescue Team there.
"let's split up - you three search at the head end and we'll cover the foot end, look out for spiders"
Yes asleep under the bed. And I was not lying when I told you that under the bed was searched at the beginning - it was.
Two hours later a copper finally had a burst of common sense and decided to search inside again.
Properly this time. Even then at first all they saw was a torch and a pile of clothes.
http://www.exeterexpressandecho.co.uk/Mum-sparked-massive-search-missing-son-hiding-bed/story-20025339-detail/story.html

Dozy mother. Didn't she pull all the stuff out from under the bed?!!
But Madeleine didn't re-surface from anywhere, did she?

[pegasus]

Dozy mother. Didn't she pull all the stuff out from under the bed?!!
But Madeleine didn't re-surface from anywhere, did she?

It that Abbotskerswell case it wasn't just the mother whose search was incomplete
"When police arrived they conducted a quick search of the house but could find no trace."

[misty]

Never been there but recessed in between your gardens are balcony areas and under those are garages.

If there are garages there. why would one be so significantly different to others? Do the dimensions SC mentioned apply to one of 8 under the balconies?

http://www.mccannpjfiles.co.uk/PJ/STEPHEN-CARPENTER.htm
SC: And once the garage door was opened, it was not just a garage for a car, it was a type of "capsule" of about six by nine metres in size which became longer where there was a bed in the corner, and it was when we were searching this, the English man with grey hair whose identity I did not know, but who had explained this to me.

[misty]

It that Abbotskerswell case it wasn't just the mother whose search was incomplete
"When police arrived they conducted a quick search of the house but could find no trace."

Common sense tells me that an officer should have stayed with the mother & performed a thorough search while the exterior search swung into operation. Sadly, common sense seems to be sadly lacking today as it's not available on an app.

[pegasus]

Another 2007 case, in Saltash Cornwall UK.  A 5 year old boy disappears from his bedroom.
"seven helpers and four police officers had turned the house upside down looking"
"His bedroom was searched by 11 different people"
Then followed a two hour search outdoors including a police helicopter and large number of police and volunteers on the ground. Did the helicopter find the boy? No. Did an human find him? No. A four legged expert did. The child had travelled about 0.0003 miles away from the spot he was last seen.
ETA http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-484042/Major-helicopter-search-missing-boy-5-ends-asleep-UNDER-bed.html

[slartibartfast]

As to searching the flat...

This is a little story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody.

There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it.

Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it.

Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody's job.

Everybody thought that Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn't do it.

It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done

[pegasus]

Common sense tells me that an officer should have stayed with the mother & performed a thorough search while the exterior search swung into operation. Sadly, common sense seems to be sadly lacking today as it's not available on an app.

A "common sense" phone app that is a good idea
Or a "how to really thoroughly search a residence" app?
Problem is there was no such app in 2007

[Brietta]

A "common sense" phone app that is a good idea
Or a "how to really thoroughly search a residence" app?
Problem is there was no such app in 2007

Are you concluding that the search for Madeleine overlooked her ... under a bed ... in a cupboard?

If that was so ... why didn't she turn up eventually?

[Alfred R Jones]

Are you concluding that the search for Madeleine overlooked her ... under a bed ... in a cupboard?

If that was so ... why didn't she turn up eventually?

Boy, am I looking forward to the answer to this question!

[pegasus]

This is a little story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody.
There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it.
Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it.
Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody's job.
Everybody thought that Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn't do it.
It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done

Very good Slartibartfast. What happens in many cases and there are dozens of them is that several Somebodies (amateur and police) do look but they are not thorough, and so the centre of the search area is excluded.

[misty]

Very good Slartibartfast. What happens in many cases and there are dozens of them is that several Somebodies (amateur and police) do look but they are not thorough, and so the centre of the search area is excluded.

There was somewhere which was never searched at all in the first 10 days but it is not allowed to be mentioned on this thread. The significance of that cannot be overstated enough.

[slartibartfast]

Very good Slartibartfast. What happens in many cases and there are dozens of them is that several Somebodies (amateur and police) do look but they are not thorough, and so the centre of the search area is excluded.

...and everybody assumes somebody searched thoroughly.

[pegasus]

Are you concluding that the search for Madeleine overlooked her ... under a bed ... in a cupboard?

If that was so ... why didn't she turn up eventually?

No because it would be impossible for all of the searchers inside to miss something like that.

[Brietta]

No because it would be impossible for all of the searchers inside to miss something like that.

Madeleine may indeed have been closer to the centre, at least in the immediate period after she was discovered to be missing. However if the apartment block she vanished from wasn't searched and doors knocked, what chance was there that surrounding residences would be visited.

[Alfred R Jones]

No because it would be impossible for all of the searchers inside to miss something like that.

One the one hand you seem to be saying Madeleine was overlooked in the apartment when it was searched, and on the other you are saying it would have been impossible for searchers to miss her - so, what exactly ARE you saying?