TROTWOOD -- Trotwood Police are looking for a woman who's been missing for nearly a month.Her name is Julie Earley. She is 50-years-old and is a type one diabetic, and needs her medication, which family members say she has not had since she's been missing.





I have a unspoken rule not to comment on open cases unless I see a series of hot spots.



"Something has happened to her it's what I believe," said Cregg Earley, Julie's husband.

People close to a missing person normally out hope that everything is okay.  Why would he believe something happened to her instead of her just going away, especially since he later implies that it is a possibility that it would be okay if she is with another man.  Notice how when he is "hiccup crying" how he holds his gaze on the reporter?  You know the myth about eye contact and eyes, this is a clear case where is is watching the  reporter to see if he is being believed.  Also notice the micro expression of a subtle smile before lowering his gaze, and then the conscious downturn of his lips in a frown.

He last saw her on May 21."I've been her caregiver for over three years, I've clothed her, bathed her there's something not right," he said.


He is attempting to convince us that since he has done all these things for her, that he would not be capable of doing something to her.  "...something not right..."  


Trotwood Police are now searching for her. They and her husband are hoping someone will recognize her and call police.


"I love my wife, I'd do anything for her, always have, I don't know what else to do," said Cregg.


He doesn't know what else to do? There are a million things to do, fliers, more interviews with the media... He is explaining why he isn't do anything else...

Once again, he is trying to convincing us.  Plus the crying- no tears. rubbing the cheeks.

He says the last time he saw his wife, it was after he had a fight with their son."I informed my wife that I didn't want him here for Memorial Day weekend," he said, "We got into an argument but it wasn't that big of an argument to that degree."


"... that big of an argument... to that degree." if it wasn't that big of an argument why mention it in this way, why not say we didn't agree about her son coming over.  Why say fight instead of argument, there is a difference especially  given the circumstances.


He says he later came home, and she was gone. 


Why did he leave? Where did he go? He does not explain this and there is a gap between having the fight, him leaving, him returning, and she being gone...


He noticed some of her medication was missing, and six-thousand-dollars in cash. 


Okay, six thousand dollars in cash?!?! There is currently only a $500 reward for information about her and her return.  Where did $6000 come from, why in cash. Why imply that she left on her own.  Why "some" of her medicine and not all of it- that doesn't make sense either.


But he doesn't believe she left on her own because they just bought their home in January, her clothes are in her closet, and her family photos are still on the shelf."


The logic here doesn't make any sense, in one sentence imply she left on her own, the next say she didn't leave on her own... who did she leave with? Really clothes and pictures? Now the logic flow is that she'd want to leave him on her own and would be reasonable move out and take all of her belongings... 


My wife wouldn't have left her pictures and she left all her pictures and didn't take them," Cregg said, "Even if she left me for another man at least I know she's OK."


Obviously, the intelligence level of the "suspect" is helping all of us understand what is going on here...  

This is an interesting case from the police's standpoint.  How do you confront about the inconsistencies in his statement?  Well, on three occasions he skirts and speculates that bad things happened to her; these are hot spots and whenever I hear things that could be very true if something bad happened to her it is time to encourage his "speculation"  by asking him questions like, "if something bad happened to her where would she end up?" Relying on his intuition and  intimate knowledge of the victim (and likelihood that he had something to do with it) he would continue to give clues.  I have heard statements from people that actually say things like they need to expand the search area.  You could also imply that we cannot put this behind us all until we have closure and find her, alive or dead. Until that point there will always be questions and her family asking questions- you'd be amazed how often something is remembered- "she always like going hunting with me down by the river..."  The goal of someone who committed a crime is to get out of the crossfire as quickly as possible, whereas if someone had nothing to do with it they would want to remain in the mist of the situation seeking both answers and justice for their loved one. Of course the police would play to his level and act like there is ,and was, no way he'd have anything to do with this- "I can tell you cared about her, and cared for her over the last years with her health problems.  Work with us, be on our team, help us think through all this, brainstorm with us..."

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