HAILEY DUNN - 13 yo (2010) - Colorado City (W of Abilene) TX

Meaning of Failed Polygraphs in Hailey Dunn Case

Reported by: Tim Johnston
Thursday, January 06 2011
"They asked if I knew anything about the disappearance of Hailey," said Billie Dunn, the mother of the missing Colorado City teen, on her second appearance on "Nancy Grace."

There she was asked about the polygraph test that she and boyfriend, Shawn Adkins took.

"He took his, I went in, they told me he failed it, I lost it," said Hailey.

She went on to say, "They took me to the courthouse, I took the polygraph test, I failed it."

So what does this mean when both people closely connected to Hailey fail the test?

"If there is a failure or a deception indicated, generally speaking it would indicate the person quite possibly could have some knowledge or involvement in the disappearance of the person," explained Mike Gougler, a polygraph expert

Gougler is not directly involved with this search, and could not speak about the case specifically, but in his experience he says these type of tests can really aid in the investigation.

"When they start running polygraphs early on, they're trying to eliminate people so they can focus their efforts on the most important factor, and that's the safe recovery of the individual that has disappeared."

Gougler says everyone who takes a polygraph is typically told afterwards if they passed or failed, so that's not unusual, but it's unknown if Billie Dunn's claim to know the results of her boyfriend's test will have any impact on this investigation.
http://bigcountryhomepage.com/fulltext/?nxd_id=328967

Residents Asked To Join Search For Hailey Dunn In Colorado City
By George Levesque, KTXS News Director
POSTED: 9:51 am CST January 7, 2011
UPDATED: 10:07 am CST January 7, 2011
COLORADO CITY, Texas -- Residents in Colorado City are being asked to join the search for missing teenager Hailey Dunn.

According to a local radio station, residents are being asked to gather at the Mitchell County Courthouse in Colorado City at 2 p.m. to create search parties.

The residents would join the efforts of 12 law enforcement and missing child agencies, including the FBI, that have combined efforts to work on the case of the missing Colorado Middle School student.

Hailey, 13, has been missing since Dec. 27.

Since the story was first reported on Dec. 29 by KTXS, the case almost daily has received increasing attention – from law enforcement agencies and the media, including two broadcasts on the HLN Network’s “Nancy Grace Show.”

Hailey’s mother, Billie Dunn, said Thursday night that both she and her live-in boyfriend Shawn Adkins had failed polygraph tests.

Adkins failed the test first, she said. Then after being told about Adkin’s failure, Billie Dunn said she failed the test also. Both said they had taken medication that may have affected the test results.

Extended family members have made unconfirmed and conflicting statements that other family members have also failed polygraph tests related to the case.

Billie Dunn said she asked Adkins to leave her home because she "didn't know what to think anymore." According to Billie Dunn, Adkins was now staying with his grandmother.

Search helicopters from the Texas Department of Public Safety and billboards along Interstate 20 donated by Lamar Advertising are being used to raise awareness.

Search officials used helicopters, horses and dogs – and even state prison inmates – to search creek beds in Colorado City and the perimeter of the city Wednesday and Thursday.

Hailey was last seen on Dec. 27 when she reportedly told Adkins that she was spending the night with a friend.

However, she never made it to the friend’s house, and the friend has said she didn’t know Hailey was coming – that they hadn’t made plans for her to spend the night.

No statewide Amber Alert has been issued because the case has not met the criteria for issuing such an alert.
http://www.ktxs.com/news/26400628/detail.html

UPDATE: Elite Search Group on Standby in Dunn Case

Friday Morning Update:
The Dunn family has requested that Texas Equusearch takes part in the search for 13-year-old Hailey Dunn, according to TES member Cheryl Manchac.
Manchac says TES has been in contact with local law enforcement and they are currently on standby to assist.

The group says its currently working with authorities to formulate a plan about whether Equusearch should be involved and where they might be needed most.


http://bigcountryhomepage.com/fulltext/?nxd_id=328916

TES flyer: Hailey Dunn:

http://texasequusearch.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/DunnHailey.pdf

FBI joins search for missing 13-year-old cheerleader

"SAN ANTONIO -- A 13-year-old Texas girl has been missing more than a week, and the F.B.I. has now joined the investigation into her disappearance."

"Hailey was wearing navy blue sweatpants, a short sleeve light-colored t-shirt, flip flops, and red hoop earrings on the day she went missing. She is 5'1" tall and weighs about 120 pounds. Hailey has light brown hair and green eyes, and her left upper ear is pierced."

http://www.woai.com/news/local/story/FBI-joins-search-for-missing-13-year-old/J_AhHQ1T5EeGMZ9Ek5485g.cspx

The Hailey Dunn Story: Conflicting Assertions Abound

Despite statements to the contrary by people involved, Sparky Dean, senior trooper of the Texas Department of Public Safety, told KTXS on Friday that no one has been told whether they have passed or failed a polygraph test.

This comes despite the statement made on national television by Billie Dunn, Hailey's mother, that she and her former live-in boyfriend Shawn Adkins had both failed polygraph tests. She made this statement on live television Thursday night on HLN's "Nancy Grace."

READ MORE: http://www.ktxs.com/news/26401950/detail.html

Hailey's Mom Leaves Home With Texas Rangers

Colorado City, TX— The mother of missing 13-year-old Hailey Dunn left her Colorado City home Friday evening at the request of Texas Rangers, according to KTAB's Tiffany Tatro.
Billie Dunn told Tatro she was going to answer a few questions and wouldn't be gone long.
Prior to Dunn leaving the home, authorities took away one of Billie Dunn's vehicles as well as an X-Box from the home. Law enforcement told Tatro they were looking for any clues regarding Hailey's disappearance. The vehicle is expected to be taken to professionals to be inspected.
Late Friday, Colorado City City Manager Pete Kampfer confirmed authorities were looking at two items discovered in a stream near the home of one of Hailey's family members. Kampfer said someone located oil field glasses as well as a knife sheath. At this point, authorities have no reason to believe they're connected to the case. However, they plan to follow all leads.

http://bigcountryhomepage.com/fulltext/?nxd_id=329036

Law-enforcement officials and residents hit the streets Friday to
continue the search for missing Colorado City middle school student
Hailey Darlene Dunn.

Hailey reportedly was seen last by her mother’s live-in boyfriend,
Shawn Adkins, on Dec. 27. Adkins reported he was told by Hailey around
3:15 p.m. that she would be walking to her father’s house then to the
home of a friend, Mary Beth Garcia, to spend the night. Hailey’s dad
said she did not visit him that day. And according to the Garcia family,
she didn’t spend the night with her friend.

Plainclothes officers were dispatched from a temporary command center
Friday morning to canvass the town in search of clues. Senior Trooper
Sparky Dean with the Texas Department of Public Safety said that about a
dozen groups consisting of two officers each spent the morning going
door to door in the northern part of Colorado City to look for physical
evidence and general information.

Dean said officers were told to look specifically for the missing
teen, adding that authorities aren’t interested in illegal activities
unrelated to Dunn’s disappearance.

“Part of finding Hailey is finding out where she is not,” Dean said.

Law enforcement officers conducted a foot search Wednesday for Hailey
and a helicopter search Thursday afternoon. As officials canvassed the
northern part of town, community members from throughout the region took
up an effort of their own.

not,” Dean said.

Law enforcement officers conducted a foot search Wednesday for Hailey
and a helicopter search Thursday afternoon. As officials canvassed the
northern part of town, community members from throughout the region took
up an effort of their own.

At 2 p.m., Colorado City resident Stephanie Boyd — who described
herself only as a concerned resident — gathered a group of community
members to embark on a foot search for the teen, who now has been
missing for 11 days.

Boyd got the word out about the search using a Facebook page titled
“Find Hailey Dunn,” which describes the girl as “a daughter, a sister, a
friend and a child of God who has lost her way.” Multiple groups of 15
or more residents launched searches in Colorado City and the surrounding
area.

The search efforts were not conducted by city officials or law enforcement.

Boyd said she had a “gut feeling” she would find some evidence of
Hailey Dunn between Colorado City and Dunn, a community about 15 miles
north of Colorado City on State Highway 208.

A grandmother of Adkins’ lives in Dunn, where some Colorado City
residents believe Adkins has been staying. He was not in Colorado City
on Friday, and law enforcement officials did not confirm his location,
although they said they were sure of his whereabouts.

Bill Stinson said he has lived in Colorado City for 72 years and that
he knows every cow trail in Mitchell County. He already had been
searching for Hailey for two days but joined the resident-led search
Friday afternoon.

“If she’s still in Mitchell County, we’ll find her today,” he said. “I just hope we find her alive somewhere.”

Hailey’s parents appeared on the “Nancy Grace” cable-TV program
Thursday night and gave a statement to media at their home following the
show.

Father Clint Dunn said he was in the dark concerning further investigation by law enforcement.

Mother Billie Jean Dunn said during the TV show that she and Adkins
had failed polygraph tests given to them by law enforcement Wednesday.

City Manager Pete Kampfer, who has served as spokesman for the police
department, said Friday it is the policy of federal and state officials
to withhold information about the passing or failing of polygraph
tests. He said the two were given polygraph tests but were not advised
that they had passed or failed.

Billie Jean Dunn told Grace that she had put her hope in the
polygraphs clearing her name and that of her boyfriend. That confidence,
she said, has been lost.

“There’s no way that I would ever protect anybody,” she said. “If I
thought he had anything to do with it, I would have came forward a long
time ago.”

After the polygraph tests, she said she began to lose hope that Hailey would ever come home.

“One way or another,” Billie Jean Dunn said, “somebody took her.
Somebody snatched her off the street. At this point ... I don’t have a
good feeling at all.”

After the tests were administered Wednesday, Adkins departed Billie
Jean Dunn’s home on Chestnut Street. He did not appear on “Nancy Grace”
on Thursday night after previously being present with Dunn during
interviews by local and national media.

BREAKING: Searcher Finds Knife Cover in Creek 10 Miles North of Hailey Dunn's Colorado City Home 1/7/11

Colorado City, Texas -

A possible break in the case of missing Colorado City teen Hailey Dunn came today as a member of a civilian search party found a pair of sunglasses and a knife-cover in a creek north of the city.

Midlander Holly Jenkins spotted the knife-cover in Morgan Creek in Dunn, Texas, a small town north of Colorado City.

Jenkins reached into the water and retrieved the cover before placing it on the ground along the wooded shore area.

Jenkins is one of about 100 community members from Colorado City, Snyder, Midland and elsewhere who formed at 2:00pm Friday to conduct a civilian search.

The group split into two parties, one starting in Colorado City working towards Dunn and the other beginning in Dunn and working their way toward Colorado City.

It was just after 4:00pm that Jenkins discovered the knife-cover floating in the water.

The creek is less than a mile away from a residence where Shawn Adkins is staying at this time.

Adkins is the boyfriend of Hailey Dunn's mother, Billie Jean Dunn.

Our CBS 7 crew visited the residence and knocked on the door to speak with Adkins.

A male came to the door and said "Our attorney has advised us to not speak with anyone. No comment".

CBS 7 contacted the Department of Public Safety about the knife-cover.

The Colorado City Police called the CBS 7 crew on scene for directions and began an investigation into the potential evidentiary find.

Latest Information on the Disappearance of Hailey Dunn


1/8/11 Update, 10:05 a.m.: NewsWest9's Geena Martinez says Colorado City City Manager reports no new details have emerged in the investigation this morning. Next official update will come this afternoon.

1/8/11 Update, 8:00 a.m.: Searches are starting back up in Mitchell and Howard Counties. The next update from law enforcement is expected around 10:00 this morning.



http://www.newswest9.com/Global/story.asp?S=13804937

UPDATE: Hailey Investigation Focusing Near Town of Dunn

Saturday, 11:00 a.m. Update:
Colorado City City Manager Pete Kampfer tells KTAB's Tiffany Tatro law enforcement will be focusing in on the town of Dunn Saturday after going door-to-door in Colorado City Friday.
Kampfer says a command post is being set up in the small town approximately 12 miles north of Colorado City.

Dunn is where searchers discovered oil field glasses and a knife sheath in a stream Friday evening. A volunteer searcher also told KTAB's Tiffany Tatro they discovered tire tracks leading to an empty field. The searcher said authorities were alerted.

Law enforcement can't yet confirm they've visited that location.

All of the discoveries occured within a mile of a home where the boyfriend of Hailey's mother is believed to be staying.

Again, Kampfer says none of the developments or discoveries made by the volunteer search parties can be tied directly back to Hailey's disappearance.

http://bigcountryhomepage.com/fulltext/?nxd_id=329356

Saturday, 7:00 p.m. Update:
Saturday evening, Senior Trooper Sparky Dean told KTAB's Tiffany Tatro investigators and searchers hadn't found any evidence to indicate foul play in the disappearance of Hailey Dunn.
While no one is ruling out foul play at this point, Dean said the case could still be a runaway.

Dean says searchers hope to complete efforts in Dunn this evening and will then work their way south towards Colorado City.

http://bigcountryhomepage.com/fulltext/?nxd_id=329356

Sunday many are expected to gather at a prayer vigil in Sweetwater, to pray for Hailey's safe return.According
to the Facebook page, "Find Hailey Dunn", the vigil will be Sunday at
5:00 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church's parking lot. Its located on the corner of 4th and Elm Street. Just last week, Colorado City held their own prayer vigil, where its estimated nearly 750 people showed.
The vigil planned for Sweetwater is just one more way, surrounding
cities and counties are getting involved, and showing they care.

Volunteers, Authorities Searching Sunday in Dunn Case

Colorado City, TX - After two days of intense searching, volunteers will head back out in-and-around Colorado City Sunday in an effort to find any clues leading to the disappearance of 13-year-old Hailey Dunn.
One of the searches being organized began at 8 a.m. Sunday at the Coahoma Volunteer Fire Department. Volunteers from Big Spring, Coahoma, Vincent, Midland, and Odessa were involved with that search group on Saturday.

As volunteers search wooded and unpopulated areas, law enforcement says its wrapped up canvassing Hailey's Colorado City neighborhood as well as search efforts in the small town of Dunn, which is about 12 miles north of Colorado City.

As of Saturday evening, law enforcement planned to move its efforts south of Dunn on Sunday.

Senior DPS Trooper Spark Dean said Saturday that the searches hadn't found any concrete evidence that would lead investigators to believe foul play was involved in Hailey's disappearance. Dean did say investigators are receiving tips from volunteer searchers.

Colorado City's City Manager Pete Kampfer said law enforcement was not directly involved with these grassroot search parties. He made it clear they're looking at them as a good thing.

"We're staying with that from a positive perspective," added Kampfer.

read more

http://bigcountryhomepage.com/fulltext/?nxd_id=329556

http://bigcountryhomepage.com/fulltext/?nxd_id=329087
snipped
Sunday, Dec. 26
• Hailey spent the night with her dad, Clint Dunn, on Christmas, so the morning of Dec. 26 was the last time he saw her

Monday, Dec. 27
• A neighbor sees Hailey talking on the phone in her backyard
• Hailey's mother, Billie Dunn, says live-in boyfriend Shawn Adkins is fired from his job after some sort of blow-up
• Shawn comes home at 3 p.m.
• Hailey tells him at 3:15 p.m. that she is going to her dad’s, then to Mary Beth’s for a sleepover, but neither Clint nor Mary Beth see or hear from her.

Tuesday, Dec. 28
• Billie calls her son, David, and asks him to tell Hailey to come home
• Hailey is reported missing

Wednesday, Dec. 29
• Bigcountryhomepage.com reports the story and airs a description of Hailey, saying police are treating it as a missing person

Thursday, Dec. 30
• A description and photo of the missing girl have been entered in the TCIC NCIC Region 5 broadcast system which covers surrounding counties. Also, the information has been put on the CopSync system providing anyone in the state with the CopSync system a picture and information on Dunn.
• Bigcountryhomepage.com reports interim police chief John Bivens is treating the case as a runaway
• Searches begin in Colorado City

this is a fairly long story - http://www.reporternews.com/news/2011/jan/08/xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx/?partner=yahoo_feeds

Two Girls Asked to Come Forward in Dunn Disappearance

Law enforcement in Colorado City is asking that two girls come forward who may have information about the whereabouts of missing 13-year-old Hailey Dunn.
A new witness came forward over the weekend and told authorities that he or she spotted Hailey walking with two other girls on Manuel Street in Colorado City.
The witness couldn't recall whether she spotted the trio on Sunday, December 26 or Monday, December 27. The witness recalls seeing the girls in the afternoon.

"These girls are not suspects," said Senior DPS Trooper Sparky Dean. "These girls may not realize that they have some very valuable information."

read more
http://bigcountryhomepage.com/fulltext/?nxd_id=329606

Investigators: Key Players Changing Stories in Dunn Case

Investigators say one of their biggest obstacles right now in tracking down 13-year-old Hailey Dunn has been the family and friends of the missing Colorado City girl.
"The story of some of the key players continues to change even as recently as last night," said Senior Texas DPS Trooper Sparky Dean. "It's very frustrating for law enforcement."
During a news conference Sunday afternoon, Dean elaborated and pointed the finger at those closest to Hailey.

"The family has not been forthcoming in their discernment of the truth," added Dean.

Dean didn't elaborate much beyond that -- only adding that investigators still haven't found evidence of foul play. He says they continue to question people just in case this transitions into a criminal investigation. Dean added that law enforcement continues to be hopeful Hailey is hiding somewhere.

"I'm confident we'll find Hailey," said Dean. "I don't think Hailey wants to be found. I believe she's hiding. She's probably scared at this point. We're going to find her."

read more....
http://bigcountryhomepage.com/fulltext/?nxd_id=329616

Two Weeks Later: Still No Sign of Hailey Dunn

Reported by: Austin Kellerman
Monday, January 10 2011

Excerpt:

Colorado City, TX - Monday marks what investigators believe is two weeks since 13-year-old Hailey Dunn vanished in Colorado City. But at this point, they aren't so sure their timeline is accurate.

“The family has not been forthcoming," said Senior DPS Trooper Sparky Dean. "Their discernment of the truth continues to change. It's very frustrating."

. . .

One thing that is for sure: Hailey's mother Billie Dunn reported her missing Tuesday, December 28. Thirteen days into the investigation, authorities say they have yet to discover evidence of foul play and it appears Hailey is hiding and doesn't want to be found.

READ MORE: http://bigcountryhomepage.com/fulltext/?nxd_id=329706

i really hope this is the case - that she is just hiding out and is maybe too afraid now to come home - the alternatives could be so much worse - elizabeth smart, alicia debolt, kayleah wilson, etc.

BREAKING: Hailey Dunn's Parents Submit DNA Samples

Reported by: Laura Kellerman
Monday, January 10 2011
Investigators are following leads of "possible criminal intent" in the disappearance of Hailey Dunn, Senior DPS Trooper Sparky Dean said this morning.

This comes after Sunday's news conference in which Dean said investigators hadn't found evidence of foul play.

"I'm confident we'll find Hailey," Dean said on Sunday. "I don't think Hailey wants to be found. I believe she's hiding. She's probably scared at this point. We're going to find her."

Their primary mission has been to find Hailey "standing up," he said.

In the event she is found deceased, Hailey's parents, Clint Dunn and Billie Dunn, have submitted DNA samples, Dean confirmed. Those will be used to identify remains.

If any evidence in the case is uncovered, that will not be shared with the public, Dean said on Sunday.
http://bigcountryhomepage.com/fulltext/?nxd_id=329807

Wasn't there another case similar to this one about a year ago, a young teen in Colorado, small town, etc....and it turned out her boyfriend (which no one knew she had) had done something to her and they eventually found her body in a creek or something? I certainly hope this isn't the case for Hailey. It just seems eerily familiar.

yep - i alluded to it earlier - kayleah wilson. last seen with the boyfriend - and i believe he was arrested for sexual assault of a minor. it took several months and a thaw to find the body-
9. Kayleah Wilson murder

For almost two months, sheriff's deputies and volunteers searched a wide area in Greeley for Kayleah Wilson, 12, who went missing near her home there in late March. In May, searchers discovered her body, badly decomposed, in a drainage ditch not far from her home where she was last seen. Wilson's boyfriend, Robert Montoya, 18, admitted to a sexual relationship with Kayleah and was arrested and charged with sexual assault on a minor. To date, no one has been charged with Wilson's murder.

Missing Hailey Dunn May be in Hiding Says Trooper
January 10, 2011 04:50 PM EST

A twist has risen in the story of Hailey Dunn, the
13-year-old girl missing in Texas. State Troopers now believe the
missing girl is in hiding. This comes as a rather shocking change in a
disappearance that, until today, was believed to be an abduction.When
Senior Department of Public Safety Trooper Sparky Dean and Pete
Kampfer, city manager for Colorado City, met with sixth graders this
morning to discuss the girl's disappearance, they made statements that shed new light. Trooper Dean asked the students if they had any knowledge of Hailey's whereabouts.Dean
told the students he is confident that Hailey is alive but in hiding.
After the meeting, the two men were given the names of two girls who had
been asked general questions before in the investigation.Dean
said the two girls would be interviewed again to help determine where
Hailey might be found. “I kind of feel like we’re playing hide-and-seek
with no boundaries,” Dean said. In true trooper fashion, he went on to
say, “We’re all here for Hailey, and we’re going to find Hailey.”Hailey Dunn left her home last December 27 and disappeared. A large search effort has been ongoing since that time. Conflicting stories
from her mother and stepfather have led to much speculation, which
captured the attention of everyone in her town of Colorado City, Texas.
If she is, in fact, hiding--there will be a lot of speculation as to
why. Already the stepfather has raised some eyebrows, because he was the
last one to talk to her.It is hard to believe she is in hiding
in Colorado City. It is a small West Texas town where there are very few
secrets, and someone should have noticed her. One would think she
almost certainly has to have an adult's help to have stayed hidden this
long. Hopefully, the law is not wrong in their assumptions. Hailey Dunn,
if you are out here, contact authorities. If there is trouble at home,
there is always help available to rescue you.http://news.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474978901010

Regarding the above story. Later on Monday Troopers recanted that theory and said that they have no evidence of foul play or her being a runaway and in hiding.