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Sunday, January 30, 2011

Falcon Lake Murder: Murder and Corruption Part 2

Asides from what I had previously said about the origins of the news that Mexican commander Armando Flores was decapitated, I would like to add this:.

Monday, October 4th, 2010
  • Comandante Armando Flores Villegas was telling The Monitor that he did not believe the Hartley story.

Wednesday, October 6th, 2010
  • Zapata County Sheriff, Sigifredo Gonzalez, decides that Flores Villegas is not helping him out, so he brings out a witness who apparently saw Tiffany being chased by a boat.  Heck, from what the witness tells us, he was also able to see brains oozing out of David's head, hear the "pirates" speaking in Spanish, and astonishingly tell us what the pirates and Tiffany were thinking.
  • Also on this day, Rick Perry gives the Mexican President 48 hours to call him with the news that the body has been found.  Talk about putting pressure over something that to this day makes no sense, especially with a wife who keeps changing her story and different set of coordinates being given by Sheriff Sigi.  Of course, Perry had much to gain at the time with elections coming up, and what a better way to show his cojones than to pretend interest in a story that involved an American presumably being murdered by "bad guys".


Thursday, October 7th, 2010
  • The search for the body continues at mid-morning.
  • Sheriff Sigi announces microscopic blood evidence on Tiffany Hartley's life vest.
  •  Later that day, the Mexican authorities increased their efforts under orders from Tamaulipas Gov. Eugenio Hernandez.
  • Also of importance is that on this day, Sheriff Sigifredo Gonzalez also sent word to the Zetas that he wanted David Hartley's body returned with the promise that he had no plans to prosecute.  The Sheriff goes on to say, "I sent word to them unofficially. I can't tell you how but I sent word to them."

Friday, October 8th, 2010
  • Tiffany has offered to take a lie detector test.....maybe.


Saturday, October 9th, 2010
  • Juan Carlos Ballesteros and Sheriff Sigi tell El Universal that they have identified two suspects, Juan Pedro and Jose Manuel Saldivar Farias.

Sunday, October 10th, 2010

  • N/A
  • According to reports from October 12th, 2010, on this day Mr. Villegas hands over documents to a KRGV photographer.  These documents supposedly identified  Juan Pedro and Jose Manuel Saldivar Farias as the suspects.
Monday, October 11th, 2010
  • N/A 
  • According to reports from October 12th, 2010, Mr. Villegas does not return home that night.
Thursday, October 12th, 2010
  • Aaron Pena tweets that Comandante Armando Flores Villegas has been beheaded
  • News stations follow with the same news

What happened between October 9th and October 12th could not be found.  Apparently, there was one article by KRGV-TV Channel 5 News that detailed more or less what happened, but that article has mysteriously been removed by Channel 5. 

Fortunately, I was able to find it posted in a forum famous for it's anti-immigrant rants and xenophobic comments, ALIPAC.US.  Therefore, I will not link you to their forum, not only because of that, but also because of a possible cover-up to lend their side credit.

I will instead post up an image of their page in the event they should remove it as well.  Here is a screen shot of their page:

Anyone interested in looking for that missing article or a link to where I got this screen shot can type in their search bar the following address:
http://www.krgv.com/content/news/story/Mexican-Investigator-Decapitated/OpJrIpPgVkO31hds1hBhbw.cspx 
(Again, note this link address no longer works.  The KRGV author has removed it for unknown and strange reasons)

According to the author in this KRGV link, Comandante Flores Villegas "delivered documents to a CHANNEL 5 NEWS photographer over the weekend in Reynosa, Mexico."  
Those documents apparently contained information about the alleged Zeta cartel members suspected in the Hartley case.
The documents contain information about one of the brothers, Juan Pedro, including his last known address in the Mexican town of Guerrero. Villegas told CHANNEL 5 NEWS photographs of the two suspects were not available, as it is often difficult to obtain photos of known cartel members. Villegas said the brothers had not been arrested as of Sunday evening.  On Saturday, Tamaulipas State Police Unit chief Juan Carlos Ballesteros released similar information and documents to members of the Mexican media and CHANNEL 5 NEWS sources. Ballesteros told reporters the pair was already wanted for a list of felonies including murder, kidnapping, armed robbery, and arson. Ballesteros said the brothers belonged to a gang of pirates that have terrorized Falcon Lake and a nearby Mexican town.
Now why in the world would ANYONE release information about suspects that have not yet been apprehended to the media? 

What is even more bizarre is the coverage that the beheading got by the Mexican media. 

From my experience, they are not shy about showing the grizzly murders being committed in Mexico on the news.  If there's a massacred body, they'll put it up on the air anyways, so why was there no video or picture from them showing a decapitated head or the dead body of Armando Flores Villegas? 

As a matter of fact, what in the word did Armando Flores Villegas look like?  Like a friend of mine who is helping me out in this investigation said, normally when someone of interest is murdered, they'll at least place a picture of what he looked like for people to see. 

To this date, neither the Mexican or American media have produced that before death picture, and researching for  Mr.Villegas picture online has also brought up nothing.

For all we know, he could have been a fictional character.  In my opinion, if Mr. Flores Villegas did indeed exist, then he is not dead. It could be possible he might be held in captivity, or from the information that we have obtained, it is more than likely that if he is dead, his death truly had nothing to do with the Hartley's.  Otherwise, Mr. Ballesteros and Sheriff Sigi would be headless as well, as it has been said already that they too provided this information to the media, and they too are investigating this case.

In any event, this KRGV report again confirms that Ballesteros did indeed release information about the suspects to the media, and no doubt Sheriff Sigi knew as well.  

However, Sheriff Sigi exclaimed surprise at the news, claiming he had no knowledge of any suspects in the Hartley case. 

That in itself is surprising, considering the Sheriff claims to have "informants" who are working for him "unofficially".  Not only that, but the news had been spread from the 9th of October until Villegas' death, so why were Sigi and Ballesteros all of a sudden feigning ignorance?

As a matter of fact, from the 9th until Villegas's death, both were apparently no where to be found!

Yet, as was expected by those who were following this story closely, with the death of Mr. Villegas, Sheriff Sigi then just throws his hands up in the air and gives up with the pretense that the search will continue...on this side.  Never mind the fact that Tiffany has been stating David was shot in Mexico and was so sure that his body would be on land IN Mexico, not on this side.  So what is Sigi talking about when he says the search will continue on this side?

Furthermore, he also drops all mention of suspects.  That is, of course, until his "informants" give him confidential information about who murdered David, why, and that David's body and his jet ski were "destroyed and would never be found".

So why continue with the search right?  I mean, Sigi sure makes it sound like a lost cause, and all these incidents that make no sense keep happening to give support to the fact that this body will never be found...ever!

Truly, one really has to wonder at the generousity of these so called Falcon Lake "Pirates".

I mean, these "pirates" were nice enough to hide the grizzly "murder" of David (if they did indeed kill him) from the public; they were nice enough to spare Tiffany Hartley (because they were struck numb by her beauty); they were nice enough to spare a Sheriff who has insulted them at every turn by calling them "Zetitas".

Yet, all of a sudden they turn savages and start sending messages with the head of someone who was casting doubts on Tiffany's story and basically exonerating them?

It sort of reminds me of when these so called "pirates" stopped shooting at Tiffany in order to give her time to get back to her husband and try to save him, only to pick up again shooting and chasing her once she decided to flee for safety.

It's like they know when to strike and when not to.

Then again, it could also be the fact that Tiffany is being directed by God and the Sheriff has ESP.

I mean, with those "powers", how can they go wrong, right?

Not to mention, also, that Sheriff Sigi is also lucky he has "informants" with whom he communicates with "unofficially".

If they said the body and jet ski were disposed of and will never be found, then one has to believe these mysterious "informants".

And whatever you do, just don't cast doubt on the fact that these mysterious "informants" decided to share this very important detail with Sigi until AFTER the November 2010 elections.

I mean, you have to realize that these mysterious "informants" were just being considerate by making sure that this information didn't interfere with your voting.

After all, these informants work under cover with the "Lake Pirates" and there's no doubt in my mind that that's where they get their considerate manners from.

Well, you know how the saying goes:  If you lay down with dogs, you wake up smelling like one.

And if you ask me, Sheriff Sigi sure smells like one.

Until next time.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Falcon Lake Murder: Murder and corruption

What is certain is that Comandante Armando Flores is dead.

What isn't certain is how he died.  So where is the information coming from that he was decapitated?

According to "Alerta Periodista" (written in Spanish but I will translate to English):

The Attorney Generals office of Justice in Tamaulipas accepted that the regional police officer in command of the Minesterial Police in Camargo, Rolando Armando Flores Villegas, was assassinated, but he denied ever giving information to any mediums in the United States in regards to him being decapitated.

"I cannot reveal the condition in which he was found, but it was confirmed that it was a homicide," said Rubén Darío Ríos López.

"What I can say is that I have not confirmed to any (news) medium that he was decapitated and that I have not spoken with any reporter from news mediums in the United States," he added.
So if the Attorney General's office in Tamaulipas did not not release that information, who did?

According to TPMMuckraker, the news first appeared in a tweet by Texas State Representative Aaron Peña.  That tweet was posted on 10/12/10 at 12:31pm.  Flores death had not yet been confirmed, nor had any details been released as to what condition he was found in, which begs the question, how did Rep. Peña know the details before anyone else?

TPM states to have questioned Rep. Peña about this, to which Peña stated that he had obtained the information from a "trusted source" although he would not say if the source was American or Mexican.

While it is possible that the information could have been received via a "trusted source" it is this bloggers opinion that this is a hint at something more sinister.

My opinion is that Peña's "trusted source" was Sheriff Sigifredo Gonzalez, and only because he's closer to where the murder took place, not to mention that these two have been tightly holding hands since the Falcon Lake "murder".

One can only wonder what a Representative for Hidalgo County is doing holding hands with a Sheriff from Zapata County?

It is also strange that in the process of investigating this case, most every source leads back to Sheriff Gonzalez or Rep. Aaron Peña, and forgive this author for not trusting a man (Peña) who would turn his back on his constituents by choosing to side with the enemy of the Rio Grande Valley...Republicans!

Furthermore, it is also my opinion that Sheriff Sigifredo Gonzalez knew about Mr. Flores death because he had something to do with it.  Again, while it is possible that he could have received this information first from authorities, or even from people who live there in Mexico, one still has to be leery of his "informants" whom, we all should already know by now, are members of the drug cartel.  One also has to wonder at that connection, considering the cartel don't just provide information without a favor being returned.

I wonder what that favor is, Sheriff Sigi?

The other problem with this story is that Sheriff Sigi claims that he heard Mr. Flores death was because of some documents he had provided to a news station that revealed the names of Zeta suspects, but the reality is that every news station has been reporting from the beginning that it was Mr. Ballesteros who had given that information, and not Mr. Flores.  If anything, Mr. Flores doubted the Hartley story because there was no proof or evidence that anything had occurred that day in September 30, 2010.

So if it was Mr. Ballesteros who provided that information, information that Sigi was so willing to accept, then why wasn't he the one murdered?

Now, don't get me wrong.  It's not to say that I wish Mr. Ballesteros dead, but the fact that it was Mr. Flores who was murdered is very suspicious indeed, and only because Mr. Flores was doubting this case since he first became involved!

Suspicious also because the interview he did where he doubted the Hartley story was done on the 9th of October.

On the 9th of October, El Universal was reporting that it was Mr. Juan Carlos Ballesteros who had given the names of the two suspects. 

In my opinion, these "two Zeta suspects" are rivals of Mr. Sigifredo Gonzalez (and I say Mr. because I have my doubts that he's worthy of being called a Sheriff).  Sigi and Mr. Ballestero's coordinated the set up and Mr. Flores probably refused to cooperate.

Maybe Mr. Flores knew something about this case that would have revealed the truth?

More than likely that is so because he was very adamant about claiming that nothing in the Hartley's story added up.

While I was not able to find the article, I am sure Mr. Sigi said somewhere that he feared that someone was going to get their "head chopped off" for digging too much into the case.  It would be no surprise then that Mr. Sigi's fortune telling powers once again offered themselves to come true.

In fact, to me, it is no coincidence either.

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Translated to English: Final interview with Comandante Armando Flores Villegas



Notes in red and in parenthesis are mine to help the reader understand who he is talking about.
Interviewer:
Tell me!

Comandante Armando Flores Villegas:

Armando Flores Villegas

Look, we don't have the withs or withouts anymore on behalf of the consulate in Laredo Texas, I don't know the name of the consulate.  He (Sheriff Sigifredo Gonzalez) is the one that is saying that a person, who is the wife of Mr. David Hartley, they gave us some coordinates, we went, we have searched all, all the, eh, the coordinates that they gave us, we went with the Mexican army, and they are the ones that are working there because it is a zone of breaches,  lining the Rio Salado and they have not found the body.  So then the, the, uh, (Laredo) consulate again gave us new coordinates, so there is nothing believable about this story that the person was there.  Eh, we interviewed many people who are fishers there, that are close and have their fishing ranches there in Rio Salado, they did not hear any shots and it appears that no one helped the person. The person who supposedly survived, and we don't know if she (Tiffany Hartley) was on a jet ski or if she was on a boat, we don't have that information.  They say she was on a jet ski.  We didn't find a jet ski.  We didn't find a body.  We don't know if they had life vests. We don't know anything.

Yes, what happened is that there are some fishing ranches there, on the side of the rivers. (uh huh) They, obviously, since it is very peaceful there, they hear whatever sound from kilometers away.  So, they say, they didn't hear any shots or any, eh, water bike, or boats, you do know, their boats

up till now, the coordinates that they gave us, the consulate of Laredo, of Laredo, Texas and he gave the coordinates and we, with the Mexican army, went to those coordinates.  We were in the river, it is part of Mexico, and then, in the coordinates that they gave us, we stayed, what would it be, 2, 3 kilometers on all the side of the river.  No body has floated up.  No jet ski has shown up.  We have seen nothing.  What is happening is that for security...

(cut)


so then it is a bunch of wooded area, it is a bunch of breaches that lead to the river.  So, there, it is supposed that there is where the armed groups are, and so, the same, we have run with luck and they have not come looking for us.  We are, are going with plenty of security, but still, right? But the army and the marines are the one that are there working.  We, as ministerial police, cannot enter there without their support.  So there we are alone to be ambushed because it is wooded.  It is entrance to ranches and entrance to ranches and ranches and ranches and they (the armed groups) are the one that are in power of all those ranches.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

New Evidence on Tiffany Hartley: What is she hiding?

Well, I'm not so sure on whether to call it new because I don't know how many people have already noted this very contradictory find.

You see, in the process of researching my next blog post, I came across a very interesting article that I had never seen.  It's a CNN interview of Tiffany and her family posted on October 29, 2010.  Within the interview, the following is noted:
But in January of this year, a top member of Los Zetas cartel was gunned down by the rival Gulf cartel, and violence exploded in Reynosa and surrounding Tamaulipas state. Cartels mounted roadblocks, and city officials warned residents not to venture out. There were reports of body parts being left on the streets.
The violence was so alarming that the U.S. Consulate in Reynosa closed for several days in February. Calfrac encouraged the Hartleys and other families to move back over the border to McAllen.
"The company started realizing all the danger," Tiffany Hartley said. "They said, 'Why don't you guys move north, get out of Reynosa?' We dragged our heels a little bit. I liked the place I lived in. We were only five minutes from the border. It was hard to leave."
This had me scratching my head in confusion.  This isn't the first place where I've seen Tiffany make claims that she felt safe in Reynosa.  In my previous blog post, "The Falcon Lake Murder:  Tiffany Hartley", I mention an interview Tiffany made with the Monitor.  You can listen to that interview here:



At around 13:00 Tiffany states that she did not have a clue about the violence in Reynosa until they moved there. She goes on to reference that they had been stopped by the cartel and the police, but that David protected her from a lot of things, including being robbed and beaten by the police.  Other than that, she had never witnessed any of the violence.

This is a very important piece of evidence that points to some malicious scheme and it should indicate to law enforcement (above Sheriff Sigi of Zapata) that this story needs to be looked into further.

Tiffany needs to stand trial!

The reason this drew my attention is because I received a screen shot of Tiffany's wall from a friend on Tiffany's list and it is interesting that on September 23, 2009 at 10:21pm Tiffany posts:

Kicked out of our house by the Mexican drug cartel, homeless.and looking.  Bet no ones had a day like this.   5 hours to pack all of your stuff before the cartel would show up.  It has been a crazy, stressful, scary day.  By the way our land lords are the ones in trouble with the cartel "not us" we just lived there.  Thank God for some good friends who lent a hand.
Then, that same day she responds in the same post at 10: 29pm:

thanks, were really thankful God kept us protected during our time of packing. Now were in the Holiday Inn, in Mcallen Texas. on the safer side of the river.
Later, on September 28, 2009 at 5:48pm she posts: 

Still looking for a place to live, very frustrating.  No one allows large dogs and doesn't have any furnishings. But were hopeful and praying that God will bring the right place for us with all of our requirements we need in a place. 

Then on October 13, 2009 at 6:49pm, Tiffany posts:

Very excited that we have finally found a place to live. But we have to wait until there done with renovating, unfortunately it will be almost 2 weeks i guess hotel living for just a little longer.

In that same post at on October 14, 2009 at 9:45pm she states: 

We will be back in Reynosa but were only 5-7 min from the border and david is only 15 min to work so it is a perfect location for us. 

I'm assuming they lived in McAllen from October until some time before January 4, 2010, because on January 4, 2010, asked by a friend what's she doing living in Mexico, Tiffany responds at 3:43pm with:

It has been a long time. My husband works for a Oil company and they started a district down here and since he was previously working in Russia and on rotation schedule it wasn't working so well for us so we decided to take this job and now he's home all the time. It was a better move for us. How are you and the family doing?

 But then, on February 7, 2010 at 8:49pm she says the following:

Were doing good, I've been really busy at work since Valentines is coming up I have been trying to get stocked up at both stores so it's not so crazy at the end of this week. I'm taking a couple of dance classes on Mon & Wed nights. It has been fun. How are you doing? 

I don't think she'd be working in Mexico, or would she?  Maybe I just don't understand her life?  Is she working in Mexico or McAllen, or where the heck is she living at at all?

I guess in McAllen because on February 20, 2010 at 8:19pm she posts:
Had fun at the McAllen Dog Park but Tori is a hurting unit. she really played to hard! Poor baby,
Or maybe they were going back and forth?  Hmmm...I say that because then on May 11, 2010 at 9:27pm she responds to a friend (who asks how Tiffany is doing) with: 

Doing good, living in Reynosa, Mexico (border town) not too fun but were trying to find a house across the border in Texas then i'll at least be out of the danger zone but my hubby will have to cross everyday. But were doing well. How are you doing?

Then on June 20, 2010 at 10:36pm she states yet again:

What a busy weekend, were moving out of Mexico and heading across the border to McAllen, Tx.  Not completely moved but were a lot closer. Got to enjoy the Jet Skies this morning then Davids skie broke, so our trip was cut short:( came home to move more stuff.  Sure will be nice when were done moving and hopefully it will be for more than 7 months.

May I note that the spelling errors are hers.  After that, it's all talk of living in McAllen, although back to my original point, she does make one more comment of interest.  In her CNN interview she stated that Calfrac was the one that had encouraged them to move to McAllen, yet in a post she makes to a friend on July 14, 2010 at 9:46pm she says:

Hey, we really miss you guys also. With the slow down in Mexico we will be back in CO for a few months until Calfrac decides where to send us next. Probably at the end of Aug or Sept will be on our way back. We are a little bummed we just moved to McAllen, TX a month ago and now were moving again and were really enjoying life down here. We have the beach, good friends and a great church and now were off again just when were getting settled in. But we know God has a plan for us and were excited to see what else he has in store for us. So will see you guys soon. How is the little guy? 
and on July 26, 2010 at 6:50pm again she says:


Doing good, we found out were moving again, work in Reynosa is slow and the contractor that davids company works for is in real bad shape, fianacially. The sad thing is were not sure where to. Will be coming back to CO for a few months until they find david a more permanent job. Most likely it will be in North Dakota or Pennsylvania. Hey were comeing home for a little while but not sure when. How are you doing? Miss you also 
Is anyone else noting the irregularities here?  Why did she tell CNN that it was Calfrac's idea that they move due to the violence when here she's stating they are moving due to the slow down and bad shape of the company?  

In that same CNN interview, the spokesman for Calfrac, Scott Tuttle, clearly states that the decision to transfer David was "based on economics, not security risks"!

And if it was Tiffany's true reasons were because of the violence, then why did she tell "The Monitor" she had never experienced the violence in Mexico and that she loved the place there?

Better yet, why did she claim the move was Calfrac's idea and not due to the fact that the cartel had kicked them out of their home as she reveals in her facebook page?



I take it this is why Tiffany set her profile to private...

The less you see, the less you know...and that's something that's been a pretty prevalent practice for Tiffany and Sheriff Sigi:  If you don't see a body, you can't know what happened to it.

Is it little wonder that the Bible thumping Tiffany is now claiming that David wanted to be cremated?  Wouldn't that be against their religion?  Knowing all that, now I'm sure if they find David's body, she'll want it cremated immediately before they can do an autopsy.

I do hope someone who can do something about this case is reading this.

If found, don't allow her to cremate David's body until a full autopsy is done by someone else other than the corrupt officials living here in the valley (namely Sheriff Sigifredo Gonzalez). 

Preferably, let the FBI investigate!

Saturday, January 8, 2011

The Falcon Lake Murder: David Michael Hartley

A note from iamme:  I would like to apologize to my readers who do not know the whole David Hartley/Falcon Lake murder story.  My blogs pertaining to this subject are meant for those who have been following the story from the start.  Thus, if I omit specifics, it is only because I assume my readers already know what I'm talking about, or what happened before and/or after certain events.  Thank you.

On September 30, 2010, David Michael Hartley was last seen shot in the head, floating in Falcon Lake, Texas by his wife, Tiffany Hartley.

His wife's story of what happened that day is the only confirmation that that is how he was last seen.  No body was ever found.  No bullets were ever recovered, and Tiffany's jet ski did not even have so much as a scratch from one either.

With an eyewitness and the backing of  Zapata County Sheriff, Sigifredo Gonzalez, Jr, everything seemed to indicate that Tiffany Hartley was telling the truth, especially since the blood on her life vest was later determined to be that of David Hartley's.

Not only was it the blood evidence, but the fact that pirate attacks had occurred before, but never this severe.

Still, none of that really mattered to many who followed this story from the start.  Tiffany's story could be a lie.  Yes, there was blood on her vest that belonged to David, but that still did not explain how it got there.

Tiffany's reaction to his death, with the help of the witness statement by the "good Samaritan"/eyewitness and Sheriff Sigi, only fueled the fire more that this story was not all that it seemed to be.

The question is:  If it's not all that it seems to be, then what is it really?

Some people have speculated that this was a drug deal gone bad.  Someone commented somewhere to the Hartley story that they believed Tiffany and David had discussed this before.  David was to take the money to buy the drugs.  Tiffany was to hang back and hidden from view.  If anything happened to David, Tiffany was to run away as fast as possible and call for help.  That persons opinion was that the drug dealers never saw Tiffany.

Others have speculated that this was an insurance scam concocted by David and Tiffany.  Some believe that David may have not been a willing participant.  Others believe it was probably a scam gone wrong.  Some of those stories include the "good Samaritan"/eyewitness as the shooter, while others claim it could have been Tiffany and that would explain the blood on her life vest.  Maybe the shot was supposed to hit David in the shoulder and ended up hitting him in the head by accident?

All those reasons sound good and very possible.  Why do I say that?

Because Tiffany likes to talk.  If there is one thing that has been told to us, over and over and over again here in America is that you have the right to remain silent because everything you say will be used against you in the court of law.  Tiffany hasn't been to court to testify on David's murder, and the way things are going, it looks like she never will.  If she did, the following comments she made in one of her interviews would provoke a lot of questions:

"We have heard about the pirates before and we always had talked we would outrun them.  We even talk to border patrol and they said you could outrun them because of our jetskis."
If they had heard about the pirates before, then why was she claiming they didn't know about the dangers on Falcon Lake water?  Maybe she was too embarrassed to admit their stupidity?  Ok, but then, a question that begs to be asked is why would they even be discussing outrunning pirates in the first place?  When did they talk to the border patrol about this subject?  And did the subject of "outrunning" come up with the border patrol?  Were they digging for information because they were planning to do something that might require them to run?  Kind of like a bank robber scoping out a store to see how many cameras or guards there are so they can plan an escape if things go wrong?

It's all very interesting, but I haven't discussed one final reason that this could all be a conspiracy with David.

Through out this whole story, for me, it wasn't only Tiffany that was doing a horrible job at grieving.  To me, mostly everyone in both families was doing a horrible job.  It got to a point where I felt they were all part of a big conspiracy, but I just couldn't figure out how that could be possible.  Not one of them doubted Tiffany and that was very odd given her many conflicting statements, and of course, the many interesting questions being posed around the web.  Surely there had to be some doubts from some of them?  Especially when the most she could and has produced is sniffles, but no tears.  So what possible reason could they have for being fully supportive of her?

Well, I did some digging.  A few weeks back I had heard about a friends brother who was kidnapped in Mexico.  They searched for him for weeks, and rumors started circulating that the cartels had killed him.  The guy, of course, was involved with the Zeta's.  On our last trip to Mexico, this friend informed us that he had news about his brother.  He was alive, but he was warned to keep his mouth shut if he knew what was good for him.  He was also never going to see his brother again.

I pondered about this, because something about my friends story felt familiar, and it took me a while, but finally I got it.  The reason it felt familiar was because for some odd reason, I felt this was similar to what happened to David.  So I asked a good friend who is very familiar if this was possible, for someone to get kidnapped, be labeled dead, but really be alive?  Was this some form of secret mission given to certain people involved with the cartels?

What I learned was surprising!  Yes, it is very possible!

And if it is possible, it may explain why the family seems so fake at their grieving.  It may be they are just pretending, because David has to be believed to be dead to the world!

So what possible reasons would someone in this situation have to pretend to be dead?  Ask yourself this:

What happens when you leave a gang you're sworn into?  They kill you.

It is my opinion that David may have been involved with the cartels.  More than likely the Zeta's since they control most of Reynosa.  When the cartels had their fall out and the CDG began targeting Zeta's, it could be possible David began to become scared for his life and that of his wife.  It could be that he wanted out, or maybe he wanted to join the CDG?  Either way, one way or another, he would be getting killed, either by the CDG for being a Zeta or by the Zeta's for joining the CDG.  What other options did he have?

How about faking your own death?

By faking his death, now he is free to either join the CDG or just leave that life behind.  While it is possible that he could just leave and come over to live in America, it is also possible he might have committed a crime that was traceable, and regardless of whether he's in the US or Mexico, they will find him, or worse, his family.  The cartels are known for getting revenge by killing the loved ones of the person they are after.  Some of those incidents have even been followed into the US, and while some will consider that spill over violence, those of us who live here know that is not the case.  It will be considered spill over violence when the cartels start having their wars in our streets like they do in Mexico.  In these cases, these are Americans involved with the cartels, doing their boss's bidding of targeting an individual, or their family if they can't find that individual, for something that individual might have done wrong.

I was told that these fake deaths are extreme.  They'll completely alter the person identity if they can.  They'll dye their hair, make them shave off their beard, tan or lighten their skin, change their eye color, and in some cases, even perform cosmetic surgery.

Isn't that the biggest conspiracy theory you've ever heard about this case?  I know, I know, but that could very well explain why this whole things sounds of a cover up.  It could explain Tiffany's fake tears.  Maybe she knows he's alive and is having a hard time acting like a grieving widow?  It could explain the fake grieving of the family.  Maybe they were informed about why they need to pretend that David is dead?

But then, where does the "good Samaritan"/eyewitness and Sheriff Sigi fit into this scenario?

I will tell you what I think in the my following blogs.  Until then, keep your mind open about this case, and whatever you do, don't let this story die until the justice is served to those who deserve it.

Friday, January 7, 2011

The Falcon Lake Murder: Tiffany Hartley

Tiffany Hartley is a young 29 year old white woman.  She is petite, blond, blue eyed, and very pretty.  Looking at her, one might never suspect her of having committed a crime if she did indeed commit one.  She doesn't fit the normal stereo-type of a criminal, especially not here around the Texas border.  

My inclusion of her race and ethnicity is not meant to be taken as an offense.  Instead, it is meant to reference an inconsistency on the reporting, by the media, of border violence.  Tiffany and David Hartley were in Mexico illegally when David was supposedly shot and murdered.  The media reported on this incident for months!  Yet, those of us who live here on the border have heard more gruesome tales of American's being murdered in Mexico, and those American's happened to be there legally.  The only difference is, the majority of those Americans, unlike Tiffany and David, happened to be Hispanic.  

Don't believe me?  

Well, then answer these question to yourself, and be honest, without researching:

When was the last time you heard of an American being killed in Mexico as a result of the drug wars?  

Do you know those victims names?  

Just to clue you in, David Hartley, if indeed he was murdered, wasn't the first nor the last American murdered in Mexico as a result of the drug wars.  

Although, David would probably be the first American who was killed while being illegally in Mexico, but that is my assumption considering the news sources for the other American's that have been killed do not provide the legal status of those American victims in Mexico. 

Now, nowhere am I trying to justify that David's illegal status is ground for murder, but his legal status is important to remember, especially since Tiffany and Sigi, and even the "good Samaritan"/eyewitness, have changed their stances from "Bring David Home" to "Secure the Borders".

If Tiffany did indeed commit a crime, then she chose the perfect place to do it.  What a better way to wipe her hands clean than to blame it on the brown folk across the pond.  Everyone knows the Mexican border area is a violent place to be at right now.  

Tiffany no doubt knew this.  

She and David lived in Reynosa, Mexico for 3 years.  Reynosa is home to the most violent drug wars on the Mexican border right now. 

A curious thing that Tiffany states in an interview with the Monitor how David was beat up and robbed by the Mexican police and she didn't know about it until a year and a half later.  What is interesting about that statement is that, again, David seems to be hit in the head with such force that he was knocked down, but if Tiffany was living with David and had an intimate relationship with him, wouldn't she have noticed a bruise to the face on her husband? 

Not to mention that, yet again, she manages to vilify the Mexican police.  

While it is a certainty that Mexican police are not saints, the very fact that they would just walk up to a guy and "clonk" him for no apparent reason other than to rob him is interesting in and of itself.  

For those of us who travel frequently to Mexico, the story Tiffany tells about David being robbed is unbelievable, not so much because we don't believe he was robbed, but because it's not custom for the Mexican police to just walk up to someone and clonk them in the head just to rob them. 

Of course, I'm not saying it couldn't have happened, but normally the Mexican police make up some infraction as a way to rob you.  You are then forced to bribe the police with money so they can let you go, or otherwise face time in prison, a fate that's probably worse than getting robbed, because now not only have you lost your money, but you're also locked up behind bars for no other reason other than that which the police make up.  

On the other hand, American's are very much respected in Mexico, especially if they are white.  

Sure, you may get pulled over here or there and get a couple of dollars taken away from you for made up infractions, but for the most part, Mexicans are aware of the fact that American tourism brings them money, and the last thing they want is to scare off Americans from spending their dollars in their economy.  Dollars are worth more than pesos, and you can't get those if you keep scaring off the people that spend their dollars on you.  It's bad enough that some of them usually find themselves in our country illegally because they are barely making it back home in Mexico, so why make it worse on themselves by beating up innocent American's just to steal their money?  

On the other hand, the police may have beaten David, but only if he put up a fight.  If that is the case, then I highly doubt that all he received was a clonk to the head.  If that weren't a serious offense, I would find it almost laughable, especially since I have had family experience the brutality of the Mexican police when you put up a fight.  Believe me, they didn't receive just a "clonk" to the head.


So what has Tiffany have to gain by making Mexico look bad?  Perhaps her innocence?


Now, I'm not a detective, but maybe I should have been one.  When I hear about stories like these that mar the safe Texas borders that I know, I cross my fingers and hope that it's not true.  Then, I immediately start digging for information to see what I can find out about those cases.  

In Tiffany's case, when I first heard her story, it sounded fishy right off the bat.  To be honest with you, even though I didn't believe her story, I didn't suspect her just yet.  I was more curious as to what David was doing days before he was murdered, and what a better place to find that out other than to look him up on facebook.

To be honest, I can't remember exactly what I saw on David's wall because I never though I would be wanting to use that information later on, but one thing I do remember is that David's wall was boring.  There were rarely any comments, not even from Tiffany and I remember thinking that for all the show of emotions from Tiffany and the Hartley/Young family, it sure seemed like they were cold with him based on what I saw on his wall.  At that time, I just disregarded that to them not being facebook freaks like I am.  Later, as my suspicions about the case became more persistent, I decided to go snoop around one more time, only to find that David's page had been set to private.  

I found that very odd, considering that David is supposed to be dead.


Yes, I know it is possible that Tiffany might have David's password, and no, I don't really believe David did it himself, although that is a possibility in my humble opinion.


No, the odd thing about it is the act of changing a "dead" persons profile to private is a very suspicious act.  Why would anyone do that?  In my opinion, the only reason to do that is if you have something to hide.  Tiffany then set her profile to private too, or so I'm guessing, because I was not smart enough to think about looking at her page before the rumors began to circulate.


The only other case in which a person might set a profile to private is to protect their family, but Tiffany and David have no children, so whom or what are they trying to protect?   

Of course, what is on their wall is none of my business.  I have no problem understand that, but it's not like Tiffany hasn't gone on nation wide television with her mis-matched stories, and she herself has said she has nothing to hide, so why is she hiding now?  

Not only is she hiding herself, but she is hiding David's page as well and that is very creepy.


There's a lot more to this story than we might be aware of.  There are several reasons Tiffany may have been involved in a plot to either murder David herself, have him killed, or fake his death.  I will follow up on my reasons for believing that as I express my thoughts on the other suspects in my following blogs.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Falcon Lake Pirates, the Hartley's, and Sigi

It was a nice sunny day on September 30, 2010 when Tiffany and David Hartley decided to go to Falcon Lake to "try out" their jet skis one last time before moving back to Colorado. Their plans, however, were not really to "try out" their jet skis, although that is what David told the officer that pulled them over in Rio Grande City, Tx. Their true intentions were to cross over into Mexico illegally to take pictures of an old church that sits under water in Nuevo Guerrero, Mexico. So far, that is the only part of this story that has been consistent after that tragic day in September.

The parts that have not been consistent are told by David's wife, Tiffany, a "good Samaritan" that helped Tiffany with her 911 call and is now a "witness", and the Zapata County Sheriff, Sigifredo (Sigi) Gonzalez Jr.

Tiffany tells a tale of how she and her husband, David Hartley, went to take pictures of the old church. On their way back they saw men on boats. In one story she says the men waved "as if they were friendly". In another, she says they didn't say anything but immediately set chase. She talks about being shot at, looking over her shoulder to check on her husband, only to see him fly off his jet ski. In one story, she attempts to turn back but the shots kept coming and she's forced to abandon her husband. In another she makes it back to him and the boats just leave and the gun fire seizes. In another, she's facing down the barrel of a gun as the boats make their way back to her, only for them to leave her alone and then pick up again shooting her after she decides to rush back for help. If it all sounds confusing to you, then try looking up her interviews to confirm for yourself.

Even more interesting is how the Zapata County Sheriff immediately jumped on board to take up Tiffany's side of the story. From day one, he was right there with her backing her up stating that he did not doubt her story one bit. Without any evidence, or even so much as a full investigation, the Sheriff was taking sides, even embellishing Tiffany's story before Tiffany could embellish it herself. As questions began to circulate with doubt, the Sheriff all of a sudden remembers that there is blood evidence on Tiffany's life vest. This blood evidence, however, is a tiny drop of blood that somehow managed to get on Tiffany's life vest as she wrestled to get her husband on her jet ski. Mind you, according to Tiffany, her husband was shot in the head from what she could tell, because when she retells her story, she always seems to point to a spot on her forehead as if the bullet managed to e
xit from David's forehead. One would think that there would be more than just a tiny drop of blood from a head wound. Given that they were in water, Tiffany does claim to have tried to get her wounded husband on to her jet ski. In one of her stories, she says she's holding on to her husband with one hand, and her jet ski with the other. One has to assume that she must have wrapped at least one arm around his neck or under his arms to pull him up, which means, at some point his head was very close to her body, enough to smear more than just a tiny drop of blood. The only time it might possible to get such a small amount of blood on her is if she was stupid enough to try to pull him up by his feet, and I have no doubt at some point she just might change her story to claim that that is exactly what she did.

Yet, blood evidence was not enough to calm the rumors. As a matter of fact, it was the blood evidence that drew more criticism. Such a small amount of blood for such a serious wound is hard to believe. It is then that the Sheriff remembers, yet again, that they have a witness. This witness happens to be the same man who helped Tiffany call for help. Yet, the witness only adds more fuel to the rumors. He offers nothing of interest other than to retell Tiffany's story as if he was there to witness it. Stranger still, he too embellishes more to the story than Tiffany does. He offers to e
xplain how Tiffany "heard" her husband gurgling leading one to believe that David might have still been alive when Tiffany left him. He describes the gun shot wound to David's head providing details to "brains" leaking out and there being blood every where. When he first starts telling us what he saw, he first states that he only saw a jet ski racing towards him with one boat chasing after it only to later explain how there were three boats with men waving guns and speaking in Spanish. Sorry good Samaritan eyewitness, but you weren't there to tell us what happened and how it happened...or were you?

The strangest part to this story is how everyone seems to have just accepted what we've been told. No one has put Tiffany on the spot and questioned her with hard questions. No one has pushed her to take a lie detector test, to draw out a map and a time line, to check her phone records or those of David. Nothing has been done to bring justice to a possible murder case other than blame Me
xico and make this whole incident about border security.

Anyone who's dug their nose into this story like I have will notice all the inconsistencies in it. What I'd like to know is how long did they dally at the old church? In one interview with Gayle King, Tiffany states that they had previously been to Falcon in August and had spent three or four hours going back and forth between Falcon and Me
xico, which is an odd story to hear for those of us who live here. For one, in August, the whole border areas from Falcon to McAllen, including the Mexican border, were heavily flooded. Even some parts of Falcon Lake were closed due to the flooding. On another note, the time line is important because if we're left to guess how long they took to eat, launch the boats, get to the church, etc., then her story may have a glitch in it based on the fact that her 911 call was made at about 2:30pm. From the time they were stopped in Rio Grande City to the 911 call, well, that's a very short time frame for all the details that Tiffany claims took place within those hours.

In the end, we're left to wonder what all this is really about. Is it a big conspiracy theory? If so, then who's conspiring? Is it Tiffany? Tiffany and David? Or everyone from Tiffany to the good Samaritan to the Sheriff? Tiffany's story holds no sustenance. All we know is they went, they were chased, he was shot, she believes he's dead, and the Sheriff believes her because of a tiny drop of blood evidence, yet no body or jet ski has yet to be recovered.

I will cover my opinion in my ne
xt blog and point out the different scenarios that could give reason to the fact that this is all a big conspiracy that involves everyone from Tiffany to the Sheriff of Zapata. Until then, don't let your guard down on this story. There are too many red flags in it to let this one go, and maybe, just maybe, by keeping the story alive, we may actually bring justice to those who actually deserve it, be it Tiffany, David, or for those of us who live on the border and are sick and tired of our borders being scapegoated for political reasons.

Stop Demonizing Our Borders

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