18-year old Colorado teen, Ashley Doolittle, was reported missing Thursday, June 9 after she never returned home at her expected 7:30 p.m. time. Her mother called the sheriff’s office in Larimer County just before 8:00 p.m. after she found her daughters car abandoned near Lon Hagler Reservoir, near the family’s home.
Doolittle’s ex-boyfriend, Tanner George Flores, 18, was taken into custody shortly after she went missing. Authorities gathered through interviews that Flores was distraught over the young couple’s recent breakup. Flores’ father also reported to investigators that his .22-caliber revolver had been missing from his gun cabinet.
Flores’ truck was found at his deceased grandfather’s home after Ashley went missing. An eyewitness account contacted authorities and reported seeing Flores and his truck at the house. The eyewitness also explained they saw Flores pulling out what looked to be a bundled up blanket from the back seat. The eyewitness further reported that she might have seen an arm coming out of the blanket.
Authorities began the search for Doolittle on Friday the 10th and found a body near Mesa County, five hours from Larimer County. Authorities arrested Flores, who was found near the area that the unidentified body was found, and was booked to Mesa Country jail. The body was later identified as Ashley Doolittle. Flores admitted to shooting Doolittle twice in Larimer County and dumping her body in Mesa County.
The Warning Signs of Potential Violence after a Teen Breakup
Why would Flores turn to murder over a breakup? Not much is known at this point, but friends of Flores stated, “They had never seen Tanner so depressed before.” Authorities were told that Flores was posting updates on his social media that suggested a depressed state. Suzanne Lachmann Psy.D. explains that a depressed state is common during the grieving process after a breakup. After a breakup, Lachmann explains, an individual may become desperate in making sense of what has occurred. Their thoughts become clouded in search for clarity. In a study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, sociologists explain that this clouded judgement can lead to depression. Sociologists found that 40% of the 114 individuals they assessed after a breakup were clinically depressed, and of that 40%, 12% were severely depressed. This depressed state, however, isn’t enough to explain the extreme violence that the young teen committed.
An arrest affidavit states that Flores shot Doolittle “because he was angry with her.” Lachmann makes note that anger is another stage of the grieving process after a breakup.” Further insight from the American Psychological Association explains that violence arises because serotonin levels drop during the anger stage and may cause an individual to become violent and impulsive. This may lead a teen to turn towards violent acts to express their anger, or as a way to retaliate against a person they care about who has hurt them. Lachmann explains that this is a crucial stage in the grieving process because either the individual can use the anger in an empowering way, or it can consume the individual.
The grieving process after a teenage breakup, combined with fluctuating hormones, may be a potential for an increase in teen violence. Parents and friends are advised to keep an eye on both parties after a breakup to ensure violence does not arise.
How to Recognize Potential Violence in Teens
Ashley Doolittle was victim of horrific violence that occurred after a breakup. As the story develops, we will learn more about Flores and if violence had been a part of his past. But signs of potential violence in teens should be recognizable to deter any future lives being taken.
The problem with teen violence is that there is no direct cause as to why it occurs. Research and professionals suggest that violence in teens may arise, especially when close relationships become strained. These strained relationships come in many different forms. They may be due to unchangeable factors such as:
Being victim to bullying
Witnessing/being victim to violence at a young age
Lacking empathy for others
Having a family member condone violence
Other unchangeable factors unrelated to strained relationships stem from things such as:
Having a history of aggressive behavior
Experiencing trauma at a young age.
Drug or use
Gang membership
Withdrawal from social matters
Feeling rejected/alone
Fascination with guns
If you are a parent that believes your teen may become violent or is showing patterns of violence, visit the links below for help.
Every 40 seconds in the United States, a child becomes missing or is abducted. Scary, huh? However, contrary to popular belief, many child abductions are not carried out by strangers. The reality is most children who are kidnapped are taken by their own parents.
Parental Abductions: Why Do They Happen
According to the latest stats, nearly 204,000 were victims of family abduction in 2014. This is done for a wide variety of reasons, but usually occurs when a custodial order is not viewed as being “fair” by one of the parents.
When this parent is allowed their court-appointed time with their child, they choose to leave the area and not return their child to their custodial parent. Leaving the area doesn’t necessarily mean they leave the state. It might just mean that they don’t return to their home or return the child to their home.
International parental child abduction rates have dropped by 12.23% over the last 4 years—however, that’s still not high enough in our books.
Child victims of international parental kidnapping are often taken from a familiar environment and suddenly isolated from their community, family, and friends. They may miss months or even years of schooling.
The child may be moved to multiple locations in order to stay hidden or out of reach of the parent remaining in the United States. In some cases, the child´s name, birth date, and physical appearance are altered or concealed to hide identity.
At Lauth Investigations, we’ve handled quite a number of parental abduction cases for our clients over the years. One of our more high-profile cases involved the kidnapping of Jasmin, 9, and Felix, 6, of Germany.
Several years ago, their father abducted them to the United States, prompting the mother, Susanne, to take every necessary action to return them back to Germany—but it was no easy task.
She reached out to lawyers in Germany and the USA, the FBI, the American embassy as well as organizations that specialize in parental abduction cases. However, none of these agencies appeared to move fast enough or provide her with the answers she so desperately needed in a timely manner.
That’s when she reached out to us. To make a long story short, it took us just two days to learn that Susanne’s children were living with their father in Charlotte, N.C. Local authorities were contacted and they eventually took the children, placing them temporarily in foster care. As soon as she learned the news, their mother left Germany to see her children after nearly two month of them being taken from her.
Eventually, a judge soon ruled in Susanne’s favor. She was able to return with her children back to Germany. Unfortunately, like many parents involved in similar cases, Susanne made the mistake of solely relying on the authorities for help. In fact, he cost her six weeks.
“Police, youth welfare office, embassy, Federal Office of Justice are all necessary, but don’t help searching,” she told a German newspaper. “You, yourself, have to take the first steps, take care and take advantage of the experience of others.”
The Challenges Of International Parental Kidnapping
Resolving child custody issues can be quite challenging and often times emotional. When that battle over custody transcends across the globe and jurisdictions of different countries, there is always a heightened level of complexity involved—especially when there may be communication barriers.
In the United States, federal law prohibits a parent from removing a child from this country or retaining a child in another country with intent to obstruct another parent´s custodial rights.
However, it’s important to understand: The FBI has no investigative jurisdiction outside the U.S., except on the high seas and other locations specifically granted by Congress.
Hague Convention On The Civil Aspects Of International Child Abduction
This is the primary, go-to civil law mechanism for parents seeking the return of their children from other treaty partner countries. Countries that are party to the Convention have agreed that a child who was habitually resident in one Convention country, and who has been removed to or retained in another Convention country in violation of the left-behind parent’s custodial rights, shall be returned.
Once the child has been returned, any custody dispute can then be resolved in the courts of that jurisdiction. The Convention, however, does not address who should have custody of the child; it addresses where the custody case should be heard.
The circumstances of every abduction case are different and each requires a tailored response. It’s so important that you call and discuss your child’s case with a country officer as soon as possible to determine options available to you in seeking the return of your child. However, don’t completely rely on law enforcement authorities to locate your child. Take matters into your own hands and seek the help of an agency who specializes in international parental kidnapping cases. They can guide you in the right direction.
Need Help?
Lauth Investigations and Thomas Lauth are experts in helping families locate missing loved ones.
While each missing persons case is different and results will vary, Lauth has been helping families for more than 20 years and boasts nearly an 85% success rate.
If you or someone you know need assistance, call them today at 1.800.889.FIND or 317.951.1100.
To: Thomas Lauth, Private Investigator and parents seeking assistance
From: Liz, mother of Brandon
Date: December 9, 2009
Being the mother of a missing son, was by far the most agonizing and heartwrenching experience I have ever had. When my “adult” son disappeared on his 18th birthday, without any sort of notice to family, naturally we were shocked and very concerned for his safety. As a young man with neurocognitive impairment and MH difficulties, my son had been receiving intensive community based MH services and was accordingly, registered as a disabled and endangered missing adult. My local police department placed a statewide bulletin and registered him missing but very quickly, it became apparent that there was not going to be an active, aggressive investigative search for my son. A non-profit organization recommended the services of a private investigator and Thomas Lauth was contacted.
At a highly emotional time, I found the contact with Mr. Lauth to be quite reassuring. His experience in investigations of missing persons is quite impressive and without pressure, he outlined the stages of his proposed investigation costs and projected number of days to successfully locate my son. We agreed upon a contract and the search began.
Thomas was very methodical in the initial stage. I answered many questions about my son so that Tom could develop a working theory. I trusted his judgment almost immediately because he has worked so many similar cases.
It was speculated that my I 8 year-old son was on the streets of Baltimore city (we live in PA) without any supportive social structure, and had most likely became a victim of human trafficking. Through a series of previous phone conversations Mr. Lauth and I were able to piece this together. As a cognitively impaired individual, my son thought he could fly to Oregon to meet a friend with nothing more than $100.00 in his pocket. (He left home with no clothes, ID, medications etc) and somehow ended up in Baltimore. In my mind, Brandon could never survive this ordeal and I was desperate to rescue him.
Days later, I met Tom in Baltimore MD and immediately felt at ease. He swiftly made contact with the Baltimore city, missing persons unit, nonprofits that provide outreach to victims of human trafficking and Tom personally spent a great deal of time walking in neighborhoods where my son would most likely be. He recommended that I petition the civil court for an emergency evaluation of my son, who could then be picked up by police if seen. I could not have physically or emotionally handled any of these tasks without the support and direction of Tom.
As Tom had predicted, my son was located a day later and was brought to the Hospital in very bad shape. Clearly traumatized by the ordeal, my son offered enough information to conclude that he was being coerced and controlled by others as a prostitute. I am convinced that without this intervention, my son was at extreme risk for death, or trafficked to other major cities around the world. I will never forget the service provided to my family by Thomas Lauth and his genuine concern for my son.
My son continues to experience much difficulty back home and follow-up contact with Tom has been very helpful. His knowledge and expertise clearly saved my son’s life. I am honored to provide a letter of reference for this remarkable man who is such a strong advocate for adult missing persons. My experience is such that I do not recommend relying solely on a local police department to locate a missing person, particularly with mental illness. The risk for exploitation or other harm is simply too great and hiring an experienced private investigator is more likely to bring a loved one home again.
With sincere hope for the return of your loved one,
Liz
Recently my son was missing and we had no where to turn until we found you. He had taken off for work and never got there. No one knew where he was, the police couldn’t help us because he was of age. I
called the missing children’s hot line.’
If any parent is in out situation l recommend highly that they call you. You were so helpful and kind to us. You understood just how worried we were.
You met my husband in Mass., where we finally figured out where my son was. You stayed there until he was found and let us contact him. Your kindness and professional manner was of great comfort to us in out time of need. It is so hard to not know where your child is. Anyone going through these hard times needs to know there is an origination out there that cares and handles the problem for you.
You don’t know what you gave back to us. My son means the world to me and getting him back made my world complete again.
Our daughter started slipping in her senior year of high-school. She became very secretive about her life, she was missing school and seemed to be on drugs. It was impossible to have any kind of conversation with her, she was so much on the defensive.
We tried 2 different therapists and an outpatient drug program. Nothing worked. She somehow graduated and we were trying to talk about the future with her but she was always very evasive. At the beginning of the Summer, she chose to go back to a camp where she had been for the last three years, the last year, as a counselor in training. Since she made up her mind at the last minute, there was only space for a kitchen helper. She went. She lasted 4 weeks again and then got a friend to pick her up and bring her home.
Things were the same, her staying out and not coming back for a few days. Then she would come back, sleep a lot and be very disheveled and unapproachable. We had a trip going back to see family and friends coming up and 2 days before leaving, she declared that she could not come with us, this was no longer her life. We tried everything for her to come along but she was so stubborn. We were losing our patience. It had been a year of constant tension and confrontations. We could not tie her up and force her on the airplane …
On her 18th birthday, she left. After a while, letters from attorneys in LA came to our house, offering their services. I started talking to a pi and he said for me to think of what she could have done in the past that would trigger this. Then, we got more letters, I called again and that’s when we found out that she had been arrested a few times for prostitution and had been released from a jail that afternoon.
We tried many times to find her and to think of ways to get her out of there. She finally called right around thanksgiving. She stayed with us until January 3rd and then took off again. This time we called Thomas Lauth and started working with him. He was very thorough trying to understand the history of our situation and acted very quickly. After a few telephone calls and e-mail exchanges, he came to see us and got a lead. He had asked us to prepare letters and pictures to give to our daughter. That turned out to be a brilliant idea. All three of us flew to Phoenix and on our first night there he found our daughter and the only thing that we were able to do was to give her that folder with the letters and the pictures.
On two other occasions, Tom traced our daughter’s whereabouts, and every time we managed to have contact with her which, I think, was the reason why she eventually came back. Knowing that we were not giving up.
When we felt hopeless, Tom would encourage us to not give up. His amazing perseverance and promptness to act is what saved us.
