Hailey Dunn Case: Who Has Kept The Case Alive?

It is interesting how many people call the case of missing 13 year old, Hailey Dunn, the "Billie Jean Dunn" case, when, in fact, Billie Jean Dunn has not been charged in Hailey's disappearance.

Question:  Who is responsible for keeping this case alive in the public's view, while other similar cases that are unsolved are no longer talked about?

No one has been formally charged, though law enforcement did call Billie Jean Dunn and her boyfriend, Shawn Adkins, both "Persons of Interest" in the case, with one branch of law enforcement calling Adkins a "suspect" in it.

Remains found in Scurry County remain unidentified to this point, with one media outlet reporting that only a limited amount of remains were located near the lake where a hiker came upon the remains.

Dental record and DNA testing could take a considerable amount of time before an official announcement is made.

On December 27th, 2011, Hailey's mother made a report to the police that her daughter was missing.  A week later, she went on the Nancy Grace Show, which highlighted the case to the nation. It was on the first appearance on the Nancy Grace Show that suspicion turned on to the mother and her boyfriend, Adkins.

Billie Jean Dunn revealed much in her appearances, which eventually led Nancy Grace to conclude:

"Hailey Dunn never left that home alive."

What began as the home life of a cheer leader and a concerned mother, quickly degenerated into a seedy account where drugs, violence, and sexuality were mingled together, conspiring against Hailey's safety and well being.

What do we know about Hailey's home life and the two adults that she lived with?

1.  Both Adults were involved in drugs.  Drugs desensitize and lead people into doing things they never dreamed possible before the drugs.  The first indication was the "toothache" mentioned on the Nancy Grace Show.  A mother who has the wherewithal to mention a toothache while a child is missing was the indicator that trained social workers, investigators and counselors all say, "we must explore substance abuse" issues.  We then learned about her New Year's Eve party while Hailey was "missing."

2.  Shawn Adkins had previously threatened violence.  What one can articulate, one is often capable of doing.  Not only did Adkins articulate violence against Hailey and her mother, but he reiterated it to the police, along with his advice to police to search in Scurry County; where the remains were found this week, waiting for identification.

After reporting Adkins for violence, it was but a few weeks later that Dunn invited him into Hailey's home, exposing her to the man who threatened both mother and daughter, and who was not afraid to boast the same, to police.

3.  Sexual Perversion. Police revealed that more than 109,000 deviant images were found, in total, on various devices.  Last night, we learned that Billie Dunn and Shawn Adkins made their own pornography video but stored it on her children's X Box game device.

This is part of the grooming process where the abuser uses pornography to lessen the child's resistance. Hailey was subjected to a highly sexualized environment from her mother, once a stripper, and mother's boyfriend, so much so that they were making their own home-made pornography.  What began as shocking can become 'tame' or 'dull' to the viewer.

 This is the desensitization process abusers use against their victims.

It is difficult to imagine the damage done to children raised in this environment.  Note the language that the mother used when angry:  insults were laden with sexuality and violence.  This is indicative of her 'reality'; the two very elements that should be as far apart as possible are organically linked to her:  it is her 'norm.'

Child pornography is evidence of sexual arousal while watching children abused.
Bestiality is the evidence of violent crimes against animals, including pets, for the purpose of sexual arousal.

This is the perfect storm of forces coming together to destroy Hailey Dunn.

Dr. Lillian Glass eloquently tied it together suggesting that while Adkins was sexually abusing Hailey, the mother saw Hailey as a rival; the mother, almost 40 years old, dressing and behaving like an inappropriate teenager.

4.  The lies

Both Dunn and Adkins failed polygraphs, with Adkins even failing a privately administered polygraph.

The statements from Billie Dunn, who appears to very much like the spotlight, have become useful in teaching deception detection.

Dunn talked about downloading "true crime" material from Nancy Grace's website.  Herein was another mistake:  She had taken the story of Carlie Brucia and adopted it as her own.

Carlie was reportedly on her way to a girlfriend's house when she was murdered by Joseph Smith.

A jury found Joseph Smith guilty of murder, kidnapping and sexual battery in a Sarasota, Fla. courtroom on November 17, 2005. Smith was convicted in the February 2004 abduction and murder of 11-year-old Carlie Brucia.  This is the story that Dunn referenced, highlighting that even a lie must not come from a vacuum, but from somewhere.  It is interesting to note that when Dunn had to choose a time for her fabrication, she chose 3 o'clock.  

Mark McClish, now retired US Fed Marshall, author and Statement Analysis, asked students to report on deceptive statements and numbers.  He found that an inordinate number of deceptive accounts used the number "three", in some form.  In my own work, I have found it to be so.  When Charlie Rogers made a "fake hate" claim, she said she was attacked by "three masked men", and in many other cases, we have found "3 o'clock" and "on the third floor" and there were "three individuals" and so forth.  It is not part of the SCAN method, but it is always something I consider when the number three enters a statement. 

Children and Drugs do not mix. 
Children and Sexual perversion do not mix. 
Children and Violence do not mix. 

Hailey Dunn was subjected to the lowest elements of society.  When Billie Dunn got a private investigator to "find" Hailey, she handed him a list of suspects.  This is appropriate and expected. 

She then handed him a list of people who had upset her. 

Huh?

Why would the mother of a missing child want people who "upset" her be investigated?

This is part of  behavioral analysis, post crime:  if Billie Dunn was concerned about her daughter, she would not care to have someone's background looked into, to find unseemly details, and threaten to reveal them in order to get the person to be silent. Innocent parents care only for the missing child.  This list of people she wanted researched should have been the first indicator to someone coming into the case cold, that mother has something to hide. 

What's Next?

Next up is identification of the body.  Let's assume it is Hailey:  what happens next?

If the remains are Hailey's, on the side of justice is noise.  

Many people across the nation watch The Nancy Grace Show, and were touched by Hailey's story.  But it was something else that caused the public to cling more to this story than other stories of other missing children. 

Question:  What was it about this story that so captivated the public, to the point where they will make "noise", that is, a public outcry for justice?

Answer:  It was Billie Dunn, herself, who had so infuriated the public, that they have not forgotten Hailey's plight and will be vocal enough to catch the attention of media in the cry for justice. 

Yes, investigators all deeply care, personally, about justice for Hailey:  for them, this story has never been back-paged.  But it was Billie Dunn, herself, with her language, appearance and her deceptive words that enraged the public.  Her answers triggered anger. 

Here is an early example of how her answers angered Nancy Grace, and infuriated the public:

Nancy Grace: " I want to go to Billie Dunn. Billie Dunn is Hailey`s mother, and it speaks to her credibility that she is here taking our calls and taking my questions tonight. First thing I want to clear up, Ms. Dunn, I have in these documents that I`ve with me and I`ve read them very carefully, that you did, in fact, have a New Year`s Eve party at your home. That would have been within 72 hours of reporting Hailey missing."

That a mother of a missing child could have a New Year's Eve party has stunned the senses of Nancy Grace, a mother, herself.  

The question is simple:     Did you have a New Year's Eve party? 

 Do we need to define what "New Year's Eve party means?"  Remember that when someone plays 'wordsmith' games, it angers people.  People were angry that President Clinton redefined "sexual relations" or, said, "it depends on what the meaning of the word, "is" is."

These types of responses indicate several things:
1.  The person needs to deceive
2.  The person is intelligent
3.  The person will anger others

This became apparent as Nancy Grace questioned her.  Follow the pronouns.  

"Billie Dunn, did you have a New Year's Eve party?" is straight forward.  
BILLIE DUNN: Well, we did not. I know it wasn`t on my mind at all that it was even New Year`s Eve. I had an uncle and aunt, and they brought their grandbaby from out of town. They came up. They stayed at my house Friday during the day. They spent the night at my brother`s. They were back over here Saturday. I think they went home on Sunday. We had family over here. I`ve had a lot of fat of family here. But that weekend, an aunt, an uncle and their grandbaby and my two brothers came over.

Note that she began with "well", which is a pause, making the question, "Did you have a New Year's Eve party" sensitive to her.  

Note next she begins with "we"

Note next that she says "we did not" but did not complete what they did not.  

A truthful person will tell us what happened, what the person thought and not what did not happen or what was not thought:  

Note next she reports what was not on her mind. 

Dunn only owns that some family came over to her home.  Grace takes her through a series of baby steps to learn if she had a party or not.  Her denial is, "no we didn't" but Nancy Grace now probes to see if it is reliable or not: 

GRACE: And when they were there that night...

BILLIE DUNN: There was definitely no...

GRACE: ... New Year`s Eve night. What were you guys doing in the home that night?

Nancy Grace is not buying it.  Dunn should have said "no" and not spoken another word, but her preferred Method Of Deception is to pour it on.  

BILLIE DUNN: We were visiting. We were talking about Hailey. We were pretty upset.

 She starts with "we" and not with "I"; 

Note the order:

1.  We were visiting

2.  We were talking about Hailey

3.  We were "pretty" upset

Please note that "visiting" came first in her order.  This was not lost on Nancy Grace.  She also said that "we were pretty upset" which expresses the emotions of others ,instead of "i was upset".  Please note that she did not say she was upset, but only that they were "pretty" upset, qualifying being upset. 

72 hours after her daughter is reported missing they visited, talked and were only "pretty" upset.  Most people would be more than just "pretty" upset.  Would you be "pretty" upset if your 13 year old had been missing for days?  

Most would be a train wreck.  Most would not host a party, or watch soap operas, or play video games.  

Nancy Grace knows that the mother of a missing child is lying to her, on National Television and, although the point may appear minor, is not letting it go.  This is driven by anger: 

GRACE: Did you have out food for them? Was anybody having drinks?

Since she began with "we were visiting" as her priority, Nancy Grace seeks to define what a New Year's Eve party looked like.  She asked a compound question which should be avoided, as it allows the subject to pick and choose which to answer. 

BILLIE DUNN: I know that there was a lot of food out, and I think Shawn had some drinks. Nobody else. Nobody was worried about having a New Year`s Eve party.

Here is how she lies:  She "knows" there was "a lot of food out".  Didn't she serve it?  Did someone bring it in for her?  Wasn't she there?  If she was there, she would know that food was there.  This is a type of avoidance due to the high sensitivity. 

Next, she "thinks" Shawn had "some drinks" but will not commit to it. She saw the food, and "knows" it was a "lot" for her uncle, aunt and their baby, her and Shawn.  

"nobody else" is a broken sentence.  She did not say that "nobody else was drinking."  Clint reported a large volume of empties.  It gets worse for her:

"Nobody was worried about having a New Year's Eve party."  She was not asked if people or even "nobody" was worried about the party.  

Nancy Grace smelled the lie: 

GRACE: Did you have the TV on?

BILLIE DUNN: Yes.

GRACE: Were you watching the ball drop? 

A yes or no question which is now insulting to Billie Dunn.  This is similar to a teacher and a small child, where the teacher is bringing the child to the point of "saying uncle" or admitting what she has not wanted to admit.  

BILLIE DUNN: We were just watching news.

The "yes or no" question is avoided, instead, Dunn employs her Method of Deception by adding in extra words; words she has counted on, since childhood, to get her past trouble, but now are digging her deeper and deeper. 

GRACE: Are you sure?

This is very insulting, rather than just a straight question.  She was giving Billie Dunn an opportunity to look a bit less foolish and just come clean.  

BILLIE DUNN: Yes.

Here, she should have come clean and made an "ugly coping" excuse.  NG would have given her a pass.  

GRACE: So you`re telling me that you have people over, you had food out, alcohol was being served, but it was not a party.

BILLIE DUNN: There was no party, and we weren`t serving alcohol. I think Shawn had a beer.

Note the admission, inch by inch, of the party.  Will "a beer" be all?  She first used the word "alcohol" but then used "beer"

GRACE: So it was just him.

BILLIE DUNN: Nobody was trying to have a party. that was -- right. That was on nobody`s mind.

This is how she lies and the pattern is repeated enough to follow. 

"we weren't serving alcohol" denies the act of "serving" and not that they were drinking. 

Note the change about Shawn having some drinks to "a" beer.  It is difficult to keep track of lies because they do not originate from memory. 
Note that she reports what others did not think.  One can rarely say what others think but how does one say what others do not think?

Deception indicated...again. 

GRACE: OK. I think I have Billie Dunn back. Billie, can you hear me?

BILLIE DUNN: Yes.

GRACE: OK, Billie, I want very much to believe you, and I was very impressed that you volunteered to take that polygraph. Nobody made you do it. And they couldn`t make you do it. But you did it all on your own.

Why did Billie Dunn take a polygraph?
Why did Scott Peterson go on TV?
Why did Mark Redwine go on Dr. Phil?

Liars hold the world in contempt.  They are so used to getting their way, that they have pride hang them by a rope until caught. 

BILLIE DUNN: Right.

GRACE: You made the boyfriend leave. You haven`t been talking to him. But many people believe that you appear nervous, and it`s been interpreted that you are concerned the boyfriend had something to do with Hailey`s disappearance. Is that true?

BILLIE DUNN: That bothers me a lot.

She avoided the question but Grace will not let it go.  Avoidance of the question = sensitivity. 

Note that they were "pretty" upset about Hailey not being at the New Years Eve party, but she is "bothered a lot" about Shawn may have had something to do with Hailey's disappearance. 

The difference is significant. 

GRACE: Is that a yes?

BILLIE DUNN: I don`t know what to believe at this point -- yes.

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More recent examples of how Billie Dunn gave answers that so angered people, that she has caused them not to forget Hailey:

When she tearfully told journalists that she was staying away from Shawn Adkins, while literally meeting him at a motel or lying to police about him hiding in house, infuriated the public.  

Here is a more recent example:   "who hasn't seen bestiality?" as if the sexual abuse of animals is common. 

How about when she was posting about having her "own FBI guy" (note "guy" and not "agent", "officer" or "person" is gender specific and a casual term that has its own connotations).
This enraged people as she posted on Facebook. 

The public understood, by and large, how a liar holds the public in contempt:

Billie Dunn's powerful self confidence in her deception presupposes that the world is, collectively, stupid enough, gullible enough, to believe her. 

This bothered the public.  She infuriated the public when she blamed child pornography on "pop ups", which not only begs credibility, but is insulting to think the public would buy it. 109,000 images?  Take a count of how many photos you have of your family.  This is an incredible amount and shows how driven she and Adkins were in their 'hobby.'

Drugs, sexual immorality, violence...these things bothered the public, but it was her contempt that she had for the public, that raised the level of anger to a point of not letting this story go quietly away.  

Billie Dunn, herself, has kept Hailey's case alive in the public's eye, and if the remains are Hailey's, Billie Dunn will be responsible for the public outcry for justice, even as other, formerly high profile cases, appear to be forgotten. This case still brings out emotional responses and the public will be vocal and before media demanding prosecutors find justice for Hailey. It was Billie Dunn's own lengthy answers which kept this case alive in the public and it will be Billie Dunn, herself, who causes the public's demands.  

It may prove to be something Billie Dunn deeply regrets doing.