A Mother's Love

... and shattered lives

Nov. 15, 2004 Peter and Joan Porco were attacked while they slept. An intruder made a deliberate path into the house with use of a hidden key and then disarmed the security system by using the master code and the alphanumeric keypad. Without disturbing anything within the home the intruder made his way to the master bedroom and began his vicious attack by brutally swinging an ax directed toward the faces of his victims. Somehow the couple survived the attack.

Peter would later die at the hospital, but Joan recovered to a degree. Her face will forever be a reminder of that night even though her memory has faded.

When police were summoned to the scene, they found Joan lying in her bed surrounded by a pool of blood. Remarkably, she was able to respond to verbal commands to move her hands and legs. Detective Chris Bowdish had already sized up the crime scene and determined that there had been no forced entry. This led him to ask Joan, 'Can you hear me?' And she nodded her head yes. I then started feeling that this woman knows what’s going on."

"I said, 'Did a family member do this to you?' And she nodded her head up and down clearly, yes. Now everybody in the room’s standing there at this point, I’ve got witnesses." Bowdish continued.

"And I said to her 'Did Jonathan do this to you?' And she clearly shook her head back and forth, 'no.' At this point I knew she could hear me. I knew she understood the answers to the questions," Bowdish remembers. "And I said to her, 'Did Christopher do this to you?' And she then shook her head up and down. She nodded. Yes he did."

Peter and Joan have two sons. Jonathan was 23 and Christopher was 21 at the time of the butchery. Christopher later stood trial for the murder of his father and attempted murder of his mother.

To read more about this fascinating story check the following links:

48 Hours Mystery

TimesUnion

Things That Go Bump in the Night

Might just be the wind...

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I asked Carla to give us a little background about her trip to Aruba.

"It didn’t take long for us to realize that the trip to Aruba was not going to be one of our easiest. Supposedly, there was a ‘customs mix-up’ with all the trunks of lighting and camera equipment. The assertion was that it had not been properly inspected when FEDEX claimed receipt at the airport. This became a continuous battle for us and Jessika McCool (our production mgr.) was on the cell non-stop fielding calls about the equipment.

We were having dinner at a nice restaurant on the island before the night shoot "main event" as they like to call it, and 2 of our guys were 'detained' while filming late that afternoon. Jess wasn't even able to really take but a few bites of her meal, as again - she was on the cell non-stop to get them released. The customs officers actually went to our hotel asking to search all of our rooms, and the hotel was tres cool about it - they flat out refused. (We love them!)

Even on the beach that night - Greg Palmer (one of our producers) was fending off local police as they were telling him to "pack it up" and leave. They did this throughout the night, so we had to move through our readings as quickly as possible. But it didn't matter - my reading was very clear from the beginning.

I spent my day off Friday (we finished shooting Thursday night) @ FEDEX with Jess as we made sure all the forms + manifests were properly filled out for shipping all those trunks back to NY for the next episode. (Good thing - Jess needed more forms which had not been filed with the large shipment.) I didn't mind - she said she was actually happy I came, since I was the only one who made friends with a woman supervisor at the local FEDEX to get my 2 trunks back to Los Angeles without incident. I like to triple check things like this - so I was on the phone several times earlier from the hotel. (It's official - I'm a 'baby' crew-bie!)

We made it through and hopefully the premiere will portray just that!"

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Court TV Goes One-On-One with Carla Baron, star of "Haunting Evidence"

"Missing in Paradise"

Carla says that after her visit to Aruba, "there's nothing left to ponder" about the Holloway case. "I'm crystal clear on this one."

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) June 18, 2007 --Carla Baron gives an inside look at Season 2 of Court TV's "Haunting Evidence." They sat down with Carla, star of the hit series, to discover more about this famous psychic, and her whirlwind ride into danger, intrigue, and the unknown.

Q: What's been new in your life since the last season of "Haunting Evidence?"

A: I've been so busy with the new season of "Haunting Evidence" that I haven't had a life. I'm always packing my bags or shooting. I really haven't had two seconds to breathe.Personally, I do feel more comfortable in my own skin now and I look much better. That projects on TV. The confidence shows. I'm happy about it. I don't feel so guarded.

Q: What has been the most difficult "Haunting Evidence" case?

A: There has never been a distinct obstacle to keep me from getting an answer. Whatever I am supposed to see, I see. This season, viewers will really get to see my methodology. I really get to work the way I like to work.The producers, however, did keep having to slow me down. "Carla," they'd say, "we don't want you to solve this case in three minutes. The show will be over too quickly." I am lightning fast. And the faster I work, the more accurate I am. It's like a laser light show.John works just the opposite way. He takes more time - which is why we're so good together on screen.

Q: During your investigation, what did you find out about Natalee Holloway?

A: I pretty much nailed it. I knew, for a long time, that I'd be working on this case. I knew whatever I was going to contribute was going to be poignant. I was willing to place myself in an area of danger and name names. I described in detail what happened-after I worked the case, there's nothing left to ponder. I'm crystal clear on this one.

Q: Will police ever discover Natalee Holloway's killer?A: I think the police already know who the killer is. But there's a lot of fear down there - you can sense it in the air.Q: Have you ever tried to contact Lana Clarkson?

A: From the Phil Spector trial? I don't connect with victims, per se, unless officially requested by law enforcement assigned, or immediate family.

Q: What is the most enjoyable part of your job?

A: It's the glow I get when I do a reading. That's why I do them. It's like a personal therapy for me. When I'm in a reading, I center myself and become a better person with each reading. Other psychics are drained when they do it, but I'm energized. In fact, it can take me three or four hours to wind down after I'm done.

Q: What is the most difficult part of your job?

A: Waking up and realizing that another year has gone by. It seems like five minutes. My work is so invigorating that I forget time goes by. It's like a fountain of youth. The more I do, the younger and more energetic I feel. It's difficult when other people are stuck in real time and I'm in a different time dimension.

Q: What is the murder case you'd most like to investigate?

A: Jack the Ripper. I'd want to see what Jack did.

Q: Why not do it?

A: I don't get involved unless I'm officially invited. I don't have time to indulge myself.I'd also like to study the Zodiac Killer. I'm a child of the seventies, which was the real dawn of serial killers. For some reason it became a big cultural influence back then.I'd like to investigate Lizzie Borden, too. She was certainly a product of the media, and an early student of using the media to 'swing' things her way.

Q: Do you think most police and prosecutors believe you can help them solve difficult cases?

A: As with any group, there are certain individuals who have vision, and are open to exploring new avenues when nothing else is working. This is definitely part of the future, especially in law enforcement, where people are beginning to take their egos out of the equation when doing their jobs.

Q: Please describe what it feels like to contact the dead.

A: To me, it's exactly the same as communicating with the living. I don't see them as 'dead.' They have the same energy as a living person. They sound the same. No difference.

The new season of "Haunting Evidence" starts Wednesday, June 20th at 10PM E/P. Haunting Evidence

Producers, press and media agencies, network representatives, and others wishing to contact Ms. Baron directly should do so by visiting her official website: www.carlabaron.net.

Intuitive Substantiation

A commercial airliner breaks through the clouds and begins to drop altitude as it approaches a strip of land born of volcanic rock and jutting upward from the azure waters of the Caribbean. The landscape more closely resembles the desert southwest than what one might envision as a tropical paradise. Jagged rocks, scrub brush and shifting sands dominate the canvas, but the painting is framed by sugar white beaches and wind-sculpted Divi Divi trees. What mysteries does this island hold so close to its center?

Aboard the flight a passenger peers from the window as the jet begins to circle the island and prepares for landing. She closes her eyes for a moment and carefully thinks through her itinerary. Suddenly, the landing gear lowers and the rubber of the tires sing as it touches the runway. The passenger disembarks and stops momentarily. She turns her face toward the prevailing wind and lets her eyes drift across the horizon as her long blonde hair dances against a stark blue sky. Even in February the temperatures on the island are moderate, but she feels a chill run over her skin then her hands tremble so very slightly.

Like many before her Carla Baron is drawn to Aruba by a feeling, a vision, an unexplainable sense that keeps telling her what happened to Natalee Holloway. Carla is a psychic profiler featured on Court TV's Haunting Evidence and she wants to stand on the island, breath in the air and fine tune the feelings that consume her. Does she succeed where others have failed?

You will have to turn the channel to Court TV on June 20th to learn the answers to those questions. However, reliable sources have told me that she did indeed have a psychic experience while standing in the sands of Aruba near the hotel area and she will name names on her television broadcast. She also thinks she knows where Natalee Holloway is now.

This was not the first time a psychic has come forth with a vision, a story, a location or a hundred other things. Most did nothing to move the investigation forward and over two years later there are still no certain answers. Just speculation piled upon more speculation. Maybe Carla Baron's efforts will stir a memory, or encourage some frightened person to come forward with the truth.

As desperation grows so does the ability to be accepting of things considered unconventional by most. Do I believe in psychic profiling? I’m not sure.

From the dawn of time there have been those that walk amongst us with a super sensitivity to their surroundings. Those sensitivities can manifest themselves in many ways. A select group of those people have been able to harness those energies and use them in a positive way. Personally, I have always been somewhat skeptical of psychic phenomenon, but I am not so closed minded that I do not recognize the fact that many unexplained things have happened during my life time.

The island of Aruba has seen many sunsets since Natalee Holloway walked away from a local nightclub never to be seen again. Her disappearance gripped the imaginations, desperations and frustrations of people around the world. The case has caused such scrutiny that the whole tourist based economy of Aruba swirled like Palm fronds caught in a hurricane. Yet, not a trace of Natalee has been found and the answers seem to be lost in a pile of redacted declarations.

So, I am willing to take a look at alternative approaches to the investigation and will tune into Haunting Evidence on June 20, 2007.

Internet Prophets

(Living in the Shadow of Simian)

There are many bloggers across the internet sharing their thoughts about everything from recipes to politics and beyond. Most of us have other obligations and only devote our spare hours to blogging. That can leave voids in the content that can stretch into weeks at a time.

An idea that embraced my thoughts recently was to invite other bloggers to make written contributions, detailing any topic that might interest the readership of this web site. The first entry for this experiment has been kindly made by a person familiar to many of you that frequent message boards.

Her Name: ArubaGirl

Her Blog: http://www.arubagirl.ws/

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Will The Real Simian Please Stand Up?

I suppose everyone has those days that just drift by, with nothing happening. You know, days that you can just relax, catch a movie, and watch a TV show. Those days are good days, aren't they?

And I suppose that everyone has those days where they're accused of being an internet prophet posting mysterious messages on forums about a case that has had many people in their grip one time or another.

No?

Oh, only me then. Okay.

When I received the message that there was a site out there saying that I was simian, I was flabbergasted. When I went to the site, I was insulted that the thread in my 'name' only got 24 posts or so. Anyway, I denied it to a couple of people and thought that was that. Nobody is really going to believe that I was capable of creating these vague sounding posts, right? And frankly, what constituted some crappy writing? Oh, me of little faith. Not only was it believed, it spread around the internet like wildfire.

I will not deny it: I was pissed. I was spitting nails mad. It truly got my goat that people thought that I knew where Natalee was and wouldn't tell. After ranting to my computer screen for a good while (because it helps sooo much) I called up my best friend and whined to her about the unfairness of it all. Her response: hysterical laughter. My response to that: Sulking silence. Didn't anybody feel my pain here? I told my mom (after explaining the whole back story) and she had the same response. I started to see a pattern here.

Then I really thought about it, and it is kind of funny. I mean, in my resume, underneath my jobs in the casino, insurance and automotive industry; I can put 'internet prophet'. How many people can say that? Not sure that it will actually further my career, but that's another matter.

I will leave you with a little tidbit for the poster who started it all: Petunia. My Chinese Horoscope sign is a monkey. How is that for evidence!

Update:

Several of you have emailed, asking that I keep my blog going. Thank you for the response and I will try to find the time now that life has slowed for me. At this time I will just do a brief summary about some recent events surrounding the case of Natalee Holloway. There is a great deal of news about other happenings on the little tropical island of Aruba, but I will address those later.

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News from Aruba concerning the Natalee Holloway case has been slow since the Kalpoe brothers were awoken by the knock of several law enforcement types a few weeks ago. Some on the island have labeled the Dutch team the “Mute Investigators” because nothing is seen, or heard of them. However, they remain on the island.

Joran Van Der Sloot's book and subsequent interviews have received a good bit of attention across the internet, but little in the American main stream media. The only thing we learned from that attempt at creative writing is that Joran is the person we thought he was all along.

And, that ain’t good!

Carla Baron’s Court TV (CTV) program, Haunting Evidence, will premier the 20^th of this month and it promises to be an interesting look at the Holloway case. Carla is not letting out much info due to contractual agreements she has with CTV, but others that were with her in Aruba say it is one show you don't want to miss!

The following is a press release issued by CTV:

Carla Baron and the Return for "Haunting Evidence"

Carla Baron is gearing up for the premiere of her runaway hit Court TV series, "Haunting Evidence," launching it's 2nd season on June 20th with a one-hour special on the Natalee Holloway investigation in Aruba.

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) June 4, 2007 -- Carla Baron is gearing up for the premiere of her runaway hit Court TV series, "Haunting Evidence," launching it's 2nd season on June 20th with a one-hour special on the Natalee Holloway investigation in Aruba.

Television audiences know Carla Baron, internationally renowned psychic, from her work on Court TV's "Psychic Detectives," ABC's "Primetime," MTV's "Fear," and the British hit program, "Dead Famous," which has broadcast in the United States on the Biography Channel. Her series, "Haunting Evidence," also appears in regular syndication on the UK's LIVINGtv network, and Australia's FOXTEL.

Carla is most famous for her role as a psychic profiler, in which she assists police departments in identifying perpetrators in long standing unsolved crimes, homicides and abductions, in particular. In fact, Ms. Baron recently received what are now many hundreds of heartfelt requests worldwide - begging for her assistance in the kidnapping of little Madeleine McCann from her holiday apartment in Portugal on the night of May 3rd.

"I am so excited for this 2nd season of Haunting Evidence to begin," Carla remarks. "There is a surprise reveal right before the special on Natalee that is not to be missed!"

Ms. Baron states that her current contract with Court TV is up for renewal, and she is in negotiations for a possible Season 3, should one be ordered by the network in the next few months. On the horizon - Carla is also considering several other pilots for series in development, all of which possess diverse and fascinating premises within the realm of the paranormal.

One thing's for certain, though - we will be seeing much more of Carla Baron. (And we didn't need to consult our "crystal ball" for that one!)