Friends of Debbie Key

Tribute to Eve Carson

2012-01-11T13:38:00.006-05:00

'Twas the week before Christmas when I got the news that Lovette had been sentenced to life w/o parole. Somehow the news seemed to brighten my holiday. It's kind of strange that putting someone away can make someone happy, but sometimes it does.

When it comes to prosecuting dangerous offenders, there are three things that piss me off more than anything else.

ONE - The totally outrageous excuses the defense comes up with, that a self-respecting individual would never think to use for himself.
"He wasn't raised properly, badly toilet trained, didn't get enough chicken soup, etc. This is the one we should feel sorry for, not the victim."

TWO - The equally outrageous attitude that says the "rights" of such offenders are more important than the lives of our children.
"Yes it's too bad your daughter was so brutally murdered, but the important thing now is to make sure the killer gets another chance in life."

THREE - Blaming the victim.
"She shouldn't have gone out dressed like that."

During the trial of Eve Carson's killers, I didn't see much of that.
Not that I'm complaining, but I wonder why.

Perhaps because unlike so many other murders that have hit the news, the victim was a person already known in Chapel Hill before she was murdered.
And no one dared try to suggest she might have been at fault.
It seems if you know anything at all about Eve Carson, it would be very difficult to find something negative to say about her. You will find proof of this in how well she is being remembered.

When Atwater was at trial, he pleaded guilty. This may have been the first smart thing he had ever done. The most surprising thing to me about it was that he had shut up his lawyer who was trying to gain sympathy with a sob-story of his life. Even the defendant was tired of hearing it, it seems, and he wanted to get it over with. "I'm guilty, dammit!"

But when Lovette went to trial, he pleaded not guilty. That didn't work for him.

This was one murder I have taken very personally. Although I now live in Chatham County, I still consider myself a Chapel Hillian, having lived in this town longer than anywhere else. Eve Carson was "one of us."

Some fiends came into our town and killed one of our people. They must die.

My feet have tread on the pavement where Eve's body was found. I know that neighborhood very well. This was too close to home for me not to take it personally.

Whenever I'm in Chapel Hill, I always like to walk across the UNC campus. The Student Union is a fun place to hang out. You can pick up a copy of the Daily Tar-Heel there, and read posters about upcoming events. I couldn't swear to it, but I think I once saw Eve there. Didn't she have an office in that building? Eve was the kind of person who tends to get noticed.

I recall someone saying how unfair it is that the pretty missing and murdered persons get so much more attention, when it's just as tragic when it happens to someone not so attractive. I agree, this is true, but to that let me say that every cause has their poster children.

Oh, and there's one more thing to consider.
Eve Carson was also beautiful on the inside.

I don't think it's very likely I'll ever find anyone who will disagree with me on that.

I was walking across the campus the day after her murdered body had been identified. I saw a lot of people crying. I saw grown men with quivering lips and tearful eyes.
I felt an impact I will never forget.

Now there's a memorial garden to Eve on the campus. It's between the Student Union and the Campus "Y." I like to go there. It feels good to know Eve Carson will be remembered.

It's hard to think about this when reading about the trial of her killers, but then again, it's hard not to. (Does that make sense?) It seems to me that people who used to be opposed to the death penalty were now for it. Some thought that maybe just this once we should bring back public hanging. Speaking of poster children, Atwater and Lovette were said to be the perfect pair to campaign for this cause.

Sentencing Lovette will not bring Eve Carson back to us, nor will it un-do any of the pain we had to bear, but it was the best thing we could hope for.

Do I dare believe that our society has evolved to the level where we finally have a reasonable sense of priorities when trying a killer?

Is there anyone who knew Eve who did not love her?
I don't think so.

Do we have a witness?

2011-11-23T17:43:00.001-05:00

My apologies for not posting this news before, but I had a lot to check out about it, and do not wish to be responsible for false rumors. I ask the readers to decide for themselves if it's true or not.
Back in March I've received a message (via the contact button on the FDK website) claiming there was a witness who saw Dalzell with the body of Debbie Key, and the information was ignored. I had a really hard time deciding how to respond to this, and asked for help from my friends. Here is the message.
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A witness was interviewed in March of 2005 after Dalzell was released. The witness, Mr. Davis told Carrboro police he saw Dalzell parked on the side of the road and pulled over to help thinking Dalzell was having car trouble. Mr. Davis saw Deborah in the back seat of Dalzell’s car and told Dalzell he better get her to the hospital she does not look too good. Dalzell replied that it’s too late and said Deborah why did you make me do it?

With this new information why was Dalzell not charged with accessory to murder and tampering with evidence? This should have been an easy one for the DA. Now that Dalzell has twenty some years left of a federal sentence why is the DA not attempting to make a deal with Dalzell, offering him a concurrent sentence in exchange for a murder II guilty plea and disclosing the location of Deborah’s remains?

It appears that those involved with this case want it to never resurface, possibly due to the media attention that the DA and police received due to the fake letter and arrest warrant. Dalzell’s federal case revealed an online chat with an individual in which Dalzell was offering to break in a 13-14 year old female as a sex slave, for this person, and graphically describes how he would kill and dispose of the girl if she did not comply with Dalzell’s sex slave training. The judge in Dalzell’s federal case, in determining Dalzell’s prior criminal history, found Dalzell’s confession to Deborah’s murder "reliable" using case law of BRAXTON . Wade Barber who suppressed the confession referred to BRAUM which is 100 years old and NOT case law. How can one judge use the confession and another suppress it? Why is the DA not revisiting this case now that a federal judge found Dalzell’s confession to be reliable under BRAXTON? Deborah’s case remains unsolved due to a conflict of interest that the DA and police have.

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Of course, my first reaction was to regard this as BS, but there's that annoying fact that I have no way whatsoever of proving it false. Besides, when you're dealing with a cold case, you have to consider every little clue you can get.

While still waiting for most people I've contacted to respond, (Special thanks to those who already have, especially Joy) it appears the same person has entered a comment in the blog, using the name 'jkey'. (see previous post)
Whether or not this is true, this is not something that can be ignored. I would appreciate some reader's feedback.

Spam Wars

2011-08-17T13:07:00.002-04:00

So, why haven't we seen any new posts lately?
I'm glad you asked!
It seems to me the spammers have been getting more and more aggressive these days, and Blogger has been targeted. Now whenever I'm online I'm spending a great deal of time just cleaning out the garbage in here. Meanwhile, I'm missing out on important news events that are happening now. I guess that means have a fight on our hands.

Memories

2011-01-16T16:57:00.005-05:00

After the Christmas stuff gets put away, I often start off the new year going through stacks of old mail, newspapers, and magazines, deciding what to keep and what to recycle. And so it was that I came upon a copy of Chapel Hill News dated January 2005. I knew right away why I was keeping it, for on the front page was a news story about Debbie Key. It was time to take a break from the stacks and read it.

I have read this before, many times, and I already know the story by heart. It's on the website. Click on the tab that says, "Press Accounts," and you'll see it there. Yet, there was something about seeing it in the newspaper that I was holding in my hands that brought back the memories of reading this story for my first time. It brought a tear to my eye.

Much later, as I was going through the last stack of paper, I found this little book that I had forgotten I had. It's called, "The Poetry of Ira Yarmolenko."

Here we go! The time between now and then just disappears. I picked up this little book at a memorial service for Ira I had attended back in 2008. I'm not gonna get anymore work done today. It's time to sit and read some more.

Like everything else about Ira Y, her poetry is unique. Sometimes I have to read it over again two or three times before I get it. It requires a certain perspective, or, should I say, a certain attitude, in order to understand what she's saying. On the front cover it says:

THIS IS A JOB FOR ME
AND I WILL PLAY
MIND TRICKS,
TO UNWRAP MYSELF AND
LET SELF BLOOM...

Inside, the first poem is about words.
The word "Words" make me think about a song by the BeeGees.
"It's only words, and words are all I have, to take your heart away."
And then there's one by the band called Missing Persons.
"What are words for, if no one listens anymore?"
This is Ira'a poem.
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In words, poets find solitude.
even if nothing is good,
it can be written as if it is.
That's what I love about poets.
Unmaterialistic intellect, the control
and power of something that is
dead before they take hold of it.
WORD. Take love, and make it
shake. Grab a gun and a bottle
and a song of tradition, make
it dance on its toes.
I love you, poet of sound, word,
grace, word, letter, syllable, haiku,
lyric, mimic, rap, therapy, beauty.

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Carlos Castaneda, in writing about the teachings of Don Juan, tells about the challenge of stopping the "internal dialog," that endless stream of words that flows through our brains constantly. I have called it the "eternal" dialog, for nothing seems to stop it. You can't turn it off, but you can alter its flow. If you are a poet, or any kind of writer, you can take all these words and recycle them into art. It is indeed good therapy, for the writer, if not for the reader.

A Christmas Song

2010-12-12T16:45:00.002-05:00

And in one night, in one hour, in one moment of time, the lips of the spirit parted and spoke the sacred word, "Life"; and it became flesh in an infant lying asleep in the lap of a virgin, in a stable where shepherds guarded their flocks against the assault of wild beasts of the night, and looked with wonder upon that humble infant, asleep in the manger.
-- Kahlil Gibran

RIP Zahra Baker

2010-11-28T17:48:00.003-05:00

Sorry folks.
Those who have been reading this blog know that I often include something about the holidays as they arrive. Now I have let Halloween and Thanksgiving go by without adding anything new. Instead, I have been trying to keep up with the case of Zahra Baker, a child who went missing from Hickory, NC in October.

This story kept getting sadder the more I learned about it.
This is the saddest story I have ever tried to blog about yet.
I have decided to let YouTube tell the story to you instead.

A Question of Sanity

2010-11-14T13:10:00.004-05:00

Once there ruled in the distant city of Wirani a king who was both mighty and wise. And he was feared for his might and loved for his wisdom.

Now, in the heart of that city was a well, whose water was clear and crystalline, from which all the inhabitants drank, even the king and his courtiers; for there was no other well.

One night when all were asleep, a witch entered the city, and poured seven drops of strange liquid into the well, and said, "From this hour he who drinks this water shall become mad."

Next morning all the inhabitants, save for the king and his lord chamberlain, drank from the well and became mad, even as the witch had foretold.

And during the day the people in the narrow streets and the market places did naught but whisper to one another, "The king is mad. Our king and his lord chamberlain have lost their reason. Surely we cannot be ruled by a mad king. We must dethrone him."

That evening the king ordered a golden goblet to be filled from the well. And when it was brought to him he drank deeply, and gave it to his lord chamberlain to drink.

And there was great rejoicing in that distant city of Wirani, because its king and its lord chamberlain had regained their reason.

-- Kahlil Gibran

Birthday Balloons

2010-09-19T16:57:00.003-04:00

Recently, when we last got together to honor the memory of Debbie Key, we had a balloon release. Now her birthday is coming up, on Sept. 21. In deciding how to commemorate this occasion, I thought some more balloons might be in order.

For those of us who do not speak German;
The German word for "balloon" is "Luftballoon," which means "air balloon," but it is one word. The word "red" was added when translated into English so as to give it the same number of syllables. In the original German recording, there is no reference to the color of the balloons.

Debbie's taste in music was widely varied. She liked rock, country, folk, and classical. I'm sure she would approve. Happy Birthday, Debbie, wherever you are...

FDK Meets CUE

2010-08-22T14:24:00.008-04:00

ON THE ROAD TO REMEMBER
MISSING PERSONS TOUR 2010

On Thursday, Aug 19, I've had the honor of meeting Monica Caison and Lisa Valentino, as well as Lisa's two children, and other members of the CUE staff who were too busy taking pictures for introductions.

The weather had co-operated beautifully. It had been drizzling that morning, but it stopped long enough before the gathering that we were able to do everything outside in the parking lot, including setting up a table with pictures, flowers, and candles, and the CUE Center's big sign. I was joined by my friends Joy, Steve, and Laurel. There was a great bunch of balloons (bio-degradable, I am told) which were released at the end of our gathering.

Monica's team arrived in a big white van, emblazoned on the sides with color pictures of about a hundred missing persons, arranged in the shape of a map of the United States. The same image is on the sign.

Reporter Katelyn Ferral with the News and Observer (Chapel Hill News) was on the scene. She promised to notify me when her story is printed.

Monica called for some group shots of us with our balloons by the big sign they had set up. Cameras were still ready when Monica asked if we wanted a moment of silence before releasing the balloons.
"We're not very good at being silent." Joy said.
"Except whenever we go by this parking lot."
I can certainly say the same for myself.

It was fun watching the colorful display of balloons going up, up, and away.
Lots of photos were taken, which I am looking forward to seeing and sharing.

I came home with some nice souvenirs, including a t-shirt, booklet, and DVD.
It makes me happy to know that Debbie is being remembered by new friends, as well as her old ones.
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Looks like N&O did a good job for us! What do you think?

http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/08/20/636866/women-still-missing-not-forgotten.html#storylink=misearch

CUE Coming to Carrboro

2010-08-01T14:55:00.007-04:00

The CUE Center for Missing Persons, as part of their annual 'On the Road to Remember Tour,' will be making a stopover to remember Debbie Key at the Jade Palace Restaurant in Carrboro, NC, on Thursday, August 19, at 11:30 AM.

For those who came late, The Cue Center became involved in Debbie's case after skeletons were found in Wilmington, NC, more than 10 years after Debbie's suspected killer stated in his confession that he dumped the body in Wilmington. The remains were later identified as those of Allison Jackson-Foy and Angela Rothen. NC Wanted has made an episode about Allison Jackson-Foy as well as one about Debbie Key. Jim Ware of Star News in Wilmington had written an article comparing the two cases.

http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20080621/ARTICLE/806210334

Links to the websites of Allison Jackson-Foy and CUE Center for Missing Persons are on the Links List. Special thanks to CUE Center.
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UPDATE - Aug 15
News report of this event by News 14 Carolina

http://charlotte.news14.com/content/nc_missing/629274/cue-center-road-tour-aims-to-solve-cases-in-north-carolina

Take Me to the River

2010-07-18T14:10:00.004-04:00

Sometime this morning, I decided to turn off my computer and put on my hiking boots. I strapped on my water bottle and binoculars, and headed out on foot down to the Haw River, which runs clear across Chatham County. I'm glad part of it runs within hiking distance from my house.

The first time I came to this river I saw a great blue heron. He hopped off of a rock, beat his wings a few times, then spread them out like a kite, gliding across the trail as I made my approach. I took this as a good sign. It was a sign that said, "Welcome."

I pass a horse farm on the way. A pretty pinto sees me walking down the road and comes to the fence to greet me as I walk by. I stop to pat her. I can see she is very friendly and likes to be patted. I see the sign that says "Horse for Sale."

"Wish I could!" I say to the horse, then give her one more rub on the head before going on my way. I turned around at some point to see her still looking at me from behind the fence. I wave and say, "Bye bye." It sure would be more fun to do this trip on horseback than on foot.

Around one more bend and down a hill and I come to the river. This is a great place for bird watching. Mallard ducks and egrets are common to see, also tanagers and vireos. During the spring, the tree frogs sing all night long. In summer, the river is full of turtles and frogs. This place is magical. I used to come here and write about "plants and birds and rocks and things" before I ever wrote about crime.

I found a nice rock to sit on while meditating on the sound of water spilling over rocks. The sound is soothing. I let it carry me away.

The memory of another hiking trip floods over me. I was with a group of friends looking for a body. I ask myself why it was easier for me to write about myself as the third person when I wrote about that venture. I'm still not sure why.

Every day since that day, I have thought about when the remains of Debbie Key will be found. I keep believing it will happen some day. I hope I will be alive when that day comes.

Pearl is a lady I often see. We get along well as friends, but never got past the friendship stage. She always tried to encourage me to get back to writing about nature, and laments that Debbie has taken so much of my attention since 2005. I tried to take her advice, and what happens? I can no longer hike down this trail without thinking about looking for bones.

All along the roads out here it is common to see dead deer, that have been road-killed, in various stages of decay. State wildlife authorities have reported that there are more white-tailed deer in Chatham County than there are humans. We definitely share habitat, but unfortunately many get killed by our cars. I often see herds of them crossing my yard. Yet, no matter how many times I see their skeletal remains on the roadside, I have to stop and look. Except for the skull. pelvis, and feet, they look quite human.

I am trying to prepare myself for what I hope to find someday.

John Allore traveled from Quebec, Canada to North Carolina to get away from Theresa, but found that he couldn't get away. Now I find that a nice visit to the river can no longer take me away from Debbie. It comes as no surprise.

Coming back home, I think about the last time I walked alone through Carrboro, I was approached by a man who recognized me as the one doing the website about Debbie Key. He was on a tirade about how he wants to hang Dalzell from the old oak tree, and hold a torch under his butt while he hangs there. He wants me to encourage people to hunt down his nasty ass so we can do this. Then I'll really have something to write about. I told him, "Love is a whole lot stronger than hate, and it feels better. You should try it sometime." Then I walked away.

I didn't spend much time in Carrboro after that. I felt more comfortable being out here where my neighbors know me only as the nice old hippie who lives down the road, who grows flowers and smiles at everyone. Then one day, my neighbors were watching NC Wanted and saw me in it. They soon learned about the website I am doing, and the story I've been telling. It hasn't seemed to affect the way they relate to me at all. They all kinda say, "Go for it!"

But it reminds me that I cannot walk away from Debbie Key. She's gonna follow me wherever I go. However, I no longer see this as a bad thing.

Poop on Van der Sloot

2010-06-04T19:33:00.007-04:00

Since I began recording anniversary dates on missing and murdered persons, I have always found interesting parallels in them. But this is the most interesting of all.

May 30, 2005 - Natalee Holloway went missing in Aruba.
May 30, 2010 - Stephany Flores was murdered in Peru.

Was this done on purpose? Or was it coincidence?

Same "suspect" in both cases, that being Joran Van der Sloot, who has managed to BS his way out of being charged (with help from his father, of course) with what has become the most widely publicized missing persons case of this decade. He has given inconsistent confessions to the police, as if it were a game to him, and still managed to walk free.

Is this story starting to sound familiar yet?

It wasn't until June 2 that the body of Flores was found stabbed to death in Van der Sloot's hotel room in Lima, Peru, prompting one of the questions I've been hearing most.

Why didn't he try to hide the body this time?

But there's an even bigger question than that.
Here we have a man who has literally gotten away with murder, in a case that has made news around the world, so why wasn't he doing his very best to stay out of trouble for the rest of his life, instead of pressing his luck?

Some suggest that the man was convinced he could get away with anything, and decided he could afford to get cocky. Of course, he should have taken into consideration the fact that his father, who was a diplomat in Aruba with political pull, is no longer alive to bail him out.

Oh, and another thing. He was no longer in Aruba, but in South America.

It wasn't until June 3 that Van der Sloot was captured, a long long way from Lima, Peru, in Santiago, Chile. It would have been a shorter trip to head back to Venezuela, where he could take a boat back to Aruba. Was he enjoying the thrill of the chase?

Now here is an interesting 'reverse parallel' if you will.
The father of Van der Sloot (now deceased) was a person of considerable influence in Aruba.
The father of Stephany Flores is a person of considerable influence in Peru, which, unfortunately for Van der Sloot, is where he is now.

Ricardo Flores is well known as a former race car driver with the Peruvian Auto Club and a respectable business man. Not surprisingly, this man has shown a great deal of interest in punishing the man who killed his daughter. He offers us these words.

"Joran was able to laugh at the crime he committed in Aruba, but in Peru he won't be able to laugh."

After the arrest. the mother of Natalee Holloway tells us Joran had the audacity to come to Alabama attempting to collect extortion money for revealing where he really hid the body. A warrant was issued for his arrest in the US on Thursday.

So why was he being so cocky? Did he really think he could get away with everything he did? Is this all just a big game to him that he enjoyed? I have another theory.

I'm no expert, so take this for what it's worth. I believe that Joran is the kind of killer that can't stop killing. People like this do not stop until they are stopped, either by being locked up, or by being killed themselves. (Excuse me while I get on my soapbox)

Preaching the Gospel to a killer like Joran does not work. There is no explaining to him that killing people is wrong and we mustn't do that. This kind of problem cannot be cured by counseling and parole. Once we have a person like this behind bars, PLEASE! For God's Sake! For the Good of All Concerned! DON"T EVER TURN HIM LOOSE AGAIN!

Okay, I'm finished.
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UPDATE - Monday, June 7
Today I've found this interesting post in WICI. It seems Pat Brown disagrees with my serial killer theory. For a second opinion, although a good one, I must admit, check out
http://womenincrimeink.blogspot.com/2010/06/joran-van-der-sloot-serial-killer.html

I have found conflicting reports on how Stephany Flores was killed. Not all say she was stabbed to death.

Now We Are Three

2010-06-01T01:49:00.006-04:00

This is me and my friends during a gathering in beautiful downtown Carrboro. We may look a little older now, but you should still be able to recognize some of us.

Friends of Debbie Key appeared on the Internet for the first time on June 1, 2007. It was preceded by "Debbie Key: Murder Victim" which appeared December of 2005.

So far this year has been very encouraging, with three times as many website visits, and more comments than ever before.

In January there was an interview with News 14 Carolina with me, Chris, and Joy, and they decided to keep Chris and Joy. I keep telling myself this is okay, because our story is about Debbie, not me. I'll get my Andy Warhol moment someday.

This year my friends finally succeeded in convincing me to sign up for Facebook, and it wasn't easy for them. Eventually I was assured I wouldn't be attracting the creepy kind of visitors we've all been warned about. Indeed, I was much surprised to find how many people I know are already there. I am fond of the saying, "The friends of my friends are my friends." In Facebbook, this saying has taken on new meaning.

Perhaps the most exciting day for us this year was on March 29, with the news of the sentencing of Mr. Dalzell, and our favorite news reporters wanting to talk to us about it. I don't think we will be forgetting that anytime soon!

Another exciting event happened just a week ago, when Joy and I got to see our friend, John Allore, performing in "Eurydice," a play at the Carrboro ArtsCenter. YAY! That was fun!

This summer I'm looking forward to meeting with the CUE Center for Missing Persons when they have their "On the Road to Remember Tour."

I sure hope we keep those comments coming in, and not the kind I have to delete. Thanks to everyone for your support!

National Missing Children's Day

2010-05-24T19:07:00.005-04:00

The following is from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, or NCMEC.
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National Missing Children's Day - May 25

Between 1979 and 1981 a series of high-profile missing-children cases became national headlines. Three such cases contributed to the shock of the nation’s consciousness bringing attention to the seriousness of child victimization and forever changing the response by law-enforcement agencies to reports of missing children.

On May 25, 1979, Etan Patz disappeared from a New York City street on his way to school. Even before cases of missing children routinely garnered national media attention, Etan’s case quickly received a lot of coverage. His father, a professional photographer, disseminated black-and-white photographs of Etan in an effort to find him. The massive search and media attention that followed focused the nation’s attention on the problem of child abduction and lack of plans to address it.

For almost three years national media attention was focused on Atlanta, Georgia, where the bodies of young boys and girls were discovered in lakes, marshes, and ponds along roadside trails. By the time a suspect was arrested and identified in 1981, 29 bodies were recovered. The suspect was apprehended, convicted, and now serves a life sentence in prison.

On July 27, 1981, 6-year-old Adam Walsh disappeared from a Florida shopping mall. His parents, John and Revé Walsh, immediately turned to law-enforcement agencies to help find their son. To their disappointment, there was no coordinated effort among law enforcement to search for Adam on a state or national level, and no organization to help them in their desperation.

The tragedies of these children and others exposed a fundamental flaw. There was no coordinated effort between federal, state, and local law enforcement; no national response system in place; and no central resource to help searching families. When it came to handling missing-children cases, the United States was a nation of 50 states often acting like 50 separate countries.

The momentum that began with the disappearance of Etan, Adam, and the 29 missing and murdered children of Atlanta led to photographs of missing children on milk cartons and, ultimately, a nationwide movement. In 1983 President Ronald Regan proclaimed May 25 National Missing Children’s Day. Each administration since has honored this annual reminder to the nation to renew efforts to reunite missing children with their families and make child protection a national priority. National Missing Children’s Day is a reminder to all parents and guardians of the need for high-quality photographs of their children for use in case of an emergency, and for the need for everyone to pay close attention to the posters and photographs of missing children.

http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/NewsEventServlet?LanguageCountry=en_US&PageId=1305

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Special thanks to Giorgio Ryan, Monica Caison, and John Walsh.
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UPDATE - May 26
ETAN PATZ CASE REOPENED.
http://abcnews.go.com/2020/etan-patz-missing-boy-case-reopened-31-years/story?id=10749565

Brandy Hanna: 5 Years Missing

2010-05-16T18:55:00.006-04:00

Another popular vacation spot in South Carolina, besides Myrtle Beach, is Charleston. It was here that Brandy Hanna went missing on May 20, 2005.

Brandy worked with her mother, who is the manager, at Alex's Restaurant in Charleston. (Not to be confused with Alice's Restaurant.) Brandy was quite popular there, and got along well with everyone. She didn't have any enemies. One day Brandy came home from work, called her mom and texted some friends, and no one has heard from her since.

Here is her story in America's Most Wanted,
http://www.amw.com/missing_persons/brief.cfm?id=44621

the Charley Project,
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/h/hanna_brandy.html

Project Jason,
http://projectjason.org/forums/index.php?topic=232.0

and in her own website.
http://www.missingbrandyhanna.com/

Brandy Hanna has literally disappeared without a trace. Her mother, Donna Parent, has never given up, and her posters are still on display in Charleston, SC.

Madeleine McCann Anniversary

2010-05-03T12:47:00.007-04:00

Madeleine McCann has been missing since May 3, 2007.
Her birthday is May 12, 2003. She was almost 4 years old when she went missing, and will soon be 7 if still alive.

Also known as Maddie, she went missing from Proia Da Luz, Portugal, while on vacation with her family, from the apartment where they were staying.

Here is the McCann's official family website
http://www.findmadeleine.com/
and blog.
http://findmadeleine.blogspot.com/

Here is a very nice tribute page made to Madeleine in Facebook.
http://www.facebook.com/search/?init=srp&sfxp=&q=madeleine%20mccann#!/pages/Madeleine-McCann/29095946153?ref=search&sid=1847184243.418146390..1
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IN OTHER NEWS;

Todd Matthews is 40 years old today. Mr. Matthews has done more for missing persons, I believe, than any other living individual I know. Happy Birthday, Todd! Keep up the good work!

The trial of Demario Atwater continues today here in NC for the murder of Eve Carson.

On Wednesday May 5, it will be 2 years since the murder of Ira Yarmolenko. There is a tribute page to her in Facebook as well.
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=123464587668298#!/group.php?gid=13079847854&ref=search&sid=1847184243.3600478404..1

And tonight, Bill Tomsick goes on the radio to talk about getting NASA to help find missing persons. Get access here.
http://www.560thesource.com/

Atwater Pleads Guilty

2010-04-27T20:50:00.004-04:00

Demario Atwater pleaded guilty to avoid the death penalty. This may be the smartest move he has ever made. This works for us as well, for it will make the rest of the trial go a whole lot smoother. No more endless appeals. (Thank God!)

Life without parole - This is the best we can hope for.
Of course, I would rather see him at the end of a rope, but we know that will never happen. We may never see a punishment that will truly fit the crime. Still, if Eve's parents are pleased with the plea bargain, then I am happy for them.

I've read a lot of news articles about the results of the trial so far, and I've decided WRAL tells it best. Besides, they have some good videos too. Check it out.

http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/7442761/

BTW - Here's something I found in Topix.
http://www.topix.com/forum/city/durham-nc/T1FGV0CPI1U5A3C2H
I wonder who this "Mr Bill" character is. Any ideas?

Brittanee Drexel Anniversary, Vigil

2010-04-20T13:38:00.008-04:00

Brittanee Drexel went missing April 25, 2009. This weekend in Myrtle Beach, SC, starting on the evening of April 24, 2010, there will be a candlelight vigil in her memory.

Police in Myrtle Beach have announced they have a few persons of interest, but have declined to give much more information, other than to say they don't believe she is alive, but they do believe they will find who killed her, if they haven't already.

Search efforts have been conducted by CUE Center for Missing Persons, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Laura Recovery Center, Southeastern Mounted Search and Rescue, Cold Case Group, and Adam Walsh Foundation.
I apologize if I left anyone out.

For more information check out
http://www.ncmissingpersons.org/brittanee-drexel/

Jamie Fraley Anniversary

2010-04-08T08:00:00.010-04:00

Jamie Michelle Fraley went missing April 8, 2008, from Gastonia, NC. It has now been two years. Jamie was born March 5, 1986, and was 22 years old when she disappeared. She is one of two missing persons cases that occurred near the same time and place as the murder of Ira Yarmolenko. Search efforts have brought us more questions than answers, and her story is as bizarre as it is sad.

Jamie Fraley's story in America's Most Wanted,
http://www.amw.com/fugitives/case.cfm?id=60357

The Charley Project,
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/f/fraley_jamie.html

Help Find The Missing,
http://helpfindthemissing.org/forum/showthread.php?t=4518

News 14 Carolina, (with video)
http://news14.com/charlotte-news-104-content/nc_missing/618564/family-of-missing-gaston-co--woman-asks-public-for-help

North American Missing Persons Network,
http://www.nampn.org/cases/fraley_jamie.html

and Project Jason
http://projectjason.org/forums/index.php?topic=2691.0

A month after Fraley went missing, on May 4, 2008, Jennifer Rivkin of Kings Mountain, NC went missing. Her borrowed car, unlocked with purse inside, was found in the parking lot of the Winner's Circle Bar & Grill in Gastonia, NC.
On May 5, 2008, the body and car of Ira Yarmolenko were found on the bank of the Catawba River in Mt. Holly, NC, which is near Gastonia, also in Gaston County.

Texas EquuSearch had planned a search for Jamie Fraley and Jennifer Rivkin in Gaston County on October of 2008, but they didn't follow through with that plan. Andrew Dalzell has been living in Stanley, NC in Gaston County since he left the Chapel Hill/Carrboro area, and later moved to Gastonia before his arrest last year. A South Carolina serial killer, Patrick Burns, ended up in Gastonia last summer, where he was gunned down by police on July 6, 2009. Gaston County sounds very much like an area Stephen King might write a story about. I have been there myself and can tell you first-hand there is something spooky about that area. I don't want to go back.

Can NASA Help Find Missing Persons?

2010-04-05T19:08:00.004-04:00

Yesterday, being a holiday, was a busy day on Facebook. There was more traffic in there than there was on any road anywhere near my neighborhood. It seems every one of my Facebook friends had been there sometime during the day, and had something to add. The most interesting addition I've found was posted by my friend, Yvonne Prior.

http://www.angelfire.com/cruci34/NASA.html

A man named Bill Tomsick has come up with what I think is a very good idea. If NASA can watch over the entire surface of the planet as well as they say they can, why not use this technology to fight crime? The question begs to be answered. They may not be able to find a skeleton buried in the woods, but they should be able to find someone grabbing a child and dragging him into a car, especially if they know where to look, and what time. I gave this idea a lot of thought before responding, and Mr. Tomsick and I ended up becoming Facebook friends.

When I checked in with Facebbok today I happened to catch Mr. Tomsick in the Chat. We discussed this idea, and how to get the word out to people. It seems this man has been trying very hard to get just a little bit of air-time with various TV and radio stations, and never got any response from them. I agreed to try to help by telling my readers about it. A good idea should never be wasted.

I would advise not to read the page of the above link in a hurry, but carefully. It makes perfect sense to me. But I've learned that just because an idea makes sense doesn't always mean people will go for it. Consider there was a time when people thought the telephone was just a passing fad, that will die out as soon as the novelty wears off.

Perhaps we are not comfortable with the thought of an intimate encounter we may enjoy in a backyard swimming pool being observed from the sky. Perhaps we are concerned this sounds a bit too much like George Orwell's novel, "1984." If it's privacy we're worried about, consider how little privacy a missing person has, or the families.

Now I'm asking my readers to please read this carefully, and please give it some thought. Then I want you to get back to me with your feedback. Can you do that?
Here it is again.
http://www.angelfire.com/cruci34/NASA.html
Thank you!

Happy Easter 2010

2010-04-04T01:13:00.004-04:00

"No one will recognize me in this disguise. I'll just blend in with the crowd here, see, and no one will ever suspect that I'm really an undercover kitty!"

In loving memory of friends who are no longer here.
In loving gratitude for friends who are living today.
Have a Hippity Hoppity Happy Easter Day!

Dalzell Sentenced

2010-03-29T15:08:00.009-04:00

From Asheville Citizen Times
-----------------------------------
Man gets 27 years in Buncombe Internet child sex sting
This time, they got their man.

A suspect cleared in the disappearance of a woman 12 years ago was sentenced Friday to nearly 27 years in federal prison for using the Internet to entice someone he thought was a Buncombe County girl to meet him for sex.

Andrew Douglas Dalzell, 33, pleaded guilty to the crime in U.S. District Court in Asheville.

Judge Martin Reidinger ruled he had to take Dalzell's confession to the 1997 slaying of Deborah Key into account in the sentencing even though a murder charge was thrown out when a state court judge ruled the confession was inadmissible.

Buncombe County sheriff's deputies charged Dalzell in February 2007 with solicitation of a child by computer after he initiated explicit chats with an undercover officer posing as an 11-year-old girl. Dalzell was arrested after he drove from Gastonia to the Asheville area to meet the girl.

Reidinger said he hoped the stiff sentence would serve as a deterrent to other potential child sex offenders.

“That's the sort of behavior that this society cannot tolerate,” he said.

Dalzell sobbed as he apologized for this crime.

“I made an extraordinarily bad judgment,” he said. “I am not a bad person. I love my mother, I love my wife, I love my baby. Being away from them hurts.”

A judge in Orange County threw out a 2004 murder charge against Dalzell after finding police fabricated an arrest warrant to pressure him into a confession.

Police said Dalzell was last seen with Key at a Carrboro pool hall just before her disappearance. Investigators in Carrboro never found a body or other physical evidence linking Dalzell to Key's disappearance, but in 2004 they saw a chance at a confession, Carrboro police Lt. John Lau said.

The opportunity arose after Dalzell asked officers for protection as he moved out of his Carrboro residence because he was afraid of being attacked by a local drug dealer, Lau said.

Officers spotted stolen property during the move, and detectives had also obtained what they said was evidence of him trying to solicit a minor girl to come live with him and his girlfriend, Lau said.

When Dalzell was arrested on larceny and solicitation charges, he was shown a fake arrest warrant charging him with murder, which prompted a confession.

“One and a half minutes into interview, he gave it up and admitted he strangled her,” Lau said.

In 2005, Orange County Superior Court Judge Wade Barber threw out the murder charge. Barber said officers “fabricated official court documents,” used deception and should have immediately informed Dalzell why he was being arrested.

http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100327/NEWS/303270031/&template=artiphone
-----------------------------------------------------------
Joy and I have been interviewed today by Beth Velliquette with the Chapel Hill Herald about this, who has written several news articles before about Debbie Key.
------------------------------------------------------------
CORRECTION - It was February 2009 (not 2007) when Dalzell was arrested in Buncombe County.
------------------------------------------------------------
UPDATE - March 30
http://www.heraldsun.com/view/full_story/6880682/article-Former-slaying-suspect-sentenced-in-child-solicitation?instance=main_article
------------------------------------------------------------
UPDATE - April 3
This story in 'Who Killed Theresa?'
http://theresaallore.com/2010/04/andrew-dalzell-they-finally-got-that-fcker/

Jessie Foster Anniversary

2010-03-25T22:46:00.008-04:00

The 4-year anniversary of Jessica Edith Louise Foster, better known as Jessie, will be observed on March 29. Some sources say she went missing on March 28, 2006. Her family website claims she went missing between March 28 and April 3, 2006.

Jessie Foster was born in Calgary and moved to North Las Vegas, NV, 4 months before she disappeared. It is suspected she had become a victim of human trafficking. She was 21 years old at her disappearance, and her birthday is May 27, 1984.

Jessie is being remembered by the CUE Center for Missing Persons,
http://www.ncmissingpersons.org/jessica-foster/

The Charley Project,
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/f/foster_jessica.html

Chris's Crime Forum,
http://chriscrimeforum.freeforums.org/missing-jessica-edith-louise-foster-t2561.html

Help Find the Missing,
http://www.helpfindthemissing.org/missing_database/index.php?s=jessie+foster

and on FaceBook.
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=info&gid=13079847854#!/event.php?eid=330536888730&ref=ss

Jessie Foster's Family Website is http://www.jessiefoster.ca/

Sharing an anniversary date is Sharron Prior, who went missing on March 29, 1975, and found murdered shortly afterward. Sharron's sister, Doreen Prior, is a very good friend of mine. Sharron was painting Easter eggs on her last day at home. I regret that Easter has not been a happy holiday since then for the Prior family.
Sharron Prior Website is http://www.sharronprior.com/

Unlike Sharron, Jessie Foster is still missing. Her mother, Glendene Grant, has never given up hope.
-----------------------------------------------------
UPDATE - Saturday March 27
This morning I got a message from 'Anon,' a loyal reader and friend, with a couple of more links to include. Here we have, in two parts, where Glendene Grant is being interviewed with my hero, Todd Matthews, in Missing Pieces. I have only a small handful of the many stories on the 'Net about Jessie, and cannot include all of them, but I have to agree this is worth including also.

http://missingpiecesshow.homestead.com/MissingPiecesEpisode22Archive.html

http://missingpiecesshow.homestead.com/MissingPiecesEpisode79Archive.html

Kiss Me I'm Irish

2010-03-17T00:06:00.004-04:00

Back by popular demand.

Sorry about the play button covering the mouth of this pretty lass, but at least we can see her smiling eyes.

Once again may I present Gaelic Storm performing our favorite song for St. Patrick's Day. Let us always remember the old songs and old stories that define who we are, the enchantment of the Emerald Isle, the wisdom of the ancients, and the love that will always be.
Raise your glasses and sing!

This song is lovingly dedicated to 'Anon,' a true friend to us all.

Chelsea King and Amber Dubois

2010-03-11T09:01:00.005-05:00

Chelsea King went missing on Thursday February 25, 2010. Her remains were found on Tuesday March 2. She had been missing a total of 5 days. Many of us did not even know she was missing until after she was found. A suspect in her murder had already been arrested on February 28, before the body was found

Here is the first thing that went wrong.
http://www.wral.com/news/national_world/national/story/7146535/
The suspect arrested in connection with Chelsea's murder was arrested before in 2000 for sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl, and was given a light sentence, against the advice of a psychiatrist. John Albert Gardner was also identified by a jogger he assaulted in the same park on December 27. It seems they were under the delusion that violent offenders have rights, as many are today, and gave him the lightest possible sentence they could get away with.
Here is the tragic result of this poor decision.
http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/national_world&id=7308046

On Saturday March 6, four days after the discovery of Chelsea's remains, the remains of another teenage girl, Amber Dubois, were discovered about 10 miles from where Chelsea was last seen. Amber went missing on February 13 of last year.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/03/amber-dubois-remains-found-in-escondido.html

There has got to be a connection between these two cases. For the remains of two teenage girls who went missing a year apart to be found in the same week and the same general area is not something I can accept as coincidence. There are those who say that both girls were killed by the same man, and those who debate this. I have to ask why did they continue to search for a body after they had already found the one they were looking for. Police say Gardner was not co-operating with them, but the information had to have come from somewhere.

As long as we continue to cling to the delusion that violent offenders have rights, and that these rights are somehow more important than the lives of our children, we will continue to experience tragedies such as these, which can never be fully healed. Let us hope that we may someday evolve into a society intelligent enough to understand why we should not allow dangerous people like this to run loose.

And let us hope it is soon.

In the Garden of Eve

2010-03-04T19:01:00.009-05:00

March 5, 2008, is a date that has been embedded in my brain. It has now been two years. Her killers have still not been to trial yet.

Writing about Eve Carson has always been difficult for me, whenever I try to be objective about it. Having been a Chapel Hill person for a long time, I tend to think of her as one of us. I may not have known her personally, but I knew who she was. She was the student body president of UNC. It was hard to pick up a copy of the Daily Tar Heel without being reminded of that.

But it wasn't until two years ago that I realized how much she was loved by just about everyone around here. I was walking across the UNC campus and saw so many faces in tears. I noticed everyone was moving towards The Pit. That was when the impact of what has happened really hit me for the first time, and I haven't completely recovered from it yet.

To this day I can not look at a picture of her smiling face without thinking about what has been taken from us, how much we have lost. I can still feel moisture forming in the corners of my eyes whenever I read about her. When I tried to write about her before I'd get too angry, or too bummed out to continue.

I got upset when I read some statement someone made about how it is always the pretty white female blonde victims that get all the media attention, and how unfair that is. People get murdered in Durham and Raleigh all the time, who don't get nearly as much attention. I say, hold on there, you're comparing a person who was well known and loved with people we never heard of before. It's not just looks we're talking about.

http://mojomom.blogspot.com/2008/03/eve-carsons-murder-gender-race-and.html

I don't think anyone would dare argue with me when I claim that Eve didn't get elected student body president on her looks. She may have turned quite a few heads, but what really made her popular was that she cared about people, and it showed. She didn't just give lip service to how much she cared, but demonstrated it in action. Her work speaks for itself.

Eve was the kind of person who would have forgiven the people who killed her a lot quicker than I ever will.

I was very surprised to read that the parents of Eve Carson are against the death penalty, considering what happened to their daughter. There was at least one survey that I know of that claimed more people in NC are in favor of the death penalty since her murder, and that people who used to be against it have changed their minds. I personally would gladly volunteer to assist in the executions if I were asked.

But when you think about the loving heart that Eve was well known for, it hardly seems fitting that we should honor her memory with such feelings of hatred.

There is now a memorial garden on the UNC campus in Chapel Hill, which was dedicated in Eve's memory today with a very nice turnout.

http://alumni.unc.edu/article.aspx?sid=7475

This does my heart good to know she will be remembered for a long time to come.

Johnny Depp speaks for WM3

2010-02-27T00:32:00.017-05:00

Johnny Depp will be speaking tonight on 48 Hours Mystery about the West Memphis Three.

The CBS station was expecting this actor to be promoting his new movie, "Alice in Wonderland," which has just been released. Instead, much to everyone's surprise, he wants to tell us about three teenagers who have been wrongly accused of murder, in hopes of having this case re-opened. There are other actors, including Winona Ryder, who are also supporting this effort, as well as some musicians.

In a miscarriage of justice that compares to the Salem Witch Trials, a small town in Arkansas just across the Mississippi River from Memphis, Tennessee, responds to a gruesome murder of three 8-year-old boys. But 20th century forensic science plays no apparent role in the investigation, and they find no physical evidence to convict the three teenagers, yet they managed to do it anyway. A superstitious community in "Satanic Panic" desperately clings to the belief that teenagers who wear black clothes and listen to heavy metal music must be worshipping the devil, who requires innocent human sacrifice. All evidence which suggest otherwise is completely ignored.

For a 14-page detailed account of the West Memphis Three case, go here.
http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/notorious_murders/famous/memphis/index_1.html

For a good one page account of this case, go here.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Memphis_3

To see how the good folks at Facebook are responding to all of this, go here.
http://www.facebook.com/search/?ref=search&q=west%20memphis%203&init=quick#!/search/?flt=1&q=west%20memphis%203&gl=1&lo=en_US&sid=1847184243.1482459098..1

I usually watch AMW on Saturday nights, but this time I am looking forward to hearing what Johnny Depp has to say on 48 Hours. It would surely please me a great deal if my readers would watch this show and comment on it here.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
UPDATE March 1st
If you want to know how people have responded to this episode, and to this case, you will find some good examples in here.
http://www.wm3.org/

Do we have Somer's killer?

2010-02-13T14:57:00.004-05:00

Somer Thompson went missing just a few months ago, on October 19, 2009, from Orange Park, Florida. Her body was found 2 days later in a landfill in Folkston, Georgia, just north of the state line, about 50 miles from home. Somer was 7 years old, and was walking home from school when she went missing.

Just the other day, on Thursday February 11, 2010, Jarred Mitchell Harrell was arrested in Meridian, Mississippi, for 29 counts of possession of child pornography. It must be understood that this man was not arrested in connection with Somer's murder, but he has been named a 'person of interest' by Clay County Sheriff Rick Breseler, who has declined to give further details pending the investigation.

What we do know about Jarred Harrell is that until recently he was living in Orange Park, somewhere between where Somer lived and where she went to school. A child who Somer often walked with said she sometimes stopped at a house to pat a friendly dog. Is this the same house where Mr. Harrel lived? We don't know, at least not yet.

It seems Mr. Harrell got into a bit of trouble with the people he was living with, and they asked him to leave. Harrell left a computer behind, which was found to contain child pornography, and was turned over to the police.

Some say he did it, some say he didn't, and some want to send him to hell right away. It seems the whole town of Orange Park loved Somer Thompson, who was described as a sweet kid who had a hug for everyone she meets, including the school crossing guards. Somer made the mile long walk to and from school every day with her siblings and friends, where all the parents thought it was a safe neighborhood for kids to walk. Until last October, no one had any reason to be afraid. Nearly everyone in town attended Somer's candlelight vigil and her funeral.

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation/AP/story/1475618.html

Thank You News 14

2010-02-07T17:41:00.004-05:00

Today is the day I've been waiting for.

News 14 Carolina has interviewed me and my friends, Joy and Chris, on the story of our missing friend Debbie Key.

For those of us who do not get this cable channel, you can see it here.

http://news14.com/charlotte-news-104-content/nc_missing/621666/friends-hope-new-information-will-lead-to-justice

Groundhog Day

2010-02-02T09:40:00.007-05:00

While folks in Pennsylvania have their Punxsutawney Phil, we in North Carolina have our Sir Walter Wally. Every year on this day, Wally makes his appearance at the NC Museum of Natural Science in Raleigh, NC, our state capitol.

40 days after Christmas, the second day of February marks the halfway point between the first day of winter (Solstice) and the first day of spring. (Equinox) Tradition holds that if this day is cloudy, spring will soon be here, and if this day is sunny, winter will prevail for another 6 weeks.

Some consider Groundhog Day an American holiday, but it didn't start here. In the Old World it is the European hedgehog who comes out of hibernation on this day to check on the weather. Being a small animal with his head close to the ground, he can't look up to see the sky, so he looks for his shadow on the ground to see if it's sunny or cloudy. German immigrants in Pennsylvania , finding there are no hedgehogs here, decided the American groundhog would make a suitable substitute.

February 2nd is observed as Candlemas in other parts of the world, and before Christian times it was called Imbolc. It is a time of celebration for the lengthening of days, and the new plants that appear when the snow is gone, a sign of new life.

RIP Morgan Harrington

2010-01-27T17:49:00.014-05:00

Yesterday morning skeletal remains were found believed to be those of Morgan Harrington, who went missing from Charlottesville, VA last October. Today the ID was confirmed.

This is one of the cases that the CUE Center has been working especially hard on during the past two months. The Laura Recovery Center was also involved, along with other missing persons groups, and hundreds of additional volunteers. They have been searching (collectively) about 3 months. The band 'Metallica' gave a substantial donation to the reward fund, one of the highest I have ever seen, for info leading to the capture of whodunnit.

This is a case that has been well covered. There are endless links to this case, so I will offer only one. In Chris's Crime Forum, which I fondly refer to as my Internet family, (along with WKT?) is where I have been blogging this sad story. (not as much as others) You will find more links in there.

http://chriscrimeforum.freeforums.org/missing-person-for-oct-november-09-is-morgan-harrington-t3729.html

Special thanks to the many people who gave time, money, and labor to help find Morgan Harrington. Deepest sympathies to her family and friends.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Jan 30 -- I just had to add another link. This is from the CUE Center. It's worth checking out.
http://www.ncmissingpersons.org/in-loving-memory-morgan-harrington/

MLK Day

2010-01-18T18:44:00.004-05:00

In my lifetime, I believe no other individual has had as profound an influence on humanity as that of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Growing up in the 1960s in Washington, DC, I have experienced the impact this man has had on our society.

There is just no way I can let this day go by without paying my respects. May the life and vision of Dr. King continue to inspire us.

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."

RIP Kelly Morris

2009-12-29T21:09:00.005-05:00

The skeletal remains of Kelly Currin Morris have been found on November 17, 2009, near Creedmoor, NC. She was missing since September 3, 2008 from Stem, NC, in the same county of Granville. Her husband, William "Scott" Morris, was arrested shortly afterward. The number of people actively searching for her was very impressive. The search went on for 14 months.

The home in which Kelly shared with her husband and two children caught fire the day after she went missing, on September 4, 2008. Hours later, her car was found a mile away, with her purse and cell phone inside. The keys were in the ignition. SBI concluded the house fire was deliberately set. Scott Morris was always suspected of Kelly's murder, as well as arson, but as often happens, a lack of evidence kept him from being arrested - until recently. He is charged with first-degree murder and held without bond.

http://www.helpfindthemissing.org/forum/showthread.php?t=7546

In spite of massive search efforts, it took over a year to finally find Kelly's remains. Where they were found was at the Tar River Fox Pen, a 900 acre facility surrounded by an electric fence and barbed wire. It is believed the body was ravaged by the foxes and coyotes being kept there. There was only a skull and a few other bones, with a bed comforter. The skull included teeth, and ID was possible via dental records.

This discovery brought to public attention the controversial sport of wildlife "penning," in which wild animals are hunted by packs of dogs in a confined area, often getting torn to pieces. This is considered a cruel practice, and many groups concerned with animal rights, including the Humane Society of the United States and the Animal Welfare Institute, are seeking to have it banned in this state. There is an "NC Senate Bill 515" to stop wildlife penning, currently seeking public support.

http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/4812128/

A petition to support NC Senate Bill 515
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/stop-wildlife-penningsupport-nc-senatebill515

Merry Christmas

2009-12-24T00:02:00.007-05:00

Wishing a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday Season to all my readers, my friends, and my fellow bloggers, whose moral support means more to me than I can express in words, but I keep on trying!

You will also find me in Who Killed Theresa? and Chris's Crime Forum.
My Internet Family - God bless us, everyone!

Jason Young Arrested

2009-12-14T18:46:00.003-05:00

It was three years ago last month when Michelle Young was found murdered in her home in the Raleigh area of NC, on November 3, 2006.

Her husband, Jason Young, was the prime suspect from the beginning, but a lack of physical evidence kept him from being arrested.

Today it finally happened.
http://www.ncwanted.com/ncwanted_home/story/6336335/?d_feature_story=1

Thanks NC Wanted!
You've just made my Holiday Season a little brighter!

Santa Visits Carrboro

2009-12-11T17:14:00.010-05:00

'Twas awhile before Christmas when all through the town,
not a person was smiling. They were all pretty down.

I was walking down Main Street 'til I came to this spot
called the Bank of America parking lot.

Whenever I come here I always remember
a friend who went missing the first day of December.

At the Jade Palace Restaurant across the street
I was joined by some friends who I happened to meet.

We greeted each other and remembered the reason
we tend to be sad on the Holiday Season.

A fellow spoke up and said "That's enough!
I'm tired of hearing this old Debbie stuff!

"Get on with your life. Get this through your head.
Life is for the living and Debbie is dead."

Then down on the street came a reindeer-drawn sled
with a fat jolly fellow all dressed in red.

We knew right away just who it was.
Who else could it be but Santa Claus?

He was handing out gifts as he stepped from his sleigh,
and everyone's sadness seemed to just melt away.

As a crowd gathered 'round at the sight to behold,
he turned to the fellow who had spoken so bold.

"Regardless of if you've been naughty or nice,
listen to me and I'll give you advice.

"Everyone you encounter becomes part of you.
Remember that someday you will die too.

"With those who are living share your love and your cheer,
and also with those who are no longer here."

Santa then turned his head and he looked right at me,
saying "I too remember your friend Debbie Key.

"The Spirit of Christmas she held close to her heart,
and she still shares our love even though we're apart.

"She celebrated life from beginning to end.
My advice to you... Keep on blogging, my friend!"

He returned to his sleigh and said "I believe
I will see you again on this Christmas Eve!"

He then shook the reins and took off down the street
to the sound of thirty-two reindeer hoof beats.

The people were standing in shock and in awe,
each asking if this really was Santa they saw.

And I heard him exclaim as he rode out of sight,
"Merry Christmas to all, and keep up the good fight!"

To Solve a Cold Case

2009-11-05T23:40:00.011-05:00

John Allore has written this up, with some input from me and Doreen Prior, and suggested that we all post this in our blogs.
Naturally, I agreed.
----------------------------------------------------------
How To run your own Cold-Case – Top Ten

Doreen Prior made an interesting comment recently that she was equally dialed in to unsolved cases in the Montreal region from the 70s. If you don’t know Doreen, she has been advocating longer than me for a resolution to the unsolved death of her sister, Sharron, http://www.sharronprior.com/ who was murdered in 1975. Doreen knows this process better than anyone. As well, Bill Widman has been actively seeking to solve the murder of his friend, Debbie Key. In the interest of helping other families who may be trying to conduct their own investigations, Doreen, Bill and I offer these top ten suggestions for conducting your own cold-case investigation:

1. Information Management – The Internet: If you can afford it, get a subscription to Lexis-Nexis. http://www.lexisnexis.com/
This will allow you to data mine old newspapers back to the early 80s. There’s gold in them hills.

2. Information Management – Your local library: Most major libraries keep copies of all regional newspapers on microfiche. For Theresa’s case I was able to have the Provincial Library in Quebec mail me microfiche of old newspapers like the Montreal Star, Photo Police, Allo Police to my local library in North Carolina! I know Doreen Prior also accessed local libraries for Sharron’s case. Newspapers offer you good information about activities in the area of investigation leading up to, and immediately after any murder.

3. Google is your best friend: http://www.google.com/alerts
I have Google Alerts set up for all key words associated with my sister’s death (names of regional towns, suspects’ names, the name of each regional police force). This is a good way to stay a step ahead of anything that may be relevant to your investigation.

4. Accessing public records: Things like medical records and autopsy reports… these are public information and readily available from your local medical examiner or coroner.

5. Makes friends with the appropriate law enforcement agency: In many circumstances a case grows cold due to perceived ineptitudes of the investigating police force. Despite the frustration you must ultimately make peace with the investigating force. Ultimately they are the only body that can bring the case to justice. Despite friction, you must work to find an understanding. This doesn’t mean you can’t continue to challenge the force, just realize that you must retain balance. Crime scene reports? Evidence? Primary information? All of this is in the hands of the investigating force. You must make amends if you hope to gain access to this information.

6. Psychics: Useful? As secondary evidence, possibly. Just realize that anything psychic / medium offers is not admissible as evidence. It can be a great resource (myself and Bill have used them), but be aware of their limitations. And don’t get strayed into kooky theories: you can see patterns in any amount of randomness. Remember that some things are a coincidence.

7. Network: Read everything. The internet is an incredible resource. Become familiar with advocacy and justice initiatives. Make friends, get educated, attend conferences.

8. Publicity: The media can be a great tool to get your story out. Remember one thing: ultimately they are exploiting you, so feel free to exploit them. “If it bleeds it leads”… and the stories the media usually are attracted to in cold cases are something gruesome or something very personal ( perhaps too personal for a crime victim… I always hated when they asked me about “closure”). Be professional, cautious and guarded. Don’t offer up anything you feel is crossing a line. You have a right to say, “no, that’s too far” with these people. Also, don’t feel bad if they don’t want to cover your story. I have spent many hours offering up angles to media (suspects, new information, a personal-interest moment, a tidbit that is relevant to a current case), if they aren’t interested, don’t take it personally. Move on. It’s a business. One of the main reasons myself, Doreen and Bill started blogs was to control the distribution of information. So you can start one too! That too is media attention!

9. Get support: Guess what? You’re only human. And very quickly you will reach a burnout threshold. Get help. Find something positive other than this cold-case that gives you energy ( a hobby, your family, a sport, your shrink). We’ve all been to the bottom. It’s no fun, but we will support you on your journey back up. One of the best things I did? Made friends with fellow victims and investigating colleagues on Facebook. At first this seemed counter-intuitive: I wanted to isolate my personal life from my cold-case life. In the end it was the right decision because it was healthy to see these people without the victim stigma, in a normal light: families, loves, interests.

10. If all else fails: Contact the Vidocq Society, http://www.vidocq.org/ a group out of the Washington area comprised of retired forensic and investigative experts dedicated to solving old cases. Slightly pretentious, but if you’ve exhausted numbers 1 – 9 at this point you have nothing to lose. A word of caution: Vidocq will only consider your case if you have support from your local police jurisdiction (so no coming here if you’ve got a beef with how the police screwed up your case).

Go forth and solve!

Guy Fawkes Night

2009-11-04T18:37:00.010-05:00

Image by Photobucket

The 5th of November is a holiday that never did catch on in the USA, at least not since Colonial times. It is said that George Washington forbade the celebration of the holiday by his troops, for he saw it as anti-Catholic and pro-British. It is the 4th of July that we Americans celebrate with fireworks.

Most Americans that I know have never heard of Guy Fawkes until the movie "V for Vendetta" came out in 2005, exactly 400 years after November 5, 1605. I myself have not heard of Guy Fawkes until I met a friend of Debbie's who had contributed photos to this website and blog. This person told me all about it.

There's a poem that I've heard referred to as a nursery rhyme, but the actual title to it (I have learned recently) is "The Bonfire Prayer." This, I am told, is recited at the lighting of the bonfire on November 5th. Since those of us here who know it at all know only the first few lines, I present it here in it's entirety.
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Remember, remember the fifth of November
The Gunpowder Treason and Plot.
I know of no reason why Gunpowder Treason
should ever be forgot.
Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes, t'was his intent
to blow up King and Parliament.
Three-score barrels of powder below
to prove Old England's overthrow.
By God's providence he was catch'd
with a dark lantern and burning match.
Holloa boys, holloa boys, let the bells ring.
Holloa boys, holloa boys, God save the King!

A penny loaf to feed the Pope
A farthing of cheese to choke him.
A pint of beer to wash it down
A faggot of sticks to burn him.
Burn him in a tub of tar.
Burn him like a blazing star.
Burn his body from his head.
Then we'll say ol' Pope is dead.
Hip hip hoorah!
Hip hip hoorah hoorah!
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Whether you perceive Guy Fawkes as a hero or a villain may depend on whether you are a Catholic or a Protestant, or how you may feel about the political climate of Old England at the time.

Whether or not you choose to celebrate Guy Fawkes Night, let us always try to remember the lessons that history has to teach us.

Beyond This Place

2009-11-02T09:48:00.013-05:00

My favorite story about what happened to Debbie Key is "Bad Dream House" by John Allore. During our Halloween weekend I have learned that John had written a sequel to the story. It is called "Beyond This Place," and the first chapter now appears in his WKT? blog.

http://theresaallore.com/?bloggerURL=/.com/

Below is a sample of the first chapter, edited by me.
(...) indicates where I left out sentences.

(You don't have to tell me I'm biased because I already know that, but I also want to make it shorter for this post)
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I live in a house once inhabited by a psychopath. (...) Each day there are a dozen little things reminding me that Deborah Key – the young woman who was most likely murdered by the former owner of our home – is still missing. Working in the garden, I’ll unearth some artifact belonging to the former owners. Inevitably, it will be some weapon or instrument of torture – an arrow, a spear, the broken blade from a sword. One time I found a gigantic hunting knife with brown stains on the blade. (...) Another time I found the remains of a dismembered Barbie doll.

Last year my wife started a business; a children’s resale shop in downtown Carrboro. Carrboro is a little bedroom community of Chapel Hill in North Carolina. My wife’s shop is cute. She has a lot of nice stuff. (...) As fate would have it, my wife rented the space where the bar Sticks and Stones was formerly located. The same Sticks and Stones where Deborah Key was last seen alive. Every day after work I pull into the parking lot to pick up the kids. I always park in the spot where Deborah was last seen kissing Andrew Dalzell against the hood of her car. Deborah’s mother placed a small memorial on the spot with flowers and a plaque. It’s nice that it’s there to remind me. Just in case I forgot.

Not long ago I got another call from our local police. Deborah Key’s body still had not been recovered. Chief Henderson wanted to return and search our property. This time they weren’t bringing a cadaver dog; they were bringing a psychic.

I don’t understand this “psychic” business. They always seem to be able to see everything that is totally extraneous. They do everything but the one thing police ask them to do: solve the crime. (...)

“She had a vision that Deborah’s body was in a place with woods and a lake.”

(...) That was the thing, it wasn’t a gimmick; my friend had done it. It was amazing. She had a conversation through the medium with her dead relatives. It was creepy. There were details this medium knew about my friend’s life that only people who had “passed” could have known – little pieces of knowledge that no one could find through deception. My friend came to a conclusion. Either the medium was really a psychic and she was reading your mind; or it was for real, and she talked to the dead. My friend suggested I arrange for a consultation with my sister. The medium charged two hundred dollars an hour. I said I’d think about it.

On the weekend I phone my parents and ask them about the medium. They say, why not? I talk with my brother. He can’t think of a reason not to do it either. Curious. I was hoping one of them would stop me. At Barnes & Noble I “inadvertently” wind up in front of the New Age section. My medium’s staring at me from the cover of her book. What’s going on here?
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IN OTHER NEWS:

Today is the day the trial begins for Curtis Lavelle Vance, who last year murdered TV news anchor Anne Pressly in Little Rock, Arkansas. I plan to keep up with this case.

Here is some more news on the prison release issue.
http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/6304543/

Tomorrow will be the 31-year anniversary of the murder of Theresa Allore - November 3, 1978.

Also on this day, 3 years ago, Michelle Young was killed near Raleigh, NC - November 3, 2006.

Monsters on the Loose?

2009-10-21T16:25:00.016-04:00

When I first read this article, I had trouble deciding whether to believe it or not.
http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/6218918/#

I kept thinking this had to be hoax, such as the one that occurred many Halloweens ago, when Orson Welles made a radio broadcast of "War of the Worlds," pretending to be news coverage of an actual event.

Just in time for Halloween, on October 29, the state of NC will release 20 inmates who were sentenced to life for violent offenses.
The news article was dated October 15. They didn't give us much time to prepare for it.

"How can they do that?" I kept asking myself. Surely they don't intend to release dangerous criminals back into society. But that's what it says. Five pages of Google Search shows the same news story on many different websites. If this was intended to scare us, it is certainly working on me.

WRAL is a news source that I trust, and I like Gerald Owens. I read what he had to say about it, and it isn't comforting.
http://www.ncwanted.com/ncwanted_home/blogpost/6221200/

Visions of angry mobs storming the state courthouse flash through my mind, with torches and pitchforks like in old movies I've seen.
Visions of murderers and rapist turning up in our towns are even more disturbing, with more victims, and more horrible deaths.
"They can't let this happen!" I keep telling myself over and over again.

For the rest of the evening my mind desperately searches for some comfort from my fears. After serving an 80 year sentence, they must be too old to do much harm. Wrong! These have only served 30-some years. I didn't know time off for good behavior and work could cut a sentence down to less than half. If they got good behavior and other brownie points, maybe these inmates are considered less at risk for repeat offenses. Wrong! Many of them have several infractions on their prison records. So what exactly is "good behavior" anyway?

All of these inmates due to be released were sentenced for murder or rape, except for one, who was sentenced for attempted rape. Some of these rapes include victims who are children. Is this what "life sentence" means now? I don't like even the thought of it. I'd rather take my chances on vampires, werewolves, and ghosts, then to chance an encounter with someone who until recently was on death row for murder.

Finally I convinced myself that this is probably some political publicity stunt, so that the politician who manages to stop the release in time is sure to get re-elected. Yeah, that's it. That worked for me, and so I was able to sleep on it.

The next day I thought I would probably write the angriest blog I have ever written, but then decided it would be better to talk to some people, and see if I can get a better perspective on it. I decided I would bring up the subject with whoever I could talk to that I come across today.

One such person gave me a "f--- you!" and one I never thought I'd hear such words from. I was accused of being self righteous for thinking that convicted criminals who have served their sentences do not deserve the opportunity to make a better life for themselves. I tried to say that people who murder and rape are dangerous, and should never be released, but I am told that most people like this learn their lessons in prison, and they should get a chance to redeem themselves.

I was told that once a person is sentenced, that sentence cannot be changed unless another offense could be added to it. A sentence is determined by the laws that were in place at the time, and there is nothing we can do to change it once it has been passed.
I thought about Charles Manson. Wasn't he given the death sentence? Didn't that change after the State of California decided to ban it? Isn't that why he's still alive?

Another person I talked to said 'yes' to my idea of storming the courthouse, but without the torches and pitchforks. Let's leave our weapons at home and keep it peaceful, like good citizens, but make sure our voices are heard.

Even the NC Fraternal Order of Police are against the release.
http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/6235442/#

We have seen in our history that whenever people loose faith in the law to protect them, they tend to take the law into their own hands. I have heard more than a few voices say it's time for vigilante justice to return. I have made a promise to never support vigilantism, and now I'm afraid it will be getting harder for me to keep that promise. I'm sure that if these inmates are released as planned, and if any one of them ever kills or rapes again, our state justice system will be blamed for it. I'm afraid to think about what would happen after that.

Citizens of North Carolina, I say that if we don't get tough on crime, then crime will surely get tough on us.

Now let's hope the scariest things we see this Halloween are bats, spiders, and pumpkins.

Special thanks (again) to NC Wanted and WRAL News.
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UPDATE - Oct 22
http://www.wral.com/news/state/story/6261276/#

Jennifer Schuett: Voice of Victory

2009-10-15T18:15:00.009-04:00

This story may sound unbelievable, but I have checked out several sources and found it to be true.

On August 10, 1990, in Dickinson, Texas, a little girl, 8 year old Jennifer Schuett, was abducted from her bed out of her bedroom window. The abductor carried the girl to his car, drove her to a field, raped her, then slit her throat. She was left lying naked on an ant hill bleeding to death. 12 hours later she was found and brought to a hospital.

Now here is the amazing part of the story.
That little girl is still alive! She is now a young woman of 27 years. Doctors told her she would never be able to talk again, but she proved them wrong. Her voice is still being heard. She lived to tell her story, and to seek justice.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/09/25/texas.rape.victim/index.html

Now here's the really good news!
On Tuesday October 13, 2009, Dennis Earl Bradford was arrested in Little Rock, Arkansas, thanks to DNA evidence he left behind at the scene of the crime. His drivers license photo from that time 19 years ago is a near perfect match with the composite sketch from Jennifer's description.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/10/13/texas.rape.arrest/

America's Most Wanted tells the story of Jennifer Schuett's victory, the arrest of Bradford, and to top it off, an interview with John Walsh and Jennifer in a video I'm sure you'll enjoy!

http://www.amw.com/fugitives/video_photos.cfm?id=64363

A nice reminder that sometimes justice does prevail!

Thank you Doreen Prior for calling this story to my attention.

Birthday for Charley Project

2009-10-11T11:01:00.006-04:00

The Charley Project will be 5 years old on October 12, 2009.

The predecessor for the Charley Project was the Missing Persons Cold Case Network, (MPCCN) founded by Jennifer Marra, who was also one of the founders of the Doe Network. She resigned from MPCCN on December 2003, turning over control to Meaghan Good, who ran it until March 2004. At that time the site was attacked by hackers and had to be taken offline. Meaghan founded the Charley Project on October 12, 2004, using much of the original content of MPCCN.

Meaghan Good also has her own birthday just one week earlier. She was born October 5, 1985, and has recently turned 24 years old. You can read about her here.
http://www.charleyproject.org/administrator.html

On August 23 this year Meaghan was interviewed on Blog Talk Radio, and you can check it out here.
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/PEASINTHEIRPODS/2009/08/24/News

Here is the Charley Project data on Debbie Key.
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/k/key_deborah.html

Here is the Blog.
http://charleyross.wordpress.com/

The Charley Project is named after Charley Ross, a boy who was kidnapped for ransom on July 1, 1874 in Germantown, PA, when he was 4 years old. He has never been found since.

Families and friends of missing persons owe a debt of gratitude to this one-person network, who has done a great service for all of us. Meaghan has earned my personal thanks a long time ago.
Happy Birthday Meaghan. Happy Birthday Charley Project. Keep up the good work!

Michaela Garecht

2009-09-30T19:12:00.007-04:00

For anyone who is still not 100% completely outraged yet over the slack job of keeping tabs on Phillip Garrido by his parole board, I think this story would do it.
http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/09/02/crimesider/entry5281480.shtml

As investigators continue to look into possible connections between Garrido and some unsolved missing children cases of the same time and space, the one that stands out the most is the case of Michaela Joy Garecht. It will soon be 21 years since this girl was abducted, supposedly by the same fiend, November 1988 in Hayward, CA. The parallels between Michaela and Jaycee Dugard go on and on and on.

The mother of Michaela Garecht, Sharon Murch, has never given up hope that her daughter may yet be found alive. This mother deserves much credit for making sure everyone gets the chance to learn about her daughter's story. Here she is being interviewed by one of my favorite people, Todd Matthews, for the Missing Pieces Show.
http://missingpiecesshow.homestead.com/MissingPiecesEpisode33Archive.html

Sharon Murch was at the scene while police were digging up bones at the Garrido home, and has been the guest on several TV and radio shows telling her story. Her faith has inspired many parents who are still hoping to find their own missing children.

This is Michaela's story on America's Most Wanted.
http://www.amw.com/missing_children/brief.cfm?id=23712

Michaela's story in The Charley Project.
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/g/garecht_michaela.html

A childhood friend who had witnessed Michaela's abduction describes what she has seen.
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?id=7018517

Her official website,
http://www.missingmichaela.com/the_investigation
and her mother's blog.
http://www.thewonderingheart.blogspot.com/

Whether or not you believe the cases of Michaela Garecht and Jaycee Dugard are connected, you would have to agree that the parallels are remarkable, and that the spirit of Michaela's mother is truly impressive.

Phillip & Nancy Garrido

2009-09-18T20:58:00.010-04:00

Good evening, Friends.

I don't claim to be psychic, or a prophet, or that God tells me things He doesn't tell other folks.
I do claim, however, to be able to tell when a news story is about to take off big time, and this is one of those stories.

My first clue is rather obvious. Anytime you see a story getting heavy coverage by every major news station in the country, it's a pretty safe bet it's gonna continue for awhile.

But that's not all, Folks!

We clearly see that Phillip Garrido has a long history of violent sexual offences, and that he SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN OUT OF PRISON when he began abducting young girls, of which Jaycee Lee Dugard was but only one.

Things like this tend to really piss me off, and I'm sure I'm not the only one. So there's my second clue that this is likely to really hit the fan. SHEER OUTRAGE!

But there's still more to come!
There are 3 other girls, besides Jaycee, that this deranged person is suspected to have kidnapped, whose bodies have never been found.
Yep! That's right! Three!

Michaela Garecht, age 9, abducted 3 months after Garrido was released from prison for (guess what?) kidnapping and rape, in Nov 1988.

Ilene Misheloff, age 13, abducted Jan 1989. (2 months after Michaela)

And little Amanda Campbell, only 4 years old, in 1991.

Oh but wait, there's STILL more!
Garrido has been also declared a "Person of Interest" in the murders of up to 10 prostitutes near Antioch in the late 1990's.

Then in 1999, while still on parole, he was arrested again for rape, and sentenced to seven months. (WTF?)

And to top it all off, this deranged individual claims to be a messenger of God! (Excuse me while I puke.)

So what was happening today in Antioch, CA? Police continue to search the Garrido home with cadaver dogs, underground radar, and other equipment, where they have already found a few bones which may be human.

Phillip's wife, Nancy, is just as crazy. She is now being kept in solitary confinment, because other inmates have threatened to rape and kill her, as she has done to innocent children. So Nancy spends most of her time reading her Bible. I hope she reads Leviticus 24:20 while she's at it.

So you see, Folks, this story is only just beginning!
Get ready for the storm!

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2009/08/30/2009-08-30_i_remember_monster_someone_dropped_ball_sez_cop_who_busted_sicko_in_1976_rape_an.html

WKT? is Back Online

2009-09-17T11:24:00.002-04:00

We don't know how or why, but it seems Google has decided to restore "Who Killed Theresa?" for the good of all concerned.
Now when you go to that Links list over there -->
and click the WKT? link, it will take you here.
http://www.whokilledtheresa.blogspot.com/
Thank God!
And thanks to all the people who signed the petition.

Megan Maxwell

2009-09-13T09:16:00.006-04:00

Since Jaycee Lee Dugard has been found alive, the missing persons I have heard the most about are Kelly Morris and Megan Maxwell.

Monica Caison, who has become a special person to me this year, was the first to call the case of Megan Maxwell to my attention. For me, this is a story that, the more I learn about it, the closer to home it becomes.
After checking out what YouTube has about Megan, I've decided this video gives a pretty good idea of how people are affected when a person goes missing. So much of what I see here is so familiar.

If you wish to learn all you can about Megan Maxwell without spending all day web surfing, I suggest you try 'Help Find the Missing,' where they have, at this time, four pages about her story.
http://www.helpfindthemissing.org/missing_database/index.php?s=megan+maxwell

Shanksville PA 9/11 Memorial

2009-09-04T23:54:00.004-04:00

We all know the story of what happened in America on September 11, 2001. Evil terrorists made a series of attacks on our nation using American commercial airliners as weapons. The attack that got the most attention was the World Trade Center in New York.

An attack that didn't get as much attention was near Shanksville, PA. That one made the least amount of damage, as the plane crashed down on an empty field, killing only those who were on board. Yet, it was the most heroic.

The courage of the passengers and crew of United Airlines Flight 93 defeated the efforts of the hijackers, causing the plane to crash a long way from the intended target of Washington, DC, and away from any heavily populated areas. Because these people were brave enough to fight back, hundreds of lives have been spared.

New York City was a major disaster area, and the Pentagon in Arlington, VA was under heavy guard. But in that field in rural Pennsylvania, there was nothing to keep people away who came to see where the plane went down. People were walking around with tears in their eyes, thinking about those who lost their lives to save others. After the flames were out and the smoke had cleared, people began working on a memorial.

The true beauty of the memorial that was built on that site was that it was done entirely by private citizens. There were no committees, no town meetings, no assignments, just people wanting to express their sympathy for what happened there.

For a long time afterward, people were traveling from all around the country to visit the crash site, bringing memorabilia with them to add to the display. One of the first things erected on the site was a chain link fence that the visitors used to display their various items. Others brought signs, plaques, and sculptures. Many brought flowers and flags. Soon it became the largest makeshift shrine in America, if not the whole world.

Eventually, the US Government decided they didn't like the idea of citizens doing their job, and sought to make the crash site into an official memorial park. Everyone liked the idea, of course, except for the part about the government wanting to take credit for it, the bad taste of the "crescent" design, and the fact that they were so bound and determined to prove they could do such a better job than everyone else, that they went way overboard on how much land they would need, and how much to spend on it. This is why it took so long to reach an agreement on it.

So now, eight years later, the plans are officially under way to build this great big park that will cost millions of dollars, to be completed in time for the 10-year anniversary in 2011. I'm sure it will all be very nice, but I would want everyone to remember it was the people who started it. Just ordinary, everyday, American people.

For an impressive example of what American people are capable of doing on their own, take a look at the pictures on this website.
http://www.donnan.com/Flight_93.htm#FLIGHT_93

Just as in the case of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing, there are those who believe this whole 9/11 thing didn't really happen, that it was all just a big hoax. They have yet to convince me.

Special thanks to Chris Hurlbert, whose stories and photos have inspired me to write this.

New Theresa Allore Blog

2009-08-31T09:54:00.004-04:00

John Allore has created a new blog as we await restoration of "Who Killed Theresa?" This includes old and new material, and also the petition. While Google/Blogger has provided such good service for so many of us, it is sad to find they are not working so well for the best crime blog I know of today. We always find, however, that there is a "never surrender" attitude among advocates of victim's rights, and WKT? is no exception.
So Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present to you the new "Who Killed Theresa's Blog?"
http://www.theresakilledagain.blogspot.com/

Fighting the never-ending battle for truth, justice, and the American way! Hey hey hey! What can I say?

Jaycee Lee Dugard

2009-08-28T10:11:00.007-04:00

Unlike the last missing person I have mentioned, this one has been found alive.

On June 10, 1991, 11-year-old Jaycee Lee Dugard was last seen by her stepfather being abducted at her school bus stop, in South Lake Tahoe, CA.

On August 27, 2009, 18 years later, a 29-year-old woman entered a police station in Northern California, claiming to be Jaycee Lee Dugard. Before the end of the day, her identity had been confirmed.

The news traveled fast, and before long, it was all over the USA. The captors, now safely locked away, had forced her to work as a sex slave during her 18 years of captivity, along with two daughters she had with her male captor, Phillip Garrido.

You don't need me to provide a link for you on this story. Just type "Jaycee Lee Dugard" into any search engine, and you can spend all day picking out which articles you want to read about her.

The question that weighs on my mind now is how the child's development has been affected. Those 18 years were among the most important years of her life, including the rest of her childhood, all through her teens, and into early adulthood, During captivity, Jaycee and the other girls have never been to school, or had any contact with the rest of the world. I can't help wondering what her rehabilitation will be like.

The good news, of course, is that Jaycee now has a chance at a normal life. But how much of a chance remains to be seen. Still, it is not often that any person, child or adult, who has been missing for over a decade, is ever found alive. In this regard, we can say she is indeed very fortunate.
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Of all the missing persons websites I know of, I believe it was the Charley Project that was the first to cover this story. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
http://charleyross.wordpress.com/

Another Missing Person Found

2009-08-19T03:02:00.009-04:00

You absolutely must read this.

http://www2.scnow.com/scp/news/local/grand_strand/article/human_remains_identified_as_alice_donovan/65812/

Another missing person has been found, Alice Donovan, thanks to a special person in Wilmington, NC, and her cadaver dogs.
(good doggies!)

Who Killed Theresa's Blog?

2009-08-14T09:29:00.005-04:00

If you go to visit Who Killed Theresa today, you may be in for a surprise. It seems the blog has come under a spam attack, making it disappear.
John Allore informs me he has appealed to Google to restore WKT. In the meantime, he has temporarily moved to this location.

http://cultvulture.blogspot.com/

Topics currently being discussed shall continue here, until WKT has been restored.
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UPDATE August 30 -- SIGN THE PETITION TO BRING BACK WKT?
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/google-blogger-please-restore-who-killed-theresa

Important Question(s)

2009-08-13T18:16:00.013-04:00

Why isn't Christopher Lamont Cooper a suspect in the murder of Ira Yarmolenko?

http://www.crimeincharlotte.com/2008/05/vcat-arrests-rape-suspect.html

Back in February I posted this link, saying, "Nothing more for me to say here." Boy, was I ever wrong!
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/crime_safety/story/1391754.html

Another question; (okay, more than one)
Why did WSOC-TV not take advantage of the opportunity to be the first to report receiving a written confession from Cooper? Were they under gag order? Why have they STILL not mentioned it?

This is all I've found this year on blogs still active discussing the murder of Ira Yarmolenlo.

First there's Topix,
http://www.topix.com/forum/charlotte/T7TJ6BIG9TM4QST65/p31

then "Don't Worry I'll Think of a Title,"
http://babydoc3.livejournal.com/tag/ira+yarmolenko

Morons in Chapel Hill,
http://moronsinchapelhill.com/

and of course, Chris's Crime Forum.
http://chriscrimeforum.freeforums.org/ira-2-t3249.html

If I've left anyone out, please let me know.

This year there seems to be a division among the bloggers between those who believe the Gaston County Police have arrested the true killers, and those who believe they have not. (I think you know which side I've taken.)

Now there's a problem I want to see fixed. Police are no longer looking for the TRUE killers, and the case is getting colder. Cold cases are difficult to solve. I say it's time to get back on the bandwagon.

Come on people. Let's get it together. We have a murder case to solve. Let's start by asking and answering the right questions.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm sorry, I DID leave someone out.
http://annyjacoby.blogspot.com/2009/06/celebration-of-life-in-memory-of-ira.html

Remains Found in Eno River Park

2009-08-03T12:47:00.012-04:00

Yesterday evening a hiker found decomposed human remains in Eno River State Park and reported it to Durham Police. No information yet on race, gender, or cause of death. Police say the remains have been there a very long time.

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/1631876.html

http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/local&id=6945236
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
UPDATE August 4. -- It's a MAN.
http://www.ncwanted.com/ncwanted_home/story/5724335/

and some more to read.
http://blogs.discovery.com/criminal_report/2009/08/human-skeletal-remains-found-in-durham-nc.html#more
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
UPDATE August 25 -- IDENTIFIED!
It is Jonathan Richard Gardenour, missing Durham man.
http://wwwcache.wral.com/news/news_briefs/story/5864277/

Probation Reform Bill

2009-08-01T18:08:00.010-04:00

From WRAL News

Governor signs probation reform bill.
Posted July 30, 2009

Raleigh, N.C. — Gov. Bev Perdue has signed a bill that will give law enforcement and probation officers the authority to perform warrantless searches in certain situations and give probation officers limited access to juvenile records.

"With these reforms, I really do believe, we in North Carolina are on the right pathway to make sure we do all that we can do to help these 115,000 to 120,000 people who are on probation in our system understand we mean business," the governor told a crowd outside the Raleigh Police Department Thursday afternoon.

"When you're on probation, you're still a ward of the court, you're still a ward of the system, and we'll put you back in a city minute, if you play outside the box."

The new law allows any law enforcement officer to perform a search of a probationer without court permission, if he or she has reasonable suspicion that a probationer is involved in criminal activity or has a weapon.

"We're going to draw a strong box around that search," Perdue said. "It’s not going to be used for anything other than what it is."

Effective immediately, all warrants for parole-commissioned violators will also be expedited immediately, regardless of the infraction.

"We've eliminated the idea of routine under this administration," Perdue said. "There is absolutely no warrant in this state that should be deemed routine. Every warrant is important to somebody."

The legislation also allows officers to examine juvenile records of a probationer for offenses that would have been felonies had they been committed while the offender was an adult. Juvenile records are usually sealed.

The disclosed records will help a probation officer determine what kind of supervision the adult probationer needs.

"This is important stuff," Perdue said. "You've seen what's happened."

Problems with the probation came to light in the wake of the 2008 shooting deaths of Duke University graduate student Abhijit Mahato in January and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill student body president Eve Carson in March.

Laurence Alvin Lovette Jr. and Demario James Atwater, who are charged in Carson's death, were on probation at the time.

Officials later said Lovette – who is also a suspect in Mahato's death – was charged with nine different crimes during six weeks while he was on probation but that he never met with his probation officer.

Atwater's case was handled by 10 different staff members who failed to follow procedures between 2005 and 2008, the state has said.

Atwater was twice ordered to be placed under intensive probation, which includes mandatory curfews, weekly contact and warrantless searches, but the officers handling his case never did so.

Carson was killed a few days after Atwater was first scheduled to appear on a probation violation resulting from firearms charge to which he had pleaded guilty eight months earlier.

He was sent to the wrong courtroom and the probation hearing was delayed.

Reviews of the probation system – both internally and by the National Institute of Corrections – found that inadequate staffing, high turnover rates, case reassignments and lack of training led to deficiencies in supervision.

Two other high-profile cases this summer – including a man in North Carolina recently paroled from prison whom authorities believe killed five people in South Carolina before he was shot and killed in Gastonia – have also highlighted strains in the state's probation and parole system.
--------------------------------------------------------------
See the rest of the story here.
http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/5690269/

Introducing NamUs

2009-07-22T00:13:00.008-04:00

From KnoxNews.Com
Names, the missing matched on NamUs
By Jim Balloch
Posted July 19, 2009 at midnight

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, or NamUs, is the first national system designed to compare information about unidentified remains with missing persons cases.

Funded by the U.S. Justice Department, it is available, free of charge, to law enforcement and the public, at www.namus.gov

"This has the potential to truly revolutionize the handling of cases of missing persons and unidentified remains," said Todd Matthews, the Southeast regional director for NamUs. "It is a huge step forward for investigators, and it gives the families and friends of missing persons a chance to become part of the process of finding their loved one."

Victims' families, police agencies, medical examiners, coroners and the general public can search for possible matches between missing persons and unidentified decedents.

To keep ongoing investigations secure, part of NamUs is set aside for law enforcement access only, so investigators can post and share information or details they do not wish made public, Matthews said.

NamUs has two databases: One has information about unidentified bodies, entered from medical examiners and coroners. It can be searched using characteristics such as sex, race, tattoos or other distinct body features, and dental information. The other contains information on missing persons cases.

Law enforcement users will have the ability to automatically cross-reference the two databases, reducing the time it takes an investigator to search them. If a close match is found, the investigator can turn to forensic services to conduct further testing, such as a dental records check or a DNA test.

NamUs only began taking records in January and is still in the growing stages. While the FBI's National Crime Information Center, or NCIC, will have around 100,000 missing persons cases listed as "active" at any given time, NamUs currently has 1,828 such cases, plus cases of 5,329 unidentified human bodies, according to Justice Department spokeswoman Sheila Jerusalem. But 43 states and 225 law enforcement agencies have started participating, and more are expected to enroll as they become aware of the program, she said.

The News Sentinel asked the Justice Department when and if current cases in the NCIC database would be added to the NamUs system, but that information was not provided in time for inclusion in this series.

http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2009/jul/19/names-the-missing-matched/

Something to think about

2009-07-17T07:35:00.003-04:00

"Life doesn't cease to be funny when people die, any more than it ceases to be serious when people laugh."
George Bernard Shaw
1856 - 1950

"It has been said that man is a rational animal. All my life I have been searching for evidence which could support this."
Bertrand Russel
1872 - 1970

"Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity."
Martin Luther King Jr
1929 - 1968

Kristin Lodge-Miller Memorial

2009-07-11T15:09:00.001-04:00

Even with the help of the people at the Rape Crisis Center, I still had trouble finding this. Originally, I was told the memorial marker was at the spot where the shrine (or pile of flowers) used to be, which was on the other side of the street, near Phillips Middle School, on Estes Drive in Chapel Hill.

Actually, it is near the driveway of the Orange County Rape Crisis Center, which is next door to Amity Methodist Church. It's tucked back a ways from the sidewalk, in the shade of some trees, and it's easy to walk by without seeing it.

When I first wrote about Kristin Lodge-Miller 2 years ago in this blog, I reported that I was unable to find very much about her on a Google search. Now there's quite a bit in there. I think the Eve Carson case had a lot to do with bringing this story back into the news of Chapel Hill. For me, this will be a part of our local history I will always remember.

Be safe out there, and remember the date of July 15, 1993.

Missing Persons - The Band

2009-06-30T14:46:00.000-04:00

If you go to YouTube and type in "Missing Persons," you are likely to find material on the 1980's rock band, before you find the videos made by the Missing Persons Network, the Doe Network, Missing Pieces, and such as that.

This song I wish to dedicate to a whole lot of folks.
I hope you know who you are!
Peace and Blessings;
BW

The Silence of the Blogs

2009-06-25T20:06:00.001-04:00

The story you are about to read is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is entirely intentional.

In some North Carolina town a person outside the state has probably never heard of, a pretty young sophomore from a university in the next town was found murdered. The local police receive a 911 call from a person on a watercraft. He was jet skiing along the river and found a car and a body. Unfortunately for the local police, the caller was unable to tell them how to get to his location by land. I guess the local police didn't have a boat, or a GPS system to trace the cell phone.

It took them a while to find the place. During the search, police moving along the river found a couple of guys fishing. They told them they were looking for a body, and the two guys told them they were just fishing. The police got their names, addresses, and, who knows?, maybe a DNA sample from them as well, before moving along their way.

After they had finally arrived at the crime scene, and figured out where they were, they were able to call in and report the location of the road the car was on before it came down here.

A mother of a young woman who went missing from that area a month earlier wanted to know if this was her daughter they had found, but it was not. We don't even hear about that case until later. What we do hear is that the victim was a student at the university, which was about 30 miles away, and that this person's name is very well known on the campus, and in another NC town she had come from before attending university.

Very quickly the local police find out this person is very well known and loved. People show up from everywhere to talk about this pretty young sophomore, including her family who want to talk to the police in person. News stations from all around are covering the story, and throughout cyberspace the blogs came rolling in.

The local police figure that they need to solve this murder case, but they don't know how to do it. They never heard of this person before, and it didn't seem to occur to them to ask the hundreds of people who showed up on her behalf. They could have called in the SBI, but perhaps they didn't want to admit they needed help. They tell the press they are making progress, but they can't give any details about it now. It buys them some time.

But the time runs out. Seven months later they still have no clues. The local police are desperate. They need a suspect to arrest. This will make them look like they have made progress. They remember the two guys who were fishing down on the river that day. Why not arrest them?

Now a whole lot of people in that town could have told us that not only are these two guys innocent, but if the local police were to call them and ask them to come on down to the station, they would have willingly complied with the request. But the local police decide they want to be more dramatic than that. They show up at their homes at 4:30 in the morning, with lots of fire power.

At first everyone is excited, thinking this was good news. They are all singing and dancing about how the killers have been caught. But after seeing what these two guys look like, and hearing what they had to say, and what their neighbors had to say. people began to have some doubts about them arresting the right people.

All of the forums and all of the blogs that were involved in discussion of the case were saying the local police had no clue what they were doing. This went on until there was a second hearing, (mistakenly referred to as a trial) and everyone found out a whole lot of details of the investigation that were kept secret until then.

And then, something very mysterious happened. Forums began to close. Websites were no longer accessible. No one was talking about the pretty young sophomore anymore. The news media never mentioned another word about it. The case remains unsolved.

Meanwhile, back in the town she came from, some friends of the pretty young sophomore have some ideas about what happened, but no one listens to them. People figure these kids are too young to know what they're talking about. They are about the same age as the victim. With no one to listen to them, they made their statement by releasing a bunch of balloons.

Anyone out there who can tell the rest of the story, please be my guest.

Class of 2009

2009-06-12T19:49:00.001-04:00

In my rural Chatham neighborhood, the most popular resident is Alex Ross. Alex is graduating from Northwood High School today.

At the age of 12 Alex had started his own newspaper.
At the age of 13, Alex came over to my house to show me how to use my new (to me) computer. I was embarrassed to have to admit that even though I am more than 3 times older than Alex, I only know less than half as much about computers. But young Alex was easy on me. He didn't make me feel dumb when he had to explain things to me. I will always appreciate that.

As a teenager Alex learned all about video equipment, and has made himself a major contributer to this website. He always knew what to do with pictures, and I got him to film "Storm Front at Carrboro Day," for my musician friends' first YouTube video. Alex also made excellent video for me from when we were on NC Wanted.

If you can find "Local Computer Care" in my Links list, you can find the website of Alex Ross. You can contact him to help with any video or computer projects you may have planned.

Because of his many contributions to my cause, I feel duty bound to bid him congratulations on his graduation.

Here's to you, Alex!

Now just imagine what he'll be doing once he's into UNC!

http://friendsofdebbie.blogspot.com/2008/07/storm-front-live.html

Birthday for FDK

2009-06-01T19:14:00.000-04:00

June 1st is the birthday of the FDK website.
We are now 2 years old.

Once again I have been contemplating if I should continue or not.
In the beginning I said I would quit the website if no one showed up for the candlelight vigil. Attendance was good, so I kept on going.

Last year was very successful with getting media attention, so I didn't even have to think about it.
This year I asked for feedback from some friends to help me decide.

There's a female friend I am rather fond of, so I tend to listen to her. She reminds me of how, on the first part of the journey, I wanted to write about plants and birds and rocks and things, but ended up writing about crime instead. It was sad to think that everyone I write about is dead.
(Thank you, America)
This person says there are more pleasant things I could be writing about.

And then there was the opposite extreme.
There was this person who suggested that a website about a murdered or missing person should be more "serious," and have less of the "Funny Little Bunnies," and other goofy stuff I like to do.

I've decided that too many of us have a dreadfully negative attitude towards death, and I should try to make a positive example.
For this reason, I have selected this tune by Mike Oldfield to offer in response.

-----------------------------------------------------
RIP - Paul Kemp
May 23 1958 - May 26 2009
Another Friend of Debbie Key

Dalzell Pleads Guilty

2009-05-16T17:57:00.000-04:00

Hey Folks! Sorry I'm late!

Thanks NC Wanted!
What would we do without you?

http://www.ncwanted.com/ncwanted_home/story/4465792/

Well whatta ya know?
He didn't try to BS his way out of it again.
I wonder why?

Remembering Ira

2009-05-06T19:42:00.001-04:00

It has now been a year since the world was robbed of the life of Ira Yarmolenko.
We were still in recoil from the death of Eve Carson in March, when the word came around.
Ira had lived in the Chapel Hill area since 1998. It comes as no surprise that a person of her charisma should have so many friends in the area. Still, I was amazed how much I was able to learn about her in a short time.
Listening to the testimonies of people who have known her, I began to wonder if a sweeter person has ever lived.

It is sad that murder rarely weeds out the worst of us, but more often targets the best of us. To lose Eve Carson and Ira both is a great loss to humanity.
Everything I have heard about Ira has been positive. To this day, I have never yet heard a negative about her.
This is a trend I am glad to see. Friends of Debbie Key had to fight pretty hard against the "blame the victim" syndrome.

IRA = Is Really Awesome

Ira was a one-of-a kind person, a unique individual who has touched so many lives it's barely believable. It boggles the mind to imagine the impact she would have had on the world if she had lived longer, considering the impact she has had in just 20 years, on nearly everyone she has encountered.

I am sorry to say, I am not impressed with the Gaston County Police.
They have been way too secretive in their investigation, when every detail is a potential clue. With so many friends, family, and fellow students willing to co-operate with law enforcement, they still end up arresting a most unlikely pair, after 7 months, who picked a bad day to go fishing.

I believe we can solve this case.
I believe we collectively have all the information we need. We only need to communicate with each other, and fit our pieces of info together. Too many clues have been ignored. Let's try picking them up.

I have learned more about the details of the investigation through 'Topix' than through any other source. I have much more confidence in the bloggers of this case than in the police. I want to see the forums open back up. Good slueths have always said that someone knows something. I say, especially in this case, that everyone knows something. With so many people who knew Ira, who are dedicated to seeking justice, it appears to me that we already have a very good start.

"The world is a dangerous place.
Not because of the people who are evil,
but because of the people who don't do anything about it."
-- Albert Einstein

More on Allison Foy

2009-04-18T13:17:00.000-04:00

On the night of Good Friday, Dateline NBC aired an episode on the unsolved murders of Allison Jackson-Foy and Angela Rothen.
Lisa Valentino, Allison's sister, had sent me a message to make sure I see it. She was not the only one to notify me of this, (Thank you, Friends!) but I was especially glad to hear from this one. Lisa has impressed me with her devotion to solving her sister's case.

Check it out here.
http://insidedateline.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/04/08/1885505.aspx

NC Wanted, as I expected, was also in on it.
Here's what they had to say:
------------------------------------------------

Allison Jackson Foy disappeared in July 2006. Then, 18 months later, her remains were found in Wilmington. Autopsy results show that Allison was the victim of a violent stabbing.

Posted: Apr. 16, 2009
Updated: Apr. 16, 2009

NEW HANOVER COUNTY — When Allison Jackson Foy disappeared in July 2006, it seemed like a classic case of a woman in trouble walking away from her life.

But Allison’s sister, Lisa Valentino, couldn’t believe it. Despite the difficulties, Allison never would have walked away from her life. She had two daughters she loved very much, and always spoke up when she was in trouble.

“If she ever needed help she would pick up the phone,” said Lisa Valentino, Allison’s sister. “If things were bad where she was, she would have taken her daughters with her. She would have never left her kids behind. Never in a million years.”

A harrowing discovery in April 2008 proved Valentino’s suspicion correct. It took months for DNA analysis to confirm the remains were Allison, but Investigator Mike Overton with the Wilmington Police Department said he knew right away it was her.

But the shocking discovery didn’t end there. Allison’s weren’t the only remains found in a wooded, out-of-the-way area in Carolina Beach. Angela Nobles Rothen disappeared some 18 months after Allison vanished and police, although hesitant to use the term ‘serial killer,’ say there’s no doubt the same man killed both.

Like Allison, Rothen struggled with addiction and left children behind. Both women died by violent stabbing.

"I don’t know what that world is going to be like,” Valentino told NC WANTED after the remains were preliminarily identified as Allison. “I mean, I imagine it is going to be difficult to know that somebody took my sister’s life and they have no idea who did it. And that person is still out there somewhere."

Within two months of the discovery, police search a house, car and storage unit belonging to 47-year-old Timothy Craig Iannone, a cab driver who frequented the area where the remains were found.

According to the search warrants, Iannone has a criminal history. In August 2007, he was arrested for the kidnapping, rape and assault of a prostitute in the area near where the remains were found. He is currently on probation.

Earlier this year, the Star News of Wilmington reported that Iannone had been cleared as a suspect, and in an interview he told them he was weary of being watched all of the time.

More recently, though, police have changed their stance.

“The time I last talked to the press, we’d pretty much done everything we could at that time with him,” Overton told NC WANTED in a phone interview. “Since that time, we’ve had some additional evidence come to light for us, and he’s back on our radar. There could be other suspects out there and we are looking at other people, but Mr. Iannone is definitely back on our radar as a potential suspect.”

According to her family, Allison left work around 10 p.m. that evening and went to a friend’s house. She left a while later, and went to the Junction Pub and Billiards on Carolina Beach Road. Investigators say Allison appeared to be in good spirits when she met a friend there at 11 p.m. After staying for a few hours, witnesses say, she left the bar around 2 a.m. Police found her car in the bar’s parking lot.

Witnesses who were at the bar the night Allison disappeared have different accounts of when they last saw her. Some say the bartender called a cab to take her home and when the driver came inside, she left. Others claim Allison never left in a cab and she was seen sitting on the front steps of the bar, crying. Phone records show that she made a call to a friend in New York at 2:03 a.m.
Police feel confident Allison was killed the night she disappeared.

If you have information on this case, call NC WANTED toll free at 1.866.43.WANTED (1.866.439.2683) or click on "Report a Tip" Your identity can be kept confidential.

http://www.ncwanted.com/ncwanted_home/story/4963943/
------------------------------------------------------------

Allison Jackson Foy's website, maintained by her sister, Lisa Valentino, may be found via the Links List on this page.

Funny Little Bunnies

2009-04-05T20:19:00.001-04:00

Oh how I love these old cartoons!
I also love Easter!
Happy Easter, Everyone!

Atlas Fraley Update

2009-03-31T14:03:00.001-04:00

We still don't know the cause of Atlas Fraley's death.
But that doesn't mean we have to find someone to blame it on.
While we must be careful not to assume too much, I think it's fairly safe to assume, at this point, that Fraley had a medical condition that no one knew about.

When a young person dies in such a mysterious way, it's a natural human thing to respond to it with a lot of questions, and a lot of anger. I don't blame anyone for being angry. I confess, I am guilty of the same thing myself.

On Wednesday, March 18, the day after St. Patrick's Day, I saw about 15 seconds worth of news coverage on TV about the newly released statement from the medical examiner. I was quite disturbed that the autopsy findings were "inconclusive." (Is someone trying to cover his butt?)

Going online, nothing new in there either. I check again Thursday and Friday, and it's more news articles that say the same old thing. All of them are very short, just a few sentences, none of them telling us anything we didn't already know.

I am ready to scream, "What the hell's going on?" while visions of angry mobs dance through my head.

Then on Saturday, March 21, I find this in the News & Observer.

http://www.newsobserver.com/264/story/1451303.html

Kudos to staff writer Jesse James DeConto, for having the sensitivity to respond to everyone's nagging questions.
Why was he left alone?
Why weren't his parents notified?
Why wasn't he taken to the hospital?
Finally, we get some answers.
The next thing I know, I find myself developing a whole new perspective.

So I was about to write this up, when I get yet another incoming angry message.
But this one isn't a message attacking the Orange County 911 Emergency Medical Service, but one defending them, with every bit as much anger.
A reader says that I shouldn't need to be reminded that our EMS is very dedicated to saving lives and aiding the injured, and they deserve a whole lot more credit than they are getting.

I was pretty knocked back by this. I need some time to recover, and to decide how to respond. Until then, all the angry messages I've received were directed against the EMS. Feeling defensive, I want to know why this reader thinks it's my fault the EMS is under fire. I want to fire back, but I have to think about it instead.

I know someone who works as a dispatcher for 911. In the wee hours of the morning during March of last year, I received a message saying Chapel Hill Police have found a dead body of a young white female, in the Hillcrest area of Chapel Hill. This was later identified as the body of Eve Carson. How thankful I should be to have people who can deliver important news to me, before the news media has time to write it up.

Gee, I guess I do owe them something.

I did not know Atlas Fraley, but since last August I have read a lot about him, and have heard a lot about him from people I have met. I am under the impression that this young man was a big lovable bear with a great big heart that was just so full of love for everyone. I don't think he would be too happy to see us slinging mud at each other in his wake, especially over something that happened that no one could see coming.

There was this guy named Jesus who said,
"Blessed are the peace makers..."
It must be worth a try, don't you think?

History of St. Pat's Day

2009-03-14T19:52:00.000-04:00

A 7th grade teacher of mine said there are 2 kinds of people in this world:
"The Irish, and those who wish they were Irish."
Before I came to North Carolina, I used to believe it was true.

You can always count on me to remember March 17.
(Did I mention my mother's maiden name was O'Bryan?)

Remembering Eve Carson

2009-03-06T16:54:00.000-05:00

Remembering Eve Carson
From WRAL.com

Posted: Mar. 5, 2009
Updated: Mar. 5, 2009

Eve Carson, the slain University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill student body president, was a Tar Heel through and through.

She loved Carolina basketball, going to Franklin Street and playing intramural sports. Friends say James Taylor's "Carolina in My Mind" was one of her favorite songs.

As a student leader and prestigious Morehead-Cain scholar, she personified what retired UNC Chancellor James Moeser last year called "the Carolina spirit." She was "compassionate, inclusive in her dealings with everyone … fairness, justice and tolerance."

The biology and political science major found time to tutor and teach science at a local elementary school. On summer breaks, she studied in Havana and volunteered in Ecuador, Egypt and Ghana.

Carson's enthusiasm for community service was contagious, friends say, and so was her ability to get people involved. Friends say that she was ready to conquer the world.

"Just whatever she was going to do, she was going to be great just being herself," said UNC junior Katherine Novinski, a Morehead-Cain scholar whom Carson mentored.

Instead, the world has come to know her in a much different way.

The 22-year-old native of Athens, Ga., was kidnapped at her campus rental house in the early morning of March 5, 2008, robbed, shot and killed in a neighborhood near the UNC campus.

Two men – Demario James Atwater and Laurence Alvin Lovette Jr. – face state and federal charges in connection with her death, which Chapel Hill police have called a random act of violence.

The crime sent shockwaves through the university community, which hadn't experienced a tragedy of such magnitude since 1995, when a law school student went on a shooting rampage and killed two people.

Within hours of hearing of Carson's death, thousands gathered on campus for a memorial service and a candlelight vigil.

"Something happened that day at UNC," said junior Hogan Medlin, also a Morehead-Cain scholar whom Carson mentored. "It was a literal coming together of the student body."

One year later, UNC is turning its grief into action, having already started a scholarship in Carson's honor – the first recipient was named last month – as well as a variety of other projects.

At a remembrance on Thursday, Chancellor Holden Thorpe will ask students, faculty and staff to give back to the community during the month of March.

"What matters most is who did you inspire? Where did you make your mark in this world?" Medlin said. "Eve made her mark, and it's evident in every person you can talk to."

Lisa and Emily Martin are living Carson's legacy of service. The women and about 80 other students will spend spring break in New Orleans. They plan to rebuild communities still recovering from Hurricane Katrina.

“Eve Carson made a big difference on this campus. You can tell by the people who were affected by her death. So, I think it's really cool how we have the opportunity to make a difference in society as well as she did,” said Emily Martin, UNC student.

“I think it speaks about her life and what she meant to do,” said Lisa Martin, UNC student.

Carson's family has grieved privately, but her younger brother has taken on a very public cause that started before she died.

Andrew Carson helped produce an award-winning documentary called "Darius Goes West," which has sold nearly 22,000 copies and raised more than $1.5 million for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy research. The goal is to sell 1 million DVDs in one year.

The film follows the quest of 15-year-old muscular dystrophy patient Darius Weems, who sets off on a cross-country quest to get MTV's "Pimp My Ride" to customize his wheelchair. Along the way, Weems touches the lives of those he meets and shares his story.

Friends say Eve Carson encouraged the project.

"She would take the time to ask you the questions that others wouldn't ask," Medlin said. "She would meet you and immediately ask you what your passions are."

Thursday's remembrance begins in The Pit on the UNC campus at 4 p.m. with music starting at 3:45 p.m. It is expected to last about 30 minutes and feature remarks by Thorp and a performance by student a cappella group, The Clef Hangers.

"For many of us, the loss of Eve Carson continues to occupy our thoughts," Thorp said. "This ceremony gives us a chance to remember and celebrate Eve together after a difficult year."

Also on Thursday evening, friends will gather at Carson's alma mater, Clarke Central High School in Athens, for a moment of silence.

Copyright 2009 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

http://www.ncwanted.com/ncwanted_home/story/4675337/

Chandra Levy

2009-02-26T17:56:00.000-05:00

One Question:
Why did it take 8 years?

Now here's the catch:
Any way you answer that will generate more questions.

Thank You, God!

2009-02-06T21:06:00.000-05:00

I promised someone that I would open my next post with the above 3 words. As to who it is I made that promise to, I'll let you guess.

Sometimes it is very hard to believe in God.
Like when someone near and dear to you is taken from you, in a senseless act.
It doesn't help when those who claim to be His followers are such idiots that you try to avoid them.

But sometimes it is very easy to believe in God.
Like when you're sitting at home watching TV and, suddenly and unexpectedly, there's something in the news you were waiting for so long, you forgot you were waiting for it.

Add to it that it was the very next day after the Yarmolenko trial, and my mind begins to wonder if some mysterious forces may be at work.

Andrew Dalzell has been arrested.

We were all waiting for the time he would get in trouble again. It was bound to happen, we all said. (I know I did!) He has always gotten in trouble before, and he will certainly get in trouble again. Getting in trouble is one thing he does well. The day will surely come,
but...
lets hope and pray that when the day comes, the slippery fish doesn't slip through the cracks again.

So I get online, and look at all these messages.

John Allore picked up the story before I did. It certainly wasn't the first time, and likely won't be the last.

A message from Carolyn Hutchison, Carrboro Police Chief.

A reporter named Kevin Ellis with the Gaston Gazette wants me to call him.

Several messages from Joy and other friends, one of them telling me how Joy was "captured" by WRAL News.

My heart is beating fast as I take this all in.
Moisture forms in the corners of my eyes.
Do I dare believe...?

Would Dalzell more likely get a fair trial in Buncombe County than in Orange?
It's hard to argue with that, especially considering that he didn't really get a trial at all in Orange County.

Now that right there is the thing that's messed up the most about it.
Dalzell was the one who should have been on trial, but the Carrboro Police were the ones on trial.
Hey, what's wrong with this picture, Folks?
I mean, weren't the CPD the ones doing everything they could to solve the case?

I have it on good authority that the CPD has made the sincerest efforts. I have always and will always stand by them on their efforts. It was the DA who opposed them in a double-cross that is to blame.

So what was that question again?
Oh yeah,
Will they make it stick next time?

Throw enough of it at the wall, and just maybe...?

One thing I know for sure.
If they slap his wrist and let him go, the public outcry would be downright frightening!

Special thanks also to the Buncombe County Sherrif's Office.

http://www.gastongazette.com/news/county_30091___article.html/dalzell_buncombe.html

http://www.wral.com/news/local/video/4479316/
-------------------------------------------------------
Now here's a new link.
http://www.gastongazette.com/news/dalzell_30138___article.html/key_police.html

Dalzell Arrested

2009-02-04T18:33:00.000-05:00

Andrew Dalzell was arrested yesterday in Asheville, NC for soliciting a minor online.

Read all about it here:
http://www.ncwanted.com/ncwanted_home/story/4465792/

and here:
http://whokilledtheresa.blogspot.com/2009/02/andrew-dalzell-arrested-in-child-sex.html

Special thanks to NC Wanted and WRAL News for being the first to call this to our attention.

Yarmolenko Murder Hearing

2009-02-03T19:37:00.000-05:00

It appears, my dear readers, that we now have another suspect.
A Mecklenburg County inmate has sent his confession to a Charlotte newscaster.
The two people on jet skis who found the body said they did not see anyone fishing nearby.

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/crime_safety/story/1391754.html
Nothing more for me to say here.

Everyone Knows Something

2009-01-30T11:12:00.002-05:00

In the field of astronomy, more new discoveries have been made in the last century by amateur, rather than by professional astronomers. This is due partly because professional astronomers have a schedule made out in advance of celestial bodies expected to appear. The amateur, however, would be more likely to set up and point his telescope at whatever catches his attention. The sky is a big place, and if you were looking at any given constellation, you might miss something that becomes visible in another part of the sky. It is surprising how many times an observatory hears from a casual stargazer, calling to report something that hasn't been seen before.

The same occurs in other fields of science, including forensics and criminology.
A case in point is Todd Matthews and the mystery of the Tent Girl. Human remains found in Kentucky during the 1960's have gone unidentified for 30 years, in spite of great efforts. It was a man with no formal training or prior experience (this was his first case) who solved the mystery of this person's identity. He had to come up with a method of his own, and it worked.

Often a murder or missing persons case goes unsolved because police follow a prescribed procedure. Even worse is when they already have a theory they are trying to prove, and disregard visible clues they find, because these aren't the clues they're looking for.

Read any book about a serial killer, and chances are that you will be surprised how many clues have been ignored. The author, writing in retrospect, (hindsight is always 20/20) describes in detail the killer's activities, from his first victim to his final arrest, and he doesn't always do a good job of covering his tracks. Before you finish the book, you may find yourself wondering why they haven't caught him yet.

Among the police in my locality, there are those I sometimes have long conversations with, and those who won't talk to me at all. I was told, by a police officer I do converse with, that perhaps it is because bloggers have such limited credibility with law enforcement. Granted, there is a lot of BS out there in the blogging world, but still this is unfortunate.

The most dramatic case of investigative failure I've read about is the case of Theresa Allore. The Surete du Quebec, being the provincial police of that area, have overlooked so many clues it inspires us to make fun of them. (Perhaps me more than anyone else) There were two other young females who were murdered in the same general area and time that were not connected, except by Theresa's brothers who continued the investigation, (if not started it) and a detective from Vancouver named Kim Rossmo.
Rossmo came up with a formula called "Geographic Profiling," and has also designed a computer program for it.
It was found that if you take a map of that area in Quebec and mark all the places where the bodies were found, along with where they were last seen, and where their possessions were found, you come up with a consistent pattern. The killer's stalking route becomes clearly visible. One begins to wonder why the cases were not connected.
Rossmo's program was initially scoffed at by his fellow officers, but today it is widely used by the RCMP, the FBI, and Scotland Yard.

In the case of Ira Yarmolenko, it was the bloggers, not the police, who first presented the possibility that Ira's murder may be connected with the two missing persons cases that took place in the same county in NC, and very close to the same time. There may or may not be a connection, but the question needs to be asked.

It is likely that Ira Yarmolenko and Debbie Key never knew each other. The Yarmolenko family moved to Greensboro, NC from the Ukraine in 1996, and to Chapel Hill in 1998. Debbie Key went missing in 1997. Still, both lived in the Chapel Hill area and had a lot of friends around here. There are people I've met who knew both of them, though not at the same time. I have talked with some of these people, and have learned some interesting things from them. There are also people I've talked to who are quite young, having been students at CHHS when Ira was there. When I tried to share some of this info with people in my age group, most of them said things like:

"You gotta consider the source."
"These are just kids."
"What do they know?"

To that, let me say this:
If you think young people don't know very much, you must not be spending much time around them.

When Debbie went missing, the Carrboro Police went around talking to nearly every one of her friends. Carrboro is a fairly small town where everyone knows each other. Word got around fast. By the time the news reached my ears, I was surprised by how many people already knew about it.

The Mt. Holly Police have not been talking to anyone except Ira's immediate family, as far as I know, and have been very tight-lipped about the investigation. There are those who believe they have arrested the wrong people. (Would you sit down and go fishing by the river where you just got finished killing someone?) The trial will be on Feb 2nd, last I heard, and I am curious as to how it will end up. I am willing to bet at this point that this case will be solved by the friends and family of the victim, rather than by law enforcement.

As my Scarecrow says in "the Wizard of Blogs,"
"No one knows everything, but everyone knows something that others do not."

What's up for January?

2009-01-02T17:01:00.000-05:00

By "what's up?" I mean up in the sky.
This is a good time to view our sister planet, Venus.

RIP Caylee Anthony

2008-12-31T10:18:00.001-05:00

So now it looks like little Caylee is laid to rest, George and Cindy are cleaning up their act, and Casey spends her holiday without family or friends.

There were times when I wondered if George and Cindy realize they have made asses of themselves in the public spotlight. Now I am starting to have good feelings for them. It began with my reading about them giving the memorial stuffed animals to needy children for Christmas, and it continues with what I have just read here.

http://www.wftv.com/news/18373572/detail.html?treets=orlc&tid=2658219508813&tml=orlc_4pm&tmi=orlc_4pm_-1_03000112292008&ts=H
(Thank you Doreen Prior)

Perhaps, with the discovery of Caylee's remains, George and Cindy have come to realize that Casey is not so innocent as they have claimed before, or that they can no longer persuade anyone to believe it. Either way, it seems they have turned around, just in time for Christmas.

Meanwhile, Casey sits alone in her cell, while the rest of the world celebrates. Does anyone feel sorry for her? It doesn't look like it. Who can say she didn't bring it upon herself? She won't even be allowed to attend Caylee's funeral.

Caylee's story has rocked the world from July to December, gaining more public attention than any other news story this year. Caylee's short life has become a story that will never be forgotten.

And it's not over yet.

Memorial Toys go to Charity

2008-12-23T00:32:00.001-05:00

I like stories where something good comes out of something sad.

A makeshift roadside memorial at the scene in Orlando, FL, where the remains of Caylee Anthony have been found, has been growing each day since the announcement came. The memorial consists of cards, letters, balloons, flowers, and hundreds of stuffed animals.

On Sunday the hundreds of stuffed animals have been collected and donated to the Orlando Union Rescue Mission. 89 homeless children who are being housed there, ages 18 months to 10 years old, have received these toys as Christmas gifts.

But not everyone is happy about that.
There are those who say the stuffed animals were given as a memorial to Caylee Anthony, and so they must remain.
George and Cindy Anthony made the decision to give the toys to the rescue mission, and some say that it was not their call to make.

Still, there are more who believe that the stuffed toys would be ruined by the weather if left outdoors, while we have needy children who would not have much of a Christmas without them. Besides, the balloons, flowers, and other trinkets would remain at the scene as a tribute to Caylee.

Brad Conway, the Anthonys' attorney, had this to say.

"The Anthony family knows that what Caylee would want is for some other children to have these gifts. She always shared her toys with other kids, and they know if Caylee was here, she would share these."

A survey was taken on these conflicting opinions, and you can see it here.
http://www.clickorlando.com/news/18331389/detail.html#

My opinion may not be worth a whole lot, but it's free.
I say when it comes to Christmas, the children come first.
Also, I believe we should always remember those less fortunate, and that living children would appreciate these toys more than anyone else.
Isn't that what Christmas is about?

Your opinion is also welcome, and there's a comment button down there you can use.
Merry Christmas!

Closure for John Walsh & Family

2008-12-17T10:44:00.001-05:00

Although it has long been suspected that Adam Walsh was killed by Ottis Toole 27 years ago, it needed to become official. Thankfully, that time has come.

For the family of John Walsh, there has never been any doubt.

John Walsh is considered by many to be the greatest crusader against crime in America today. For 20 years John has served as host for America's Most Wanted, perhaps the most popular crime show not only in the US, but also in Canada.

Some believe that AMW was the inspiration behind NC Wanted, following similar guide lines, but focusing on crimes in the Tarheel State. NC Wanted has become my favorite crime show, for personal reasons I'm sure you'll understand.

Ottis Toole, a convicted serial killer, died in prison in 1996. By deathbed confession, he revealed to his niece he did kill Adam Walsh, who was 6 years old. For reasons I can't explain, it took another 12 years after that for it to become official.

Isn't it amazing how many crimes have been solved since this Holiday Season began?

I hope that John Walsh will continue as host for AMW.

http://www.amw.com/features/feature_story_detail.cfm?id=3078

http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2008/12/fla-cops-solve.html

http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/posted/archive/2008/12/16/who-was-ottis-toole.aspx

Arrests Made in Ira's Murder!

2008-12-12T11:14:00.000-05:00

More breaking news today!
Two men were arrested in connection with the murder of Ira Yarmolenko!

http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/4128171/

Ira's brother, and my new friend, Pavel Yarmolenko, has left for Mt. Holly to meet with police. We'll keep in touch.
---------------------------------------
PS - This just in from NC Wanted
---------------------------------------
-NC WANTED INSIDER-
December 12, 2008

ALERT: The Irina Yarmolenko case appears to have been solved. Two Mount Holly
men have been charged in the death of Ukrainian-born Yarmolenko, who was a
University of North Carolina-Charlotte student from Chapel Hill, police said
Friday.

Irina "Ira" Yarmolenko was also a graduate of Chapel Hill high school.

For more, go to www.wral.com and www.ncwanted.com
-----------------------------------------
PPS - Here's more on this story from the Gaston Gazette, with more links to check out at the end.
http://www.gastongazette.com/news/charlotte_28091___article.html/mystery_murder.html

Caylee Anthony Found?

2008-12-11T22:09:00.002-05:00

Today the skeletal remains of a small child were found inside a plastic bag less than a half mile from the Anthony home in Orlando, Florida. The area has been under water during previous searches.
You can read all about it here
http://www.newsday.com/iphone/orl-bk-caylee-anthony-body-found-121108,0,7926553.story
and here
http://www.wftv.com/news/18253901/detail.html

Chris's Crime Forum has also picked up the story.

http://chriscrimeforum.freeforums.org/remains-of-young-child-removed-from-near-anthony-home-t2895.html

Crazy Christmas Lights

2008-12-08T21:24:00.000-05:00

"Amazing" things happen to houses around here this time of year!

Website of the Month in CCF

2008-12-03T00:03:00.000-05:00

Ladies and Gentlemen;
It gives me great pleasure to announce to you that Friends of Debbie Key has made "Website of the Month" for December 2008 in
Chris's Crime Forum.
There's a link over there where you can check out CCF. --->
Thank you, Everyone, for your support!

In other news...
Here's the latest on the Michelle Young case.

Thanksgiving Weekend News

2008-11-30T18:57:00.002-05:00

Our Holiday Season is off to a good start this year, as two high profile murder suspects have been captured!

The killer of Anne Pressly, a popular news anchor for KATV in Little Rock, Arkansas who was murdered in October, has been arrested on November 26.
See story here.

The killer of Brianna Denison, who went missing January of this year and found murdered February in Reno, Nevada, has also been arrested.
See story here.

Shortly before Thanksgiving Day, in nearby Wake County, NC, a man who robbed a store, then beat up a woman to take her car for a get-away, got clobbered by a big frozen turkey.
See story here.

And on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving Day, early holiday shopping proves to be downright dangerous!
See story here.

The good news is that two dangerous killers are safely locked away, who have taken the lives of women who were loved by many, giving new hope for families and friends of murder victims everywhere.

Happy Holidays!

PS - Last year on this night, my friends and I gathered for a candlelight vigil in honor of the 10-year anniversary of Debbie Key. It was a night I will always remember. To see pictures of this event, scroll down to the bottom of this page.

Iannone No Longer a Suspect

2008-11-27T22:45:00.000-05:00

I apologize to Tim and Susan Iannone.
Please forgive my earlier remarks.

Wilmington Police have cleared Tim Iannone as a suspect in the murders of Allison Jackson-Foy and Angela Nobles Rothen.

See story here.

With a Thankful Heart

2008-11-26T09:55:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving!
Remember, People, it's not just about good food, football, and shopping. It's about being thankful.
Thank you for visiting my blog. Stay safe and warm.

Cary 6-year-old Awarded

2008-11-23T23:09:00.000-05:00

A 6-year-old Cary girl received the town's first "I Knew What to Do Award" for calling 911 in an emergency, staying calm, and giving the correct information they needed to respond.
I'm sure there are more than a few adults who would do well to follow her example.
You gotta see this!
http://www.ncwanted.com/ncwanted_home/story/3994438/

Second Football Player Dies

2008-11-17T22:20:00.000-05:00

For the second time this year, a football player for the Chapel Hill High School Tigers died. This occurred early Sunday morning, Nov. 16, about 4:AM.

Rodney Torain, 17, who played defensive tackle, was being taken home by his friends, Ashley Bynum, 18, who was driving the car, and Laticia Farrington, 17.
A car behind them was following too closely, then made an illegal pass, side-swiping the teen's car and running them off the road. The driver over compensated and ran off the other side of the road, hitting a tree.

Rodney Torain died of head injury. He was not wearing a seat belt.
The other two teens suffered minor injuries. They were wearing seat belts. This occurred near the intersecion of Old Greensboro Rd and Neville Rd.

Police are looking for a gold or silver colored 4-door sedan with side-swipe damage on the passenger side. It was occupied by several men at the time of the hit-and-run.

Rodney Torain and Atlas Fraley were close friends. Fraley was a CHHS football player who died in August.

Murder victim's brother speaks to killer

2008-11-14T03:15:00.000-05:00

You tell him, Pavel!
---------------------------
This man was a guest at my house on Saturday, November 15.
Indeed, we had much to share.

Jennifer Rivkin

2008-11-10T17:36:00.001-05:00

Another person missing from Gaston County, NC this year is 42 year old Jennifer Ramsey Rivkin.
Jennifer went missing on May 4, 2008, the day before Ira Yarmolenko was found murdered in the same county, in Mt. Holly, NC on May 5.

Her borrowed car, a BMW, was found 2 days later in the parking lot of the Winner's Circle Bar & Grill, on W.Franklin Blvd. in Gastonia, NC. The car was found locked with her purse inside, but the sun roof was left open and it had rained.

People at the Winner's Circle, including the owner, do not believe Jennifer Rivkin was a patron of the establishment, but just that the parking lot was chosen as a place to leave the car. It was in the back of the lot behind a building.

Jennifer is 5'5", 130 lbs., with brown hair and hazel eyes.
She is from nearby Kings Mountain, NC.
A reward of $5000 is offered for useful information.

Just about a month earlier, on April 8, 2008, is when Jamie Fraley went missing, also from Gastonia, NC.

Could the missing persons cases of Jennifer Rivkin and Jamie Fraley, and the murder case of Ira Yarmolenko, be connected? There are those who think so.

Gaston County Police are not talking much about these cases, but Ira's brother, Pavel Yarmolenko, is. I have found discussions going on in www.topix.com.

Texas EqquuSearch, who have been searching for Caylee Anthony in Florida, are coming to NC to search for Jennifer and Jamie.
You can check out their story here.
http://www.texasequusearch.org/

For more on Jennifer Rivkin, go to
http://www.helpfindthemissing.org/missing_database/?p=838

Remember, Remember the 5th of November

2008-11-05T03:05:00.000-05:00

This is truly a 5th of November that will never be forgot, for on this day, here in America, "V" is also for "Victory"!

Let us rejoice and give thanks for our deliverance from evil!

Theresa Allore - 30 years

2008-11-03T03:29:00.001-05:00

Today is the 30-year anniversary of the death of Theresa Allore.
Theresa was a spunky and lovable teenager who loved David Bowie, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, and Archie comics.
When she went missing from her school on November 3, 1978, neither the school, nor the police, thought there was any need to look for her.
Murder was so uncommon in that part of Canada at that time, that even after Theresa's body was found, they still didn't think that's what happened to her.

John Allore is a man who has worked very hard since then to find out what really happened to his older sister, and now lives in Chapel Hill, NC. By a strange twist of fate, John and his family bought the house that Debbie Key's suspected killer once lived in. His story has brought us together.

Today I wish to honor the memory of Theresa Allore.
The blogging team of "Who Killed Theresa?" has been very kind and supportive of my efforts to put this website together. Without such encouragement, I might have given up.

I ask my readers to visit WKT?, and to check out the videos about Theresa on YouTube today. Let us remember this person who has brought us together in this unusual, but very meaningful way.
I suggest you start here:
http://whokilledtheresa.blogspot.com/2008/11/theresa-allore-october-12-1959-november.html

To everyone at WKT?, I thank you for your support, and I value the friendships we have made.
Wishing you peace and many blessings;
The Wildman

Nancy Cooper Update

2008-10-27T18:50:00.000-04:00

This just in from NC Wanted

The husband of Nancy Cooper, the Cary jogger who went missing and later found dead back in July, has been indicted.

http://www.ncwanted.com/ncwanted_home/story/3830358/?d_feature_story=1

NC Haunted

2008-10-25T00:45:00.000-04:00

If you are a ghost hunter visiting North Carolina, here are a few places you would want to include in your tour. These are not all the haunted places that can be found here, but it's a good start.
Happy Halloween!

Letter from Lisa

2008-10-20T13:50:00.000-04:00

The ID on the Wilmington Bones Case became official on Wednesday September 10.
Although this may not be considered a happy time for the family of Allison Jackson-Foy, I am glad they have found the closure.
The following is a letter from Lisa Valentino, sister of Allison, to the CUE Center for Missing Persons, who have been working very hard on this case. It contains some links you may find interesting.
I appreciate this letter as an example of what it means to a family to find the closure they have been looking for. I think every day about the day when someone finds the remains of Debbie Key, and the impact that would have on us.
This was forwarded to me by 'Anon'. I hope Lisa doesn't mind that I share it with you.
------------------------------------------------
From: Lisa

Subject: No longer missing Allison Jackson Foy

It is with a sad and heavy heart that I contact you all this morning. It was just a little over two years ago that my life and the life of my family was turned upside down when my sister Allison went missing from Wilmington NC. Two days ago Wed. September 10th after almost 5 months of waiting on DNA results it was confirmed that one of the sets of remains found at the end of April off Carolina Beach Road in Wilmington was my little sister Allison.

Although I have known in my heart almost from the beginning that my sister was no longer living and that I would not ever see her again in this world, confirmation of those feelings still come as a shock and does not make any of this easier. Please pray not only for Allison but all who love her, especially her daughters Courtney and Jordan, my father and my entire family.

There are many people who God has brought into my life over the past two years whom I probably would never have met otherwise. These people have been a God send and a blessing and have impacted my life in ways the will never know; to all of you I say thank you, my heart is full of love for you all and you have become a part of my family!

To Monica Caison and CUE Center, I can't say more than I have already said over and over again. You are an angel among us and I continue to be inspired by you and your life's work, and the difference you make in the lives of others each and every day! Your efforts and your work and your ability to comfort and even make me laugh in times of tremendous sadness will never be forgotten.

To Marc; what can I say you were and are the right guy for the job, and your dedication and hard work on behalf of Allison has and remains unbelievable.

To my incredible friends; your support has been amazing throughout this ordeal and I am blessed to have each and everyone of you in my life. You have shown me what friendship is about and have made me a better person.

To my husband and children, you are my rocks and have put up with so much and not all of it very easy. God has blessed me with an amazing family!

As we remember Allison today please keep all those who remain missing and their families in your thoughts and prayers; I know that Allison would want that. I know too that Allison would be blown away by all who have given of themselves to this search for her and am sure she too is looking down and thanking you.

Allison; you are missed greatly and thought about daily. Thank you for 34 years of love laughter and sisterhood. I know that you are in a far better place and finally at peace. I love you.

When Allison's remains are released and we are finally able to bring her home, we will have a celebration of her life and memorial service in Oyster Bay Long Island, NY. I will certainly send out the word and let all of you know dates and times. My family is asking that in lieu of flowers donations be made in Allison's name to:

CUE Center for Missing Persons

PO Box 12714

Wilmington, NC 28405

Please feel free to leave any thoughts and feelings in the guestbook on Allison's web site www.helpfindallison.com
I also have included some recent links to press on Allison and her case.

http://www.wect.com/global/story.asp?s=8994091

http://www.wect.com/Global/story.asp?S=8987774&nav=menu157_2

http://news14.com/content/local_news/599249/woman-s-family-searches-for-answers/Default.aspx

http://www.wwaytv3.com/foy_and_rothen_followup/09/2008

http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20080910/ARTICLES/809100257/0/columnist58

Thank you again to all.

Peace and Blessings, Lisa

Theresa Allore Video

2008-10-18T12:56:00.002-04:00

This is Part 3 of 5 in a series of videos made by John Allore about Theresa, using news footage by W-5 in Quebec. I have selected this part for posting here, because this is the part where Debbie, and the "Bad Dream House," are mentioned.

We will soon be observing the 30-year anniversary of Theresa's death, which was on November 3, 1978.

I'm Back!

2008-10-17T12:16:00.000-04:00

After a long, hard, knock-down, drag-out fight with AT&T, I have finally regained the use of my home phone and Internet service. It was with the help of my neighbors, who were kind enough to let me use their phone and computer, and the Pittsboro Public Library, that I was able to keep up (sort of) with the blog. Having limited time online, I haven't been able to do much. But now I'm back online on my own, and have a whole lot of stuff to catch up on.
If you have been ripped off by AT&T, I would like to hear from you. Feel free to use the comment button.

Speaking of catching up...

Theresa Allore's birthday was October 12. She would be 49 if she were alive today.
John Allore, who is alive and kicking butt, has made a series of YouTube videos telling the story of his sister. There is a mention of our friend Debbie in the story.

Susan Iannone, wife of Timothy Iannone, has visited this blog and submitted comments. See "ID on Wilmington Bones."
I have promised Susan Iannone that I would post the following correction:
Timothy Iannone is NOT in custody, nor has he ever been for this case.
(my bad)
I will try to explain why Wilmington police have been unable to find enough evidence to make the arrest, as soon as I am able to understand it myself.

The family of missing person Allison Jackson-Foy has found closure with the ID of the human remains found in Wilmington back in April. Her sister, Lisa Valentino, has released a lot of material about the case, which I plan on sharing after I get it sorted out.

Halloween is an important holiday to me, as all of my friends know. The creepy and spooky decorations, which are now all over my yard, are just for fun. But to me, the real meaning of the holiday is to remember our friends and family who are departed, and this is very important to me.

Sharron Prior Tribute

2008-09-27T17:21:00.001-04:00

Doreen Prior is a special friend of mine in Quebec.
She had this video made in memory of her sister, Sharron.
I cannot keep my eyes dry while watching it.
You will find the link to the Sharron Prior Website on my links list.
This is too beautiful not to share.

Debbie's Birthday

2008-09-20T16:43:00.000-04:00

Call me a sentimental old fool if you will, but I still remember Debbie Key's birthday. She was born September 21, 1962.
Here's a little ditty I wrote for her.

Ode to Debbie Key

I never met a person who could do less harm
Never met a person who could be more warm
But I know a lot of people who will say to you
that her life was full of gladness
and her heart was true.

Happy and free is the only way to be
So long as you maintain responsibility
Always had a smile for folks like you and me
That's the way we remember our friend, Debbie Key

She lights up every house that she's going to
She makes the world better just by walking through
Living in the world is fun when she's around
She always makes you smile - she never lets you down
Everyone says how she's so kind and good
She's loved by everybody in the neighborhood.

No one around here has ever had a fear
That in a town the size of Carrboro, one could disappear
She vanished in the night, and has since been out of sight
but left a loyal group of friends
and we're all still here

Can anybody tell us, where did our Debbie go?
Some say she went to Heaven, others say we just don't know
But anyway you look at it, one thing we know is true
is that she made the world better just by walking through
Happy and free as the only way to be
that's the way we remember our friend Debbie Key

The Assumption Song

2008-09-01T20:50:00.000-04:00

The song is by Arrogant Worms, a Canadian group I've become a fan of this year.
Happy Labor Day to all my readers. I'm glad some of you found time for a visit over the long weekend. Ya'll come back now, Hear?

Another Fraley (Jamie)

2008-08-28T23:31:00.000-04:00

Reading about Atlas Fraley reminds me of another Fraley I have read about a few months ago. However, I don't think the two have anything more in common than a last name.

Atlas Fraley is a black male, over 6 feet tall, and weighs 250 some pounds.

Jamie Michelle Fraley is a white female, who is 4'8" and around 90 pounds.

No, I don't think the two are related to each other.

I can imagine a woman that size would be very easy to carry.
Jamie is a missing person from Gastonia, NC, since April 8, 2008. In the same county (Gaston) and about a month later, Ira Yarmolenko was found murdered.
That may or may not be related. I don't know.

There is at least one other missing person case in this area that I know about, but more on that later.

Jamie Fraley's apartment had been found locked, with her purse, ID, and keys still inside. The only thing missing from her apartment, besides Jamie, was her cell phone.
Jamie's cell phone was found 3 miles away by a construction worker.
Her last call said that she was going to the hospital.

So what makes me bring it up now? Because it bothers me that I have not found anything new about this story since then, except for this rather bizarre twist of the tale.

Jamie had a boyfriend, whose father had recently been released from prison, for killing his girlfriend. Believe it or not, he soon found another girlfriend. The man's name was Ricky Simmons, or Simons, or Simmonds.
I'm sorry, but I have found his name spelled 3 different ways, and I don't know which is correct.
This man was found dead inside the trunk of the car of the ex-girlfriend, Kim Sprenger, early this summer. Kim had placed a restraining order against him, as his behavior was making her and her neighbors uncomfortable.
For reasons one can only guess, Ricky decided to hide in the trunk of Kim's car, where he died of heat. It was 90 degrees during the day at that time. Items Kim was missing, including a set of keys, were found on Ricky's body.

Ricky Simmonds (however it's spelled) was a person of interest in the disappearance of Jamie Fraley. The police have lost their chance to question him about her.

I have found no more news on this missing person since then.
Of all the sites I've searched, this one seems to have the most information.
http://helpfindthemissing.org/forum/showthread.php?t=4518
Another good one.
http://www.dreamindemon.com/tag/jamie-fraley/