Showing posts with label missing person. Show all posts
Showing posts with label missing person. Show all posts

Sunday, April 27, 2014

Brittanee's 5-Year Anniversary Vigil

It was the weekend after Easter in Myrtle Beach, SC, but for some, this weekend was just as special. Friday April 25 was the 5-year anniversary of the day Brittanee Drexel went missing in 2009.
The date was commemorated with a candlelight vigil.



http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/2014/04/24/4186405/brittanee-drexels-mother-still.html

http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/2014/04/25/4188428/dozens-remember-brittanee-drexel.html

And here we have the latest from YouTube about Brittanee  Drexel, with eight minutes of images to show you just how big an event it really was.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOuD2jUkpqg

It lasted through Saturday as well. This is just a very small sample of the many news reports that have been churning out continuously throughout the weekend. It is now Sunday evening, and I'm sure that more will come after I close here, but let me finish with my favorite picture of Brittanee while she was still with us.



Friday, April 11, 2014

Something Rotten in Connecticut - Part Two

It reads like a Stephen King novel.
But it's the news, which makes it even scarier. This really happened, and it hasn't been absolved yet. Not even close.
It is hard to decide which question should be asked first, as there are so many of them, but I'd like to start with;
Why is Connecticut treating victims like criminals?
and
Why are suspected killers treated like VIPs?

The parents of a missing person have been sued by the suspected killer (or someone who knows the killer) for putting up posters of their missing son, which she had been tearing down, and had admitted in court to doing so. The police and town officials see nothing wrong with what the poster ripper was doing, and even overlook the fact that she was littering. This person claims that the displaying of the missing person posters are causing her "mental anguish."
Guess who got arrested?

Tales of Bizarro World!, you may be thinking. They're doing everything backward!
How are they getting away with it? Is this the expected norm for this region of America?

http://www.nhregister.com/general-news/20140410/missing-waterbury-mans-family-to-appeal-52666-judgment-against-them-for-defamation-emotional-stress

Now I promised to stick with the facts here, and I intend to keep that promise.

It is well established that the former girlfriend of the missing man is now or has been in a relationship with a local politician, for both have admitted to it in court.
The local politician has never been considered as a suspect.
To say why would be stating an opinion.
I'll just stick with the facts.

I will encourage anyone reading this to draw your own conclusion, and to form your own opinion.
Just promise me one thing, That you will read the whole story and know everything that happened before you decide what went wrong in Woodbridge, Waterbury, and all nearby towns in Connecticut.
Oh, one more thing please.
Decide what would be the right thing to do to in compensation to the grieving parents.
I'd like to hear what you come up with.

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UPDATE 4/14/14
I have just found this YouTube video, and I want everyone to see it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZeRcUsfRAU

Tuesday, April 08, 2014

Something Rotten in Connecticut

Well Folks, I thought I have already seen my fair share of the most incredible and outrageous crime cases one can imagine to be happening in America. I thought nothing would ever shock me again when it comes to corruption in the courts.
I was wrong.
The case of Billy Smolinski Jr. is the most extreme example yet.
I knew something was very, very wrong with this case the first time I read about it.
And the more I looked into it, the more wrong it appeared!
I'm still wondering how the town of Woodbridge CT allowed such a thing to happen.

The story begins with Billy Smolinski, who went missing after breaking up with his girlfriend, over an affair with a well known elected official. While the parents of the missing person are going around the area putting up posters in attempt to find their son, the former girlfriend is following behind them tearing the posters down. For some reason which has never been explained, the ex-girlfriend feels threatened by these posters. And for reasons unexplained, she has the sympathy of the police and the town officials, even though she appears to be quite insane.

Why no sympathy to the parents of a missing son? As if the parents have not already suffered enough, they are subjected to further abuse  You would think the police would want to help them out, but they do everything that is not helpful. Eventually, the ex-girlfriend takes the parents to court and sues them for mental anguish.
And she won!

This has so many red flags it's ridiculous. But then more red flags appear, and more, and more, but the town of Woodbridge, and even the neighboring towns, somehow manage to ignore them all.

And this is just the tip of the iceberg.
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the more you learn about this story, the worse it gets!

To start you off...
http://happeninginyourownbackyard.com/?p=35#more-35
...and then we go to...
http://waterburyobserver.org/node/661
at which point we learn that three of the former girlfriend's children have died under suspicious circumstances..
http://cooljustice.blogspot.com/2009/03/more-bizarre-twists-leads-in-smolinski.html

And then, incredibly enough, it gets even worse.

To be continued.

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Human Trafficking Awareness





January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month

From what I've been hearing, there's a need for greater awareness of HumanTrafficking
Most of us  seem to think that such a thing does not happen here in America.
That's why I'm writing this, why this video was made, and why we have an awareness month.
This is not something that just happens "somewhere else" but closer to home than we like to think.
In Canada, Mexico, and even here in North Carolina.

Check it out.
http://www.wral.com/news/local/wral_investigates/story/10306854/

Saturday, August 03, 2013

Putting Castro Away

It was back in May, just a few months ago, when the news reached us that three young women who were missing, had escaped from their captor.
This was big news indeed!
Three girls were abducted, all in the same neighborhood, and were missing for over ten years.
Now we all know that when they are missing for that long, the chances are very slim that they will ever be seen alive again.
But it happened!

I wanted to write this up, but so did all the websites about missing persons, (or almost all) and they had gotten a head start on me. What could I add to it? I would only be repeating what everyone else was saying. So I decided to wait and see what happens.

I didn't have to wait long!
While summer is still here, the monster had already been tried!
It's about time they quit messing around when it comes to taking care of business like this. Not only the same year, but the same season! When was the last time that happened in America?

I especially like what Marc Klaas had to say about it.
http://www.hlntv.com/article/2013/08/02/ariel-castro-michelle-knight-victim-perpetrator-courtroom

And I'm glad they did away with all that "Aw the poor little schmuck who never had enough opportunities while growing up " kind of crap. We can do without making excuses for crimes of this magnitude.

Need I remind my fellow Americans that it is the victims we should feel sorry for?
Well, if that be the case.
http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20722181,00.html

Lets hope our state, and the rest of our nation, can take an example from Ohio.
(I never thought I'd be saying that!)
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UPDATE
Less than a month into his sentence and the man hangs himself. It seems he couldn't take what he dished out.

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Searching for Brittanee

Since April I have not been able to get Brittanee Drexal off my mind. Could this be some dreadful obsession I should seek help for? I'm sure there are plenty who would say so. I had taken such advice before concerning wanting to do a website about Debbie Key, and found a pretty good therapist I got along with. It may not surprise you to know I was told I was already doing something positive to help me deal with it, and should keep it up. Doing a website is better than shooting people or jumping off a bridge, and it actually does some good.

I tried to explain to some well-intentioned friends that when you actually know someone who goes missing, it tends to change your perspective a whole lot. Alas, I find that only a person who has been there has any idea what it's like. So I now have some new friends who deal with the same thing.

One could very easily get overwhelmed with so many missing persons out there, no matter how devoted one is to the cause, and so I tend to pick "favorites" to focus attention on.

Why Brittanne Drexal? Good question. I've been asking myself that a lot. Is it because she's so young and pretty? Don't think so. There are many who fit that description

The answer I came up with was Myrtle Beach, SC. A familiar place, and one not so far away from here. That's where Brittanee went missing. Anyone who has ever been there tends to go back again. It's a very groovy place.

When I think about Natalee Holloway, I wonder why an Alabama high school would choose a spot so far away to celebrate graduation, when we have so many good beaches here on the Atlantic coast. (Especially the Carolinas and Virginia) But unlike Aruba, Myrtle Beach didn't try to cover up the fact that  a teenage girl went missing there, but have been very supportive of the efforts to find her. Perhaps they have no need to fear a loss of tourists, as it continues to be the favorite vacation spot it's always been. A neighbor of mine has already been there half a dozen times before summer officially began.

Nor has Myrtle Beach ever tried to exploit the tragedy. You won't find any vendors there pushing Brittanee souvenirs. If you want a copy of the poster, you can download it for free off of her website.

http://helpfindbrittaneedrexel.com/print-a-poster/

Heading south from Myrtle Beach on 17 brings you to Charleston, SC, where Brandy Hanna went missing, and north on the same highway takes you to Wilmington, NC, home of the CUE Center for Missing Persons.
What to do for summer vacation this year?  You can look for missing persons, and take in our beautiful Carolina coast at the same time. Does that sound like a good plan?

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Not Brittanee's Bones

Sometime around the anniversary of when Brittanee Drexal went missing in SC, some bones were found that were thought to be hers. A link was sent out, but the link was dead, so we had to wait awhile to find out what was up with that. Then we learned the bones were not human.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/29/brittanee-drexel-update_n_1389322.html

It appears the first news story got pulled. Perhaps out of embarrassment? You would think it wouldn't take a professional to tell human bones from deer bones. But before we start making fun of the examiner, let me share a story with you.

Once upon a time, in Orange County, NC, there was a group of friends who went searching for the remains of a missing friend. These people weren't professional searchers, they were just concerned friends. One of these friends found some bones and some brown hair, and called out to the other friends to see what he had found. With hearts pounding and adrenaline rushing, the rest of the skeleton was quickly uncovered to reveal it was a skeleton of a deer. There was a mixture of relief and disappointment. Once the whole skeleton was seen, there was no question it was that of a deer. No official report was ever made of this find.
By now you've probably guessed who I'm talking about.

I know very well the excitement that comes from a discovery like this, as do some of my friends here in NC, so we may not be so inclined to make fun of anyone in this situation. (except to say we did know it was a deer) We should assume it wasn't the whole skeleton they found in SC.

But since then there was more news about the Brittanee Drexal case, that is probably more important. (But I couldn't resist throwing in a personal account.) It seems we now have a POI.
http://helpfindbrittaneedrexel.com/three-years-after-brittanee-drexels-disappearance-a-victim-of-person-of-interest-speaks-out/

Which brings me to another subject, a personal issue, if you will.
This is just my opinion, mind you, but I believe that any person who would rape a child should NEVER be released! Not for any reason!
There, I said it.

Ordinary, everyday people searching the woods for human remains, just outside of Chapel Hill, NC?
Yep. It happens.

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Jessie Foster 6 Years Missing


March 28, 2009
Today is the six-year anniversary of when Jessie Foster went missing.
Her mother, Glendene Grant, is a Facebook friend of mine, and we have shared a few messages between us during the last few years. She has never given up, either in hopes or in efforts. She has been an encouragement to other parents of missing persons.

This video is a couple of years old, but this news article is from yesterday.

http://www.cfjctv.com/story.php?id=7878
----------------------------------------------
In other news, Britanee Drexel, who went missing April 25, 2009, is still being searched for in South Carolina. Today I have found claims that bones have been found that may be her remains, but I can only get error readings when trying to access the news story. Sorry to say, I don't know what's up with that at the present time, but I'm eager to find out.
-----------------------------------------------
This just in on 4/11/2012
An update on the Sharron Prior Case
http://www.cjad.com/CJADLocalNews/entry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10369648

Sunday, November 28, 2010

RIP Zahra Baker


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.

Sunday, August 22, 2010

FDK Meets CUE

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.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
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

Sunday, August 01, 2010

CUE Coming to Carrboro

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.
----------------------------------------------------------------
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

Friday, June 04, 2010

Poop on Van der Sloot

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.
------------------------------------------------------------
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.

Monday, May 24, 2010

National Missing Children's Day


The following is from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, or NCMEC.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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

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

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Brandy Hanna: 5 Years Missing


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.

Monday, May 03, 2010

Madeleine McCann Anniversary


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/

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Brittanee Drexel Anniversary, Vigil


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/

Thursday, April 08, 2010

Jamie Fraley Anniversary


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.

Monday, April 05, 2010

Can NASA Help Find Missing Persons?

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!

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Jessie Foster Anniversary


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.
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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

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Chelsea King and Amber Dubois


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.