2/28/06 Wrap of of Conference Information

2/27/06 Links to Conference/Training Information

Here are relevant links to the Fox Valley Technical College training and seminars as mentioned in the audio blog.

Next year's conference:
http://www.fvtc.edu/tp2.asp?ID=CJ-National+Center+for+Missing+Adults&pix=003

Investigating Missing Adults Training for Law Enforcement:
http://www.fvtc.edu/tp2.asp?ID=CJ-National+Center+for+Missing+Adults&pix=001

Other training classes offered:
http://www.fvtc.edu/tp2.asp?ID=Criminal+Justice&pix=023

Edited to inform that the audio blogger phone line is down. I'll attempt this conclusion on Monday evening.

2/25/06 New Cases This Week

These are not really new cases for us, but we had these on the roster before I started this weekend feature. I would like to bring your attention to the plight of both of these lovely young women this weekend.

Amber Marie Harris (Amber was found deceased.)

DOB: Aug 8, 1993
Sex: Female
Missing Date: Nov 29, 2005
Missing From: OMAHA, NE
Race: Black
Age Now: 12
Height: 4'8" (142 cm)
Weight: 120 lbs (54 kg)
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Brown
Case Number: NCMC1032854

Circumstances: Amber may still be in the Omaha, Nebraska area. She has pierced ears and a birthmark on her hip. She was last seen wearing light blue jeans, a black and white wind breaker and white K-Swiss shoes.

Investigative Agency:
Omaha NE Police Department 402-444-5600
Anonymous tip line: 800-78-CRIME

Family Website: www.searchforamber.com

For the latest news about Amber, check at http://www.truckingboards.com/trucking/upload/showthread.php?t=19



Name: Jasmine Unique Earl
Classification: Endangered Missing Adult
Date of Birth: 1986-10-22
Date Missing: 2005-06-14
From City/State: DeKalb County, GA
Missing From (Country): USA
Age at Time of Disappearance: 18
Gender: Female
Race: Black
Height: 61 inches
Weight: 120 pounds
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Brown
Complexion: Medium

Identifying Characteristics: Pierced ears, tattoo of "GA Peach" on lower back, tattoo of the name "Unique" on outer left bicep, tattoo of the name "Jasmine" on front of left thigh.

Circumstances of Disappearance: Unknown. Jasmine was last seen in DeKalb County, GA driving a blue 1989 Chevy Astro van with GA Lic# 903LAA.

Investigative Agency: DeKalb County Police Department
Phone: (404) 294-2574
Investigative Case #: 05-081329

You can learn more about Jasmine here:

http://www.truckingboards.com/trucking/upload/showthread.php?t=16122

2/21/06 Conference Instructors

2/20/06 Emotional Impact of the Conference III

Here is a link to a news story about the conference:

http://www.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060210/APC0101/602100619/1003

2/20/06 Emotional Impact of the Conference II

2/20/06 Emotional Impact of the Conference

2/18/06 Good News This Afternoon

Tahnasha Stricker, featured below in our new cases, was found safe late this afternoon. She will be reunited with her family early this week.

2/18/06 New Cases This Week

The purpose of the weekend post is to highlight some of the new cases we are working on. I will choose one child and one adult case. If we do not have a new child case to highlight, as it sometimes happens, I will post two adults cases. As there are many organizations which assist in child cases, but few for adults, we have a tendency to get more new adults cases.


TAHNASHA STRICKER

DOB: Jun 19, 1988
Missing: Feb 4, 2006
Height: 5'4" (163 cm)
Eyes: Brown
Race: Am. Ind.
Age Now: 18
Sex: Female
Weight: 120 lbs (54 kg)
Hair: Brown
Missing From:NORFOLK,NE

Tahnasha has a tattoo on the web area of each hand, a tattoo on her right forearm near her wrist, a scar on her right knee, and a scar on the right side of her jaw. When Tahnasha was last seen, her hair had blonde streaks in it. She may use the alias last name Mesteth.

Norfolk Police Department (Nebraska) 1-402-644-8700

If we have news about Tahnasha, it will be posted here:
http://www.truckingboards.com/trucking/upload/showthread.php?t=17128php?t=428

Missing Adult: Teresa Butler

A summary of the case from news sources:

Teresa Lynn Butler, 35, was last seen at her home near Risco MO around 10 a.m. Wednesday, January 25th, when her husband, Dale Butler, returned from work at a steel mill in Blytheville, Ark.

Dale Butler arrived home to find his two young children, ages 2 and 4, alone in the family home on County Road 241, also known as Eight Ditch Road, just off Highway 62 on the outskirts of Risco. The youngest child was awake and in his bed, while the older child was still sleeping.

There were no signs of forced entry and the only items found to be missing were a video game console, Play Station, camcorder and the stereo from Mr. Butler's Jeep.

Law enforcement officials spent Wednesday afternoon examining the premises for evidence, scouring area ditches for signs of the missing woman and interviewing family members and friends. According to authorities, the last person to speak with Teresa was a family member who spoke with her around 10 p.m. Tuesday evening. When asked about the conversation, that person declined comment.

A block-by-block search also was conducted within the city limits. In addition, the highway patrol had an airplane circling the area and a National Guard helicopter also was called for a closer search. Operations conducted over the weekend included an expanded aerial search and the arrival of search and rescue dogs brought in from St. Louis. Four- wheelers were used extensively to cover areas in all directions within an approximate five-mile radius of Risco

Teresa Butler is five feet, seven inches in height, weighs approximately 109 pounds, and has brown eyes and hair.

Anyone with information regarding the case is asked to call the New Madrid County Sheriff's Department at 573-748-2516.

For more information about Teresa, please see
http://www.truckingboards.com/trucking/upload/showthread.php?t=618

2/17/06 Lost and Then Found

It's always helpful for families of the missing to hear about a "success" story. It gives us hope that our own story might end that way. It can be a boost on a cloudy day when otherwise we might feel down and helpless.

I had heard of this man's case, but did not follow it closely. There are just too many, unfortunately, to be able to do that. Jim Viola, husband of missing Patricia Viola, sent me the story this morning to share with all of you, just in case you did not already hear about it.

The miracle man is Raymond Power, Jr.. He was a successful NYC attorney, married, with children. He disappeared without a trace on August 1st of last year. His photo was spotted on America's Most Wanted, and the mystery of his disappearance ended.

Here's a brief from AMW:

"Imagine being homeless and wandering the streets, but having no idea who you are or where you came from. That was the life of a man who called himself Jay Tower for nearly seven months -- until another man at his shelter dedicated himself to finding answers for his new-found friend, and uncovered the truth.

Four months ago, Jay Tower showed up at the Pacific Garden Mission shelter in Chicago without any concept of his own identity or past. Tower, who was known at the shelter for being extraordinarily kind and caring, would often break down and cry out of frustration because of his amnesia.

While at the shelter, police say another homeless man, Ron Fitzgerald, befriended Tower -- and made it his personal mission to help his friend uncover his past.

Police say the truth was uncovered when Fitzgerald went to the Chicago Public Library on Feb. 13, 2006 and logged onto AMW.COM. There, he saw the photo of a man named Raymond Power, a former police officer and successful lawyer with a loving wife and family who had gone missing in August 2005. Fitzgerald immediately realized that Jay Tower was actually Ray Power, and contacted AMW.

Immediately, police in New Rochelle, N.Y. and Chicago jumped on the tip. Fingerprints confirmed Power's true identity, and his family flew to Chicago to be reunited with the man they thought they'd never see again. Police say Power is now undergoing evaluations as they try to determine how he got to Chicago from New York -- but his family is simply grateful that he's alive."

I hope that mental health professionals will now be able to help Ray remember his past.

You can read more about this amazing recovery story at:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/16/nyregion/16memory.html

http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060216/NEWS02/602160347/1019/NEWS03

2/16/06 Tell Me Who I Am

Lately, I have run across several cases of children who were abducted as youngsters many, many, years ago. Sometimes the case details give you hope that these children were taken to start a new life, and they are not victims of foul play. In this type of abduction, the abductor will typically convince the child that the parents (or rightful caregivers) are dead or do not want to care for the child anymore. Young children may not discern truth from lies, and may come to believe what they have been told. Years go by and they go on with their lives, most often with new names and fading memories of a past not spoken about or one that is falsified.

I would like to ask you to look at your friends, co-workers, and anyone else you come into contact with on a regular basis. I believe that a good percentage of these persons may be alive, and we need your eyes to find help them. We need you to take part in telling them who they are. It is not, of course, suggested that you confront such a person with this information, but instead immediately call the LE agency listed and give them as much information as you can about the person. Let them handle it.

I will publish new segments for "Tell Me Who I Am" as I run across these cases.

I thank you for caring about the missing.

The second in the series is Anna Waters. Her mother tells her story:


"The story of Anna Christian Waters, who went missing from home Jan. 16, 1973, is one of the oldest cases on the records of the National Association for Missing and Exploited Children, who calls her disappearance a probable non-family abduction. An intelligent and effervescent five-year-old, Anna lived in a rural area 45 miles south of San Francisco with her mother, father, and two half-brothers.

She began kindergarten in Half Moon Bay in September, 1972. Her mother was an aide in the kindergarten class. On Jan. 16, a Tuesday, the school bus dropped her off in front of her house in the early afternoon. Her mother, stepfather and two friends were conversing in the living room.

Anna changed into play clothes and went out the back door and into the back yard to play.

About fifteen minutes later, her mother became uneasy because she heard no sounds from the yard. She went outside and called, and when she got no answer, she called the other adults, who began looking around the farm and calling for Anna. They became alarmed and called the San Mateo Sheriff’s Department, who immediately sent a car, sounded their siren, and joined the search.

A visitor who said he had greeted Anna as he approached the front of the house was questioned and said he had seen nothing suspicious except a white van carrying an old man and a young man who seemed overly friendly. This visitor joined the search.

A helicopter crew and divers were called. The divers searched Purisima Creek, which ran behind the property nearby. The family and the deputies continued the search of the grounds and creek until nightfall and posted a watch overnight. In the days following, crews from the honor camp, neighbors, explorer scouts, friends, and professional fishermen continued the search. The local newspaper called the case "the greatest search in Coastside history."

Anna’s father, a physician practicing in San Francisco, was questioned and investigated regarding her disappearance, but nothing was found connecting him to the case. Kidnapping for ransom was ruled out when no demands were made.

After divers had explored the three-mile length of Purisima Creek, pulling out and examining every log-jam and barrier, officials stated that they were "ninety per cent sure" that they had not missed her, had she gone into the creek. A geologist issued a report on silting and tide patterns, showing that it was next to impossible that no body would be recovered, had it gone into the creek.

Since the founding ot the National Association for Missing and Exploited Children, the organization has distributed photographs of Anna which included several age-advanced renditions.

Not the slightest clue has ever been found to Anna’s disappearance. No article of clothing, no sighting, nothing. In 2005, a family friend decided to take some approaches to the investigation which had not been tried in the days before the Internet was available. A private detective who had been on the case in the 1980s reopened the investigation. A crime-solving Internet forum, WebSleuths, opened a thread which at present has more than 500 postings."

The Websleuths thread about Anna can be found here:
http://websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32211

Project Jason updates on Anna's case:
http://www.truckingboards.com/trucking/upload/showthread.php?t=16121

2/15/06 Lost Without You

Deborah Amburn feels as if she has lost a part of herself, her better half, as she says. Her beloved husband, Thomas has been missing since April 19, 2004, from near their home in Columbus, NC. Numerous searches were done for him, but no trace of him has been found. Some think that Thomas went walking on the mountain behind his home and fell ill or had some other physical mishap, although there is no proof of this. He was 51 at the time. "Sometimes I think he is still on the mountain and we all just missed him somehow in all the undergrowth. I hurt so bad thinking he is still there and just want to look till I find him", Deborah said.

Thomas' case has only received local media attention a few times, Deborah feels it is because he is a missing adult male. She says: "Now it's like fighting a war to get the right help. I have even tried bigger locations, and I try to keep flyers posted for Thomas, but once again missing adult men just don't get what they deserve. They are, after all, just as important as the others, and are loved and missed too. Outreach is difficult in a small community, too."

Losing someone you love in this fashion is never an easy thing, but for Deborah, it has been very difficult. There isn't a big family there to support her and help her through the holidays and the lonely times. She and her daughter talk on the phone often, but she lives too far away for frequent visits. On a day when the weather is bad, or she is not feeling up to it, Deborah will look up to the mountain Thomas loved and say: "How could you take him away from me?" When she feels up to it, she will walk up the mountain and talk to Thomas. It's where she feels closest to him.

Deborah describes Thomas as "a wonderful fun-loving person that always had time for a hug or a kiss for no special reason". Everyone says they were the perfect couple, but a spring day in 2004, this image was shattered. She describes this like a puzzle that is never put together again: "My days are never the same anymore. It's like I just lost the best part of me, and don't know how to get it back. I 'm just lost without him. I have to go on but a part of me is always looking and hoping to find something. It's hard not being able to find anything he had with him that day."

While she doesn't have Thomas with her physcially, Deborah does have special memories she cherishes:

"Thomas is a wonderful person, always cheerful and smiling, and always there to help someone. I never knew a single person who didn't like him. He loved to work on old cars. I remember one time a friend gave him an old yellow wreck of a truck out of his junk yard. Thomas took it apart and completely redid all of the body work and the engine. He painted it candy apple red, and was so proud of it. One time I drove it to visit my friend, and on the way back I stopped at a rest area. A man wanted to buy the truck, and he followed me home to talk to Thomas about it. I had already told him it wasn't for sale, but he insisted on talking to Thomas. Thomas didn't sell the truck, as it was his baby.

We loved to go to Tenneesee on vacation, and particulary to Cades Cove. We both loved the outdoors. At the cove, you could see deer and bear wandering around. There was a time Thomas was going to take a picture of a bear. He was very close to the bear and it was as if the bear stopped and posed for him! He was so excited that he talked about it forever. He had a wonderful way with animals."

Deborah has learned much in the close to two years since Thomas disappeared.

"Always treasure each day because you never know if you will have a tomorrow. Make sure to let them know you love them because you may never get another chance."

She feels strongly that her faith and prayer have brought her through the dark days. "I'll always believe there is hope," Deborah says.

When she thinks of Thomas, she tells him: "Please come home. There is a empty spot here and it just needs you to fill it. I love you and miss you so much, and I would to anything to bring you home where you belong."

Deborah is planning a prayer vigil for the 2 year anniversary date of Thomas' disappearance.

For more information about Thomas, please see
http://www.truckingboards.com/trucking/upload/showthread.php?t=9181

2/14/06 Back Home

I've been home for days now, but have been trying to catch up on emails and other duties. I thank all of you for the safe travels prayers and wishes for a fruitful journey.

I will be going more in depth about the trip and training soon. This week is also Board Meeting week, (Wednesday night) so in between catching up and prepping for that, it's tough to get here.

I will say this: The training was intense mentally and emotionally. The trainers were top notch LE from all over the country. We also had presentations from NCMEC and other government officials, and then there were the representative families and the heartbreak of their stories.

For those of you who are wondering, I also have several missing persons stories waiting in the wings.

Please bear with me and I will be "back with more stuff" as they say.

2/7/07 We're Off!

Late this afternoon, we'll board our flight to Wisconsin for the conference "Uniting the Search for Missing Children and Adults: Providing a Voice for Those Who Have Vanished".

I'm looking forward to another opportunity to increase our knowledge of missing person's issues and to forge new relationships with others who work for the "cause".

I'm not sure what Internet access will be like for me there, so I cannot say if I will be able to publish from the road or not. We'll be back very late Friday night.

For those who do, please pray for our safe travels.

For Jason, may we honor your name in all that we do.

For additional information about the conference, please see:
http://voice4themissing.blogspot.com/2006/01/12506-on-angels-wings-well-go.html

Thank you, "Mary". God bless you.

2/6/06 Stop the Madness!

That is a catchy subject line, isn't it?

I have written about this before, but it was back in August, and it is now buried in the archives. It warrants a re-write as this madness is still happening. I would say that in the last few weeks, I have received at least 3 of these emails. Each one was addressed not only to me, but to a large list of other recipients.

Fake missing persons emails are the problem. The least of the problem is that these fall into the "nuisance email" category, but the worst of it is the time expended on people who are not really missing, nor were they ever missing. In addition, people who find out these are hoaxes may hesitate and not send on ones which are real.

My original post was entitled "Penny Brown is Still NOT Missing" What follows is that posting and an update below that.

No, nothing has changed. Cute little red-haired "Penny Brown" is not missing and never was. This email hoax has been going around for years now.

While no one knows the identity of the little girl in the photo, what we do know is that she was never missing. I'm also sure her name is not Penny Brown, and her parents do not work at Walmart.

Despite the sketchy details given in this hoax email that should tip us off that it is not real, people continue to forward it to everyone they know.

This email has been sent to me so many times, I've lost count. "I thought you should know about this little girl," they tell me. "Can you help her family?"

I explain the Penny Brown hoax. I tell the sender that I would like to see them send an explanatory email back to the person(s) who sent it, and to all of the persons to whom it was sent. My suggested response is as follows:

"The email that you have received or sent regarding missing Christopher Mineo/Penny Brown is an Internet hoax. This child, whoever he/she is, is not missing, nor has he/she ever been missing. I appreciate the fact that you care enough to want to help a missing child and his/her family.

In that same caring spirit, let's use our time and resources to help find people who are truly missing and whose families wake up each day not knowing what has become of their missing loved one.

There are many real missing people featured on the website www.projectjason.org You can also read the real behind the scenes stories of the missing and their families at http://voice4themissing.blogspot.com/

In forwarding true stories and information of the missing, we can make a difference. The next click of a mouse could be the click that helps bring someone home. Thank you."

Let's at least try to put a stop to this email and, better yet, send one that has meaning.

To learn more about the Penny Brown and other missing people hoaxes, please visit http://www.snopes.com/ , click on the "Inboxer Rebellion" category, and then "Missing and Sick Children" or "Missing and Sick Adults" .

On one of the last occasions I was brave and did a "reply to all", I received the following response:

"Who are YOU? I don't care about the missing! DON'T YOU EVER SEND ME AN EMAIL AGAIN!!!!"

Given that response, you may want to just email the person who sent the hoax email, and ask them to inform their email list. I sincerely hope that person never has a missing loved one.

Another common missing child hoax email is the one about Christopher Mineo, JR. Like Penny Brown, he's a cute child and people cannot seem to resist the plea for help, but he is not missing!

These are the direct links to the explantion and history of these hoaxes. Please, stop the madness and inform the person sending the email. Copy and paste my letter (in red) in a reply to them.

http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/missing/penny.asp

http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/missing/mineo.asp

2/4/06 New Cases This Week

The purpose of the weekend post is to highlight some of the new cases we are working on. I will choose one child and one adult case. If we do not have a new child case to highlight, as it sometimes happens, I will post two adults cases. As there are many organizations which assist in child cases, but few for adults, we have a tendency to get more new adults cases.

Mathew Craig Stirling (Mathew was later found deceased)
Classification: Endangered Missing Adult
Date of Birth: 1986-11-25
Date Missing: 2005-11-05
From City/State: Pembroke Pines, FL
Missing From (Country): USA
Age at Time of Disappearance: 18
Gender: Male
Race: White
Height: 71 inches
Weight: 170 pounds
Hair Color: Blonde
Eye Color: Blue
Complexion: Light

Identifying Characteristics: Pierced ears, pierced tongue, tattoo of a colored "sun" in the middle of his upper back, tattoo of a sad and happy face with a banner across the top that says "Good Times, Bad Times" and the initials "DAS" in script above that on upper right shoulder blade.

Clothing: Brown T-shirt with "University of Miami" on it, denim shorts, black athletic shoes.

Jewelry: Possibly wearing diamond stud earrings.

Circumstances of Disappearance: Unknown. Mathew was last seen at approximately 4:30am at a gas station in the vicinity of the 21000 block of Sheridan St. in Pembroke Pines, FL. His vehicle is also missing and is described as a red 2003 Ford F-150 XLT truck with tinted windows, exhaust system, and FL LIC# W51IRR.

Investigative Agency: Broward County Sheriff's Department
Phone: (954) 321-4240
Investigative Case #: SW05-11-185

Please see http://www.truckingboards.com/trucking/upload/showthread.php?t=31 for more information about Mathew and his mother's efforts to find him.


Harold Bradley Hensley
Classification: Endangered Missing Adult
Alias / Nickname: Brad
Date of Birth: 1976-09-20
Date Missing: 2006-01-11
From City/State: Plainfield, MA 46168
Missing From (Country): USA
Age at Time of Disappearance: 29
Gender: Male
Race: White
Height: 70 inches
Weight: 180 pounds
Hair Color: Lt. Brown
Eye Color: Blue
Complexion: Light

Identifying Characteristics: Scar on abdomen, tattoo of a "Confederate Flag" with the initials "HBH" on left bicep, tattoo of a "steer skull" on left shoulder, mole on middle back.

Circumstances of Disappearance: Unknown. Harold, known as Brad, was last seen at approximately 6:15am at his residence in the vicinity of the 5800 block of Kiah Ct. in Plainfield, IN. His vehicle is also missing and is described as a red with black top 2005 Jeep Wrangler with a Red Cross volunteer sticker on windshield and IN Lic# 20516V.

Investigative Agency: Plainfield Police Department
Phone: (317) 839-8700
Investigative Case #: 06-L00353

Brad, your wife Kristin is heartbroken over this. If you're out there, please come home.

For more information and news about Brad, please see:
http://www.truckingboards.com/trucking/upload/showthread.php?t=252

2/3/06 It Goes Both Ways

In one day, and sometimes even in a matter of minutes or hours, you can go from a low to a high, or vice versa. Today was one of those days.

At the beginning of yesterday's post, I mentioned a family who called me very late at night about their missing loved one. They needed guidance as to what needed to be done. They did not get to the point of having the information about this missing young man go public. This morning I recieved notification that he was found deceased. Police are still investigating. As he was found in a body of water, it may not have neccesarily been foul play. His name is Matthew. Please do say a prayer for his family.

It wasn't but an hour or so later when I found out about a miracle for a family who have been hoping and praying for one for 6 long years!

Many of you who have an interest in the missing may have heard of the parental abduction case of Christy and Abby Steyne.

Their father, Danny, said:

"On February 2, 2006 at 12 noon I received a phone call from the FBI that they had found my children in Lillington NC. During a traffic stop for speeding it became evident to Officer Hawkins that something was amiss. The rest is history. We spent yesterday afternoon driving up to pick up the girls.

The reunion was tear filled... wonderful... our favorite word is WOW and Hallelujah... THANK YOU JESUS!THEY ARE HOME! We now continue the process of restoration as we get to know each other again!

Thanks so much for your prayer. (and the first time ever with Elijah... pictures will be taken!) YEA GOD!!!!"

What a joyous reunion. (Be sure to take notice as to what a good job NCMEC did on the age progressions.)

Danny Steyne also helps other families in parental abduction cases.

For more on the story and how Danny helps other families, please see
http://www.mykidsaremissing.com/frontpage.html

2/2/06 The First of Many

Duty called Monday night and this posting did not make it up. The phone rang at 11:30pm. On the other end of the line was a missing person's family member asking for help, not knowing what to do next. They were surprised to get a "live" person. Missing people don't just happen from 8-5pm, so we do our best to be responsive when the need is there. By the time I handled that and several other urgent emails that came in, it was long past bedtime. Those needs came first.

I have received some very good news with our Campaign for the Missing. We already have very positive forward momentum in several states. I wanted to share with you our first success in obtaining sponsorship from a senator for one of the states and to honor the person behind that success, Jim Viola, husband of missing Patricia Viola.

We wrote about Jim back in September. You can read his story here:
http://voice4themissing.blogspot.com/2005/09/9705-reluctant-mr-mom.html

Jim was very willing to join us on our campaign to pass legislation in each and every state pertaining to missing persons and unidentified remains. He indicated he'd had no experience in doing this, but he was still willing and ready.

On January 7th, he sent correspondence to his New Jersey District 37 Senator, Loretta Weinberg. She responded shortly thereafter and said:

"Thank you for sharing your very personal story in your recent letter. I cannot imagine how hard it has been for you and your family to cope with such a devastating loss. I am glad however, that you are taking this important proactive step by sharing with me your proposed legislation. My Assembly colleagues and I will look into this proposal at once......"

On Tuesday, Jim received word from Senator Weinburg's office that she had agreed to sponsor the bill. It is now in the research and drafting stages.

I asked Jim how he felt about the events of the past few weeks:

"To be honest, from reading all the progress and meetings going on in other states, I was very surprised and humbled to be called "first". I thought that at least several other states had already secured sponsorship and I thought that at least NJ is falling in line with everyone else's efforts. I still think that states may in fact have sponsorship, but have not been told or asked the right question.

After reading Kelly's post and then Keri's, I realized that this was some good progress. I was very surprised and excited when I heard about the sponsorship since I figured they were still mulling it over.

Apparently, they decided to really move on it, which is great. I have now certainly increased the intensity of my studying and understanding of the model. Sen. Weinberg's team indicated that eventually I will be called to testify so now I really need to become an expert.

My recent studying of the model makes me realize that my Pat should have been listed as "high risk" based on the her medication for the epilepsy she has. Pat's high risk status would have resulted in an almost immediate input of accurate information into the NCIC instead of what I believe was possibly weeks or months in Pat's case.

Also, I would found out immediately about the National Center for Missing Adults and known what to do right away. Hopefully these blunders will not cost me my Pat, but at least I can push for corrections to these and many other procedures going forward."

Sadly, February 13th will mark 5 years since Patricia disappeared. Jim's daughter, Christine, and the Youth Ministry at their church are planning a Prayer Vigil for Feb. 13 at 7:30 PM at St. Joseph's RCC. Christine wanted to take care of this herself for her mom. All are welcome.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the family.

If you'd like to know more about Campaign for the Missing and how you can become involved, please read the following:
http://voice4themissing.blogspot.com/2005/12/121305-campaign-for-missing-2006.html