Jason Jolkowski: Radio Waves for Jason

Jason's mother is starting a new awareness campaign for him.

She has posted a message about it on several message boards, including Courttv.com (http://boards.courttv.com/showthread.php?s=d4c245cb24f7228c7627a6a39de235de&postid=9205526):

Hello,
As you all know, my son, Jason, has now been missing without a trace for 5
years and 8 months. There are no leads to follow up on, and we, at this time,
depend on the general public to provide new leads to help us find our son. For
those of you who have a missing loved one, you already know the struggle to find
ways to get the word out, especially as time passes. You know that you must be
creative in order to get the media to react and to be able to reach your target
audience.
The purpose of my letter is to inform you of a new campaign which has the
goal of creating awareness for Jason, targeting every radio station in the
country. I am looking to amass a team of volunteers to email each radio station
Jason’s story (already prepared for you) and link to more information, photos,
and a poster. If you are familiar with his story, you know that Jason was once a
D.J. for a local community college. It was something he enjoyed and he became
very popular in the local area. He had some financial setbacks, and had to leave
school and the D.J. internship. We, his immediate family, feel that if he is
still alive, it’s very possible that he is working for a radio station, thus,
our campaign, Radio Waves for Jason. (We will make “waves” in the radio industry
looking for him.)
If you are either a family member with a missing loved one, or one of our
peers in the missing person cause, this email is merely to inform you of our
campaign. You often ask about Jason, so we’re letting you know what we’re doing.
We wouldn’t ask you to become involved as we understand you are very busy with
your work or seeking your own missing loved one. This campaign might even give
you an idea for one of your own, which is another good reason to share it with
you.
If you are a friend, family member, or a friend of Project Jason, and feel
you would have the time and commitment to help, we would be happy to have you
assist. As mentioned earlier, you would be given a prepared statement with links
to email radio stations in a set area. I estimate that it will take 3-5 minutes
to email each radio station. Even if you can only email a few locations, each
effort will help us reach our goal.
If you are interested in volunteering to help, please send an email to us
at radiowavesforjason(at sign)projectjason.org You will then be sent an email
with more details about the campaign and the prepared letter for the radio
stations.
*This campaign is suited for persons who are already comfortable
navigating the internet and using copy and paste functions.
Thank you for all you do for our family, Jason, and Project Jason, whether
it’s a simple prayer or more, all efforts are greatly appreciated.
With hope for all of our missing loved ones,
Kelly Jolkowski,
Mother of Missing Jason Jolkowski
President and Founder,
Project Jason
http://www.projectjason.org/
Read our Voice for the Missing Blog
http://voice4themissing.blogspot.com/

If you know anything about the disappearance of Jason Anthony Jolkowski, please call the Omaha Police Department at (402) 444-5657.

Jason's website: http://members.cox.net/prayersandposters/

Guestbook for messages to the Jolkowski family: http://pub36.bravenet.com/guestbook/show.php?usernum=3085091876

You can print a poster of Jason at http://www.theyaremissed.org/ncma/gallery/ncmaprofile_all.php?A200301135W.

Jason is also included in Project Jason's Adopt a Missing Person program. To learn more about how you can "adopt" Jason or someone else, visit http://www.projectjason.org/adopt.html.

Photo of Jason from his website.

Ranee Gregor: A suspect at last

There is finally news on Ranee, but it is among the most horrible sorts of news a family could hear. My heart goes out to John's and her loved ones.

Story from http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07058/765229-85.stm. Photo and age progression of Ranee from the Charley Project:

Serial killer admits to 2 Findlay deaths in 1977
Tuesday, February 27,
2007
By Chico Harlan, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Having just received his first
paycheck from a busboy job at a nearby fast-food restaurant, John Feeny, 17,
decided to take his girlfriend, Ranee Gregor, days shy of 16, on a date. He left
with her in his family's rusted yellow van. They headed to a remote area of
Findlay called lovers' lane. Hours later, on Oct. 22, 1977, the boy was
shotgunned to death. The girl was missing.
They became two victims
connected -- for years, only by widespread suspicion -- to serial killer Edward
Surratt.
Now, almost 30 years later, Mr. Surratt has admitted to six
unsolved murders, including the pair of teenagers, Beaver Township, Ohio, Police
Chief Carl Frost said yesterday.
Mr. Surratt, currently serving multiple
life sentences in Florida, was long suspected by police to have committed at
least 18 murders, most of them in Ohio and Pennsylvania. During the fall and
winter of 1977-78, Mr. Surratt pulled the region into a panic, most often by
entering homes, shooting the male and often raping and killing the female.
Mr. Surratt also admitted, Chief Frost said, to the 1977 murders of David A.
Hamilton and his wife, Linda; and John J. Davis and his wife, Mary. Those were
the four unsolved cases in Mr. Frost's township.
He received a reminder of
that following last year's county fair, when somebody -- he doesn't know who --
wrote the names of the Davis couple atop a photograph, posted at the fair, of
the area police department. After a series of phone calls, Chief Frost arranged
for two investigators in Florida -- one representing the Bal Harbour, Fla.,
police and one representing "America's Most Wanted" -- to question Mr. Surratt.
For his cooperation, Mr. Surratt wanted a transfer to a prison in South
Carolina, where in 1978 he'd been convicted of killing a man with a baseball
bat. He has been told prisons in that state have spring mattresses and air
conditioning. Florida is willing to cooperate with the move, Chief Frost said,
"because they're interested in getting rid of him anyway. He has been a pain."
Mr. Surratt, 65, a Marine Corps veteran and a former Aliquippa truck driver,
agreed to speak only with the "America's Most Wanted" representative, Joe
Matthews, a former homicide detective. He told Mr. Matthews that the bodies of
both Linda Hamilton and Ranee Gregor, never found, were "unrecoverable."
Other details, Chief Frost said, were vague.
"He didn't sit down and
say, 'I went in this door and I shot him when he said this.' He didn't give us
the full admissions," Chief Frost said.
Police now want more details about
the six murders and admissions to other unsolved cases. Chief Frost plans,
perhaps within the next month, to travel to Florida to assist with the process.
After Ranee Gregor's disappearance, her parents kept the girl's room exactly
as she'd left it. On the night of his date, John Feeny had been instructed to
return the van to his parents by 10 p.m., so his mother -- who worked nights --
could drive to work. Rita Feeny, John's mother, says the loss "is still raw."
"I'd like my son back," she said. "That's not going to happen ... and I have
to face that reality. If you have to be blunt, my son bled to death in our car;
the fancy medical term is exsanguinate. But ... it's still there. You think
about that on birthdays. There's a hole in all of your holidays. In everything.
And it comes to the surface every so often, when you think about what would have
happened if he'd had a chance to grow up."

If you have any information about the disappearance of Ranee Ann Gregor, please call the Robinson Township Police Department at (412) 788-7111 or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678).

Of course, there is always a chance that this guy could be lying. There is always a tiny little chance that Ranee could somehow alive. If you want, you can still print out and hang up a poster of her, even if only to try to get tips on her murder. You can print a poster of her here.

Websleuths thread on this case: http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14937

Natalee Holloway: Kalpoes want suit against them dropped

Big surprise, eh? Well, at least they attempt to justify it with a valid reason.

Story from http://www.nbc4.tv/news/11128216/detail.html?rss=la&psp=news. Photo of Natalee from http://www.natalee-holloway.com:

Aruban Brothers Want Natalee Holloway Lawsuit Dismissed
POSTED: 2:08 pm PST
February 27, 2007
LOS ANGELES -- A lawsuit filed in Los Angeles against two
Aruban brothers by the parents of missing Alabama teen Natalee Holloway should
be dismissed on grounds the case has no connection to California, the siblings'
lawyers argue in court papers obtained Tuesday.
Los Angeles Superior Court
Judge George Wu will consider the motion brought on behalf of Deepak and Satish
Kalpoe, but no date was immediately set. The next scheduled hearing in the case
is April 2.
The brothers' attorney, Kristina M. Beck, filed court papers
last Tuesday in support of the dismissal.
The Kalpoes and another Aruban
resident, Joran van der Sloot, have been the subject of scrutiny by Aruban
authorities and the U.S. media. All three were arrested in connection with the
Holloway case and later released.
Beck's court papers state that an
important ruling occurred Jan. 24, when another Los Angeles Superior Court
judge, Edward A. Ferns, ruled that the wrongful death claim of the teen's
parents against the Kalpoes is substantially different from the siblings'
defamation case against "Dr. Phil" McGraw.
"These actions do not arise from
the same or substantially identical transactions, happenings or events...,"
Ferns wrote, in ruling that both cases should not be kept before the same judge.
The Kalpoes sued McGraw and CBS Television on Dec. 13, alleging they were
defamed in a Sept. 15, 2005, show dealing with the still-unsolved case. Although
the Kalpoe brothers had been released from Aruban police custody, the "Dr. Phil"
episode suggested they gave Holloway a date rape drug and had non- consensual
group sex with her, according to their lawsuit.
The episode also implied the
siblings helped kill Holloway and dispose of her body, according to the lawsuit.
The Kalpoes and van der Sloot have maintained that they were not involved in
her disappearance and did not have sex with her.
In addition to defamation,
the Kalpoes' suit alleges invasion of privacy, emotional distress, fraud, deceit
and civil conspiracy.
Natalee Holloway's parents, Elizabeth Ann Twitty of
Alabama and Dave E. Holloway of Mississippi, filed a wrongful death suit against
the Kalpoes the next day, even though their daughter's body has never been found
and Aruban authorities have not determined if she is dead or alive.
Natalee
Holloway was vacationing with friends on the Caribbean island resort when the
18-year-old disappeared the night of May 30, 2005.
Twitty and Dave Holloway,
who are divorced, maintain that by bringing an action against McGraw in Los
Angeles, the Kalpoes voluntarily submitted themselves to the Los Angeles
Superior Court jurisdiction.
But in her court papers, Beck argues that
Twitty and Holloway are not part of the defamation case; that the alleged
misconduct by the defendants in the lawsuits occurred in two entirely different
locations -- Aruba and California; and that one suit involves wrongful death and
the other defamation.
In support of her motion, Beck attached to her court
papers a declaration by the Kalpoe brothers' mother, Kemwattie Ramirez, stating
that her sons live with her in Aruba and have no ties to California.
"Neither Deepak nor Satish has ever traveled to California, or anywhere
within the United States, for business or pleasure," according to their mother,
who also said her sons have no business, employment of financial ties to
California.
Twitty and Dave Holloway also filed a wrongful death suit last
year in New York against van der Sloot and his father, but a judge there also
threw it out for lack of jurisdiction.
Meanwhile, a motion is set before
Judge Ferns on Thursday in the defamation case.

If you know anything about the disappearance of Natalee Holloway, please call 1-866-SOS-LOST (1-866-767-5678).
Natalee's website: http://www.natalee-holloway.com/
A couple blogs about Natalee: http://blogsfornatalee.com/ and http://justicefornataleeholloway.blogspot.com/.
Natalee's father and stepmother have started the Natalee Holloway Foundation to help other American families who have loved ones who are missing and endangered in other countries. For more information, visit http://www.nataleehollowayfoundation.net/. Natalee's mother also has an organization, the International Safe Travels Foundation, which teaches safety tips to those traveling abroad. For more information, visit http://www.internationalsafetravelsfoundation.org/MS/MS37/.

Arley Earhart has returned home!

I decided to do a Google search on Arley's name just in case there were updates, and I was pleasantly surprised to find this!
Story from http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_495457.html:

Missing Derry teen Earhart returned home today
By The
Tribune-Review
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
A Derry Area High School sophomore who
disappeared from Derry Township on Jan. 5 returned home today, according to
WTAE-Channel 4.
According to a source, Arley Earhart, 16, was allegedly
hiding out with a married couple in Greensburg, who went to the extent of dying
her hair.
Authorities are considering filing charges against the couple.
Police said Earhart was dropped off at a BP-Pit Stop Quik Shop on Jan. 5 and
was not seen since. Earlier this month, Earhart apparently left a message on her
mother's answering machine saying she is OK.

So, if you have placed any posters of Arley, you can now take them down because they are no longer needed. Also be sure to include the news anywhere you may have posted Arley's information.

Emily Rimel: Jury selection continues for suspect's trial

This could take a while.
Story from http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2007/02/24/20070224-D3-04.html:

Jury pool narrowed to 97 in murder trial
Saturday, February 24,
2007
Lindsey Bruce, convicted of kidnapping a girl, is accused of killing
her.
Ninety-seven Franklin County residents filled out questionnaires
yesterday in the first step for choosing a jury in the death-penalty trial of
Lindsey Bruce.
Bruce, 25, is serving a 10-year sentence for kidnapping
5-year-old Emily Rimel from her Madison Township bedroom on Dec. 7, 2004. He was
indicted on aggravated-murder charges last June after Rimel’s skull was found in
Big Walnut Creek.
Bruce, who wore close-cropped hair and beard, and shackles
beneath his gray suit, sat between attorneys Christopher Cooper and Donald
Schumacher as Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Patrick Sheeran swore in the
jury pool.
The pool began with 105, but eight candidates were dismissed
because of medical issues, trying circumstances at home or work, the impending
birth of a first child, or a planned and paid-for vacation. The court sent 300
summonses.
Bruce’s attorneys and Assistant County Prosecutors Tim Mitchell
and Jennifer Rausch will spend the weekend reviewing more than 1,000 pages of
responses before starting to question potential jurors next week.
Jury
selection is expected to take more than five days, and the trial could last
longer than two weeks, Sheeran said.

Cherrie Mahan now missing 22 years from Cabot, Pennsylvania

Last year, there were some news articles on the 21-year anniversary of the disappearance of Cherrie Ann Mahan. I have yet to find any for this year. However, in January her story was on the Anderson Cooper 360 blog and on the CNN TV show Insight. Both times her story had been brought to mind by the miraculous recovery of Shawn Hornbeck and Ben Ownby in Missouri.

Don't think, however, that Cherrie has been totally forgotten. Yesterday, on the actual anniversary of her disappearance, there was a post on her on The Butler, Pennsylvania Blog. You can read it at http://clcing.blogspot.com/2007/02/cherrie-ann-mahan.html.

Insight transcript from http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0701/16/i_ins.01.html. Photo, age progression, and sketches from the Charley Project:

MANN: Many parents of abducted children are haunted by the unknowns. Not
only of what their may look like today but why they were taken, who took them
and is it possible that they're living a life without them.
As Randi Kaye tells us, the questions rarely ease with time, even for one
mother whose daughter disappeared more than 20 years earlier.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JANICE MCKINNEY, MOTHER OF MISSING GIRL: The past 20 years probably has
been a real torture.
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Words spoken by a mother in
pain.
MCKINNEY: Four o'clock, the bus came and we heard it. And she just never
came up the driveway.
KAYE: A mother overwhelmed by grief and guilt.
MCKINNEY: I should have been there when Cherrie got off the school bus, and
I wasn't.
KAYE: February 22, 1985, Cherrie Mahan went to school and never came home.
MCKINNEY: I think that the last words that I probably told her was, you
know, have a good day and I do love you. And that was probably as I took her
down to the bus stop and she got on the bus.
KAYE (on camera): Did she tell you she loved you back?
MCKINNEY: Yes. She always told me that.
KAYE (voice-over): That day, Janice McKinney went from being the mother of
a bubbly 8-year-old who loved rainbows and reading to the mother of a missing
child. It was Cherrie who helped put a face on missing children nationwide, the
first child on ever on a "Have you seen me?" mailer, delivered to homes around
the country.
(on camera): What is that moment of panic like, that first moment when you
realize your child has disappeared?
MCKINNEY: It's the most scariest thing and the -- I think my guilt started
at that point, because, up until that day, I was there. And if I would have been
there, she wouldn't -- I wouldn't be going through this.
KAYE (voice-over): Ever since Cherrie was old enough to go to school,
Janice says she walked her daughter to and from the bus stop.
(on camera): It was a day just like this one, snow on the ground, the sun
shining. Cherrie got off her school bus right here. She had to go about 200
feet, around that bend to get to her driveway, then another 300 feet to her
front door. Investigators never found any footprints, which means Cherrie never
got very far.
(voice-over): Janice called state police and tracked down Cherrie's school
bus. She had to be sure Cherrie wasn't still on it. Children on the bus told
Janice and police Cherrie got off at her regular stop with other children. Those
young witnesses described a blue van right behind the bus with a snowcapped
mountain and a skier painted on its side. Investigators checked out hundreds of
leads, no van, no Cherrie.
(on camera): Is there indication as you walk this way how far she got?
GLENN HALL, FORMER PENNSYLVANIA STATE TROOPER: No, there was no sign of any
tracks or anything.
KAYE: So, what does that tell you?
HALL: That apparently someone picked her up.
KAYE: Pretty quick?
HALL: Yes.
KAYE (voice-over): For retired trooper Glenn Hall, who worked the case from
day one, there is also guilt.
HALL: I feel that maybe there's something I overlooked at the time, but I
followed every lead that I got that night.
KAYE: With the case now entering its third decade, Trooper Hall remains
convinced a stranger abducted Cherrie, a stranger who knew the little girl's
schedule and who knew the area. Such crimes are rare. Of the thousands of
children each year who are officially described as abducted, the vast majority
are taken by someone they know. But every year, about 100 children are taken by
a stranger.
MCKINNEY: That was her dog and that was her cat.
KAYE: Janice gave birth to Cherrie when she was just 16. They grew up
together, she says. And this is what investigators think she might now look
like.
MCKINNEY: By now Cherrie could be married and have children and have
graduated and I could be a grandmother.
KAYE: Cherrie's mom works two jobs, barely sleeps, anything to keep out the
dark thoughts. Five years after Cherrie was kidnapped, Janice had another child,
Robert. After losing Cherrie, Janice says she didn't want to go through life
without being a mother. Her son Robert is a soccer player with big plans to go
away to college, something that doesn't sit so well with his mom.
MCKINNEY: He's never, ever gone anywhere without somebody. I mean, from the
time he was able to walk until this day, I mean, I go to every soccer game. I
stand by the door, you know, worried that somebody could come in and take him.
KAYE: Janice works hard to keep Cherrie close and her memory alive. There
is an angel at the family's cemetery plot. Two decades and countless tears
later, Janice is still not ready to place a gravestone here.
MCKINNEY: We live in a society where we need to see something. And until I
see something or hold something or know something, I -- it will -- I can't put
it to rest yet.
KAYE: Randi Kaye, CNN, Cabot, Pennsylvania.
(END VIDEOTAPE)

Other people mentioned in the episode were Steven Stayner and Timmy White, who were also found together 25 years ago after they managed to escape their abductor and go to a police station; Natasha Kampusch, who was held captive in Austria for eight years before escaping last August; and Katelyn Rivera-Helton, who disappeared from Pennsylvania in 1999 and is still missing.

If you know anything about Cherrie's disappearance, please call the Pennsylvania State Police at (412) 284-8100 or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678).

You can print a poster of Cherrie here.

Emily Rimel: Jury selection begins in trial of her suspected murderer

I mentioned a little while ago, I think when I posted about the man Tanya Kach ran away with, that I would try to get better at posting updates on the trials of those who harmed some of the people I had featured on here. Well, I am going to be busy for a little while, because the trial of Lindsay Bruce, who is most likely guilty of murdering little five-year-old Emily Rimel, is about to begin.
Story from http://www.nbc4i.com/midwest/cmh/news.apx.-content-articles-CMH-2007-02-22-0028.html:

Jury Selection To Begin In Emily Rimel Murder Trial

Thursday, Feb 22, 2007 - 06:31 PM
Nancy Burton
Reporter
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Jury selection will begin Friday in the case of a man
accused of killing a 5-year-old girl.
Emily Rimel went missing from her home
in December of 2004. Two weeks after her disappearance, police arrested family
friend Lindsey Bruce in connection with the case, NBC 4's Nancy Burton reported.
Bruce was charged with kidnapping and rape after Rimel's DNA was allegedly
found on his genitalia, Burton reported.
According to authorities, Bruce was
a friend of the Rimel family and had been at their home the night Emily went
missing.
Ten months after Rimel went missing, a jury found Bruce guilty of
kidnapping, but not rape.
A judge sentenced him to the maximum 10 years in
prison while police continued to search for the girl's body.
Nine months
after Bruce's sentencing, the 5-year-old's remains were found along Big Walnut
Creek.
In June 2006, Bruce was charged with Rimel's murder, Burton reported.

If convicted, Bruce could be sentenced to death.
Stay with NBC 4 and refresh nbc4i.com for additional information.

Yes, Tajanik Thompson was found

Toward the end of last year, I posted that Tajanik Latrice Thompson had been listed as "restricted" by the NCMEC. Well, apparently she was found safe in December. The date on the following quoted post on the Child Seek Network forum is December 19. Another website, the National Voice for Children, had listed her recovered as of December 12.
NCMEC recovery notice posted at http://www.childseeknetwork.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=12611&sid=539a5600bc00e84e4b426a6aac75af1f:

Dear Poster Partner:
Tajanik Thompson missing from Oakland, CA, has been recovered. Please
discontinue dissemination of this poster. Your participation in this program has
made a valuable contribution to this recovery.
Please remove and discard any posters on this case that you have placed in
public view.
Thank you for your support.
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
Visit our web site at www.missingkids.com.

Bryan Fisher now missing 24 years, Erie, Pennsylvania

By now Bryan Keith Fisher is well into adulthood--at least, if he is still alive. But it wouldn't be too late for him to be reunited with his family. Have you seen him?

From the Charley Project:

Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
Missing Since: February 21, 1983 from Erie, Pennsylvania
Classification: Endangered Missing
Date Of Birth: March 31, 1966
Age: 16 years old
Height and Weight: 5'9, 180 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian male. Brown hair, hazel
eyes. Fisher has a scar between the middle and ring fingers of his right hand.
He has a tattoo of a cross on his right arm. Fisher has a tattoo of a skull on
his upper arm which may have been altered to the image of a rose. His nicknames
are Bry and/or Fish.

Details of Disappearance
Fisher was last seen
leaving his family's residence in Erie, Pennsylvania to go fishing on February
21, 1983. He has never been heard from again. Few details are available in
Fisher's case.

Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Erie Police Department
814-870-1120

You can also call the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678).

You can print a poster of Bryan here.

Natalee Holloway: No "damages" for Paulus van der Sloot

Finally, some good news in this case! Well, maybe not good news for Paulus van der Sloot.

Story from http://www.expatica.com/actual/article.asp?subchannel_id=19&story_id=36556. Photo of Natalee from her website:

No damages in Holloway case
15 February 2007
AMSTERDAM – Paul van der
Sloot, father of the main suspect in the Natalee Holloway case, has not been
awarded any damages by the court in Aruba. The decision cannot be
appealed.
Paul van der Sloot was himself detained from 23 June until 26 June
2005 in connection with the disappearance of American high school student
Natalee Holloway. The examining magistrate decided at the time that there was
not enough evidence of involvement in the case.
The father of Joran, who
is still a suspect in the case, based his claim for damages on this
decision from the magistrate. Last year the court initially ruled that he should
be granted damages of 40,000 Aruban guilders (18,000 euro).
The court has now
ruled that his arrest at the time was “without grounds but not unjustified.” “So
he will not be getting anything,” summarised lawyer Arie
Swaen.
Eighteen-year-old Holloway disappeared after a night out on 30 May
2005. She left a nightclub with three young men and was never found. The police
have arrested ten people since her disappearance but all have since been
released.
There was much criticism from the US about how Aruban authorities
handled the case. The Netherlands has led the investigation since September and
made officers of the national police corps available to the effort.

If you know anything about the disappearance of Natalee Holloway, please call 1-866-SOS-LOST (1-866-767-5678).

Natalee's website: http://www.natalee-holloway.com/

A couple blogs about Natalee: http://blogsfornatalee.com and http://justicefornataleeholloway.blogspot.com.

Natalee's father and stepmother have started the Natalee Holloway Foundation to help other American families who have loved ones who are missing and endangered in other countries. For more information, visit http://www.nataleehollowayfoundation.net/. Natalee's mother also has an organization, the International Safe Travels Foundation, which teaches safety tips to those traveling abroad. For more information, visit http://www.internationalsafetravelsfoundation.org/MS/MS37/.

Georgina DeJesus: New age progression

Personally, I do not see much difference between the age-progressed photo (at right) and the photo of Gina in 2004 (at left). Hopefully, though, if she is still alive, the new photo will help the right person to recognize her.

Story and age progression from http://www.newsnet5.com/news/10989551/detail.html#/index.html. 2004 photo from the Charley Project:

Officials Release Age-Progressed Photo Of Missing Teen
POSTED: 12:09 pm EST
February 12, 2007
UPDATED: 12:27 pm EST February 12, 2007
CLEVELAND -- The
local FBI has released a new picture of a missing teen.
Officials released a
photo of what she may look like with age progression.
Gina DeJesus
disappeared from Cleveland's west side as she was walking home April 2, 2004.
If you can help find her or know any information, call the FBI.

You can reach the FBI at 1-888-660-5437. You can also call the Cleveland Crimestoppers at (216) 252-7463, the Cleveland Police Department at (216) 621-1234, or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678).

You can print a poster of Gina here.

Gina's website: http://www.findgeorgina.com/

Guestbook for messages to Gina's family: http://www.findgeorgina.com/gb/guestbook.php

Tanya Kach: Suspect hospitalized, trials postponed

You will notice that there is a section in the index of this blog marked "Trial Watch". I had meant to follow the trials of the suspects in the cases of my missing people who have since been found. I have not been very good at posting updates in this area, and I hope to do better in the future.
Story from http://www.courttv.com/news/2007/0212/hose_ap.html:

Updated Feb. 12, 2007, 3:44 p.m. ET
Lawyer: Defendant stabbed himself just before trial for sex crimes against
runaway
PITTSBURGH (AP) — A man stabbed himself just before he was to go on
trial Monday for sex crimes against a runaway who said she was secretly hidden
in his home for a decade, his lawyer said.
Thomas John Hose, 49, was
hospitalized Monday morning after he was found bleeding in his home, defense
attorney Jim Ecker said.
"He stabbed himself several times and he supposedly
took some kind of medication," Ecker said before a judge issued a gag order in
the case. He said he received a call from Hose's mother earlier Monday saying
Hose was "sitting on a chair with blood coming out of him."
Hose is charged
with counts including involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and aggravated
indecent assault. A judge set a new trial date of May 14 and ordered that Hose
be given a psychiatric evaluation.
The trial of Judith Sokol, a 58-year-old
beautician who prosecutors say helped Kach run away and change her looks, also
was postponed to May 14. Both Hose and Sokol have pleaded not guilty.
Trial
was also supposed to start Monday for Judith Sokol, a 58-year-old beautician who
prosecutors say helped girl run away from home and change her looks. It was not
immediately clear if Sokol's case would begin.
The runaway, Tanya Nicole
Kach, now 25, was discovered last year after she told a convenience store owner
she was on a missing person's Web site. The owner called police, and Kach told
authorities she ran away from home 10 years earlier and had been living in
Hose's house.
Kach, who has given several interviews about her ordeal, has
said that she met Hose when she was an eighth-grader and that Hose used
psychological tactics to keep her from leaving, including threatening to kill
her.
Hose, a school security guard, has contended that Kach was never
restrained in his home in McKeesport, a small city several miles east of
Pittsburgh.

Ashley Martinez: New age progression

Below is a copy of Ashley's poster from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children:

Endangered Runaway
ASHLEY MARTINEZ
DOB: Jan 24,
1989
Missing: Jul 6, 2004
Age Now: 18
Sex: Female
Race: White
Hair: Sandy
Eyes: Blue
Height: 5'3" (160 cm)
Weight: 110 lbs (50 kg)
Missing From:
SAINT JOSEPH
MO
United States
Age Progressed
Ashley's photo is shown
age-progressed to 18 years. She was last seen on July 6, 2004. Ashley may still
be in the local area, or she may have traveled to Nebraska or Washington. She
may be traveling in a gray 1995 Pontiac Bonneville with Missouri license plates
377MPY. Ashley's tongue, navel and ears are pierced. She has a scar on her left
arm.

ANYONE HAVING INFORMATION SHOULD CONTACT
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
1-800-843-5678 (1-800-THE-LOST)
Saint Joseph Police Department
(Missouri) 1-816-271-4777

Ashley's website: http://www.findashleymartinez.com/

Guestbook for messages to Ashley's family: http://www.findashleymartinez.com/ashleygb/

You can "adopt" Ashley through Project Jason's Adopt a Missing Person program. For more information, see http://www.projectjason.org/adopt.html.

Sofia Juarez now missing 4 years, Kennewick, Washington

Story from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16954500/. Images from the Charley Project:

Four Year Old Search for Sofia Juarez Still Active
KNDU-TV
KENNEWICK, WA. -- On February 4, 2003, four year old Sofia Juarez walked out of her home with a dollar bill in her hand to go to the grocery store with her grandmother's boyfriend, and then vanished. Her fifth birthday was the next day, but she never had her party, because she disappeared. This resulted in one of the biggest searches in Tri Cities history with every local law enforcement agency, fire department, the F.B.I., the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and hundreds of volunteers. Detectives still don't have any idea what really happened to her, but it isn't for a lack of effort. They've checked into thousands of leads and filed thousands of reports over the last four years and they're frustrated they haven't been able to find this little girl. Sergeant Randy Maynard was on duty the night Sofia disappeared and has been associated with the case ever since. One tip he says they've gotten several times over the last couple of years is that Sofia was hit by a car in front of her house, picked up by the driver and buried somewhere on Jump Off Joe Butte. "There was even a further twist where her remains were excavated from that site on Jump Off Joe Butte and taken to Prosser, and buried out on a farm in Prosser which led us to the search there a year ago June," said Sgt. Maynard. But like all of the other leads, no sign of Sofia. Then in August of 2006, a skull of a child was found north of Connell. Initial tests were inconclusive, so now it's being examined at the F.B.I. Missing Children Unit in Virginia. Detective Craig Hanson has been involved with the Sofia case since the beginning. He's been the lead detective on the case since May of 2005, the third lead detective. He's investigated more than 150-tips just since he's taken over, but again, nothing's panned out. "It's been very frustrating. One, we don't know originally what happened to Sofia. We've have various accounts coming through the last nearly four years of what's happened to her. They've ranged from familial abductions to stranger abductions and so on," said Det. Hanson. Detective Hanson talks to Sofia's mother frequently and follows every single lead, with the hope that one of them will help them figure out what happened to Sofia Juarez. "The Department here is committed to find her one way or another. Whether it happens today or 20-years from now during my retirement party, we want to find her," said Hanson. When both Maynard and Hanson were asked if they think there's a chance Sofia is still alive, they said they hope so, but they know that after this much time, the odds don't look good. The F.B.I. has a new agent in town who's been assigned the Sofia Juarez case. She's currently reviewing the case, which remains very active. Many people are still holding out hope this little girl will be found alive and returned to her mother.

If you know anything about the disappearance of Sofia Juarez, you can call the Kennewick Police Department at (509) 585-4208 or (509) 628-0333. You can also call the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678).

You can print a poster of Sofia in English here and in Spanish at http://www.geocities.com/thekarmaclub/sofia.html.
Sofia's website: http://www.geocities.com/thekarmaclub/sofia.html

Samantha Kibalo now missing 6 years, Suffern, New York

There was a possible development in Samantha's case last year (see details below), so maybe this could be the magic year when she is finally found.
From the Charley Project:

Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
Missing Since: February 3, 2001 from Suffern, New York
Classification: Family Abduction
Date Of Birth: January 1, 1999
Age: 2 years old
Height and Weight: 2'9, 22 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian female. Light brown hair,
brown eyes. Samantha may use the alias last names Yermak, Saul, and/or Kaplan.

Details of Disappearance
Samantha was last seen in Suffern, New York
on February 3, 2001. She was abducted by her non-custodial mother, Ann Yermak
Kibalo, during a court-ordered overnight vistation. Samantha's father, Michael
Kibalo, has had custody of her since she was almost a year old. He was given
custody after court testimony that Ann had hit the child and had taken her to
seven different doctors 33 times in the eleven months since her birth.
Photographs and vital statistics for Ann are posted below this case summary.
A Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) warrant for kidnapping was issued for
her on January 15, 2002. She also has warrants for her arrest on charges of
unlawful flight to avoid prosecution, custodial interference, and unauthorized
use of a motor vehicle. Her last known address was in New Hyde Park, New York.
Ann and Samantha were originally traveling in a black four-door 1996 Suzuki
Sidekick Sport with a gold-colored bumper and New York license plates. It has
was recovered in a parking garage in the New York City borough of Brooklyn two
months after the Kibalos disappeared. They may be accompanied by a 12-pound red
miniature Tibetan Spaniel or Tibetan Terrier dog named Vodka. They may frequent
doctor's offices and other medical facilities. Ann and Samantha may be with an
adult female relative. They may be in the New York City, New York area, or in
Palm Beach County or Boynton Beach, Florida; Illinois; or New Hampshire. In
2006, there were sightings of them reported in Santa Fe, New Mexico, but the
reports have not been confirmed.
Samantha is believed to be at risk; her
mother may have been abusing her prior to her disappearance. Ann may suffer from
Munchausen's Syndrome by Proxy, which would cause her to harm Samantha and/or
subject her to unnecessary medical treatment. Michael now lives in New Jersey
and is actively searching for his daughter. He believes Ann may be homeschooling
the child, as he cannot find evidence that she is enrolled in school anywhere.
Samantha's case remains unsolved.

Ann Yermak Kibalo
Left and Center: Ann Yermak Kibalo; Right: Age-progression to age 40 (circa
2003)
Date of Birth: March 25, 1963
Age: 37 years old
Height and Weight: 5'0, 115 - 120 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian female. Brown hair, blue eyes.
Ann wears eyeglasses while driving. She may use the last names Yermak, Saul,
and/or Kaplan. Ann may have cut her hair short and dyed it blonde. She has an
accounting degree from Brooklyn College and has previously worked in that field.
Medical Conditions: Ann has a dental condition and may seek medical
treatment for it. She is mentally unstable; she has a severe personality
disorder and several traits from other disorders, and may suffer from
Munchausen's Syndrome by Proxy, which could cause her to harm Samantha. Ann is
classified as disabled.

Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Rockland County Sheriff's Office
845-638-5400
OR
845-638-5440

You can also call your local FBI office or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678).
You can print a poster of Samantha here.

Patrick Kenney now missing 2 years, Jefferson Hills, Pennsylvania

This post is hardly different from what I posted on February 5 of last year, which means not much has changed and Patrick must still be out there somewhere. Hopefully it will not become three years.
From the Charley Project:

Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
Missing Since:
February 2, 2005 from Jefferson Hills, Pennsylvania
Classification:
Endangered Missing
Age: 22 years old
Height and Weight: 6'1, 230 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian male. Light brown hair, blue eyes.
Kenney's nickname is Pooch.
Clothing/Jewelry Description: A white t-shirt, a
gray ski jacket, blue jeans and white sneakers.

Details of Disappearance
Kenney's family last saw him in Jefferson Hills, Pennsylvania at 6:45 p.m.
on February 2, 2005. He told his mother he was going out to "take care of
something" and would return home for dinner in an hour, but never arrived. He
has never been heard from again. His white 1999 Cadillac Escalade was found on
February 15 on McCaslin Drive in the Greenfield section of Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania. He reportedly has friends living in the general area where the car
was located. Authorities stated that the vehicle had evidently been parked at
that location for several days; it had been given a parking ticket.
Kenney's
mother stated that something appeared to be bothering her son when she last saw
him. He took nothing with him other than his cellular phone, without the
charger, and no more than $200 cash. There has been no activity on his cellular
phone, bank accounts or credit cards, and his tax refund has not been deposited.
Kenney was employed as a steamfitter at the time he went missing. He is a
2000 graduate of Thomas Jefferson High School, where he was a state champion
hockey player. He is described as a popular, outgoing, athletic man with no
enemies. Kenney's family says it is uncharacteristic of him to leave without
warning. Foul play is suspected in his case, which remains unsolved.

Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this
case, please contact:
Allegheny County Police Department
412-473-3000

Some old news articles (all of them were still available to be read for free as of today):
April 1, 2005: http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_319422.html
The Daily News
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05091/481060.stm
May 16, 2005: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05136/505176.stm
July 12, 2005: http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/news/4243667/detail.html
July 13, 2005: http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_352750.html
September 22, 2005: http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_376602.html
http://kdka.com/local/local_story_265234033.html

I can't find a poster of Patrick, unfortunately.

Natalee Holloway: Update on Kalpoe brothers' lawsuit

According to Google News, this article was published on January 31. Jamie Skeeters, the polygraph expert, also died recently. Otherwise, there is not much actual news on Natalee. Her name just gets mention in articles about media sentionalism or "missing white women" or her mother's International Safe Travels Foundation. But Natalee is still missing and still needs to be found, alive or dead.
From the Montgomery Advertiser:

NATALEE HOLLOWAY
'Dr. Phil' lawyer responds to suit over segment
The Associated Press
LOS ANGELES -- Two brothers who filed a defamation
lawsuit against the "Dr. Phil" show for airing a segment about their roles as
former suspects in the disappearance of Natalee Holloway should not be entitled
to punitive damages, an attorney for the show said.
Deepak and Satish Kalpoe,
both residents of Aruba, filed the suit in December seeking unspecified damages
against talk show host Phillip McGraw, CBS Television Distribution Group and
private investigator Jamie Skeeters.
The lawsuit alleges the show altered
portions of a secretly recorded conversation between Deepak Kalpoe and Skeeters
to "create false, incriminating, and defamatory statements that the plaintiffs
engaged in criminal activity against Natalee Holloway."
William Haggerty, an
attorney for McGraw and CBS, said in court papers filed Friday in Los Angeles
that widespread news reports of the brothers' arrest "serves to mitigate any
damages allegedly suffered by them and bars or reduces their right to recover
any damages."
Haggerty also denied his clients intentionally misrepresented
any fact to the brothers or acted with malicious intent. Skeeters is being
represented by a separate attorney.
An after-hours telephone message left
Monday for the attorney representing the brothers was not immediately
returned.
Holloway was 18 when she disappeared on May 30, 2005, while on a
trip to Aruba with classmates from her Alabama high school. She was last seen
getting into a car with the brothers and their friend, Joran van der
Sloot.
Police spent months searching for the missing teen, but the case did
not lead to any criminal trial in Aruba.
The brothers were released from
police custody following their arrest and have not been charged in the
case.

I agree, they do not deserve "damages"--at least not yet. Who knows, maybe by some strange twist we will learn in the future that they really weren't involved. After all, this is in an American court, where people are supposed to be innocent until proven guilty. But suspicion always falls on those last seen with a person.

If you know anything about the disappearance of Natalee Holloway, please call 1-866-SOS-LOST (1-866-767-5678).
Natalee's website: http://www.natalee-holloway.com
A couple blogs about Natalee: http://blogsfornatalee.com, http://justicefornataleeholloway.blogspot.com/

Photo of Natalee from her website.

Nyia Miangel Page found dead, father charged

Amber Alerts can save lives, but once in a while there are still unhappy endings. This is one of those times. I never posted a photo of Nyia Page before, so there is one below.
From the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

Toddler's death ruled homicide
By Mike Wereschagin
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Monday, February 5, 2007
The death of Nyia Miangel Page, the
23-month-old girl whose body was found in Rankin following a two-day search, was
a homicide, the Allegheny County Medical Examiner's office said today.
Following an autopsy today, the office ruled that the Braddock girl died of
hypothermia and exposure.
Nyia was found about 3:30 p.m. Sunday along the
southeastern slope of the Hawkins Village public housing project. She was last
seen alive by several family members about 12:30 a.m. Saturday. Family members
reported her missing about seven hours later, said county police Superintendent
Charles Moffatt.
"Our main focus at that time was finding the child,"
Moffatt said. An "Amber Alert" was issued shortly afterward, and was
discontinued a few hours after the baby's body was discovered the next day. "We
waited for the autopsy, and got the manner of death in the last two hours. We're
now treating it as a homicide."
Police interviewed family members, but
Moffatt said they do not have a suspect.
Mike Wereschagin can be reached at mwereschagin@tribweb.com or (412)
391-0927.

They do have a suspect now, though--her own father. From http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07039/760411-56.stm:

Braddock toddler's father charged in her death
Thursday, February 08,
2007
By Moustafa Ayad, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
William Lorenzo Page of
Braddock was charged last night with criminal homicide in the death of his
23-month-old daughter, Nyia, whose body was found Sunday in a wooded area in
freezing temperatures and wearing only a sweater and a diaper.
Mr. Page, 23, was already in jail awaiting a hearing on
charges of abusing another child.
The homicide charge against Mr. Page
culminates a three-day investigation by the FBI and police from Allegheny
County, Braddock and Rankin, said Allegheny County police Supt. James Morton.
Mr. Page also is charged with kidnapping, making false reports to law
enforcement and simple assault.
The toddler was reported missing from her
Braddock home after her 6-year-old brother told his parents about 7:30 a.m.
Saturday that she wasn't in her normal sleeping area. Family members called
police when they couldn't find her, setting off an Amber Alert and a search by
70 police officers and rescue workers.
On Saturday, volunteers joined police
using dogs on a bitter cold day to search streets, railroad tracks, abandoned
buildings and trash bins for the little girl, who was about 2 feet tall and
weighed 30 pounds.
Searchers discovered her body about noon on Sunday about
four blocks from her home, in a hilly wooded area along Pattison Avenue in
Rankin. A few hours later, the Allegheny County medical examiner's office
determined the body was that of Nyia.
Mr. Page had been jailed since Sunday
on charges of simple and indecent assault of another child, endangering the
welfare of children and corruption of minors. Police said they learned about
that incident during the investigation of the missing toddler.
He was being
held on $25,000 bond, pending a hearing scheduled for Wednesday.
From the
beginning, police said the site where the body was found would have been too
difficult for the toddler to get to by herself, leading them to suspect foul
play. The medical examiner ruled she died of exposure and hypothermia and listed
the manner of death as homicide.

The full history of Nyia's case can also be read on the Crime Library at http://www.crimelibrary.com/news/original/0207/1202_nyia_page.html. It does contain a detailed, heartbreaking description of how she died, so you may have think carefully about whether you want to read it.
She wouldn't listen to her father when he told her to go back to bed, but she did not deserve to die for it! Hopefully little Nyia will get justice soon.

FOUND SAFE: Sara Herbay

Exciting news! I guess this just happened yesterday.
Story from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

Girl found with mother's ex-boyfriend
By Jill King Greenwood
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Saturday, February 3, 2007
A 16-year-old girl who disappeared from her
Sharpsburg home in October was in the custody of child welfare officials Friday
after being found living with her mother's ex-boyfriend in West Mifflin, police
said.
Sara Ann Herbay, who ran away from home Oct. 9 and was reported
missing a day later, was found about 6 a.m. yesterday when Allegheny County
Sheriff's deputies, investigators with the District Attorney's office and West
Mifflin police raided the Jane Street home of John Leroy Keller.
Sara was
not injured and had been living in a room in a finished basement.
"She was
in tears. She cried the entire time she was with us," said sheriff's Sgt.
Michael Scherbanic.
Police charged Keller, 32, with concealing the
whereabouts of a child and interfering with child custody. He was arraigned
yesterday morning and is being held in the county jail in lieu of $100,000 bond.
Investigators started looking for Keller in June, about four months before
Sara's disappearance, because he was wanted on three counts of failure to pay
child support.
"He was very elusive. We searched everywhere and could not
find him," Scherbanic said.
Shortly after Sara disappeared, police
interviewed her mother, Eleanore Donofrio-Herbay, of Allentown, and her father,
Michael Herbay, of Sharpsburg, and suspected that Keller was involved in Sara's
disappearance.
On Oct. 17, a week after Michael Herbay reported his daughter
missing, he filed an emergency custody petition in Allegheny County Family Court
requesting an "immediate change of custody." He alleged in the petition that it
recently had been discovered that Sara "has been having an intimate
relationship" with Keller, who was then her mother's live-in boyfriend.
A
Common Pleas judge then ordered that Donofrio-Herbay risked losing all custody
rights if she allowed Keller near her daughter.
Police last week tracked
Keller to a Lawrenceville body shop where he worked. They arrested him on the
three outstanding warrants for child support and questioned him about Sara's
disappearance. He said he hadn't seen her since early December, said sheriff's
Detective Jay Stegena. Keller was jailed for 48 hours on the child support
charges and freed Sunday after posting $5,000 bond.
Police, believing Sara
was with Keller since her disappearance, got several new leads this week that
led them to the Jane Street address.
"It appears she willingly went with him
and could have left at any point, but it's hard to say what she was thinking or
what she went through because she's only 16. He is twice her age," Scherbanic
said. "It's easy to manipulate and coerce or even brainwash a child that is only
16, but something must have been really bad at either of her homes to make her
think going with this guy was going to be better."
An adult female relative
of Keller's and four other relatives between the ages of 16 and 20 were living
in the Jane Street home as well.
"Part of our investigation is finding out
why they didn't report her being there or what, if any, involvement they had,"
Scherbanic said.
Neighbors on Jane Street said they didn't know Keller and
hadn't seen Sara in the area. Donofrio-Herbay declined to comment when she
answered the door at her Allentown home. No one answered the door at Michael
Herbay's home yesterday afternoon, and a man at Priority 1 Auto Service, where
Keller was working, declined to identify himself or comment on Keller's arrest.
Sara was placed in the custody of the county Office of Children, Youth and
Families. Keller is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing on Thursday.
"She's safe for now," Scherbanic said. "Over 27 years of doing this job,
there are a lot of aspects of it that I have grown to despise, but finding this
girl this morning felt pretty good."
Jill King Greenwood can be reached at jgreenwood@tribweb.com or
412-321-2160.