Norma Allen had been found

After I posted the articles I had found on From Whispers to Roars yesterday, one of the other members was kind enough to dig this up. This means that Norma had been found about two and a half weeks before I posted her on here.
From http://news.yahoo.com/s/wtae/20071105/lo_wtae/14509201:

Police Find Missing Indiana Township Woman
Mon Nov 5, 7:33 AM ET
A woman
missing from Indiana Township since Friday, Nov. 2 has been found alive.
Norma Jean Allen, 74, was discovered at a home in Pittsburgh late Sunday
night. She went for a walk from her residence on Cove Run Road in Indiana
Township around 1 p.m. Friday and did not return.
A Pittsburgh Police
supervisor said Allen was not hurt.

Still, I think this is only about the second time that I've posted on someone after they had already been found, so I suppose that's a pretty good track record! And, well, we can also rejoice that the person has been found.

Natalee Holloway: Kalpoe brothers released

This is disappointing. Hopefully Joran van der Sloot will continue to stay in prison a little while longer. Another article (http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5g03xmlbMM0BjGFGrLokyvroCO6FwD8T888001) said that prosecutors have three days to appeal regarding the Kalpoe brothers' release; hopefully they will have a compelling reason to do so.
From http://www.myeyewitnessnews.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=e31d41e4-6258-4b5f-82ee-9fb26cae0a37:

Brothers Released in Holloway Probe
Reported by: Adrienne Phillips
Email: aphillips@myeyewitnessnews.com
Last Update: 5:12 pm

Joran Van Der Sloor (top) Satish and Deepak
Kalpoe were taken into custody, Aruban prosecutors say. Two brothers arrested in
connection with the disappearance of Natalee Holloway have been released. CNN is
reporting the release may be due to lack of evidence.
Holloway went missing in Aruba while on a senior trip in 2005. Deepak and
Satish Kalpoe were arrested earlier this week, along with Joran Van Der Sloot.
Prosecutors thought all three were connected to Holloway's presumed death.
Joran Van der Sloot is still behind bars.
Investigators say he and the Kalpoe brothers were the last people to
see Holloway before she disappeared. They were taken
into custody before as suspects in Holloway's disappearance. Van
Der Sloot's lawyer says his client is frustrated about his return to jail.

If you have any information on Natalee's whereabouts, please call the FBI tipline at 1-877-628-2533.

Natalee's website: http://www.allpointsbulletin.org/Natalee_Holloway.html
A new blog covering the new deep-water search: http://nholloway.blogspot.com/
Another blog about Natalee: http://blogsfornatalee.com/

Photo of Natalee from her website.

Tanya Kach: Hairdresser sentenced to prison

Well, it seems that this case has almost wrapped up, at least when it comes to courts. (There is still the lawsuit.) After that, perhaps, Tanya can continue trying to lead a normal life again.
From http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/news/14712703/detail.html:

Pittsburgh Hairstylist Who Helped Disguise Runaway Tanya Kach Gets Jail
POSTED: 7:48 am EST November 28, 2007
UPDATED: 5:32 pm EST November 28, 2007

PITTSBURGH -- A woman accused of helping a 14-year-old girl change her looks so she could run away and live with a McKeesport man was sentenced to jail time on Wednesday, even though she said she didn't deserve any.
Judith Sokol, 59, of Duquesne, pleaded no contest to aiding and abetting statutory sexual assault, corruption of a minor and related offenses. Allegheny County Judge John Zottola gave her a six- to 23-month sentence on Wednesday morning.
Police said that Sokol, a hairdresser, helped alter Tanya Kach's appearance by cutting and dyeing the teen's hair in February 1996, and that she knew about and facilitated sexual encounters between Kach and Thomas Hose.
Sokol's actions helped Kach live undetected for years with Hose, who was a security guard at Kach's middle school, prosecutors said.
Last year, at age 24, Kach left Hose and told her story to a local business owner, who notified police.
"It's absurd," said Sokol's son, Brandon. "They twisted and turned everything on her."
In September, Sokol said she didn't deserve to go to jail, and that her side of the story would come out after sentencing.
Sokol had no comment for reporters while being led out of the courtoom in handcuffs on Wednesday.
Before handing down Sokol's sentence, Zottola told her attorney that Sokol "has some explaining to do" because she acknowledged what she had done when police interviewed her but denied it to probation workers in a presentence report.
The defense attorney said Sokol has short-term memory loss and has been hospitalized in the past for health problems and sometimes gets confused.
"She cuts millions of people's hair. She doesn't ask for name, rank and serial number. I'm not even knowing that she cut her (Kach's) hair," said Brandon Sokol.
Kach's attorney, Lawrence Fisher, said Sokol may have pleaded no contest but she never apologized.
"It's one thing to say, 'I think I'll be found guilty.' It's quite another thing to say, 'I'm terribly sorry for what happened,'" said Fisher, who represents Kach in an ongoing
lawsuit against Hose and various McKeesport officials.
Hose, 49, is serving a five- to 15-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to statutory sexual assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and related offenses.

Natalee Holloway: Upcoming search, Kalpoe brothers to have hearing

First, some details on the search. The "Iberia" mentioned in the article below is in Louisiana. Article from http://www.iberianet.com/articles/2007/11/29/news/news/news00.txt:

From here to Aruba
Thursday, November 29, 2007 12:37 PM CST
BY JEFF MOORE, THE DAILY IBERIAN
An expedition to search the waters off
Aruba for the remains of missing Alabama teenager Natalee Holloway leaves today
from the Port of Iberia.
The research vessel Persistence, owned by the Lafayette-based Silvetti
Group, will make the 10-day journey to the island. A 20- to 25-man crew will
spend at least two weeks surveying the sea floor for Holloway, who has been
missing since May 30, 2005.
Holloway, 18, was last seen leaving a bar with three men hours before she
was scheduled to fly home with high school classmates celebrating their
graduation. Last week, police re-arrested the three men, prompting her father to
re-launch the search in deep waters.
John Silvetti said his company became involved in the search after he was
contacted by Louis Schaefer, chairman of Superior Offshore International.
Schaefer had been approached by Texas Equusearch, a non-profit organization that
has been searching for Holloway for more than two years.
Schaefer asked Silvetti if he could provide the survey personnel and the
geophysical equipment required for the search. After spending a weekend with
Schaefer and Pam and Dave Holloway, Silvetti agreed.
“It ripped my heart out to hear them say that right now all they’re looking
for is to have a funeral in Alabama,” Silvetti said. “What do you say to someone
like that?”
Silvetti agreed to provide his equipment and primary survey vessel at well
below cost, with Schaefer covering all out-of-pocket expenses. Silvetti said his
staff volunteered its services for the project as well.
“They said ‘You don’t even have to pay me. I just want to help,’” Silvetti
said. “That just tells me we’ve got the right people on board.”
Marc Broussard, project manager for the Silvetti Group, said the company
normally performs surveys looking for oil rigs and downed helicopters. Now, it
will be using its high-resolution SONAR equipment to look for a body.
To upgrade its systems for the terrain in Aruba, Broussard said the
Silvetti Group looked to its vendors, two of which are based in New
Iberia.
Seatronics, located at the Port of Iberia, agreed to donate some of its
high-tech electronic equipment to scan the ocean floor.
“I told (Silvetti) any opportunity that we had to go in on such a good
cause, we would go in on it,” said Erik McGuire, vice president of Seatronics
Inc.“We’re more than happy to give the best effort possible to recover this girl
for her family.”
Pro Log Inc. also stepped forth to provide a command center building where
all of the surveying equipment will be stored. Like many people around the
country, Pro Log Human Resources Director Heidi Parker said she has been
following Holloway’s disappearance closely.
“We’re a family-owned business, so family is very important to us,” Parker
said. “Anything we can do to help this family out is something that we’re going
to do.”
After more than two years of searching, Texas Equusearch office manager
Cheryl Lawless said she is hoping the organization’s fifth trip to Aruba will be
its last. She said the venture would not be possible without the help of
Schaefer, Silvetti and the other local companies.
“Nothing is being done to gain name recognition. This is to help these
people,” Silvetti said. “Most of us have watched this on television, and I can
only imagine the horror any parent would go through searching for their child in
a foreign country.”

Next, an update on the suspects. From http://www.nbc13.com/gulfcoastwest/vtm/news.apx.-content-articles-VTM-2007-11-29-0014.html:

Detainment Hearing Scheduled For Holloway Suspects
Thursday, Nov 29, 2007 - 04:45 PM
By NBC 13 Staff
A hearing is scheduled for tomorrow in Aruba on whether
there is enough evidence to detain the Kalpoe brothers for another 8 days
otherwise they will be released tomorrow.
Prosecutors want the Kalpoe
brothers to have two separate legal teams so they can't coordinate
statements.
They also want to keep Joran Van Der Sloot isolated from his
family and any outside influence.
Defense attorneys for Van Der Sloot want
him to have fewer restrictions while in jail.
The three suspects were the
last people known to see 18-year-old Natalee Holloway alive before she vanished
May 30th, 2005.

(For more on the "restrictions on Joran van der Sloot, see http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/americas/11/27/holloway.arrest/.)

And finally, most places are reporting the "new evidence" as transcripts of tapped phone conversations. From http://www.wbko.com/news/headlines/11861796.html:

Lawyers For Man Arrested In Holloway Disappearance Disputes Evidence
Posted: 2:45 PM Nov 27, 2007
Last Updated: 5:08 PM Nov 27, 2007
Lawyers for one of the men arrested in the disappearance of a US teenager in Aruba, is disputing there's new evidence in the case.
Prosecutors have submitted what they say is new evidence to a judge to justify detaining the three men.
The attorneys say the evidence is not significant or new.
They accuse prosecutors of rehashing old evidence and they predict all three suspects will be released again.
"We found these new leads and re-investigated the old file we had. Then you have to
make a decision. Do you just want to cover up like some people in America think
we do? And say okay, everything is nice and quiet in Aruba, and we don't do
anything anymore? That was not our choice, we wanted to solve this case," stated
Helen Lejuez, Beth Twitty's Aruban attorney.
A case that's been a mystery on this island since May of 2005 when Natalee Holloway disappeared on her last night of vacation.
"Aruba has no secrets. This is the first secret I've ever seen on this island. And that's why I know there are people that know what's going on," added Lejuez.
But does that include Joran Van Der Sloot and the Kalpoe brothers, Satish and Deepak? The last known people to see Holloway alive?
Attorneys for Sateesh say the prosecution's only rehashing old evidence.
"They reorganize it and then put it on the table again and say it's new because we say it's new," stated David Kock, defense attorney.
The prosecution's evidence apparently includes recordings of cell phone conversations inside the Kalpoe's home.
Transcripts of those calls indicate Joran saying to Deepak, "You know what
happened to that girl."
Later, Joran added, "If you have done something bad to the girl, we will see."
Natalee Holloway was last seen leaving a bar with the men on May 30, 2005.

If you have any information on Natalee's whereabouts, please call the FBI tipline at 1-877-628-2533.

Natalee's website: http://www.allpointsbulletin.org/Natalee_Holloway.html

Photos of Natalee from her website.

Joey Offutt: Poster now available!

Joey's poster is now on the National Center for Missing Adults website:

Endangered Missing Adult
If you believe you have any information
regarding this case that will be helpful in this investigation please
contact:
Pennsylvania State Police DuBois Station at (814) 371-4652

Name: Joey Lynn Offutt
Classification: Endangered Missing Adult
Date of Birth: 1973-10-11
Date Missing: 2007-07-05
From City/State: Sykesville, PA
Missing From (Country): USA
Age at Time of Disappearance: 33
Gender: Female
Race: White
Height: 63 inches
Weight: 110 pounds
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Brown
Complexion: Light
Glasses/Contacts Description: Glasses with wire frames.
Identifying Characteristics: Pierced ears, noticeable speech impediment (Lisp)
Jewelry: Usually wears earrings, possibly wearing a ring on left ring finger.
Circumstances of Disappearance:
Unknown. On July 12, 2007 at approximately 4:00am, neighbors
awoke to a loud explosion at Joey's residence at 90 Dr. Fugate Dr. in
Sykesville, PA. During subsequent investigations, the remains of an infant were
found at the residence and may be those of Joey's six week old son. Fire
personnel believe the fire is suspicious. Joey was last seen at her residence on
July 4, 2007. Joey's vehicle, described as a red 1994 Saturn with VN lic#JXN8871
was possibly still at the residence for several days after the 4th and was
located abandoned on July 15, 2007 along Waupelani Dr. in State College, PA.
Investigative Agency: Pennsylvania State Police DuBois Station
Phone:(814) 371-4652
Alternate Phone: (814) 938-0510
Investigative Case #: C04-0911417
NCIC #: M-976743128

Joey's poster also includes a photo of her car and five more photos of her. You can print one out at http://www.theyaremissed.org/ncma/gallery/ncmaprofile_all.php?A200705513S.

As of today, Joey is also listed on the North American Persons Network (http://www.nampn.org/cases/offutt_joey.html). Her information is on there is based on her poster.

Joey's website: http://www.findjoey.org/

FOUND SAFE: Edjuan Jackson

Earlier (Nov. 2), I had posted that Edjuan Jackson's case had been "restricted", meaning he would probably be found in the near future. Well, according to the National Voice for Children (http://nvfc.us/content/view/4786/5/), he has been found!

Natalee Holloway: Kalpoe brothers hearing results; father will lead new search

There is also a hint about what the "new evidence" might be, but anonymous sources might not necessarily be trustworthy.
From http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5g03xmlbMM0BjGFGrLokyvroCO6FwD8T3J9CO3:

Detention Ordered for Holloway Suspects
By MARGARET WEVER – 58 minutes ago
ORANJESTAD, Aruba (AP) — A judge Friday ordered an extended detention of two
brothers held in the disappearance of Natalee Holloway after reviewing new
evidence in the case of the missing teenager.
Surinamese brothers Satish and
Deepak Kalpoe will be detained in separate jails for at least another eight days
while prosecutors continue to pursue the investigation. The brothers have been
held since Wednesday on suspicion of involvement in Holloway's death.
A third
suspect, Joran van der Sloot, was expected to arrive in Aruba on Friday, a day
after a judge in the Netherlands approved his arrest and transfer, the
prosecutor's office said.
Van der Sloot will appear before a judge on Monday,
Aruba's chief prosecutor Hans Mos told the Associated Press Friday.
All three
men were previously held as suspects in the case but released for lack of
evidence.
Holloway, of Mountain Brook, Ala., was last seen leaving a bar with
the three on May 30, 2005, hours before she was scheduled to board a plane home
with high school classmates celebrating their graduation on the Dutch Caribbean
island. She was 18 at the time.
A search by hundreds of volunteers, soldiers,
police and FBI agents — even Dutch air force planes — turned up no trace of her.
Her father, Dave Holloway, told The Associated Press on Thursday that he plans
to launch a new effort to find her remains off the island's coast, using private
boats.
Prosecutors said Wednesday that they had ordered the three men
re-arrested and disclosed that it had new evidence, although officials declined
to provide any details.
Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, citing anonymous
detectives in Aruba, reported Friday that the new evidence is derived from phone
taps of conversations between Van der Sloot and the Kalpoes from earlier this
year in which they contradict their earlier statements to police.
Attorney
David Kock, who represents the Kalpoe brothers, told an Aruba radio station
Thursday that the arrests were "an action of despair."
"There was no reason
for their arrest now," Kock said. "We will take all kinds of measures to give
our clients their freedom as soon as possible."

Alternative possibilities about the new evidence (excerpted from New York Daily News article from yesterday):

T.J. Ward Jr., a private investigator hired by the Holloway family, said the
break could have something to do with information he passed along to police in
Aruba and the FBI in Barbados two months ago.
Ward claimed on Fox News last
night that informants told him van der Sloot's father, Paulus, a judge in the
Netherlands, paid for a boat to have Holloway's body removed from the island.
"I told them, and I believed all along, that Paulus van der Sloot had
indirect or direct knowledge of the removal of Natalee Holloway's body or what
transpired with her to be removed from that island," Ward said.
Ward said
authorities assured him they would investigate his information.
Joran van
der Sloot's lawyer, New Yorker Joe Tacopina, said he was not aware of any new
evidence.
"It's frustrating that we're going through this again," Tacopina
said. "If there's new evidence and it's persuasive evidence, then we'll see what
it is."
Tacopina said it was his understanding that there might be new
evidence implicating only the Kalpoes.

MySpace page for Natalee: http://www.myspace.com/helpfindnatalee
One of several blogs about Natalee: http://blogsfornatalee.com

Santa Cruz's Jane Doe has a name!

Back in March 2006, I had posted on an unidentified young woman whose body was found in Greyhound Rock County Park in Santa Cruz County, California.
Now, the Doe Network (http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/identified.html) lists that she has been identified:

Fatima Raquel Fernandez
The victim was located on March 18, 2006 in Santa Cruz County, California.
She was identified in November 2007. On November 11, 2007, a San Bruno woman
reported her niece was missing and hadn't been seen or heard from since January
of 2006. Fernandez is an undocumented immigrant from Nicaragua, where her family
still lives. Using Fernandez's identification, and a fingerprint comparison from
her body, the sheriff's crime scene investigations unit identified Fernandez as
the woman found at Greyhound Rock. Her boyfriend confessed to her
homicide.

An article on this story can be read at http://www.mercurynews.com/centralcoast/ci_7508190?nclick_check=1.

Amanda and Daniel Funes found safe!

Their recovery notice is posted on http://fromwhisperstor.6.forumer.com/viewtopic.php?t=26343:

Dear Poster Partner:
Daniel Funes, Amanda Funes missing from Lehigh Acres, FL, 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.

Natalee Holloway: Three main suspects rearrested!

This is a very exciting development, especially since it seems like not much has happened with her case for a little while. It will be interesting to see what the "new evidence" is, if the public is ever allowed to know.

From http://www.news4jax.com/news/14663242/detail.html:

Holloway Suspects Arrested Again
U.S. Teen Vanished More Than Two Years Ago
POSTED: 4:15 pm EST
November 21, 2007
UPDATED: 7:46 pm EST November 21, 2007

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands -- Three men who were
previously detained as suspects in the May, 2005, disappearance of American
teenager Natalee Holloway have been re-arrested in the case, the Aruban public
prosecutor's office said Wednesday.
Dutch teen Joran van der Sloot and two
Surinamese brothers, Satish and Deepak Kalpoe have been arrested on suspicion of
involvement in manslaughter and causing serious bodily harm that caused the
death of the 18-year-old woman from Alabama, the prosecutor's office said in a
statement.
Van der Sloot was arrested in the Netherlands, where he is
attending university, and is expected to be extradited to Aruba. The Kalpoe
brothers were arrested on the Dutch Caribbean island.
Holloway disappeared
on May 30, 2005, hours before she was scheduled to fly home to Alabama after a
high school graduation trip to Aruba. She was last seen in public leaving a bar
with the three young men who now are again suspects in her disappearance.
All three young men previously have denied any role in Holloway's
disappearance. The brothers were expected to appear in an Aruban court on
Friday, when prosecutors planned to present new evidence to judge.
The three
were first arrested but then released in June 2005 because of insufficient
evidence.
The arrests follow nine months of new activity in the case. In
April, investigators from the Netherlands spent several days searching the home
of van der Sloot's family.
Then, in May, Dutch and Aruban investigators
visited the home where Deepak and Satish Kalpoe live with their parents.
Vinda de Sousa, an attorney Dave Holloway, Natalee's father, said she has
left a message for the family but has not talked to them and is not privy to the
new evidence.

MySpace page for Natalee: http://www.myspace.com/helpfindnatalee

One of several blogs about Natalee: http://blogsfornatalee.com

Ritzville, Washington, skull too old to be Sofia Juarez or Cody Haynes

I have sometimes heard that carbon-14 dating is not completely reliable, but still all I can think is, "Thank goodness!" Would age also explain why they could not obtain DNA?
Story from http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003996829_webbones06.html:

Tuesday, November 6, 2007 - Page updated at 08:26 AM
Skull found in field
near Ritzville is 600 to 770 years old
The Associated Press
RITZVILLE —
Pieces of a small skull that were found in a field south of town along U.S.
Highway 395 last year have been found to be 600 to 770 years old, Adams County
sheriff Douglas Barger says.
The results of FBI carbon dating ruled out any
link to two missing children in the region, Barger said Monday.
Three bone
fragments that were found on Oct. 12, 2006, after a backfire from a car started
a fire in a field south of Ritzville were quickly identified as pieces of the
skull of a child, but DNA testing was inconclusive.
No other bones or human
remains were found in an ensuing search.
Authorities hoped the remains might
shed some light on the disappearance of 11-year-old Cody Haynes of Kittitas in
September 2004 or 5-year-old Sofia Juarez of Kennewick in February
2003.
Richard Haynes, the missing boy's father, was under scrutiny from
authorities in Kittitas County. He reportedly told investigators he took a
meandering 250-mile drive — including the stretch of U.S. 395 where the bones
were found — in search of auto parts the night his son vanished. He said he
believed his son was a runaway.
The little girl disappeared after being given
$1 by her mother to buy candy at a convenience store.
The carbon-14 testing
made it clear that the skull pieces were from an American Indian, so steps are
being taken under federal law to return the bone fragments to tribal
authorities, Barger said.
The Washington state Department of Archaeology and
Historic Preservation also has been contacted, Undersheriff John W. Hunt said.

If you know anything about the disappearance of either of these children, please call the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678). For Cody, you can also call the Kittitas police at (509) 925-8534. For Sofia, you can also call the Kennewick police at either (509) 585-4208 or (509) 628-0333.

Cody's poster: http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PubCaseSearchServlet?act=viewPoster&caseNum=996768&orgPrefix=NCMC&searchLang=en_US
Cody's website: http://www.codyhaynes.org

Sofia's poster: http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PubCaseSearchServlet?act=viewPoster&caseNum=954908&orgPrefix=NCMC&searchLang=en_US
Sofia's website: http://www.geocities.com/thekarmaclub/sofia.html

William Majewski now missing 16 years, McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania

A month and a half ago, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review did a short story on William.
Article from http://pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/rss/s_529061.html:

McKees Rocks boy went fishing and never returned
By Jill King Greenwood
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Monday, September 24, 2007
Every Monday, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and local police publish details of unsolved cases. Anyone with information on today's case can call Allegheny County Police communications dispatch at 412-473-3000 or county homicide Lt. Christopher Kearns at 412-473-1253. Callers can remain anonymous. People with information also can visit the county police headquarters at 400 North Lexington Ave. in North Point Breeze.
William Majewski was 8 years old when he disappeared from a riverbank in McKees Rocks 15 years ago.
Police still have few clues about what happened to him.
On the afternoon of Nov. 9, 1991, the boy was playing in his Chartiers Avenue neighborhood before coming home for dinner about 4 p.m., Allegheny County police
Sgt. Andrew Schurman said. He left home again at 4:30 p.m., with his fishing gear in hand, Schurman said.
Majewski went fishing along Chartiers Creek, behind the parking lot of an Eat 'n Park restaurant along Chartiers Avenue, Schurman said. When William didn't return home at 6:30 as he'd promised, his mother became concerned and started looking for him, police said. His fishing gear was beside the creek, but the boy was nowhere to be found, Schurman said.
William's mother called police and a large search party was organized, Schurman said. Divers searched the river after police dogs indicated they detected William's scent on the riverbank, investigators said. Police conducted hundreds of interviews but were never able to identify a suspect or motive for William's disappearance.
Detectives have no evidence to suggest Majewski is alive or dead, police said. Other than the boy's fishing gear, there was no physical evidence found along the riverbank where William was last seen.
His mother no longer lives in the Pittsburgh area, Schurman said. William was one of five children.
Jill King Greenwood can be reached at jgreenwood@tribweb.com or 412-321-2160.

William's Charley Project profile (http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/m/majewski_william.html; source of above photo and age progression):

Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
Missing Since: November 9, 1991 from McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania
Classification: Non-Family Abduction
Date Of Birth: April 25, 1983
Age: 8 years old
Height and Weight: 4'1, 50 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian male. Sandy brown hair, blue eyes. Majewski had gaps between his teeth at the time of his disappearance. His nickname is Willie.
Clothing/Jewelry Description: A gray hooded sweatshirt, gray pants and black tennis shoes.

Details of Disappearance
Majewski's mother, Alice Stubenrauch, told authorities that she last saw her son at approximately 4:00 p.m. on November 9, 1991 as he left their residence in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania. Witnesses saw Majewski shortly afterwards walking to Chartiers Creek near the Ohio River with his fishing gear. His equipment was found later along the banks of the creek behind the Eat N'Park Restaurant, approximately 100 yards from a homeless persons' camp. Majewski's gear was undisturbed and there were no signs of a struggle at the scene.
Witnesses gave conflicting reports as to his movements the afternoon he disappeared. People reported seeing Majewski at the McKees Rocks Plaza; another person stated that the child was seen speaking to a "scruffy-looking man" in a nearby store. An additional witness said that Majewski was pulled into a burnt orange-painted Nova by an "unkempt man" that afternoon in McKees Rocks. The unidentified man and his vehicle have never been located.
Majewski's missing child's report was delayed by several hours on November 9 because
Studenrauch was playing bingo and did not realize her son had vanished until several hours after he was last seen. She later agreed to take a polygraph test, but moved away from the area before the exam could be conducted. Authorities have said that Studenrauch was uncooperative during their initial investigation into her son's case. Her whereabouts are currently unknown; she is not listed as a suspect in Majewski's disappearance.
Investigators are looking into the possibility that Majewski's case may be connected to a homeless man named Joseph Cornelius. Cornelius was arrested in late 2000 for the murder of Scott Drake, a young boy from the same Pennsylvania region as Majewski. Cornelius reportedly confessed to Drake's homicide, telling authorities that he killed the boy because Drake allegedly stole Corenlius' radio. Cornelius lived with Helen Arlott in 1991; Arlott was a good friend of Studenrauch's at that time. Arlott, who is now deceased, claimed that Studenrauch was a good mother during the 1991 investigation into Majewski's case.
It is not known if there is a connection between Cornelius and Majewski. Majewski's fishing equipment was located near a homeless camp that Cornelius was familiar with in 1991. The case is now being re-investigated. It is unlikely that Majewski died in an accident since his remains have never been located despite extensive searches conducted in the area.

Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
McKees Rocks Police Department
412-331-2300

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 William at http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PubCaseSearchServlet?act=viewPoster&caseNum=761273&orgPrefix=NCMC&searchLang=en_US.

For more about Joseph Cornelius and Scott Drake, see http://www.post-gazette.com/regionstate/20001005murder5.asp.

Yolanda Bindics: Funeral held

But as you can see below, it is still unknown who killed Yolanda.

From http://post-journal.com/news/articles.asp?articleID=21579:

Bindics Remembered; Family Still Searching For Answers
By Nicholas L. Dean ndean@post-journal.com
Comfort, Not Closure
The family of Yolanda Bindics exits the Hubert Funeral Home on Thursday. A
Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated in Buffalo on Saturday, followed by
a graveside service and burial in Lackawanna. P-J photo by Nicholas L. Dean
11/9/2007 - Calling hours Thursday brought comfort, but not closure for
the family of Yolanda Bindics.
Held at Hubert Funeral Home in the city of Jamestown, people from
throughout Western New York paid their respects to the mother of four as
relatives remembered everything from her smile to her My Little Pony
dolls.
‘‘It brings me some peace,’’ said Patricia Bindics, Yolanda’s mother.
‘‘There’s anxiety about the circumstances, but now we can start to heal and hope
that something will come up. It’s more of a legal closure than anything
else.’’
Calling ‘‘closure’’ a word she and her family do not like to use, Anne
Bindics Chmielewski, Yolanda’s sister, said real closure will only begin when
the person responsible for Yolanda’s death is in jail.
‘‘This might begin the closure process, but she was taken in an inhumane
manner at a very untimely time,’’ Ms. Chmielewski said. ‘‘Laying her to rest
gives us comfort. It brings us comfort in knowing that we can at least pay our
respects to our sister and daughter and mother.’’
More than three years since Bindics was last seen alive and more than a
year since the Jamestown resident’s remains were discovered by hunters in
Charlotte last September, the funeral for and burial of Yolanda Bindics have
truly been a long time coming.
‘‘Within the past couple of weeks we had word, an idea that we could plan
it,’’ Ms. Chmielewski said. ‘‘And really, again, it’s mixed emotions — the same
as when she was found. We didn’t want to hear she was found in that way, but
we’re hoping to hear something significant very soon.’’
In addition to her parents and daughters, Katelyn, 11, Courtney, 8,
Allison, 5, and Emily, 4, Bindics is survived by four brothers, Sandor ‘‘Alex’’
Bindics, Imre ‘‘James’’ (Laura) Bindics, John (April) Bindics and Frank Bindics
as well as six sisters, Lisa (Michael) Shaut, Margaret Bindics Ostrom, Rose
Bindics, Tricia Bindics, Anne Bindics Chmielewski and Christine Bindics. She is
also survived by 21 nieces and nephews.
According to Ms. Chmielewski, even though some of Bindics’ four daughters
are still young, they are very much aware of what happened to their
mother.
‘‘They’re just so carefree and like children that being around the family
brings a lot of smiles, because that’s just the way we are,’’ Ms. Chmielewski
said. ‘‘But deep-down, it’s extremely painful. You can see it in their faces and
sometimes in their eyes. They have their moments when they cry.’’
As Bindics’ relatives are originally from Buffalo, Ms. Chmielewski said
it’s only fitting that Yolanda be with family — which is why a graveside service
and burial will be held at Holy Cross Cemetery in Lakawanna on Saturday. A Mass
of Christian Burial will be celebrated prior to the burial at 10 a.m. Saturday
in St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Buffalo. According to Ms. Chmielewski, the
family is aware and alright with the fact that police have taken precautions to
preserve Bindics’ remains, should they ever need to access them for further
forensic testing.
‘‘Whatever they need to do to put this person in jail for the rest of their
life is okay with us,’’ Ms. Chmielewski said. ‘‘Something has got to be eating
somebody up. There is still a reward and it is anonymous. We just want to put
that information back out there and to thank everybody for the support so far.
The support has been huge.’’

If you know anything about the murder of Yolanda Bindics, please call the Jamestown FBI at (716) 484-7085, the Jamestown police at (716) 483-TIPS, or Crimestoppers at (716) 856-5600.

Yolanda's website: http://www.findyolanda.com/
Guestbook for messages to Yolanda's family: http://pub6.bravenet.com/guestbook/439251513/
Yolanda's forum: http://findyolanda.conforums3.com/

Patrick Kenney: Suspect's hearing

This does not make it look good for Patrick; the chances of him still being alive now seem pretty slim. Of course, "slim" does not mean "none", as they have yet to find a body.
From http://www.yoursouthhills.com/southhillsrecord/article/witnesses-give-detailed-accounts-sedlaks-involvement:

Witnesses give detailed accounts of Sedlak's involvement
by John Santa
Staff Writer
November 8, 2007
Several family members of missing Jefferson Hills man Patrick Kenney banded together to hear the gruesome details surrounding the disappearance and alleged murder of their loved one last Friday.
Bryan Sedlak, 35, formerly of Greenfield, had charges of criminal homicide and abuse
of a corpse held for court after a preliminary hearing in Pittsburgh Municipal Court.
District attorneys Lisa Pellegrini and William Becker called five
subpoenaed witnesses to testify before District Judge Dennis Joyce.
Sedlak,clad in a red county jail jumpsuit, stood with defense attorneys Paul Boas and
Lisa Middleman during the more than fours hour of testimony. He never spoke, but
Sedlak did provide written notes to Middleman throughout the proceedings.
Testimony began with James Kenney, who told of his son's struggles with his
employment and addiction to cocaine.
Patrick Kenney was fired from his job as a union steamfitter and received $6,800 as a settlement from his pension fund in February 2005.
Further details were provided from witnesses ranging from Patrick Kenney's childhood friend John Kirk, 25, of Pleasant Hills, and Allegheny County homicide detective Scott Scherer to Richard Roscoe, 48, of Greentree, who identifed himself as Kenney's drug dealer.
Roscoe witnessed Kenney and a man he referred to as "Bryan" together during a drug transaction, which occurred in the parking lot of the Baltimore House in Pleasant Hills. Roscoe was unable to identify Sedlak as Kenney's friend he referred to as
Bryan.
Robert Hoover, 29, who described himself as a "close friend" of Sedlak's for many years before February 2005, said on two separate occasions he saw a body in Sedlak's tanning salon, which Sedlak referred to as "Patrick."
Sedlak initially approached Hoover about helping to dispose of the body at Cheryl's Hideaway, a Whitaker bar, on the night of Feb. 2, 2005.
"(Sedlak was) wired out of his mind," Hoover said. "He was on drugs. He
said somebody was dead in his shop."
Hoover said he observed a body in a back room of the salon, which at the time was being renovated. Hoover had never met Kenney before and was unable to identify if the body was male or female, he said.
"I really couldn't tell because of the darkness," Hoover said. "(There was) a puddle of blood on the floor, blood down the wall."
Sedlak approached Hoover and other members of his family to help him dispose of the body in his tanning salon. During a telephone conversation with Hoover's estranged mother, Hoover asked if Sedlak could borrow her generator and saw to cut up the body,
Hoover said.
Hoover's mother did not allow Sedlak or her son access to the tools, Hoover said.
Patrick Kenney disappeared from his Jefferson Hills Home on Feb. 1, 2005. His parents, James and Ellen Kenney, reported him missing to police on Feb. 15., after they tried to contact friends and acquaintances of Patrick, James Kenney said.
There was no activity on Kenney's bank account after Feb. 1.
Also on Feb. 15, Kenney's white 1999 Cadillac Escalade was found after a citation was issued to the vehicle, which was parked along McCaslin Street in Greenfield directly adjacent to McGee Field.
Kenney's body has yet to be found.
In October 2003, Sedlak was charged with several drug related offenses, and in April 2007, he was charged with aggravated assault and harrasment, Allegheny Cou-nty Court of Common Pleas documents said.
Sedlak was serving jail time on the aggravated assault and harrasment charges when he
was arrested in connection with the Kenney case, court documents said. Sedlak will be arraigned on Dec. 17, at 9 a.m.
As for the struggle surrounding the case, the Kenney family has found relief, for now.
"It rips me apart everyday," James Kenney said. "I'm glad it's over."
"We're very happy that this is going to trial and we look forward to justice being done," J.P. Kenney, Patrick's brother, added.

If you have any information about what happened to Patrick Kenney, please call the Allegheny County Police Department at (412) 473-3000.

Photo of Patrick from the Charley Project (http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/k/kenney_patrick.html).

Billy Smolinski: mother continues activism, Music for the Missing

From http://www.courant.com/news/local/hc-rgreen1026.artoct26,0,3252737.story:

She's On A Mission For The Missing
October 26, 2007
You know those
sad stories about missing persons and mothers and fathers who can't stop talking
about sons or daughters who have vanished?
I listen, change the channel, and move on. Don't you?
And that, said Janice Smolinski - the mother of a missing Waterbury man -
is the problem. People, police included, don't take these cases seriously
enough.
It's too easy to think of them in Hawaii or just hiding out, fleeing
a life gone sour. As a result precious time is wasted, evidence is lost and
connections are missed.
Janice's son Billy disappeared on Aug. 24, 2004. It took weeks before
police treated Billy Smolinski as anything more than a routine case of
young-guy-feeling-his-oats. Fingerprints weren't taken, DNA samples were lost or
misplaced.
Janice Smolinski believes Billy, 31 when he vanished, is almost certainly
dead. There have been no arrests. Critical information about him still has not
been entered into nationwide law enforcement computer databases.
"I've learned that our system is much less organized," said Smolinski,
whose burning intensity is there in her small dark eyes that keep staring back
at me, unblinking. She is a mother who won't forget, who has taken on a cause
larger than her own loss.
"You have to question everything," Smolinski told me.
Would you believe that the real world isn't like an episode of "CSI?" You
can't punch up a computer file and find the answer.
There are more than 100,000 missing persons cases across the country and
about 40,000 unidentified bodies out there. A federally funded national database
that matches DNA of the missing and the found bodies has but a few thousand
participants.
The truth is that investigators often never collect DNA of relatives of the
missing and from the thousands of bodies that turn up.
Fingerprints, dental records and other important "markers" also could be
entered into another national database.
"Most of it is not getting entered. It's just a matter of participation and
understanding," said William Hagmaier, executive director of the International
Homicide Investigators Association. "Those databases can solve a whole lot of
problems."
Responding - a little - to Smolinski, state legislators passed a lukewarm
law this year that sets guidelines for police investigators to follow when a
missing person report comes in.
"It won't be mandated. It will be recommended," said state Rep. Vickie
Nardello, whose district includes Janice Smolinski's hometown of Cheshire.
"There is agreement that clearly we need change."
Smolinski and others such as George Adams, who runs the University of North
Texas Center for Human Identification, say police must be required to take
part.
Adams' program collects the DNA data and enters it into the national
database. It is woefully underutilized, even though the federal government pays
for everything down to the swab kits used to collect DNA samples.
"This is simple and practical and it doesn't cost anything," Adams
said.
Smolinski, meanwhile, keeps up her campaign, meeting with politicians and
activists and connecting to a national network of families of missing
persons.
It won't bring Billy back, but it could bring changes that lead to the
arrest of violent criminals.
"Good has to come out of bad here," Smolinski vowed. "I can't sit back and
watch this happen. I'm just going to keep on pushing until something
happens."
Rick Green's column appears on Tuesdays and Fridays. He can be reached at rgreen@courant.com.

From http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/11/01/music_for_the_missing/:

Music for the missing
Jodi Griffith will perform tonight at the Beachcomber
in Quincy. (Ken Burg)
By Emily Sweeney, Globe Staff November 1,
2007
Two local singer-songwriters - Jodi Griffith of Weymouth and Grace
Morrison of Wareham - will perform tonight at the Beachcomber in Quincy as part
of the Squeaky Wheel Tour, a national concert series that raises awareness about
missing people.
During the show, they will ask attendees to post fliers in
their communities to help find three New Englanders.
One is from Quincy: a
14-year-old girl named Soomaiiah Quraiishi. She was last seen on April 13, 2001.
According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, authorities
believe she was abducted by a family member and taken overseas, perhaps to
Lebanon, Syria, or Pakistan.
The Squeaky Wheel Tour is an annual event that
was founded in 2001 by Jannel Rap, a singer-songwriter from southern California.
The concert series and website (411gina.org) were established in honor of her sister, Gina Bos,
who vanished on Oct. 17, 2000.
Griffith got involved in the Squeaky Wheel
Tour about a month ago, after she received an e-mail from Rap.
"I jumped at
the opportunity because this is one of my goals in life, to help people with my
music," said Griffith.
The other two missing people who will be highlighted
at tonight's concert are William Paul Smolinski Jr. and Mary Edna Badaracco -
both from Connecticut.
Smolinski was 31 when he disappeared on Aug. 24, 2004.
He was last seen at his home on Holly Street in Waterbury, Conn., and his
personal belongings were left behind at his home. He was never seen
again.
Badaracco was 38 when she disappeared on Aug. 20, 1984. She would now
be 61. She was last seen at her home in Sherman, Conn., and her husband reported
her missing when he returned home from work. Her car was still at the house, its
windshield smashed. A $50,000 reward is being offered for information leading to
the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for Badaracco's
disappearance.
Griffith has been posting fliers about the coming show and
missing person posters at businesses and schools in Quincy and Weymouth. "When I
was handing out fliers, there were a lot of people concerned about the people
who are missing," she said.
She's hoping tonight's show will generate more
buzz around these three missing people, and uncover information that can help
investigators locate them. "I've gotten a lot of feedback," she said. "I think
it will generate some response."
The show is free and starts 9 p.m. The
Beachcomber is at 797 Quincy Shore Drive, in Quincy. For more information, visit 411gina.org.
Anyone with
information about Quraiishi should contact the National Center for Missing and
Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST or the Quincy Police Department at
617-479-1212.
Emily Sweeney can be reached at esweeney@globe.com.

If you know anything about the disappearance of William Smolinski, please call the New Haven FBI at (203) 777-6311. You can also email tips to info@justice4billy.com or "snail mail" them to
P.O. Box 123, Cheshire, CT 06410.
Billy's website: http://www.justice4billy.com/
You can download and print a poster of Billy at http://www.justice4billy.com/Billy_with_Harley_2006_2007.pdf, or print one from http://www.theyaremissed.org/ncma/gallery/ncmaprofile_all.php?A200402022S if you do not have PDF capabilities.

Photo of Billy from his NCMA poster.

Joey Offutt: Story on America's Most Wanted website, house to be sold

Apparently, Joey's story has not been on the actual show yet, just on the website. Anyway, hopefully the additional attention will help police find out what happened to Joey.
From http://www.amw.com/missing_persons/case.cfm?id=48408:

Adding Fuel To The Fire
Joey was a loving and trusting person who police
believe may have met with foul play.
Joey Lynn Offutt's family members
describe her as a loving and trusting person. She doesn't believe that
there are bad people in the world, and she is willing to give anyone
the benefit of the doubt.
But now it appears that Joey's trusting personality
might have gotten her into trouble. In the early morning hours of July 12, 2007,
fire fighters and state police responded to a house fire in Sykesville,
Penn. But after the flames were finally extinguished, police say they found a
lot more than smoke and fire damage.
Police say that once they were able to
inspect the inside of the damaged home, they found the burned remains of an
infant. What they didn't find was any sign of Joey Offutt, the
owner of the house. When police investigated further, they found that not
only was Joey missing from her home after the fire, but that nobody had seen or
heard from her for several days before the fire took place.
Detectives
thought they might have found a good clue when Joey's car was
recovered.
Putting The Pieces Together
Police believe that the fire that
destroyed most of Joey's home was the work of an arsonist. After determining
that nobody had seen Joey for several days before the fire took place, police
say there is reason to believe Joey met with foul play. The circumstances
surrounding her disappearance are considered suspicious.
Although her ID and
her purse were recovered from within the rubble of the house after the
fire, Joey's car was missing. Detectives thought they might have found a good
clue when Joey's car was discovered four days later.
Joey's red 1994 Saturn
coupe was found in State College, Penn., parked on the street outside an
apartment complex where Joey had recently lived. Unfortunately, nobody that
lived at the apartment complex had seen Joey recently, and therefore couldn't
provide police with any additional information.
A Trusting Individual
Joey's sister describes her as very smart, loving person. She told
AMW that Joey loved her two children very much and never would have left them.
But, Joey is also a very trusting person, and it is possible that she fell in
with the wrong group of people.
Joey enjoyed attending church, and believed
that God was always the answer. Her sister does not think it is possible Joey
was using drugs or involved in anything illegal, but that maybe she had become
too trusting of someone she had recently met.

America's Most Wanted's description of Joey (http://www.amw.com/missing_persons/look_for.cfm?id=48408):

Sex Female
Race White
Age at Disappearance 33
Age Now 34
Height 5'3"
Weight 110 lbs.
Hair (Color, Description, Facial Hair) Brown
Joey may change the length of her hair.
Eyes (Color and Correction) Brown
Glasses

According to family members, Joey had a tendency to
meet people on the Internet, and then make contact with them in person. She was
very trusting of new people, and chose to see the good in each person.
Joey's red 1994 Saturn coupe was located near the
Nittany Gardens Apartments in State College, Penn., four days after Joey's house
burned down. Joey used to live in this apartment complex, but nobody that lived
there had seen her recently.

Last Seen Sykesville, PA
Joey has not been seen since her house burned down
on July 12, 2007. The situation is even stranger because no one had seen Joey
for several days before her house was set on fire.
Other Possible Locations Pennsylvania
Last Known Locations Sykesville, PA

Joey also made the news a bit more recently; however she still has not been found. From
http://www.wjactv.com/news/14354350/detail.html:

House of Missing Jefferson County Woman To Be Sold
POSTED: 5:19 pm EDT October 16, 2007
UPDATED: 5:37 pm EDT October 16, 2007

SYKESVILLE, Pa. -- Three months ago, Joey Lynn Offutt
disappeared after a fire destroyed her Sykesville home.
As police
investigated the fire, they found the body of a baby.
The baby has never
been identified, and Offutt has never been located.
Now, Offutt's family is
taking steps to tear down her damaged home.
Offutt's mother is selling the
house to the Holy Trinity Byzantine Catholic Church, located across the street.
The church will use the property as a parking lot.

If you know anything about Joey's disappearance, please call the Pennsylvania state police at (814) 371-4652 or Pennsylvania CrimeStoppers at 1-800-4PA-TIPS. There is a $2,000 reward for information.
Joey's website: http://www.findjoey.org

More photos of Joey with various hairstyles can be seen at http://www.psp.state.pa.us/psp/cwp/view.asp?a=11&q=176305.

"Restricted": Edjuan Jackson and Natale Coaston (Update: Natale found)

Update: (Nov. 2, 2007) Perhaps I ought to have searched Natale's name, too! A few minutes after finishing this post I see on his From Whispers to Roars thread that he has been found!

Update 2: (Nov. 29, 2007) Edjuan has also been found safe.

From http://groups.yahoo.com/group/4thekids/message/4675 (reprint of notice from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children):

Edjuan Jackson missing from Kankakee, IL, has been restricted. Please
discontinue dissemination of this poster.

(I had wondered about Edjuan's status because his picture has disappeared from my earlier post on him. This sometimes is a sign that people have been recovered.)
Interestingly enough, listed right above that was:

Natale Coaston missing from Pittsburgh, PA, has been restricted. Please
discontinue dissemination of this poster.

I had never posted about Natale before, but his name has been on the index of my blog for quite a while. A few days ago I had also seen a restriction notice for Natale on the From Whispers to Roars board.
As I understand it, "restricted" sometimes means that a person could be found soon. Here's hoping! (However, I have also seen where someone was restricted, then later back on the NCMEC website without being found. I think, though, that that person was eventually found.)

Drevon Randolph found safe!

While viewing old posts on this blog, I noticed that Drevon's picture had disappeared. If the picture is directly from the NCMEC website (like his was), this sometimes can be a sign that someone has been recovered. So I did a Google search on his name and sure enough:

Drevon Randolph missing from Pittsburgh, PA, has been recovered. Please
discontinue dissemination of this poster. Your participation in this program has
made a valuable contribution to this recovery.

The above is from a copy of a list of NCMEC notices posted on a message board at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/4thekids/message/4719. The post was dated October 26.
In a previous message from October 24, he was listed as "restricted".

Alyssa Gonzalez found safe!

One of the readers of this blog was gracious enough to inform me that Alyssa Gonzalez, who went missing from Pennsylvania in July, has been found safe. The comment was as follows (the original will disappear after the old post is deleted):

alyssa gonzalez was found in ny with her boyfriend. they're going 2 get married
and she's expecting a baby :).btw...she didn't run away, her mom kick her out!!!

Alyssa's case has been removed from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children website, so that seems to be proof of her recovery. The rest of the details, however, seem to be unavailable anywhere else.