Monday, May 28, 2007

Damien Sharp now missing 5 years, Warren, Pennsylvania

I first heard of Damien Mark Sharp through another missing person. There had been an article on Yolanda Bindics of Jamestown, New York (since found deceased, though her murder still seems to be unsolved); Damien; and another missing woman from New York named Lori Bova.
Here is the portion of the article on Damien. The article was originally published June 13, 2006.


But the rally was also meant to remember two others who disappeared without
a trace — Damien Sharp of Warren and Lori Bova of Lakewood.
‘‘We have this club that we don’t want anyone else to join,’’ said Janeane
Shanahan, Damien’s mother, as she stood beside her husband, Paul; Jim and Sue
Ceci, Ms. Bova’s parents; and Ms. Bindics.
Damien Sharp
Damien was last seen in Warren during Memorial Day Weekend in 2002 at the
age of 22. For Mr. and Mrs. Shanahan, May 25 marked the fourth anniversary of
his disappearance. Since he was living on his own, family members didn’t know he
was missing until more than a week had passed, reporting it to police on June 3.
In the wake of his disappearance, police searched areas of the Allegheny
Reservoir, the Allegheney National Forest and Morrison Run in the Warren
vicinity, but no evidence ever turned up.
Mr. and Mrs. Shanahan have in many ways been discouraged with the
investigation. Mr. Shanahan feels other agencies could have been more involved,
and both agree they could have been provided with more information.
‘‘There was a lot of conversation in the first couple months. Then it was
mostly us chasing them,’’ Mr. Shanahan said. ‘‘We have some frustrations with
how things have been handled.’’
‘‘(The case) needs a new perspective,’’ he added.
It wasn’t until March 2003 that the Warren City Police Department
reclassified the case as a criminal investigation rather than a simple missing
persons investigation. Under Pennsylvania law, the change allowed police broader
powers in their search.
‘‘Now we can consider him a victim. He no longer has the right to be
missing. Primarily we are starting from scratch,’’ Warren Police Chief Richard
Poorman told members of the press at the time.
In contrast, Mrs. Shanahan was impressed with the way the Jamestown Police
Department is handling the Bindics case, especially with the support they’ve
given Ms. Bindics’ family.
‘‘I look around here and see officials who came out for this. I think it’s
wonderful,’’ she said, pointing across the parking lot where several ranking
members of the Jamestown Police Department stood conversing with the crowd.


Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
Missing Since: May 25, 2002
from Warren, Pennsylvania
Classification: Endangered Missing
Date of
Birth: August 6, 1979
Age: 22 years old
Height and Weight: 5'7, 170
pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian male. Blond hair,
blue/hazel eyes. Sharp has an ankh tattooed on his chest.
Clothing/Jewelry
Description: A dark-colored shirt and shorts.
Medical Conditions: Sharp's
ankle was injured at the time of his disappearance and he was on aluminum
crutches as a result.

Details of Disappearance
Sharp was last seen
when he was reportedly dropped off at a Memorial Day weekend party in Warren,
Pennsylvania on May 25, 2002. He was carrying a bookbag at the time of his
disappearance. He has never been heard from again. In March 2003, the
investigation into his disappearance was reclassified as a homicide, but few
details are available in his case and little evidence has been located to
determine his fate.

Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Warren Police Department
814-723-2700
You can also call Crimestoppers at 1-800-832-7469.
I haven't found an actual poster of Damien, but his Charley Project profile is probably concise enough to use.

Photo of Damien from the Charley Project.

Sandra Baker now missing 7 years, Delaware Township, Mercer County, Pennsylvania

The good news is that Sandra K. Baker is obviously not forgotten, not even by area media.


Published May 24, 2007 08:35 pm - Sandra Kay Baker went missing seven years
ago today, but her best friend Linda Henry hasn’t given up hope that the case of
her disappearance will be solved.
Friend of Baker marks 7th year of disappearance
By Monica Pryts
Herald Staff Writer
DELAWARE TOWNSHIP —
Sandra Kay Baker went missing seven years ago
today, but her best friend Linda Henry hasn’t given up hope that the case of her
disappearance will be solved.
“Every year when it’s unresolved it gets
harder, but I try to do positive things,” said Mrs. Henry of
Greenville.
Today she plans to think of the good times she spent with her
friend and hang new posters in the Greenville area that show Ms. Baker’s smiling
face and list information about her disappearance.
“I’m still trying to keep
it in the public eye,” she said, adding she thinks about Ms. Baker every
day.
Ms. Baker, who was 46 and lived in Delaware Township went she went
missing May 25, 2000, is presumed dead, state police said. Her fiancé, William
T. Crea Jr., whom she used to live with in his parents’ home, has been named a
suspect in her disappearance. Crea, who now lives in Ellwood City, hasn’t been
charged.
In January 2006, Clifford Stephen Aley Jr., 49, a private
investigator from Ambridge who performed a background check on Ms. Baker for
Crea, was found guilty of lying to police about her disappearance.
Aley was
sentenced in March 2006 to 18 to 48 months in prison and is serving in
Frackville. Aley appealed the conviction but it was denied in February in state
Superior Court. He’s also serving a 4-to-12-months sentence for threatening
Mercer County Sheriff’s deputies and Mercer County Jail guards.
While Aley
was on trial, he testified that on May 28, 2000, Crea told him he strangled Ms.
Baker May 25 after accusing her of having an affair. Crea told Aley he buried
her body in a container where no one would trip over it, about five to eight
miles from his parents’ home at 62 Folk Road, Delaware Township. Police have
searched that area but found nothing.
Aley admitted he lied to police about
Ms. Baker’s disappearance because Crea told him he would have Aley’s children
killed if he told police Crea confessed to killing Ms. Baker.
Mrs. Henry said
she believes Ms. Baker is dead and there may be someone out there who knows more
about her disappearance. She urges anyone with information to come
forward.
“Fear keeps them from coming forward. Realize even if you’re afraid,
that to think of the fact if you had a loved one missing, wouldn’t you want
someone to come forward and help you?” Mrs. Henry asked.
Police said Crea
reported Ms. Baker missing May 31, 2000, and that he last saw her May 25 at the
Sheetz in Pymatuning Township.

If you happen to be someone who has any additional information on the disappearance of Sandra Baker, please call the Pennsylvania State Police at (724) 662-4200 or (724) 662-6162.

Thursday, May 24, 2007

Brooke Wilberger now missing 3 years, Corvallis, Oregon


Third Anniversary Of Wilberger Disappearance
CORVALLIS, Ore. - May 24 marks
the third-year anniversary of the disappearance of 19-year-old Brooke
Wilberger.
The Brigham Young University student disappeared from a Corvallis
apartment complex her sister managed near Oregon State. Her body is yet to be
found.
The man police believe abducted and killed the teenager awaits trial
on other charges in New Mexico. Joel Courtney has been held in New Mexico on
charges of kidnapping and raping a University of New Mexico student in November
2004.
That trial is expected in September after which Courtney will be
extradited to Oregon.
5/24/2007

Another interesting tidbit comes from http://www.katu.com/news/local/7658602.html:


2 Exclusive: Wilberger witness talks to KATU
Story Published:
May 23, 2007 at 7:07 PM PDT
Story Updated: May 24, 2007 at 4:07 PM PDT
By Dan Tilkin and KATU Web Staff
CORVALLIS, Ore. - Although Nate McKelvey did not see Brooke Wilberger the day she disappeared, he heard the scream that investigators believe was the last anyone would hear of her. It would prove to be a key piece of information. Brooke Wilberger disappeared on May 24, 2004 from outside the Oak Park Apartments in Corvallis.All that was left behind was her flip flop shoes, her purse and her cell phone.
Nate McKelvey was there that day. When he woke up the morning of May 24, 2004, his wits were clouded by a night of partying and then the scream came.
"It was somewhat blood curdling," he said. "I would say, like a fan scream like at a
concert (McKelvey makes a scream sound here) and then it just got cut short."
McKelvey said he looked out the window, but in the wrong direction.
"It definitely caused a shiver in my spine and I looked through the parking lot," he
said. "But of the 400 cars in the parking lot, I (only) see two people walking
back and forth. I'm scanning. I'm scanning and eventually nothing, so I walk out
to the front door."
McKelvey did not see the green minivan that police would
spend months searching for. In fact, McKelvey saw nothing and thought nothing of
it until the story of Wilberger's disappearance hit the news and investigators
started talking to him.
Detectives would base the time of Wilberger's
abduction on McKelvey's memory of when he heard that scream - 9 a.m. on May 24,
2004.
It was not until 14 months later that Joel Courtney would be arrested
in New Mexico for attacking a college student. He would also be accused of
kidnapping Brooke Wilberger and killing her, although her body has never been
found.
"It's hard," said McKelvey. "It's tough because you want to be the
guy who did the good thing, did the good deed that day and helped somebody stay
safe. It kind of haunts you a little bit when you know you were there, (when you
know) you could have been that deciding factor."
Joel Courtney is accused of
trying to kidnap, rape and murder two other women the same morning that
Wilberger disappeared. Public records show at least one of those women lived
just blocks from where Wilberger was abducted.
(Obviously, Nate McKelvey is the one on the left and Brooke Wilberger is the one on the right.)
If you know anything about Brooke's whereabouts, please call the Corvallis Police Department at 1-877-367-2270, email tips@findbrooke.com, or go to http://www.findbrooke.com/submittip.html.
Brooke's website: http://www.findbrooke.com

Friday, May 11, 2007

Jeanne Scrima now missing 27 years, Erie, Pennsylvania

Note: Am currently having problems with blockquote featured, so quoted information appears in purple text between dotted lines.
(Jeanne Marie Scrima was living near Knox, New York, when she disappeared, but she was last confirmed to be in Erie, Pennsylvania.)
Photo and information from the Charley Project:
--------------------------------
Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
Missing Since: March 19, 1980 from Knox, New York
Classification: Endangered Missing
Date Of Birth: October 15, 1935
Age: 44 years old
Height and Weight: 5'3, 118 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian female. Dark brown hair, hazel eyes.
Clothing/Jewelry Description: A gold heart-shaped cocktail ring with diamonds on the outside.

Details of Disappearance
Jeanne resided in a farmhouse near Knox-Gallupville Road in Knox, New York. She met her second husband, John Scrima, while she was employed as a restaurant in the New York City borough of the Bronx. Their marriage was troubled by February 1980 and Jeanne planned to file for divorce. She met John Sidney around the same time and the two began having an affair. Sidney's marriage was ending and Jeanne told him that she was divorced from her husband. Sidney resided in Schoharie County, New York and was employed as a General Electric plant designer in Schenectady, New York.
Jeanne and Sidney drove to Erie, Pennsylvania on March 17, 1980. They stayed at the Hilton hotel while Sidney attended to company business. Jeanne told John that she was visiting loved ones in the area. She learned that her husband realized she was having an affair during a phone conversation with her sister on March 18. Jeanne told Sidney that she was still married and needed to return to Knox the following morning. She promised her four children that she would be home by the time they returned from school in the afternoon.
Jeanne departed from Erie during the morning hours of March 19. She was driving her light blue 1977 Lincoln Continental at the time. The car had New York license plates numbered 458LXS. Authorities believe that she arrived at her family's residence in the early afternoon, but her whereabouts after that time period are unknown. Jeanne has never been heard from again.
John failed to report his wife's disappearance to authorities. Her attorney filed a missing person's report after he was unable to contact her by May 4, 1980. Sidney cooperated with the investigation and was eliminated as a possible suspect after passing a polygraph exam. John refused to speak with authorities and retained a lawyer shortly after Jeanne's disappearance was reported. He sold the family's farmhouse and relocated to Esperance, New York in 1981.
Jeanne's vehicle was spotted in Fultonville, New York several weeks after she was reported missing. Investigators determined that the car passed through several owners in Ohio before it was discovered abandoned in Michigan on October 5, 1980. No evidence related to Jeanne's case was found inside the vehicle.
Authorities said that Jeanne told John about her plans to open a restaurant in Ducenesburg, New York with the money she would receive from the sale of their property after their divorce. Investigators said that they wanted to question John about his wife's case, but all attempts have been unsuccessful. There have not been any arrests in connection with Jeanne's disappearance, which remains unsolved. Foul play is suspected in her case.

Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
New York State Police
Troop G
New Scotland Station
518-768-8162
OR
518-477-9333
----------------
You can also submit tips online by emailing crimetip@troopers.state.ny.us.
I have yet to find an actual poster of Jeanne, but her New York State Police page seems concise enough for that function. You can print it off at http://www.troopers.state.ny.us/Wanted_and_Missing/Missing/view.cfm?ID=227160bb-5ee9-4db2-a5b7-a073a35d5370

Thursday, May 10, 2007

Porschette Evans now missing 3 years, Washington, D.C.

Information and photo from http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/e/evans_porschette.html:
Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
Missing Since: May 10, 2004
from Washington, D. C.
Classification: Endangered Missing
Date Of Birth:
February 12, 1981
Age: 23 years old
Height and Weight: 5'5, 115 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: African-American female. Brown hair, brown
eyes. Evans has pierced ears and may wear her hair in braids. Her nickname is
Porcia. She may be missing some of her teeth and she wears metal orthodontic
braces. Evans has a dark-colored oval birthmark on her outer right thigh, scars
on her chest from a breathing machine, a three-inch surgical scar on her neck,
and a three-quarter inch surgical scar on her left calf.
Clothing/Jewelry
Description: A gold necklace with a Lady of Guadalupe pendant, a black Timex
watch with a wide band on her left wrist, a gold Lee High School class ring set
with a garnet on her left hand, a heart-shaped ring on left pinky, small gold
hoop earrings, and possibly N.Y. jeans, a t-shirt, and gray Skechers sneakers.
Medical Conditions: Evans has an unspecified medical condition. She is also
deaf and mute.

Details of Disappearance
Evans was last seen at
approximately 4:00 p.m. on May 10, 2004 at Gallaudet University in the vicinity
of the 800 block of Florida Avenue northeast in Washington, D. C. She may have
been carrying a yellow and blue backpack with wheels at the time of her
disappearance. Evans has never been heard from again. Few details are available
in her case. Her family believes she may be homeless.

Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Metropolitan Police Department
202-727-9099

You can print a poster of Porschette at http://www.theyaremissed.org/ncma/gallery/ncmaprofile_all.php?A200502746S or at www.projectjason.org/downloads/comehome011Porschette_Evans.pdf.

Jan Scharf: Husband/suspected killer dead, probable suicide

This will most likely make it harder for Jan to be found, but it is encouraging to know that authorities aren't giving up.

Prison suicide deepens mystery
Wife's body still missing after man kills self in cell.
By Christina Jewett - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PDT Thursday, May 10, 2007Story appeared in METRO section, Page B1
A man convicted of killing his wife but leaving no trace of the crime has committed suicide in prison, officials said, likely taking a secret with him to the grave: where the body of Jan Scharf is buried.
Glyn Wolfgang Scharf, 54, was discovered unresponsive in his cell at Pleasant Valley State Prison at 6:12 a.m. March 21 during a routine security check, Lt. Cheryl Campoy, a Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation spokeswoman, said Wednesday.
He was taken to Coalinga Regional Medical Center, where he died at 4:26 p.m. March 27 from what officials later ruled was an overdose of medicine.
Scharf was a paramedic in Amador County before an El Dorado County jury convicted him in October 2004 of killing his wife, a 45-year-old Cameron Park nurse.
Scharf's disappearance in May 2002 was followed by fervent searches of canyons, riverbeds and fields throughout El Dorado County. Meanwhile, investigators gathered accounts of Glyn Scharf's odd behavior at the time of her disappearance and Jan Scharf's reports of his threatening actions beforehand.
To this day, her body has not been discovered.
"He didn't even have the decency to let us know where he put her," said Marcie Flores, who worked as a nurse alongside Jan Scharf at UC Davis Medical Center. "Now the trail is dry."
El Dorado County Sheriff's Lt. Kevin House, who supervised the murder investigation, said officers at the prison in Fresno County are combing Scharf's magazines and papers for clues about the location of the body.
"We're hoping that somewhere in his belongings we find some kind of document that may assist us in finding the body so we can get closure for Jan's family," House said. "That's the last shred that we have to go on -- for him to finally to tell us where she's at."
House said if prison officers fall short, the detective who worked on the case will sift through the papers.
Doctors initially said the death was a result of natural causes. However, Fresno County Deputy Coroner Joseph Tiger said the death has been ruled a suicide.
He said Scharf overdosed on amitriptyline, which is the generic form of the antidepressant Elavil.
Dr. Peter Yellowlees, a professor of psychiatry at UC Davis Medical Center, said the drug is seldom prescribed because safer drugs like Prozac and Paxil are now available.
"It's well known to be a relatively dangerous drug in overdose because it has cardiac side effects," he said.
Campoy said certain "hot meds" are known to be dangerous, and inmates who take them are monitored by nurses. She did not know if Scharf's pills were on that list.
Campoy said Scharf was not on suicide watch, but he was assigned to a "special-needs" recreational yard for nonviolent inmates who would be targeted for attacks among the general population.
While jailed in El Dorado County, Scharf made two attempts to take his own life after he was convicted and before he was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.
Both times, he sliced himself with a jail-issued razor, once in the arm and again in the neck. After the second attempt, he remained on suicide watch and lost his shaving privileges.
Scharf's daughter, Tegan Sharpe, said she questions whether the death was indeed a suicide.
"They didn't call it a suicide until we decided to file a wrongful death lawsuit against them," she said.
Sharpe said the family learned of their father's death only when another inmate sent a condolence more than a week later.
Court records indicate that Scharf's legal journey ended in January of this year, when the California Supreme Court denied a bid to review his case.
The trial -- based fully on circumstantial evidence -- was highly publicized.
Jurors who voted for conviction told The Bee at the time that they were convinced of Scharf's guilt when they heard that Jan Scharf's Celtic cross and a ring were found discarded at the house of Glyn's girlfriend, whom Jan Scharf never met.

I didn't know about the jewelry at the girlfriend's house; that is a bit suspicious.
If you know anything about the disappearance of Jan Scharf, please call the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office at (530) 621-5703.
Unfortunately, I have yet to find a "poster" of Jan. There is a short profile of Jan at the Carole Sund Carrington Foundation's website which might work as a flyer if you change your page setup to landscape. If you know a site that has posters of Jan for printing, please let me know.