Nellie Flickinger: more media coverage

Since the Yuma Sun article I posted a little while ago, a few more places have printed Nellie's story: the Erie Times-News (http://www.goerie.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080125/NEWS02/801250363/-1/NE\ and http://www.goerie.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080219/NEWS02/802190370/0/NEWS), the Sacramento Bee(http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/705149.html), the Appeal-Democrat (http://www.appeal-democrat.com/news/flickinger_59525___article.html/woman_colusa.html) and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08056/860167-85.stm).

Because the Post-Gazette story is the most recent (just from yesterday!), I will post it below.

Family of Erie woman missing for 29 years prays for closure
Monday, February 25, 2008
By Michael A. Fuoco, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Michael Nelson
remembers the day when his mother walked out of his life and into a distressing
mystery now decades old.
On that day 29 years ago next month, Nellie Florence
Cornman Flickinger said she had to leave her Erie home for California to get her
troubled life together. The 30-year-old Apollo native promised her mother she'd
be back for Mr. Nelson, then 9, and her four other children ranging in age from
6 to 12.
Nellie Flickinger
And then she was off with the thin man with the
thin mustache whose name no one knew. She never was heard from again.
Why
happened to her? Why didn't she ever come back?
"It's always in my head, I'm
always thinking about it," said Mr. Nelson, 38, who with his siblings suffered
an unhappy childhood of being shuffled from his maternal grandmother to foster
homes to an adoptive family. "I have depression and anxiety and just a mountain
full of emotions I don't know what to do with.
"I think about it every day. I
need to know."
Mr. Nelson, of Union City, Erie County, may find out a
horrible truth about his mother's fate if DNA from his uncle and youngest sister
is matched to that of a female skeleton discovered in California in 1982. But
after a lifetime of waiting, Mr. Nelson will have to wait some more -- the
process could take up to a year because the old case is not a priority for the
California state crime laboratory.
Ms. Flickinger's family is of two minds
about the additional wait they must endure.
"She's been gone for nearly 30
years, so what's another year at this point?" said Ms. Flickinger's niece, Joni
Lapeyrouse, 35, of Pensacola, Fla. "On the other hand, we're so close we want it
to be over."
Ms. Lapeyrouse is the reason the family has gotten this close to
unraveling the enigma. Over the years, the family had tried to find out what
happened to Ms. Flickinger but never got far. At the urging of one of Ms.
Flickinger's daughters, Ms. Lapeyrouse took up the challenge again.
During
the summer, she contacted the Doe Network, an Internet-based volunteer
clearinghouse of missing persons and unidentified bodies. The next day, the Doe
Network reported a possible match with the female skeletal remains a farm
laborer discovered in a drainage ditch along an interstate exit ramp in Colusa
County, Calif., northwest of Sacramento.
The remains offered Colusa County
authorities no clues to the woman's identity or how she died, although foul play
is suspected. She became a "Jane Doe" and was buried in a local cemetery,
forgotten for years -- until Ms. Flickinger's personal data was entered on the
Doe Network.
The hair color, height and age all seemed to match that of Ms.
Flickinger. And, most importantly, the remains had a metal plate screwed into
bones of the right leg. Ms. Flickinger likewise had a plate and screws holding
together her right leg, the result of a motorcycle accident in the
1960s.
"I'm hoping that it isn't her," Mr. Nelson said. "I just hope through
all this that maybe there's enough publicity out there if it's not her and if
she is alive maybe she'll see what has been written in papers and realize she
has a family who still loves her.
"But if it is her, I need to see her. I
need to be there for her. I want to talk to her, to tell her that I love her and
I don't blame her for nothing. And if this is foul play, then I go on from
there, to get it investigated and try to bring some type of closure for
her."
Ms. Lapeyrouse's hope is that her aunt is still alive, but her "gut"
tells her the remains are those of Ms. Flickinger, her father's
sister.
"We're looking for finality, something along that line. I think the
one way I would put it is we're bracing for closure but still hoping for a
reunion," she said.
Mr. Nelson said he holds no bitterness about his mother
leaving because she had a difficult life, including marriage to his physically
abusive father.
"She was scared. He ended up going to jail, and she saw this
as her chance to get away before she was killed by him," he said.
"I
understand [why she left]. I always just figured that after she realized we were
of age and accountability that maybe she would come around knowing he was not a
part of our lives any more, that she would come to see us and be safe.
"But
blame her, I do not, not one bit."
Michael A. Fuoco can be reached at mfuoco@post-gazette.com or
412-263-1968.

There is also a message board thread on Nellie at http://forums.pcolamoms.com/viewtopic.php?t=863&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0.

Donald Smatlak: two-year anniversary news article

When I was reading this article, I was also shocked to see another familiar name: the name of this blog! This seems to be the first media mention of my blog, at least as far as I know. However, I should clarify that a person does not have to be from Pennsylvania to be on this blog, although most of the people on here are.

From http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_551547.html?source=rss&feed=1:

Few clues in man's two-year disappearance
By Chris Foreman
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Two years after the disappearance of an
Allegheny County man, the police chief heading the investigation says he's
"baffled" by the lack of clues.
Donald D. Smatlak, of North Versailles, has
been missing since Jan. 28, 2006, when he told his parents in a telephone
conversation that he would join them for dinner the next day at their North
Huntingdon home. He also said he was going to visit a friend in Delmont, but
never arrived.
Two years ago today, police found his silver Mazda parked
near the intersection of Meyran Avenue and Louisa Street in Pittsburgh's Oakland
neighborhood, where Smatlak received a criminal justice degree from the
University of Pittsburgh.
While North Versailles police Chief James Comunale
hesitates to call the disappearance a cold case, he said his department hasn't
received any new leads lately.
The case was listed this week on a blog of
missing Pennsylvanians called "Between Life and Death: A Few Missing People."
"Unfortunately, it's one of those cases where it's at a standstill,"
Comunale said. "We checked every single lead and nothing ever panned out. We're
baffled."
Smatlak's parents said Friday their son was a normal 25-year-old
at the time of his disappearance who had been living on his own for nine months,
in a two-year relationship with a woman, and readying for a job interview a
friend had arranged for him in the Pittsburgh area in a couple of weeks.
He
had recently left a job at the North Versailles Giant Eagle, but his family said
there wasn't any reason for them to suspect he would leave on his own.
"He
would never do anything to hurt us," Linda Smatlak said of the eldest of her two
sons. "That's why it's so hard for us because he wouldn't leave without letting
us know."
Comunale said Smatlak's apartment was very clean and there weren't
any signs of a struggle or fight there.
Smatlak's parents speculate he
wouldn't have abandoned his car in the condition that it was found -- with the
windows down so snow could get in.
They also say their son, who commuted to
school in Pittsburgh, wasn't known to have any friends in the city.
His
parents say they're heartened by the continuing investigation, which included
following up on a failed tip late last year.
"That is our worst fear, to
have him forgotten," Linda Smatlak said. "They said they review it each month
and it'll never be forgotten."
Smatlak is white, 6 feet 1 inches tall,
weighs 230 pounds, and has short, light-brown hair and hazel eyes.
According
to the National Center for Missing Adults, he has a scar on his lower lip, a
tattoo of a Chinese symbol on the center of his back and a tattoo of his name in
Chinese on the middle of his chest in black ink.
Anyone with information may
call North Versailles police at 412-823-1111.
Chris Foreman can be reached
at cforeman@tribweb.com or
724-626-3561.

You can print a poster of Donald at http://www.theyaremissed.org/ncma/gallery/ncmaprofile_all.php?A200604104S.

Jayme Engstrom now missing 14 years, Clearwater, Florida

Here is a section about Jayme from an article last year. You can read the whole thing at http://www.tbnweekly.com/pubs/clearwater_citizen/content_articles/020107_cit-04.txt?archiveview&print:

Residents go missing without a trace around Clearwater
This is the
second part of a two-part series about people who have disappeared from
Clearwater over the last three decades.
By LESTER R. DAILEY
Article published on Thursday, Feb. 1, 2007
CLEARWATER – Jayme Lynn Engstrom was
only 22 years old when she disappeared, but they were hard years.
The Pennsylvania native moved to Pinellas County with her mother when she
was 10, following the breakup of her parents, who had married at 17. She went to
Dunedin Middle and High schools, but dropped out at 16.
She got in with a bad crowd, began stealing and writing bad checks, started
using drugs and soon became a crack addict, according to interviews her mother,
Vicki Lynn Engstrom, gave to sheriff’s deputies and the press shortly after the
disappearance.
She went back to Pennsylvania in 1989, allegedly in fear for her life
because of a drug deal gone awry in Florida. There, she moved in with a man and
bore him twin sons, but the relationship was stormy, and Engstrom spent a lot of
time in abuse shelters or jail.
She returned to Pinellas County in 1991, bringing her boyfriend and sons
with her. But they later moved back to Pennsylvania and subsequently came back
to Florida.
Along the way, she was in and out of rehab and racked up an extensive
arrest record for solicitation for prostitution, soliciting for a lewd act, drug
possession and theft. She also gave birth to a daughter, whom she put up for
adoption, and split up with her boyfriend when she caught him cheating on
her.
Engstrom stayed with friends in the area around N. Fort Harrison Avenue.
She was last seen at 8:43 p.m. on Feb. 20, 1994, when Clearwater police stopped
her for walking down the middle of the road in the 1300 block of Cleveland
Street. There was speculation, but no proof, that she fell victim to James M.
Randall, an alleged serial killer of mid-Pinellas prostitutes at that
time.
Engstrom would now be 36 years old. When she disappeared, she stood
5-foot-4 and weighed 115 pounds. She is white, with blonde hair, blue eyes and a
rose tattoo on her upper right arm. Anyone with information regarding her
whereabouts should call the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office at 582-6200.

Jayme's Charley Project profile, from http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/e/engstrom_jayme.html (source of above photo):

Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
Missing Since: February 20, 1994 from Clearwater, Florida
Classification: Endangered Missing
Date Of Birth: November 13, 1971
Age: 22 years old
Height and Weight: 5'5, 110 - 120 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian female. Blonde hair,
blue/gray eyes. Engstrom has a rose tattoo on her upper right arm. She has
surgical scars on the upper insides of both of her thighs. Engstrom has a
vertical Caesarian section scar on her abdomen. She may use the aliases Sherrie
Price, Julie Michaelyn Edwards, Jacklyn Smith and/or Sherrie Wilson.
Medical Conditions: Engstrom has a history of crack cocaine abuse.

Details of Disappearance
Engstrom was last seen at 8:43 p.m. on February 20, 1994 in the
1300 block Cleveland Street in Clearwater, Florida. Authorities stopped her
while she was walking in the middle of the street at the time. Engstrom has
never been heard from again. Her mother, who last saw her in January 1994,
reported her as a missing person in December 1995, almost two years after she
went missing. Engstrom stayed in touch with her family by telephone several
times a month, but they have not heard from her since her disappearance.
Prior to her disappearance, Engstrom had been arrested multiple times for
prostitution, theft and drug charges, but her criminal record abruptly stopped
after early 1994. She was a known prostitute in the Clearwater area, and lived
near north Fort Harrison Avenue. She had also been arrested for prostitution in
Pennsylvania and Massachusetts. Several other local prostitutes were murdered
around the same time Engstrom disappeared. Investigators believe the women,
including Engstrom, may have been victims of a serial killer, but no suspects
have been named.
Engstrom has connections to West Springfield,
Massachusetts; McKeesport, Pennsylvania; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is
the mother of twin sons. Her disappearance remains unsolved.

Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Pinellas County Sheriff's Office
727-582-6200

You can print a poster of Jayme at http://www.theyaremissed.org/ncma/gallery/ncmaprofile_all.php?A200300946W.

Webpage for Jayme: http://www.angelfire.com/fl/tracehome/jaymeengstrom.html

Sandra Baker: Declared dead

Wow, I had heard that her car had been found, but I did not know the circumstances. Apparently it was not originally because she was missing.

I wonder why the fiance was never charged. Nowadays people do not always seem to need a body before they can be tried for murder.

Article from http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08040/856148-85.stm:

Missing woman declared dead after 7 years
Saturday, February 09, 2008
By Milan Simonich, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
MERCER, Pa. -- The case of Sandra Kay
Baker, who vanished more than seven years ago, officially became a homicide
yesterday.
Mercer County Common Pleas Judge Thomas R. Dobson declared Ms.
Baker dead after a somber 10-minute hearing in which her son and daughter were
the only witnesses.
The children, Shawn Krebs and Shedara Binkley, testified
that they had not seen or heard from their mother since May 25, 2000. State
police said Ms. Baker's bank account and credit cards were never accessed after
that day.
In 2005, police identified Billy Crea, Ms. Baker's fiance, as the
suspect in her disappearance and presumed murder. But they have not arrested or
charged Mr. Crea, a 52-year-old electrician who now lives in Ellwood
City.
Ms. Baker's children said they believe police have pinpointed the right
man, but lack hard evidence, including a body.
Mr. Krebs, 34, of Denver, said
Mr. Crea never called police to report Ms. Baker missing, even though they were
living together when she disappeared.
For his part, Mr. Crea declines to
speak about the case.
His lawyer, James Ecker, said yesterday that Mr. Crea
has never wavered in proclaiming his innocence.
Mr. Crea agreed to be
questioned by police after Ms. Baker disappeared. But soon after, he retained
Mr. Ecker as his lawyer and stopped cooperating in the investigation, state
police said.
Police learned that Mr. Crea had been deeply suspicious of Ms.
Baker, who was 46.
He hired a private detective to investigate Ms. Baker's
background after they became engaged. The detective, Clifford Aley, lied
repeatedly to police about his involvement and now is serving up to four years
in prison for hindering the Baker homicide investigation.
Among other things,
Mr. Aley found that Ms. Baker had been married six times, and was still married
to a Florida man when she accepted Mr. Crea's proposal. Mr. Aley also learned
that Ms. Baker was struggling financially. She was behind on car payments and
other bills.
On May 25, 2000, the day she vanished, Mr. Aley called an auto
finance company to report that Ms. Baker's 1988 Honda Accord was parked at the
Shenango Valley Mall. Soon after, repossession men hauled away her car and any
evidence it contained.
Mr. Aley told authorities he was only peripherally
involved in Ms. Baker's disappearance. He claimed Mr. Crea was the killer and
acted alone.
Mr. Aley said Mr. Crea told him he had strangled Ms. Baker after
an argument, then put her body in some sort of container and hid it in Mercer
County.
Pennsylvania law says a missing person can be presumed dead after
seven years.
Milan Simonich can be reached at msimonich@post-gazette.com or
412-263-1956.

If you know where Sandra might be, or have any other helpful information in this case, please call the Pennsylvania state police at (724) 662-6162.

You can print a poster of Sandra at http://www.theyaremissed.org/ncma/gallery/ncmaprofile_all.php?A200300269W (It is apparently a little out of date because it says her car is still missing.)

Photo of Sandra from her poster.

Body found: Jack Longo

At least he will not have to suffer any longer. Unfortunately, his family will still miss him greatly.
From http://www.timesonline.com/articles/2008/02/05/news/doc47a91dbe6affa713954519.txt:

Missing Ambridge man’s body found
By J.D. Prose, Times Staff
Published: Tuesday, February 5, 2008 9:53 PM EST
BADEN — The body of
a 71-year-old man who vanished from his Ambridge home nearly two weeks ago was
found floating in the Ohio River on Tuesday.
Beaver County Deputy Coroner Bill Pasquale said Jack Longo’s remains were
found around 2:25 p.m. by searchers. Longo disappeared from his home at 1117
11th St. around 3:30 a.m. Jan. 24.
At the time, relatives said Longo had lung cancer and had recently suffered
a heart attack. Family members also said that Longo had talked about committing
suicide.
A search dog picked up what was thought to be Longo’s scent along railroad
tracks near the Ohio River, but nothing was found then. When Longo left his
house, he left behind an oxygen tank that he always used.
Ambridge Fire Chief David Drewnowski said Tuesday that two boats, one from
his department and another from the Beaver County Emergency Services Center,
were conducting a standard follow-up search for Longo when the body was found
along the shoreline in Baden, across the river from the Beaver County Jail in
Hopewell Township.
Longo’s family was notified shortly after the body was found, Drewnowski
said. “There’s closure,” he said of the grim discovery. “It’s sad, but it’s
closure.”
Pasquale said Longo was fully clothed and there were no obvious signs of
injury.
Although Longo was reportedly suicidal, Pasquale said the coroner’s office
wouldn’t make a determination just yet. “We’re going to wait until we get the
autopsy findings back,” he said.
J.D. Prose can be reached online at jprose@timesonline.com.

According to http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08038/855455-57.stm, the autopsy was supposed to happen yesterday but the cause of death has not yet been determined.

Sofia Juarez now missing 5 years, Kennewick, Washington

I am happy to say that the local media in Pasco, Washington did a story to mark the anniversary of Sofia's disappearance. The media in Washington state seems to be good about remembering her.

Article and photo on the left from http://www.keprtv.com/news/local/15265756.html:

The Search for Sofia
Story Published: Feb 3, 2008 at 7:41 PM PST
By Rudabeh Shahbazi
Little Sofia Juarez disappeared from her Kennewick home this
week five years ago. Her loss continues to impact the community and haunt local
law enforcement.
Juarez was last seen playing with her brother the day before her fifth
birthday. She told her mother she was going to the store with her grandmother's
boyfriend, but when he came back, he said he had gone alone.
Police called it an abduction from the beginning.
“Any time there are children are involved, it becomes a very meaningful
investigation,” said Chris Walters of the Kennewick Police. “People work really
hard to bring closure and find the child, and it's touched the community as a
whole.”
With each passing year, a few new wrinkles of information appear, but fail
to yield results. In 2003 an Amber Alert was issued as police combed houses and
neighborhoods for Juarez.
According to investigators, a child said he saw Juarez walking down the
driveway with a man dressed in all black. Kennewick police say Juarez has been
one of their most stand-out cases of the last decade. They say they still get
leads every month, but they are mostly just theories. So far, none has panned
out.
Sofia's mother, Maria Juarez, told Action News her daughter was shy, and
that she wouldn't go with a stranger without a fuss. She believes whoever took
her child probably knew her.
“It helps because my family is going to be there in the good times and the
bad times,” she said. “But for me, I still got something that's missing, and
that's her.”
Investigators have tried new and different approaches to find Juarez since
she vanished. They plastered photos of the child on semi trucks that crossed the
nation and displayed a large picture of her at the entrance of the
Benton-Franklin Fair. Juarez also appeared on America's Most Wanted, but still
nothing.
Police are still searching, and Juarez's family is still hoping.
“We want her back and we miss her,” said her teary mother.
The Center for Missing and Exploited Children says Juarez's father did not
know her and is not a suspect. Neither is her grandmother's boyfriend.
Investigators did identify a few suspects over the years, one of them a neighbor
who was convicted of a sex crime, but those leads too, were dead ends.
Every day 300 children are reported missing in this country, according to
the Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
If you have any information on the case of Sofia Juarez, please call the
Kennewick Police.

The numbers for the Kennewick Police are (509) 585-4208 or (509) 628-0333.

You can print a poster of Sofia at http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PubCaseSearchServlet?act=viewPoster&caseNum=954908&orgPrefix=NCMC&searchLang=en_US.

Age progression (right) from Sofia's poster.

Samantha Kibalo now missing 7 years, Suffern, New York

Here is an account of Samantha's story from the Unsolved Mysteries website (http://www.unsolved.com/0208-Kibalo.html):

WANTED
ANN KIBALO
AGE: 39
DOB: 3/25/63
HEIGHT: 5'0"
WEIGHT: 120 pounds
HAIR: Brown
EYES: Blue
ALIASES: Ann Yermak, Ann Saul, Ann Kaplan
MISSING
SAMANTHA KIBALO
AGE: 3 1/2
DOB: 1/1/99
HEIGHT: 2'9"
WEIGHT: 22 pounds
HAIR: Light Brown
EYES: Brown
Broadcast Date: June 24, 2002
SYNOPSIS: Ann and Mike Kibalo married after dating for nine months. Only
one thing was missing to make their lives complete - a child. Two and a half
years after they were married, Ann gave birth to Samantha and the couple brought
her home to Suffern, New York. But their joy was short-lived. According to Mike,
Ann began behaving erratically almost immediately. She allegedly began yelling
at Mike saying that she didn't need him anymore. The following afternoon, Mike
returned home from work to find all the furniture missing. They baby's room was
also completely cleaned out. Mike called his mother-in-law. He claims Ann
answered the phone and told him the marriage was over and that he would never
see their daughter again. According to Mike, Ann told him that she had called
the police and reported that Mike beat her up and that he was also harming
Samantha. Police later determined that there was no evidence of abuse. Mike
Kibalo sued for divorce and sole custody of Samantha. As the divorce case weaved
through the legal system Ann was ordered by the court to share custody of
Samantha with Mike.
After a weeklong visit with Ann, Mike said Samantha was
returned to him with bruises on her face. Mike immediately took Samantha to the
family pediatrician. The doctor said that the bruise was three to five days old
- which means that it most likely occurred while Samantha was with her mother. A
court-appointed psychiatrist was assigned to evaluate Mike and Ann's fitness as
parents. While no determination was made as to how Samantha got the bruises, the
psychiatrist concluded that there was something odd in the way Ann was treating
her daughter. Over a span of 11 months Ann took Samantha to 7 doctors on 33
occasions. She also reportedly hired 23 lawyers and 11 psychiatrists - according
to some, a classic behavior of a person suffering from Munchausen's Syndrome by
Proxy. The final diagnosis was that Ann had a severe personality disorder with a
mixture of traits from several disorders. Soon Mike Kibalo was awarded full
custody of Samantha.
But the ordeal was far from over. Ann had appealed the
court ruling and she still had a right to see her child. The day before the
court made it's final decision on the appeal, Mike brought Samantha to the
police station for a scheduled overnight visit with Ann. Mike returned the
following day to pick up his daughter but Ann never showed up. All efforts to
find them have failed, leaving Mike Kibalo's life in ruins. Mike fears that his
daughter is in grave danger.
Two months later, police discovered Anne's SUV
abandoned in a Brooklyn parking garage. But a search of the vehicle provided no
clues as to Ann or Samantha's whereabouts. Both have been missing since February
of 2001. Samantha Kibalo would now be three years old. She has light brown hair
and brown eyes. Ann Kibalo is wanted for kidnapping and unlawful flight to avoid
prosecution. Authorities believe she may be traveling with her red Tibetan
terrier named Vodka. She may also be in contact with medical professionals.
If you have any information on the whereabouts of Samantha or Ann Kibalo,
please contact the Rockland County Sheriff's Department, the FBI, or call the
Unsolved Mysteries hotline, 1-800-876-5353.

The numbers for the Rockland County Sheriff's Office are (845) 638-5400 or (845) 638-5440.

Samantha and her mother may be in New York City; Palm Beach County, Florida; Boynton Beach, Florida; Illinois; or New Hampshire. There were also possible sightings of them in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in 2006.

You can print a poster of Samantha of http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PubCaseSearchServlet?act=viewPoster&caseNum=904495&orgPrefix=NCMC&searchLang=en_US.

Photos on left from Unsolved Mysteries. Age progression of Samantha from her poster.

Patrick Kenney now missing 3 years, Jefferson Hills, Pennsylvania

In the past year Patrick's case has seen quite a bit of development--unfortunately, into something more tragic. We have gone from a mysterious disappearance with few clues to a presumed murder, with both a suspect and eyewitnesses. Now if only this suspect would say where Patrick's body is!

From http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/k/kenney_patrick.html:

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.
Medical Conditions: Kenny has a history of cocaine abuse.

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, and he seemed confused. 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 in his bank account.
In September 2007, Bryan Sedlak was charged with Kenney's murder. A
photograph of him is posted below this case summary. Authorities believe the
motive was robbery; Kenney had received a $6,800 pension fund settlement prior
to his disappearance and may have been carrying it on the day he was last seen.
Witnesses testified before a grand jury, saying Sedlak had confessed the murder
to them, and at least one witness says he saw Kenney's body. Sedlak allegedly
shot Kenney several times with a .22 rifle, then beat him with the weapon until
it broke. In addition, phone records indicate Kenney called Sedlak several hours
after he left his parents' home, and Sedlak returned the call an hour later.
Kenney's body has not been located, but prosecutors believe they can make a case
without it. Sedlak has a prior criminal history for drug-related offenses,
assault and harassment.
Kenney had been employed as a union steamfitter, but
was fired prior to 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 due to the circumstances involved.

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

I still have not found a poster of Patrick.

Gina Farren-Brown now missing 3 years, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania

From http://www.nampn.org/cases/ferron-brown_gina.html:

Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
Missing Since: January 29, 2005 from Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania
Classification: Endangered Missing
Date Of Birth: September 19, 1960
Age: 44
Height: 5'2"
Weight: 125 lbs.
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Brown
Race: White
Gender: Female
AKA: Gina Maria Brown
Details of Disappearance
Presumed to be with Ralph Skundrich. (See Below) It is believed she
left with him willingly but believed she is in danger by being with him.
Ralph Skundrich
Dates Of Birth Used: November 19, 1966;November
19, 1965
Age: 40-41
Height: 5'8"
Weight: 180 lbs.
Hair Color:
Brown
Eye Color: Green
Race: White
Gender: Male
Distinguishing
Characteristics: Skundrichhas a scar on his abdomen
AKA: Rob Matthews,Ralph
Steven Skundrich,Steven Ralph Skundrich
NCIC Number: W710146924
Details of Flight
Skundrich has ties to Florida and Aruba. He is known to abuse both
alcohol and illegal drugs. Ralph Skundrich was last seen at his residence in
Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, on or about January 29, 2005. Skundrich, who
was on pretrial supervision with electronic home monitoring at the time,
allegedly cut off his electronic monitoring ankle bracelet and fled the area. He
had been charged in a criminal complaint on August 19, 2004, with Criminal
Attempt (Burglary), Criminal Conspiracy (Robbery), Criminal use of a
Communication Facility, and Prohibited Possession of a Firearm. A warrant for
his arrest had been issued the same day by the Court of Common Pleas of
Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. These charges stem from an alleged plot by
Skundrich and two accomplices to commit a residential burglary and robbery in
Indiana County, Pennsylvania. The men attempted to carry out the alleged plot on
March 17, 2004, but were instead arrested by law enforcement authorities. A
federal warrant for the arrest of Skundrich was obtained on March 6, 2006, in
the Western District of Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and he was
charged with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. He may be traveling with his
girlfriend, Gina Farren-Brown, who is not a fugitive from the law. SHOULD BE
CONSIDERED ARMED AND DANGEROUS AND AN ESCAPE RISK. UNLAWFUL FLIGHT TO AVOID
PROSECUTION - CRIMINAL ATTEMPT (BURGLARY), CRIMINAL CONSPIRACY (ROBBERY),
CRIMINAL USE OF A COMMUNICATION FACILITY, PROHIBITED POSSESSION OF A FIREARM.
Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Pittsburg FBI Field Office
Ray Murrow
(412) 432-4000

Gina has been featured after Without a Trace and on America's Most Wanted and The Early Show. (For the CBS article, visit http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/03/31/earlyshow/main1458699.shtml and scroll down until you see "Gina Brown".) Also see articles at http://pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-review/trib/tribnorth/s_368046.html, http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/s_531099.html, and http://kdka.com/topstories/CBS.Show.Without.2.391329.html.

I have not found an actual poster for Gina.

Donald Smatlak now missing 2 years, North Versailles, Pennsylvania

Not much seems to have changed since I posted last year to mark the first anniversary of Donald's disappearance. Maybe he can be found before the third?
From http://www.nampn.org/cases/smatlak_donald.html:

Donald David Smatlak
Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
Missing Since: January 28, 2006 from North Versailles, Pennsylvania
Classification: Missing
Date of Birth: July 15, 1980
Age: 25
Height: 5'11"-6'1"
Weight: 220-230 lbs.
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Hazel
Race: White
Gender: Male
Distinguishing Characteristics: Numerous tattoos: Chinese/Asiansymbols on chest, middle of back, & inside lower right leg, cross onright ankle. Goatee. Scar on lower
lip.
NCIC Number: M-645469494
Case Number: 2006-00977
Details of Disappearance
Donald hasn't been heard from since he called his parents at about
4:00 p.m. on January 28, 2006, and arranged to have dinner with them the next
day at their home in North Huntingdon Township, PA. Investigators have
determined he was inside or near his home in the 1000 block of Logan Road at the
time. He told his mother he was planning to go to a friend's house in Delmont,
but never showed up there or at another friend's house he planned to visit
afterward. Donald was reported missing three days later, on January 31. His
silver Mazda was found parked near the intersection of Meyran Avenue and Louisa
Street in Pittsburgh's Oakland neighborhood shortly before noon on February 9,
2006. Donald attended Norwin High School and then went on to attend the
University of Pittsburgh where he graduated last summer with a degree in
criminal justice.
Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
North Versailles Police
(412) 823-1111
OR
Allegheny County Sheriff's Dept.
(412) 473-3000

You can print a poster of Donald at http://www.theyaremissed.org/ncma/gallery/ncmaprofile_all.php?A200604104S.

Unfortunately, Donald's website seems to have been taken down.

Natalee Holloway: Evidence on tape?

And, of course, Joran is in denial, saying this time he was lying. (This from someone who has changed his story more than twenty times!)

From http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/2020/story?id=4239135&page=1 (3-page article):

Holloway Prosecutor to Seek New Arrest Warrant
Aruban
Prosecutor to Appeal a Judge's Decision Denying Him a Warrant for Joran Van der
Sloot

By CHRIS FRANCESCANI
ABC News Law & Justice Unit
Feb. 4, 2008

Police searched the home of Joran van der Sloot
Monday, one day after an undercover video was broadcast on Dutch TV in which he
bragged about having a friend dump the apparently lifeless body of Natalee
Holloway at sea.
The TV report by a Dutch journalist triggered new interest
in the frustrating two-year probe into the disappearance of the Alabama teenager
who vanished during a drunken night in Aruba.
Aruba prosecutors appealed a
judge's refusal to issue a third arrest warrant for Van der Sloot, and police
and journalists were hunting for the man Van der Sloot identified only as
"Daury" who allegedly took Holloway's body out to sea and got rid of it. Already
a Dutch newspaper claims to have spoken to Daury and reported that he denied the
allegation.
ABC News has obtained exclusive U.S. rights to this stunning new
information caught on tape and will air a 90-minute special edition of "20/20:
The Final Hours of Natalee Holloway" Monday at 9:30 p.m. ET.
Investigators
searched two homes in the Netherlands this morning where Van der Sloot lives or
has lived, Aruba's chief public prosecutor Hans Mos said today.
But Mos has
been blocked from issuing a new arrest warrant for Van der Sloot and went to
court to appeal the ruling.
Mos said today he considers undercover tapes
made by Dutch investigative reporter Peter De Vries to be "very valuable
information'' that he believes will ultimately prove to be admissible in court.
"We consider it serious information and very valuable information,'' Mos
told reporters at a press conference here today. "That's why we asked as judge
to reopen the investigation."
A judge granted that request last week, but
denied prosecutors' request for a third arrest warrant. Van der Sloot and two
other Aruban men were arrested in the summer of 2005 and rearrested again last
fall before they were released for lack of evidence in December.
An Aruban
judge "put the threshold very, very high [for an arrest warrant for Van der
Sloot] because, he said, this is the third time you have asked me for a
rearrest,'' Mos said. "This was a tough decision for the judge, and it was also
a tough decision for my office to consider a rearrest for the third time."
Van der Sloot last week insisted he had lied earlier this month when he told
Van der Eem, whom he considered a close friend and confidant, that he'd panicked
when Holloway appeared to go into convulsions during a sexual encounter and
called a friend who took her seemingly lifeless body out to sea.
Mos said he
was unimpressed by those denials.
"That's exactly what we expected him to
do,'' Mos said at a press conference Monday. "This was expected by us. Yet [Van
der Sloot] made these statements not one time, but several times. He repeated
this story."
A key question that remains unanswered is whether the
undercover tapes, 20 hours in all, will be admissible as evidence. Noting that
De Vries' investigation was "private," Mos seemed to indicate that fact would
play in prosecutors' favor.
"We did not influence in any way his gathering
of this information,'' Mos said.
Independent attorneys on Aruba have
questioned the validity of the tapes in a court of law.
"The evidence has to
be legally acceptable to a judge,'' said Aruban attorney Chris Lejuez. "If a
policeman would be involved in an investigation like [De Vries'] without the
proper instruction from a judge, it would not be legally acceptable."
Still,
Lejuez said, De Vries is "a very well known Dutch reporter who has solved many
other complex cases. He has become famous for this. He has solved cases nobody
else thought could be solved, using, of course, his own methods."
This is
the second set of prosecutors who have sought to solve the disappearance of
Natalee Holloway, who was visiting Aruba on a high school graduation class trip.
She met Van der Sloot and two other local men at a raucous nightclub called
Carlos N' Charlies. From there, she and Van der Sloot went to a beach in the
early morning hours for an amorous encounter.
Van der Sloot, who had
steadfastly insisted for more than two years that he left the young woman there
on the beach, has long been the key suspect in the case.
Last May, a fresh team of police investigators and prosecutors headed by
Mos took over the vexing case in the hope that new eyes would find new leads to
follow. That same month, Deepak and Satish Kalpoe, who were with Van der Sloot
the night he met Holloway, were briefly rearrested and a surprise search was
conducted of their home, a modest, neon-green, single-story house near the base
of Hooiberg Mountain.
During the May search of the home, investigators
allegedly planted bugs there so they could monitor the brothers' conversations,
defense attorneys claimed.
Because of information gleaned from those
wiretaps, all three men were rearrested last fall, but were all released for
lack of evidence. Late last year, Mos announced that the case would be closed,
essentially admitting defeat.
It was after that December release that De
Vries' undercover investigation began in earnest.

If you have any additional information about what happened to Natalee, please call the FBI tipline at 1-877-628-2533.

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

A couple blogs about Natalee: http://blogsfornatalee.com/, http://nholloway.blogspot.com