Raymond Poland now missing 5 years, Erie, Pennsylvania

Raymond Samuel Poland falls into the category of little-known missing people. Today, at least, though, he deserves some attention. You will read below that it was a year before he was reported missing. Normally, that seems suspicious, but you will also read that he frequented homeless shelters. Maybe he didn't have family in the area. But there is obviously someone who cares about him or he never would have been reported missing.
Photo and info from the Charley Project (http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/p/poland_raymond.html):

Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
Missing Since: August 22, 2001 from Erie, Pennsylvania
Classification: Endangered Missing
Date Of Birth: June 19, 1966
Age: 35 years old
Height and Weight: 5'11, 160 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Brown hair, brown eyes. Poland is of
Caucasian and Hispanic descent. He has a mole on his right forearm. Both of
Poland's forearms are scarred. He may have a moustache.

Details of Disappearance
Poland was last seen in Erie, Pennsylvania on August 22, 2001.
He has never been heard from again. Poland frequently visited homeless shelters
in the Erie area prior to his disappearance. He was not reported missing for a
year. His current whereabouts remain unknown.

Investigating Agency If
you have any information concerning this case, please contact: Erie Police
Department 814-870-1153

You can print a poster of Ray at http://www.theyaremissed.org/ncma/gallery/ncmaprofile_all.php?A200301454W. Perhaps, wherever he is, he will continue the habit of frequenting homeless shelters, so that would probably be an ideal place to hang posters.

The National Center for Missing Adults (NCMA), which provides posters and other measures to try to find Ray and other missing adults like him, is currently in danger due to financial issues. They are in need of donations, but, more importantly, they need Congress to re-authorize Kristen's Act, which gave them funding. Please call your senator or representative. For more information, visit their homepage at http://www.theyaremissed.org.

FOUND SAFE: Diana and Stan Butera

Yesterday I posted news on the safe recovery of the Hook children--Micheal, Daphne, and Victoria--who had been abducted by their mom and stepdad in July. Well, today, I exciting news to report on two more kids abducted by their mom, Diana and Stan Butera.
The official notice from the NCMEC, as posted on the From Whispers to Roars forum:

Dear Poster Partner:
Stan Butera, Diana Butera missing from West Jordan, UT, 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.

The Butera children had been missing since March 12, 2004.

This week on Missing (August 21-27)

This week's episode of the show Missing, which profiles real life missing people, will include one of the people I have featured on this blog, Georgina DeJesus. This show profiles real-life missing people and airs on different stations on different days and times, so you will have to find the station nearest you at http://www.usamissing.com/findus.htm. (If you live in Gina's native Cleveland, Ohio, you can watch it on WAOH at 5pm or 6pm on August 23, or at 10:30am on August 27.)
Here is a brief profile of Gina DeJesus from The Charley Project:

Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
Missing Since: April 2, 2004 from Cleveland, Ohio
Classification: Endangered Missing
Date Of Birth: February 13, 1990
Age: 14 years old
Height and Weight: 5'1 - 5'3, 130 - 140 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Brown hair, brown eyes. DeJesus's nicknames are Gina and Taz. She is right-handed. She has a small scar under her chin, a light brown birthmark on her right leg, and another birthmark on the right side of her chest. DeJesus's ears are both pierced once in the lobes, and she has an additional piercing in the cartilage of her right ear. She is supposed to be wearing eyeglasses, but they were left behind when she vanished.
Clothing/Jewelry Description: A white or tan shirt, a white or sky-blue sweater or hooded sweatshirt, black hip-hugger stretch pants or blue jeans with flaired bottoms, a pale blue or white hooded jacket, pale blue Phat Farm shoes, and large silver hoop earrings. Photographs of some of the clothing are posted below this case summary.

If you have any information about Gina's disappearance, please call the FBI at 1-888-660-5437, the Cleveland Crimestoppers at (216) 252-7463, or the Cleveland Police at (216) 621-1234.
For more photos and information about Gina, visit the above link or her website, http://www.findgeorgina.com. At the Charley Project you will also find a sketch of a man wanted for questioning in her disappearance.

Other people who will be featured on the television broadcast (click their names for photos and more information):
Trevor Angell - Missing from Las Vegas, Nevada; possible, unconfirmed sightings in Texas
Lakeisha Archie - Missing from Sidney, Ohio
Sarah Avon - Missing from Joliet, Illinois
Garrett Bardsley - Missing from Cuberant Lake, Utah
Christina Battin - Missing from Thousand Palms, California
Samantha Burns - Called family from Huntingdon, West Virginia; car found in Wayne County, West Virginia
Tracy Byrd - Missing from Bensalem Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania; mother's body found in Blackbird State Forest, New Castle County, Delaware
Bonnie Cale - Missing from Parsons, West Virginia; SUV found in Webster County, West Virginia
Monica Carrasco - Missing from Balmorhea, Texas; may have gotten ride from motorist on Highway 17
Anna-Marie Erts - Missing from Orlando, Florida
Craig Frear - Missing from Scotia, New York
Patricia Freeman-Wright - Missing from Big Sur, California
Christopher Gulbraa, Michael Gulbraa - Missing from Farmington, Utah; probably in Japan
Justin Harris - Missing from Casper, Wyoming
Stella Moss - Missing from Spring Hill, Florida; may have left United States
Kurtis Patterson - Missing from El Paso, Texas
Bianca Piper - Missing from Foley, Missouri
Rene Romero - Missing from Reno, Nevada
Cassandra Sanchez, Rosa Sanchez and Yesenia Sanchez - Missing from Santa Ana, California; may be in Mexico
Muhammed Saad Siddiqui - Missing from Middletown, Connecticut
Irwin Stewart - Missing from Houston, Texas; may be in Mexico
Rachel White - Missing from Richardson, Texas; may have traveled out of state
Fred Wright - Missing from Tuskegee, Alabama

The radio schedule has not been posted yet for this week.

**All information on who will be featured, as well as the links to their stories, comes from Missing's website.**

Ricky Holland: Parents will have separate trials

Richard "Ricky" Holland went missing from Williamston, Michigan, on July 1, 2005. After his adopted father led police to his body, Ricky became the inspiration for this blog. Because of this, I am keeping a close eye on updates in the murder trial of his parents.
This is the latest update, from http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060819/METRO/608190351/1003:

Saturday, August 19, 2006

Ricky Holland's parents will have separate murder trials
Each parent
blames the other in the July 2005 beating death of the 7-year-old.
An Ingham
County judge cleared the way Friday for separate murder trials for the father
and mother of 7-year-old Ricky Holland, an adopted child found bludgeoned in a
swamp in January.
Both parents were set to stand trial before Circuit Judge
Paula Manderfield on Sept. 11. But attorneys for the boy's father, Tim Holland,
have asked the Michigan Court of Appeals to overturn a previous decision that
his statements to police can be used as evidence against him.
Pending the
outcome of that appeal, Manderfield ruled today that Tim Holland's trial will
start Jan. 22. The trial for his wife, Lisa Holland, will proceed as
scheduled.
Both are charged with murdering the child on July 1, 2005. They
blame each other for the crime.
Tim Holland told police his wife killed Ricky
with a hammer and he disposed of the body.
Karen Bouffard

FOUND SAFE: Daphne, Micheal, and Victoria Hook

I have done three different posts on Daphne, Victoria, and Micheal Hook, three siblings from Lima, Ohio, who were abducted by their mother and stepfather. Each new post came as more information became available. Well, today I learned another update in an unexpected way: the following email.

Hello,
Thank you so much for your posting about my missing children.My name
is Michael Hook,and my childrens names are Micheal,Daphne and Victoria.Just
wanted to thank you for all your efforts in rescuing my children and to tell you
that the children were safely recovered yesterday at 5:50 pm by Pa state and
local police,as well as the F.B.I. Again,thank you for your postings and your
prayers.May God bless you and everyone on the "net" who contributed to their
safe recovery.

The email was dated August 19, so the children would have been found Friday, August 18. They had been missing since July 26.
There had been speculation that the children would be taken to Pennsylvania, and it seems that was what happened.

Emily Rimel: Lindsay Bruce waves right to speedy trial

Usually, this blog is reserved for posts on people who are still missing. However, if a person whose case I had been following is found, especially found murdered like little Emily, I usually keep on eye on continuing developments in bringing the responsible person to justice. Emily also has a special place in my heart because I had been following media coverage about her since the day she disappeared.
This latest bit of coverage comes from http://www.nbc4i.com/news/9700658/detail.html?rss=col&psp=news:

Man Accused In Child's Death Waives Right In Court
Man Pleaded Not Guilty To Emily Rimel's Death
POSTED: 11:51 am EDT August 18, 2006
UPDATED: 12:38 pm EDT August 18, 2006
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The man who
allegedly killed a Central Ohio girl appeared in court on Friday to waive his
right to a speedy trial.
The trial of Lindsey Bruce was scheduled to start
on Sept. 1. He is accused of killing a 5-year-old girl and dumping her body in a
local creek, NBC 4 reported.
INTERACT: Timeline of Events
SLIDESHOWS: Emily Rimel Big Walnut Creek Search
Bruce, 25, was indicted after the skull of Emily
Rimel was found along the banks of Big Walnut Creek. He was already convicted of
kidnapping Rimel.
Bruce was charged with aggravated murder. He pleaded not
guilty.
Bruce could face the death penalty if he is convicted. He is already
serving a 10-year sentence, the maximum sentence possible for the kidnapping
charge, NBC 4 reported.
Rimel was last seen inside her Madison Township home
in December 2004. The 5-year-old girl disappeared from her home while Bruce, a
family friend, was visiting.
Bruce was accused of raping her after Rimel's
DNA was allegedly found on his genitalia, NBC 4 reported. A jury later found
Bruce not guilty on the rape charge.
A trial date was set for Oct. 20.
Watch NBC 4 and refresh nbc4i.com for continuing coverage.

If you visit the link to the story, you can see a list of previous articles on this case.

FOUND SAFE: Ashley Rogers

A copy of the NCMEC notice about Ashley, as posted on the From Whispers to Roars forum (http://fromwhisperstor.6.forumer.com/viewtopic.php?t=14487):

Dear Poster Partner:
Ashley Rogers missing from North Mankato, MN, 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.

Ashley was missing for about a month.

This week on "Missing" - August 14-20

Update (Sept. 18): Yolanda Bindics' body was found near Charlotte, New York, on September 10, 2006.
This week's television broadcast of Missing will include missing mom Yolanda Bindics, whose case turned two years old last week. The show profiles real-life missing people and airs on different stations on different days and times, so you will have to find the station nearest you at http://www.usamissing.com/findus.htm, then check that station's listings. (If you live in Yolanda's native western New York, you can watch Missing on WNLO out of Buffalo at 6:30 AM on August 20.)
A bit of information about Yolanda from The Charley Project:

Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
Missing Since: August 10, 2004 from Jamestown, New York
Classification: Endangered Missing
Date Of Birth: September 29, 1978
Age: 25 years old
Height and Weight: 5'7, 100 - 115 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Blonde hair, hazel eyes. Bindics has
four small brown moles on her left cheek.
Clothing Description: A dark-colored polo shirt with the words "Family Dollar" embroidered on it in red, khaki pants, and white sneakers.

If you have any information on Yolanda's disappearance, call the Jamestown Police Department at (716) 483-7531 or the Jamestown FBI at (716) 484-7084. For more photos and information, visit the Charley Project link above or Yolanda's website, http://www.findyolanda.com.

Other missing people who will be featured on the TV show (click on names for pictures and more info):

• Christopher Abeyta - Missing from Colorado Springs, Colorado; may be in Texas or New Mexico
• Sujey Alvarez - Missing from Horton, Alabama; may have traveled out of state
• Jamie Barela - Missing from Albuquerque, New Mexico
• David Bertrand - Missing from Killeen, Texas; may be in Houston, Texas
• Laroya Bray - Missing from Los Angeles, California
• Michael Burckley - Missing from Albuquerque, New Mexico
• Graciela Delacruz - Missing from Detroit, Michigan
• Erica Fraysure - Missing from Brooksville, Kentucky
• Jowanda Galloway and Lawanda Galloway - Missing from Chicago, Illinois
• Jeremy Grice - Missing from North Augusta, South Carolina
• Alicia Hazel - Missing from Jamaica, New York
• Erica Hernandez - Missing from Newburgh, New York; may have traveled out of state
• William Hogan - Missing from Shrewsbury, Vermont; may have been sighted in Ventura, California, area
• Tanja Hook - Missing from Lawton, Oklahoma
• Ara Johnson - Missing from Big Sandy, Texas
• Sofia Lazarides - Missing from Nashville, Tennessee; may be in California
• Anthony Luzio - Missing from Powell, Ohio
• Briana Miles - Missing from Park Forest, Illinois
• Emma Peterson, Kaitlyn Peterson - Missing from Plano, Texas; may have gone to New Orleans, Louisiana
• Beatriz Rivera-Carcamo, Jacqueline Rivera-Carcamo - Missing from Fremont, California; may be in Los Angeles, California, or Mexico
• Andrew Slinkard, Sydney Slinkard, Nathan Slikard - Missing from Greenfield, Indiana; may be in California, Florida, or Mexico
• Kamelia Spencer - Missing from Palmdale, California; may be in Las Vegas, Nevada, or outside the U.S.
• Timmy Thompson - Missing from Phelan, California; was heading for camping trip in Salton Sea area; car found on Phelan Pass Road four miles off Highway 177

Radio schedule:
August 14: Amber Barker - Missing from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
August 15: Christopher Kerze - Missing from Eagan, Minnesota
August 16: Cynthia Allegro - Missing from Independence, Missouri; car found at Kansas City airport; had been planning weekend in St. Louis, Missouri
August 17: Aaron Anderson - Missing from Pine City, Minnesota
August 18: Angelica Livingston - Missing from West Columbia, South Carolina; grandmother's vehicle found in Seattle, Washington
August 19: Anna Waters - Missing from San Mateo County, California
(No one is listed yet for August 20.)

Unfortunately the radio version of Missing currently only airs on a few stations in a few cities:
Bakersfield, California: KTIP-AM
Panama City, Florida: WDSP-AM
Minneapolis, Minnesota: WXCE-AM
Hattiesburg, Mississippi: WHSY-AM
Chattanooga, Tennessee: WKWN-AM
Spokane, Washington: KOMW-AM and KNCW-FM

Cynthia Day now missing 16 years, National City, Illinois

Update (Sept. 3): While it may not be connected to efforts from this blog, on August 24, two different media outlets in St. Louis, KSDK NewsChannel 5 and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, ran stories on Cynthia. To read them, follow the links.
This week I hoped that Cynthia L. Day could get some media coverage, too. I emailed one newspaper, two TV stations, and two radio stations, all in the St. Louis area, in hopes I could help get that for her. I knew it was a long shot, but I still thought it could work. I put "local missing woman" in the subject line, to try to get their attention. I invited all the readers of this blog to help, too. Hopefully, some of you did, and I thank you if you were one of them. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to have worked. At least, I haven't found any yet. (If you have, please let me know.) Maybe I should have emailed sooner. (I only did on August 7, three days beforehand.) Maybe there weren't enough of us. Maybe I should have marked the email "urgent". Maybe they didn't think it would do any good, since she's been gone so long. Whatever the reason, whatever the excuse, it doesn't change that Cynthia's daughters, Melody and Kim, have spent 16 years without knowing what happened to her. Her story on The Charley Project, a website which covers missing people who have been gone for longer than six months, is shorter than most, probably just because not much is known. But here it is (profile at http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/d/day_cynthia.html):

Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
Missing Since: August 10, 1990
from National City, Illinois
Classification: Missing
Date of Birth:
November 11, 1952
Age: 37 years old
Height and Weights: 5'2, 125 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Blonde hair, blue eyes. Day is missing a
canine tooth on the left side of her mouth. She has a scar on her lip and a
hysterectomy scar on her abdomen. Her nickname is Peaches. Day has previously
fractured her pelvic bone.

Details of Disappearance
Day was last seen
at a Washrack in in the vicinity of the 100 block of St. Clair Avenue in
National City, Illinois on August 10, 1990. She has never been heard from again.
Few details are available in her case.
Some agencies state that Day
disappeared from East St. Louis, Illinois or Fairmont City, Illinois. She is
from East St. Louis and that city's police are investigating her case.

Investigating Agency If you have any information concerning this case,
please contact:
East St. Louis Police Department
618-482-6724
OR
618-781-7934
OR
Cleveland Police Department
216-621-1234

But that doesn't tell you much. Like, for instance, the fact she was a mom--and a grandma. Or of the struggle to get Cynthia some news coverage, which I have now had a bit of a firsthand experience with. Kelly Jolkowski, founder of Project Jason and mother of missing Nebraska man Jason Jolkowski, documented this well in a blog entry called "Ten Seconds for Mom". (Read it at http://voice4themissing.blogspot.com/2005/09/91205-ten-seconds-for-mom.html.)

Cynthia's website, http://www.findcynthia.com, has the two pictures above, other photos, letters, poems, a copy of a newspaper article from two years ago, flyers....Check it out!
Her family has also set up a MySpace profile to help find her, http://www.myspace.com/findcynthialday. Recently, there have been stories of MySpace being used for good (instead of just the common stories about its connections to crime), so hopefully this can be another one of those times! Some other missing people's families have set up MySpace sites, too. (Some of them are included as "friends" on Cynthia's page.)
You can leave a message for Cynthia's family at http://www.findcynthia.com/cgi-bin/guestbook.cgi.

You can print a poster of Cynthia at http://www.theyaremissed.org/ncma/gallery/ncmaprofile_all.php?A200401797S.


Banner available under the "Links" section of Cynthia's site. You can get the HTML coding to put it onto your own website.

Natalee Holloway: Prosecutors appeal "damages"

Well, as it turns out, they are appealing the amount of money, not having to pay. Still, I hope their appeal is successful. I don't think Paulus van der Sloot deserves about $10,000 for each day he was in jail.
Story below from http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,207503,00.html:

Aruban Prosecutors to Appeal Order to Pay Damages to Paulus Van Der Sloot
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
ORANJESTAD, Aruba — Aruban
prosecutors said Tuesday they will appeal an order to compensate a man detained
in the disappearance of U.S. teenager Natalee Holloway.
A
judge on the Dutch Caribbean island ruled on July 28 that the prosecutor's
office should pay $30,190 to Paulus van der Sloot,
a former justice official in Aruba who was detained in the case for three days,
for defamation and legal fees.
"The public prosecutor's office does not agree
with the amount granted, since this is much higher than usual," spokeswoman
Mariaine Croes said.
Van der Sloot, a Dutch national, was arrested June 23,
2005, in the disappearance of Holloway, from Mountain Brook, Alabama, who
vanished a month earlier on the final night of her high school graduation trip
to the island. She was 18 at the time of her disappearance.
Holloway was last
seen leaving a bar with the official's son, Joran van der Sloot, and two
Surinamese brothers.
Joran van der Sloot and
the brothers were detained in her disappearance and later released after a court
ruled there was not enough evidence to hold them.
At the time of his arrest,
authorities said they suspected Paulus van der Sloot of assisting his son, but
he was released three days later and was also never charged in the case.
Van
der Sloot now works for a law firm on the island that represented his son. His
attorney, Arie Swaen, did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment.

In an earlier article by Expatica, the amount was listed as being equivalent to $27, 900.
Hopefully, the next bit of news on Natalee will be something encouraging!
Anyway, if you know anything about the disappearance of Natalee Holloway, please call 1-866-SOS-LOST (1-866-767-5678).
Natalee's website: http://www.natalee-holloway.com
One of probably many blogs about Natalee: http://blogsfornatalee.com
Wristbands to pay for searches for Natalee are still on sale at http://www.bandsonhand.com/products.php?cat=61.

Photo of Natalee from her website. (There was one with the article, which seemed to be like a cropped version of this one.)

Yes, Leighann Gaylord has been found!

One day I noticed that Leighann Gaylord, whom I had posted on here before, was no longer listed on the website for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children or the Texas Department of Public Safety's Texas Missing Persons Clearinghouse. She had run away from home in The Colony, Texas, on July 13, 2004. Well, yesterday I decided to find out whether she was indeed found by emailing the Texas Department of Public Safety. They responded that she had been found safe and her case was closed! Please keep Leighann and her family in your prayers as she readjusts to living at home.

Would you like to make a difference?

Update (Sept. 3): While it may not be connected to efforts from this blog, on August 24, two of the media outlets below, KSDK NewsChannel 5 and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, ran stories on Cynthia. To read them, follow the links.
Update (Sept. 18): Yolanda Bindics' body was found on September 10, 2006.
Hopefully your answer is yes!
This Thursday, August 10, will mark the anniversary of the disappearances of two missing moms. One of them, Yolanda Bindics of Jamestown, New York, I have posted about before, and I am pretty confident that she will continue to get the local media attention she deserves. The other, Cynthia Day, has been missing for longer, and she has not been as blessed. She was last seen in back in 1990 in National City, Illinois (a suburb of St. Louis, Missouri). One of Cynthia's daughters had emailed me a while ago asking me to post about her here, and although I may have heard her name before, that is when she first came to my attention.
So, what if Cynthia could have a shot at exposure? What if she could get some of the long overdue media coverage around the anniversary of her disappearance? What if you could help make that happen?
My idea is a simple email campaign, asking media outlets in St. Louis to do stories on Cynthia this week. Here are the five I have emailed, but you can always do more:
the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (newspaper): metro@post-dispatch.com
KMOV-TV 4: news@kmov.com
KMOX 1120 AM (radio): kmoxnews@kmox.com
KSDK NewsChannel 5: newstips@ksdk.com
KMWU 90.7 FM (radio): news@kwmu.org
Not sure what to say? Feel free to personalize a copy of my message:

Hello. This Thursday, August 10, will mark the 16th anniversary of the
disappearance of an East St. Louis woman named Cynthia Day. She was last seen in
National City, Illinois. Could you please do a story about her around that time,
if you were not already planning to do so? There does not seem to be a lot of
information about her case, and who knows whether a story about her could jog
someone's memory and help solve the case? Could you also please include at least
one photo of her with your story, since pictures are proven to be a great help
in recovering missing people? Photos of her, including an age progression of
what she might look like today, are available at her website,
http://www.findcynthia.com. You can also read more about her story at
http://voice4themissing.blogspot.com/2005/09/91205-ten-seconds-for-mom.html.
Please consider doing a story on her. It would mean so much to her family, since
it sounds like she does not get much media coverage. Thank you for your time.

Obviously, it will have to be a little different when you email the radio stations, since they cannot air pictures! I asked them to include a physical description.

I will try to leave this up for the next few days and put other posts on hold. But I'll be back on Thursday with anniversary posts on Yolanda and Cynthia, and hopefully our campaign will be successful and I'll have articles to post for both of these ladies! Also, if you belong to a missing persons forum, or you have your own missing persons website or blog, feel free to post on Cynthia and invite others to help. For things like this, it is definitely a case of "the more the merrier".

To see an article that was done about Cynthia in the past, visit http://www.findcynthia.com/images/paperpost.gif. It was around her 52nd birthday, which would have been November 11, 2004. Other than that it sounds like she has not gotten much media attention. Maybe together we can change that!

Natalee Holloway: Two court decisions

It's been a little while since there's been actual news on Natalee's case. Both of these articles are about court decisions, neither of which are likely to be favorable to the Holloway/Twitty family. I do agree somewhat with the New York judge's reasoning, because she's right, the case has little to do with New York City. Then again, if the suit was filed in Aruba, the location of the crime, there is no guarantee that Natalee's family would win.
First story from http://wcbstv.com/topstories/local_story_215155412.html:

Aug 3, 2006 7:00 pm US/Eastern
Judge Dismisses Lawsuit In Natalee Holloway Case
AS FIRST REPORTED BY WCBSTV.COM
Read The Judge's Ruling
Scott Weinberger
Reporting
(CBS) NEW YORK A New York judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed
by the parents of Natalee Holloway against a Dutch teenager, who was one of
three young men arrested in connection with the Alabama teenager's disappearance
in Aruba in May 2005.
The lawsuit was filed in February in Manhattan state Supreme Court seeking
unspecified monetary damages against Joran van der Sloot, 18, and his father. A
hearing was held in May at which the van der Sloots' attorneys argued the suit
should be dismissed.
Holloway, 18, of Mountain Brook, Alabama, was last seen May 30, 2005,
leaving a bar with Surinamese brothers Deepak Kalpoe, 21, and Satish Kalpoe, 18,
and van der Sloot, a Dutch national. The honors student was hours from ending
her graduation trip.
The wrongful-death lawsuit was filed by Elizabeth Ann Twitty, of Alabama,
and Dave Edward Holloway, of Mississippi, the missing teen's mother and
father.
In her ruling dismissing the suit, Judge Barbara Kapnick said New York
taxpayers should not have to bear the financial burden necessary to try the
case, which had no significant connection to New York, including the cost of
translating thousands of pages of documents from Dutch to English.
Van der Sloot and the Kalpoe brothers were arrested June 9, 2005, on
suspicion of involvement in Holloway's disappearance. Van der Sloot admitted he
was with the girl but denied any wrongdoing. All were released, and nobody has
been charged.
The lawsuit refers to van der Sloot as "the predator" and says that on at
least three occasions young Aruban women have complained they were the victims
of "date rape" by him and his accomplices.
Van der Sloot left Aruba, where his father still lives, and currently lives
in Arnhem, the Netherlands, court papers say.
The lawsuit says the father, Paulus van der Sloot, was an enabler of his
son's "violent and anti-social lifestyle." Court papers say that on the night of
May 29, 2005, he went with his underage son to a casino to play poker. It was at
that casino that the younger van der Sloot met Holloway, the lawsuit says.
The court papers present a partly speculative version of what happened
after the young people left the casino and went to a bar called Carlos 'n'
Charlies in the early hours of May 30, 2005.
At about 1:30 a.m., court papers say, an intoxicated Holloway left with van
der Sloot and the Kalpoe brothers. Several of Holloway's friends saw her in the
car with the youths and asked her to get out, court papers say, but she did
not.
"The next hours of Natalee's young life were marked by torment, terror and
debasement," court papers say, describing an imagined sexual assault. "Natalee
has not been seen or heard from since entering Deepak's car with Joran."
When Twitty talked to The Early Show's Hannah Storm in October, she had
shared her suspicions about what happened to Natalee.
"I know this is really difficult for you to talk about, but you do believe
that she was sexually assaulted. Is that correct?" Storm asked.
"Absolutely," Twitty said.

The second story is probably not as widely known yet, but it is presumably also disappointing to Natalee's family. It comes from a Dutch news organization called Expatica.

Father of Holloway suspect wins damages for detention
3 August 2006
AMSTERDAM — Dutchman Paul van der Sloot, father of the chief suspect in
the Natalee Holloway disappearance case, has been awarded financial
damages.
A court on the autonomous Dutch island of Aruba ruled that Paul van
der Sloot was arrested and detained for four days without due cause last year as
part of the investigation. He was awarded 50,000 Aruban Guilders in
compensation. This is equal to EUR 21,800 or USD 27,900.
His son, Joran, was
the main suspect in the disappearance of Alabama teenager Natalee Holloway on
the Caribbean island.
Holloway, 18, was holidaying on Aruba in May 2005 with
school friends to celebrate their graduation. She disappeared on the night of 30
May, and extensive searches have failed to find any trace of her.
She was
last seen leaving a bar at 1am with Dutch youth Joran van der Sloot, then 17,
and brothers Deepak Kalpoe, 21, and Satish Kalpoe, 18. They were in Deepak's
car. Holloway was due to fly back to the US the following day but she failed to
arrive at the airport.
The three young men were arrested on 9 June 2005 and
questioned. They first told police that they dropped her off at the Holiday Inn
where she was staying. Subsequently, they admitted that they had agreed to lie.
Joran van der Sloot said he had been alone with Holloway on the beach near
another hotel, about 1 kilometre from the Holiday Inn. He denied having sex with
her or harming her in any way. He claimed he left her on the beach at her own
request. Joran claimed he wanted to go home as he had school the next
day.
The Kalpoe brothers were released from custody on 14 July 2005, but were
re-arrested on 26 August 2005 on suspicion of rape and murder. Joran and the
Kalpoes were released on 4 September 2005 and have not been charged with any
crime in connection with the disappearance.
Paul van der Sloot, a judge in
training on Aruba at the time, was arrested on 22 June 2005 on suspicion of
conspiring on or after the fact with his son. He was released without charge
four days later but still considered a suspect.
He won a civil action for
unjust detention against the Aruban authorities in November of that year and has
now been awarded damages. He is no longer a suspect. The judge in the civil case
stressed his ruling related solely to Paul van der Sloot.
Both father and
his son deny any wrongdoing.
The police handling of the case, coupled with
the failure to find any trace of Holloway, has generated a lot of criticism in
the US. There have been calls for American tourists to boycott the
island.
Natalee's mother Beth Twitty has spearheaded a campaign to keep up
the pressure on the authorities to find her daughter.
On 6 February this
year, Joran and Paul van der Sloot were served with a civil lawsuit by Natalee's
parents in New York. Joran went to the US, against his lawyer's advice, to
do a television interview.

Really, the term "damages" is ironic, because all Paulus van der Sloot has suffered is a bad reputation for himself and his son, which might hurt his job prospects. Natalee Holloway, on the other hand, might have lost her life, and her family is missing a daughter, niece, sister, etc.

If you have any information on Natalee's disappearance, call 1-866-SOS-LOST (1-866-767-5678).
Natalee's website: http://www.natalee-holloway.com
One of probably many blogs about Natalee: http://blogsfornatalee.com
Wristbands to pay for searches for Natalee are still on sale at http://www.bandsonhand.com/products.php?cat=61.
Hope for Natalee ribbon available on Natalee's website.

Charles Beltz: Recent article

Even though the article below (from http://www.ridgwayrecord.com/articles/2006/08/01/news/news02.txt) says that there aren't any new developments in Chuck Beltz's case, it still puts him back in the spotlight and gives him some exposure. If only they had included a picture. (The one with this post is from his NCMA poster.)

No new updates on man who went missing in Elk County
Tuesday, August 1, 2006 1:20 PM EDT
The investigation continues in the case of Charles Beltz, a man who went missing in Elk County in June, 2005.
Beltz is a Pitcairn resident who has been missing since June 7, 2005 and was last seen in the Hallton area of Spring Creek Township. Pitcairn Police said they have not heard any new details from the case either from authorities or from Beltz's family. Ridgway-based State Police also said they have not heard of any new details but added the case is still actively under investigation.
Beltz is currently still listed on the National Center for Missing Adults Web site.
An extensive search went on for approximately two weeks last June in a 200-mile radius of the campsite where he was, at the time, belived to have been, but the search was called off as it was believed Beltz was no longer in the area.
Beltz has not been heard from again since he went missing. His white 1992 Plymouth Caravan was located at a campsite in Clear Creek State Park in Spring Creek township.
Beltz is classified as an endangered missing adult. According to the National Center for Missing Adults, he is listed as 5-foot, 10-inches tall and weighing 220 pounds. He is described with gray hair and green eyes, with perhaps a beard and mustache. He has an upper denture plate and scars around his right knee and back.
When last seen, he was wearing a camouflage shirt, camouflage pants, brown boots and a gold wedding band with a diamond on his left ring finger.
Anyone with any information about this case is asked to contact Ridgway-based State Police.

You can print a poster of Chuck at http://www.theyaremissed.org/ncma/gallery/ncmaprofile_all.php?A200604090S.

Sabrina Coker safe!

Sabrina A. Coker from McKeesport, Pennsylvania, has come home!

McKeesport runaway returns
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
A McKeesport teenager who ran away and was missing for more than a month has safely returned.
Police reported today that Sabrina Coker, 16, has been found.
She was last seen June 29 in Homestead. Her family was concerned because they said she was dependent on medicine for an unspecified illness.

Story from http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06213/710267-100.stm.

FOUND SAFE: Alfred Lee Jones

I am happy to report that a man I previously posted on here, Alfred Lee Jones, has been found safe after being missing since February 1998! He was a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but went missing from Chattanooga, Tennessee. He was found in New Jersey.
An exact copy of the post on the Project Jason forum where I learned this great news :

After 8 years, Alfred has been found safe in NJ. We should have more information at a later date. We rejoice for his family!
Kelly

The post was made yesterday, so he must have been found recently. I personally am curious to hear more information about how he was found--and how he ended up in New Jersey. I'll try to be sure to post an update when I find more details.

Lonnett Jackson: Poster available!!

While looking for the poster of Jason Jolkowski on the NCMA website for a post on him earlier today, I was pleasantly surprised to see that one had been made for Lonnett. I hadn't seen any more recent articles about her after the ones where she was first mentioned as being missing, so I did wonder a little whether she had been found. Apparently, she's still out there. Anyway, here it is!

Endangered Missing Adult
If you believe you have any information regarding this case that will be helpful in this investigation please contact: Pittsburgh Police Department at (412) 323-7142

Name: Lonnett Myer Jackson
Classification: Endangered Missing Adult
Alias / Nickname: Nett, Tootsie
Date of Birth: 1959-06-07
Date Missing: 2006-04-11
From City/State: Pittsburgh, PA
Missing From (Country): USA
Age at Time of Disappearance: 46
Gender: Female
Race: Black
Height: 64 inches
Weight: 192 pounds
Hair Color: Black
Hair (Other): With graying.
Eye Color: Brown
Complexion: Medium
Identifying Characteristics: Pierced ears, surgical scar on right side of head near hairline, surgical scar from Cesarean section.
Clothing: White undershirt, black sleeveless hooded jacket, dark blue warm-up pants, white athletic shoes.
Circumstances of Disappearance: Unknown. Lonnett was last seen at approximately 11:00am at her residence in the vicinity of the 5100 block of Chaplain Way in Pittsburgh, PA. Lonnett has a medical condition and needs medication.
Investigative Agency: Pittsburgh Police Department
Phone: (412) 323-7142
Investigative Case #: CCR06-70911
NCIC #: M-495682716

Be sure to print your own at http://www.theyaremissed.org/ncma/gallery/ncmaprofile_all.php?A200604344S if you live in the Pittsburgh area.
You can see my previous post on Lonnett at http://betweenlifeanddeath.blogspot.com/2006/04/missing-in-2006-lonnett-jackson.html.

The National Center for Missing Adults, which provided this poster for Lonnett, has lately been threatened by financial difficulties. The situation has improved somewhat, but they still could use help! For the latest news on this, see http://while-here.blogspot.com/2006/07/little-good-news.html and http://fromwhisperstor.6.forumer.com/viewtopic.php?t=14381&highlight=ncma.

Gina DeJesus to be spotlighted during race

I need to mention that while the article below is exciting because of the exposure that the two girls are getting, it did make a few minor errors. First, Amanda's name is usually spelled as "Amanda Berry". Second, Georgina, or "Gina" as she is sometimes called, was 14 when she went missing and would be 16 now. I should also note that Amanda was actually 16 when she was last seen, but it was the day before her 17th birthday.

AUTO RACING NOTEBOOK
Team to spotlight missing children
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Mark Znidar
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Getting to the finish line first usually is the most important thing in drag racing.
But aiding families who have missing children will be just as important as winning a race for Wilkes Motorsports when the Jeg’s Northern Sportsnationals begins today at National Trail Raceway in Kirkersville.
In conjunction with the Missing Children’s Racing Network, Wilkes Motorsports of Zanesville, Ohio, will display images of missing children Georgina DeJesus and Amanda Marie Barry on the hoods of its cars. Both girls are from Cleveland.
DeJesus was 16 when she was reported missing April 2, 2004. She was last seen walking home from school. Barry was 17 when she was reported missing April 21, 2003 after working her shift at a fast-food restaurant.
"We’re going to have Nancy Ruiz representing her daughter, Georgina, and Amanda at the track," said Martin Gray, program director of the Missing Children’s Racing Network. "She’ll be available to answer questions from fans and to talk about the growing problem of child abduction.
"This program with the race cars works. We’ve recovered three children recently. What we do is increase the public’s awareness of this problem."

The article is longer, but the other half is on a different subject. The full article is available at http://www.dispatch.com/autos/autos.php?story=dispatch/2006/07/27/20060727-F7-03.html.

If you have information about either of these girls, please call the Cleveland Police Department at (216) 621-1234, the Cleveland Crimestoppers at (216) 252-7463, the FBI at 1-888-660-5437, or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678).
You can print Gina's poster here and Amanda's poster here.
Gina's website: http://www.findgeorgina.com/
Amanda's website: http://www.amandaberry.net/
Both Amanda and Gina are available for you to "adopt" through Project Jason's Adopt a Missing Person program. For more information, visit http://www.projectjason.org/adopt.html.

Photos of Gina and Amanda from their websites.

Jason Jolkowski: Case spotlighted during news conference

From The Daily Nonpareil:

Missing IWCC student's case highlighted
PHIL ROONEY, Staff Writer
07/27/2006

The case of missing Iowa Western Community College student Jason Jolkowski was highlighted during a Wednesday news conference in Lincoln, Neb.
Jolkowski disappeared on June 13, 2001. He was last seen walking to Benson High School in Omaha to meet a coworker for a ride to work. Then 19, Jolkowski was a student at IWCC and a disc jockey at 89.7 The River, the college's radio station.
His mother, Kelly Jolkowski, appeared with Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman and members of the Nebraska State Patrol to promote that state's Missing Person's Clearinghouse, which was created on May 25, 2005, when the Nebraska Legislature passed Jason's Law.
Heineman praised Kelly
Jolkowski and Omaha State Sen. Patrick Bourne for their efforts in passing the bill and said more pictures are needed on the Web site that generally lists around 350 missing people, many of them runaways.
"We need your help to raise the awareness of the Web site and the good it can do," Heineman said.
Jolkowski said her son's case remains active, and the family recently distributed posters at a park near their Omaha home to mark the fifth anniversary of the disappearance. She also stressed the role the public can play and the pain felt by the families who are missing a loved one.
"There's an empty place at the dinner table, one that longs to be filled again," she said. "We need your help."
To access the Nebraska Missing Person's Clearinghouse, go to the Nebraska State Patrol's Web site at nsp.state.ne.us and click the missing person's link or contact the hotline by calling 1 (877) 441-LOST.
The Omaha Police Department has announced that a $5,000 reward will be paid for any information that leads to the arrest and conviction of any suspects involved in the disappearance of Jason Jolkowski. Anyone with information can call Crime Stoppers at (402) 444-STOP (7867) or the Omaha Police Department at (402) 444-5600.
Jason Jolkowski is described as a white male, 6-feet tall and weighing 160 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes.
Heineman encouraged the public to the Web site and become aware of the numbers of missing people.
"We need more names, more leads, more photographs, more eyes in the field," Heineman said. "There are eyes and ears in the field. The patrol can't do this alone."

Jason's website: http://members.cox.net/prayersandposters/
Guestbook for messages to the Jolkowski family: http://pub36.bravenet.com/guestbook/show.php?usernum=3085091876
You can print a poster of Jason at http://www.theyaremissed.org/ncma/gallery/ncmaprofile_all.php?A200301135W.
Jason is also included in Project Jason's Adopt a Missing Person program. To learn more about how you can "adopt" Jason or someone else, visit http://www.projectjason.org/adopt.html.

Photo of Jason from his website.

The National Center for Missing Adults, which helps the families of Jason and other missing adults like him, has lately been threatened by financial difficulties. The situation has improved somewhat, but they still could use help! For the latest news on this, see http://while-here.blogspot.com/2006/07/little-good-news.html and http://fromwhisperstor.6.forumer.com/viewtopic.php?t=14381&highlight=ncma.

Brooke Wilberger: Suspect's competency evaluation begins

One of several articles on this latest development, this one comes from the Corvallis Gazette-Times:

N.M. judge orders evaluation of Wilberger suspect
By REBECCA BARRETT
Gazette-Times reporter
There’s been another delay in the prosecution of
the man accused of kidnapping and murdering Brooke Wilberger.
A New Mexico District Court judge has ordered Joel Patrick Courtney to be
evaluated by a mental hospital before proceeding to trial on rape charges in a
separate case. Courtney, 40, is accused of raping a New Mexico student in 2005.
He has also been charged with abducting, sexually assaulting and killing
19-year-old Wilberger of Veneta, who vanished from a Corvallis apartment complex
in May 2004.
Bernalillo County Assistant District Attorney Theresa Watley
said Courtney would be sent to a facility in Bernalillo County or in Las Vegas,
N.M. His evaluation could be delayed until there’s an opening at either of the
hospitals.
“It’s not an immediate thing,” Watley said Monday.
Under state law, a preliminary finding of whether he is competent to stand
trial would be made within 30 days after he is admitted, she said.
Benton County District Attorney Scott Heiser said the evaluation would
further delay the criminal case against Courtney here. Courtney will be
extradited to Oregon following the resolution of the criminal case in New
Mexico.
If Courtney is found to be competent, the case could be put back in the
trial queue there.
If he is found to be mentally ill, it could take months before the trial
could resume.
“That would be a huge delay if that were the finding,” Heiser said.
Once he’s delivered to Benton County, prosecutors here said it could take a
year to get through pretrial hearings and attorneys’ motions before Courtney
faces trial.
Courtney was arrested in November 2005 in New Mexico after he allegedly
kidnapped a University of New Mexico student at knife point, forced her into her
car, tied her up and raped her.
Investigators involved in the Wilberger case connected him to the Veneta
woman’s disappearance while he was in jail for the New Mexico rape.
Courtney was charged with Wilberger’s death last August. Her body has never
been found.
Courtney may be linked to other kidnappings and killings, according to the
FBI.

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
You can print a poster of Brooke at http://www.theyaremissed.org/ncma/gallery/ncmaprofile_all.php?A200401499S.

You can read more about Brooke Wilberger in my first post on her at http://betweenlifeanddeath.blogspot.com/2006/02/brooke-wilberger-corvallis-oregon_15.html.

All photos (Brooke, her sweatshirt, and suspect Joel Courtney) from The Charley Project.