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.

Nellie Flickinger, missing from Erie, Pennsylvania

I first heard about Nellie from the Doe Network, but I had not posted her on here yet (except a mention on the index). The information on there had also been provided by the family. It is nice to see she is getting some media coverage!

From http://www.yumasun.com/news/flickinger_39119___article.html/family_lapeyrouse.html:

Family seeks help finding loved one
BY DARIN FENGER, SUN STAFF WRITER
January 22, 2008 - 9:41PM
The niece of a Pennsylvania woman who disappeared almost 30 years ago says her loved one may be dead in California - or be living in Yuma.
Nellie Florence Cornman Flickinger was last seen in Erie, Pa., in 1979. She was 30 at the time of her disappearance.
Flickinger's family believes she may have fled to Yuma, where she was known to have worked at restaurant many years ago. But the family's investigation has also turned up buried remains, which will soon undergo DNA testing in California.
Joni Lapeyrouse, Flickinger's niece, said that family recently relaunched their search for the woman because the five children she abandoned are now adults who have questions.
"We just want to know if she's all right," Lapeyrouse told The Sun. "If she wants to be left alone, that's fine. We'll leave it at that. At this point the family just wants to know if she's OK or not."
The niece admitted that help from law enforcement has been scarce due to the fact that Flickinger most likely disappeared of her own free will. No foul play is suspected.
The family discovered a possible match between Flickinger and buried remains in California through The Doe Network. The organization publicizes the descriptions of unidentified bodies in hopes of connecting with families or law enforcement agencies.
Lapeyrouse said that although she still wants to reach out to Yuma, her gut reaction is that the body in Colusa County, Calif., is her aunt. The niece pointed out that both women have screws and a plate in the right leg, plus the hair color, age and height seem to be a match.
Flickinger is described as having brown hair and brown eyes, and was 5 foot 3 inches and 130 pounds when she disappeared.
People with information about Flickinger can reach Lapeyrouse at 1-850-602-2743.

You can also call the Erie police at (814) 870-1260.

According to the Doe Network (http://doenetwork.org/cases/2313dfpa.html), Nellie had said she was heading to California, and she might use the aliases Lindy Sue Henry, Nellie Henry, or Sue Henry.

Azita Nikooei now missing 3 years, Bakersfield, California

I am very glad that Azita was not completely forgotten by the media this year. The only thing that could have made this article better would be if it had included a picture. (Or, of course, if it was reporting that Azita had been found! Hopefully that will come soon.)
Article from http://www.kget.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=8a983816-ae5c-43d6-b234-4dbe178b301e&rss=91:

Azita Nikooei's family puts up reward
Last Update: 9/04 1:41 pm
It’s been three years since the disappearance of Azita Nikooei, the young mother and
exotic dancer who went missing over the 2004 Labor Day weekend.
Bakersfield police investigators said this is not a cold case, though, and they are making progress. Now, the Nikooei family is also taking action.
The 29-year-old mother disappeared Sept. 6, 2004.
The last time she was seen was at the Marketplace in southwest Bakersfield the afternoon she disappeared. Her car was discovered in the Marketplace parking lot four days later. Her body was never discovered and police believe her case to be homicide.
“We do have people of interest. We do have a suspect, who is that Nathan Mowers,” said Bakersfield Police Sgt. Greg Terry.
This is the first time Bakersfield Police have named Nikooei’s boyfriend, Nathan Mowers, as a suspect. For the past three years he has been called a person of interest.
Mowers disappeared two weeks after Nikooei vanished. He was arrested in Wisconsin for a weapons violation, and the couple’s home in Bakersfield was searched for clues.
“There is foul play with her ex-boyfriend,” said Azita’s friend, Sherry Johnson.
Iran-native Nikooei came to the U.S. in 1994 and began working as an exotic dancer at Déjà Vu, of which friends said her boyfriend disapproved.
“She was a firecracker, spunky, outspoken, funny girl. The funniest I ever met in my whole life,” Johnson said.
The Nikooei family released this statement Monday: In our minds, this case will never be over until the person responsible for this crime is behind bars. The family of Azita Nikooei is posting a $10,000 reward for anyone who has information leading to the discovery of Azita Nikooei and the arrest of the person that is responsible. If you have any information, please contact Detective Caldas at (661) 326-3556.
“This is in an ongoing active investigation,” said Terry. “There are certain details I can not comment on. It would be inappropriate at this point.”
The case previously went to the District Attorney’s Office, but no charges were filed due to insufficient evidence.
There is still hope that one day the case will come to a close and there will be a resting place for Nikooei’s family and friends to remember her.
17 News was unable to reach Mowers for an interview.
Anyone with information on this case is urged to call Bakersfield Police Detective Caldas at 326-3556.

You can print a poster of Azita at http://www.theyaremissed.org/ncma/gallery/ncmaprofile_all.php?A200401955S.


Photo of Azita from her poster.

Jan Scharf now missing five years, Cameron Park, California

In the past year, the major news on Jan's case is that her estranged husband, who had been convicted of her murder even though no body was ever found, committed suicide, probably taking the secret of Jan's wherabouts with him.

Here is a condensed version of Jan's story from the North American Missing Persons Network, where she is listed as Jani Jo Thompson (Her maiden name, perhaps?):

Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
Missing Since: May 14, 2002
from Cameron Park, California
Classification: Endangered Missing
Date Of Birth: July 15, 1956
Age: 45
Height: 5'5"
Weight: 140 lbs.
Hair
Color: Brown
Eye Color: Blue
Race: Caucasian
Gender: Female
AKA:
Jan Scharf, Jani Jo Scharf, Jan Sharpe, Jani Jo
Case Number: 024811
Details of Disappearance
Thompson was last seen on May 14, 2002 at her Cameron Park, California
residence. She had just returned from a 12-hour shift at the University of
California at Davis Medical Center where she worked as a nurse. She had filed
for divorce 5 months before but was still sharing the house with her husband,
Glyn Scharf, as the divorce proceeded. Around 8 pm, a neighbour said she heard a
woman screaming "No, no ... don't, don't" from the Scharfs' driveway then more
screaming. The screaming then stopped and she heard a car speeding away. The
neighbor's roommate went at her request to check outside and noticed that Glyn
Scharf's truck which had been in the driveway earlier, was gone. Her mother and
daughter reported her missing on May 18. The next day, police found Thompson's
abandoned car in Folsom outside a 24-hour gym, she frequented. Authorities found
no evidence of foul play in her car, her husband's truck or their residence.
People who knew her say it is uncharacteristic of her to leave and not tell
anyone. Her belongings were all left behind and her cell phone and ATM card
haven't been used since her disappearance. She also showed no sign that she
wanted to leave, she had just applied for a promotion at her job, was planning
her daughter's wedding, which was set for December 2002, was going to vacation
with friends on Memorial Day and dating someone new. On April 17, just weeks
before her disappearance, Thompson phoned police to report a missing gun from
her home and that her husband had told her he had it. On May 7, 2002, she called
again, saying she thought her husband was poisoning her morning coffee. A crime
lab found evidence of digoxin, a drug for slowing an irregular heartbeat, in her
blood. Thompson believed her husband wanted to make her sick so that she took
him back to take care of her. Scharf had packed her belongings, changed the
locks and invited girlfriends to stay at the house just days following her
disappearance. Scharf was arrested in May 2003 and charged with her murder. In
October 2004, a jury found him guilty of first degree murder and sentenced him
to 25 years to life in prison. Sometime after Glyn Wolfgang Scharf's arrest, a
necklace and ring belonging to his wife were found in a film canister hidden in
some ivy in front of one of his former girlfriend's house. Glyn Scharf was found
in his cell at Pleasant Valley State Prison on March 21, 2007 after overdosing
on antidepressant Amitriptalyne and died six days later in Coalinga Regional
Medical Center.
Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
El Dorado County Sheriff's Department
(530) 621-5703

Jan's profile from the California Department of Justice website is short enough to be used as a poster. You can see it at http://dojapp.doj.ca.gov/missing/detail.asp?FCN=1620213800315. If you find a site that has an actual poster of Jan, please let me know!

Ashley Martinez now missing 3 years, Saint Joseph, Missouri

A little less than a month ago, Ashley Renee Martinez was included in the CUE Center's Road to Remember Tour. An article mentioning the rally can be read at http://stjoechannel.com/content/fulltext/?cid=12356. Photos from that and other news on Ashley are featured on her thread on the Project Jason forum, http://projectjason.org/dpforum/thread.php?id=890.

From the North American Missing Persons Network:

Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
Missing Since: July 6, 2004 from St. Joseph, Missouri
Classification: Endangered Missing
Date Of Birth: January 24, 1989
Age: 15
Height: 5'3"
Weight: 110 lbs.
Hair Color: Sandy Blonde
Eye Color: Blue
Race: White
Gender: Female
Distinguishing Characteristics: Scars on left wrist,peircing holes for her ears, tongue, and belly button.
Medical Conditions: Bi-Polar Disorder
Clothing: Black top, blue jean shorts, white Reebok tennis shoes, and black bikini with red cherries on it underneath her clothing.
NCIC Number: M-874158505
Case Number: 04-26313; NCMC993587
Details of Disappearance
Ashley was last seen at a local public pool on July 6, 2004 in St. Joseph, Missouri. She was persuaded into leaving the state with a 32 year old sexual predator, Christopher Hart. He picked her up near the pool in his dad's gray 1995 Pontiac Bonneville with Missouri license plate, 377MPY.In September 2004, Hart was arrested in Olympia, Washington, and is awaiting extradition back to Missouri. Hart exhibited bizarre and unorthodox behavior while in jail. He has been sent to Western State Hospital for a mental evaluation, prior to his arraignment in court. Since his arrest, he has been uncooperative about Ashley's whereabouts or the location of the car.
Ashley's mother describes her as a beautiful girl who loves to read
and has a great sense of humor.
In 2005, the Carol Sund Foundation offered a $5000 reward for any information regarding the whereabouts of Ashley Martinez.
Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
St. Joseph Police Department
(816) 271-4747

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

Ashley's website: http://www.ashleymartinez.com/
Guestbook for messages to Ashley's family: http://www.findashleymartinez.com/ashleygb
You can print a poster of Ashley here.

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

Jason Jolkowski: An example of the issues faced by families of the missing

About three years ago, police contacted Jason's family regarding an unidentified deceased male that had been found in California. A woman had seen an artist's rendering of the man and thought he resembled Jason. It is now known that this man was not Jason, but Jason's mother, Kelly, has now posted about the incident on the Project Jason Voice for the Missing blog. The posts are based on her own diary entries from the time, and names of places and people outside the family have been changed. The story, however, is still powerful.

An introduction to the series can be found at http://voice4themissing.blogspot.com/2007/06/62107-untold-story-awaiting-dna.html, which also links to audio files of a dramatization of the diary. The first actual post in the series is at http://voice4themissing.blogspot.com/2007/06/62107-untold-story-awaiting-dna-part-i.html, and the rest of the story has yet to be posted.
Update: Link to part two: http://voice4themissing.blogspot.com/2007/06/62207-untold-story-awaiting-dna-part-ii.html
Part Three: http://voice4themissing.blogspot.com/2007/06/62707-untold-story-awaiting-dna-part.html
Part Four: http://voice4themissing.blogspot.com/2007/06/62807-untold-story-awaiting-dna-part-iv.html
Part Five: http://voice4themissing.blogspot.com/2007/06/62907-untold-story-awaiting-dna-part-v.html
Part Six: http://voice4themissing.blogspot.com/2007/06/63007-untold-story-awaiting-dna-part-vi.html
Part Seven: http://voice4themissing.blogspot.com/2007/07/72007-untold-story-awaiting-dna-part.html
Part Eight: http://voice4themissing.blogspot.com/2007/07/7507-untold-story-awaiting-dna-part.html
Part Nine: http://voice4themissing.blogspot.com/2007/07/7607-untold-story-awaiting-dna-part-ix.html
Part Ten: http://voice4themissing.blogspot.com/2007/07/71207-untold-story-awaiting-dna-part-x.html
Part Eleven: http://voice4themissing.blogspot.com/2007/07/71407-untold-story-awaiting-dna-part-xi.html
Part Twelve (which also stresses the importance of personal ID kits): http://voice4themissing.blogspot.com/2007/07/71707-untold-story-awaiting-dna-part.html

If you know anything about the disappearance of Jason Anthony Jolkowski from Omaha, Nebraska, please call the Omaha Police Department at (402) 444-5657 or Omaha Crimestoppers at (402) 444-STOP.
Jason's website: http://members.cox.net/prayersandposters/
Jason's guestbook: http://pub36.bravenet.com/guestbook/show.php?usernum=3085091876
You can print a poster of Jason at http://projectjason.org/18wheel/Jason6YearPoster.pdf. Or, if you do not have a PDF reading program (such as Adobe Acrobat or Foxit Reader), the older poster is available at http://www.theyaremissed.org/ncma/gallery/ncmaprofile_all.php?A200301135W.
Jason is one of the missing people you can "adopt" through Project Jason's Adopt a Missing Person program. For more information, visit http://projectjason.org/adopt.html.

Project Jason website: http://www.projectjason.org/.


Photo of Jason from Voice for the Missing blog.

Ashley Martinez: Included in On the Road to Remember 2007, other news

The On the Road to Remember Tour is held by the CUE (Community United Effort) Center, a non-profit missing persons organization based in North Carolina. It stops in various locations in several states and holds rallies to gain attention for local missing people who have become "cold cases".

This year their schedule included a stop at the Krug swimming pool in St. Joseph, Missouri, on June 14. Ashley Martinez, then 15 years old, was last seen there on July 6, 2004. She is believed to have run away with a 32-year-old convicted felon named Christopher Hart. He was arrested in Olympia, Washington, on September 4, 2004, but Ashley was not with him. He had been promising to take her to California, or she may be in Nebraska or Kansas City, Missouri. The car they were supposedly traveling in, a stolen grey 1995 Pontiac Bonneville with Missouri license plate 377MPY, has also not been found.
Ashley has bipolar disorder and may engage in dangerous behavior when she does not have her medication. She also has asthma. She did not bring along her medicine or any of her personal belongings. Therefore, she is rightly classified as "endangered".
Update: Article mentioning rally from http://stjoechannel.com/content/fulltext/?cid=12356:

National Spotlight Shines on Missing People in the Area

Reported by: Patty Santos
Thursday, Jun 14, 2007 @10:30pm
A
national spotlight shines on missing people in the Midland Empire. The 4th
Annual Missing Persons Tour made a stop in two area towns. Word of Branson
Perry's disappearance will reach 11 states by the end of June, giving his family
another glimpse of hope that the 26-year-old will soon be found.
"It's an awesome feeling, it makes you feel like there is hope, that there
are people that really do care," Becky Klino, mother, said.
Monica Caison is leading the "On the Road to Remember" tour spreading the
word and pictures of 75 missing adults across 5,100 miles.
"A lot of these cases that we are featuring, are cases that have gone cold,
because they weren't promoted properly at the beginning, of they just didn't
have enough information to go on," Caison said.
For the remaining 2,400 miles the van will attract the attention of many
people in small and big communities. They also want to grab some media
attention.
"It's important that we get the press involved, and get Perry's name out,"
Ben Espey, Nodaway County Sheriff, said. "We're still looking for clues and
leads that we can follow up on."
Branson's mother said it's vital to keep these cases front and center. So
far the group has helped bring in several new leads in other cases. Every
opportunity to get Branson's name to one more person could mean one more
clue.
"You feel like you're very alone and with organizations like this, you feel
like you are embraced with a lot of love, a lot of support and it gives you
strength," Klino said.
"We don't have a reason or rhyme or why, we're here for them and its just
one more piece that it gives them to get through another day," Caison
said.
The tour is sponsored by the community uniter effort organization. The tour
features mostly missing adults, whom they said are often left by the wayside.
The group also stopped by Krug Pool to feature Ashley Martinez. Her family
has been searching for her since she disappeared from this same area three years
ago. The runaway would now be 18 years old.
Her mother said having the community united effort feature her daughter's
story in 11 states could lead to her where abouts. Martinez's family and friends
gathered at the park wearing pins with her picture on it.
They said they're not giving up hope on finding her. For more information
on the tour log on to www.ncmissingpersons.org .

Ashley's mother was recently interviewed for Project Jason's missing people podcast. You can listen to it by clicking on the following links: http://www.lumospub.com/images/Ashley_Martinez_Item_3a_missingpeoplepodcast.com.mp3 , http://www.lumospub.com/images/Ashley_Martinez_Item_3b_missingpeoplepodcast.com.mp3 and http://www.lumospub.com/images/Ashley_Martinez_Item_3c_missingpeoplepodcast.com.mp3.

Ashley was also scheduled be featured on the Missing radio program yesterday (June 15).

If you have any information about the disappearance of Ashley Renee Martinez, please call the Saint Joseph Police Department at (816) 271-4777 or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678).

You can print a poster of Ashley here.
Ashley's website: http://www.findashleymartinez.com/
Ashley's guestbook: http://www.findashleymartinez.com/ashleygb
Additional information at http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/m/martinez_ashley.html.

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

For more information about the "Road to Remember Tour", including a schedule of stops, visit http://angelsthatcare.blogspot.com/2007/06/on-road-to-remember.html.

Photo and age progression of Ashley from the Charley Project.

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.

From http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/174342.html:

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.

Andrew Karis now missing 14 years, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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

Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
Missing Since: March 1, 1993
from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Classification: Endangered Missing
Date Of
Birth: October 27, 1973
Age: 19 years old
Height and Weight: 5'8, 130
pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian male. Brown hair, hazel
eyes. Karis's nicknames are Andy, Drew and/or Sparky.

Details of
Disappearance
Karis was a student at Carnegie Mellon University in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1993. He was last seen on campus on March 1, 1993.
Authorities tracked Karis's credit card and telephone records after his
disappearance. Investigators determined that he may have purchased a Greyhound
bus ticket to New York City, New York on March 2 and possibly stayed in the city
until March 4. Karis may have been in San Francisco, California on March 15, but
that sighting remains unconfirmed. Karis has never been heard from again.
Authorities believe he disappeared under suspicious circumstances.
Some
agencies may list March 4, 1993 as the date of Karis's disappearance. California
and Texas authorities are handling his investigation.

Investigating
Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
San Francisco Police Department
415-553-0123
OR
Texas Department Of Public Safety
800-346-3243

You can print a poster of Andrew at http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/mpch/mpdetailsPrint.asp?id='M6/4/20022:17:17PM'&Person=Missing%20Person.

Jan Scharf now missing 4 years, Cameron Park, California

Although those of you outside of California may not have heard of her, Jan seems to be one of the many women who have been murdered by husbands or boyfriends. However, as you will read later, there is not much proof that she is dead. Either way, if you know anything about what happened to Jan Scharf, you should definitely call police at the number listed below.
Jan's information and photos of her and her husband from the Charley Project (http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/s/scharf_jan.html):

Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
Missing Since: May 16, 2002
from Cameron Park, California
Classification: Endangered Missing
Date Of Birth: July 15, 1956
Age: 45 years old
Height and Weight: 5'5, 140
pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Brown hair, blue eyes. Jan's ears are
pierced. Her nickname is Jani. Jan may use the names Jani Jo Thompson, Jani Jo
Bautista and/or Jan Sharpe. She may be called Jane Scharf or Jani Jo Thompson by
some agencies.

Details of Disappearance
Jan was last seen in May 2002
in Cameron Park, California. Her friends and family last saw her on May 14,
2002, but her estranged husband, Glyn Wolfgang Scharf, whom she was in the
process of divorcing, claimed he saw her on May 16 at 8:00 p.m. when he visited
her home. A photograph of Glyn is posted below this case summary. The couple was
legally separated but still lived together to save money. Glyn spent the night
there in a different room than his wife and left at 6:40 a.m. the following
morning. He said that when he left the house, he noticed that Jan's bedroom door
was closed and her car was gone.
Jan usually went to work at 5:30 a.m., but
May 16 was her day off. Neighbors reported hearing a scream in the area at
approximately 8:00 p.m. on May 16.
Jan was reported missing on May 18 after
failing to show up at work. She was employed as an emergency room nurse at U. C.
Davis Medical Center and had been since 1985. Her car, a tan Ford Explorer,
disappeared at the same time she did; it was found abandoned on May 19 in front
of 24-Hour Fitness in Folsom, California. A photograph of the automobile is
shown below this case summary. Jan did not check into the fitness facility that
day and no one saw her there.
The same month Jan disappeared, she went to
the police with complaints that she was being poisoned by Glyn. She tested
positive for digoxin, a heart medication she had not been prescribed. Glyn, who
worked as a paramedic for a private ambulance, would have had access to the
drug. Jan also reported that a gun had disappeared from her house. No charges
were brought against anyone in either incident, however.
Jan has not used
her cellular phone or automatic teller machine (ATM) card since her
disappearance. She disappeared a day after she applied for a promotion at her
job. She had been planning to go water-skiing with a friend on Memorial Day
weekend, and go to Las Vegas over the summer with another friend. At the time
Jan disappeared, she had also been making preparations for her daughter's
wedding. Jan is described as a responsible, reliable person. Her loved ones say
it is extremely uncharacteristic of her to leave voluntarily.
On May 16,
2003, a year almost to the day after Jan was last seen, police conducted an
all-day search on her husband's home. They then arrested him for her murder.
Prosecutors said Glyn was a jealous and violent husband who lay in wait in Jan's
home and ambushed and killed her after she arrived home from work, but Glyn
maintained that Jan had probably run away with another man.
Glyn was
convicted of first-degree murder in October 2004 on mostly circumstantial
evidence. Some pieces of Jan's jewelry were found buried in Glyn's girlfriend's
front yard, neighbors reported hearing a scream at Jan's house around the time
Glyn would have come home the night she vanished, and the jury was allowed to
hear about the possible poisoning attempt on Jan.
Glyn attempted suicide
twice after the verdict was given. Jan's remains have never been located.
Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
El Dorado County Sheriff's Department
530-621-5703

Unfortunately, I haven't been able 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.

Andrew Karis now missing 13 years, Pittsburgh, Pensylvania

Info and photo from the Charley Project (http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/k/karis_andrew.html):

Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
Missing Since: March 1, 1993 from
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Classification: Endangered Missing
Date Of
Birth: October 27, 1973
Age: 19 years old
Height and Weight: 5'8, 130
pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Brown hair, hazel eyes. Karis's
nicknames are Andy, Drew and/or Sparky.

Details of Disappearance
Karis was a student at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania in 1993. He was last seen on campus on March 1, 1993. Authorities
tracked Karis's credit card and telephone records after his disappearance.
Investigators determined that he may have purchased a Greyhound bus ticket to
New York City, New York on March 2 and possibly stayed in the city until March
4. Karis may have been in San Francisco, California on March 15, but that
sighting remains unconfirmed. Karis has never been heard from again. Authorities
believe he disappeared under suspicious circumstances.
Some agencies may
list March 4, 1993 as the date of Karis's disappearance. California authorities
are handling his investigation.

Investigating Agency If you have any
information concerning this case, please contact: San Francisco Police
Department 415-553-0123 OR Texas Department Of Public Safety 800-346-3243

You can print a poster of Andrew at http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/mpch/mpdetailsPrint.asp?id='M6/4/20022:17:17PM'&Person=Missing%20Person.