Billy Smolinski: Search over

Now that the search is over, we are allowed to know what triggered it.
From http://www.nbc30.com/news/17219961/detail.html:

No Body Found In Search For Missing Man
POSTED: 9:50 am EDT August 18, 2008
UPDATED: 3:01 pm EDT August 18, 2008

SEYMOUR, Conn. -- Police said they did not find the
body of a missing man while searching a property on Bungay Road in Seymour.
State police are looking for Billy Smolinski Jr., who
has been missing for nearly four years.
Troopers said they received a tip that his body may have been buried in a metal container.
They have not said whether the search provided them any clues.

If you know anything about what happened to Billy, please call the FBI's New Haven office at (203) 777-6311 or email info@justice4billy.com. You can also send a "snail mail" tip to P.O. Box 123, Cheshire, CT 06410.

You can print a poster of Billy at http://www.theyaremissed.org/ncma/gallery/ncmaprofile_all.php?A200402022S.

Billy's website: http://www.justice4billy.com/
MySpace page for Billy: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=73488763
Billy's guestbook: http://www.justice4billy.com/guestbook.html

Billy Smolinski: New search!!

There are several news articles on this, but I will just post three of them. Hopefully they find something helpful. If they have been at it for five days, then maybe the police/FBI think they're on to something. (A fourth article, which I have not posted, calls it "the most significant [tip] yet".)

Article from http://www.nhregister.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19903608&BRD=1281&PAG=461&dept_id=635480&rfi=6:

Authorities dig for missing man in Seymour
By: Michelle Tuccitto Sullo,
Naugatuck Valley Bureau Chief
08/11/2008
SEYMOUR - Investigators on Monday
continued excavating property on Bungay Road in the search for a Waterbury man
who has been missing for four years.
The search began at the 160 Bungay Road site over the weekend.
The missing man, William Smolinski Jr., was last seen on Aug. 24, 2004.
Smolinski had asked a neighbor in Waterbury to watch his dog, a German shepherd,
for a few days then disappeared, according to the Federal Bureau of
Investigation. Smolinski indicated that he was going to look at a car he was
interested in buying. No one heard from him in a few days, and his family
contacted Waterbury police. Smolinski left behind his vehicle, wallet and keys,
according to police, and hasn't been heard from since.
A police van blocked the driveway to the property on Monday afternoon as
the search continued. Several media outlets waited at the property for an
announcement on the outcome of the search.
The Seymour Public Works Department is helping with the effort, which
involves the use of excavation equipment.
State police said Monday that the systematic search of the private property
is being done with the full cooperation of the property owner, who police said
"has no involvement whatsoever in this investigation."
In May 2007, investigators searched properties in Shelton in connection
with the Smolinski case with the help of search dogs, but came up empty.
Smolinski was 31 years old at the time of his disappearance. He had worked
as an apprentice heating and air-conditioning technician and as a part-time tow
truck driver. Smolinski also mowed lawns and plowed driveways in his spare time,
according to the FBI.
Register reporter Patricia Villers contributed to this report.

Billy's mother's reaction, from http://www.wfsb.com/news/17173132/detail.html:

Mother Still Awaiting Son's Return
Son Has Been Missing For 4
Years
POSTED: 6:35 pm EDT August 12, 2008
UPDATED: 8:47 pm EDT August 12,
2008

SEYMOUR, Conn. -- Janice Smolinski said she’s been waiting
nearly four years for her son to come home.
"We didn't give up, and we're
not going to give up," she said. "We going to continue until we get our
answers."
William Smolinski had asked a friend to walk his dog, but never
dropped off the keys to his house. The 31-year-old construction worker from
Waterbury disappeared without telling anyone where he was going.
"'No body,
no case' is what we were told in the beginning, and that isn't so," Janice said.
"You evaluate every situation."
For the past four days, police have been
digging at a home on Bungay Road in Seymour based on leads they have obtained.
Last summer, acting on another tip, police dug up a driveway outside a home
in Shelton. Nothing was found there, they said.

The latest update, from http://www.rep-am.com/news/doc48a2cbeb661f5335625354.txt:

Wednesday, August 13, 2008 8:00 AM EDT
Search for clues in 2004 disappearance continues
The search for evidence in the 2004 disappearance of
Billy Smolinski Jr. continued on Tuesday on Bungay Road, but investigators were
unable to uncover additional clues at the site, according to state police.
State and local police began excavating property at 160 Bungay Road on
Friday. Excavators from the town's Public Works Department continued to dig
Saturday, Monday and Tuesday. According to Trooper William Tate, a state police
spokesman, digging might continue today.
Smolinski was 31 when he disappeared from his Waterbury home in 2004. City
police eventually turned over their investigation to the FBI. Authorities have
investigated leads that have led them to a driveway in Shelton and now the
21-acre farmland on Bungay Road. Police did not find evidence in Shelton that
Smolinski was buried there and, so far, haven't found any clues here.

If you know anything about what happened to Billy, please call the FBI's New Haven office at (203) 777-6311 or email info@justice4billy.com. You can also send a "snail mail" tip to P.O. Box 123, Cheshire, CT 06410.

You can print a poster of Billy at http://www.theyaremissed.org/ncma/gallery/ncmaprofile_all.php?A200402022S.

Billy's website: http://www.justice4billy.com/

MySpace page for Billy: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=73488763

Billy's guestbook: http://www.justice4billy.com/guestbook.html

Photo and candle graphic from Billy's MySpace.

CUE Center's 2008 On the Road to Remember Tour update

Among the many missing persons (and a few homicide victims) who are being included in the tour are a few that have been posted on this blog: Audrey May Herron (from Catskill, New York), Audrey Lyn Nerenberg (from Brooklyn, New York), William "Billy" Smolinski, Jr. (Waterbury, Connecticut), Cynthia Day (East Saint Louis, Illinois), and Jason Jolkowski (Omaha, Nebraska). In total there are 110 missing people and six murder victims featured.

So far there are stops planned in the states of North Carolina, West Virginia, New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Maryland, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, and Tennessee.

For a complete list of both stops and featured people, as well as some background information on the event, see http://www.angelsthatcare.org/OTRT__List_and_Info.doc.

Note: Locations for missing people are according to those given in the document, so they may different from what is stated elsewhere on this blog.

Billy Smolinski: Ex-girlfriend sues family

I'm not sure how recent of a development this is. This was posted on the columnist's blog, The Brass File, on December 9, and obviously it must have happened this year, but I am not sure exactly when. Anyway, the article is definitely worth reading, especially if you were not already familiar with Billy's story. However, I thought I was fairly familiar with Billy's story, but this included a lot of details I did not know or did not remember. At the original site there are also several photos to accompany the article.
Posted at http://waterburyobserver.blogspot.com/2007/12/punch-in-face.html:

Sunday, December 9, 2007
December 2007 - A Punch In The Face
In A Bizarre Twist, Billy Smolinski's
ex-girlfriend, Madeleine Gleason, sues the Smolinski family, and The Waterbury
Observer
Column By John Murray
How much abuse can Janice and Bill Smolinski take?
The Waterbury Police Department failed them, the political process is
messing with their heads, and now they find themselves trapped in a lawsuit
filed by their son’s ex-girlfriend that amounts to legalized extortion.
This extraordinary story began three years ago when Janice and Bill’s
31-year-old son disappeared in Waterbury. The Smolinskis were unable to get
local authorities to treat the situation seriously, and their own efforts to
find Billy have been thwarted by sloppy police work, bungled science, and a
national missing person network with holes large enough for a herd of elephants
to stampede through.
Everywhere they turned for help they crashed into a wall of incompetence.
Their faith in the system is shattered.
“ Everything that could go wrong in this case has gone wrong,” Janice
Smolinski said. “Everything.”
The Smolinskis are convinced their son was murdered three years ago. At the
time of his disappearance Billy Smolinski was involved in a love triangle with
enough haunting circumstances to launch a Stephen King novel. Billy was dating
an older woman, Madeleine Gleason, who was 16 years his senior. After dating for
more than a year, Billy discovered Madeleine was also involved with a married
Woodbridge politician named Chris Sorensen.
Billy and Madeleine argued, and broke up. Billy left a threatening message
on Sorensen’s answering machine telling him “to watch his back”, and a few hours
later Billy vanished off the face of the earth.
Janice and Bill Smolinski don’t know the details of what happened to their
son on August 24th, 2004, but they believe he was murdered and his body buried
somewhere in the lower Naugatuck Valley.
A tip called into CrimeStoppers, and subsequently released by the Freedom
of Information Commission, fingers Madeleine Gleason’s son, Shaun Karpuik, as
the murderer. The information given to CrimeStoppers was highly detailed and
alleged that Karpuik, with help from at least one friend, strangled Billy inside
Madeleine’s apartment.
Karpuik was a former grave digger in Seymour, and at the time of Billy’s
disappearance Karpuik was working for a landscaping company and had ready access
to heavy earth moving equipment.
Three months after Billy Smolinski vanished, Shaun Karpuik died of a drug
overdose in Waterbury. The FBI seized control of the investigation in August
2006, and earlier this year they excavated several sites in Shelton in an
unsuccessful effort to unearth the remains of Billy Smolinski. The federal
investigation is ongoing.
STRANGE BEHAVIOR
Several days after Billy disappeared the Smolinski family, unable to get
the attention of Waterbury police, launched their own search. They scoured the
banks of the Naugatuck River and combed through all the spots they knew Billy
loved.
The Smolinskis hung missing person posters throughout western Connecticut,
and followed up on every lead that came their way. A month later reports started
filtering in from several towns that someone was tearing down Billy’s missing
person posters. Janice and Bill drove around Ansonia, Seymour and Woodbridge,
and discovered that dozens of posters had been removed.
Eventually a witness in Amity caught a woman standing on the bumper of her
car tearing down a poster and jotted down the license plate number. The vandal
turned out to be Madeleine Gleason, Billy’s ex-girlfriend.
‘That’s when the chaos started.” Janice Smolinski said. “We brought the
information to the Waterbury police department and the Woodbridge police
department and they were both totally disinterested.”
So the Smolinskis set up a surveillance operation and videotaped Madeleine
tearing down the posters. The family would hang them up, and at night Madeleine
and one of her friends would tear them down. In addition to ripping posters off
telephone poles Gleason eventually began slashing Billy’s face on the poster and
spray painting “Who cares?”.
“We couldn’t understand why she was doing this,” Janice Smolinski said.
“Our son was missing and instead of helping us find him, she drove around
slashing his photograph. Why would anybody do that?”
Unable to get any police assistance, the Smolinskis continued the cat and
mouse game for months, convinced that Madeleine knew something about Billy’s
disappearance. The game grew so bold that Janice would hang a poster on a
telephone pole and Madeleine would walk up and rip it down right in Janice’s
face.
In a world turned upside down, the confrontation ended when Janice
Smolinski was arrested by Woodbridge police for harassment. Gleason lived in
Woodbridge and was a school bus driver in town. Sorensen, the other part of the
love triangle, was an elected official in Woodbridge, and a prominent
businessman involved in running a long distance trucking company. Janice had
dared to enter the lion’s den in search of her son, and she was bitten. The
charges against Janice were eventually dropped, but not before the soft-spoken
woman was booked and fingerprinted. She was told to stay out of
Woodbridge.
In March 2006 the Observer published a five page investigative piece on the
case entitled “Gone”, airing out explosive details of the love triangle, and
exposing the inept police investigation into Billy’s disappearance. There were
impossibly strong leads to follow in the case, yet Waterbury detectives said
their investigation had stalled. Deputy Chief Jimmy Egan had the nerve to say
that “Billy was probably having a beer somewhere in Europe.”
Three months after the story was published Madeleine Gleason and B and B
Transportation (her employer) filed a lawsuit against Janice Smolinski, Paula
Bell (Billy’s sister) and The Waterbury Observer for harassment and invasion of
privacy. One month later the FBI took over the investigation into Billy’s
disappearance and the lawsuit went silent for 14 months, until a few weeks
ago.
A judge called the lawyers together on November 15th in a move my lawyer,
Atty. Mark Lee, said was a simple procedure to see where the lawsuit stood.
Atty. Lee and the Smolinski’s lawyer both said we didn’t have to be present, and
I went out of town on a previously scheduled trip to Ohio. I missed the
unexpected fireworks.
Despite our lawyers statements that we didn’t need to be present, Bill and
Janice Smolinski, and their daughter, Paula Bell, went to Superior Court in New
Haven to see what would happen. Madeleine Gleason showed up with high powered
lawyer John Williams, who decades earlier had built a reputation by challenging
police corruption, and defending the Black Panthers in New Haven.
As the proceedings began the judge unexpectedly tried to settle the case on
the spot. Instead of dismissing an outrageous and baseless lawsuit, the judge
asked Atty. Williams what his client needed to settle the case.
The response was $115,000 from the Smolinskis, and $115,000 from the
Observer. After some wrangling Atty. Williams set his clients final demand at
$25,000 for Gleason and $5000 for B and B Transportation. The offer was quickly
refused.
The charges against Janice Smolinski and Paula Bell is a “he said - she
said” story. Gleason accuses the two women of systematic harassment that led to
emotional distress. She has no proof to back up her allegations and Janice and
Paula state the charges are “total lies”.
The charges against the Observer are more specific and easier to decipher.
The paper is accused of invasion of privacy for publishing the sordid details of
Gleason’s life - which are all true - and for publishing photographs of her
tearing down missing person flyers in public.
The charges are ludicrous. For nine months Madeleine Gleason destroyed
hundreds of missing person posters of Billy Smolinski in broad daylight - in
public - having the nerve to tear them down in the face of a grieving and
distraught mother. The Smolinskis have videotape of Gleason stopping her school
bus to tear down flyers. A Woodbridge police report names Gleason as a suspect
in the disappearance of Billy Smolinski. The report said she would remain a
suspect until she took a polygraph test. She has never taken the test, so she
remains a suspect. A document released by the FOI Commission alleges that Billy
Smolinski was murdered in Madeleine Gleason’s apartment.
And Madeleine Gleason is the one filing a lawsuit?
It
reminds me of a case a lawyer friend had back in 1992. She had just been hired
by a local firm that specialized in personal injury law and her first client was
a real slug. Her client had been intoxicated, sped through a red light and
crashed into another car. He claimed damages and wanted to file a lawsuit. My
friend was shocked, but her boss told her to file the lawsuit. The insurance
company eventually settled for $10,000 rather than pay expensive legal fees to
fight the case. It made no sense to her, or to me.
And that’s the situation the Smolinskis find themselves in now. There is no
way Madeleine Gleason could ever win her lawsuit against the Smolinskis, or the
Observer, but that doesn’t matter.
If we fight the ridiculous charges in a full blown trial we are going to
spend tens of thousands of dollars on depositions and legal fees. Several
lawyers estimate that a trial could cost the Smolinskis $50,000 to $100,000. No
lawyer I’ve spoken to believes Madeleine Gleason has a shot of winning a verdict
at trial, but who has an extra $50,000 laying around to pay for that
outcome?
And that’s why I describe this process as legalized extortion. Fighting
this absurd charge will cost you $100,000, but if you pay us $25,000 right now
we’ll settle the lawsuit. Either way you lose. It doesn’t matter about being
right or wrong, about printing the truth or publishing lies. The system forces
people to accept a punch in the face to try and get out of the court system with
their vital organs still intact.
While the lawyers were in the judge’s chamber going over the case, four
people sat quietly in a hallway; Bill Smolinski, Janice Smolinski, Paula Bell,
and not far away – Madeleine Gleason. And when their lawyer came out and told
them they could settle the case for $115,000, Bill Smolinski said he wouldn’t
give Madeleine Gleason one dollar. Their lawyer advised them that if they went
to trial they would spend tens of thousands in legal fees, and if they lost,
they could lose their house and their life savings.
“I was crushed,” Janice Smolinski said. “I always thought we could depend
on the authorities and society to help us out. But the whole system completely
failed us.”
The Smolinskis have already shelled out more than $10,000 in legal fees,
and now trapped in a legal vice, they eventually offered $2500 to settle the
case. That offer was refused by Gleason and B and B Transportation. The Observer
has shelled out $5000 in legal fees, offered $500 to settle, and that offer was
also refused.
Neither the Smolinskis or The Waterbury Observer will offer another dollar
to settle the case. Let the chips fall where they may.
“We are not going to give anyone a dime for false accusations,” Janice
Smolinski said. “We were caught off guard that day in court, but we’ll go to
trial if we have to.”
In the three years since Billy disappeared the Smolinskis belief in the
system has crumbled around them. They not only lost a son, they have lost faith
in the concept of justice in America. “If we weren’t going through this I
wouldn’t believe that all this could happen,” Janice Smolinski said. “We used to
believe that if someone got arrested it meant they had done something wrong. We
used to believe that if somebody was sued they had done something wrong. Nothing
makes sense anymore. I feel like we are in an episode of the Twilight
Zone.”
(For more informationon on the case check out
www.waterburyobserver.com)

If you have any information on the disappearance of William Smolinski, please call the New Haven FBI at (203) 777-6311. You can also email tips to info@justice4billy.com or "snail mail" them to
P.O. Box 123, Cheshire, CT 06410.

Billy's website: http://www.justice4billy.com/
You can download and print a poster of Billy at http://www.justice4billy.com/Billy_with_Harley_2006_2007.pdf, or print one from http://www.theyaremissed.org/ncma/gallery/ncmaprofile_all.php?A200402022S if you do not have PDF capabilities.

Photo of Billy from his NCMA poster.

Billy Smolinski: mother continues activism, Music for the Missing

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

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

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

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

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

Photo of Billy from his NCMA poster.

Billy Smolinski on Without a Trace and The Early Show

From http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/03/31/earlyshow/main1458699.shtml?source=search_story (the link also includes previous stories of other missing people):

Missing: Billy Smolinski
Disappeared From Conn. Home Three Years Ago
After Breaking Up With Girlfriend
2007
Without A Trace
William
Smolinski Jr. has been missing for over three years, in a cold case
disappearance that has baffled both investigators and his family. Bianca
Solorzano reports.
(CBS) Each
week, the CBS drama Without a Trace profiles a real missing person at the end of
the show and, the next morning, The Early Show gives details on the case.
Check here for numbers to call if you have any information on the possible
whereabouts of any of the people shown.
Friday, Sept. 14, 2007
BILLY SMOLINSKI
We first told you about Billy Smolinski a year ago. He disappeared from his
Waterbury, Conn. home in August, 2004 after breaking up with his girlfriend.
CBS News Correspondent Bianca Solorzano got an update from investigators,
and the missing man's family.
Smolinsksi was 31 when he vanished.
He had just returned from a trip to Florida with his girlfriend. The next
night, he told his sister that his girlfriend was having an affair with a local
politician. They argued and broke up.
Smolinski's sister, Paula Bell recalls that, "I said, 'Well, what are you
going to do" And he just said, 'What am I going to do?'"
Authorities say Smolinski was last seen at his home. His next-door neighbor
says he asked him to watch his dog for a few days, because he was headed north
to look at a car he wanted to buy. His truck was found in his driveway, his keys
and wallet were under his front seat.
That, says Solorzano, is where Smolinski's trail ends.
The FBI calls it a difficult case.
"Essentially," says Special Agent Bill Aldenberg, "the man just disappeared
off the face of the Earth."
He says there's been no sign of Smolinski but, "There are suspects, based
on tips and based on interviews and based on investigations that we've
conducted."
The bureau was tipped off and, in the spring, searched in Shelton, about 20
miles from Waterbury. Agensts looked for evidence near several homes, dug up a
driveway, and also searched near a river, but found nothing.
The Smolinskis, Solorzano points out, have never stopped searching.
They posted thousands of missing person flyers but, in a strange twist,
found Smolinski's ex-girlfriend tearing them down.
At the time, local police say, she was not a suspect.
To see Solorzano's complete report, click
here.
If you know anything about Billy Smolinski's disappearance, please call the
FBI in New Haven, Conn. at (203) 777-6311.

Billy's website: www.justice4billy.com

Guestbook for messages to Billy's family: http://www.justice4billy.com/guestbook.html

You can print a poster of Billy at http://www.theyaremissed.org/ncma/gallery/ncmaprofile_all.php?A200402022S.

Billy Smolinski: Vigil article

From http://www.wfsb.com/news/13986612/detail.html?taf=hart:

Vigil Remembers Billy Smolinski
Waterbury Man Disappeared Three Years Ago
POSTED: 4:45 pm EDT August 27, 2007
NAUGATUCK, Conn. -- The Naugatuck community filled the town green on Sunday for a vigil for Billy Smolinski.
Smolinski disappeared on Aug. 24, 2004. Three years later, many questions remain unanswered as to about what happened to the 31-year- old Waterbury man.
"With family and friends gathered together, it gives us the strength to continue on. There is someone out there that knows what happened to Billy and we need them to come forward," Smolinski's mother, Janice, said.
Janice Smolinski has been working to convince lawmakers to pass legislation that would improve investigating standards in cases like her son's.
If you have information regarding this investigation, contact Waterbury police by dialing 203-755-1234.
Click here to e-mail news tips to Eyewitness News, or dial: 866-289-0333.
Refresh WFSB.com often and watch Channel 3 Eyewitness News for the latest news updates.
Previous Stories:
May 8,2007: Smolinski Family Holds Out Hope
April 13, 2007: Police Records Released In Smolinski Case
March 27, 2007: Mom Hopes Billboard Will Help Find Son
November 20, 2006: Missing Waterbury Man's Story Goes National
August 24, 2006: Man Disappears 2 Years Ago

Billy's website: http://www.justice4billy.com

You can view or sign the guestbook for messages to Billy's family by visiting http://www.justice4billy.com/guestbook.html.

You can print a poster of Billy at http://www.theyaremissed.org/ncma/gallery/ncmaprofile_all.php?A200402022S.

William Smolinski now missing 3 years, Waterbury, Connecticut

From http://www.justice4billy.com/aug_23_07_News_12_Family_seeks_answers.pdf:

Family seeks answers 3 years after man vanishes
(08/23/07) NORWALK - Three years after the disappearance of a former
Woodbridge bus driver, a family is asking the public for help in cracking
the case.
Billy Smolinski, 31, became involved in a love triangle that his family
believes went bad. His relatives say he found out his girlfriend was seeing
another man. The two broke up just before Smolinski vanished.
They say the last call Smolinski made was to the man his girlfriend had
been seeing.
With the help of authorities, Smolinski’s family searched the waters of the
Housatonic and Naugatuck rivers. They also put up posters.
The family is fighting for answers after they say Smolinski’s former
girlfriend was caught on tape tearing down the posters. The girlfriend’s lawyer
says his client was ripping down the posters because they were placed on private
property with the purpose of harassing her.
No arrests have been made in Smolinski's disappearance.
Anyone with information about the case is urged to contact the FBI in New
Haven at 203-777-6311.

You can also email information to info@justice4billy.com or send information to P.O. Box 123, Cheshire, CT 06410.

A candlelight vigil was held for Billy tonight at 6:30 on the green in Naugatuck. More details from http://www.justice4billy.com/Tentative_Guest_Speakers_for_Vigil_2007.pdf:

Tentative Guest Speakers
Linda Smolinski (Billy’s Aunt)
Mike Gaynor (Vigil Program Director)
Father Steve Bzdyra
Deacon Thomas Clifford and Deacon Bob Gordon
Michael Bronko (Mayor of Naugatuck)
Selim Noujaim (State Representative)
John Murray (The Waterbury Observer)
Mike Ward (Private Investigator)
Sam Reiger (Survivors of Homicide)
Doug & Mary Lyall (Missing Daughter, Suzanne, Albany NY)
Jan, Bill Smolinski & Paula Bell together speaking (Billy’s Mom, Dad and Sister)
Singing by Eileen Gordon and Father Steve Bzdyra
Trumpet by Tom Storrace
Keyboard by Steve or Joe Zembruski
A Special thank you from behind the scenes to Bruce, Grace, Mark, and Linda
Smolinski to help get the vigil on track.
Billy’s Uncles and Aunts
Naugatuck Town Hall across from the Green will be open for use of Restroom’s.
Please bring lawn chairs for your seating comfort.

Billy's website: http://www.justice4billy.com/

You can view or sign the guestbook for messages to Billy's family by visiting http://www.justice4billy.com/guestbook.html.

Banner from Billy's website.

New missing persons reform law in Connecticut

Normally, I do not post about laws, but I felt this is worth posting since the law was introduced by the family of one of the missing people on this blog, William "Billy" Smolinski. It also is a victory for missing persons advocates, provided that these changes do come to pass.

I also think Janice Smolinski's idea about missing persons playing cards for prisoners is an excellent suggestion, especially since a similar method has worked in the cases of unsolved murders.

Article from http://www.justice4billy.com/Residents_Fight_For_Legislation.pdf:

Residents Fight For Legislation
by Josh Morgan
Herald Staff
Talk to any mom and you’ll quickly discover there is no stronger force in
nature than a mother’s love for her children. It is a force that can turn even
the most quiet and reserved woman into an outspoken advocate for
change in Connecticut.
Just ask Cheshire resident Janice Smolinski.
The strange story of her son’s disappearance began nearly three years ago,
and the flaws the Smolinski family has encountered during the investigation has
turned Janice into a different woman.
With her newfound strength, Janice Smolinski spearheaded legislation — with
the help of State Rep. Vickie Nardello, D-Prospect — that will change the way
missing person cases are handled in Connecticut. The legislation was unanimously
approved by both the state House of Representatives and state Senate this
session. Last week, Gov. M. Jodi Rell signed the bill. The Smolinskis now hope
change in Connecticut, and hopefully across the United States, will be on the
way.
“Not only does Connecticut have a problem,” Janice said, “the entire
country has a problem.” She believes the law enforcement system is broken when
it comes to handling missing persons cases.
Getting changes implemented, however, has been a long and emotional journey
that also exposed flaws in the system. Flaws the Smolinski family hope will
change. From lost DNA samples to slow responses from the police, Janice’s hopes
are that the system will be revamped; a system that she says has treated her
family unfairly.
Her story begins on August 24, 2004, the day Janice’s 31-year-old son,
William Smolinski Jr., went missing. Billy, as he often was called, asked a
neighbor to watch his dog Harley while he was out of town for a few days. When
the neighbor went to Billy’s house, the dog was locked inside, but no key had
been left out as planned. Immediately the family knew something was wrong. After
waiting three days to file a missing persons report, the Waterbury police
stepped in. They found Billy’s keys and wallet under the seat of his truck,
which was parked in his driveway. Other than that, William Smolinski Sr. said
the police weren’t much help. “We had to do everything ourselves,” he said. “We
organized our own search parties to look for our son.”
The family offered up DNA samples to the police. But after several weeks,
there was still no word. Janice went back to the police department and asked if
the DNA had been entered into federal databases like CODIS. CODIS, or Combined
DNA Index System, is a universal database that local, state and federal law
enforcement agencies can access to help link crimes or to identify remains
across the country. They were told it had not been entered, and in fact, were
told the department had not even heard of CODIS.
“My wife had to explain how to use the DNA to the police,” William Sr.
said. “Imagine that.”
The new act calls for the state’s Police Officer Standards and Training
Council to review the way they handle missing person cases and adopt and
implement a policy no later than January 1, 2008. Not a lot of
attention was paid to Billy’s case since he was a healthy 31-year-old male, but
the Smolinskis are hoping that all missing person cases will be handled the same
way, regardless of age or sex.
They also hope that law enforcement agencies across the country will have
specially trained officers who will be able to help with crisis situations like
a missing child.
“Every state needs someone on staff that can help,” Janice said.
Her thoughts were echoed by her husband who said there should be “one or
two” trained officers who can “take control of the situation” when needed.
Frustrated at the lack of knowledge the Waterbury Police Department had on
DNA, Janice Smolinski wants additional training for officers so they are more
knowledgeable on the subject.
“The most important part of this is to educate them on DNA,” she said. “We
are in 2007. It’s time to educate.”
U.S. Rep. Christopher Murphy, D-5th District and U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman
have both contacted her within the last couple of weeks, and she hopes that,
with their help, the legislation can be taken to a federal level.
In addition to the new legislation, Janice wants to put faces of missing
persons on playing cards that can be distributed among prisons.
The idea is similar to the “most wanted” playing cards that U.S. soldiers
were given in Iraq. In Polk County, Fla., unsolved homicide cards were
distributed to 2,500 inmates and fresh leads and tips came in almost immediately
for some of the cold cases.
Her husband said cards like these are a great idea and he thinks they would
work for missing persons as well. “Criminals like to talk and brag,” he said.
“They also might be interested in reward money that they can collect when they
get out of jail. Any little tip could help.”
Despite their efforts, there has been no word or sign of Billy Smolinski
since August 2004. The Smolinskis are all but certain that he was
murdered.
Although their story is ongoing, Janice hopes changes to the system will
help other families whose worries might just be starting. “These changes aren’t
going to help Billy,” Janice said. “But maybe they will help another
family.”
For more information about Billy Smolinski Jr. and his story, visit http://www.justice4billy.com/.

There has been some other recent activity in Billy's case: a tip led authorities to search for his body in Shelton. Police dogs picked up a scent, but nothing was found. You can read more on this story at http://www.wtnh.com/Global/story.asp?S=6483149 and http://waterburyobserver.com/worxcms_published/homepage_419.shtml.

If you know anything about the disappearance of William Smolinski, Jr., please call the New Haven FBI at (203) 777-6311. You can also email tips to info@justice4billy.com or mail them to P.O. Box 123, Cheshire, CT 06410.

You can print a poster of Billy at http://www.theyaremissed.org/ncma/gallery/ncmaprofile_all.php?A200402022S.

Guestbook for messages to Smolinski family: http://www.justice4billy.com/guestbook.html

Banner of Billy from his website.

William "Billy" Smolinski -- Waterbury, Connecticut

Billy Smolinski was featured after CBS' Without a Trace on November 19 and on The Early Show on November 20. The article below is part of an archive of Early Show stories on missing people at:

Monday, Nov. 20, 2006
BILLY SMOLINSKI
Billy Smolinski vanished two years ago from his home in Waterbury, Conn.,
when he was 31-years-old. Was it murder? Did he commit suicide?
As Bianca Solorzano reports, those are questions his family and
investigators are still asking.
An outgoing son and brother who loved his dog and fixing up cars, Smolinski
returned in August 2004 from a trip to Florida with his girlfriend, Madeleine
Gleason.
The next night, he told his sister that his girlfriend was having an affair
with a local politician. They had argued and broken up.
The next day, Smolinski left the politician a threatening phone message. He
was also laid off from one of his two jobs.
As far as investigators know, he was last seen at his home. His next door
neighbor says he asked him to watch his dog for a few days because he was headed
north to look at a car he wanted to buy.
That, says Solorzano, is where the trail ends.
Smolinski's truck was still parked in his driveway. His keys and wallet
were found under the front seat.
His family hasn't stopped searching. They posted thousands of missing
person flyers but, says Solorzano, in a strange twist, found Smolinski's
ex-girlfriend tearing them down.
Local police say she and the politician aren't suspects in the case.
In August, the FBI's New Haven, Conn. stepped in, though Senior Supervisory
Resident Agent Dan O'Brien concedes, "There is not a lot of forensic evidence
for us to review in this matter. … The man simply disappeared."
Says Janice Smolinski, Billy's mom, "It's worse not knowing, because the
pain never goes away. It's like suffering a loss day in and day out."
If you have any information about the case, please contact the FBI in New
Haven at (203) 777-6311, or contact your local FBI office.

Description of Billy from the Charley Project (source of above photo):

Missing Since: August 24, 2004 from Waterbury, Connecticut
Classification:
Endangered Missing
Date Of Birth: January 14, 1973
Age: 31 years old
Height and Weight: 5'11 - 6'0, 200 pounds
Distinguishing
Characteristics: Caucasian male. Light brown hair, blue eyes. Smolinski's
nicknames are Bill and Billy. He is bowlegged and his left ear is pierced. He
has a tattoo of a blue cross outined in orange on his left shoulder, and a
tattoo of a cross with the name "Pruitt" inside on his right forearm.
Smolinski's hair was in a crew cut at the time of his disappearance. He wears
size 10 1/2 shoes, size 36-32 pants, and size large or extra-large shirts.
Clothing/Jewelry Description: A small diamond earring, a gold chain
rope-style necklace with a cross pendant, and possibly blue jeans, a blue denim
shirt, and work boots.
Medical Conditions: Smolinski is allergic to
shellfish. He has no other medical conditions and was in good physical and
mental health at the time of his disappearance.

You can print a poster of Billy at http://www.theyaremissed.org/ncma/gallery/ncmaprofile_all.php?A200402022S.
Billy's website: http://www.justice4billy.com
Guestbook for messages to Smolinski family: http://www.justice4billy.com/guestbook.html

Audrey May Herron's story in psychic series

For quite a while now, Project Jason's Voice for the Missing blog has been featuring stories on psychic involvement in missing persons cases. Some of them featured guest writers talking about their own experiences, and the most recent one was Audrey May Herron's best friend, Marie Parker. She talked about the experience she had on the Montel Williams show during an episode with notorious psychic Sylvia Browne. Read her post at http://voice4themissing.blogspot.com/2006/03/33106-pmp-sylvia-and-friends-part-ii.html. It includes a link to to video of the episode from their website.
For more info on Audrey, see my previous post on her at http://betweenlifeanddeath.blogspot.com/2006/03/audrey-may-herron-florida-story-false.html. The photo accompanying this post comes from the Charley Project, which features a complete profile of Audrey at http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/h/herron_audrey.html.

All posts in the series are prefaced by the initials "PMP" for your reference. All of them are written by Kelly Jolkowski, mother of missing Nebraska man Jason Jolkowski and founder of Project Jason, unless otherwise noted. A complete list of the ones so far:
1. intro (also includes a list of all the posts in the series): http://voice4themissing.blogspot.com/2006/03/30606-pmp-introduction-to-psychics-and.html
2. http://voice4themissing.blogspot.com/2006/03/3706-pmp-laying-groundwork-vulnerable.html
3. a guide to terminology used by psychics: http://voice4themissing.blogspot.com/2006/03/30806-pmp-laying-groundwork-primer.html
4. Psychics trying to "help" find Jason Jolkowski: http://voice4themissing.blogspot.com/2006/03/31106-pmp-first-of-many-part-i.html
5. continuation: http://voice4themissing.blogspot.com/2006/03/31306-pmp-first-of-many-part-ii.html
6. another psychic trying to "help" in Jason's case http://voice4themissing.blogspot.com/2006/03/31506-pmp-guarantee.html
7. guest written by Catherine a member of the James Randi Foundation, which investigates psychics http://voice4themissing.blogspot.com/2006/03/31606-pmp-personal-journey-from.html
8. guest written by Janice Smolinski, mother of missing Connecticut man William "Billy" Smolinski, Jr. http://voice4themissing.blogspot.com/2006/03/31706-pmp-business-of-preying.html
9. yet another psychic trying to help find Jason Jolkowski: http://voice4themissing.blogspot.com/2006/03/32006-pmp-shovel-lady.html
10. and still another...: http://voice4themissing.blogspot.com/2006/03/32106-pmp-not-psychic-part-i.html
11. continuation: http://voice4themissing.blogspot.com/2006/03/32206-pmp-not-psychic-part-ii.html
12. guest written by Luke T., another member of the James Randi Education Foundation http://voice4themissing.blogspot.com/2006/03/32306-pmp-but-news-said-psychics-are.html
13. guest written by Dana Ames, co-founder of United Response Search and Rescue Team; first one on Sylvia Browne: http://voice4themissing.blogspot.com/2006/03/33006-pmp-sylvia-and-friends-part-i.html

Please note the disclaimer featured in the posts:

We understand that many people believe that psychics are effective in
solving crimes and finding missing people. Please keep in mind that the goal of
this series is to help families understand techniques used by persons making
these claims and make better decisions about the use of psychics. Project Jason
and its volunteers cannot act as a clearinghouse for persons claiming success in
using paranormal means to locate missing persons. We will be unable to respond
to emails or other correspondence sent to us from persons making these claims or
persons offering information about or referrals to psychics. We instead invite
those persons to present their evidence to the members of the James Randi
Education Foundation. They have a forum available for you to discuss your
claims. http://forums.randi.org/forumdisplay.php?f=7